Town called Vulcan Saved Itself Becoming a Sci-fi Destination

(Read the inspiring report from Reuters)

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Jun 19, 2009

Band-e-Amir, a vast expanse of amazingly blue lakes set in austere desert cliffs, nearly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) high in the Hindu Kush mountains, has opened as Afghanistan’s first national park.

The park, which was a tourist destination in peacetime back in the 1970s, is in a region of Afghanistan that has been comparatively stable for years. And the U.S. government is funding a new road that should cut the drive time by two-thirds.

“Look at this. It is poetry for the eyes. Poetry for the soul. Poetry for the spirit,” said Prince Mostapha Zaher, grandson of Afghanistan’s last king and now head of its environment agency. “Afghanistan will become again a tourist destination.”

New Russian Arctic Park to Protect Key Polar Bear Habitat

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Jun 19, 2009

Russia will create a new 3.7 million acre park in the Arctic, a central area for the Barents and Kara Sea polar bear populations.

WWF has long been lobbying for the park, which is also a key area for walrus, wild reindeer and bird population. The park creation excludes all industrial activities in the 1.5 million hectare area.

Hydrogen-Powered Two-Seater Unveiled in UK

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(Read more in the Guardian)

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Jun 19, 2009

Britain-based Riversimple unveiled a two-seat hydrogen powered car on Tuesday that the company says achieves the equivalent of 360 miles per gallon.

The company intends to lease, not sell, the vehicles for around $315 per month, including refueling, reports Reuters.

The most interesting element is its open-source design, meaning that anyone can download the plans, alter the desing, and produce the car locally on their own.

Riverside says its prototype proves that hydrogen cars, which are much more environmentally friendly than electric cars, are ready to mass-produce today rather than the distant decade some have resigned themselves to.

A Sanctuary for Elephants in Need (Video)

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Jun 19, 2009

The Performing Animal Welfare Society (or PAWS) in San Andreas, California, shows off the group’s Elephant Sanctuary, which provides rescued and abandoned performing pachyderms with a safe place to retire.

WATCH the video from below…

Reviving American Chestnut Trees Can Slow Climate Change

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Brian Wallheimer

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Jun 19, 2009

Introduction of a new hybrid of the American chestnut tree would not only bring back the all-but-extinct species, but also put a dent in the amount of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere, says a Purdue University study.

Douglass Jacobs, an associate professor of forestry and natural resources, found that American chestnuts grow much faster and larger than other hardwood species, allowing them to sequester more carbon than other trees over the same period. And since American chestnut trees are more often used for high-quality hardwood products such as furniture, they hold the carbon longer than wood used for paper or other low-grade materials.

Better Late Than Never, Senate Aplogizes for Slavery

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Jun 19, 2009

The Senate has unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and the racial segregation known as Jim Crow, asking for forgiveness. The measure was sent to the House, which passed a similar resolution last year.

(Video may take a moment to load, or view at TheNewsRoom.com)

Harvest Time in Michelle Obama’s Garden (Video)

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Jun 18, 2009

The First Lady hosted a harvest party in the White House garden today with the students from Bancroft Elementary to celebrate their hard work. The 5th graders helped start the organic kitchen garden back in March. Yesterday, with help from the First Lady, they got to prepare a healthy meal with produce fresh from the garden.

More than 90 pounds of produce has been harvested so far. Some of it has been used for meals at the White House, but much of it has gone to area soup kitchens.

The kids harvested lettuce and sugar snap peas then cooked a delicious lunch consisting of salad, baked chicken and brown rice. And once kids finished their salads, they were rewarded with a cupcake topped with fresh garden berries.

This was not only a culmination of their efforts, but it was also the realization of a small dream for the First Lady. She explained that planting an organic garden was one of the first things she wanted to do at the White House because of the severity of health issues facing America’s children:

I thought that this would be a fun and interesting way to talk to kids about healthy eating and nutrition. The President and Congress are going to begin to address health care reform, and these issues of nutrition and wellness and preventative care is going to be the focus of a lot of conversation coming up in the weeks and months to come. And these are issues that I care deeply about, especially when they affect America’s children. (continue reading below)

Supermarket Powers Store Checkouts With Modified Speed Bumps

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Jun 18, 2009

A British supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, opened a new store yesterday where the checkouts will be people-powered. The store features a new kinetic energy generator that will draw power from moving vehicles in the Gloucester supermarket’s parking lot.

Whenever a vehicle passes over the ‘Kinetic Road Plates’ in the car park, energy is captured and channeled back into the store saving power that would normally be taken from the National Grid.

The road plates are expected to produce 30 kW of green energy an hour, more than enough to power the store’s checkouts. The system, pioneered for Sainsbury’s by Peter Hughes of Highway Energy Systems, does not affect the car or fuel efficiency; and drivers feel no disturbance as they drive over the plates.

Boy Discovers Microbe that Eats Plastic

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(From Mother Nature Network)

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Jun 18, 2009

PhDs have been searching for a solution to the global plastic waste problem, but the solution may have come through a pair of 16-year-olds.

The teen winner in last year’s Canadian Science Fair presented research on microorganisms that can rapidly biodegrade plastic.

Daniel Burd knew that plastic, one of the most indestructible of manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose. It takes 1,000 years but decompose it does, which means there must be microorganisms out there to do the decomposing.

Photo credit: Samuel Mann/Flickr

Golf Course for Veterans Inspires Big Donation

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Jun 18, 2009

Out of the hospital with a repaired heart and a new appreciation for life, millionaire businessman Gene Lynn went searching for a way to share his good fortune.

After visiting the American Lake Veterans Golf Course, a spot that caters to military veterans and welcomes those with physical challenges, Lynn donated $200,000 to upgrade the nine-hole course near Fort Lewis, creating a golf complex that’s accessible for any veteran no matter what their physical ailment might be.

(WATCH the video below from the AP)

Good News Renews Amy

Testimonials

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Jun 17, 2009

As a parent, small business owner, and citizen I congratulate you on having such a wonderful website. It lifts my heart, gives me courage, and renews my belief in ALL humankind when I read the stories you highlight. I tell everyone I meet about your wonderful and noble quest.

– Amy Dobronyi, Colorado

Palau Provides Safe, Welcoming Haven to Asylum Seekers

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(Continue reading the AP story at NBC News)

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Jun 17, 2009

11 young asylum-seekers were in limbo, fleeing from arrest in Myanmar, before the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau mobilized to protect them in February. The newcomers say they’re astounded by the generosity of Palau and its people.

“It’s our age-old tradition to receive those in need whenever they somehow arrive on our shores,” the tiny nation’s president said in an interview.

“They didn’t know us,” Aye Aye Thant, 34, the group’s sole fluent English speaker and de facto spokeswoman, said Sunday. “We are not workers, and we don’t serve their country. But we are treated as their own siblings.”

Now Palau is making world news again after agreeing to take the Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo prison, who were mistakenly accused of terrorism.

Photo courtesy of Sun Star

Fighter Pilot War Enemies Become Friends (Video)

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Jun 17, 2009

Meet two men who are the best of friends now. But their first encounter, as enemy pilots in a dog fight over Viet Nam, almost killed one of them.

Steve Hartman features their unforgettable reunion and how former foes are now friendly grandparents.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Homeless Teen Wins Full Scholarship

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Jun 17, 2009

17-year-old Danielle Galloway grew up homeless in Atlanta bouncing from shelter to shelter.

She attended 10 different schools. But none of that stopped her from achieving her goal: a good education.

As Danielle says, “it always felt good to be the smart one.”

Now – she has graduated in the top 25% of her high school class. And she’s won a full scholarship to Boston University.

(Watch video from CNN below…)

Artist Stops Motorists With Traffic Cone Monster (Video)

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Jun 17, 2009

When the artist’s muse struck, Joseph Carnevale chopped up some orange-and-white traffic barrels and turned them into a massive statue of a hitchhiking roadside monster.

North Carolina officials are not amused and have arrested the man. But, the maker of the barrels wants the sculpture to use in its advertising and said the company would definitely pay for the price of materials.

Video may take a moment to load…

14-Year-Old Discovers Rare Supernova in Nearby Galaxy

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(Read more at Science Daily)

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Jun 16, 2009

“Coincidentally, the youngest person to ever discover a supernova found one of the most peculiar and interesting supernovae ever,” said Alex Filippenko, leader of the University of California, Berkeley supernova group, which monitors thousands of relatively nearby galaxies.

“This shows that no matter what your age, anyone can make a significant contribution to our understanding of the universe.”

Even a 14-year-old girl. Congratulations to Caroline Moore!

Anti-Stab Knives Debut in Britain

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Jun 16, 2009

Most knives used in attacks are from the kitchen. But soon, the first “anti-stab” knife will go on sale in Britain designed to work like normal on vegetables, but be ineffective as a weapon.

The knife has a unique “combination tip” pairing a dull rounded front edge with a blade for cutting that is tucked underneath.

(Read more in the BBC)

Sprinter’s Talent Spotted as he runs for Bus – Now he Aims for the Olympics

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(Read the story in the Daily Mirror)

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Jun 16, 2009

A novice runner is aiming for the Olympics – after he was spotted chasing a bus.

Jeffrey Lawal Balogun was just 19 when a scout from a top athletics club saw him racing after the No28.

Now, three years on, he is hoping to be part of Team GB for the 2012 London Games.

Road Sweeper gets Cambridge University Degree

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