Nineteen political prisoners, including allies of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and five Buddhist monks, have been freed in military-ruled Myanmar as part of a general amnesty, an exile group said on Sunday.
The regime announced the release of over 6,000 inmates on Friday after United Nations human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana ended a five-day visit during which he called for the progressive release of “prisoners of conscience.” (Read more from Reuters)
The little film that could, Slumdog Millionaire, took home 8 Oscars including best director and best picture at the 81st annual Academy Awards last night. Sean Penn was named best actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, and Kate Winslet was awarded best actress for her role in The Reader. Here are some of the highlights: Watch the video below or read full coverage in the LA Times.
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A new device can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into fuel, says Craig Grimes (right), a researcher at Pennsylvania State University.
Powered only by natural sunlight, the carbon-cutting machine is able to convert a mixture of carbon dioxide and water vapour into natural gas at unprecedented rates.
Mardi Gras appears to be recession-proof. While most Americans are stashing their cash, hundreds of thousands are spending their way through the Big Easy to celebrate Mardi Gras. Business owners in New Orleans, like the general manager at Pat O’Briens, are pleasantly surprised by the surge and expect it to get bigger as Fat Tuesday nears.
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Wal-Mart announced plans to test two different hybrid trucks and three different types of alternative fuels in an effort to double their fleet’s fuel efficiency. The company has already achieved a 25 percent increase in efficiency with its private fleet of trucks between 2005 and 2008. It hopes to double that by 2015.
Wal-Mart, which operates one of the largest private truck fleets in the world, will this year retrofit a portion of its fleet to run on reclaimed grease fuel from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations. Trucks in Arizona will operate on an 80/20 blend of biodiesel made from cooking oil waste. Others will be tested on liquefied natural gas.
(Watch the video below or read more from Dallas Morning News)
More than 140 nations agreed on Friday to negotiate a legally binding global treaty to phase out the use of deadly mercury, a toxic heavy metal that threatens the health of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The deal came at a major UN meeting of environment ministers in Kenya after US President Barack Obama’s new administration said on Monday the United States had reversed its stance on the issue and was now in favour of a legal ban.
(Photo courtesy of Sun Star)
Blood donations save lives – even dogs’ lives. At the Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank in Severna Park, Maryland, owners can bring their dogs in to make donations on a monthly basis. Regular donors like Ray Hindle’s dog Oscar are canine heros. They ensure a supply of the life-saving blood is ready in case of emergencies.
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A famous literary cafe in Baghdad has reopened two years after a massive bomb gutted the cultural heart of Iraq’s capital and brought tragedy to the owner’s family. Poets and writers can now sip coffee together in one of Baghdad’s most important neighborhoods.
Ben Affleck spread the word on the plight of victims of the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo at one of the week’s first glitzy pre-Oscar parties, a fundraiser for the International Medical Corps’ Congo work.
The actor, 36, also wrote an essay for the current issue of Time about his personal experiences after several visits there and the ongoing war and displacement in eastern Congo.
The event, held at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, was expected to draw fellow celebrities Diane Keaton, Felicity Huffman, Nicole Richie, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Spacey and Kate Walsh. Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Garner showed up and Sheryl Crow performed a four-song set. Anderson Cooper received an award for raising awareness of the situation in DR Congo.
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A precocious 11-year-old in the 5th grade, Ben Berrafato, is challenging one of America’s most endearing and widely held beliefs, eloquently arguing against the need for homework. He may be right, say experts like the author of The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It
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The town of Seal Cove, Newfoundland has had a harrowing week. Neighbors have gone to bed each night to the wails of five dolphins, who’d been trapped in a small and closing gap in the ice of the community’s cove since the beginning of the week. Finally they decided to do something about it. . . (Read full story Toronto Globe and Mail)
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Sometimes, the greatest moments happen when you least expect it.
For Wisconsin senior Patrick Farrell, that moment arrived last Tuesday. That was the night when his Wrightstown team wrestled Chilton, and Farrell finally got to perform in a varsity match.
Farrell is a kid who’s had to achieve his goals while overcoming obstacles many don’t have to deal with.
He was born with his hips out of their sockets and with developmental problems. He also has a speech impediment that still lingers, even after he underwent surgery for it as a child.
(Photo- Patrick Farrell is carried off the mat by his teammates after he wrestled in his first varsity match)
The Frankel family has opened their home and hearts to others in need of a place to live. Together they have created an extended family of relatives related by blood and by circumstance. The family started taking in people before the economy soured, and now they say they are weathering the downturn better than some. . . (Read more at CNN.com)
(Photo courtesy of Sun Star)
Women having radiation treatment for breast cancer experienced lasting improvements in mental and physical health and quality of life after participating in five sessions of art therapy, Swedish researchers report.
The findings “strongly support art therapy as a powerful tool in rehabilitation of patients with breast cancer and, presumably, also in the care of patients with other types of cancer,” Dr. Jack Lindh of Umea University, Umea, Sweden. (Read full story from Reuters)
The government is looking for more families like the Sakamotos, who have braved criticism for their decision to raise foster kids. Not easy in Japan, a country where blood ties and traditional family structures are paramount, home settings have begun to trump institutional care in officials’ views of what’s best for children who face abuse or abandonment.
And now, the government is revamping its foster-care system to increase the number of caseworkers and better promote the option for families. (Read full article in CS Monitor)
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The huge Wisconsin auto dealership, Russ Darrow, is so sure it can sell cars that it is hiring dozens of salespeople and technicians. Record sales in January proves Russ Darrow’s favorite saying, “I’m not signing up for the recession.” At 17 locations, receptionists answer the phone, “It’s a great day at Russ Darrow.”
(Listen to the NPR story of the positive thinking car dealer)
A team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.
They missed the free throws intentionally to give an opposing player who’d lost his mother earlier that day a chance to work out his grief by playing.
They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.
“I did it for the guy who lost his mom,” McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It was the right thing to do.”
(Read the full story in Rivals High from Yahoo Sports)
Thanks to Nancy P. for the news tip!
While animal therapy is nothing new and has been used for decades throughout the world to treat disabilities, in Russia it’s still relatively rare. One of the few programs offering help and hope to hundreds of children with mental, physical and emotional problems is to be found in a small Siberian village. Reuters video below may take a moment to load.
The Obama Administration launched an accountablility website to be accessed by the American people and used to track where and how the money is spent that was allocated in the massive stimulus bill signed on Monday.
The website, at www.recovery.gov, lets US taxpayers and the media see where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There will be more features added to the website in the coming days and months, including a few different ways to search for information.
“The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you’ll be able to see where it’s going — to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors,” says the White House website. “As soon as we are able to, we’ll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics.
Kiplinger.com has an interactive map online with a current breakdown of what transportation projects are likely to be funded in each of the 50 states, and rough estimates for job creation numbers.
Below is a brief video featuring President Obama introducing the website, Recovery.gov.
Believe it or not, an economic downturn is a good time to start a business. There are openings in competitive markets and breaks on start-up costs and overhead.
Rents, supplies and other costs can be lower, and it’s easier to find qualified and affordable help. This makes it easier to offer a lower price for goods and services than larger, more established companies at precisely the time customers are looking for any way to spend less. (Read the full article on Kiplinger.com)
Not only is it a good time to start a business, but the Obama Administer has plans to beef up the Small Business Administration to rebuild the programs — particularly the loan program — which suffered under Bush Administration budget cuts. (Read that report also at Kiplinger.com)
