– a retired lieutenant colonel – re-enlists to go to Afghanistan and provide medical aid to military members and civilians. He said it is was his last chance to serve his country and do something adventerous. He works out 4-5 times each week and easily passed his physical exam.
Once vilified for its stingy health benefits, the world’s largest company has become an unlikely innovator in the effort to provide affordable care without bankrupting employers, their workers or taxpayers in the process. They still have a way to go, but significant progress has been made. (Read the full article at Washington Post)
A glimmer of hope for a recession-hit economy: U.S. retail sales jumped 1 percent in January, reversing a six-month decline and defying economists’ expectations by posting the biggest increase in 14 months.
Analyst Andy Wolf, with BB&T Capitol Markets said on CNBC, “We’ve seen stabilization here. It’s not getting any worse. It is a significant thing to say.” (Read details from AP via MSNBC)
A company based in Boston and Bangalore offers a cool way of sending a Valentine or Birthday wish to someone special in the United States. Send live singing telegrams from India to any mobile phone or land line for only $5.
TajTunes.com features an original lineup of songs written by Boston songwriters. The songs are quirky, fun, and out of the ordinary and the sender receives a digital recording of the song, including the recipient’s reaction, after the call is made.
After 5 years of declining sales and several legal setbacks, Monsanto has finally decided to dump recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), thanks to pressure from consumers, major retailers, dairies, and cafes, from Kroger to Starbucks, who demanded milk from cows that were rBGH-free.
Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the European Union have banned rbGH because of its impacts on human and animal health. In the U.S., “No artificial growth hormones used” is now commonly displayed on store shelves from Florida to California.
Injection of this hormone forces cows to boost milk production by about 10%, while increasing the incidences of mastitis, lameness, and reproductive complications. (Read more at OrganicConsumers.org)
(Thanks to Nic B. for the heads-up!)
A teenage thief picked on the wrong victim when she tried to run off with a bag belonging to senior Jean Hirst – a former championship sprinter.
“Suddenly I felt 18 again. The adrenaline just kicked in and I seemed to turn back the years…. She probably thought I was an easy target but she shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover. The look on her face was one of sheer amazement and she just threw my bag aside.” (Read more w/ photo at the UK Telegraph)
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – and dentists from across the country took part in a one day program to make sure underprivileged kids have healthy smiles.
The Give Kids a Smile program, now in its seventh year reaches kids ages 3-12 nationwide from New Jersey to New Mexico to Alaska. Overall more than 12,000 dentists and 30,000 volunteers joined the effort this year to treat almost a half million children.
The goal of yoga is to achieve inner peace and one yoga class is lifted to higher levels because beluga whales preside over the group as a backdrop.
(Read the CNN report here)
Mayors from more than 350 cities across Europe signed an EU climate change agreement Tuesday pledging to cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20 percent by 2020. (Read the AP Story at SJ Mercury News)
U.S. auto industry sales have been running about the same in February as January, but signs of recent stability in retail sales have continued and remain encouraging, a Ford Motor Co executive said on Wednesday. (Read more at Reuters)
In Australia, amidst a tale of such overwhelming loss, a result of the worst wildfires ever, the basic goodness of the human spirit shines through.
A Shepparton man, Peter Black, heard about a family that lost everything and said he was overcome with emotion. Such was the impact that yesterday he drove his six-month-old Dodge Caravan to their town, to give it away.
“It just brought tears to my eyes, it’s devastating to hear people lost their lives. I just wanted to do something,” he told ABC.net.au
A love story between two badly burned koalas rescued from Australia’s deadliest bushfires has provided some heart-warming relief after days of devastation and the loss of over 180 lives.
One of the koalas was featured in a YouTube video being rescued by an approaching fire fighter who talked gently to her, and fed her water from a plastic bottle as she put her burned claw in his cold, wet hand.
22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos have been rescued from fires. (Read more in the Star)
US President Barack Obama has called for new ideas on the world’s seeming intractable problems. Well here’s one that could undermine the Taliban in Afghanistan without sending in more troops. The US and the EU should buy up all the poppies with government money.
Buying the Afghan poppy crop was first suggested by the International Council on Security and Development. The idea would solve two problems in one blow. First, it would prevent the often-unwilling opium farmers from being driven into the arms of the Taliban for protection and as willing buyers and traffickers. Second, the crop could help the world, especially the poorer parts in Asia and Africa, with their chronic shortage of medical opiates.
Don’t assume that no one is hiring. There are some bright spots in today’s economy:
According to one Information Technology hiring index, 12 percent of the more than 1,400 CIOs polled planned to hire employees during the first quarter of 2009, Microsoft is among this group, as are the thriving tech giants, Google, Cisco and Apple. Look particularly for hiring in the areas of security, wireless support, applications, servers and storage.
The small, red Bible used to swear in Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama will go on rare public display with other artifacts to mark the 200th anniversary of Abe’s birth. The collection will debut at the Library of Congress and includes a first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation and a hand-written Gettysburg Address, along with the contents of the 16th president’s pockets on the night he was assasinated. The artifacts will go on tour through 6 cities.
Free, imaginative play is crucial for normal social, emotional and cognitive development. It makes us better adjusted, smarter and less stressed. Playing appears to help with language development and improves problem solving. In the absence of play, children miss learning experiences. (Read more in Scientific American)
A biotech firm in Washington recently announced an overwhelmingly positive response to compounds from a rain forest botanical for treating Alzheimer’s Disease, along with its intention to safeguard the very forests that provide such a remarkable pharmacopeia.
If you’ve ever cared for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you’ve searched for hopeful research pointing to a possible cure for this debilitating 6th leading cause of death. Every day scientists test new drugs, diets and devices to prevent or halt the growth of the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain which lead to neurofibrillary tangles that gum it up and transform a loved one into a total stranger.
Most drugs attempt to manage the condition, but nothing really halts its progress, and side effects are troubling, until now.
A group of strangers offered up squeezes yesterday on downtown streets, and got surprisingly positive responses.
On a cold winter day, the offer of a free hug from a stranger is often all it takes to warm the heart. They carrying large signs saying “Free Hugs” and left more than a few feeling a little better about the world. (Read more in the Toronto Star)
The effort was inspired by the Australian sensation on YouTube. Watch the music video that started all the Free Hugs on GNN-i here.
A club for youth to exchange ideas on peace, to be established in all schools of secondary and above levels in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region, was launched this weekend by the African Union – United Nations joint peacekeeping operation there (UNAMID).
Over 100 UNAMID members attended the opening of the first Peace Club at the Model Secondary School for Girls in El Fasher. The Peace Club will bring youth together through activities like debates and poetry competitions to focus on an end to war, as well as sporting and cultural activities.
The current economic crisis is offering many people the “opportunity” to change jobs and career fields. The American Association of Community Colleges has joined with organizations across the country to provide new directions in employment specifically for people over 50. (Listen to the story at Nat’l Public Radio)
