Chess players from Princeton University were challenged and check-mated by the best chess players at a maximum security prison in Trenton, New Jersey. The ‘ivies versus the inmates’ competition has been ongoing since 2002.
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A last minute rescue is being planned by Madeline Pickens to save 33,000 wild horses facing death by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which may euthanize some of the 33,000 wild horses roaming free on the open range in 10 Western states. The wife of Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens wants to create a refuge for the horses. (Story at MSNBC)
A homeless man who goes by Doc was treated to a movie by football star Tony Romo…
The $67 million quarterback and a man who doesn’t have $6.70 to his name sat next to each other and shared laughs for 90 minutes or so. For Romo – who made news by changing a couple’s tire on a roadside on the way home the night of the season opener – it was just another kind gesture to a random stranger. It meant the world to Doc. (Read more at Dallas Morning News)
At Phinda Game Reserve in Africa, wild animals that thrived long ago have been re-introduced onto recently-farmed lands. As fences have come down and nature allowed to return, endangered animals like cheetahs and black rhinos roam free and breed on an extended oasis of private land reserve.
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D.J. Gregory’s parents were told he would never walk. But with their constant encouragement, D.J. became the master of his cerebral palsy, and last week at age 30 he triumphed, achieving his dream of walking with underdeveloped lungs and twisted legs every hole of the entire PGA tour — 988 miles in 11 months.
D. J. has loved golf since he was a kid, teaching himself to swing with one arm (while holding a cane with the other). On Nov. 9, he completed his year-long mission, walking for more than 180 rounds of golf, 3,256 holes, meeting pro golfers along the way and inspiring scores of fans with his determination and spirit.
He kept an online journal of his travels detailing his experiences meeting all the pro golfers — dining with some — as well as the number of times he’s fallen down while walking his walk.
Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. (Associated Press story on CBS News) Or, watch the video below
Incredible story of a young girl who lived for 100 days with no heart, just the artificial pump, before finally getting a new heart and becoming healthy enough to leave the hospital. D’Zhana Simmons says she felt like a “fake person” for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. “But I know that I really was here,” the 14-year-old said, “and I did live without a heart.”
Cystic fibrosis causes lung problems that claim its victims in the prime of life and there is no cure. But, now one inspiring patient proves there is new hope for the lung condition, as he crosses the finish line of New York’s marathon.
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Honesty is paying off for a Bulgarian immigrant who was employed at the Glen Carbon, Ill., Goodwill store. When she found $7,500 in cash among donated shoes Nov. 7, she immediately turned in the money to her employer. The rightful owner was found and the Goodwill employee, Teodora Petrova, has since received at least four checks – one from the family, one from Goodwill and two from private donors moved by her honesty in news accounts. (Read the story in St. Louis Business Journal)
US president-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday vowed he would “engage vigorously” in global climate change talks and that denial was no longer an acceptable response to global warming. Obama said in a surprise video message to an international conference hosted by Gov. Schwarzenegger and four other state governors, that he would show new leadership on the issue as soon as he takes office in January.
Feast your eyes on five of the winning photographs of the London Natural History Museum and BBC Magazine’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 Competition. Both professional and amateur, youth and adult photographers are invited to submit pictures in 17 categories. An exhibit of all the winning photos is on display at the Natural History Museum.
Right: Troublemaker by Stefano Unterthiner, Italy, Animal Portraits winner – Nikon D2X + Nikon 12-24mm lens; 1/250 sec at f10; ISO 125; graduated neutral-density filter; flash. — “I think Troublemaker’s expression captures the spirit of these wonderful monkeys,” Black-crested macaques.
The top four healthiest cities for 2007 according to the US Centers for Disease Control are: Lincoln, Nebraska; Fargo, North Dakota; Boulder, Colorado; and Burlington, Vermont. The ranking is created by asking people who in metropolitan areas if they feel they are in great health, good health, or poor health. Topping the healthy list was Lincoln, Neb., where 92.8% of residents say their health is good or better and only 7.2% report fair or poor health. The people in cities with the highest numbers citing poor health were Mobile, AL; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX; Laredo, TX; and ranking most unhealthy, Huntington, West Virginia. (Entire list follows below)
Once a common sight in waters around the Philippine islands, the giant clam had virtually disappeared until marine biologist Edgardo Gomez decided to do something about it. “Giant clams are essential to coral reefs and so it was a race against time to build stock up.” Now reefs and bays in many parts of the Philippines are being restocked with mature giant clams as part of his project. Educating local fisherman is also key.
It was like Christmas in November for needy school districts nationwide as the Obama campaign donated 100 percent of the leftover campaign supplies from 200 recently closed offices. Obama’s Pittsburgh campaign office, for instance, donated to the local district at least five flatbed trucks of office supplies, including 12 Dell computers, 17-inch LCD monitors and several printers.
“The district was also invited to clear out the office of everything — and the schools took file cabinets, file folders, paper shredders, pens, clipboards, paper, paint and butterfly clips. Much of the haul was bulk ordered by the Obama campaign and never used.
…They are just as excited about the donor. Old campaign signs have been a hit in the Pennsylvania school district’s high schools — with teenagers lining up by the principal’s office to claim pieces of Obama campaign memorabilia that were donated along with the other supplies.” (Read more at ABC News.com)
Manitoba is trying to encourage people to stop flushing so much water and money away. The province has announced a new WaterSmart conservation program that will provide rebates to people who buy dual-flush, high-efficiency toilets. (The Winnipeg Sun)
Veterans Airlift Command is an organization that offers free flights to injured soldiers and their families, thanks to pilots volunteering their services, planes, and even paying for the fuel costs. Chip Reid reports on the service and the vet who started the project after learning how big a difference it makes to have a family near you when you are trying to heal after a war injury. (Video below)
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One young Ugandan, orphaned by the country’s civil war, has managed to support his five younger siblings and pay for their education by setting up his own business in the slums of the capital.
With the installation of a lighting management system, the New York Times Building has seen a 70 percent savings on its energy usage. That reduction translates into savings of $315,000 and 1,250 metric tons of CO2 a year for the building. (Read more at EcoGeek)
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced the 2008 recipients of its Community Health Leaders Award for individuals who overcome the odds to improve the health and quality of life for underserved communities across the United States.
The CHL honorees represent the diversity of America, working in many geographical, ethnic, social and economic neighborhoods. From providing deaf patients better access to medical care with interpreters, to giving low-income children a fair start on their education with eye exams, to violence prevention programs for teens, the awardees have dedicated themselves to tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting the health of their communities.
Chess players from Princeton University were challenged and check-mated by the best chess players at a maximum security prison in Trenton, New Jersey. The ‘ivies versus the inmates’ competition has been ongoing since 2002. 
