Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Bill Maher and Joan Rivers were among the comedians who honored George Carlin last night with the Mark Twain Prize for Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Carlin, who died two days after being informed of the honor in June at the age of 71, was represented at the gala by his daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall. “He would have loved the show,” she said. “It was great.”
YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s archives. It will result in the launch of a free video-on-demand channel called Impact, dedicated exclusively to action films, TV shows and clips. (Read more at BBC News) Thanks to Bill F. for the tip!
A cat wearing a conductor’s hat has boosted a small Japanese town’s local economy by 10 million dollars through increased tourism. People are now flocking to see the train’s new “super station master,” Tama the cat.
– Thanks to Hugh for the story tip
Inspired by Barack Obama, the French first lady and other leading figures say it’s high time for France to stamp out racism and shake up a white political and social elite that smacks of colonial times. (Associated Press reports on comments of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy)
A range of new technologies are being used at an Italian olive farm in a bid to cut CO2 emissions and also save money on energy. From electric farm vehicles to sun-reflecting paint, BBC reports on the many sustainable techniques adopted by a famous olive oil company and vinyard.
We are sorry. The content item you requested needs to be replaced since the sydicator has abruptly ended this news service. The Good News Network is committed to finding another version of this news story elsewhere and adding the replacement link by mid-January, 2009. Please check back!
A half-dozen off-duty Marines who raced through a burning motel on Sunday warning sleeping guests that it was on fire were hailed as lifesaving heroes. Everyone escaped the motel, despite no smoke alarms sounding, including one elderly man who required oxygen after he was carried to safety by one of the Marines. (AP story via Sacramento Bee) Thanks to Emily H. for the news tip!
While the culture of giving may be foreign to most children, it’s easy to train your own little ones to be compassionate. Here are six shortcuts for raising a charitable child, from birth and beyond. (Read the article at Razoo.com)
A Chicago entrepreneur has gone out of his way to help a perfect stranger get off the street and back on his feet. Something inside of him melted when he heard Troy’s story of injury and joblessness. He set up a website and raised $10,000 to pay for food, housing and medical care for one year. He is also helping Troy get job training to secure his future.
Next year he wants to help 10 more ‘Troys’. Get inspired and contribute at SaveTroy.com.
In an economic downturn the internet is especially effective as a tool to help you stretch the value of your dollars this holiday season. Here is a list of websites that can help you research products, compare prices and find bargains that fit your budget.
Leading the way is ConsumerWorld.org, author of the following list of “Top 5 Shopping Tools for Sore Wallets”. The website, www.consumerworld.org, is a public service, non-commercial guide that receives no compensation from any of the sites listed, with over 2000 of the most useful consumer resources. Visit often and find lots of deals and helpful comparisons.
Researchers have developed some of the tiniest solar cells ever made – that could potentially be painted on surfaces, and even clothing. So far, the South Florida scientists have managed to pull 11 volts of electricity from a small array of solar cells, each one only one-quarter the size of a grain of white rice. (Read Reuters report in Toronto Globe and Mail)
Local entrepreneurs have taken the time to look into the eyes of disconnected young people, street kids who need a hand, and find untapped potential. Whether the job be dishwashing, internet technology or security guard, small business owners are giving local youth the opportunity to succeed. (Entrepreneur online)
From solar panels to non-toxic x-rays, from high efficiency lights to improved air quality, one dentist has opened a green office to reduce the carbon output and help his patients relax. (WVIT FirstCoastNews.com)
Voters in California chose overwhelmingly to pass a proposition that mandates better treatment for farm animals and requires larger enclosures for hens, pregnant pigs, and calves raised for veal. The increased space must be enough to allow the animals to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs, according to the law. (National Geographic)
A young man from Central Illinois scored five holes-in-one at the local golf course in a six-day period. 22-year-old Curt Hocker was able to place his first golf shot directly in the hole at the El Paso Golf Club on five occasions in less than a week’s time. (Editor’s note: This is quite an example of the Law of Attraction!)
The antioxidant compound found in green tea could slow or even prevent the development of type 1 diabetes, new research in mice suggests.
To provide more renewable energy at low cost, Duke Energy is envisioning their customers’ rooftops and vacant lots in Charlotte, N.C. as mini power plant sites. Duke wants to install solar panels and pay customers to use their roofs or lots. The electricity would go straight onto the grid and customers would still have to pay for their power. (Listen or Read at NPR’s Morning Edition)
A new memorial center in Berlin pays tribute to the thousands of German who risked everything to save Jews from Nazi persecution and documents the years these “Silent Heroes” kept their Jewish guests hidden from the authorities.
The permanent museum exhibition shows the persecution and the desperate situation of Jews facing the threat of deportation, how some of them decided to resist the threat to their lives by going underground, as well as the actions and motivations of the men and women who helped them. It documents not only successes in saving Jews, but also attempts that failed.
Some 5,000 Jews in Germany were able to survive the war in hiding thanks to an unknown number of people who were involved in helping them. Research suggests that for each person in hiding, around 10 people were involved in aiding them. They found the courage to help as far as they could, despite the risk involved. Else Ackermann, a retired teacher, and her brother Hans, a former municipal civil servant, were two of these.
In 1942, at the age of 53, Johanna Putzrath was compelled to work as a forced laborer in a firm in Tempelhof in Berlin. She knew that Else Ackermann and her brother Hans, who were devout Protestants and adherents of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual philosophy, had offered help to another Jewish worker at the 
firm. When this woman was unexpectedly deported, Johanna Putzrath turned to the Ackermanns. Without hesitating, Hans Ackermann took the unknown Jewish woman into his two-roomed apartment in Tempelhof. His sister Else, who lived in Steglitz, joined him in helping the refugee Johanna Putzrath.
At the end of January 1943 Hans Ackermann also gave shelter for over a month to a married couple, Ines and Max Krakauer, until they found other places to stay in southern Germany. Even when the Ackermanns’ apartments were destroyed by bombs in 1944, they moved, yet they continued hiding Johanna Putzrath. After almost two-and-a-half years, the three of them witnessed the end of the war together.
Johanna Putzrath emigrated to the USA and lived in New York until her death in 1975. Else Ackermann died in the 1940s in Berlin; her brother Hans died in 1959.
Visit the Memorial’s English website at www.gedenkstaette-stille-helden.de/english
Read more about the Memorial’s stories in the UK Guardian.
(Photo: Johanna, left, with Else, who saved her from persecution)
A unique fungus that makes diesel compounds directly from cellulose has been discovered living in trees in the Patagonian rainforest. “These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel,” said Professor Gary Strobel from Montana State University. “This is a major discovery,” he said, that may offer an alternative to fossil fuels. (Environment News Service )
World leaders in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere offered their congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama on his historic win and expressed hopes that working together in the areas of peace, security, prosperity and justice will ensure progress. Here are my favorite quotes that appeared in a Reuters 4-page compilation:
YULIA TYMOSHENKO, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER
“Your victory is an inspiration for us. That which appeared impossible has become possible.”
Geothermal energy may be the most prolific renewable fuel source that most people have never heard of. Although the supply is virtually limitless, the massive upfront costs required to extract it have long rendered geothermal a novelty. But that’s changing fast as this industry buzzes with activity after decades of stagnation: Billionaire Warren E. Buffett has invested big. Internet giant Google Inc. is bankrolling advanced research. Entrepreneurs are paying record prices for drilling leases in places like Nevada. (Read more at the L.A. Times) Thanks to Sun Star for sending the link!
