“A baby girl who was born deaf can now listen to bedtime stories and jiggle about to music thanks to a life-changing cochlear implant operation.” (Daily Mail has story and cute photo of happy mom and baby)
Finished Highway System Boon for Appalachia: Study
A wise investment in new highways linking 3,500-miles within Appalachia will likely lead to tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment for one of America’s most poverty-stricken regions, according to a new study. (Full story at Associated Press)
Elevating Brain Protein May Help Alcoholics From Relapse
One of the cruelest aspects of alcoholism is the fact that hard-won recovery can turn into relapse with just a single drink. Now Bay Area scientists may have discovered how to help the brain give up the alcohol — and, even the craving — for good.
Local Governments Can Take On Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, have all adopted new strict Green Building Codes, but Los Angeles is poised to become the largest city in the nation to do so. “According to studies, green buildings on average can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. Because buildings account for more than 70% of electricity consumption nationwide, mandating more efficient buildings can help significantly reduce emissions.”
Additionally, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has “made a priority of encouraging development near its rail and bus stations.”
(Read the full editorial in the Lost Angeles Times written by president-elect of the American Planning Association California Chapter)
Incredible Shadow Puppetry Video
Every image you see is created by a cast of human hands in shadow. The stunning Volkswagen commercial is a promo for its handmade car, the Phaeton, which never made it to the US. Apparently, the factory where the Phaeton is made really does allow for hand-crafted detail in the manufacturing process, which one auto fan calls “incredible”.
Toyota Brings Fuel Cell Dream Closer to Reality
Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it had developed a new zero-emission fuel-cell vehicle that has a longer cruising distance than previous models and can operate in freezing temperatures. Japanese companies have been working to create a viable zero-emission car running on fuel cells, which produce electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, leaving water as the only by-product.
Honda plans to begin leasing its hydrogen-powered fuel cell sedan, Clarity, in the United States starting next month, and is testing a home refueling station for it. MSNBC has a nice page here about the Honda plans and some interactive features, like a comparison of hybrid cars along with a list of greenest 2007 vehicles.
Anthony Eggert, a researcher at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, also sees it as promising. “Home refueling,” he says, “is one potentially attractive strategy to get fuel cell vehicles into the market without wide-scale infrastructure availability.”
The World’s Most Ethical Companies
Kellogs, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Nike are a few of the companies named to the 2008 list of World’s Most Ethical Companies. Ethisphere magazine takes its ethics seriously and its annual list of companies, even moreso. The World’s Most Ethical Companies are the ones that “go above and beyond legal minimums, bring about innovative new ideas to expand the public well being, work on reducing their carbon footprint, and respond to lawsuits not with a PR campaign, but with real action, such as complete transparency and significant effort toward fixing the core problem.
And, apparently it pays to be ethical. Companies on the Most Ethical list consistently outperform the S&P 500. Find the 2008 list and methodology here.
Stem Cells Offer a Potential Cure for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s is a debilitating disease characterized by loss of muscle control, but there may be new hope for people with this illness in the form of stem cells.
Researchers at Griffith University have found that adult stem cells from the noses of Parkinson’s patients can be used to grow dopamine-producing brain cells in rats (the brain cells that degenerate in people with Parkinson’s).
(Full story at ScienceDaily.com)
– Photo via public domain
Great Seminar Where I Met Some GNN Supporters
IT was wonderful to go see income acceleration coach (and Great Mentor) David Neagle in a daylong free seminar yesterday. Especially fulfilling was meeting some Good News Network members for lunch.
Jane, Phil and Linda provided me with insights, ideas and friendship and they went home with a “Good Happens” canvas bag. We all went home with more inspiration about how to LET IN the abundance and an intention to look at who we are being, instead of what we are doing, to allow all the brilliance in. Anyone who was new to David’s seminar was blown away by the heft of information and insight given to the audience.
The seminar was a preview for David’s Experience the Reality of Success seminar (to which I went last year) and I highly recommend it for anyone who has issues with money or beliefs about limitations that are holding them back.
GET A FREE DOWNLOAD OF David’s 3-part Art of Success workshop — the one that started me down the path to success.
Highly Recommended: David’s 4-day Experience the Reality of Success Seminar, delivered twice per year. Get all the details on his website- Click here .
Community Pulls Together to Build Home for Cancer Patient
After a cancer patient’s plea to Extreme Home Makeover to help her build a new house for her family of six, was turned down, her community pulled together to grant the wish that the show couldn’t.
(WATCH the inspiring video below, by Steve Hartman or Read full text at CBSNews)
The Importance of Magnets in Modern Medicine
Magnets have been thought to have healing properties since ancient times. Today, magnets are showing promise in treating everything from bone fractures to depression and are being studied to determine their usefulness in treating brain disorders and Parkinson’s disease.
Socializing Can Help Elderly Women Stay Sharp
“Socializing with friends and family can do more than lift the spirits of elderly women — it can improve cognition and might help prevent dementia, according to a new study.” (Science Daily has the full story)
Couples Required to Plant Trees Before Taking Wedding Vows
To help slow the rapid deterioration of the country’s forests, Indonesian couples in a mountainous province who want to get married are now required to plant ten trees before being granted their marriage documents. The new green wedding vow can be achieved with seedlings supplied by the government — so far to more than 900 couples. (full story at Metro.co.uk)
Dog Finds Maternal Instincts with Batch of Orphan Kittens
The family dog was a “certified cat-hater,” who never had puppies of her own. That all changed when four abandoned kittens were found in the shed. “Now the dog has become their adopted mom, nursing them four to six times a day even though she has never been pregnant.” (Wonderful story and photos on StarBulletin.com)
Russian President Against Press Restriction
The new leader of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, may not be choosing the Putin pathway that leads to restrictions on the press. This week the president criticized in a written letter to the Parliament some proposed legislation, warning that it may hurt media freedom. (International Herald Tribune)
Meet Me in Baltimore Saturday for Free Abundance Seminar
One of the Great Mentors featured in my tele-seminar program — David Neagle, the “Income Acceleration Coach” who gave us the ‘Secrets of the Mind-Money Connection’ — is offering a full-day FREE seminar in Baltimore tomorrow, June 7. I will be there. (Read More)
So let’s meet up for happy hour after the seminar! Call my toll-free number to meet up, 1-866 Good News. . . But, you have to register first – Click here for info about the seminar, “a sincere, information-packed day designed to teach you how to achieve success,” so says one attendee of his LA seminar.
(I’m aiming to get there at 7 am for pre-show chatting! I’m already meeting one fellow GNN member) You will love listening and learning from David. (More on my Great Mentors page here)
Pacific Ocean Dolphin Populations Improving
The Northeastern Offshore Spotted Dolphin is one of two dolphin species rebounding after population declines due to tuna fishing.
According to biologists from NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the populations of two species of dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are increasing after being severely depleted due to accidental death from tuna fishing between 1960 and 1990.
Between 1960 and 1990, the northeastern offshore spotted and eastern spinner dolphin populations dropped to 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively, of their pre-fishery levels when dolphins were caught and died in tuna purse-seine nets.
China Bans Free Plastic Bags
China banned the use of ultra-thin plastic bags Sunday in a bid to reduce energy consumption and polluting emissions. In addition to banning the manufacturing of the bags, retailers will no longer provide free plastic bags. Customers are being encouraged to carry their own bags.
US Communities Build Earthquake Safe School in China
Members of the Chinese community in Oklahoma and West Virginia have decided to take direct action to help children whose schools crumbled in the May Earthquake in China. Disillusioned by larger charities where much of donors’ dollars go to overhead, Berlin Fan and Shuhua Chan are raising funds to rebuild a school in the devastated Chinese province. With a fund-raising goal of $50,000, they have raised about $3,000 so far in their effort to replace the tent with a safe school built to withstand earthquakes. (University staff and church unite to aid earthquake victims) Thanks to Troy Morris for the tip!
More information is available by e-mailing [email protected] or visiting earthquakechildren.wetpaint.com.
Britain’s Oldest Man at 112 Years Has Great Memory (Video)
Britain’s oldest man, thought to be one of three surviving UK World War I veterans, is celebrating his 112th birthday. He has a great memory and can fill in the details of 100 years of history. As the last surviving original member of the Royal Air Force – formed 90 years ago – Henry Allingham visits school children to bring history alive. (Video and story at the BBC)