The new National Spelling Bee champion is 13-year-old Sameer Mishra who aced “guerdon,” a word that appropriately means “something that one has earned or gained.” Take a look at the many oddball words aced by this boy to earn his cup…(Video)
‘Guerdon’ Crowns 13-year-old Spelling Bee Champ
NJ Hospital Gives Palestinian Teen New Hope (Video)
A Palestinian teenager who lost an eye during fighting between Israelis and Palestinians several years ago is receiving the gift of reconstructive surgery at a hospital in New Jersey.
Who’s Happier — Older or Younger?
More eye-opening research finds that the happiest group in America are the seniors, with older adults more socially active than the typical stereotype of the shut-in senior suggests. (Associated Press via USA)
Hero is Saving Children from Cambodia’s Trash Heap
A woman saw children eating from trash cans and was overcome by an urge to help them become educated.
“Even though they don’t have money and live on the sidewalk, they deserve to go to school,” she thought.
Six years later Phymean Noun is helping Cambodian’s poorest kids do just that.
Within weeks, she quit her job and spent $30,000 of her own money to get her first school off the ground.
— READ and WATCH the video from CNN, here.
— Donate via Phymean Noun’s website: People Improvement Organization (PIO)
— Check out this YouTube video from the group — lovely and inspiring!
Fewer Felons Returning to Prison
“The number of felons walking back through Illinois prison doors for another stay dropped to an alltime low since 2004,” thanks to statewide reforms. Lower recidivism translated into $64 million in prison costs savings for taxpayers as convictions among parolees were reduced by 18 percent, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“To keep the numbers on a steady decline, the governor tapped faith-based leaders to execute recommendations from the governor’s four-pronged program to help keep recidivism low. In collaboration with the Illinois Dept. of Human Services and others, Rev. Bryon Brazier will work with community- based groups to help ex-felons get job training.” (The Chicago Defender has the story)
The Art of Word Fasting: Today’s Word is ‘Try’
The Jedi Master Yoda said “Do, or do not; there is no Try.” Today, on our Friday “Word Fast”, we examine the fact that the word TRY is often used as a scapegoat, to avoid commitment. Jack gives us an acronym to reframe our thinking and urges us to make a clear choice for moving forward in any intention…
My acronym today is: T.R.Y. (To Restrict Yourself)
This acronym (To Restrict Yourself) revealed to me the awareness that whenever I use TRY in my vocabulary to describe my intentions about some person, place or thing, those actions are restricted.
I can look back in my life and remember saying “I am trying to get a better job; I am trying to improve my relationship; I am trying to save money”. In a deeper part of my being I knew these were not statements about my actions. Rather, they were vague expressions of a desire. In most cases I used the word TRY when explaining the lack of fulfillment in my life. I utilized TRY as my scapegoat deflecting from any accountability for my thoughts, words and actions.
World’s First Solar Powered Ferris Wheel Debuts On Santa Monica Pier
The new $1.5 million solar powered Ferris wheel, which replaces the old wheel auctioned on eBay for $132,400, premiered at the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier on May 28. The wheel, arrayed with bright lights, is 75% more energy efficient.
JCPenney Shoppers Round-up $1.3 Million for Afterschool Programs
Shoppers at J. C. Penney helped provide hometown children with access to life-enriching afterschool programs by donating more than $840,000 to the most recent Afterschool Fund Round-up campaign. The retailer contributed $500,000 in matching funds bringing the total to more than $1.3 million for grants to afterschool programs in JCPenney markets.
During the 10-day April campaign, JCPenney customers had the opportunity to “round up” their purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to the non-profit JCPenney Afterschool Fund.
Rick Warren Reignites Peace Coalition
Rick Warren, the author of Purpose Driven Life, at a conference last week, invited 1,700 evangelical pastors to join his PEACE coalition, which was created to fulfull an epic ambition, “to turn at least half of the world’s tens of millions of Christian churches into a giant “network of networks” dedicated to relieving the poverty and misery of the developing world.” (Time Magazine has the story)
Buddha in the Board Room
It is said that “an entrepreneur creates a business, while a zentrepreneur creates a business AND a life”. Running a business for positive social change on the planet is to actualize a life in which WHAT you do is at one with who you ARE.
This is the first in a series of articles called, Zenning Your Business, presented by the Author of Zentrepreneurism: A Twenty-First Century Guide to the New World of Business. It will be featured as part of our Workplace Wednesday series. Please welcome author and radio host Allan Holender to the Good News Network.
“Zentrepreneursim” is surfacing across a wide spectrum of successful and purposeful businesses in North America. The fusion of one’s personal vision with one’s professional mission, grounded in activism and a holistic philosophy, will hallmark the next 1,000 years.
Student Ingenuity Plus High-Tech Batteries Yields All-Electric Porsche
State of the art batteries installed in the trunk transformed a Porsche into an electric car.
With a click and a hum, the sleek Porsche 914 pulled away from the curb while onlookers watched anxiously and the passenger gazed down at a laptop plugged into the dashboard. Once powered by a conventional gasoline engine, the 1976 Porsche now operates on 18 high-tech lithium batteries–the result of work by dedicated MIT students and their mentors.
Robin Hood Raises Almost $60 Million for the Poor
The Robin Hood Foundation, which raises money from the rich to give to the poor, collected $56 million in a single night during their annual gala attended by hedge-fund managers and the New York glitterati. 3,700 Wall Street executives gathered to hear Sheryl Crow and Shakira sing and bid on celebrity packages donated by the likes of NBC and Nike. Bricks were sold for one million dollars apiece to be the cornerstones of new housing for the poor. The hedge-fund industry is off to its “worst start in almost two decades”, but this one event last night continues to be the strongest fundraiser of its kind in New York City, and proceeds raised will go to more than 240 local poverty-fighting programs. (Read a full report on Bloomberg)
Since 1988, Robin Hood has “targeted poverty in New York City by applying sound investment principles to philanthropy”. 100 percent of every donation goes directly to programs helping poor New Yorkers to change their fates. Visit the Robin Hood Foundation website for more.
Dog, Cat and Rat Best Friends
Gregory Pike shows the world what is possible. His large dog carries around a cat on his back, who carries a rat on her back. He lets people take photos of the trio all day long on a city street corner. He wants to send the message that it shouldn’t be that hard for humans to “all get along” in peace. (YouTube video from Bison Films)
Thanks to Andrea P. for sending me a great musical link on the subject!
Aid Reaches One Million Cyclone Victims in Myanmar
Relief efforts by aid agencies have reached around one million people in Myanmar, just over 40 percent of those affected by the cyclone, according to the United Nations (not counting aid distributed by the Government).
Some 153 international flights had arrived in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and between 10 and 15 flights are coming in every day, with air-bridge flights from the logistics hub at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Yangon now fully operational.
Blind Boxer is World Class (Video)
For many Ugandans, boxing is their national sport. The East African country has produced world-class fighters, but many of the toughest aren’t prepared to step into the ring with Bashir Ramathan — even though he is blind.
Burundi Signs Ceasefire Deal With Rebels
Burundi’s government and last active rebel group, the National Liberation Forces (FNL), have signed a ceasefire.In the deal signed on Monday morning, both parties agreed to stop the fighting — which has killed 100 people since April. (Full Story at BBC)
Virginia Tech Professor Heads Peace Center
“Virginia Tech professor Jerzy Nowak, whose wife was one of 32 people killed by a student gunman on campus last year, will head a peace center to be established in the building where most of the victims died.” (Associated Press via WVVA)
WWII Vets Finally Get to See the Memorial Built in Their Honor
They last donned uniforms nearly 70 years ago, but thanks to volunteers and donations to the Honor Flight network, World War II veterans finally get to visit the nation’s capital to see the memorial that was built in their honor.
To thunderous applause and cheers, the latest group arrived from Detroit at Washington National Airport on May 17. The 40 veterans were eager to fulfill their dream of visiting the World War II Memorial, something none of them had done since its dedication in 2004.
(Guests of Honor Flight Michigan included Army Air Force veteran Roman Zedro – Defense Department photo by Samantha L. Quigley)
“I like to think of my old buddies, which are mostly all gone by now,” said John DeNardo, an Army veteran who served from April 1943 to January 1946. “Most of them never got to see it, so I feel like I’m representing them here in a way.
The flight, tour, and meals are provided at no cost to veterans through a network of Honor Flight local chapters in 31 states , including Michigan, Alabama, Florida and Colorado.
“Time is of the essence,” said Earl Morse, Founder and President of Honor Flight, Inc. “In another five to ten years, almost all of them (WWII Veterans) will be gone. There is a very narrow window available to us to make their dreams of visiting their memorial, a reality.”
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Arlington National Cemetery statistics, in 2007 about 1,200 WWII Veterans will pass away every day. The youngest WWII Vet is 79 years old. Over 70 WWII Veterans on the waiting list have passed away, patiently waiting their turn. Honor Flight presently has over 4000 WWII Veterans on their national waiting list.
The Michigan vet, DeNardo, a resident of Clinton Township, said he was glad for the chance to see the memorial — built in part by his contributions. He said he didn’t think the visit would be too emotional, but he had a few tissues just in case. And that probably was a good thing.
“It makes us cry. It makes them cry,” said Rick Sage, who works with Honor Flight Michigan, the organization that made the trip possible. “You can’t go through this day and not be emotional.”
Honor Flight Michigan brought 414 World War II veterans to visit the memorial in 2007. Sage said the organization’s goal is 600 this year. It all depends on funding, he said. All funds raised and donations received go into getting veterans to Washington.
“We’re all volunteers. We don’t get paid anything,” Sage said. “We’re just doing this because it’s the right thing to do for these guys.”
Even the right thing can come with challenges, though. Many World War II veterans are no longer mobile and require a wheelchair to get around. That means more of what the Honor Flight Network refers to as “guardians” to help move those who need wheelchairs. But that doesn’t discourage the volunteers.
In the end, the veterans’ reactions make it easy to forget any challenges.
“They think it’s just one of the best things they’ve ever seen,” Sage said. “Some of them get a little misty, [and] some of them don’t want to talk. It’s a very emotional time for them.”
Sadly, the national Honor Flight Network program, which began as a passion for Earl Morse, a physician’s assistant and retired Air Force captain in Ohio in December 2004, eventually will come to an end.
But until the final survivor of “The Greatest Generation” has their chance to visit their memorial, Honor Flight network will make sure as many World War II veterans as possible get to appreciate the grand monument built to honor their sacrifices.
If you would like more information about the Honor Flight, or would like to donate to help send a vet to Washington, visit www.HonorFlight.org, call (937) 521-2400, or write: Honor Flight Inc., 300 E. Auburn Ave, Springfield OH 45505.
Private Psychiatrists Offer Free Service to Troops
Civilians are offering to help the Pentagon handle the growing mental health needs of troops. Thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems, jumping in to help because the military is short on therapists. (Associated Press)
G8 Greenhouse Gases Down in 2006
“Greenhouse gas emissions by all the Group of Eight industrial nations except Russia fell in 2006 in the broadest dip since the world started trying to slow climate change in 1990, a Reuters survey showed on Friday.” (Reuters News)