Your Top 10 good newsletter today was so good. It lifted my spirits more than any other issue. A couple items even choked me up. People need to know the good stuff that is happening, to inspire them to greater heights. We need to know that our efforts are paying off, that we can build a paradise — and we’re doing it. Thank you for singing this from the hilltops… a most valuable, important service. -Tony Milch, Burbank, CA
Tired of hearing people complain, but now I found your site
After being in several very depressing conversations with seemingly EVERYONE about the high price of gas, the state of the economy and upcoming presidential election, I don’t think I’ve even smiled in a few days – until I found your site… You’ve gently reminded me that there is a lot in the world to smile about. Perspective is everything, and despite what appears in mainstream news, good does happen – a lot more than I was lead to believe. – Stacey Long, Hayward, CA
Tired of bad news in Sydney, Australia
I am totally sick of hearing about murders, drugs, and all the rubbish the commercial networks bombard us with. I am not sticking my head in the sand. It’s just that I think, enough is enough. I get depressed as it is, without hearing about all the negative stuff in the world. Thanks for making my day.
– Bruce H.,
Blue Mountains near Sydney Australia
Blue Mountains near Sydney Australia
Moment of Mercy Stuns Crowd at Softball Finals
How many teams — with as much to lose — would show the same selflessness? A member of a women’s softball team hit a home run over the fence during the playoffs, but collapsed with a knee injury at first base. Players on the opposing team asked umpires if they could carry her around the remaining bases so that her home run could be counted as her own — her first home run ever. As a result, their team was eliminated from the playoffs, yet it appears that no one on either team is unhappy.
(Four people alerted me to this inspiring news in the past 24 hours! Thanks to Joseph Andorfer, Jeannie Beau, Lisa PB, and Tom.)
Photo courtesy of Athletic Media Relations, Central Washington University
Amputee Vets Get to Race BMWs for Fun (Video)
Giving injured Marines the chance to drive, and drive really fast is the goal of the Semper Fi Fund which is helping to retrofit BMW’s so that injured Iraq veterans can forget their trouble and have a little fun behind the wheel.
Church Groups Rally to Deliver 70 Tons of Food to NH Pantries
Over 1 ton of food was delivered and stocked on shelves in Raymond, New Hampshire as part of a drive by volunteer church members to restock the shelves of 50 food pantries throughout the seacoast area. Churches of different denominations, from a mega-church (Bethany) in Greenland, to the small congregation in Raymond, worked together to solve the growing shortfalls of donated food in the area.
A tremendous effort by the church groups, the goal was to raise $500,000 to fill the 50 pantries, but in the last minute donations increased bringing the total to 750,000 dollars enough to deliver 70 tons of fresh food within a couple of days.
“Our church is now preparing to do another huge project to try to keep the ball rolling, said Laurie Comp, a member of the New Life Assembly of God. “We want to start a chain of kindness in our community and throughout our country.”
Thanks to Laurie Comp for submitting the story. idea (Photo, right- Laurie stocks the refrigerator at Raymond’s New Life Assembly of God; below-food pantry volunteers in Raymond.)
Recycled Cell Phones Reprogrammed to Dial 911
Helping the Earth and helping crime victims at the same time: More than 100 million cell phones are discarded each year and only 1 in 5 are recycled. An innovative program in Las Vegas hopes to keep thousands of phones out of the landfill while increasing public safety. Old phones are programmed with the ability to simply call 911 anytime, and are donated to women faced with the danger of domestic violence.
Precious metal recovered from the old phone will be sold with the money going to victim rights programs. Phones can be donated in any condition — your dog ate it, it fell in the pool — to help crime victims who are otherwise feeling unsafe to have access to the police deputy at all times, and help the earth at the same time. (KVBC News Video) UPDATE, MAY 22: If you can’t bring your old cell phone equipment to one of the 7 substations in Las Vegas, please mail it to:
Victim Services, c/o Peggy Wellman
4750 W. Oakey Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Hundreds of Looted Iraqi Treasures Returned to Museum
Iraq’s National Museum celebrated the return this week of more than 700 ancient treasures looted during the outbreak of the invasion by US forces. In the years that followed Syrian authorities had seized the items as smugglers attempted to carry them over the border and out of the country. (National Geographic story)
Tesco Launches Carbon-Labeling on Products
Tesco, the world’s third-largest food store launched a carbon labeling system that makes it easy for shoppers to compare the carbon footprint created by competing products like detergents, juices, and light bulbs.
With the help of Britain’s Carbon Trust, a government organization, the retailer is measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each of 20 products from “seed to store.” Letting consumers know how much energy it takes to create, ship, package and use the product.
Top 10 Music Acts Who Are Going Green
Here are ten acts that have tried to make a difference to the environment by reducing their carbon footprint, recycling and charity: Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Mana, KT Tunstall, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Missy Higgins, The Roots, former frontman of System of a Down, Serj Tankian. (Reuters News)
Electric Car for the Masses to Hit US Market Next Year
“A low-priced electric car for the masses will be introduced in the U.S. by the end of next year. The battery-powered Think City will be able to travel up to 110 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of about 65 mph, the company said. It will be priced by its Norwegian automaker below $25,000.” (From the LA Times)
Breakthrough Gene Treatment Banishes the Darkness
“A pioneering gene therapy trial has helped a blind man to see in a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases. British scientists have claimed a world first for the revolutionary treatment, which involves a single injection into the retina at the back of the eye.”
(The Independent, UK)
Golfer Hits Two Holes-In-One in Single Round
Odds of 67 million to 1 didn’t stop Ted Kemp from sinking two holes-in-one during a single round of golf an Iowa course. He is a 12-handicapper. (Associated Press via MSNBC)
Volunteers Restore Rivers Across America
“Federal agencies, states, tribes and concerned residents are spending millions of dollars and thousands of hours on 37,000 river restoration projects under way to reverse decades of poor management and combat the mounting threats of population and climate change… Dozens of volunteers spent a recent day planting native trees along a half-mile stretch of the Santa Fe River that has been reduced to a dry, sandy wash.” (Good News from CNN’s Planet in Peril series )
Single Word IM Frees Arrested US Blogger in Egypt
Twitter is a new and fun way to keep in touch with your friends, but now it also has proved a useful way to win release from an Egyptian jail. A US blogger in Egypt used Twitter from his cell phone to fire off a one-word message: “Arrested”. The 30 friends signed up to recieve his Twitter messages, spread the word within seconds and went to work calling the US embassy. (CNN.com has the story)
Follow me on Twitter with my username: GeriWC (Skype too!)
Major Success in the Fight Against Illegal Fishing
Efforts to clamp down on illegal fishing for cod in the Barents Sea are paying off – with a 50% cut in illegal fishing since 2005. According to the Norwegian government, more than 100,000 tons of illegal cod was caught in the Barents Sea in 2005 while last year estimates put illegal landings at 40,000 tons (the legal catch was around 450,000 tons).
Getting Fit While Using Your Technology (Video)
Technology gets a bad press when it comes to fitness, but not only can it help us, it can make us fitter – not fatter. (BBC video shows that if you're a gadget freak, it could be a motivation to get fit.)
Is Depression Good For You?
Pills aren’t the answer to helping many people recover from depression, says a February report. But there’s growing evidence that gloominess could be a positive experience.
There are other qualities depression generates, not just resilience.
It can be seen as a defense mechanism that can force a healthy reassessment — a reevaluation of one’s personal career, relationships, and life purpose that can lead to positive results.
(READ the article from BBC News Magazine)
This is exactly the premise discussed with Dr. Lara Honos-Webb on our Great Mentors audio program in February, “Discovering the Gift Within Your Symptoms: Listening to Depression and ADHD.”
Doctor Quits Practice and Sells Home to Open Clinic for Uninsured
A Pennsylvania doctor frustrated by insurance companies interfering with patient care vowed to do whatever she could to increase quality. She opened her own clinic for treating the uninsured. The elimination of paperwork allows Dr. Lorna Stuart more time with patients. (CNN Heroes)
Penguin’s Custom Wetsuit Puts Him Back in Swim of Things
To help a balding penguin to swim again rather than shivering on the sidelines while his 19 peers played in the water, biologists at the California Academy of Sciences had a wetsuit created for an elderly African penguin. (Canadian TV Science News) Thanks to Shelley for submitting story!