The New York Yankees made a pilgrimage to honor the 32 victims of the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. The team then took to the field to play an exhibition game against the Hokies baseball team eliciting smiles and pride campuswide.
NY Yankees Honor Victims with Exhibition Game at Virginia Tech (Video)
Primate Park Protects Exploding Population of Pesky Monkeys (Video)
Forest officials in India have come up with an unusual way of controlling pesky monkeys – they’ve set up a park to protect them. The primate protection park in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh will house more than 2000 Simian monkeys and hopefully keep a check on the growing monkey menace in the hilly state.
Healthier Hearts for Cat Owners
“Cat owners have a lower risk of a fatal heart attack than feline-spurning counterparts, a study suggests. Cat ownership was related to a 40% lower risk of suffering a fatal heart attack.” (BBC Mews has the story) … Little joke there!
Simon Cowell Pays Off Couple’s Mortgage to Help in Cancer Fight
Generous Simon Cowell has paid off the $162,000 mortgage of a couple whose cancer-stricken three-year-old daughter has melted his heart. TV’s Mr Nasty showed his caring side by vowing to be a “guardian angel” for little Madelaine Stoen and her family. Since the girl was diagnosed with an agressive form of cancer, the family has been struggling to pay their bills. (read beautiful story below)
See-Saw to Power African Schools With Electricity
“A young inventor is hoping to tap the unbounded energy of children in a playground to power schools in Africa. Design student Daniel Sheridan has created a simple see-saw which generates enough electricity to light a classroom.” (BBC News reports)
New Bird Species Discovered in Indonesia
A small green bird that had been “playing hide and seek” with researchers has been declared a newly discovered species and named Togian white-eye, for its playground in the Togian Islands — within the Gulf of Tomini in Indonesia. A rendering of the Togian white-eye (c) Agus Prijono (Photo by Courtesy of Michigan State University)
(More at Reuters, or below)
Islamic Summit Favors Dialogue Not Clash With West
“World Muslim leaders on Friday condemned extremism and terrorism as incompatible with Islam and proposed a high-level international meeting to promote a “dialogue of civilizations” with the Christian world. Leaders of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference made the “Dakar Declaration” favoring cooperation after a two-day summit in Senegal’s capital.” (Read the story w/ photo at Reuters) — Alternate link here on Reuters.
Frog Gone Missing for 14 Years Rediscovered in Colombia
Researchers in Colombia have rediscovered the brilliant Carrikeri Harlequin Frog, which had been missing since its last sighting 14 years ago in a remote mountainous region. (Monga Bay.com)
Nigeria, Cameroon Settle Decades Old Border Dispute in Oil-Rich Atlantic
“After decades of sometimes bloody disputes over the Bakassi Peninsula, Cameroon and Nigeria have settled their long-disputed maritime border, ending years of uncertainty as to who owns sections of Africa’s oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. “Today is a glorious and remarkable day, a milestone in the history of Cameroon-Nigeria relations,” the Nigerian delegation head told Reuters (see full report) after the ceremony on Friday.”
U.S. Mayors Band Together Against Illegal Guns
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino teamed up two years ago to launch Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that now includes some 250 mayors working to help police stop the flow of illegal guns used in crimes. Check out their website or read the feature article in Reuters: U.S. Mayors Band Together Against Guns.
Hospital CEO loves GNN
The platform for my work is Albert Einstein’s ‘Knowing’ that the only way to change anything is to change the thinking that created it. He lived by this knowledge. The Good News Network is helping people everywhere do exactly that.
– Gisèle Guénard RN BScN MEd, VisionarEase Inc. CEO
Breast-Feeding Seen to Curb Type 2 Diabetes Later
Breast-fed babies appear to be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes when they reach adolescence, according to findings published in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
Cancer Survivor Triumphs for Second Year in Iditarod Race
“It was the kind of victory that only comes true in fairy tales. A cancer survivor nobody thought could win has beaten the big guys in the grueling 1,100-mile (1,800-kilometer) Iditarod Sled Dog Race for the second time in a row… In its 36th running, the Iditarod commemorates a run by sled dogs in 1925 to deliver lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome.” (Sports Illustrated)
Peace is Delicious for Traditional Foes Who Now Grow Coffee Together
In Uganda, one man went to his neighbors and his friends and brought together three groups of people – Christian, Muslim and Jewish – to put aside old differences and create a coffee cooperative that now boasts some 700 members of all three faiths. The result: They named their coffee Mirembe Kawomera, which means, “Delicious Peace.” You don’t even have to like coffee to drink this in…
“When Thanksgiving Coffee Company’s CEO Paul Katzeff learned of the Peace Kawomera Cooperative, he said, “This is the greatest coffee story ever told. We will buy all of your coffee and share your dream of peace with the world. This coffee belongs directly in the hands of people who will help us build peace.”
“This is not business as usual. Mirembe Kawomera “Delicious Peace” Coffee comes directly from the hands of the farmers, to the hands of our Roastmaster, right into your cup. Now, with every pound and every cup, we are forging a more just and personal relationship between coffee farmers and coffee drinkers.
“Mirembe Kawomera coffee began with one man’s dream and now involves hundreds of people of different backgrounds working in unity to do something together that none could do alone. Together we are moving a mountain of coffee: 112,000 pounds—the entire crop produced by Peace Kawomera’s 705 farmers. Across the country, people are spreading this story and bringing Delicious Peace coffee into their places of worship, offices, schools and more. This community includes Jews, Christians, Muslims, Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, mothers, writers, Rotary members, journalists, teachers, filmmakers, politicians, musicians, and children. One by one, each is doing their part to build the market for Delicious Peace.
Start a Monthly Buying Club
Delicious Peace is looking for individuals to help them grow peace by inspiring your community to create an ongoing relationship with the Peace Kawomera Cooperative, to provide lasting support for the dreams and livelihoods of the farmers and their families. The ultimate way to provide ongoing support for the Cooperative is to organize your community into a monthly buying club. A buying club is a group of people who join together to order their coffee. By placing one group order, you can receive wholesale discounts on orders of 20 packages or more, and you save on shipping costs by distributing the coffee through one central location.
You can also use the coffee as a fundraiser for your organization or school by placing a wholesale order and reselling it at our suggested retail price.
To get involved, contact Holly at (800) 462-1999 ext 49, or [email protected]
More info on the Delicious Peace website. (Thanks to Mike for recommending this inspiring story)
Polish Priest Wins Templeton Prize for Uniting Science and Religion
Michael Heller, a Polish Roman Catholic priest and cosmologist whose intellectual and religious life has been grounded in the insights of both science and religion, has won the 2008 Templeton Prize, believed to be the largest yearly monetary award given to a single individual. Heller, 72, who teaches at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Cracow, was awarded the prize for his work in connecting the realms of physics, cosmology, theology and philosophy.
Firefighter Uses CPR to Save Tiny Dog
“A firefighter performed mouth-to-nose resuscitation and revived a small dog he found lifeless inside a burning mobile home.”
Breakthrough in Canadian Indigenous Rights Lumber Flashpoint
“An Indigenous Canadian community’s longstanding campaign to stop clear-cut logging on its land has prompted a multinational paper company to boycott the wood fibre from this area. Boise Inc announced it would “stand in support of Amnesty International’s recommendation” and not buy any wood fibre from the traditional territory of Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwest Ontario until the community has given its consent to logging.” (Amnesty International)
Clooney Group Makes Donation for Darfur
George Clooney and other Hollywood stars have donated half a million dollars to the World Food Programme in Darfur, following warnings that cash shortages could ground its humanitarian flights. In June 2007, Not On Our Watch, founded by Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Jerry Weintraub, donated $2.75 million to the Darfur cause.
‘Disaster Divas’ Charity Met With Great Success (Video)
One of the smallest tornado relief charities in middle Tennessee has been met with such enthusiasm and genoristy that girls throughout a destroyed high school will be choosing new prom dresses to wear this spring. “Many families have suffered devastating losses. As they try to rebuild their lives, many of the luxuries they once had are now put on hold. Many of these victims were in the process of planning their weddings, picking prom attire, or attending other social events.” Disaster Divas to the rescue.
Baby’s Got Book! Tot Shocks Parents by Reading
It’s hard to imagine, but at just 17 months Elizabeth Barrett is already reading. She shows her amazing talent live on TODAY. “Way back when she was 13 months old, she read her first word, “corn.” She just pointed at the word and read it. She also signed the word in sign language.” (Video or text)