The Coca-Cola Company pledged to replace the water it uses in its global beverage operations, and that of its franchise bottlers, as part of a $20 million commitment to the World Wildlife Fund launched to help conserve seven of the world’s most important freshwater river basins. "Our goal is to replace every drop of water we use in our beverages and their production," said the Company’s CEO, E. Neville Isdell…
Coca-Cola Company Pledges to Replace the Water It Uses in Its Beverages and Their Production
Philly Cops Honored for Compassion and Fairness
“Philadelphia Police Chief of Staff Kimberly Byrd has won the coveted George Fencl Award – named for the exemplary head of Civil Affairs during the stormy ’60s, and given to an officer who exemplifies his qualities of ‘compassion, dedication, loyalty and fairness’.” Besides her 14-years on the Force, she is being honored today for “her years of service to grassroots community groups like Mothers In Charge and Town Watch, and her years of personally mentoring young African-American women.” (more)
Another police officer in the running for this year’s award was Detective Rose DiLacqua, “a one-woman force protecting the elderly in the department’s CARE Unit, or Crime Against the Retired and Elderly”. “The most important quality of a police officer is fairness,” said the sweet-voiced DiLacqua. “Treat people like how you would want to be treated.”
“‘Good cop’ was an understatement when it came to the young DiLacqua. She spent five years as an undercover narc, infiltrating drug organizations by posing as a curious hustler with a knack for speaking Spanish. In the late ’80s, her investigating skills helped federal agents shutter a large South Philadelphia drug ring that made and sold methamphetamine.”
(Read both these women’s stories at Philly.com here and here)
(Note, some source material has been removed by the source.)
Teaching AIDS Orphans to Farm and Help Themselves
(IRIN) – Twelve-year-old Nhlanhla Matsebula, one of Swaziland’s growing number of children orphaned by AIDS, has good reason to feel proud. He has mastered the skill of plowing a field with a team of oxen and in doing so, saved his late parents’ farm from being taken.
A boy like Nhlanhla would normally follow a plough driven by his father, dropping seeds into the furrows. But their parents left little behind besides land and the children faced eviction from a farm that had been their family home for generations…
London Birders See Return of Heron After 141 Years
Yesterday the BBC published a good-news-for-nature story. A beautiful species of bird called the Squacco Heron, which has not been seen for 141 years in Greater London, has been spotted at the Kingsbury Reservoir. (See it here)
Purple Frog Among 24 New Species Found in Suriname
Scientists working in the South American highlands of Suriname found five new frog species, including a purple flourescent one, six species of fish, and new beetles and ants. The area is ripe for miners, so groups like Conservation International will likely be working with local miners and governments to come up with a plan. (Australia’s ABC) The purple fluorescent frog (right) of the genus Atelopus was discovered during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in mid 2006 by Surinamese scientists Paul Ouboter and Jan Mol. Thanks to Ed for the link!
NPR Host and Media Critic, Geri Weis-Corbley?
EDITOR’S BLOG – I found out last night I was in the top seven percent in audience voting in the NPR Talent Quest (among 1450 entries). I also learned that not one of the nine judges thought my entry should be one of the ten finalists… I’ll find out today if I was the top vote-getter in the people’s choice slot, if not, I’m out of the quest… Time to get on with other quests? Meanwhile, in print, I was quoted in a major Sunday paper over the weekend, criticizing the media…
(PM UPDATE: I did not receive the most votes. Therefore, onward and upward.)
Encouraging Words: Turn Up Their Volume
Remember the voices from the past that discouraged you? The teacher who said you’d never get it? Do you still hear those voices? Shame on those people for discouraging us — and shame on us for listening. We have to change the channels that we are listening to and turn up the volume on the encouraging remarks… (Indy Star)
Newman’s Own College Scholarships Funded with $10M
“Hollywood star Paul Newman is donating $10m (£5m) to start a scholarship fund at the US college he attended, Kenyon College in Ohio. The actor’s donation will find up to 20 students per year, who will be known as Newman’s Own scholars.” (BBC)
Photo: CC Wikimedia Commons
Eco-Airline to Provide Green Labelling for Flights
"Low-cost carrier Flybe is to provide its customers with data showing fuel use, CO2 emissions and the noise patterns of its planes. The firm says this "eco-labelling" plan is the first of its kind and will let people choose which route or aircraft is the least environmentally damaging. (BBC) Andrew shares this from the UK!
Muppets Preach Peace on Mideast Sesame Street
A new Israeli-Arab puppet on the Middle Eastern version of “Sesame Street” is being touted as a new symbol of hope to children. “Rechov Sumsum” in Israel and “Shara’a Simsim” in the Palestinian territories are making their debut with new characters like Mahboub, an Israeli-Arab who speaks both Hebrew and Arabic and Jewish immigrants from Russian and Ethiopia, communities that have faced prejudices in Israeli society.
In addition to the shows, the program’s president plans to distribute puppet-themed educational tools throughout Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Spain Stops Construction of Motorway to Save Lynx
"The Spanish Environment Ministry has decided to stop the construction of a 300-kilometre motorway to save the Iberian lynx, the world’s most threatened feline species," of which there are about 100 remaining. (Earth Times)
Polish Man Wakes From 19-Year Coma
“A Polish man has woken up from a 19-year coma to find the Communist party no longer in power and food no longer rationed, Polish TV reports… Doctors gave him only two or three years to live after the accident, but he credits his exteded survival to his wife.” (BBC) Thanks to Andrew for the link!
My Moods in Spring (Photo Poem)
Ah, the perennial bliss of perennials: planted once, but yearly bejeweled…
With the progress of my years — and without much work — the flower gardens I planted when my children were toddlers continue to bless…
Here is a poem I wrote as I watched another year of the Spring Colors in Procession. The waves of color proceeded and faded like my moods, from sunny to blue, to sunny again.
Land in Afghanistan Donated to Mine Victims
Land in Afghanistan that is now free of mines has been donated to the workers who were injured while clearing those deadly weapons from the area, the United Nations said yesterday. The 87 deminers, who were all wounded in the Herat region during mine clearance activities, have since returned to their homes, but most are unemployed and face challenging living conditions.
Prison Sweat Lodge Benefits Native American Inmates
"Prisons around the US are allowing ceremonial saunas for American Indian inmates, just as they offer religious services for prisoners of other faiths. Traditional Indian sweat lodges — which are supposed to cleanse the body, mind, and soul — have a calming influence on inmates and help bring peace." (AP)
40 Years Ago Today The Beatles Changed the World
The Sixties were much more than a time of hippies, music, drugs and free love, the Kennedy era was dawning — and along with it, Vietnam. All these streams converged in the Beatles’ 1967 masterpiece album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. When the album was released 40 years ago today, it was a major cultural event.
“It was the soundtrack to summer, and winter for that matter,” notes author Barry Miles. “You could not get away from it.” Indeed, young and old alike were entranced…
Whale Pair Head Back to Open Ocean
A mother whale and her baby headed back towards open ocean last night after a rescue operation helped guide their 90-mile return down the Sacramento river to their migration route in the Pacific…
Flushed Diamond Ring Retrieval Called a Miracle
A 98-year-old woman accidentally flushed her $8,000, 1.6-carat diamond wedding ring down the toilet in the middle of the night two months ago, but thanks to the Olympia Public Works Department agreeing to take a look, the ring was found and delivered back to the woman who wrote a letter that motivated them to help. "I believe in miracles," she wrote… (The Olympian)
US Arrests Leading Internet Spammer
"A man nicknamed the "spam king" for allegedly sending out millions of junk e-mails has been arrested in the US"… the first spammer to be prosecuted under federal laws against identity theft. (BBC)
Making the World Safe for Big Cats
Explorer Alan Rabinowitz creates havens for tigers, jaguars, and leopards. (CS Monitor)