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Apps for Apes: Zoos Turn to Tablets to Keep Animals Engaged

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Feb 17, 2013

Apps for Apes program-SmithsonianPhoto

When great ape keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo were deciding how to add more variety and enrichment to their animals’ lives, they turned to Orangutan Outreach and a program that had seen great success in 12 other zoos around the world: Apps for Apes.

With the tap of a finger, keepers are introducing the Zoo’s six orangutans to iPads, which provide unique stimuli. They found that 36-year-old Bonnie likes to bang on the drums, 16-year-old Kyle prefers the piano and 25-year-old Iris is content to listen to the soothing sounds of the koi pond while watching animated fish splash.

Famous Musicians Bring Healing Power of Songs to Hospitals (w/ Video)

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Feb 17, 2013

At the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., it is not uncommon for the crisp, clean, soothing sound of an acoustic guitar to echo down the hallway.

Patients, their families, and medical staff members alike light up when musicians come in to sing.

It’s all part of a six-city program called Musicians on Call, whose mission is to bring local musicians to the bedsides of patients too sick to leave their hospital beds.

Great Jobs: One-man Bank Keeps German Village Humming

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Feb 17, 2013

cash register antique-Gladtobeout Morguefile

By big city standards, Peter Breiter, 41, is an unusual banker. He left a bigger bank, where it was all “sell, sell, sell”, to settle in the tiny southern German village of Gammesfeld and write transaction slips by hand for its 500 inhabitants.

The job required him to work with an adding machine and typewriter, without computers.

Breiter, a keen mathematician, says taking up this job in 2008 was the best decision he ever made.

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Home Solar Leasing Pumped Nearly $1 Billion into California in 2012

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Feb 16, 2013

photo of home off the grid - EarthShip.com

The number of homeowners installing solar panels leased from third parties is skyrocketing in the US, particularly in states that initiate incentive programs, like California’s “One Million Solar Roofs.”

This week comes news that third-party-owned solar transactions have pumped more than $938 million into California’s economy in 2012, a record-high annual amount equal to that of all the previous five years combined.

“We are seeing the most growth in low and median-income zip codes as companies like Sunrun continue to remove the barriers to (solar panel) access,” said the managing director of a digest for solar businesses, PV Solar Report.

Home Solar Leasing Pumped Nearly $1 Billion into California in 2012

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Feb 16, 2013

photo of home off the grid - EarthShip.com

The number of homeowners installing solar panels leased from third parties is skyrocketing in the US, particularly in states that initiate incentive programs, like California’s “One Million Solar Roofs.”

This week comes news that third-party-owned solar transactions have pumped more than $938 million into California’s economy in 2012, a record-high annual amount equal to that of all the previous five years combined.

“We are seeing the most growth in low and median-income zip codes as companies like Sunrun continue to remove the barriers to (solar panel) access,” said the managing director of a digest for solar businesses, PV Solar Report.

Oregon Siblings Find and Return $13,000, Great Rewards Follow

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Feb 16, 2013

cash lost and found-Samaritans

20-something siblings Katie and Ryan Moi could really use $13,000 right now but they still decided to return the bag of cash they found on the street to its rightful owner.

“Obviously, we couldn’t keep it,” Katie, 21, told the Register-Guard. “When I had my laptop stolen, that was the worst feeling. I would not do that to someone else.”

Good karma followed, bringing unexpected rewards:

They were given $200 each from the bag’s owners and also job offers and a new Apple laptop from people who had seen their story on the news.

(WATCH the video below or READ the full story from ABC News)

Oregon Siblings Find and Return $13,000, Great Rewards Follow

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Feb 16, 2013

cash lost and found-Samaritans

20-something siblings Katie and Ryan Moi could really use $13,000 right now but they still decided to return the bag of cash they found on the street to its rightful owner.

“Obviously, we couldn’t keep it,” Katie, 21, told the Register-Guard. “When I had my laptop stolen, that was the worst feeling. I would not do that to someone else.”

Good karma followed, bringing unexpected rewards:

Pit Bull Hailed Hero, Saves Family and Pets From Fire

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Feb 16, 2013

pit bull terrier- Photo by Maplegirlie-Flickr-CC

A family of five lost everything in their Oklahoma home in a fire Tuesday but they survived and escaped with just minutes to spare thanks to an old pit bull named Baby.

The dog would not stop barking and pouncing until the woman woke up to see the danger getting closer. Not only did Baby save the family, she went back into the house to gather up the other five dogs still inside, reportedly dragging one of them out by the neck.

Handheld Device Harvests Electromagnetic Waves in the Air to Charge Batteries

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Feb 16, 2013

electromagnetic harvester Dennis Siegel invented

We’re surrounded by electromagnetic fields almost everywhere these days. Just because they’re almost imperceptible doesn’t mean they can’t be used as a source of energy though. One student in Germany recently built the Electromagnetic Harvester, a small box that allegedly charges an AA battery using just the electromagnetic fields given off by the likes of power lines, vehicles and electronic gadgets.

The electromagnetic harvester, as Siegel calls is, taps into electricity currents to slowly charge any run-of-the-mill battery. By just placing the harvester near a current, the device will charge a AA battery, for instance, in about a day.

Disabled in Iraq, Now Making Life Easier for Other Wounded Vets

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Feb 15, 2013

Purple Heart Homes disabled vet-FB

A National Guardsman lost both legs in Iraq, but found a new mission helping others.

It was a life-altering injury, but from the beginning, Dale Beatty had a positive attitude about it.

Beatty founded Purple Heart Homes after his community helped build him a home, giving thanks for his service. He realized that many veterans didn’t receive such support, so he and his war buddy created the organization that has modified or helped provide homes to disabled veterans of all generations.

“The whole community helping me, and working alongside me, it was such a good feeling,” said Beatty, now 34.

Could he do the same for others and keep the good feeling going?

(WATCH the video below, or READ the story at CNN Heroes)

US Makes Big Strides in Reducing Domestic Violence

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Feb 15, 2013

police-scene-artsy-click-morguefile

The rate of partner-to-partner violence dropped by a stunning 64 percent between 1994 and 2010, a recent Justice Department report has found. The trend, almost unnoticed, stems from a broad shift in attitude toward domestic violence.

Many in the field credit the public awareness campaigns, national legislation protecting victims, and subsequent training of police and prosecutors to recognize intimate partner violence as a crime, rather than as a private matter.

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Teacher Helps Injured Embarrassed Student Fit In

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Feb 15, 2013

Class-with-eye-patches

Six-year-old Brantley Rogers severely injured his eye last week and was nervous about returning to class with an eye patch.

But his Jacksonville, Florida kindergarten teacher made a world of difference for him when she crafted eye patches for all the students in the class.

They’re learning more than just how to read with just one eye. They’re learning life lessons about empathy and compassion.

(WATCH the video or READ the story at JAX.com)

Thanks to Brandon Ayers for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

Canada’s Largest Restaurant Chain Offers Electric Car Owners Free Fill-up in Pilot Project

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Feb 15, 2013

Electric car charging station-TimHortons

Electric vehicle owners in Oakville, ON are now able to charge their cars free of charge while stopping in to enjoy a Tim Hortons coffee. Canada’s largest restaurant chain installed its first electric vehicle charging stations as part of a new pilot project.

“The electric vehicle infrastructure is in its infancy and we see a potential opportunity for Tim Hortons to help make a true difference by expanding that infrastructure in Canada,” said Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director, International Design and Building Standards, Tim Hortons.

Colorful ‘Solar Glass’ Means Entire Buildings Can Generate Clean Power

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Feb 14, 2013

solar glass in rainbow colors

A UK solar power company announced a £2m funding boost Tuesday that will help to manufacture solar glass in a wide range of colors that can generate electricity from the sun’s rays.

Oxford Photovoltaics, a spin-off from the University of Oxford, said the investment will help bring its solar panes closer to the commercial market.

The cost of these pretty panels adds just 10% to the builder’s budget for any glass building.

School Kids Share Love and Valentines With Senior Citizens (Video)

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Feb 14, 2013

senior gets valentine snapshot NBC video

The adorable kids in the fifth grade chorus of PS 22 in Staten Island talk about the importance of Valentine’s Day and cheer up senior citizens with songs and cards.

Jenna Bush reports for the Today show by asking the kids what love means to them. When they sing love songs for the senior citizens the oldsters “can’t stop hugging” them.

(WATCH the video below from TODAY)

Bhutan to Become World’s First Wholly Organic Country with Pesticide Ban

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Feb 14, 2013

Bhutan Haa Valley-Douglas McLaughlin-GNU

Bhutan plans to become the first country in the world to turn its agriculture completely organic, banning the sales of pesticides and herbicides and relying on its own animals and farm waste for fertilizers.

The reason for the pesticide ban within its borders is largely practical, according to Bhutan’s minister of agriculture and forests.

“Ours is a mountainous terrain. When we use chemicals they don’t stay where we use them, they impact the water and plants.”

Marriage Proposal Video Gives Girlfriend Trip Down Memory Lane

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Feb 14, 2013

marriage video clip "THIS IS WHERE WE MET"

For Valentine’s Day, we wanted to share a video Kevin White made as a creative way to propose to his girlfriend.

It took him just one day to complete the production.

“We did a little bit the day before with her family, while Madi was at work, and luckily got her little brother to keep quiet about it.”

Homeless Man Returns Diamond Ring Accidentally Dropped Into His Change Cup

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Feb 14, 2013

ring on finger- WCCO video

A homeless man who hit the jackpot in his change cup—a diamond ring—showed he had a heart of gold by returning it.

The woman who accidentally dumped her engagement ring along with all the spare change in her wallet into the cup noticed the mistake long after she had given the pricey item to the Kansas City man, Billy Ray Harris.

Optimism Linked to Higher Consumption of Kale and Carrots

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Feb 13, 2013

carrots-fresh-grown-morguefile

Middle-aged adults who are more optimistic about their future tend to have higher antioxidant levels than their less optimistic peers, according to new research out of Harvard.

Investigators studying nearly one thousand people over ten years found that increases in optimism correlated with an increase in concentration of antioxidants like vitamin E and beta-carotene, which is found in deeply-colored vegetables like carrots and kale.

Another Vacant Warehouse Turned into Organic Urban Farm

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Feb 13, 2013

fish farmed indoors

The Hamm’s Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota closed in 1997, but now one of the vacant buildings is being renovated into an urban farm.

A group called Urban Organics wants to bring more jobs, fresh vegetables and fish to restaurants and markets in the Twin Cities.

The building has been vacant for more than 100 years, but now it will be home to organic veggies and fish.

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