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Biotechnology Firm Run By Teens Wants to Use Mosquitoes to Carry Vaccines

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Feb 19, 2013

science lab teen CEO of ProvitaPharmaceuticals

Provita Pharmaceutical is working on a project (with funding from the Gates Foundation) to use mosquitoes to help carry vaccines against the West Nile Virus.

The first goal: to genetically engineer mosquitoes so that they can produce and deliver a vaccine via their saliva. It’s a new twist on research being done elsewhere to breed sterile mosquitoes in malaria-infested areas.

And, everyone on the 15-plus person Provita team, from research and development workers to finance officers, is under the age of 18 and still in high school.

Hardware Store Recreates Van Gogh’s Starry Night With Door Knobs

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Feb 18, 2013

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardware

Looking at a warehouse full of outdated and discontinued door knobs, the folks at Union Hardware in Bethesda, Maryland wondered what they could possible do to put all those products to better use.

“We knew that their commercial viability was limited,” says David Van-Goghberg who works at the store. “Instead of sending them to the scrap yard, we decided to create something memorable.”

So, in 2011 the third-generation, family-owned and operated business began a project to bring to life Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece Starry Night using the distinctive tools of the hardware trade — door knobs, levers and plates.

Hardware Store Recreates Van Gogh’s Starry Night With Door Knobs

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Feb 18, 2013

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardware

Looking at a warehouse full of outdated and discontinued door knobs, the folks at Union Hardware in Bethesda, Maryland wondered what they could possible do to put all those products to better use.

“We knew that their commercial viability was limited,” says David Van-Goghberg who works at the store. “Instead of sending them to the scrap yard, we decided to create something memorable.”

So, in 2011 the third-generation, family-owned and operated business began a project to bring to life Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece Starry Night using the distinctive tools of the hardware trade — door knobs, levers and plates.

Many Americans Now Successfully Managing Diabetes: Study

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Feb 18, 2013

scale success weight loss Clarita Morguefile

With improved awareness of diabetes and with newer medications, the number of people successfully managing their disease has spiked from just two percent a couple of decades ago to 19 percent in 2010.

New government research found that many more people were managing the three measurements of disease control, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

FDA Approves Eye Implant That Restores Vision in Some Blind Patients

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Feb 18, 2013

eye implant restores sight-SecondSightphoto

People who have lost their sight due to retinitis pigmentosa could benefit from government approval this week for an implantable device that takes the place of damaged cells inside the eye.

The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is the first treatment for the inherited disorder. Working together, a set of futuristic glasses attached to a video camera and eye implant, have been approved by the FDA for restoring vision to some 100,000 people in the US afflicted with the disorder.

Village in India Dramatically Increases Crop Yield Without GMOs or Herbicide

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Feb 17, 2013

Farming Rice India - USAID Photo

In a village in India’s poorest state, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice – with no GM, and no herbicide.

The innovation in rural Darveshpura has divided scientists but excited governments and development experts.

Tests on the soil show it is particularly rich in silicon but the reason for the “super yields” is entirely down to a method of growing crops called System of Root Intensification (SRI).

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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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By

Good News Network

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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.

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