Rhode Island’s governor is expected to sign into law the first “Homeless Bill of Rights” in the United States as early as next week, formally banning discrimination against homeless people and affirming their equal access to jobs, housing and services.
Rhode Island Passes Bill to Guarantee Rights of Homeless People
Hiker Finds Stolen Picasso in the Woods
A hiker in the hills found a Pablo Picasso lithograph worth tens of thousands of dollars. It had been missing since teens broke into a California mansion, home of a Ukrainian diplomat.
He handed it over to police with only one regret: he never took a picture of the lovely woman in a gold frame.
Hiker Finds Stolen Picasso in the Woods
A hiker in the hills found a Pablo Picasso lithograph worth tens of thousands of dollars. It had been missing since teens broke into a California mansion, home of a Ukrainian diplomat.
He handed it over to police with only one regret: he never took a picture of the lovely woman in a gold frame.
The World’s Oldest Body-Building Grandma Shows Others How to be Healthy, Happy
She started body-building at age 71 and begins every day with a ten-mile run.
At 75, this Baltimore grandmother has made it her mission to teach others how to to be healthy, happy and prosperous.
“Age is just a number,” Miss Ernie tells the class at her church. “Age is just a number,” they call back with enthusiasm.
World’s Oldest Body-Building Grandma Shows Others How to be Healthy, Happy
She started body-building at age 71 and begins every day with a ten-mile run.
At 75, this Baltimore grandmother has made it her mission to teach others how to to be healthy, happy and prosperous.
“Age is just a number,” Miss Ernie tells the class at her church. “Age is just a number,” they call back with enthusiasm.
Paralyzed Teen Fulfills Vow To Walk At High School Graduation
A dream 17 years-in-the-making came true for a California boy when he got out of his wheelchair and walked to accept his high school diploma.
Patrick Ivison, a senior at Scripps High School in San Diego, was just 14-months-old when he was run over by a stranger’s car, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Ivison’s can-do attitude helped him learn to kayak, ski , hand-cycle marathon-length distances, play rugby and even surf.
Three years ago Ivison focused in on another goal, walking across the stage to accept his diploma at his high school graduation.
(WATCH the video below, or READ his story from ABC’s Good Morning America) – Note: You can skip the ad in the video by clicking after a couple seconds.
Thanks to Jess Ica for sending the link!
Swimming Off Mogadishu, a Sense of Hope Returns to Somalia
With almost a thousand newly trained government troops, augmented by thousands of African peacekeepers, Mogadishu, the war torn capital of Somalia, and former jewel of the Indian Ocean, has a newfound sense of liberation these days, since al Qaeda-linked rebels were forced out last year.
The economy has recovered somewhat from the civil unrest, and the white-sand beaches, among the most beautiful in the world, are now seeing the return of swarms of swimmers to the turquoise waters.
“It’s like we live in a real city, not a warzone,” Malin, an IT graduate, now 24 years old, told a Reuters reporter.
Jamie Moyer: Geezer Hero for the Ages
Old guys everywhere have a little more swagger today. They’re holding their heads a little higher. The reason? Major League Pitcher Jamie Moyer refuses to give up the ghost.
This spring, at age 49, Moyer was the oldest player in the majors, with the most career wins and strikeouts of any active pitcher in the league. On April 17, he became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a game. In May, he set the record for the oldest major league player ever to hit an RBI (batting in a run).
Happily, for kids across America, his athletic tenacity matches his generosity in the community.
Since founding his Moyer Foundation 12 years ago, he has helped raised millions of dollars to help support children in distress through educational and recreational programs.
The Moyer Foundation also created Camp Erin, the largest network of free bereavement camps in the country for children and teens who are grieving a significant loss.
Born in 1962, Moyer has won numerous awards for philanthropy and community service, including the 2003 Roberto Clemente Award, the 2003 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, the 2003 Hutch Award, and the 2004 Branch Rickey Award.
He earned a spot on the All-Star team in 2003, while pitching for the Seattle Mariners, but has also contributed his winning arm as a left-handed pitcher to seven other Major League teams since his rookie year with the Chicago Cubs in 1986.
“He’s given old guys everywhere a shot in the arm,” said sports writer Kevin Cowherd who is happy Moyers has returned to the Orioles, if only in their Triple-A farm team.
(READ his tribute in the Baltimore Sun)
Photo by ChicagoMayne -CC
U.S. Violent Crime Down for 5th Straight Year
Violent crime in the United States fell for a fifth straight year in 2011 and the number of murders dropped to the lowest in more than four decades, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday.
U.S. violent crime rates, which include murder, rape, robbery and assault, dropped 4 percent in 2011 from the previous year. In addition, property crime, covering burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, edged down by just 0.8 percent, marking the ninth consecutive annual drop in property crimes.
China Unearths 100 Life-Size Terracotta Warriors
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 110 new terracotta warriors that laid buried since 210 BC, an official said Monday, part of the famed army built to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor.
The life-size figures were excavated by archaeologists near the Qin Emperor’s mausoleum in northern China, along with 12 pottery horses, weapons and tools.
In the 1970’s, the world was astonished to learn of some local farmers digging a well near the emperor’s mausoleum. They unearthed the first bits of a terracotta army that included 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses.
China Unearths 100 Life-Size Terracotta Warriors
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed 110 new terracotta warriors that laid buried since 210 BC, an official said Monday, part of the famed army built to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor.
The life-size figures were excavated by archaeologists near the Qin Emperor’s mausoleum in northern China, along with 12 pottery horses, weapons and tools.
In the 1970’s, the world was astonished to learn of some local farmers digging a well near the emperor’s mausoleum. They unearthed the first bits of a terracotta army that included 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses.
Strangers Raise $30,000 on Reddit for Fatally Ill Man to Travel
Reddit.com has done it again. The social media community has once again responded with incredible generosity to a personal story of tragedy posted on their website.
Jake Villanueva, of Canada, was given six months to live after a surprise diagnosis of terminal kidney cancer last year. He wanted to tell his story and “just talk” with people about what it’s like to survive in his shoes. He posted on Reddit, “I am a 23 year old boy with Stage IV Kidney Cancer. I won’t see 24.”
Comments of encouragement started pouring in. When folks learned that he had always wanted to travel, they offered to open their homes to him and his family.
What happened next is the stuff of Reddit legend.
(The online community has previously raised $65,000 in 24 hours for an African orphanage, and brainstormed on how to deliver an amazing gift to dying man’s friend, among other feats.)
Lindsay Minar, from Portland, Oregon, read all these travel ideas that were posted and decided to set up a fund to help pay for his dream of traveling.
By the time Jake Villanueva woke up the next morning after he first posted his story, already $9,000 had been donated. In just 24 hours, more than $30,000 from 1,200 donors had been raised. Jake was blown away.
Meeting Ms. Minar will bring him to tears, he said. “I just want to hug her.”
(WATCH the video or READ the story at Huffington post)
Photo snapshot from CTV video
Strangers Raise $30,000 on Reddit for Fatally Ill Man to Travel
Reddit.com has done it again. The social media community has once again responded with incredible generosity to a personal story of tragedy posted on their website.
Jake Villanueva, of Canada, was given six months to live after a surprise diagnosis of terminal kidney cancer last year. He wanted to tell his story and “just talk” with people about what it’s like to survive in his shoes. He posted on Reddit, “I am a 23 year old boy with Stage IV Kidney Cancer. I won’t see 24.”
Comments of encouragement started pouring in. When folks learned that he had always wanted to travel, they offered to open their homes to him and his family.
What happened next is the stuff of Reddit legend.
Scientists Find Eco-friendly Key to Greener Fireworks
Some environmental activists have been labelled “killjoys” for seeking to ban fireworks because, as one campaigner put it, “they spray out a toxic concoction that rains down into lakes, rivers and bays.”
But, thanks to a team of US Army scientists, there may be a solution that doesn’t spoil the fun: green fireworks.
Renewable Energy Investment Powers to Record $257 Billion Worldwide
Total investment in renewable power and fuels last year surged by 17% to a record $257 billion, according to a report issued yesterday by the United Nations Environment Programme. India expanded its outlays the fastest in 2011, with an impressive 62% increase, thanks to its National Solar Mission.
The US overtook China in the race to be the lead investor in renewable energy, with a 57% leap in its outlays to $51 billion. But new markets also opened up, bringing the total number of countries installing wind, solar and biomass systems to around fifty.
Clean energy sources have now grown to supply 16.7 % of global energy consumption and, excluding large hydro-electric, account for 44% of all new generating capacity added worldwide in 2011.
Renewable Energy Investment Powers to Record $257 Billion Worldwide
Total investment in renewable power and fuels last year surged by 17% to a record $257 billion, according to a report issued yesterday by the United Nations Environment Programme. India expanded its outlays the fastest in 2011, with an impressive 62% increase, thanks to its National Solar Mission.
The US overtook China in the race to be the lead investor in renewable energy, with a 57% leap in its outlays to $51 billion. But new markets also opened up, bringing the total number of countries installing wind, solar and biomass systems to around fifty.
Clean energy sources have now grown to supply 16.7 % of global energy consumption and, excluding large hydro-electric, account for 44% of all new generating capacity added worldwide in 2011.
‘Huge’ Water Resources Exist Beneath Africa
Scientists say the notoriously dry continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater.
They argue that the total volume of water in aquifers underground is 100 times the amount found on the surface.
The study’s authors hope the new continent-wide maps will open people’s eyes to the potential.
Oil Production Revival Helps Libyans Look to the Future
A reporter traveling through countries of the Arab Spring, recently arrived in Libya and found that country’s oil is once again flowing.
He found that Libya’s oil industry is now back up to 90 percent of its pre-war production, earning the income that gives many Libyans confidence that, despite hardship, they do have a shot at a better future.
UnitedHealth Will Keep Some ObamaCare Reforms Regardless of Supreme Court Opinion
The nation’s largest health insurance company said it would continue with some of the reforms mandated by the Affordable Care Act regardless of how the Supreme Court rules later this month on the federal healthcare law.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. today announced they would continue to honor some the law’s more popular provisions, including preventive screenings at no cost, the elimination of lifetime limits and keeping young people on their parents’ policies.
Girls in India Rise Above Caste at School for ‘Untouchables’
A girl named Jyoti, from the small Indian village of Daraut, now says she wants to be a police officer like her grandfather. Such ambition is thanks to a residential school for marginalized girls.
In her second year at the school, she has the chance to learn, study, practice art and sports, things she couldn’t do at home.