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Aung San Suu Kyi ‘Wins Landslide Landmark Election’ as Burma Rejoices

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Apr 1, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi - CC photo by Htoo Tay Zar

Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy has claimed a landslide victory in a series of election contests which hold the key to Burma’s return from international isolation.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ms. Suu Kyi, along with other leading NLD figures spent much of the last two decades under arrest, but was freed in 2010 in a surprise move by the regime, followed by a series of political reforms.

Suu Kyi won her own election contest with 99 percent of voter support in the poor Kawhmu township she sought to represent.

86-year-old Granny Stuns Crowd at Gymnastics Championship (WATCH)

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Apr 1, 2012

grandmother gymnist

An 86-year-old woman, recently stole the show from gymnasts young enough to be her grand-daughters at the 2012 Cottbus gymnastics World Cup in Germany.

Johanna Quaas, a former member of the East German handball team, displayed flexibility that left the crowd at the championship stunned.

The crowd watched in disbelief as she performed parallel bar and floor exercises, showing balance, strength, flexibility and endurance of a 20 year-old.

(WATCH the video below, or READ the story in the Digital Journal)

86-year-old Granny Stuns Crowd at Gymnastics Championship (WATCH)

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Good News Network

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Apr 1, 2012

grandmother gymnist

An 86-year-old woman, recently stole the show from gymnasts young enough to be her grand-daughters at the 2012 Cottbus gymnastics World Cup in Germany.

Johanna Quaas, a former member of the East German handball team, displayed flexibility that left the crowd at the championship stunned.

Bright Is The New Black: NYC White Roofs Bringing Down Summer Temps

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Apr 1, 2012

white roofs painting - NYC CoolRoofs photo

On the hottest day of the summer last year in New York City, a white roof was measured to be 42 degrees (F) cooler than the traditional black roof it was being compared to by NASA scientists studying the city’s unprecedented effort to brighten rooftops and cool down the city.

A new study of how different white roofing materials performed “in the field” in New York City over multiple years found that even the least expensive white roof coating reduced peak rooftop temperatures in summer by an average of 43 degrees Fahrenheit. If white roofs were implemented on a wide scale, as the city plans to do, this reduction could cut into the “urban heat island” effect that pumps up nighttime temperatures in the city by as much as 5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, said the study’s lead scientist, Stuart Gaffin of Columbia University.

Powerful First Quarter Brings Optimism to Wall Street, Businesses and US Job Seekers

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Mar 31, 2012

Photo by Sun Star

The stock market just had its best first quarter in 14 years. The surge has sent Wall Street analysts, whose forecasts seemed too sunny three months ago, scrambling to raise their estimates for the year.

“That it’s up isn’t surprising. It’s the magnitude.”

For the first three months of the year, the Dow was up 8 percent and the S&P 12 percent, the best start since the great bull market of the 1990s. The Nasdaq had an even more remarkable run — up 19 percent for the year, according to the Associated Press.

Not only that, in the measurements of seemingly every other indicator of US economic health, optimism bubbled up with each new report released in March.

Powerful First Quarter Brings Optimism to Wall Street, Businesses and US Job Seekers

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By

Good News Network

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Mar 31, 2012

Photo by Sun Star

The stock market just had its best first quarter in 14 years. The surge has sent Wall Street analysts, whose forecasts seemed too sunny three months ago, scrambling to raise their estimates for the year.

“That it’s up isn’t surprising. It’s the magnitude.”

For the first three months of the year, the Dow was up 8 percent and the S&P 12 percent, the best start since the great bull market of the 1990s. The Nasdaq had an even more remarkable run — up 19 percent for the year, according to the Associated Press.

Not only that, in the measurements of seemingly every other indicator of US economic health, optimism bubbled up with each new report released in March.

Floating Windmills in Japan Help Wind Down Nuclear Power

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Mar 31, 2012

floating wind turbine by Hywind via Flickr CC

Japan is preparing to bolt turbines onto barges and build the world’s largest commercial power plant using floating windmills.

The partners are tackling the engineering challenges of an unproven technology to cut the nation’s reliance on atomic energy.

Developers are erecting the 16-megawatt pilot plant off the coast of Fukushima, site of the nuclear accident that pushed the government to pursue cleaner energy.

65-Year-old Woman Becomes Oldest to Climb the World’s Highest Peaks

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Mar 31, 2012

mountain climber is oldest woman to scale 7 peaks

On March 17, a triumphant 65-year-old mountain climber from Utah reached the tallest peak of Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, making her the oldest woman in the world to have reached the summit of the highest mountains on each of the world’s seven continents.

Carol Masheter conquered each of the famous Seven Summits to become the oldest female member of the Seven Summits Club, after a series of big losses in her life.

She lost her job, her relationship and her mother.

(WATCH the video below, or READ the story from KSL-TV)

Thanks to Rachel Lacey for submitting the story!

Unlikely Advocates For Teen Killers: Victims’ Families

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Mar 31, 2012

gavel

The Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the fate of 2,500 offenders who were sentenced as teenagers — some as young as 13 — to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A few blocks from the Supreme Court, family members of their victims came together quietly to support the opportunity for young wrongdoers to eventually seek rehabilitation outside of prison.

One man’s mother had been killed by four teenage girls. Another man’s son was killed by a teenage boy. Yet all of them want the court to find life without parole for juveniles unconstitutional.

(READ the story or LISTEN to the report from NPR)

Bear Saves Man in Mountain Lion Attack

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Mar 30, 2012

Brown bear in wild

A man says he is lucky to be alive after an attack by a mountain lion stopped him in his tracks while hiking in California Monday morning. In his case, ‘man’s best friend’, is a bear.

Robert Biggs, 69, who often hikes in the Whisky Flats area, came across a mother bear and her cubs, which were about 40 feet from where he was standing.

After watching the bear family for a few minutes he decided to leave them alone and turned to walk back up the trail. As he turned, a mountain lion pounced on him grabbing hold of his backpack with all four paws.

Bald Barbie in the Works for Kids with Cancer – Mattel Says

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Mar 30, 2012

Bald Barbie in Mattel photo

In response to an ongoing campaign on Facebook, Mattel announced plans to create a bald “Barbie doll” for children suffering from hair loss.

Instead of selling the dolls in stores, Mattel said it plans to give them directly to children affected by hair loss. The company says it will also give dolls to the Children’s Cancer and the National Alopecia Areata foundations.

6th Annual Peep Diorama Contest Winner: Marshmallows ‘OccuPeep’ DC

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Mar 29, 2012

Peep contest winner 2012 "OccuPeep DC" -WashPost photo

After six years, the Washington Post’s annual Peeps Diorama contest has become a survey of all that touches and taunts our collective consciousness, an anthology of absurd, artistic triumphs displayed through malleable marshmallow rabbits and chicks.

“And for the first time, our judging mirrored American political culture.”

The Occupy D.C. theme took first price with “OccuPeep DC”, a diorama from artist/painter Cori Wright, 38, of Falls Church, VA.

Real Batman Hero Unmasked as Hero for Sick Kids

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Mar 29, 2012

Batman at childrens hospital - photo by Allen Goldberg

A Baltimore man spent a lot of his own money to dress up as Batman, even customizing a black sports car exactly like the comic book character. You might have seen a news video about him being pulled over by police.

But, this Batman isn’t interested in fighting crime. He visits sick children in hospitals, handing out Batman toys and books to up-and-coming superheros who first need to knock-out cancer or other life-threatening foes.

Like his caped crusader namesake, he doesn’t seek credit for what he does.

“I’m just doing it for the kids,” he says.

He spends $25,000 a year of his own money on Batman toys and memorabilia. He signs every book, hat, T-shirt and backpack he hands out, “Batman”.

(READ a story by his reporter friend who finally unmasked him in the Washington Post)

Thanks to Kate Swafford for submitting the link! – Photo by Allen Goldberg

Willie Nelson to Adopt Abused Horses

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Mar 29, 2012

horse in silouette

Horses, rescued from a Summerville, S.C. man who has been charged with starving and burning the animals, have found a new home with the “Red Headed Stranger.”

Country music legend Willie Nelson has agreed to adopt the horses, and bring them to his ranch in Texas.

Tsunami Relief Heroes Honored in Japan at Baseball’s Opening Game

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Mar 29, 2012

Japan heroes MLB tribute-MLBVideo

Although baseball’s Ichiro Suzuki was the star player of the opening day game in Tokyo, this week, all eyes were on the tsunami heroes who threw out the first pitch after a moving tribute to them played on the jumbo video screen.

The video featured narration by Derek Jeter, Bobby Valentine and Cal Ripken Jr. telling the stories of three people who selflessly worked for others following the March 11 disaster last year. Major League Baseball players and owners presented a $500,000 check to help rebuild the stadium in Ishinomaki, about 200 miles north of Tokyo on the Japanese coast.

National Holiday for Cubans as Pope Calls for ‘Authentic Freedom’ During Huge Mass in Havana

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Mar 28, 2012

Pope photo by M.Mazur , thepapalvisit.org.uk

Beneath looming images of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the Virgin Mary, Pope Benedict XVI today stood in Revolution Square in Havana, issuing a ringing call for “authentic freedom” to hundreds of thousands of Cubans.

With President Raúl Castro sitting in the front row (and a meeting with Fidel Castro scheduled later in the day) the Pope asserted in his outdoor Mass, “The truth is a desire of the human person, the search for which always supposes the exercise of authentic freedom.”

Miracle Cancer Survivor Makes Wishes Come True for Sick Kids

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Mar 28, 2012

Teen cancer survivor Grayson Gilbert - FB photo

When Grayson Gilbert was in treatment for a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he didn’t doubt for a second that he’d be OK.

Doctors disagreed.

In 1995, Gilbert had been diagnosed with a cancer so rare in children that the doctors were entering uncharted territory when prescribing aggressive chemotherapy and surgery.

At 22 years old, the Maryland boy survived so long, that he has proven himself right — and baffled most doctors.

In January he started a charity called Inspirational Medicine, with the goal of connecting ailing children with their heroes, be they athletes, authors or artists.

(READ the story in Towson Patch)

Inspired by Kony 2012, NY Teens Support Awareness of African Boy Soldiers

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Mar 28, 2012

Student points to Africa map - YouTube

When Jessie Almont of Mepham High School first saw the Kony 2012 video, she became outraged.

“When I saw all those kids, I thought about what would happen if I was in Uganda.”

Her classmates joined her in starting a website and planning activities.

Their “1,000 Bracelet Campaign” gathered 100 students to make bracelets out of string that were dedicated to victims of Joseph Kony’s reign. Students researched the names and stories of more than 100 child soldiers.

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