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Citizen Outcry Saves N. America’s Largest Old Growth Red Pine Forest

Forest red pine Wolf Lake

Forest red pine Wolf LakeAfter thousands of Canadian residents banded together to preserve a forest of 300 year-old red pines threatened by expanded mining, the government scrapped its plans to rescind the “reserve” status bestowed on 840 acres (340 hectares) of pristine forest.

In 1999, the government of Ontario promised to protect Wolf Lake’s ancient pines, located near the Temagami canoeing area northeast of Sudbury.

Citizen Outcry Saves N. America’s Largest Old Growth Red Pine Forest

Forest red pine Wolf Lake

Forest red pine Wolf LakeAfter thousands of Canadian residents banded together to preserve a forest of 300 year-old red pines threatened by expanded mining, the government scrapped its plans to rescind the “reserve” status bestowed on 840 acres (340 hectares) of pristine forest.

In 1999, the government of Ontario promised to protect Wolf Lake’s ancient pines, located near the Temagami canoeing area northeast of Sudbury.

Youngest Musher Makes Iditerod History

Dallas Seavey - Flickr photo by t-dawg, CC

Dallas Seavey - Flickr photo by t-dawg, CCDallas Seavey won his first Iditarod Championship as thousands of fans lined the street in Nome, Alaska to greet the youngest person to ever win the grueling thousand-mile sled dog contest.

When Dallas set off from Anchorage he was 24 years old. Nine days and four hours later when he finished the race he was 25. Previously, the youngest musher to win the Iditarod was Rick Swenson who won at age 26 in 1977.

Dallas Seavey comes from a long line of Iditarod finishers and, in fact, competed this week against both his father, Mitch, who won in 2004 and 74-year-old grandfather, Dan, who was the only 2012 competitor to have run in the first Iditarod Championship in 1973.

Stray Pit Bull Saves a Woman and Child From Attacker (Video)

Pit Bull YouTube

Pit Bull - Love-A-Bull photo from YouTubeA Florida woman named Angela was leaving a playground with her toddler in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot and threatened her at knife point.

Suddenly, a Pit Bull who had been wandering the area charged the man, growling and barking until the attacker fled in surrender.

An animal control officer believed the exceptional part of the story was the fact that the dog had never met the woman or child before, yet instinctively defended them.

Stray Pit Bull Saves a Woman and Child From Attacker (Video)

Pit Bull YouTube

Pit Bull - Love-A-Bull photo from YouTubeA Florida woman named Angela was leaving a playground with her toddler in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot and threatened her at knife point.

Suddenly, a Pit Bull who had been wandering the area charged the man, growling and barking until the attacker fled in surrender.

An animal control officer believed the exceptional part of the story was the fact that the dog had never met the woman or child before, yet instinctively defended them.

Stocks Soar at Highest Level in Years on Optimism for Banks, Economy

bull at Meryll-Lynch

bull at Meryll-LynchThe Dow Jones industrial average is at its highest level since 2007, and the Nasdaq tech index closed above 3,000 for the first time since 2000, after a day of encouraging signs for the U.S. economy.

Retail sales were strong, the Federal Reserve was optimistic about jobs and growth and 15 of the nation’s biggest banks passed a stress test to determine whether they could withstand another financial crisis.

Blind Surfer From Brazil Wows Hawaiian Pipeline Crowd

surfer blind - Lemos Images TV

surfer blind - Lemos Images TV“He just showed up at my house,” said Makua Rothman, a Hawaiian surfer who frequently rides the local pipeline.

When Makua learned that Derek Rabelo, who was visiting from Brazil, could surf even though he was totally blind, the Hawaaiian was so blown away that he gave his new friend a brand new surf board.

New Cancer Treatment Destroys Non Targeted Tumors Using Immune System

Dr. Bozell views cancer tumors -NBC video snapshot

Dr. Bozell views cancer tumors -NBC video snapshotFor more than a century, scientists have been attempting to harness the immune system to fight cancer — trying to get the antibodies and cells that protect us from viruses and bacteria to kill diseased cells. Every once in a while, a tantalizing success occurred but could not be duplicated.

This time, the success was repeated in multiple advanced melanoma patients.

Researchers believe the same approach could work for kidney, lung and other cancers.

New Cancer Treatment Destroys Non Targeted Tumors Using Immune System

Dr. Bozell views cancer tumors -NBC video snapshot

Dr. Bozell views cancer tumors -NBC video snapshotFor more than a century, scientists have been attempting to harness the immune system to fight cancer — trying to get the antibodies and cells that protect us from viruses and bacteria to kill diseased cells. Every once in a while, a tantalizing success occurred but could not be duplicated.

This time, the success was repeated in multiple advanced melanoma patients.

Researchers believe the same approach could work for kidney, lung and other cancers.

Beauty Queen Shaves Head for Kids With Cancer

beauty queen headshot (NBC video snippet)

beauty queen headshot (NBC video snippet)It is quite courageous for any woman to shave her head, but especially so for one who happens to be a beauty pageant winner.

A young Alaskan beauty queen set a goal of raising $2,500 for childhood cancer research. She said when her goal was reached, she would shave her head.

That day came this week.

Her mom committed to taking the plunge alongside her. On stage at a local pub their locks came tumbling down.

Research Shows Our Happiness Steadily Increases Once We Pass 45

grandkids-in-yellow-w-gramps
Courtesy of Sun Star

Photo by Sun StarA new research study of people in the U.S. and UK shows that once we reach middle age, we start growing happier.

The study, led by medical researchers at the University of Warwick, analyzed the lifestyle and health of more than 10,000 people and found respondents reported better mental quality of life as they aged.

Despite decline in their physical bodies, people from cross-cultural backgrounds living under differing health care systems similarly  reported becoming happier once they moved beyond their 40’s.

Research Shows Our Happiness Steadily Increases Once We Pass 45

grandkids-in-yellow-w-gramps
Courtesy of Sun Star

Photo by Sun StarA new research study of people in the U.S. and UK shows that once we reach middle age, we start growing happier.

The study, led by medical researchers at the University of Warwick, analyzed the lifestyle and health of more than 10,000 people and found respondents reported better mental quality of life as they aged.

Despite decline in their physical bodies, people from cross-cultural backgrounds living under differing health care systems similarly  reported becoming happier once they moved beyond their 40’s.

Convicted Killers Help Care for Fellow Inmates With Dementia

prison barbed-wire

prison barbed wireImprisoned felons in Louisiana and California are being given an extraordinary opportunity to show care and compassion for fellow inmates. As the numbers of convicts developing dementia grows, overburdened prisons are turning to inmates to assist the afflicted with their most intimate tasks: showering, shaving, applying deodorant, even changing adult diapers.

Green Schoolhouse Project Breaks Ground on First LEED School Built by Volunteers

Green Schoolhouse - GSH Series photo

Green Schoolhouse - GSH Series photoLesson plans in public schools across the country now include sustainability and environmental awareness but many teachers in overcrowded classrooms are having to teach green topics while in energy-draining and unhealthy portable trailers.

An innovative project called The Green Schoolhouse Series is on a mission to change that. With the help of volunteers, school officials, community members, building partners, and corporations, the project aims to build LEED platinum-designed, green schoolhouses on existing, low-income, public school campuses across the country.

Green Schoolhouse Project Breaks Ground on First LEED School Built by Volunteers

Green Schoolhouse - GSH Series photo

Green Schoolhouse - GSH Series photoLesson plans in public schools across the country now include sustainability and environmental awareness but many teachers in overcrowded classrooms are having to teach green topics while in energy-draining and unhealthy portable trailers.

An innovative project called The Green Schoolhouse Series is on a mission to change that. With the help of volunteers, school officials, community members, building partners, and corporations, the project aims to build LEED platinum-designed, green schoolhouses on existing, low-income, public school campuses across the country.

Half of German Renewable Energy Owned By Citizens, Not Utility Companies

In Germany, where 20% of electricity comes from renewable sources, 51% of all wind and solar energy is owned by individual citizens or farms, totaling $100 billion worth of private investment in clean energy. – WindWorks.org

Girl Scouts Celebrate 100 Years of Blazing Trails

Girl Scouts vest

Girl Scouts vestIt’s hard to imagine Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Lucille Ball as part of the same club. But they were all, at one time, Girl Scouts.

Founded 100 years ago today in Savannah, Ga., the Girl Scouts now count 3.2 million members.

Generations of girls grew up in those green uniforms, making memories with cookies, crafts and campfires. And, Girl Scout cookies have become as much of an American tradition as apple pie.

Strong 3 Months of Hiring as US Adds 277,000 Jobs in Feb

handshake-hand-up

You're hired!The United States added 227,000 jobs in February, the latest display of the breadth and strength of the economic recovery.

Hiring during the month was broad-based, with improvements in manufacturing, professional services, and health care.

More than 200,000 jobs were added in each of the three previous months and both December and January numbers were stronger than previously thought.

Americans Deliver Fishing Boats to Japan on First Anniversary of Tsunami

Japanese fisherman (Operation Blessing photo)

Japanese fisherman OBI photoFamily fishermen in Japan took delivery of a very special donation, on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that wiped out their local fishing industry. An American humanitarian group donated ten new hand-crafted boats to shrimp and seaweed fishermen in Hikado Harbor who have been out of work since the disaster.

Because the Japanese boat-building industry was also destroyed, the latest delivery by Operation Blessing International to fishing families in the Miyagi Prefecture will restore livelihoods and hope to many who might otherwise remain on waiting lists for new boats to be built.

“There is currently an extended waiting time for new boats to be built – as long as a year, even longer, because Japanese boat builders are simply overwhelmed,” said OBI president Bill Horan.

When the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck, Japan’s fishing industry was nearly decimated as thousands of boats and large seaweed and shellfish cultivation operations were destroyed.

As part of the Virginia Beach-based Christian organization’s ongoing efforts to help these fishing communities, OBI commissioned 20 boats to be built by General Marine of Biddeford, Maine. The first 10 boats were funded by the international software company, SAP, through their Solidarity Fund, set up for earthquake relief.

Last September, OBI scoured Japan to find more than 50 used boats and motors and delivered them to fishermen who had families to feed.

Since those boat donations were “a drop in the ocean of need‟ due to thousands of fishermen who’d lost theirs, OBI commissioned General Marine to build the 20 new boats, which are based on a design developed in consultation with the local fishermen.

Determined to help cultivators along the coast get back to work and see the return of income, OBI placed an order with a Chinese manufacturer to produce a special rope used by seaweed cultivators that is currently hard to find in Japan because of huge demand since the disaster.

boats in Japan OBI photoIn another project, OBI provided laptop computers to the JF Miyagi Fisheries Cooperative, for the fishermen to reach out to the nation via their own Web page. Since the project‟s launch, the cooperative has received pre-orders worth several million dollars for seafood to be delivered when the industry is revitalized.

OBI also provided $650,000 worth of seaweed and oyster cultivation equipment to the Urato Islands, which are famous for oysters. They received anchors, rope, scallop shells used for cultivating oysters, floats, nets, small trucks, and computers.  In addition, the charity delivered industrial grade generators and refrigerators to the isolated islands lying off the coast of Miyagi. Due to OBI’s swift action, the oystermen were able to harvest in the same year as the tsunami, a timeline that was unthinkable by most in the community. In recognition of this achievement, the Mayor of Shiogama City honored OBI for getting them back on their feet so quickly.

In the coming months, OBI hopes to continue its boat donation program and has found a manufacturer in China to produce a 23-foot fishing boat similar to a model favored by local Japanese fishermen.

Japan fishermen - OBI photo“We will be launching a new sponsorship program where community groups, churches and other organizations across Japan and elsewhere will be able to donate to the cost of building new boats for fishing families.”

In the months following the earthquake, Operation Blessing also conducted eyeglass clinics along the coast of Miyagi and Iwate Prefecture providing free eye exams and prescription glasses to almost 2,000 survivors living in shelters and temporary housing who lost their glasses in the tsunami.

DONATE to this fantastic effort at: www.ob.org

WATCH a video about OBI helping Japan’s fishing industry below…

Americans Deliver Fishing Boats to Japan on First Anniversary of Tsunami

Japanese fisherman (Operation Blessing photo)

Japanese fisherman OBI photoFamily fishermen in Japan took delivery of a very special donation, on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that wiped out their local fishing industry. An American humanitarian group donated ten new hand-crafted boats to shrimp and seaweed fishermen in Hikado Harbor who have been out of work since the disaster.

Because the Japanese boat-building industry was also destroyed, the latest delivery by Operation Blessing International to fishing families in the Miyagi Prefecture will restore livelihoods and hope to many who might otherwise remain on waiting lists for new boats to be built.