EdgeWalk at the CN Tower, has become Toronto’s most extreme attraction. Thrill lovers will walk on the edge of one of the world’s tallest buildings — 116 stories high above the ground. Visitors will walk with a guide, in groups of six, while attached to an overhead safety rail via a trolley and harness system.
Toronto Thrill Seekers Can Walk on Building’s Edge 116 Stories Up
Rural Doctor Shortage Prompts Opening of Kansas Medical School
A Kansas college hopes young doctors will be more willing to practice in small towns if they go to a medical school in a rural area.
The University of Kansas will have what it says is the smallest four-year medical education site in the country, with eight students starting taking classes Monday on a satellite campus in Salina, Kansas.
“By training physicians in a nonmetropolitan area, we are showing young medical students that life can be good, and practice can be stimulating, outside of the big city.”
American Soldier Just Back from Iraq Wins Million Dollar Lottery
A U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. who just returned from Iraq won a million dollars from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Just when the married couple, Tim and Emily, were in the process of buying a house. Barely.
Now, they’ve put more money down to reduce their monthly payments and are saving the rest to start a college fund for the future.
Tim remains on active duty at Andrews Air Force Base, with no plans to quit.
“I’m not gonna be any different. The military has giving me a great life, so I’d rather stay that way.”
American Soldier Just Back from Iraq Wins Million Dollar Lottery
A U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. who just returned from Iraq won a million dollars from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Just when the married couple, Tim and Emily, were in the process of buying a house. Barely.
Now, they’ve put more money down to reduce their monthly payments and are saving the rest to start a college fund for the future.
Tim remains on active duty at Andrews Air Force Base, with no plans to quit.
“I’m not gonna be any different. The military has giving me a great life, so I’d rather stay that way.”
Good Karma: Buddhists Liberate 500 Lobsters Destined for Dinner Plates
In celebration of a holiday commemorating the Buddha’s call for compassion and kindness, a group of Tibetan Buddhists purchased 535 live lobsters at a Maine seafood market and released them into the cold Atlantic to give them freedom once again.
30 Buddhists from the Kurukulla Center carried 600 pounds of lobster onto a boat August 3, in observance of Wheel Turning Day, the anniversary of the first sermon Buddha taught. They gently released each animal over the side, cutting their bands, in the belief that karma will ease the suffering in the animals’ and humans’ future lifetimes.
Boston Rolls Out New Bike-Sharing Program
Boston’s new bike-sharing program officially launched last week, with bicycles available at 61 stations for jaunts around the city.
“This is a great day for Boston,” Mayor Menino said, adding that the city’s public transportation systems are all promoting the new, environmentally friendly way of getting around.
“I hope all the residents use the system.”
US Tech Boom Fuels Surge in Jobs, Jazzier Perks
The tech sector is fueling a job boom that stands in stark contrast to the malaise of the general job market.
Competition for cloud computing engineers, security experts, and mobile developers as well as sales professionals in the technology industry has gotten so fierce in the past six months that companies are going to greater lengths to woo prospective employees.
Why the Gulf Oil Spill Cleaned Up So Quickly: Microbes Looking For A Meal
A lingering mystery of the Gulf oil spill is where the oil actually went. It seems now that the microbes in the water made a meal of it.
After the initial shock of last year’s Gulf oil disaster passed, it quickly became apparent that the oil had somehow disappeared–on the surface, at least. Dispersants helped break up some of the larger plumes, sure, but that doesn’t entirely explain why the surface oil slick in the Gulf seemed to disappear just three weeks after the disaster.
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute think they have the answer: hungry bacterial microbes.
Bloomberg to Use Own Funds in Plan to Aid Minority Youth
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in an acknowledgment that thousands of young black and Latino men are cut off from New York’s civic, educational and economic life, plans to spend nearly $130 million on far-reaching measures to improve their circumstances — a quarter of that coming from his own pocket, and another quarter from fellow billionaire, George Soros.
The program will overhaul how the government helps 315,000 New Yorkers who are disproportionately undereducated, incarcerated and unemployed.
U.S. Retailers Report Solid Sales Gains for July
Many retailers posted solid sales during July, the kickoff to the back-to-school season.
A wide range of retailers today delivered sales reports that beat Wall Street estimates, including Target, J.C. Penney, Macy’s, and Saks. Costco reported an impressive 10% increase in sales.
Hawaii Girl Finds Message in a Bottle From Oregon
One year ago, off the coast of Oregon, a ten-year-old boy tossed a message in a bottle into the Pacific Ocean, and now a 9-year-old girl in Hawaii has found it.
He added his mother’s email address to this message: “Dear finder of my message, My name is Thomas and I live in Oregon. I’m ten years old and this week I’m salmon fishing deep in the ocean. I would like to hear from you. … Please wright back, Thomas.”
Archaeologists Uncover Biblical Ruin Inside a Palestinian City in the West Bank
Dutch and Palestinian archaeologists are uncovering the ancient city of Shekhem, a biblical ruin inside the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank.
Shekhem was a Canaanite city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as an Israelite city and the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
The old city dates back an estimated four thousand years. At Shechem, Abram “built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him … and had given that land to his descendants.”
Sony Achieves 31 Percent Reduction in CO2 Emissions
Sony, a global leader in electronics, has announced its success in achieving a whopping 31 percent reduction in CO2 emissions worldwide, surpassing by a whopping 24 percent the company’s 7 percent target set in 2006.
As a part of Sony’s ‘Green Management’ goals formulated in 2006 to protect the environment, the company has also managed to surpass other goals: to reduce waste generation by 40 percent (they hit 54 percent), and to reduce water consumption by 20 percent (usage is down 41 percent).
New York’s Metropolitan Museum to Return 19 Artifacts to Egypt
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has agreed to return to Cairo 19 artifacts dating back to the time of ancient Egypt’s king Tutankhamen.
The objects include a tiny bronze dog, and part of a sphinx-shaped bracelet discovered in Tutankhamen’s tomb.
UPDATED: The Real Lucy-in-the-Sky-With-Diamonds Honored by Childhood Pal Julian Lennon
Lucy Vodden was the subject of a painting brought home from nursery school by a young Julian Lennon, who showed it to his dad, John, and told him it was “Lucy — in the sky with diamonds”.
Julian got back in touch with Lucy a few years agi when he heard that she was battling Lupus, an auto-immune disease.
Now, a plaque commemorating the woman who inspired the Beatles’ hit, will be placed in Liverpool in memory of Vodden who died in 2009 at age 46. (See the original painting below)
Following her death, Lennon became heavily involved with St Thomas’ Lupus Trust, which commissioned the plaque, and he become the Lupus Foundation of America’s Global Ambassador.
UPDATED: The Real Lucy-in-the-Sky-With Diamonds Honored by Childhood Pal Julian Lennon
Lucy Vodden was the subject of a painting brought home from kindergarten by a young Julian Lennon, who showed it to his dad, John, and told him it was “Lucy — in the sky with diamonds”.
Julian got back in touch with Lucy a few years ago when he heard that she was battling Lupus, an auto-immune disease.
Now, a plaque commemorating the woman who inspired the Beatles’ hit, will be placed in Liverpool in memory of Vodden who died in 2009 at age 46. (See the drawing below)
Following her death, Lennon became heavily involved with St Thomas’ Lupus Trust, which commissioned the plaque, and he become the Lupus Foundation of America’s Global Ambassador.
Sweet Deal for Girls After Lemonade Stand was Closed for Lack of Permit
Three girls whose lemonade stand was shut down by the police in Midway, Georgia, for not having a business license and food permit, were offered a prime location to reopen in the tourist-rich state park of Jekyll Island.
Jekyll Island officials contacted the young teens and invited them to sell their lemonade at Summer Waves Water Park. They even built the girls a new lemonade stand.
Sweet Deal for Girls After Lemonade Stand was Closed for Lack of Permit
Three girls whose lemonade stand was shut down by the police in Midway, Georgia, for not having a business license and food permit, were offered a prime location to reopen in the tourist-rich state park of Jekyll Island.
Jekyll Island officials contacted the young teens and invited them to sell their lemonade at Summer Waves Water Park. They even built the girls a new lemonade stand.
Gabrielle Giffords Returns To Congress to Help Pass Dramatic Debt Deal
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, absent from the U.S. Capitol since she was shot in the head 7 months ago, walked into the House chamber to hearty applause before she cast a yea vote as the dramatic debt ceiling debate came to an official close in the House of Representatives early this evening.
With her surprise appearence, the Representative from Arizona joined 94 other Democrats in passing the compromise bill, 269-166, averting a possible default on the nation’s credit. 175 Republicans also voted for the bipartisan deal, easily passing the measure, which had been crafted over the weekend.
Gabrielle Giffords Returns To Congress to Help Pass Dramatic Debt Deal
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, absent from the U.S. Capitol since she was shot in the head 7 months ago, walked into the House chamber to hearty applause before she cast a yea vote as the dramatic debt ceiling debate came to an official close in the House of Representatives early this evening.
With her surprise appearence, the Representative from Arizona joined 94 other Democrats in passing the compromise bill, 269-166, averting a possible default on the nation’s credit. 175 Republicans also voted for the bipartisan deal, easily passing the measure, which had been crafted over the weekend.