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Boaters Detangle Humpback Whale Saving its Life (Video)

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Jul 6, 2011

photo via video from Great Whale Conservancy

Michael Fishbach and his colleagues were recently on a small boat when they encountered a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net and on the verge of death.

Fishbach and Gershon Cohen founded The Great Whale Conservancy to help and protect whales, but never before had they been able to directly save one themselves.

With just a small knife and little time, the three men took over an hour to untangle the complex web of nylon netting. When finally the whale was freed, its display of joy is obvious, captured on video taken by another passenger.

Young Americans Celebrate 4th of July With Tsunami Cleanup

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Jul 6, 2011

American youth help tsunami villagers on July 4 - NBCvideo

Young American volunteers marked Independence Day by continuing their remarkable clean up on behalf of Japan’s tsunami survivors. And, their American-style celebration helped to lift the spirits of the struggling community there.

The youth are teachers of English in Northern Japan who spend their weekends shoveling debris and bringing crates of vegetables and fruit to the villagers who rarely see fresh produce.

WATCH the video below, from NBC Nightly News…

Camera-Stealing Monkey Makes Beautiful Self-Portraits

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Jul 6, 2011

crested-black-Macaque-David-slater-self-portrait

Even a monkey can take a prize-winning photo to rival that of the professional.

British photographer David Slater had been living among a group of endangered Crested Black Macaques in Indonesia, when one of them grabbed a camera and started snapping away.

The macaque took hundreds of photos as he made off with the award-winning photographer’s camera, but became fascinated with his own reflection in the lens.

The resulting self-portraits have made news around the world.

Camera-Stealing Monkey Makes Beautiful Self-Portraits

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By

Good News Network

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Jul 6, 2011

crested-black-Macaque-David-slater-self-portrait

Even a monkey can take a prize-winning photo to rival that of the professional.

British photographer David Slater had been living among a group of endangered Crested Black Macaques in Indonesia, when one of them grabbed a camera and started snapping away.

The macaque took hundreds of photos as he made off with the award-winning photographer’s camera, but became fascinated with his own reflection in the lens.

The resulting self-portraits have made news around the world.

Obama Changes Policy to Honor Service Members Who Kill Themselves in War

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Jul 6, 2011

Obama at Arlington Cemetery -WH photo

President Obama this week decided to change the longstanding policy that until now excluded families of U.S. service members who killed themselves in war zones from receiving presidential condolence letters.

The president decided to make the change, prompted by “the conversations we had with experts about de-stigmatizing suicide, (and) the conversations we had with military families.”

In.gredients Wants To Be The First Packaging And Waste-Free Grocery Store

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Jul 5, 2011

breads and whole grains - Wikimedia-commons photo

In an industry littered with excess packaging, it sounds like an impossible goal: in.gredients, a startup out of Austin, Texas, wants to create the first zero-waste, packaging-free grocery store in the U.S..

When it launches later this year, the company will offer compostable packaging and bulk foods — “all the basic ingredients you need for life (and most recipes) — but not Twinkies, Doritos, and unhealthy snack foods.

Solar Sister Lights up Rural Africa With Avon-like Business for Women

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Jul 5, 2011

solar light is easy to use

One-year-old start up Solar Sister is using cosmetics company AVON’s model to distribute solar energy in Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda. The “business in a bag” model is giving rural African women an income and a renewable light source.

The solar gadgets are rugged, very intuitive to use, affordable, and readily available.

Biofuel Powers Two European Airlines

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Jul 5, 2011

Thomson airline jet

Biodiesel has been around since the early 1900′s when pioneers tinkered with a variety of biofuels to power vehicles.

The preferred source of biofuel for home users has been spent cooking oil, which is also the same for most commercial operations looking to power anything from ships to airplanes.

In two recent feasibility experiments, European airlines KLM and Thompson Airlines have integrated cooking oil-based biofuels into their passenger routes, in a 50-50 mixture with jet fuel.

Therapist Uses Music to Heal Disabled Iranians Despite Ire of Islamic Clerics

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Jul 5, 2011

Guitarist playing focuses the mind

Music therapy, a common practice in large parts of the world, is extremely rare in Iran, where conservative clerics outlawed pop music after the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

Sadeq Jafari, 33, is one of a handful of therapists in the Islamic state who use music to help severely disabled people find their voices, risking the ire of his conservative family and censure from religious authorities.

“Music shortens the recovery period since it has a calming effect … It gives them energy and even alleviates the physical pain.”

12 of The Greatest Things to Love About America

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Jul 4, 2011

flag on our deck railing

What makes America great? On this, the 235th birthday of the nation’s founding Declaration of Independence, it seems like a question we need to answer. At the heart of it, the United States was founded on a unique set of ideals and principles, which may not always be evident in current government policy but have always inspired its supporters and nurtured progress.

America is a great country for many reasons, big and small. I asked our Facebook fans to list the things they love about the USA and received some heartfelt responses, some of which are included below in my list of Top 12 things to love about America.

12 of The Greatest Things to Love About America

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Jul 4, 2011

flag on our deck railing

What makes America great? On this, the 235th birthday of the nation’s founding Declaration of Independence, it seems like a question we need to answer. At the heart of it, the United States was founded on a unique set of ideals and principles, which may not always be evident in current government policy but have always inspired its supporters and nurtured progress.

America is a great country for many reasons, big and small. I asked our Facebook fans to list the things they love about the USA and received some heartfelt responses, some of which are included below in my list of Top 12 things to love about America.

Awesome Flash Mob Reward For Woman Recycling Bottle

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Jul 4, 2011

flashmob rewards this recycling lady

An awesome flash mob was set up to reward anyone who recycles a plastic bottle on the floor… The winning woman is showered with flash mob love.

Growing Fiber Optic Internet in Rural America: A Stimulus Success Story

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Jul 4, 2011

Internet connectors - Photo credit: Nionx, via Morguefile

18 million Americans in rural areas still can’t order fixed-line internet connections faster than 3 Mbps, but the Obama stimulus package has laid fiber optic cable for 2.2 million people, lifting them into the internet age.

These rural broadband initiatives not only put people to work but also have an enduring payoff, a 21st century version of the federal government’s programs to bring electricity and telephones to all citizens.

Free Gym for Low Income Women Saved by Anonymous Donor

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Jul 3, 2011

Healthworks at St Marys photo of their gym

A non-profit fitness center in Massachusetts providing free gym memberships to low-income and homeless women was nearly forced to shut its doors recently, until an anonymous donor came forward.

For almost ten years, Healthworks Fitness Center at St. Mary’s gave Dorchester women a safe place to exercise, relieve stress, receive wellness counseling, and meet new friends.

The center, fully equipped with cardiovascular machines, strength training equipment, and a group exercise studio, relies on an all volunteer team of personal trainers, nutritionists and exercise instructors. It has served thousands of families over the years, even hosting after-school programs.

Recently, due to lack of funding, the gym was going to have to close its doors and more than 400 low-income women were going to be without their fitness center.

Thankfully, two hours before the doors were to be shut, an anonymous donor stepped forward and gave money enough to keep the center open for the summer.

The members cried tears of joy.

Monica Frender works with Healthworks at St. Mary’s

Free Gym for Low Income Women Saved by Anonymous Donor

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Jul 3, 2011

Healthworks at St Marys photo of their gym

A non-profit fitness center in Massachusetts providing free gym memberships to low-income and homeless women was nearly forced to shut its doors recently, until an anonymous donor came forward.

For almost ten years, Healthworks Fitness Center at St. Mary’s gave Dorchester women a safe place to exercise, relieve stress, receive wellness counseling, and meet new friends.

Quitting Smoking is Twice as Successful When Getting Upbeat Text Messages

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Jul 3, 2011

smoking app calle Quitter

Smoking Cessation is made easier when regular short messages are delivered to participants, according to a study published June 30 in The Lancet.

6,000 smokers who wanted to quit were studied. The half of them assigned to receive encouraging text messages while quitting were twice as likely to successfully give up smoking.

Text ‘Crave’ to get an instant message like this: “Cravings last less than 5 minutes on average. To help distract yourself, try sipping a drink slowly until the craving is over.”

Thailand Elects Country’s First Female Prime Minister

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Jul 3, 2011

New Thai president, Yingluck Shinawatra in campaign poster

Her opponent congratulated Yingluck Shinawatra for winning Thailand’s first general election since 2007, an election that many hope will bring an end to years of unrest between two political factions that climaxed last year with protests that turned deadly.

Early exit polling Sunday in Thailand showed Yingluck of the Pheu Thai party with a wide lead over current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democratic Party.

New Zealander Honored for Mobilizing Student Volunteer Army After Earthquake

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Jul 3, 2011

student-volunteer-army-NZ

When Sam Johnson first picked up a shovel and mobilized his fellow students to help clean up Christchurch’s streets after last September’s earthquake in New Zealand, he never imagined his efforts would turn him into an international star.

But as the leader of Christchurch’s Student Volunteer Army, 22-year-old Johnson is in demand around the world.

His organization, a self-organized workforce said to be 10,000 strong, even inspired a Japanese version modeled after Johnson’s group following the tsunami.

(READ the story from Stuff.co.nz)

US Troops Stop to Build Up Costa Rica After Helping Haiti

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Jul 2, 2011

soldier-swings

Recently an aircraft carrier docked in a port city near where I live in Costa Rica.

Hundreds of US military personnel – Navy and Marines – got off that huge floating city and went into the countryside to help children and families. They worked on repairing schools and building medical clinics.

US Troops Stop to Build Up Costa Rica After Helping Haiti

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Jul 2, 2011

soldier-swings

Recently an aircraft carrier docked in a port city near where I live in Costa Rica.

Hundreds of US military personnel – Navy and Marines – got off that huge floating city and went into the countryside to help children and families. They worked on repairing schools and building medical clinics.

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