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Chinese New Year Offers Hope and Prosperity in Year of the Dragon

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Jan 22, 2012

Chinese dragon by-chamomile Morguefile

Chinese around the world will be wearing lots of red today, to celebrate the Lunar New Year marking the end of the disaster-filled “Year of the Rabbit” and to usher in a new year with more prosperity.

January 23 begins the Year of the Dragon, which should bring relief following 2011, which was foreseen by the Chinese calendar as a “very bad year.” (Remember the bevy of natural disasters (Japan’s tsunami, New Zealand’s earthquake, Joplin’s tornado and Mississippi’s flood, to name a few?)

“The dragon in Chinese culture is signified as very powerful. Very powerful and very strong,” says Peter Lung, a Chinese zodiac expert at World of Feng Shui. “America will be very strong this year.”

Recess Boosts Kids’ Grades

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Jan 22, 2012

kids playing, photo by Sun Star

Children who get more exercise also tend to do better in school, whether the exercise comes as recess, physical education classes or getting exercise on the way to school, according to an international study.

The findings, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, come as many U.S. schools are cutting recess and P.E. classes in favor of more academic test preparation.

US Home Sales at 11-month High

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Jan 22, 2012

sold sign

U.S. home sales hit an 11-month high in December and the number of properties on the market was the fewest in nearly seven years, pointing to a nascent recovery in the housing sector.

The National Association of Realtors said on Friday existing home sales increased 5 percent, marking the third straight monthly increase, with all four of the nation’s regions recording gains.

Google Joins With Angels to Bankroll Education Microloan Upstart Vittana

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Jan 22, 2012

Kushal-Chakrabarti-PopTech-cc

Vittana, the Seattle non-profit that’s facilitating micro-loans to students in developing countries, has received a $250,000 grant from Google.

Seattle tech CEOs are also backing the non-profit Vittana, whose founder Kushal Chakrabarti — a former Amazon.com employee — says that hundreds of students are getting Vittana loans every month across four continents.

When it comes to education in the developing world, student loans simply don’t exist. Although microfinancing usually raises funds for small businesses, the Seattle-based Vittana has been helping students around the world graduate from post-secondary schools by asking donors to pay for their tuition.

Fewer Pirate Attacks on World Seas in 2011

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Jan 21, 2012

With more international boats patrolling the high seas, piracy in 2011 dropped for the first time in five years. Pirate attacks in the South China Sea were cut by almost two thirds and Bangladesh incidents plunged by more than half. -Associated Press

Stunning Millenium Goal Progress on Educating Children

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Jan 21, 2012

Over the past 12 years, the world has made stunning progress toward the goal of increasing the number of children attending primary school — adding 37 million kids to school rolls, an increase of 35 percent. – NY Times

Biofuel Breakthrough: Seaweed Could Power Cars

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Jan 21, 2012

Kelp photo by Fastily - GNU license

Energy experts believe that seaweed holds enormous potential as a biofuel alternative to coal and oil, and US scientists say they have unlocked the secret of turning its complex sugar into energy.

Unlike other microbes before, the Berkeley, Cal., team engineered a form of E. coli bacteria that can digest all the seaweed’s sugars into ethanol, potentially making it a cost-competitive alternative to petroleum fuel, without the use of agricultural land, said the report yesterday in the journal Science.

UPDATE: Homeless Science Whiz Given $50K Scholarship on Ellen Show

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Jan 21, 2012

Homeless student Samantha Garvey science prize finalist

New York high school senior Samantha Garvey appeared Thursday as a guest on the “Ellen” talk show, where she received a $50,000 scholarship from AT&T to the college of her choice.

Last week, Garvey was named a semifinalist in the prestigious Intel science contest. The story of the aspiring marine biologist attracted national attention after it was reported that she and her family were forced to move to a homeless shelter on New Year’s Eve. (See original story on GNN.)

She hopes to attend either Brown or Yale universities.

(READ the AP story in Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Thanks to Julie Frerichs for submitting the link!

World Makes Stunning Progress in Education of Young Children

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Jan 21, 2012

Uganda school

Over the past 12 years, the world has made stunning progress toward the goal of having more children attend primary school.

In sub-Saharan Africa, enrollment in primary school is up 18 percent; and globally, we added 37 million kids to school rolls, an increase of 35 percent — a huge achievement.

Countries have made progress on this UN Millennium Goal by abolishing school fees, building schools in remote areas, switching the language of instruction to the one the children actually speak and giving families incentive to send children to school.

Billionaire Philanthropist to Give Millions to Help Fix Washington Monument

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Jan 20, 2012

Washington Monument by DAVID ILIFF License-CC-BY-SA-3.0

The billionaire philanthropist David M. Rubenstein will donate $7.5 million to help fix the shuttered, earthquake-damaged Washington Monument, government officials announced Thursday.

The gift once again confirmed Rubenstein’s status as a generous repeat benefactor for Washington’s endangered national icons.

It comes a month after he donated $4.5 million to the National Zoo’s cash-strapped giant panda program and seven months after a $13.5 million gift to the National Archives.

Math Prodigy Proud of His Autism

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Jan 20, 2012

Autism math prodigy -CBS video clip

Jake Barnett, an Indianapolis 13-year-old, has been acing college math and science courses since he was eight years old. At 13, he is a college sophomore taking honors classes in math and physics, while also doing scientific research and tutoring fellow students.

No one could have predicted that Jake would even make it to college. At age two, Jake began to regress – he stopped speaking and making eye contact. The diagnosis: autism.

Jake is proud of his autism. “That, I believe, is the reason why I am in college and I am so successful.”

(WATCH the 60 Minutes Video below, or READ the story at CBSNews)

Lost Gray Monkey Thought to be Extinct ‘Rediscovered’ in Indonesia

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Jan 20, 2012

Monkey Grizzled Langur rediscovered

Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have “rediscovered” a large, gray monkey so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.

They were all the more baffled to find the Miller’s Grizzled Langur — its black face framed by a fluffy, Dracula-esque white collar — in an area well outside its previously recorded home range.

8 US Lawmakers Withdraw Support for SOPA After Websites Go Black in Protest

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Jan 19, 2012

Google blackout page

The blackout of Wikipedia and other websites protesting against the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, have prompted eight US lawmakers to withdraw their support for the law.

Two of the bill’s co-sponsors, Marco Rubio and Roy Blunt, are among those backing away.

Wikipedia and Reddit shut down their operations for 24 hours yesterday urging American viewers to call their Congressmen to protest the bill that would use court orders to immediately shut down websites whose users upload copyrighted content. Craigslist, Google, Facebook and WordPress also protested against the bill, believing that its severe tactics to combat to piracy constituted the wrong approach.

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

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Jan 19, 2012

Beach joy splashes-Photo by SunStar

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives. (Check out her book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

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Jan 19, 2012

Beach joy splashes-Photo by SunStar

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives. (Check out her book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.

NM Veteran Uses Own Money To Help Homeless Vets

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Jan 19, 2012

Veteran helping vets What Would U Give

About 5,000 disabled veterans live on the streets in New Mexico. So Shane D’Onofrio, a disabled vet who served in the U.S. Navy, created a non-profit organization called “What Would U Give“.

D’Onofrio opens his home to veterans to help get them off the streets. He uses his own disability checks to run the job-training and resource programs — about $1,700 a month. He also gets local and national businesses to donate services and items to the veterans in need.

El Salvador Apologizes for State Violence on 20th Anniversary of Peace Accords, Offers Reparations

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Jan 19, 2012

El Salvador flag

On January 16, crowds gathered in the small community of El Mozote to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accords that ended El Salvador´s 12-year-long civil war. Rural El Mozote is the site of a 1981 massacre of more than 1,000 civilians and children, carried out by the Salvadoran Armed Forces.

At the solemn event, El Salvador’s first leftist president, Mauricio Funes, named the military officers implicated in the horrific massacre, stating, we must “remove the veil that has blinded us for three decades.”

Funes asked for forgiveness from the victims and the Salvadoran people on behalf of the State and then announced a series of reparations for the victims and their families.

El Salvador Apologizes for State Violence on 20th Anniversary of Peace Accords, Offers Reparations

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Jan 19, 2012

El Salvador flag

On January 16, crowds gathered in the small community of El Mozote to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accords that ended El Salvador´s 12-year-long civil war. Rural El Mozote is the site of a 1981 massacre of more than 1,000 civilians and children, carried out by the Salvadoran Armed Forces.

At the solemn event, El Salvador’s first leftist president, Mauricio Funes, named the military officers implicated in the horrific massacre, stating, we must “remove the veil that has blinded us for three decades.”

Funes asked for forgiveness from the victims and the Salvadoran people on behalf of the State and then announced a series of reparations for the victims and their families.

Playing Online Game, Words with Friends, Saves a Life Thousands of Miles Away

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Jan 18, 2012

Games With Friends image-Health

For many it is just a game, but for two couples who live half a world away from each other, Words with Friends was more that that, it was a life saver.

While Georgie Fletcher was playing the online scrabble game with Beth Legler, she happened to mention in passing that her husband was not feeling very well.

Mrs Legler told her to explain her symptoms as her husband Larry is a doctor.

When she relayed the symptoms to him, he immediately diagnosed the Australian native with a heart problem, and told him to immediately see a doctor.

A lucky move.

The situation had indeed reached a critical point and there were perhaps just hours before the man would die.

(READ more of the story in Daily Mail)

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