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A New Idea for U.S. Aid: Political Reform for Foreign Assistance

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Jul 22, 2011

Bill Gates Foundation with farmers in Africa

President Obama issued a directive for U.S. development policy in 2010 that called for social and political reforms as a prerequisite for foreign assistance, along with more investment from the private sector. Just one year into the project, U.S. government executives at a Washington conference Jully 12 reported on genuine progress.

A few decades ago, U.S. government assistance made up 70 percent of the funds going from this country overseas, Littlefield said.

“And now today, it’s completely reversed. Eighty percent of the money flowing from the [United States] to the developing world is private capital,” said the president of OPIC, a government agency providing loans and investment insurance to American businesses operating overseas.

Mayor Bloomberg Donates $50 Million To Sierra Club for Anti-Coal Campaign

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Jul 21, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg w/ electric-car charger, Spencer Tucker photo

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving the Sierra Club a substantial gift — $50 million to put toward battling coal-fired power plants across the nation.

The donation will go straight toward the “Beyond Coal” campaign that will target the nations oldest and worst-pollution coal power plants, get them shut down, and replace them with renewable energy.

Terrified Kitten Rescued From Irish Freeway

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Jul 21, 2011

kitten on freeway

A terrified kitten has been rescued on Dublin’s busy M50 thanks to the police (gardaí) and a driver for the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The four month old kitten was spotted by passing motorists shuddering and alone as cars sped by within several feet.

A DCPCA driver was dispatched but had no way to get to the crouching animal in such traffic, with no pull-over space in the middle of the road…

People Who Look on the Bright Side Will Age Best: Research

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Jul 21, 2011

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

Scientists, once again, pointed to those who have an optimistic outlook on life as being the people who age best.

Researchers at the University of Hamburg in Germany discovered that simply focusing your brain on positive thoughts — and living for the moment, rather than looking too far into the future — can help maintain good mental health and keep your brain young.

Dr Stefanie Brassen, the study’s author, said that successful aging came down to “the positivity effect”.

Danish Mystery Donor Leaves $200,000 in Red Cross Bin

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Jul 21, 2011

clouds8

An anonymous donor in Denmark has left nearly $200,000 (£120,000) in a clothes recycling bin outside a charity shop run by the Red Cross.

The money was found in a bin liner under piles of donated clothing.

The note attached said: “To the Danish Red Cross, from anonymous. Have collected for 40 years.”

(READ the story from the BBC)

Thanks to Markus Amanto for submitting the story to our Facebook page!

Man Survives by Crawling into Trunk After Car Plunges into River

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Jul 20, 2011

river reflecting sun

A man was “incredibly lucky to be alive” after his car flipped into a river near the Idaho-Washington border.

The 20 year-old squeezed through the rear seats and into the trunk of his two-door Hyundai Tiburon as chill, fast-flowing waters engulfed all but 6 inches of head room, creating a life-saving air pocket.

A passenger who had escaped was able to get his hand into an opening in the trunk area to hold the man’s hand and keep him talking until rescuers got to him.

(READ the story from Reuters)

21 Year-old Saves 100 From Ontario Fire, Hailed as Hero

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Jul 20, 2011

angel of lights

James Slatcher is being hailed a hero, credited with saving more than 100 lives, after a devastating fire tore through a 36-unit townhouse development in Sutton.

The 21-year-old was out playing basketball at around 3 a.m. when he noticed thick, black smoke billowing a balcony and sprang into action.

After locating a fire alarm and getting his sister’s family out, with no thought to his own danger, Mr. Slatcher pounded on 36 doors and helped carry dazed and frightened children, as well as pets, outside to safety.

(READ the story, w/ photos, in YorkRegion.com)

Team Behind Virgin Galactic Unveils A Hybrid Electric Flying Car

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Jul 20, 2011

illustration of Bipod hybrid flying-car

Forget those gas-guzzling flying cars. Now you can drive and fly while saving lots of money on fuel.

The hybrid flying car, called BiPod, went from preliminary design to inaugural flight (in March) in just four months. The two-seater, which is designed to be driven like a car from the left cockpit and flown like a plan on the right, squeezes out 820 miles on a tank of gas and 35 miles in electric mode.

How Healthy Lifestyle Can Prevent Half of all Alzheimer’s Cases

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Jul 20, 2011

Two lively seniors - Photo by Sun Star

Half of all Alzheimer’s disease cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes such as exercise, eating healthily and not smoking, claim researchers.

For the first time, scientists have calculated the extent to which certain lifestyle traits – including lack of exercise, smoking and obesity – all contribute to the disease.

Conservationists Save Rare Blue Iguana From Extinction

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Jul 19, 2011

Blue iguana photo by Julie Larsen-Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society

Score another success for species conservation. The Grand Cayman blue iguana now has a chance for complete recovery, even though the wild population numbered less than two dozen 8 years ago.

The Blue Iguana Recovery Program announced yesterday that 500 captive-bred reptiles have successfully been released since 2002.

Conservationists Save Rare Blue Iguana From Extinction

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Jul 19, 2011

Blue iguana photo by Julie Larsen-Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society

Score another success for species conservation. The Grand Cayman blue iguana now has a chance for complete recovery, even though the wild population numbered less than two dozen 8 years ago.

The Blue Iguana Recovery Program announced yesterday that 500 captive-bred reptiles have successfully been released since 2002.

Sony to Build Giant Metal Rainbow to Bring ‘Sense of Optimism’ to L.A.

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Jul 19, 2011

rainbow sculpture rendering for Culver City

A rainbow nine stories high and 188 feet wide will tower over Culver City, California, as part of its Art in Public Places, a Sony Picture homage to the rainbow imagined in The Wizard of Oz — which filmed on its movie studio lot there.

According to the artist, Tony Tasset, the $1.5 million sculpture is intended to speak to “the sense of optimism and well-being associated with rainbows in general and more specifically with the rainbow in popular culture as imagined in the iconic Wizard of Oz film, created by the very studio that will become home to the Rainbow sculpture.”

Alabama Cuts Medicaid Costs by $30 Million by Examining Drug Receipts

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Christine Vestal, Stateline.org

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Jul 19, 2011

pillls - Photo by Ron Bergeron via morguefile.com

Three years ago, Carol Steckel, Alabama’s Medicaid director, sent a national alert to all of her counterparts around the country. She asked them to join her in uncovering fraudulent prices published by major drug makers — prices that she said inflated the amount all states were paying to pharmacies.

At the time, Alabama had won three lawsuits against drug manufacturers on the grounds that published prices were artificially high. Steckel was working on an entirely new way to set drug prices for Medicaid beneficiaries, one that aimed to lower Alabama’s overall costs, but also remain sensitive to the needs of local pharmacies to make a profit.

Last September, Alabama won federal approval for the change Steckel sought. Since then, the state has launched its new pricing method, and expects to shave 6 percent off its prescription drug bill this year.

Alabama Cuts Medicaid Costs by $30 Million by Examining Drug Receipts

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Christine Vestal, Stateline.org

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Jul 19, 2011

pillls - Photo by Ron Bergeron via morguefile.com

Three years ago, Carol Steckel, Alabama’s Medicaid director, sent a national alert to all of her counterparts around the country. She asked them to join her in uncovering fraudulent prices published by major drug makers — prices that she said inflated the amount all states were paying to pharmacies.

At the time, Alabama had won three lawsuits against drug manufacturers on the grounds that published prices were artificially high. Steckel was working on an entirely new way to set drug prices for Medicaid beneficiaries, one that aimed to lower Alabama’s overall costs, but also remain sensitive to the needs of local pharmacies to make a profit.

Last September, Alabama won federal approval for the change Steckel sought. Since then, the state has launched its new pricing method, and expects to shave 6 percent off its prescription drug bill this year.

Teen Inventor Conquers Invasive Kudzu Vine

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Jul 19, 2011

Jacob Schindler battles Kudzu - CNN video shot

Jacob Schindler is not your typical American teenager.

He spends his days battling — and defeating — kudzu, an invasive plant native to Asia that has overrun millions of acres of land throughout the Southern United States.

His school science project led to the discovery that injecting helium at the root of the menacing vine effectively kills it.

(WATCH the video below, or read the story at CNN)

Teen Inventor Conquers Invasive Kudzu Vine

Most Popular

By

Good News Network

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Jul 19, 2011

Jacob Schindler battles Kudzu - CNN video shot

Jacob Schindler is not your typical American teenager.

He spends his days battling — and defeating — kudzu, an invasive plant native to Asia that has overrun millions of acres of land throughout the Southern United States.

His school science project led to the discovery that injecting helium at the root of the menacing vine effectively kills it.

First World Cup for Asian Team is Sweet Win for Disaster-ridden Japan

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Jul 18, 2011

FIFA photo of Japanese women's team in celebration

A come-from-behind victory for the Japanese women in the World Cup finals Sunday was particularly sweet, not only because they were the underdogs in the match against the USA or because they’d never beaten the Americans.

Even though the historic match was the first time any Asian nation won the FIFA tournament in either men’s or women’s competition, for Japan, the victory was especially meaningful because their country is still suffering from one of the worst natural disasters of recent times – the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that killed 23,000 and started an ongoing nuclear crisis.

‘Harry Potter’ Shatters Box Office Records as Boy Wizard Says Farewell

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Jul 18, 2011

Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows -book cover

Harry Potter cast his final spell on fans worldwide, shattering box office records over the weekend, earning $168.5 million and setting a new all-time record for the highest-grossing opening weekend in North America, one previously held by “The Dark Knight.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the eighth and final film of the J.K. Rowling fantasy, earned more than $475 million worldwide and also set new highs for biggest midnight screening, $43.5 million, and biggest IMAX film, $15.5 million.

This installment marks a fitting farewell to a series about a teen wizard and his friends battling evil that has become the highest-grossing franchise of all time.

The eight films in the series have sold about $7 billion in tickets at the worldwide box office.{

The most inspiring result of the Potter magic is how it got kids reading. They lined up at midnight to buy a book with 700 pages and went home to read it – again and again. The 7-book series not only made J.K. Rowling the first billionaire publisher, it gave kids a reason to love reading again.

Tibetan Antelope, China Railway, Co-exist in Harmony

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Jul 18, 2011

Tibetan antelopes by B_cool, SIN Singapore-CC

The sight this spring of herds of Tibetan antelopes galloping unhindered to breeding grounds at the other side of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, alleviated concerns that the railway would disrupt their migratory-breeding route.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway’s success in balancing the threatened antelopes’ welfare with the construction of a massive railway has inspired designers of other ambitious projects.

How Facebook Saved My Son’s Life

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Jul 17, 2011

sick boy - Facebook photo

Strep? Scarlet fever? The mother of a 4-year-old was commenting via social networks about the doctors’ changing diagnoses of her sick son. Within 24 hours, dozens of comments helped lead to the diagnose a rare disease that doctors had missed.

The next day she received a call a former neighbor. “I hope you’ll excuse me for butting in,” she said, “But you have to get to the hospital. Now.” Her son Max had had the exact same symptoms, and was hospitalized for Kawasaki disease, a rare and sometimes fatal auto-immune disorder that attacks the coronary arteries surrounding the heart.

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