Ryo Ishikawa, the 19-year-old golf phenom who last week pledged all his 2011 winnings to disaster relief in his home country, jump-started his donation drive by winning $93,320 at the Masters Tournament.
Ishikawa shared 20th place with three golfers, but shot 13 birdies over four days of play, raising an additional $16,549 with his promise to add a bonus for every birdie he makes.
Ryo Ishikawa, the 19-year-old golf phenom who last week pledged all his 2011 winnings to disaster relief in his home country, jump-started his donation drive by winning $93,320 at the Masters Tournament.
Ishikawa shared 20th place with three golfers, but shot 13 birdies over four days of play, raising an additional $16,549 with his promise to add a bonus for every birdie he makes.
The biggest golfing star in Japan explained that the earthquake was responsible for a new desire to play better, so he wants to give back.
“I wish to be of some assistance to the victims. I’ve received tremendous support from people in Japan, and now it’s my turn to pay my debt of gratitude.”
A tie for 20th was his best finish in a major tournament outside Japan, topping his previous best, a tie for 27th at the 2010 British Open. He was third on Japan’s money list last year with just over $1.82 million.
“I’ve joined the people in the quake-hit areas in recovery efforts. Together we’ll continue to battle against tough times.”
(READ the story at Mainichi Daily News)
International observers have been understandably wary about the elections in Nigeria. In a country where political intimidation and violence have marred every election since they gained independence, many were expecting this election to follow suit.
But thanks to a herculean effort by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian elections that kicked off over the weekend looked nothing like elections past.
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the National Archives and Ancestry.com have published millions of online Civil War records once restricted to the National Archives building.
The newly digitized records will be free to the general public for one week ending Thursday and to Ancestry.com members thereafter. (The website offers a 14-day free trial, during which you can access all records.)
The stars of the new Civil War collection are the draft registration records from 1863-1865. These nearly 275,000 records were previously only available by request in original form at the research center.
The American Red Cross announced that the public has generously donated $120.5 million to help the people of Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
“The American public have not forgotten the generosity of the Japanese people when we suffered tremendous loss after the 9/11 attacks and, more recently, after Hurricane Katrina,” said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross. “Collectively, the Japanese Red Cross sent us contributions of close to $30 million. Now it is our opportunity – and our duty – to do what we can to help you.”
The money will go to the Japanese Red Cross, which is providing direct emergency relief, medical services and emotional counseling to affected communities.
“Almost three weeks after one of the most devastating earthquakes in history, we are immensely grateful to the American public for their continued generosity,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president of international services with the American Red Cross.
Red Cross volunteers and staff in Japan continue to provide relief items and emotional support, with dozens of medical teams operating in hospitals and mobile clinics treating those affected by the disasters.
Immediately after the earthquake and tsunami, the Red Cross provided 125,500 blankets and 25,000 emergency kits. The Red Cross is increasing its relief operations for survivors in evacuation centers and is planning to provide supplies for 100,000 people still homeless. More supplies and fuel are also reaching affected areas.
Overall, the conditions for survivors appear to be improving: the number of people in shelters in Japan has been cut in half to 244,000 from nearly half a million.
In addition to the funds provided to support work by the Japanese Red Cross, the American Red Cross has given $500,000 to the United Nation’s World Food Programme for logistics support for the delivery and storage of relief items for survivors. The American Red Cross also has been assisting in the voluntary evacuations of military families from Japan.
The announcement was made Tuesday at a press conference at the Japanese embassy with Japan’s Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki and American Red Cross Chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter.
Eben Bayer of Ecovative announced a new partnership with Ford to create compostable car parts from mushrooms.
Instead of wasting an enormous amount of energy and oil to make plastic or styrofoam, the New York-based start-up uses agricultural waste to create biodegradable parts and packing materials.
The fungus-based parts for Ford — automotive bumpers, side doors and dashboards — will be fireproof and waterproof. Best of all, if buried in soil they would decompose within one month.
His 26-year-old co-founder and chief scientist, Gavin McIntyre, says, “You would be able to compost your car.”
CHECK Out: Biodegradable Urns Will Turn You Into A Tree After You Die
Ford, which already uses soy-based foam for seat cushions, wants to replace about 30 pounds of petroleum-based foam per car with eco-friendly alternatives.
The positive effects of biodegradable materials on our environment would be huge. Every time a consumer discards the white packing material cushioning their new TVs and computers, 1.5 liters of petroleum are wasted (per cubic foot of styrofoam.) This white stuff is filling our landfills, comprising fully 25 percent of materials dumped there, according to the EPA.
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Computer-maker Dell, with its goal of eliminating 20 million pounds of packaging material from its shipments by the end of 2012, announced this week that it will use Ecovative’s mushroom-based packaging to ship a line of its computer servers. In 2009, the company began using bamboo to cushion some of their electronics.
The eco-friendly packing material is just as sturdy as traditional foam, says Dell — and just as economical, according to Ecovative. Visit their website for more information: www.EcovativeDesign.com.
READ more in CNN-Money and WATCH the Planet Forward video to see how mushroom parts are made.
Eben Bayer of Ecovative has just announced a new partnership with Ford to create compostable car parts from mushrooms.
Instead of wasting an enormous amount of energy and oil to make plastic or styrofoam, the New York-based start-up uses agricultural waste to create biodegradable parts and packing materials.
The fungus-based parts for Ford — automotive bumpers, side doors and dashboards — will be fireproof and waterproof. Best of all, if buried in soil they would decompose within one month.
General Electric plans to select a location in about three months for a U.S. solar-panel plant that may be the country’s largest.
With the new facility, the total investment in the solar business will exceed $600 million, GE said this week in a statement.
A wildly popular LIVE webcam has been focused on an eagle’s nest in Decorah, Iowa where three chicks have hatched from eggs tended by the loyal parents. The camera is hidden alongside the nest while a remote operator zooms and pans the lens as necessary to keep the pictures pinpointed on the action.
The first egg, laid on February 23, hatched on April 1. Viewers who flocked to the website finally got to see the last of the three eggs hatch on April 6.
Meditation appears to be a powerful way to take away pain — just a short session is more potent than even morphine.
The novice meditators weren’t simply being agreeable — scans of their brains backed up their “less-hurt” claims.
A team of mountaineers led by a veteran Sherpa guide flew this week to Mount Everest on an expedition to clear away tons of trash left behind by climbers — empty oxygen bottles, ropes, tents and other garbage.
In his fourth annual spring clean-up, the Sherpa — who has climbed Everest a record 20 times — plans to bring down 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of trash.
KFC restaurants in the UK and Ireland will stop using palm oil to fry its chicken beginning this month, reaping a “double benefit” by helping to reducing climate change and heart disease.
Used widely as a cooking oil in fast food chains, palm oil has a poor health and environmental record. Forests in Indonesia and Malaysia have been cut down to make way for plantations and the oil is high in artery-clogging saturated fat.
A few months ago, the grandson of one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March traveled from Northern Virginia to Japan with an old photograph in his hand. It was a grainy picture of a young Japanese boy who helped save his grandfather’s life.
For the 27-year-old, and for the Japanese people who greeted him, the photo offered a way to pluck from a dark chapter of history one single act of compassion.
(READ the inspiring story at the Washington Post)
Between 55 and 75 percent of stroke survivors experience motor problems in their arm. Yet conventional therapy – physiotherapy and occupational therapy – provide only “modest and sometimes delayed effects”.
Virtual reality and other video games can significantly improve motor function in stroke patients, according to research released this week by St. Michael’s Hospital in Ontario. Patients who played video games, such as Wii and Playstation, were up to five times more likely to show improvements compared to those who had standard therapy.
Physicists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced Wednesday that they have found a suspicious bump in their data that could be evidence of a new elementary particle or even, some say, a new force of nature.
“Nobody knows what this is,” said Christopher Hill, a theorist involved with the powerful particle accelerator at Fermilab. “If it is real, it would be the most significant discovery in physics in half a century.”
In Roseland, one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, many residents stay off the streets to protect themselves from rampant gang violence.
But one grandmother opened her door and invited gang members to come inside. She hoped that by providing them with support and a place to go, she would ensure that her own daughter and other kids would be safe and focused on their futures, instead of local gangs.
In 2003, the mother of eight started a community center in her living room. Today, the building next door provides the haven she calls ‘Kids Off the Block’, with tutoring, mentoring, job training and other activities to keep young people off the streets.
“Our young people need help,” Latiker said. “All of them are not gang-bangers. All of them are not dropouts. But the ones that are, they need our help.”
WATCH the CNN Hero profile below, or read the story on CNN…
In Roseland, one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, many residents stay off the streets to protect themselves from rampant gang violence.
But one grandmother opened her door and invited gang members to come inside. Diane Latiker hoped that by providing them with support and a place to go, she would ensure that her own daughter and other kids would be safe and focused on their futures, instead of local gangs.
After the Japanese government ordered the people of Minamisoma to stay indoors when the nearby nuclear plant started leaking, all the food stores shut down and gas stations ran out of petrol as people fled. 25,000 isolated residents who remained were facing starvation.
The mayor pleaded for help, speaking into a small digital camera, and posted it on YouTube. After a quarter million views, Mayor Sakurai received hundreds of boxes of food and other supplies from individuals, and truckloads of relief goods from nonprofit organizations.
He described the response to his 11-minute online plea as a turning point for the city.
“Suddenly, the world was extending its hand to us,” said Mr. Sakurai, 55, an energetic man who still wears the same beige uniform as in the video, but now smiles and seems more relaxed. “We learned we’re not alone.”
See the mayor’s video below, and READ the story at the New York Times.
In a Buffalo, NY cemetery, a mother goose has lost her lifelong mate and was left alone to tend her nest. She spends the day sheltering her eggs from the cold spring air.
The loss of her male partner now makes her vulnerable to any would-be predators who choose to approach the nest. But, in an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has taken over the role of protector.
There’s no known way that a deer and goose can communicate, yet somehow the deer has come to understand the need of the nesting mother.
(WATCH the video below, or read the story at WGRZ-Tv)
–Photo by Mary Baird, CC
In a Buffalo, NY cemetery, a mother goose has lost her lifelong mate and was left alone to tend her nest. She spends the day sheltering her eggs from the cold spring air.
The loss of her male partner now makes her vulnerable to any would-be predators who choose to approach the nest. But, in an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has taken over the role of protector.
There’s no known way that a deer and goose can communicate, yet somehow the deer has come to understand the need of the nesting mother.
