It must be spring break in Panama City because here and in other beach towns along Florida’s panhandle, hotel and restaurant owners are smiling once again, a year after the Deepwater Horizon drilling-rig blast and oil spill. The crowds appear to be coming back.
A Year After Gulf Oil Spill, Florida Sees A Comeback
Army General Credited as the Hero of Tunisian Revolution Gets Promotion
A man credited as a hero of Tunisia’s revolution, Gen. Rachid Ammar, has been promoted to chief of the nation’s armed forces.
Ammar is treated as a hero in this North African nation, credited by the press with refusing to obey orders of then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to shoot on crowds of demonstrators.
He Turned his Polluted Gulf Coast Hometown into a ‘Showcase Community’
Hilton Kelley left a burgeoning career in Hollywood in 2000 and moved back to his Texas hometown, a refinery and chemical manufacturing region, to clean things up.
Mr. Kelley has won a lot of victories in 11 years. Now, the Port Arthur native has received a $150,000 Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts to fight pollution.
It started in 2000, when he formed the Community In-Power and Development Association to collect data on pollution levels. Armed with air samples and statistics, he stormed corporate shareholder meetings and distributed photographs of Port Arthur children wearing respirators.
(READ the Making A Difference story in CS Monitor)
Repelling Bugs With The Essence Of Grapefruit
It’s bug season again. And once again, most people won’t bother spraying or slathering on repellents.
That bugs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because biting insects are more than an itchy annoyance: Tick bites cause 30,000 Lyme disease infections every year.
That’s why the CDC is pushing hard to develop a completely natural insect repellent made from a chemical called nootkatone, which is found in Alaska yellow cedar trees and citrus fruit.
U.S. Economy Improving Despite Global Events: Survey
Economists say the U.S. economy is gaining strength despite political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East and last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
A survey finds that economists are hopeful that the broader economy is substantially improving, with rising employment reported for the fifth quarter in a row.
Orangutan and Stray Hound Dog, Best Friends Now
An orangutan leaped at the chance to throw its long arms around a vagabond dog that had wandered from the woods. Within hours, the two were inseparable.
WATCH the video, courtesy of National Geographic, below…
Thanks to Jean Barker for the video link…
Daryl Hannah to Receive 2011 Environmental Hero Award
Actress and filmmaker Daryl Hannah has been selected to receive the 2011 Environmental Hero award this Earth Day. Hannah’s long past in promoting sustainability as well as her work founding the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance made for an ideal honoree.
She started her own website dedicated to encouraging low impact lifestyles.
One Million Free CDs and Movies for U.S. Troops Serving Overseas
Kaylee is a Tennessee teenager who provides CDs and DVDs to U.S. troops overseas. Her Tunes 4 the Troops organization, begun as a high school project at age 14, just hit a major milestone packing its one millionth disc.
When CNN first profiled her in 2008, Kaylee and her team had collected 200,000 discs. Today, her organization continues its work at Tennessee Tech University where Kaylee, now 19, is a student.
WATCH the video below, or read the story at CNN…
Photo: Tunes 4 the Troops founder, courtesy CNN Heroes
Wedding Proposal in Crossword Puzzle is Perfect Fit for Couple
An Alexandria, Virginia man, Corey Newman, could not wait to get his hands on a Sunday Washington Post to ask Marlowe Epstein, “Will you marry me?” through a crossword puzzle.
Watch the video below… from the Washington Post:
Libyan Rebel Guitarist Rocks the Front Line
A Libyan guitarist claims he’s not only fighting for democracy, but also for right to perform.
38-year-old Massoud Abu Assir has been composing songs in support of the revolution and performing them for rebels on the battlefield.
UPDATE: Lions Rescued From Bolivia Get First Taste of Wide Open Space
A pride of eight lions, rescued last fall from a life of deprivation in a Bolivian circus, braved their way out of their shelter at the Wild Animal Sanctuary and into a spring snow shower.
“It’s something they’ve never seen — not to mention grass and dirt, but snow,” said Pat Craig, executive director of the sanctuary near Denver, Colorado.
Star Pitcher Donates $25K to Fund for Man Attacked Outside Stadium
Giants ace Tim Lincecum is giving $25,000 to assist the longtime San Francisco fan who was attacked outside Dodger Stadium last month.
The donation will go to the Bryan Stow Fund to help with the 42-year-old paramedic’s medical bills and other expenses. The father of two was beaten in a parking lot outside Dodger Stadium after the teams’ March 31 season opener and remains hospitalized in Los Angeles in a medically induced coma.
Hockey Franchise Buys House for Disabled Boy who Loves the Game
11-year-old Zach Bennett fell in love with hockey right around the time his health troubles were at their worst. He suffers from neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumours to grow on nerve tissue and creates skin and bone abnormalities.
The boy deeply cares about the players he idolizes. The players care right back, and their American Hockey League franchise is willing to go the extra mile — and then some — for the young fan.
UK Scientists Invent Hydrogen-based Fuel for Cars – Emits No Emissions
Researchers at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford have invented a synthetic fuel, which costs just $1.50 per gallon and could run in existing cars. Because it is hydrogen based, it would produce zero carbon emissions.
The new technology, coming as gasoline prices soar, could be available in as little as three years.
UK Scientists Invent Hydrogen-based Fuel for Cars – Emits No Emissions
Researchers at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford have invented a synthetic fuel, which costs just $1.50 per gallon and could run in existing cars. Because it is hydrogen based, it would produce zero carbon emissions.
The new technology, coming as gasoline prices soar, could be available in as little as three years.
Russia Bans Endangered Polar Bear Hunt This Year
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a longtime defender of large endangered animals announced that Russia has banned the hunting of polar bears this year, even for the indigenous people in far-eastern Russia across the Bering Strait, for whom officials have said hunting is vital.
Around 100 polar bears a year have been killed in Alaska in recent years, too.
Family Empowers 16,000 Women With Microfinance
Very poor women in Peru are improving the lives of their families, thanks to business smarts, determination and a small business micro loan from Finca Peru.
The family-run social enterprise helps educate its 16,000 micro-borrowers in savvy local business growth, without focusing on financial return or profit.
Artist’s Amazing Portraits Made of Junk Mail Sell for $10,000
Most people dump junk mail like catalogues, coupons and menus straight in the bin.
But not Sandhi Schimmel Gold, from Phoenix, Arizona. She earns a small fortune from her creations made out of trash that arrives in her mailbox.
Gold, 56, makes intricate collages that sell for up to $10,000 a portrait – and all of her materials, apart from glue, don’t cost a dime.
Largest Number of Job Openings in Two Years Posted in February
Businesses in February posted the largest number of job openings in more than two years, evidence that hiring is picking up as the United States economy grows. A rise in employment advertisements is the latest sign that companies are stepping up hiring.
Boy With No Hands Wins Penmanship Award (Video)
Despite having been born without lower arms, fifth-grader Nicholas Maxim received an award Monday from the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.
The judges were so moved by the entry – sent by Nick’s teacher – they created an entirely new award for physically-challenged kids, and named it after the Maine youngster.