Like countless small-business owners, Lola Gonzalez agonizingly resolved to trim her firm’s nine-person staff when the economic recovery began to sputter last spring.
Unlike other entrepreneurs, she picked an unlikely employee to lay off: herself.
The owner of Accurate Background Check in Ocala, Fla., says she couldn’t bear to fire employees who have worked there for years.
(READ the story in USA Today) – Thanks to JR for sending the link!
Three New Zealand teenagers have been rescued after 50 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean in a tiny boat.
The trio survived by drinking rainwater and sharing raw fish and a seagull that landed in their boat.
The parents of the boys aged 14-15 had held memorial services for the boys, assuming they had been lost at sea.
(READ the story in MSNBC)
Thanksgiving is not like the consumer-driven winter holidays: With natural decorations, seasonal food, and an emphasis on family and friends instead of buying stuff, it may well be the greenest holiday.
Want to make it even greener? Here is a slideshow of seven tips, including this one: Give your kids a history lesson: The bounty surrounding the Pilgrims and Native Americans provided the ingredients for their first community dinner, so try to incorporate more local, organic foods from the farmers’ market into your bounty.
A mother and daughter thought the reason they were invited as special halftime guests at an NFL Titans game was their winning Veteran’s Day essay.
But, 101st Airborne soldier Mark Foster surprised his wife Jodi and daughter Kayla with an on field homecoming in front of 70,000 cheering people Sunday. Foster is on leave from his duties in Afghanistan and hasn’t seen his family for eight months.
(WATCH the video below)
A mother and daughter thought the reason they were invited as special halftime guests at an NFL Titans game was their winning Veteran’s Day essay.
But, 101st Airborne soldier Mark Foster surprised his wife Jodi and daughter Kayla with an on field homecoming in front of 70,000 cheering people Sunday. Foster is on leave from his duties in Afghanistan and hasn’t seen his family for eight months.
Whether you are taking public transport to work, looking for a farmers market, or shopping for groceries — there are dozens of apps for your mobile phone that help get you the latest government information. From locating the nearest alternative fuel station to instantly connecting with the nearest embassy, these five apps are worth checking out:
Whether you are taking public transport to work, looking for a farmers market, or shopping for groceries — there are dozens of apps for your mobile phone that help get you the latest government information. From locating the nearest alternative fuel station to instantly connecting with the nearest embassy, these five apps are worth checking out:
During the nearly 30 years of a raging AIDS epidemic, never has there been a more hopeful time than this.
Three striking developments took place this week: U.N. officials said new HIV cases are dropping dramatically worldwide. A study showed that a daily pill already on pharmacy shelves could help prevent new infections in gay men. And the pope condoned the use of condoms to help prevent AIDS.
(READ full story from Yahoo! News)
If you’re like almost everyone I know, your first impulse when you get home from a long day at work or a busy day running errands is to grab a bag of chips, a beer, or some kind of snack, sprawl out on the couch, and watch TV for four hours before going to bed.
You may have had a conflict with a co-worker or felt overwhelmed by the kids, and with so much drudgery and frustration, the last thing you want to do is something productive—like reading to your children, paying your bills, or finishing certain chores.
If you’re like almost everyone I know, your first impulse when you get home from a long day at work or a busy day running errands is to grab a bag of chips, a beer, or some kind of snack, sprawl out on the couch, and watch TV for four hours before going to bed.
You may have had a conflict with a co-worker or felt overwhelmed by the kids, and with so much drudgery and frustration, the last thing you want to do is something productive—like reading to your children, paying your bills, or finishing certain chores.
Here is a simple way for you to give a gift of good news this holiday season, and for the first time we are offering a 2-for-1 deal!
A wonderful graphics designer created our new Holiday Gift Certificate, so click and check it out!
If you’re interested in other gift ideas, check out the online directory of 500 Good Things.
In fact, if you want to promote an inspiring product, service, person, or idea, you should GET ON THIS LIST! …All the details are at the website.
As Peru counts down to the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, thousands of artefacts taken from the breathtaking lost city of the Incas could soon be returned to the country.
Macedonians took a day off work on Friday to plant seven million trees in the landlocked Balkan country after raging fires destroyed about 86,500 acres (35,000 hectares) of greenery in 2008.
About seven million saplings — mostly cypresses and pine trees — were planted at around 80 sites throughout the country.
(READ the AFP story in Yahoo News)
There are signs lately that the U.S. economy is starting to wake up from the coma that set in three years ago.
October saw the nation’s biggest monthly increase in business sector jobs since April — 159,000 net new jobs — according to Labor Department figures. The report showed much stronger job gains than Wall Street analysts had expected.
Revised Labor Dept. figures also showed that companies have added more than 100,000 net new jobs in each of the past four months.
Anderson Cooper Heroes Award GalaWalking the red carpet at this year’s CNN Hero awards tribute show, to be televised on Thanksgiving night, will be movie stars, like Halle Berry, Demi Moore and Jessica Alba, Grammy winners John Legend and LL Cool J, along with the Chilean miners and their rescuers as surprise guests. All to honor this year’s extraordinary citizen heroes.
Rock legend Bon Jovi also shared the stage with the top ten CNN Heros of 2010 on the two-hour broadcast, “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” taped Saturday. Anderson Cooper hosted the fourth annual show from Los Angeles, where the Chilean miners have been touring Disneyland, Universal Studios and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The inspiring ongoing CNN Hero news segments spotlight everyday people who are changing the world, like a woman who saves girls from sex trafficing and a young man who educates youth in Asian slums. More than 10,000 nominations for CNN Heroes are received over the year from more than 100 countries.
The top 10 CNN Heroes were selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, which included Muhammad Ali, Richard Branson, cellist Yo Yo Ma, singer Ricky Martin and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno.
The public began voting on September 23 for the best CNN Hero of the year. The winner will be revealed at the tribute show and receive $100,000 Each of the top 10 CNN Heroes received $25,000 as thanks for their work.
“CNN Heroes has illustrated the best of humanity through the telling of stories of selfless acts of kindness, courage and perseverance” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “We are honored to bring these Heroes the recognition they so deserve. It is a program the entire CNN family is proud of and excited to share with our viewers on Thanksgiving night.”
Walton said they invited the miners from Chile and five of their rescuers because they symbolize the resilience and endurance of the human spirit. “The heroic efforts of the rescue of these miners was one of the most unifying and inspirational events of the year,” Walton said.
WATCH the video below, highlighting the gala that was taped last night…
“CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” Thanksgiving night at 8 p.m ET/5 p.m. PT on CNN/U.S. The show airs on CNN International on Thursday, November 25 at 8 p.m. ET and Friday, November 26 at 5 a.m. ET, 1100/2200 Berlin and 0900/1800 Hong Kong.
The 2009 CNN Hero of the Year was Efren Peñaflorida, who started a “pushcart classroom” in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership.
Anderson Cooper Heroes Award GalaWalking the red carpet at this year’s CNN Hero awards tribute show, to be televised on Thanksgiving night, will be movie stars, like Halle Berry, Demi Moore and Jessica Alba, Grammy winners John Legend and LL Cool J, along with the Chilean miners and their rescuers as surprise guests. All to honor this year’s extraordinary citizen heroes.
Rock legend Bon Jovi also shared the stage with the top ten CNN Heros of 2010 on the two-hour broadcast, “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” taped Saturday. Anderson Cooper hosted the fourth annual show from Los Angeles, where the Chilean miners have been touring Disneyland, Universal Studios and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A single picture from a cell phone camera may have saved the Gulf of Mexico from a few more weeks — if not months — of oil gushing from the BP well.
The cap that eventually stopped the oil from flowing was almost pulled a day or so after it was installed in mid-July because pressure readings looked so low that they indicated a leak elsewhere in the system. But, Paul Hsieh, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, was convinced that the containment cap wouldn’t blow after being emailed the picture. He persuaded the other scientists to wait a bit.
And, the government waited six hours. The cap held.
(READ the AP story at CBS)
French photographer Sacha Goldberger found his 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika feeling lonely and depressed. To cheer her up, he suggested that they shoot a series of outrageous photos in superhero costumes and poses. Grandma reluctantly agreed, but once they got rolling, she couldn’t stop smiling.
It turns out that in World War II, when she was younger, she really was a hero…
(READ the story and look at more photos in MyModernMet.com)
The pursuit of happiness turns out to be as frustrating as hunting the holy grail, yet the “pursuit of happiness” is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as a national goal.
People say they’ve been getting slowly happier. In 45 of 52 countries, happiness has risen during the past 30 years. This coincides with people getting richer. Contrary to myth, rich countries have slightly happier citizens than poor countries.
What is it about prosperity that brings happiness?
(READ the article in the Wall Street Journal)
The Korean Vocational Training Center, opened earlier this year on Bagram Air Field, is wrapping up training for its first class of Afghan students.
The KVTC is a school built by the Korean government to educate Afghan citizens on skills needed for pursuing a trade. The center enrolled 86 Afghans in five different departments: welding, automotive, electricity, construction and computer networking and programs. Each department consists of 700 class hours and teaches the very basics of the subject all the way to an advanced stage of knowledge and understanding.
