21 people were named Wednesday by the Carnegie Hero Fund to receive the Carnegie medal, given to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
The Heroes Fund was started in 1904 by steel baron Andrew Carnegie, who was inspired after hearing rescue stories from a mine disaster that killed 181 people. Since then, more than $32.9 million US has been awarded to 9,412 people.
Here are the 21 winners:
Research on bees conducted by a class of 8-10 year olds was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, complete with crayon illustrations.
In the paper published in Biology Letters, children from Blackawton Primary School reported that buff-tailed bumblebees can learn to recognize nourishing flowers based on colors and patterns.
The paper is written entirely by the kids, who may be the youngest scientists ever to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Their principal finding: “We discovered that bumble-bees can use a combination of color and spatial relationships in deciding which color of flower to forage from. We also discovered that science is cool and fun because you get to do stuff that no one has ever done before.”
(READ the paper at Royal Society Publishing)
Thanks to Nic Bernstein for submitting the link from Slashdot
Research on bees conducted by a class of 8-10 year olds was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, complete with crayon illustrations.
In the paper published in Biology Letters, children from Blackawton Primary School reported that buff-tailed bumblebees can learn to recognize nourishing flowers based on colors and patterns.
The paper is written entirely by the kids, who may be the youngest scientists ever to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Their principal finding: “We discovered that bumble-bees can use a combination of color and spatial relationships in deciding which color of flower to forage from. We also discovered that science is cool and fun because you get to do stuff that no one has ever done before.”
(READ the paper at Royal Society Publishing)
Thanks to Nic Bernstein for submitting the link from Slashdot
Congress on Tuesday passed legislation to better protect sharks, which are killed by the millions for their fins, a delicacy used in a traditional Chinese soup.
Conservationists called the measure a major step to save a species in trouble.
The loss of tens of millions of top predators annually can disrupt the balance of the populations of other lower species.
(READ the AP report in the Miami Herald)
The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping — a decline that stunned experts who believe it’s partly due to the recession.
It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940.
(READ the AP story in the San Francisco Chronicle)
Violent crime and property crime rates continued to fall across the US, according to preliminary crime statistics from the Justice Department.
Reports of violent crime decreased 6.2 percent and property-crime reports were down 2.8 percent across the United States in the first six months of 2010, compared with the same period a year earlier, the Justice Department said on Monday.
This follows a three-year trend of decreasing crime rates despite a sagging economy.
(READ the article in the Washington Post)
As Congress approved the tax deal last week, they also extended the 1603 Treasury grant program -– a popular government incentive for renewable energy projects.
The measure, which covers up to 30% of the cost of solar, wind and other alternative energy installations, was considered a key buffer for the industry during the recession. It was due to expire at the end of the year.
(READ the story in the LA Times)
Schwinn is giving away free bikes to needy kids for Christmas and you can give one too! Just send a free e-card featuring the Schwinn Bell Choir playing holiday tunes, like Jingle Bells, on the bells from their bicycles.
For every card send, a bike will be donated. The more you share, the more they give.
They kicked off the program with 100 bikes donated to Boys and Girls Clubs in Denver.
WATCH the video below, and send an e-card to a friend at www.schwinnbellchoir.com.
The head of the US Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos, pledged to lead the effort to integrate openly gay Marines, one day after the Senate voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, a policy that discriminates against gay soldiers.
The Marines were the one branch of the military where service members were not solidly behind the repeal that would let gay members serve openly. But, on Sunday the General vowed to lead the transition “thus ensuring the respect and dignity due all Marines.”
“I, and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, will personally lead this effort,” Amos said. “The Marine Corps will step out smartly to faithfully implement this new policy.”
She was a young, homeless single mom trying to raise a family of five, but true to the spirit of the season there was room for one more.
Esperanza had been badly injured when she was hit by a car, but the young dog — a shepherd-cross with thick white coat — was still managing to care for her newborn puppies — plus a stray kitten.
“It’s amazing when you think about it. You have this dog who is just so giving of herself, caring for these newborn puppies and the kitten, making sure they were cared for even though she was obviously in a lot of pain.”
(Featured on the CBC)
A retired airline pilot living in New Jersey is the owner of the first Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric vehicle sold to the public.
The man said he paid about $42,000 for the vehicle, trading in a 2005 Toyota Prius.
The initial launch of GM’s groundbreaking electric car was expanded in response to intense interest in the Volt from customers across the country, according to the General Motors CEO, Ed Whitacre.
The Chevy Volt is capable of about 340 miles total driving range. For trips as long as 40 miles, the Volt gets its power solely from electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, an engine-generator automatically engages to extend the driving range to about 300 miles on a full tank of gas.
(READ the story at WTOP News)
The U.S. economy is gathering steam as the year draws to a close, boosting optimism about prospects in 2011, according to measures published by two separate economic research firms on Friday.
The Conference Board’s measure of leading economic indicators jumped 1.1 percent in November, the biggest rise since March and the fifth straight monthly gain.
(READ the story at Reuters)
Jackie Evancho, the child wonder soprano who took second place on the fifth season of America’s Got Talent, performed for the Obama family and the public outdoors during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree just outside the White House grounds.
Watch the video below…
A coyote was rescued Friday after floating on a wayward sheet of ice in Chicago’s Lake Michigan.
Because animal control responded so quickly to the emergency call. Fire crews decided to use a fireboat to bring the animal control official out to the coyote.
(WATCH the video or read the story from KGO-TV)
A US cancer patient who received a stem cell transplant has been cured of HIV, said a team of German doctors whose research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Blood on Wednesday.
“Our results strongly suggest that cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient,” said the study.
The results suggest the first such cure for the virus that causes AIDS.
(READ the AFP story at France24.com)
A South Carolina retiree is doing his part to help California close its massive budget deficit.
More than four decades after Dennis Ferguson received unemployment benefits from the state, he wrote a $10,000 check to the treasury to pay back the money, plus interest.
(READ the AP story at MSNBC)
In what sometimes looked like the worst of times, it was actually the best of times for ideas — and these ideas will shape how the world recovers in the years to come.
Driven by the need to do more with less, the year’s boldest innovators turned up better, simpler ways to use our shrinking resources to improve global quality of life.
Homer started out with a lot against him. Abandoned as a tiny kitten, a virulent infection meant he had to have both eyes removed to save his life.
His fortunes changed when he was taken home by Gwen Cooper, an avid cat lover who was instantly charmed by the kitten’s energy and enthusiasm for life despite his problems.
Eventually she wrote a book, “Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat
(READ the story in Reuters)
IRS officials are strongly encouraging taxpayers across the country to claim their money.
Tens of thousands of refund checks mailed out for 2009 tax returns, were returned to the IRS undelivered because of out-of-date mailing addresses or other issues.
For instance, more than 4,400 taxpayers in North and South Carolina are due about $5 million in federal tax refunds.
“We want to make sure taxpayers get the money owed to them,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman stated.
If you think you are missing a refund, you need to update your address information, so your money can be properly delivered.
(READ about Carolina refunds at ENCToday.com)
