If you crunch the numbers, some experts say, college is a bad investment while there are cheaper and better ways to get an education: pursue a dream — travel, do something creative or start a business.
(READ the story in the Washington Post)
Some Say Bypassing a Higher Education is Smarter Than Paying for a Degree
9/11 Anniversary: Muslims and Islam Were Part of Twin Towers’ Life
Given the vitriolic opposition now to the proposed Muslim community center two blocks from ground zero, one might say something else has been destroyed: the realization that Muslim people and the Muslim religion were part of everyday life at the World Trade Center.
On any given day, financial analysts, carpenters, receptionists, secretaries and ironworkers gathered in the Muslim prayer room on the 17th floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower
Endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle Numbers Show Signs of Hope
Things may not be as bleak as they once seemed for one endangered sea turtle. A new survey finds that hawksbill turtles are more widespread in the eastern Pacific than earlier studies had suggested.
Surveys conducted between January 2007 and May 2009 found hawksbills nesting on beaches in 6 nations in the eastern Pacific, and swimming in coastal waters off 7 nations.
Nearly Extinct Sierra Nevada Red Fox Spotted Via Remote Camera
A rare Sierra Nevada red fox has been seen in the Stanislaus National Forest near Sonora Pass, confirming that the species continues to survive in a region where it was thought to be extinct for nearly a century.
The Sierra Nevada red fox is one of the rarest mammals in North America. Until now, only about 20 were known to exist in a small area of Lassen Volcanic National Park — a number considered too small to support the species long-term.
South Africa Murder Rate Shows Sharp Fall
The murder rate has fallen by 8.6% over the past year in South Africa, latest statistics show. The total number of murders was now about a third lower than 14 years ago.
Street robberies and sexual offences also showed declines of 10.4% and a 4.4% respectively.
(READ the story in the BBC)
Fidel Castro Says Cuban Communist Model Doesn’t Work
In the only interview he has given an American journalist since he left office, Fidel Castro told a reporter from The Atlantic magazine that Cuba’s communist economic model doesn’t work — even for Cuba.
Julia Sweig, a Cuba expert at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations who accompanied Goldberg on the trip, confirmed the Cuban leader’s comment. She told The Associated Press she took the remark to be in line with Raul Castro’s call for gradual but widespread reform.
(READ more of the AP story)
School Revives Music in Afghanistan 30 Years After Taliban Bans It
From traditional instruments to rock guitars – the Afghan National Institute of Music gives disadvantaged children the chance to play a part in the resurgence of music in Afghanistan, which was widely banned under the Taliban regime as un-Islamic.
“You see Kabul was a very thriving, Afghanistan had a very thriving music community thirty years back and, as you know, the history, when the Talibans came they destroyed all the music instruments and now we are trying to revive it. And it should be revived. Kabul, Afghanistan has a very rich musical background.”
School Revives Music in Afghanistan 30 Years After Taliban Bans It
From traditional instruments to rock guitars – the Afghan National Institute of Music gives disadvantaged children the chance to play a part in the resurgence of music in Afghanistan, which was widely banned under the Taliban regime as un-Islamic.
“You see Kabul was a very thriving, Afghanistan had a very thriving music community thirty years back and, as you know, the history, when the Talibans came they destroyed all the music instruments and now we are trying to revive it. And it should be revived. Kabul, Afghanistan has a very rich musical background.”
Librarians Assemble to Read the Qur’an on Steps of Chicago Building
The American Library Association and librarians across the country have moved the Qur’an to the top of their list for titles celebrated during their upcoming Banned Books Week, September 25 – October 2, 2010, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.
Leading the way will be librarians assembled tomorrow on the steps of the American Library Association headquarters in Chicago at 1 p.m. for a public reading from the Qur’an.
“Free people read freely,” says Barbara Jones, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. “That is a fundamental principle of the American Constitution and a basic mission of public libraries. We don’t burn books, we read them.”
“The librarians of America will not stand by and let ignorance rule,” says ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “For every would-be book burner, there are thousands of readers who will speak out for the freedom to peaceably assemble and read whatever they choose.”
The books featured during Banned Books Week, including To Kill A Mockingbird, Twilight, Catcher in the Rye, The Color Purple and Harry Potter, have been targets of attempted bannings. While some books were banned or restricted, fortunately, in a majority of cases the proposed bans did not succeed, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections.
Librarians Assemble to Read the Qur’an on Steps of Chicago Building
The American Library Association and librarians across the country have moved the Qur’an to the top of their list for titles celebrated during their upcoming Banned Books Week, September 25 – October 2, 2010, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.
Leading the way will be librarians assembled on September 11 on the steps of the American Library Association headquarters in Chicago at 1 p.m. for a public reading from the Qur’an.
Tennessee Christians Lay Out Welcome Mat for New Mosque
The Heartsong Church in Cordoba, Tennessee, has opened its doors to its new neighbors from the Memphis Islamic center while they are still building their own place of worship next door.
It is the sense of community that Pastor Steve Stone and Dr. Bashar Shala, chairman of the Islamic center, have built among the faithful that serves to remind us of our American ideals, in stark contrast to the ignorance of a Florida preacher who has threatened to burn the Qur’an tomorrow, on the anniversary of 9/11.
To begin their friendship, Pastor Steve erected a 6-foot red sign outdoors reading, “Welcome to the Neighborhood.”
Tennessee Christians Lay Out Welcome Mat for New Mosque
The Heartsong Church in Cordoba, Tennessee, has opened its doors to its new neighbors from the Memphis Islamic center while they are still building their own place of worship next door.
It is the sense of community that Pastor Steve Stone and Dr. Bashar Shala, chairman of the Islamic center, have built among the faithful that serves to remind us of our American ideals, in stark contrast to the ignorance of a Florida preacher who has threatened to burn the Qur’an tomorrow, on the anniversary of 9/11.
To begin their friendship, Pastor Steve erected a 6-foot red sign outdoors reading, “Welcome to the Neighborhood.”
Obama Singles Out Active Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor
Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, a 22-year-old from Hiawatha, Iowa who was on patrol with his unit in Afghanistan, ran straight into the teeth of a Taliban attack to aid three wounded soldiers, one by one, who had been separated from the others in the ambush.
On Friday, the White House announced that President Obama decided to award Giunta the Medal of Honor.
He will become the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor who has served in any war since Vietnam.
(READ the story in the Washington Post)
Doctor’s Orders: Hit the Beach and Go Surfing (Video)
A new treatment is providing hope for some patients who suffer from a debilitating illness, not through drugs or surgery but a trip to the beach.
“I now surf to live,” says Caleb Remington.
The ocean helps him with breathing, something we all take for granted. Remington has cystic fibrosis.
Nearly 30,000 Americans suffer from the disease, which causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and the digestive track making it difficult to breathe and break down food.
WATCH the video below, or read the story from CBS Early Show…
(Photo by Sun Star)
Christian Seminary Trains Muslims, Jews for Careers as Chaplains
A Connecticut Christian seminary has the only program in the country that also teaches Muslims and Jews to be chaplains.
The Hartford Seminary believes it serves God by preparing leaders, students, scholars and religious institutions to understand and live faithfully in today’s multi-faith and pluralistic world. The school generates interfaith understanding by affirming the goodness of religious differences.
(Hartford Seminary photo)
WATCH the video below, from AP…
One Graduate’s Experiment in Living Without Money
Mark Boyle has turned his life into a radical experiment and pledged to live without cash, credit cards, loans or any other form of finance.
The British economics graduate was inspired by Gandhi’s call to be the change you want to see in the world.
Now, he’s lived without money since 2008.
(READ the story in CNN)
(Photo by Sun Star)
Marines Storm Ship Seized By Pirates
The German-owned vessel Magellan Star was the latest ship to be seized by Somali pirates, with the ship’s crew and vessels held for ransom yesterday.
But Marines foiled their plan by boarding the ship without a shot fired.
Today the U.S. Navy reported that nine pirates were captured in the rescue and none of the ships’ crew or any Marines were hurt during the assault.
(READ the story from NPR)
Urine-Powered Fuel Cells: Pee Power to the People!
Researchers have figured out a way to make the world’s first urine-powered fuel cells — a significant feat, because most fuel cell systems today are too costly to be a source for renewable energy or allow for easy commercial use, especially in poorer developing countries. And, they’re safer too. Fuel cells usually rely on flammable hydrogen gas or toxic methanol to generate electricity.
Chemistry researchers at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences in Edinburgh have developed a cheaper prototype that instead relies on the organic compound urea to create electricity and clean water.
Urea is a mass-manufactured industrial fertilizer as well as a major component of human and animal urine. Dr. Shanwen Tao thought about incorporating urea because he had seen it used as a fertilizer while growing up in eastern China.
Urine-Powered Fuel Cells: Pee Power to the People!
Researchers have figured out a way to make the world’s first urine-powered fuel cells — a significant feat, because most fuel cell systems today are too costly to be a source for renewable energy or allow for easy commercial use, especially in poorer developing countries. And, they’re safer too. Fuel cells usually rely on flammable hydrogen gas or toxic methanol to generate electricity.
Chemistry researchers at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences in Edinburgh have developed a cheaper prototype that instead relies on the organic compound urea to create electricity and clean water.
Urea is a mass-manufactured industrial fertilizer as well as a major component of human and animal urine. Dr. Shanwen Tao thought about incorporating urea because he had seen it used as a fertilizer while growing up in eastern China.
MBA Grads who are Optimists Find Jobs Faster and With Less Effort
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We’ve seen the studies that show optimistic people are less likely to get heart and lung disease or breast cancer, and are generally happier.
A new study out this week provides evidence that optimism also helps when looking for a job.
A working paper issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research unveiled a study of MBA students who were looking for a job. The results are in, say the study’s authors, business professors Ron Kaniel, Cade Massey, and David T. Robinson: An optimistic disposition is an important factor in job search success.
Using a novel longitudinal data set to track job searches, the researchers found that dispositional optimists experience “significantly better job search outcomes than pessimists with similar skills.”
“During the job search process, they spend less effort searching and are offered jobs more quickly,” the authors said in the summary.
Even though invisible on a resume, “dispositional optimism” is an influential personality trait associated with individuals who believe, either rightly or wrongly, that in general good things tend to happen to them more often than bad things.
“Although we find optimists are more charismatic and are perceived by others to be more likely to succeed,” the paper went on, “these factors alone do not explain away the findings.”
The authors point to unseen elements of optimism “not readily observed by one’s peers” as having the most influential effect on economic outcomes.
You can order the full report for a fee or apply online at the group’s website, http://www.nber.org.