The tab for dinner is on Bruce Springsteen for fifteen hundred struggling South Carolina families, thanks to new mobile food pantries, funded in part by a $50,000 donation from the Boss.
Beginning Tuesday, the five pantries-on-wheels began delivery of 75,000 pounds of groceries to residents of Fort Mill, S.C., a once a thriving mill town that today suffers with a 14 percent unemployment rate.
As Springsteen traveled on tour last year, he partnered with food banks such as Second Harvest to help feed hungry people around the country.
In November, his tour stopped in Charlotte and he told Second Harvest officials that he would donate $50,000 if the food bank could find someone who could match the donation. And they found that match, in the town of Fort Mill in the Springs Close Foundation.
Instead of spending millions to widen roads or build subways, a Chinese company is developing a “three-dimensional fast coach”, a raised bus that will allow cars to travel underneath unimpeded, while hundreds of passengers board and disembark overhead, without blocking traffic.
The model looks like a subway or light-rail train bestriding the road. It is 4.5 meters high (17.5 feet) with two levels: passengers board on the upper level, while other cars can keep going, traveling through the bus underneath.
Powered by electricity and solar energy, the bus can travel along at 37 mph (60 km/h) while carrying 1200-1400 passengers at a time, without blocking other vehicles’ way.
It costs a fraction to build compared to alternatives and needs just 10% of the space of an equivalent subway. It is said that the bus can reduce traffic jams by 20-30%.
(READ more in China Hush) – Thanks to Andy Corbley for submitting the link!
Instead of spending millions to widen roads or build subways, a Chinese company is developing a “three-dimensional fast coach”, a raised bus that will allow cars to travel underneath unimpeded, while hundreds of passengers board and disembark overhead, without blocking traffic.
The model looks like a subway or light-rail train bestriding the road. It is 4.5 meters high (17.5 feet) with two levels: passengers board on the upper level, while other cars can keep going, traveling through the bus underneath.
Powered by electricity and solar energy, the bus can travel along at 37 mph (60 km/h) while carrying 1200-1400 passengers at a time, without blocking other vehicles’ way.
It costs a fraction to build compared to alternatives and needs just 10% of the space of an equivalent subway. It is said that the bus can reduce traffic jams by 20-30%.
(READ more in China Hush) – Thanks to Andy Corbley for submitting the link!
For cancer patients struggling financially, the cab fare alone from Houston airports to hospitals (costing $50-$100), can be enough to prohibit their ability to receive treatments that would keep them alive.
So pilot Kathy Broussard, who was already providing free flights for patients, started a group she called Houston Ground Angels, that organizes volunteers to drive patients to and from Houston’s airports and treatment centers for free.
“People lose everything. They lose their cars; they lose their homes. They’re living with relatives. They wouldn’t have cab fare. A lot of people would just stay home and die,” said Broussard, 60. “And that’s just not acceptable.”
Today the group has 300 drivers volunteering their gas and time to transport patients who need help. You can donate on their website using a Paypal button.
President Obama made it clear that ending the “national disgrace” of homelessness was a priority when he first took office.
Today he is set to embark on an ambitious and bipartisan social initiative designed to end homelessness by the start of the next decade.
Instead of cutting social programs, the administration is determined to make them work more efficiently. The plan, known officially as Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, takes best practices established when President George W. Bush made homelessness a priority in 2003.
“Investing in the status quo is no longer acceptable,” explains Obama in the plan’s introduction. “Given the fiscal realities … our response has to be guided by what works. Investments can only be made in the most promising strategies.”
A 12-year-old philanthropist named Zach Bonner has walked from Florida to the Washington, DC Capitol building, enduring hardship in the name of homeless kids.
Now he is walking across the country, 1900 miles so far, raising money and bringing hope to the homeless along the way.
WATCH the Making a Difference video below, or at MSNBC…
Former all-star Texas baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan will be leading the state’s beloved team, the Rangers, for years to come, now that an investment group led by the Hall of Fame hurler won a contentious auction for the team last night, “beating back a nearly $600 million offer from outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban”.
Officials in federal bankruptcy court announced the winning bid to cheers and a standing ovation in the packed courtroom, shortly before 1 a.m. and some 10 hours after the auction began.
In Colorado Saturday, a coyote grabbed a Chihuahua from the pet’s own back yard and would have gotten away carrying the small dog in its mouth, had not the neighbor’s Pit Bulls come to the rescue.
The coyote dropped the little dog in a field after the Pit Bulls gave chase.
Even more touching, the protective pair remained in the field standing guard over the injured dog until help arrived.
More than three dozen of the wealthiest families and individuals in the United States have committed to giving away the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, since the “Giving Pledge” was launched by fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett six weeks ago.
“We’ve really just started, but already we’ve had a terrific response,” said Warren Buffett, pledge co-founder and chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. “We’re delighted that so many people are doing just that – and that so many have decided to not only take this pledge but also to commit to sums far greater than the 50% minimum level.”
The United States has roughly 400 billionaires, about 40 percent of the world’s total, according to Forbes. The 40 names that have pledged to date have a combined net worth surpassing $230 billion, reports MSNBC.
Wealthy Americans from around the country, from energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens to media tycoon Ted Turner, have taken the pledge. A full list of those 40 families and individuals, along with personal pledge letters submitted by people like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, filmmaker George Lucas, and David Rockefeller, are available online at www.givingpledge.org.
• Michael R. Bloomberg: “If you want to do something for your children and show how much you love them, the single best thing – by far – is to support organizations that will create a better world for them and their children. And by giving, we inspire others to give of themselves, whether their money or their time.”
• George Lucas: “My pledge is to the process; as long as I have the resources at my disposal, I will seek to raise the bar for future generations of students of all ages. I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education.”
• Barron Hilton: “It is my hope that others are inspired by my father’s story, and by our family’s steadfast adherence to his charitable philosophy.”
• Warren Buffett: “Were we to use more than 1% of my claim checks (Berkshire Hathaway stock certificates) on ourselves, neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. In contrast, that remaining 99% can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others.”
• Bill and Melinda Gates: “We have been blessed with good fortune beyond our wildest expectations, and we are profoundly grateful. But just as these gifts are great, so we feel a great responsibility to use them well.”
• Jon and Karen Huntsman: “It has been clear to me since my earliest childhood memories that my reason for being was to help others.”
• George B. Kaiser: “I had the advantage of both genetics (winning the “ovarian lottery”) and upbringing. As I looked around at those who did not have these advantages, it became clear to me that I had a moral obligation to direct my resources to help right that balance.”
• Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest: “The ultimate achievement in life is how you feel about yourself. And giving your wealth away to have an impact for good does help with that feeling.”
• Lorry I. Lokey: “There’s an old saying about farmers putting back in to the ground via fertilizer what they take out. So it is with money. The larger the estate, the more important it is to revitalize the soil.”
• Peter G. Peterson: “As I watched and learned from my father’s example, I noticed how much pleasure his giving to others gave him. Indeed, today, I get much more pleasure giving money to what I consider worthwhile causes than making the money in the first place.”
• David Rockefeller: “Our family continues to be united in the belief that those who have benefitted the most from our nation’s economic system have a special responsibility to give back to our society in meaningful ways.”
• Sanford and Joan Weill: “Our Pledge is this: We will continue to give away all of the wealth we have been so fortunate to make except for a very small percentage allocated to our children and grandchildren between now and the time we pass because we are firm believers that shrouds don’t have pockets.”
The Giving Pledge, which does not involve supporting a particular set of causes or organizations, is an effort to help address society’s most pressing problems by inviting the wealthiest American families and individuals to commit to giving more than half of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes. While it is specifically focused on billionaires, the idea takes its inspiration from other efforts that encourage and recognize givers of all financial means and backgrounds.
More than three dozen of the wealthiest families and individuals in the United States have committed to giving away the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, since the “Giving Pledge” was launched by fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett six weeks ago.
“We’ve really just started, but already we’ve had a terrific response,” said Warren Buffett, pledge co-founder and chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. “We’re delighted that so many people are doing just that – and that so many have decided to not only take this pledge but also to commit to sums far greater than the 50% minimum level.”
The United States has roughly 400 billionaires, about 40 percent of the world’s total, according to Forbes. The 40 names that have pledged to date have a combined net worth surpassing $230 billion, reports MSNBC.
Free dental care drew thousands last week to the 11th annual open-air health clinic organized by Remote Area Medical, which specializes in helping impoverished communities.
2,643 teeth were extracted from 2,347 patients who slept overnight in their cars to ensure they would receive the care they normally cannot afford.
Sad stories abound in this rural community but we can be inspired by the doctors, dentists and hygienists who care enough to offer their very best service for free. Help out at Remote Area Medical website.
The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to deny landmark status to the building at 45-47 Park Place located two blocks from ground zero, paving the way for the construction of a mosque and community center that has been the center of heated debate due to its proximity to the site of the 9/11 attacks.
All nine commissioners weighed in on the historical and artistic significance of the building and agreed that the building did not meet the requirements for a landmark designation. (A move that would have raised hurdles for the Community Center’s progress.)
Issac Luria, communications director for J Street, an organization that advocates and lobbies for “pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” was there to submit over 10,000 signatures collected in support of the mosque.
The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to deny landmark status to the building at 45-47 Park Place located two blocks from ground zero, paving the way for the construction of a mosque and community center that has been the center of heated debate due to its proximity to the site of the 9/11 attacks.
All nine commissioners weighed in on the historical and artistic significance of the building and agreed that the building did not meet the requirements for a landmark designation. (A move that would have raised hurdles for the Community Center’s progress.)
Issac Luria, communications director for J Street, an organization that advocates and lobbies for “pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” was there to submit over 10,000 signatures collected in support of the mosque.
Low-income and unemployed Floridians can get free mobile phone and voice services to help them in an emergency or find employment.
The service, called Assurance Wireless, recently launched offering the cell phones pre-programmed with 200 free minutes.
“Programs like Assurance are so important for helping individuals and families stay on — or get back on — their feet and succeed in these difficult financial times.”
A cybercrime report released in July 2010 revealed a 50 percent drop in the number of attacks on retail stores in 2009, with 143 million stolen records, down from 360 million the year before. (CS Monitor)
Professor John Burland has spent the last two decades striving to save – and understand – the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After defying gravity, Italian bureaucracy and accusations of corruption, it seems he’s finally cracked the case.
“Without our intervention, any local storm or earth tremor could have finished it off,” Burland said of the freestanding bell tower, adjacent to the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.
Burland, 72, an emeritus professor of soil engineering at Imperial College London, helped solve one of the most fascinating riddles in architectural history.
Two decades ago, when a committee of experts drawn from every discipline was assembled, they couldn’t even find a computer program that would accept the fact that a building tilting 4.7m could still be standing, according to the UK’s Telegraph.
Professor John Burland has spent the last two decades striving to save – and understand – the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After defying gravity, Italian bureaucracy and accusations of corruption, it seems he’s finally cracked the case.
“Without our intervention, any local storm or earth tremor could have finished it off,” Burland said of the freestanding bell tower, adjacent to the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.
Burland, 72, an emeritus professor of soil engineering at Imperial College London, helped solve one of the most fascinating riddles in architectural history.
Two decades ago, when a committee of experts drawn from every discipline was assembled, they couldn’t even find a computer program that would accept the fact that a building tilting 4.7m could still be standing, according to the UK’s Telegraph.
The tide is turning for whole grains as American grocery shoppers are choosing more healthy sliced bread. A report in July showed whole wheat edging out the empty-calorie white bread in total sales for the first time.
Flooded with messages about heart health and the need for fiber, breads with “natural” in the name, or grains visible through the packaging are among the best performing at grocery stores — even though they cost a little more. Among the most popular: Nature’s Own, Nature’s Pride, and Arnold.
First Lady Michelle Obama urged Congress to pass current legislation that calls for higher nutritional standards for school meals.
In an op-ed article appearing in Monday’s Washington Post, Mrs. Obama applauded the Child Nutrition Bill which would require more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and less fat and salt in school lunches and breakfasts.
“Our prosperity depends on the health and vitality of the next generation,” she wrote.
The tab for dinner is on Bruce Springsteen for fifteen hundred struggling South Carolina families, thanks to new mobile food pantries, funded in part by a $50,000 donation from the Boss.
More than three dozen of the wealthiest families and individuals in the United States have committed to giving away the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, since the “Giving Pledge” was launched by fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett six weeks ago.
