Families can earn £900 a year by installing solar panels on their roofs as part of a new Government scheme to pay people to generate their own electricity.
Under the deal, which starts in April, households will be paid for electricity fed into the grid from renewable technologies such as solar, wind or energy from waste.
The most attractive rate of return will be on solar panels, which for an average sized three bedroom home could earn households £25,000 over 25 years.
Stars like Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion, and rappers including Kanye West and Snoop Dogg, walked through the same door on Monday to record a new version of the iconic pop hit song “We Are The World”, that 25 years ago was used by a group of A-list singers who came together to raise money for the famine in Africa. The latest glittering lineup was called together in the last few weeks, this time to respond to the devastating Haitian earthquake.
None of the singers of the original song were invited to participate in the update, which was recorded at the same Hollywood studio, again under the oversight of Quincy Jones and the song’s co-writer Lionel Richie.
Classical tenor Josh Groban said, “Everybody left their ego at the door,” referring to a sign that Jones hung in the studio during the original session on the old A&M Records lot on January 28, 1985.
“25 years ago, the entertainment industry showed the power of community to help our fellow man when we recorded ‘We Are The World‘ to bring relief to those suffering from famine in Ethiopia,” commented Jones. “Today the country of Haiti is suffering immeasurably and is in immediate need of relief that will last long after the television cameras have left. As artists, we have joined together on this 25th anniversary and in the spirit of ‘We Are The World’ to help meet that need.”
Upon its original release, We Are the World quickly became the fastest selling single in history and in the years that have followed, USA for Africa has raised and distributed more than $63 million in revenue from the sales of more than 7 million units of the album, single and cassettes, plus nearly 2 million digital sales and related merchandise.
“When first approached about re-recording ‘We Are The World’, it didn’t seem like a great idea since the original version was so iconic,” said Randy Phillips, President & CEO, AEG Live. “Then Haiti happened and that changed everything. Quincy and Lionel decided that ‘We Are the World’ was created just for emergencies like this. This recording will have a life of its own and keep Haiti in the public eye at the same time raising much needed funds to continue the healing, reconstruction and rebirth of this country,” Phillips added.
The new version of We Are The World and the accompanying video is available for purchase on-line, with all proceeds going directly to the earthquake relief efforts in the country of Haiti through the We Are The World Foundation.
Other celebrities included Justin Bieber, Usher, Katharine McPhee, will.i.am, Toni Braxton, LL Cool J, Harry Connick Jr., Wyclef Jean, Vince Vaughn, Jeff Bridges and Natalie Cole and Carlos Santana. (WATCH the video below)
A “green gym” in Detroit lets homeless folks get some exercise and — thanks to stationary bikes hooked up to the power grid — generate a little bit of electricity.
The Green House blog wrote last month that this appears to be “the nation’s first eco-gym specifically meant for homeless men, women and children.”
“I been pedaling for like 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and I generated 683.5 watt hours,” one man said. “I can’t leave it alone. Anytime I see this bike I get on it. It gives me a lot of energy.”
Manufacturing activity soared around the world in January, according to surveys released yesterday that will bolster the hopes of a strong global recovery.
In the US, the Institute for Supply Management index – a key measure of industrial activity – rose from 54.9 to 58.4, its highest level since August 2004 and well ahead of economists’ expectations.
The key components of the index – production, employment and new orders – all increased, offering significant assurance that the manufacturing sector is in recovery.
Artist Richard Ankrom took it upon himself in 2001 to install a new highway number on a Los Angeles freeway sign to help ease congestion and improve traffic flow. Now, some 8 years later, California traffic administrators have replaced the altered sign with another that incorporates his helpful directives for drivers.
In broad daylight, wearing an orange vest and hardhat, Ankrom hoisted a ladder and walked onto a catwalk above one of the city’s busiest arteries, and installed his own freeway sign additions, which were designed and manufactured exactly to state specifications. (At the time, I reported this story in my former print newsletter, Some Good News)
The sign was so authentic that highway officials let it remain in place for more than eight years, until its removal recently under a standard scheduled replacement.
He called it Guerilla Public Service, art for the public good. Check out Ankrom.org to see more photos and video of his historic catwalk.
An LA Weekly report from December 30 tells the tale of Richard trying to get his sign back. He had autographed it on the reverse side, but the sign had been crushed into a recycler’s bale, set to be sold to China. He tried in vein to buy the bale, but, ironically, regulations prohibited the sale.
The photos below compare his altered sign (top), to which he added a “5” shield and the word “North” above an arrow, with the state’s replacement (bottom). Congratulations to Richard on this official affirmation for a job well done.
Artist Richard Ankrom took it upon himself in 2001 to install a new highway number on a Los Angeles freeway sign to help ease congestion and improve traffic flow. Now, some 8 years later, California traffic administrators have replaced the altered sign with another that incorporates his helpful directives for drivers.
In broad daylight, wearing an orange vest and hardhat, Ankrom hoisted a ladder and walked onto a catwalk above one of the city’s busiest arteries, and installed his own freeway sign additions, which were designed and manufactured exactly to state specifications. (At the time, I reported this story in my former print newsletter, Some Good News)
The sign was so authentic that Caltrans officials let it remain in place for more than eight years, until its removal under a standard scheduled replacement.
He called it Guerilla Public Service, art for the public good. Check out Ankrom.org to see more photos and video of his historic catwalk.
Neil Young was honored Friday in Los Angeles as the 2010 Person of the Year by MusiCares, an organization that provides emergency care and financial assistance to musicians in need.
The largest tribute gala to date for MusiCares, the night featured a slew of A-list stars performing Neil Young classics, including Dave Matthews, Jack Black, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Elton John, Josh Groban, Norah Jones, Red Hot Chili Peppers and James Taylor, a former recipient of the award. (Video below)
US scientist David Dosa was sceptical when first told about Oscar the cat, who lived in a nursing home and regularly predicted patients’ deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours.
The feline’s bizarre talent astounds Dr Dosa, but he finds Oscar’s real worth in his fierce insistence on being present when others turn away from life’s most uncomfortable topic: death.
US scientist David Dosa was sceptical when first told about Oscar the cat, who lived in a nursing home and regularly predicted patients’ deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours.
The feline’s bizarre talent astounds Dr Dosa, but he finds Oscar’s real worth in his fierce insistence on being present when others turn away from life’s most uncomfortable topic: death.
For the past 2 weeks, 7-year-old kids in an Alabama elementary school have has been obsessed with shoes, frantically collecting as many as they can for donation to the victims of Haiti’s earthquake.
From sneakers to sandals, the kids know it’s not the sole that matters, but the difference made in the souls wearing them.
A warehouse in nearby Roanoke, Alabama is the base of operation for Soles 4 Souls, a charity that donates a pair of shoes every nine seconds to needy people around the world — a total of more than 7 million shoes to date.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $10 billion over the next ten years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.
The Gateses said that increased investment in vaccines by governments and the private sector could help developing countries dramatically reduce child mortality by the end of the decade — averting more than 8 million deaths annually by 2020.
“We’ve made vaccines our number-one priority at the Gates Foundation,” said Melinda Gates.
Since the last century, smallpox has been eradicated, polio is on the verge of being eradicated and more than 2 million deaths are averted each year.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $10 billion over the next ten years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.
The Gateses said that increased investment in vaccines by governments and the private sector could help developing countries dramatically reduce child mortality by the end of the decade — averting more than 8 million deaths annually by 2020.
“We’ve made vaccines our number-one priority at the Gates Foundation,” said Melinda Gates.
Since the last century, smallpox has been eradicated, polio is on the verge of being eradicated and more than 2 million deaths are averted each year.
A collection of the great and good from the world of poetry gathered in London for a live poetry reading to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown used the occasion to announce that its government had begun an unprecedented effort to purchase all the corrugated iron available in whole of Britain to ship to Haiti for housing people before the hurricane season arrives. The shipments will depart for Haiti this week.
Illinois businessman Paul Munsen believes the ever-present sunshine in Haiti is a tool for relieving some of the suffering of a people left in ruins.
On Thursday morning, Munsen and employees from his Sun Ovens International worked to load scores of solar-powered ovens for shipment to the earthquake-devastated island nation. The ovens, Munsen said, also could provide long-term recovery for undernourished citizens there.
Sun Ovens — both the village-sized, which can make 1,200 meals a day, and the small family units — offer a safer alternative to cooking with charcoal, because people don’t have to inhale toxic charcoal fumes.
Two large Villager Sun Ovens, 160 smaller Sun Ovens, 200 cardboard solar cookers and 2,000 Water Pasteurization Indicators were shipped. The majority of the Sun Ovens will be distributed to families living in a tent city which has sprung up at a garbage dump in Port au Prince. Additional shipments are planned. (Click to help with donations to Sun Ovens.)
An E.R. nurse is returning to US relishing her unexpected connection with a 5-year-old boy.
She cared for him in the days following his rescue from the rubble, after being buried in his home for 9 days. She was the only one who could get him to smile in the weeks following the death of his parents in the earthquake.
New York state embarked on its largest green energy effort to date with a program that quintuples the amount of solar power used, the governor said.
Democratic Gov. David Paterson announced a plan to install up to 100 megawatts of photovoltaic systems across the state using roof-mounted and ground solar arrays.
Worshipers are borrowing from Eastern religions and New Thought philosophies in an effort to find more meaning in their lives. Angela Bowman is a good example attending Catholic mass every Sunday but also meditating several times each day and practicing yoga every other week.
Ms. Bowman’s attitude tracks with those in a PEW study released last month, which found that large numbers of America’s faithful do not neatly conform to the expectations or beliefs of their prescribed religions, but instead freely borrow principles of Eastern religions or endorse common supernatural beliefs.
President Obama announced the dedication yesterday of $8 billion in federal stimulus investments to jump-start American high-speed rail and improve existing rail lines in 31 states. The big-ticket items include new high-speed rail programs in Florida — between Tampa and Orlando, and California — connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Florida will receive $1.25 billion for development of trains running up to 168 miles per hour, and California will get $2.25 billion to link Los Angeles to San Francisco with points in between via trains running up to 220 miles per hour.
In a “dramatic” breakthrough that has positive implications for Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, researchers have transformed ordinary mouse skin cells directly into functioning nerve cells, bypassing the need for stem cells or even stemlike cells and greatly speeding up the field of regenerative medicine.
As the lid of his coffin was about to be sealed, Josef Guzy’s grieving widow made one last request for her late husband’s necklace.
The 76-year-old Polish beekeeper had collapsed earlier in the day and been pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.
When the undertaker reached into the coffin for the last time, he thought that he detected a faint pulse. On closer inspection, Mr Guzy was still breathing.
Families can earn £900 a year by installing solar panels on their roofs as part of a new Government scheme to pay people to generate their own electricity. 
