In Haiti, huge piles of rubble remain virtually untouched. But a surprising sight is tucked away just outside the coastal city of Leogane: Workers are busy constructing two small, wood-frame buildings.
The Canadian military and a U.S.-based aid group are working together to rebuild an orphanage.
It is one of the first signs of rebuilding in an area that was reduced almost entirely to rubble in the Jan. 12 earthquake.
(See photos and read/listen to the story at NPR.org)
Empowering women is critical to improving life in Afghanistan and key to a brighter future there. Last week the Obama administration unveiled a plan to do just that.
The Women’s Action Plan for Afghanistan, outlined by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the London Conference on Afghanistan on January 28, seeks to increase Afghan women’s security, leadership in the public and private sectors, access to judicial institutions, education and health services, and ability to take advantage of economic opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector.
The number of girls being educated in Afghanistan has improved dramatically, with girls making up about 35 percent of the 6.2 million students now enrolled in Afghan schools. Under Taliban rule, fewer than 900,000 boys — and no girls — were enrolled.
The Church of Scientology has sent more than one hundred and fifty of its members to assist in relief efforts in Haiti. NBC went to a hospital site where several of the volunteers were helping doctors, to see what they were doing and what they were saying about their religion.
“As well as providing medical assistance, the volunteers – wearing yellow T-shirts that read: ‘Something CAN be done about it’ – have also helped distribute food and water and remove medical supplies from damaged buildings,” reported the Daily Telegraph.
Watch the video below, or at MSNBC…
New England is primed to ride a tailwind of advancements in wind turbines for both small and large systems, with the help of a few high-profile, fast-growing companies. While Europe is still king when it comes to large-scale turbine deployments (thanks to its wind-friendly feed-in tariffs), a combination of regulatory changes and financial incentives is making this region an attractive market for wind turbines.
(Continuer reading in The Journal of New England Technology)
The U.S. appears to be trending towards being a safer place for children, with researchers reporting a striking 26 percent decrease in the incidence of child abuse and neglect between 1993 and 2006.
The mammoth study, congressionally mandated and completed by the federal government documents an unprecedented and dramatic decrease in incidents of serious child abuse, especially sexual abuse. Experts hailed the findings as proof that crackdowns and public awareness campaigns had made headway.
(Read more in the Associated Press story via NPR)
A 3 year-old girl was watching the news on TV in New Mexico when she heard there were children who lost their limbs. She ran to her bedroom closet to fetch her own prosthetic limb — one that she had outgrown — and told her mom she wanted to give it to a child in Haiti.
A 3 year-old girl was watching the news on TV in New Mexico when she heard there were children who lost their limbs. She ran to her bedroom closet to fetch her own prosthetic limb — one that she had outgrown — and told her mom she wanted to give it to a child in Haiti.
Freddie Mac and a network of non-profit organizations announced a nationwide phone campaign to convince discouraged delinquent borrowers to pursue mortgage workouts that can save their homes and steer clear of foreclosure.
In addition, they will open walk-in help centers offering “holistic” credit counseling in Chicago, Washington, DC, Phoenix, and California. Holistic counseling addresses a wide range of borrower debt and income issues, not just delinquent mortgages. This will allow people to have access to confidential one-on one support from trusted independent, non-profit organizations.
Freddie Mac is also launching a separate Borrower Help Network offering similar counseling over the phone to targeted Freddie Mac borrowers across the nation.
A dog rescued from the Baltic Sea after braving a 75-mile journey on an ice floe has joined the crew of the Polish research ship that saved him, the captain said Friday.
The Sea Fishing Institute which owns the ship sent a bowl and a squeaking toy, and the scientists on board brought dog food. Numerous calls were received from people offering money to feed the dog or wanting to adopt him.
(Continue reading AP story at MSNBC)
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.
(Continue reading in the Daily Telegraph)
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.
“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.”
Read more or listen to the story at Michigan Public Radio.
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.
(Continue reading in the Financial Times)
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.
But Dr Dosa’s doubts eroded after he and his colleagues tallied about 50 correct calls made by Oscar over five years, a process he explains in a book that will be released tomorrow, Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.
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.
(Continue reading at the Sydney Morning Herald)
Thanks to Christiana for sending the link!
RELATED STORY: Cat Senses Final Hours of Elderly Patients (July 2007)
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.
But Dr Dosa’s doubts eroded after he and his colleagues tallied about 50 correct calls made by Oscar over five years, a process he explains in a book that will be released tomorrow, Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.
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.
(Continue reading at the Sydney Morning Herald)
Thanks to Christiana for sending the link!
RELATED STORY: Cat Senses Final Hours of Elderly Patients (July 2007)
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.
Watch the CBS video at CBSNews.com…
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.
