The only men are the ones standing guard outside: welcome to the first bank reserved exclusively for women. In the holy town of Najaf, the financial instution provides a female-only staff for a female-only clientele.
Watch video from AFP…
Bank Run by Women for Women in Iraq (Video)
Former Nun Unites All Religions with a Charter for Compassion
In 2008, Karen Armstrong, author of many books on world religions, had a dream. That dream was to bring together all of the world’s leaders and followers by way of the one belief that fits all. That belief is the Golden Rule—Do Unto Others As You Wish Them To Do Unto You. She saw her opportunity to make her dream come true by giving a talk at a conference sponsored by TED, an organization which annually awards three exceptional individuals each $100,000 to help support their “One Wish to Change the World.”
In the heart of her talk Karen said, “I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect.”
5 Good Things Going On In Afghanistan (And How You Can Get Involved)
Little by little, individuals and organizations are creating glimmers of hope across a country steeped in war, promising that Afghanistan will once again flourish someday. Here are five things happening in Afghanistan that are helping its citizens get back on their feet, and what you can do to support those efforts:
— “Skateistan” creates skater boys (and girls)
— Farmers find sustainable crops in Global Partnership for Afghanistan
— Women Speaking Their Minds with the Afghan Women’s Writing Project
— UN is promoting Afghanistan For tourists
— Schools spring up in the middle of nowhere, thanks to Pennies for Peace
Read the details at The Huffington Post.
Witness: Strangers United in a Euphoric Moment
Douglas Hamilton, a senior correspondent in East Berlin, writes 20 later that as the Berlin Wall was opened to the West, “It was impossible to resist the euphoria and carry on coolly as the objective reporter. The initial sense of utter disbelief, followed by the realization of hope suddenly triumphant, was too powerful. Everyone was swept along.”
It became one of those unique moments of what I can only call mutual human recognition, when complete strangers could embrace each other in the delirious crowds.
Charter Puts a New Face on the Golden Rule
At the Vancouver Peace Summit in September, some of the world’s most well-known peace-makers, including Nobel Prize winners, devised a new Charter of Compassion inviting people everywhere to rediscover the Golden Rule.
The Charter was composed by leading thinkers from many different faiths. It is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the centre of religious, moral and political life. Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the heart of all religious and ethical systems.
Why is this so important?
The News Conference that Toppled the Wall
A correspondent who worked in Berlin, describes the East German government news conference that shocked reporters and unexpectedly led to the opening of the Berlin Wall.
“It’s not often that a historic announcement comes, as an afterthought, almost by accident, at the end of an otherwise stultifying tedious press conference. But that’s how the Communist East German government told an incredulous world that the Berlin Wall, that most potent symbol of the Cold War, would be thrown open after three decades.”
I’ll never forget the chill that ran down my spine when I walked through the Brandenburg Gate…
(Read the emotional eye-witness remembrance in Reuters)
First Lady Honors After-School Arts Projects That Inspire Youth
The Keshet Dance Company uses dance to teach literacy, math and conflict-resolution skills to 250 incarcerated youths at the New Mexico state juvenile detention center.
The Harmony Project in Los Angeles provides intensive, year-round music instruction, choir and orchestra programs, to inner-city children from low-income families.
These are just two of the 19 after-school programs to which first lady Michelle Obama presented a 2009 “Coming Up Taller Award” in a White House ceremony November 4. The award, which honors arts and humanities programs for underserved children, comes with a $10,000 prize for each recipient.
“Each of your programs is using achievement in the arts as a bridge to achievement in life,” said Mrs. Obama, the honorary chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, which sponsors the Coming Up Taller awards in partnership with three federal agencies.
Military Hails 2 Heroes in Fort Hood Rampage
The top commander at Fort Hood is crediting a civilian police officer for stopping the shooting rampage that killed 13 people at the Texas post. Lt. Gen. Bob Cone also hailed a young Army nutritionist who helped wounded victims.
Both women heroically intervened despite being shot.
The commander told NBC’s TODAY show that the nutritionist put a tourniquet on a wounded soldier and carried him out to medical care. Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley responded within three minutes of the gunfire starting. She shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself.
Photo: Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley from her Twitter page.
Dying in her Sleep: Just What She Always Wanted
Sometimes, just when you need it most, you come across a story you couldn’t make up if you tried.
My Mother Yvonne was a master positive thinker, a woman of faith, and could have written circles around The Secret. She prayed fervently, visually, with feeling and energy, daily, and always for positive change. She read inspirational stories every day. She also prayed that she would die in her sleep. Contrary to being a negative thing, dying in one’s sleep, in old age, sure beats all the other painful options! My Mother gave this wish of hers a daily hopeful focus, a basic law of attraction strategy.
Dying in her Sleep: Just What She Always Wanted
Sometimes, just when you need it most, you come across a story you couldn’t make up if you tried.
My Mother Yvonne was a master positive thinker, a woman of faith, and could have written circles around The Secret. She prayed fervently, visually, with feeling and energy, daily, and always for positive change. She read inspirational stories every day. She also prayed that she would die in her sleep. Contrary to being a negative thing, dying in one’s sleep, in old age, sure beats all the other painful options! My Mother gave this wish of hers a daily hopeful focus, a basic law of attraction strategy.
Extinct Oysters Return to Scotland
Declared extinct in 1957, wild oysters have been found in the Firth of Forth once again. University scientists who made the discovery said it was hugely significant and could lead to future commercial production.
Forth oysters, once regarded as among the best in Britain, were wiped out through over-fishing.
Thanks to Mrs. L. Withers who sent the link and said, ” it is sooo rare to see good news in UK papers these days.”
Girardi Helps Driver Hours After Series Win (w/ Video)
Just because someone has just won the World Series, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t run across three traffic lanes to help someone who has just crashed their car.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi capped his victorious night by helping a young woman who had just hit a wall on a suburban New York parkway.
Watch an AP video below, or read the story at Chicago Tribune…
Novice Finds Million Pound Gold Treasure
A novice metal-detecting enthusiast said he was “stunned” to unearth a £1 million Iron Age treasure hoard in Scotland during his first outing with the machine.
Here’s the video…
John Lennon Sons and Yoko Re-release ‘Give Peace a Chance’ to Benefit UN Peace Efforts
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono recording the anti-war anthem Give Peace a Chance with the Plastic Ono Band, the United Nations announced Tuesday that the proceeds from a new release of the song will raise funds for peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict.
Yoko Ono – the former Beatle’s wife and artistic collaborator – along with his sons, Sean and Julian Lennon have partnered with music industry giants, EMI and Sony, to give the net profits from the sale of the commemorative single to the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
The special anniversary edition digital single will be available to download from iTunes through the end of the year.
Good News: Major Indicators This Week Confirm Economic Recovery
In the last week, several economic indicators and corporate profit reports provided good news for the US and UK as further evidence that the recession is over — at least on paper.
- The U.S. manufacturing sector grew in October for the third consecutive month and at a faster rate than expected, according to an industry report released on Monday. The October reading was the highest since April 2006, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
- The ISM report also said its employment index jumped for the manufacturing industry to 53.1 in October, its strongest showing since April 2006. The employment index has not been above the 50 mark since July 2008, when it was at 51. (Reuters)
- General Motors Co. reported its first monthly sales increase in nearly two years on Tuesday; Ford also racked up big gains in October, without help from incentives or the Cash for Clunkers program, providing further evidence that the U.S. economy appears to be on the mend. (Detroit News) — Thanks to Brian Williams for sending the link!
- U.S. factory goods orders rose in September more than expected, with orders climbing 0.9%, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, the fifth increase in six months. Durable goods climbed more than first thought, up 1.4%. Durables are expensive goods made to last at least three years, such as refrigerators. (WS Journal)
- U.K. manufacturing output rose at its fastest pace for seven years on a month-to-month basis in September, beating market expectations. (WS Journal)
- A report on pending sales of existing homes showed the number of contracts to buy previously owned homes in the U.S. rose in September for an eighth straight month, up 6.1 percent after a 6.4 percent gain in August, the National Association of Realtors said on Monday. (Bloomberg)
- As featured last week on GNN, the US gross domestic product has jumped by an annualized rate of 3.5 percent over the past three months, which means the economy is expanding at a healthy rate once again.
The country is still losing jobs, but at a slower rate for each of the last seven months. (It is expected that job growth will lag well behind economic growth.)
Good News: Major Indicators This Week Confirm Economic Recovery
In the last week, several economic indicators and corporate profit reports provided good news for the US and UK as further evidence that the recession is over — at least on paper.
- The U.S. manufacturing sector grew in October for the third consecutive month and at a faster rate than expected, according to an industry report released on Monday. The October reading was the highest since April 2006, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
- The ISM report also said its employment index jumped for the manufacturing industry to 53.1 in October, its strongest showing since April 2006. The employment index has not been above the 50 mark since July 2008, when it was at 51. (Reuters)
- General Motors Co. reported its first monthly sales increase in nearly two years on Tuesday; Ford also racked up big gains in October, without help from incentives or the Cash for Clunkers program, providing further evidence that the U.S. economy appears to be on the mend. (Detroit News) — Thanks to Brian Williams for sending the link!
- U.S. factory goods orders rose in September more than expected, with orders climbing 0.9%, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, the fifth increase in six months. Durable goods climbed more than first thought, up 1.4%. Durables are expensive goods made to last at least three years, such as refrigerators. (WS Journal)
- U.K. manufacturing output rose at its fastest pace for seven years on a month-to-month basis in September, beating market expectations. (WS Journal)
- A report on pending sales of existing homes showed the number of contracts to buy previously owned homes in the U.S. rose in September for an eighth straight month, up 6.1 percent after a 6.4 percent gain in August, the National Association of Realtors said on Monday. (Bloomberg)
- As featured last week on GNN, the US gross domestic product has jumped by an annualized rate of 3.5 percent over the past three months, which means the economy is expanding at a healthy rate once again.
The country is still losing jobs, but at a slower rate for each of the last seven months. (It is expected that job growth will lag well behind economic growth.)
16-Year-old Loses Legs, But Finds a Cause; Named a CNN Hero
Jordan Thomas was an active 16-year old athlete when he lost his legs in a boating accident while on vacation. He was rushed to the hospital where he met other amputees who weren’t as fortunate as he.
“I just remember seeing so many kids who didn’t have parents, didn’t have health care,” he told CNN. “I just knew that the future was grim for them.”
The top-of-the-line prosthetics Thomas was fitted with – the ones that helped him return to the golf links – cost about $24,000. He learned that many insurance plans cover only about $5,000.
That’s especially tough on child amputees, who will outgrow several limbs before adulthood.
He asked his family to give a donation to help others, but ultimately, with their support, the teenager launched a fundraising foundation that has provided life-changing prosthetics costing more than $400,000 to children in need.
(WATCH the video below or READ the full report at CNN Heroes)
Sesame Street Celebrates 40 Years (w/ Video)
Featuring colorful Muppet characters created by Jim Henson, Sesame Street celebrates its 40 anniversary as a pioneer of educational television. Its premiere on November 10, 1969 combined education with entertainment culminating in the longest running children’s program on US television.
The show is produced by the non-profit Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children’s Television Workshop, founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Ralph Rogers.
Up until the late 1960s, the use of television as an educational tool in the US was “unproven” and “a revolutionary concept”. In 1966, the Carnegie Institute hired Joan to study how the media could be used to help young children, especially those from low-income families, learn and prepare for school.
She proposed using television’s “most engaging traits”, including quality film and animation, to reach the largest audience possible and affect them for many years after they stopped watching it.
As a result of the initial proposal, an $8 million grant was awarded to establish, in collaboration with Carnegie Institute, the Children’s Television Workshop and create a new children’s television program. In 1968, millions more were invested by the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the US federal government.
Caroll Spinney, the man behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, talks about four decades of Sesame Street….
Watch the video below…
Prisoners Come to Guard’s Rescue (Video)
A jail guard fell victim to an attack by one inmate, and would have died had he not been rescued by several prisoners who came to his aid at the Orient Road Jail in Tampa, Florida.
Watch the surveillance video below:
United States Using Less Water than 30 Years Ago
Water use per person in the U.S. is down nearly 30 percent from consumption levels thirty years ago — the remarkable result of more efficient use.
Numbers on total water use released last week by the U.S Geological Survey, which every five years examines water use of all kinds, residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial, also show that the nation used slightly less water in 2005 than it did in 2000.
“This is stunning news,” says Dr. Peter Gleick, President of the Pacific Institute, in a San Francisco Chronicle column on Thursday:
“We are growing more food with less water, and irrigation demand is down. We are producing more goods and services with less water, and industrial demand is down. It used to take 200 tons of water to make a ton of steel. Now steel plants in the U.S. use less than 20 tons of water to make a ton of steel — a 90% reduction.”
Photo courtesy of Sun Star