Once a molten blend of steelworks and smog, Pittsburgh is newly scrubbed and promising a glimpse of a clean, green post-industrial future as the leaders of the world’s 20 most powerful economies converge here Thursday for the G20 Summit.
How Pittsburgh Got its Green Back
We Taught Our Car to Run on Used Fryer Oil
Learn how a young couple converted their car to run on old fryer oil from local restaurants. They save money, almost never fill up at the gas station anymore, and leave the environment cleaner.
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Coldplay Donates £1 Million to Children’s Charity
Chris Martin, 32, and his British bandmates have donated £1million to Kids Company, which helps underprivileged children who lack adult support.
They also plan to give music lessons.
Coldplay in 2008, by Karl Axon- GNU license
Adidas and Puma Bury the Hatchet for Peace Day
More than 60 years after a feud between brothers Adi and Rudolf Dassler resulted in the creation of the Adidas and Puma sportswear rivalry, the two companies are coming together today to celebrate International Peace Day.
Following an historic handshake between the chief executives, employees from both companies will engage in a football match, playing on mixed teams for the cause of peace.
The two firms also brought the message of peace into football stadiums during the half times of two German premier league games on Saturday.
Watch the video below, and read the story in Reuters…
No Jewish-Muslim Conflict in Synagogue That Doubles as a Mosque
Synagogue members suggested they rent their building to a Muslim congregation when they heard it was looking for a place to host overflowing crowds.
On Fridays now in the suburban building in Reston, Virginia, there are Jewish prayers in Hebrew for the evening, and a Muslim call to prayer in Arabic for the afternoon. They are “breaking the stereotypes” of Muslim-Jewish conflict.
(READ the AP story at NBC News)
Americans’ Net Worth Grows by $2 Trillion in Second Quarter
American household wealth increased this spring for the first time in nearly two years as rescue efforts to turn back the recession boosted stock portfolios and home values.
The Federal Reserve says household net worth grew by $2 trillion to $53.1 trillion in the April-to-June quarter.
(Read more in AP article at Cleveland.com)
Who Won the Emmys Last Night? (Video)
At the Emmy Awards the night’s biggest winners, like 30 Rock and Mad Men, were recipients of the award last year, but there were also a few surprises as actors and comedians waited to see who won the major awards.
Watch the highlight video from Reuters: (Also, see the fashions from the red carpet in second video…)
Texas Urban Schools Win $1 Million Education Prize for Third Year
The Aldine Independent School District outside Houston has won the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the largest education award in the country, and will receive $1 million in college scholarships for graduating seniors, four out of five of whom come from low-income families.
Announced last week, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation prize honors the most consistent student achievement gains nationally in urban American school systems where once there were wide gaps in performance among minority and economically disadvantaged groups.
Aldine will receive $1 million in college scholarships for seniors graduating next spring, while the four other finalists — Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s Broward County Public Schools; Atlanta’s Gwinnett County Public Schools; Long Beach Unified School District in California; and Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas — will each receive $250,000.
Mood Altering Foods Give a Lift
They are non-addictive, mood-altering chemicals that are legal, affordable and easily obtainable in your neighbourhood – at any grocery store.
They’re not pills, powders or capsules. They come in the form of foods like bananas, cantaloupe, kale and whole wheat bread.
The 50 Best Things to Eat in the World, and Where to Eat Them
From cake, steak and tapas, to oysters, chicken and burgers, a British entertainment reporter roamed the world to find the 50 best things to eat and the best places to eat them in…
Check out Killian Fox’s list in the Guardian!
FCC To Propose Net Neutrality Rules
The head of the FCC plans to propose new rules that would prohibit Internet service providers from interfering with the free flow of information and certain applications over their networks, according to reports published Saturday.
‘Net neutrality’ would bar Internet service providers such as Verizon, Comcast or AT&T, from slowing or blocking certain services or content.
Doves Take to the Sky as UN Supports Peace in Afghanistan
The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan today joined colleagues in releasing 21 doves ahead of the International Day of Peace for a country which has witnessed intensifying conflict over the past year.
“We need peace now. We need to bring this terrible conflict to an end,” said Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. (Photo, right by Fardin Waezi-UNAMA)
The doves were released from the Kabul headquarters of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan by Mr. Eide and representatives from 21 UN agencies working in the country.
The Special Representative called for an immediate end to the conflict, adding that the burden of bringing the conflict to a halt falls first of all on the Afghans themselves.
Woman Shoots 2 Holes-in-one — in Same Round
A 64-year-old retiree from northern England has shot two holes-in-one but on the same round of golf.
“A hole in one in itself is usually pretty amazing,” Day said in Friday’s edition of The Journal, a newspaper in northeast England. “But I couldn’t believe it when I did the same thing 10 holes further on.”
UN Applauds Iran for Contribution to Maritime Pirate Patrols
The head of the United Nations maritime agency has praised Iran for its support of international efforts in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos yesterday wrapped up a four-day visit to Iran and Syria where he met with Government ministers to discuss challenges surrounding piracy, shortages in the number of seafarers and climate change.
In a meeting with high-level ministers in Iran, Mr. Mitropoulos applauded the government for dispatching naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden to prevent and suppress piracy in the region.
Gas-Free, Emissions-Free Chevy Vehicles Reach One Million Test Miles
The largest real-world test of fuel cell cars celebrates one million miles driven over the last two years with a fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles test-driven by everyday people.
Participants in Project Driveway were given the opportunity to drive the gas-free, emissions-free Chevrolet Equinox wherever they wanted. Shell Oil teamed up to provide the hydrogen filling stations for the mid-sized SUVs. To celebrate the millionth mile, current and former drivers came together to share their experience and talk about the future of hydrogen.
In exchange for the two months of free gas and insurance, the drivers in California, New York City and Washington, D.C. provided feedback to engineers. Customer comments are helping the automaker improve the fuel cell experience and in some cases modify the vehicle, bringing it one step closer to reality. Several automakers have said that they will have hydrogen-powered vehicles ready for market by 2015. It is considered the cleanest, greenest of vehicle technologies, yet with the most hurdles to overcome.
The video below may take a moment to load…
Ford Gets $5.9 Billion Loan to Retool Plants for Energy Efficient Cars
The Department of Energy announced yesterday they finalized a loan of $5.9 billion for Ford Motor Company to transform factories across Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio to produce more fuel efficient models.
The loan is part of the Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which supports the development of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies. The loan for Ford Motor Company is the first to be finalized since the program was appropriated by Congress in the fall of 2008.
This announcement builds on steps taken by the Obama Administration earlier this week to require an average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon from U.S. automakers by the year 2016. That standard will reduce oil consumption by an estimated 1.8 billion barrels, prevent greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 950 million metric tons, and save the average car buyer more than $3,000 in fuel costs. The funding announced today will help Ford meet those targets.
$1 Million to Four Changemakers From Coca Cola
A winner and three finalists from the Changemakers/Global Water Challenge are sharing a $1 million gift from the Coca Cola Foundation to bring clean water and sanitation to the far corners of the Earth.
“We believe (it) will start a ripple effect in their communities and create scalable, replicable and sustainable models that can be applied around the world,” said Paul Faeth, President of Global Water Challenge.
More than a billion people worldwide lack a consistent supply of clean water and 2.6 billion do not have access to a safe toilet. But solutions abound…
Massachusetts Health Care Honored as Government Success
As the Obama administration and Congress debate the details of a national health care plan, the state that paved the way for universal coverage was honored in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 14. The Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority — a key component of Massachusetts’ landmark universal health care program — was among six government initiatives to receive the 2009 Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University.
“The Commonwealth Connector has been the capstone of health reform in Massachusetts. It is the arch between public and private insurance and it was politically instrumental in bridging liberal and conservative policy goals,” said Urban Institute health care expert Randall Bovbjerg, who analyzed the program for Harvard.
The awards, which highlight successful programs with the hope of replicating them elsewhere, are given by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Idaho, Chicago, Milwaukee, Wis., Kingsport, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., also took prizes, which included a $100,000 grant each to cover the costs of spreading the word about their innovations. Their programs range from a mental health system for youth in Milwaukee to a cost-effective satellite mapping program that measures water evaporation in Idaho. This year’s winners were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants.
Exercise Can Extend Survival Even in Oldest of Old
Even in the “oldest old,” a little physical activity goes a long way, extending life by at least a few years for people in their mid- to late 80s, Israeli researchers found. The three-year survival rate was about three times higher for active 85-year-olds compared with those who were inactive.
Indeed, it seems that it is never too late to start,” the researchers wrote in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine, which published the study.
(Continue reading in HealthZone)
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
Coco Chanel: The Orphan Who Transformed Fashion
She dared to be different. Before Chanel, no one casually wore a dress in black. In the new film, Coco Before Chanel, we see “a penniless orphan transform herself into a fabulous designer who transformed ladies’ fashion.”
In the late 1800’s, living on her own and earning money as a seamstress during the day, Chanel one day found herself surrounded by beauties topped with hats like “cakes on their heads.” Disgusted with women’s fashion, she was “driven to design a simpler silhouette,” even cutting her boyfriend’s clothing down to fit her slim figure.
“Other women noticed Chanel’s chic, beautiful style and began to buy her clean-cut, simple clothes.”
(Read more about Coco w/ photos, or hear review, at NPR)
The French film (with subtitles) opens next Friday in the U.S. in a limited release. See a trailer here.