Solar Shanghai Pavilion Made From Used CD Cases

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Sep 4, 2009

The most fascinating structure designed for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion which uses recycled materials, particularly thousands of plastic tubes made from used CD cases that glow with light.

The impressive exterior structure is composed of transparent plastic tubes formed into a grid-like matrix. Recycled from used CD cases, the polycarbonate tubes will be able to be recycled again at the end of the building’s life. Multi-colored LED lights will be built into the exterior structure and be computer controlled to change the appearance of the exterior on a whim or based on a computer program.

(Continue reading at Inhabitat.com)

Foldable Electric Bike Great for Commuting

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Good News Network

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Sep 4, 2009

Are you in the market for a foldable, electric bike? The Yike Bike’s makers describe it as a clean and efficient electric bike that can be charged by electricity, great for commuters using public transport because it can easily be folded.

Watch the video below, or at ClipSyndicate…

Stroke Cures Man’s Failing Sight

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Andrew Norris

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Sep 4, 2009

A grandfather has described how a massive stroke “miraculously” cured his failing sight.

Malcolm Darby, 70, of Oakham, Rutland, had worn glasses since measles damaged his sight at the age of two.

But after waking from surgery to remove a blood clot following a stroke last year, he said he found he had near-perfect vision.

(Continue reading at BBC)

Photo courtesy of Sun Star

Lowest Natural Gas Prices in 7 yrs Good News for Consumers

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Good News Network

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Sep 4, 2009

gas flame photo by michael connors via morguefile

Natural gas prices and retail electric rates are moving in tandem — steadily downward.

Thanks to plunging natural gas prices, many Texans can secure electric rates that are 25 to 40 percent lower than what they were paying last summer. Rates had soared as a result of spiraling prices for natural gas, which is burned to generate much of Texas’ electricity, but now have sunk to their lowest price in more than seven years in futures trading.

This should lower gas prices around the country.

(Continue reading in the Star-Telegram)

Photo by Michael Connors: morguefile.com

Ontario Shuts 4 Coal-Fired Power Stations

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Michelle B

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Sep 4, 2009

Ontario is shutting down four coal units by 2010 in a move the World Wildlife Fund says will make the province a leader in fighting climate change.

The province promises to eliminate coal-fired generation by the end of 2014, with its goal to be one of the first jurisdictions in the world to eliminate coal-fired electricity generation.

(Continue reading in Toronto Star)

Good News: Swine Flu Vaccine Supplies Increase

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Good News Network

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Sep 4, 2009

Hopeful news in the battle against the H1N1 swine flu emerged Thursday as European and Chinese researchers said they have developed swine flu vaccines that work with one dose, rather than two, potentially increasing the supply available for distribution.

Scientists previously thought two doses would be necessary, which could have contributed to a vaccine shortage.

The completion of trials in China has shown their vaccine to be very safe, said the regulatory agency that approved the vaccine.

(Continue reading in Health Day)

Full-Size House Being Built From Lego Blocks

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Good News Network

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Sep 3, 2009

BBC host James May is building the world’s first house made entirely from Lego blocks. So far, the project has used more than two million Lego pieces.

Hundreds of people gathered over the last month to help make larger bricks out of the tiny legos which will make up the structure.

The structure is looking bigger and more colourful than anyone could have imagined. It even has a working lego toilet.

Read the story and see photos of the nearly completed house at Daily Mail.

(Photo by Andy Newbold, James May, center, with lego builders)

An Idea for Helping Local Elementary Schools

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The Sequoia project

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Sep 3, 2009

Schools are being forced to slash budgets, lay off teachers, and yet are expected to do more to educate our children. What could we do about it? What can one family possibly do to change any of it?

Today we made a painting and donated it to a local public elementary school. We decided, as a family, to work on the project for the library. I helped draw the design , my wife Sandi and our 7-year old granddaughter CC then put their talents to work. The finished work took about 10 hours. It was done on the best watercolor paper we could find.

Continue

Good News is Step Forward for Iranian Women

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Good News Network

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Sep 3, 2009

Iranian MPs have approved the first woman minister in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic.

She was one of 18 nominations for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s new cabinet to be approved. Two other women were among three rejected nominees.

Also, US President Barack Obama has given Iran until later in September to agree to new talks on its nuclear programme, or face tougher sanctions.

Tehran has said it is ready to present a new package of proposals to the international community, although the details have not been published.

(Continue reading at BBC)

Four-Year-Old Girl Helps Build Water Well for Needy

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Good News Network

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Sep 2, 2009

Four-year-old Heather Bailey saw an interview with a grandma and her grandchildren about their difficulties obtaining clean water and decided she wanted to help.

She told her mother she wanted to sponsor a well and her parents promised they would match any money Heather wanted to give.

Initially, the four-year-old thought $25 was enough to build a well. But when she learned it would cost more than $1,000, she said she wanted to build the whole well and began fundraised with a lemonade stand and selling cupcakes and her own artwork.

(Continue reading in the Christian Post)

Thanks to John Sauer, with Water Advocates, for submitting the link!

Home Birth With Midwife As Safe As Hospital Birth: Study

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Good News Network

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Sep 2, 2009

Having your baby at home with a registered midwife is just as safe as a conventional hospital birth, a new study says.

In fact, planned home births of this kind may have a lower rate of complications, according to the study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Canadian Medical Association Journal.

(Continue reading Health Day News article)

Thanks to Pam Guthrie for submitting the link!

WWII Escapees Retrace Childhood Train Rescue

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Good News Network

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Sep 1, 2009

70 years ago as troops from Nazi Germany marched into Czechoslovakia, the British diplomat Sir Nicholas Winton transported 669 Jewish children aboard eight trains to England rescuing them from almost certain death.

This week some of the people whose lives he saved are embarking on a journey of remembrance between Prague and London, retracing their original route to safety aboard a special steam train to celebrate Sir Nicholas’s 100th birthday.

Known as Winton’s children, “20 individuals aboard the train — along with children and grandchildren of their own — owe their existence to the man who, at age 100, will once again stand on the platform at Liverpool Street to welcome them.” (Read more w/ video and photos at BBC News)

One of the children Winton saved is the veteran CBC News Anchor Joe Schlesinger, with whom I worked in my own TV news career in Washington, DC. Joe tells his story (similar to so many of the other 669 who never saw their parents agina) as he travels with Winton back to Czechoslovakia for a special audience with Queen Elizabeth. Watch his report on YouTube.

North Korea Thaws Image with Series of Goodwill Gestures

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Good News Network

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Sep 1, 2009

In another sign of North Korea striving to thaw its cold war image, regular traffic over the border between North and South Korea will be restored this week to allow the flow of goods from a joint industrial park that had been isolated since December.

After its provocation earlier this year launching nuclear and missile tests, North Korea recently undertook a series of goodwill gestures toward its neighbor on the pennisula, and toward the West.

The AP summarizes: “In August, the Pyongyang government freed two American journalists and a South Korean worker held for months in detention and set a date for the reunion of families separated during the Korean War. They also sent an official delegation to Seoul to mourn the death of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung,” a partner for North Korea’s Kim Jong Il during the 2000 Korean summit.

Also, AP reported yesterday, “The two sides agreed Friday to hold a new round of family reunions in late September. On Saturday, North Korea released four South Korean fishermen seized in late July after their boat strayed into northern waters.”

Prayers, Hymn Helped Man Survive on Ice Floe After Boat Sank

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Gisele Guenard

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Sep 1, 2009

A 66-year-old fisherman who survived two nights in frigid temperatures on a pan of ice off northern Newfoundland said he repeatedly sang a church hymn, while hoping crews would find him.

“That gave me strength,” said Rex Saunders, who was found on Wednesday morning on an ice pan near where his small boat had sunk. “I wore [it] right out,” he said with a chuckle.

(Continue reading w/ photo at CBC)

Photo courtesy of Sun Star

Pending US Home Sales on Record Roll; Manufacturing Up 4%

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Good News Network

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Sep 1, 2009

Lots of good news on the economy this week: Contracts on home sales have risen for the sixth straight month. NPR reports, “The pace is 12% above this time last year. If those sales generate additional spending on furniture, paint, appliances and other home-related goods, then the ripple effects could spread.”

Also this morning, an index of the manufacturing sector’s health rose to 52.9% in August from 48.9% in July. “The year-and-a-half decline in manufacturing output has come to an end, as 11 of 18 manufacturing industries are reporting growth when comparing August to July,” said the survey’s committee.

(Read more at NPR)

U.S. Sees a Profit as Banks Repay Bailout Money

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Good News Network

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Aug 31, 2009

Taxpayers have begun seeing profits from roughly $240 billion in TARP aid that many critics thought might never be seen again.

The profits, collected from eight of the biggest banks that have fully repaid their obligations to the government, come to about $4 billion, or the equivalent of about 15 percent interest annually.

(Continue reading in the New York Times)

Good News for California Steelhead

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Good News Network

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Aug 31, 2009

Beleaguered Southern California Steelhead may not know it, but their future just brightened – considerably. California Trout and the United Water Conservation District have reached an historic agreement that will protect the endangered salmonid by providing vital fish passage so that steelhead can access crucial spawning waters in the Santa Clara watersheds.

CalTrout governors and staff are hopeful that this agreement will lead to Southern California Steelhead recovery throughout its historic range.

(San Diego Fishing Examiner)

Photo from www.FreeOurRivers.com