Last month a group of unlikely lobbyists came to Washington, DC, survivors of shark attacks — many with missing limbs and legs — to help save the very predators which attacked them, but are in danger of being hunted to extinction.
They are attempting to perusade US legislators – starting in the Senate – to back a tough new US law to clamp down on the widespread killing of shark, which has steadily risen in response to Asia’s insatiable appetite for shark fin soup.
Overcoming challenge is the mantra of young Palestinian musicians rehearsing and performing in the only Palestinian orchestra in the territories. They’ve teamed up with a Lebanese composer in preparation for their latest concert, an ode to peace and hope for a future homeland.
The AFP video below may take a moment to load, or watch it on ClipSyndicate…
The latest Electric Power Monthly Report released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows net U.S. electrical generation from renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro, and wind) reached an all-time high in May of 2009, comprising 13% of the total electrical generation for the month.
Of the 13% from renewable for May of ’09, 9.4% came from conventional hydropower and 3.6% from non-hydro renewables. From that 3.6% of non-hydro, 1.8% came from wind, 1.3% from biomass, 0.4% from geothermal, and 0.3% from solar. Compared to May of 2008 wind net generation increased by 12.5% (with increases in the state of Iowa representing 52.2% of the national rise).
(Continue reading in GlobalWarmingIsReal.com)
Global recognition including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom has not kept Muhammad Yunus from his main goal – helping millions of people out of poverty with the help of small loan-interest loans.
The Nobel Laureate is on a mission to make the financial system accessible to every human being on the planet, whether they reside in a village in his native Bangladesh, or in New York City, where his banking organization, the Grameen Bank, has recently expanded, issuing micro-loans to 1000 low-income borrowers.
Hours before receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House last week (photo, above), Yunus told reporters in Washington that credit should be a human right available to anyone who needs it.
College football teams are planning to start the season off on a courteous note.
As part of a sportsmanship initiative, the American Football Coaches Association and NCAA are encouraging schools to arrange teamwide handshakes on the field before kickoff.
Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge unite in Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary ‘It Might Get Loud’. Filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, audiences get up close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit, a studio musician and painter from London and a seventeen-year-old Dublin schoolboy, each used the electric guitar to develop their unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar.
It Might Get Loud opened Friday in New York and California, and opens in coming weeks across the U.S. and the world.
Japan’s Prime Minister expressed deep regret over the suffering his country inflicted on Asian countries during World War II in a solemn ceremony Saturday. The Prime Minister vowed that Japan would never repeat the tragedy. Emperor Akihito said he hoped Japan would never again wage a war
(Read the AP account at WTOP News)
Hundreds of newly minted physicians can benefit from a California program that offers them help paying off their student loans in exchange for three years of work in poor neighborhoods.
“At the end of my residency in 2008, my worry was about the kind of work I’d have to find to be able to pay off that $150,000 debt,” said Dr. Jorge Rubal. “For me this grant is a blessing, because it gives me the chance to work with my community where they most need doctors who speak Spanish.”
Wars are less deadly than they’ve been for 12,000 years. Things could get even better. A sign at the entrance to the West Point War Museum states, “Unquestionably, war-making is an aspect of human nature which will continue as nations attempt to impose their will upon each other.” Actually, this assertion is quite questionable.
A recent decline in war casualties—especially compared to historical and even prehistorical rates—has some scholars wondering whether the era of international war may be ending.
It was 40 years ago that young hippies watched the sun come up at the Woodstock music festival, an event that spread the message of love and peace, and defined the 1960s.
A new museum opened last year at the site to celebrate the memory of the old dairy farmer in Bethel, NY, Max Yasgur, who welcomed the concert-goers to his meadow, more than a million strong.
These videos help paint the picture of an anniversary mood forty years later. . .
It is certainly no secret (unless you’ve been relaxing for decades with no media access) that stress is a killer. Our bodies suffer chemical changes that are long lasting and lead to high blood pressure, a compromised immune system and other very detrimental health issues.
Read this article from Examiner.com about how important it is to reduce your stress and RELAX!!
The Historic Park Inn Hotel, along with City National Bank in Mason City, Iowa, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, will stand together forever, thanks to a group that has claimed victory in its efforts to begin restoration of the collapsing properties.
The Park Inn Hotel was the last of six Wright designed hotels left in the world, after the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo was demolished in 1968. Once the $18 million restoration is complete and the building reopens to the public in early 2011, Wright enthusiasts will be able to stay overnight in any of the functional hotel’s 20 suites. The group, Wright on the Park, Inc., named because of the location across from central park, plans a complete renovation of the striking design, including restoration of the distinctive brick and terra-cotta façade as well as the art glass windows.
Read a feature story w/photo from the AP, at USA Today.
Photo from wrightonthepark.org
Recent studies indicate that happiness and emotional well-being improve over time because many older adults learn to limit negative influences.
Researchers who spoke at the recently concluded annual convention of the American Psychological Association said that mental health generally improves with age. Given that the world population of people over 65 is expected to nearly triple by 2050, according to U.S. officials, this should come as good news.
(Continue reading in US News and World Report)
Email this site to a friend to help them to “limit negative influences”.
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
Musician and inventor Les Paul, creator of the solid-body electric guitar and a giant in the pantheon of rock and roll, died yesterday at the age of 94. Musicians of all generations praise Les Paul, whose name and mark of innovation on a Gibson guitar will remain a coveted American icon.
He invented multi-track recording, overdubbing, and a range of guitar effects, like reverb, yet it was his innovative guitar playing style, included trills, chording sequences, and fretting techniques that also set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. “I only invented things because I couldn’t find them in a store.”
He used to say he could make anyone in the audience cry using only a few notes, and then he’d begin playing a slow, halting, lilting version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Watch this short documentary by Gibson Guitars honoring the man from Waukesha, Wisconsin (pronounced Wah-ke-shaw) on his 90th birthday. (If you only have time for 60 seconds play the great Coors commercial at the bottom of the page, where senior citizen Les Paul shows the young buck how it’s done.) Photo, above, from the Gibson guitars documentary.
Melissa Brandts and her husband were exploring in the Banff National Park in Canada when they stopped to take a scenic photo of themselves using the timer on their camera.
They had their camera set up on some rocks when a curious little ground squirrel appeared, intrigued by the noise from the focusing mechanism centered himself right in the picture frame.
Melissa called it a once in a lifetime moment, “We were laughing about this little guy for days!!”
Read the full story at CBC…
Melissa Brandts and her husband were exploring in the Banff National Park in Canada when they stopped to take a scenic photo of themselves using the timer on their camera.
They had their camera set up on some rocks when a curious little ground squirrel appeared, intrigued by the noise from the focusing mechanism centered himself right in the picture frame.
Melissa called it a once in a lifetime moment, “We were laughing about this little guy for days!!”
(From National Geographic)
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Sesame Street is trying to foster a culture of understanding worldwide using Muppets to teach nonviolence in a Mideast version of the TV show called “Shara’a Simsim.” Sesame Workshop calls this effort “Muppet diplomacy.”
With some funding from the U.S. State Department and guidance from the U.S. producers, a team developed the Sesame program into something uniquely Palestinian, complete with live-action segments filmed in the West Bank and Gaza, a set that looks like a typical Palestinian street and Muppets named Haneen and Karim.
(Part of Christiane Amanpour’s Generation Islam — special reporting about Muslim youth in the Middle East)
Continue reading at CNN.com or watch the video below…
With some help from the New York Daily News, a little boy in desperate need of a lifesaving operation will get the help he needs. Readers opened their wallets – and their hearts – to help raise more than $30,000 for the operation since The News highlighted the family’s plight on June 12.
(Read the story w/ photo in the Daily News)
File photo courtesy of Sun Star
Raoul Boulakia handles a lot of legal-aid cases but he was never attracted to the big bucks. “I wanted to do something which had a moral purpose, I always felt that.”
An idealist, he goes the extra mile for clients. (He took up Spanish in law school so he could help Chilean refugees). He finds it tough to say no to people who need help, and feels awful when they lose.
President Barack Obama recognized the accomplishments of actors, activists, scientists and humanitarians by awarding each one a Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House East Room ceremony yesterday.
Mr. Obama called the 16 recipients “some of the finest citizens in the world”. Hailing from very diverse backgrounds – from the tennis court to the Supreme Court – all have been agents of change in their communities and around the world: Nancy Goodman Brinker; Pedro José Greer, Jr.; Stephen Hawking; Jack Kemp; Sen. Edward Kennedy; Billie Jean King; Rev. Joseph Lowery; Chief Joe Medicine Crow; Harvey Milk; Sandra Day O’Connor; Sidney Poitier; Chita Rivera; Mary Robinson; Janet Davison Rowley; Desmond Tutu; and Muhammad Yunus
Read more about the award winners in Good News Network, or watch video report below.
Watch the entire 40 minute ceremony at the White House blog.
