In an era when conventional wisdom holds that independent bookstores are being vanquished by the big, bad book chains, Nancy Traversy has so far been victorious with her children’s book empire.
In 2007, her publishing company and bookstore made Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest-growing businesses. The Barefoot Books website and store sales grew nearly 40 percent in 2008. (Photo, right, employee shows off new books in the colorful Barefoot Books store)
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to charge lithium ion batteries in seconds, instead of hours, that could open the door to smaller, faster-charging batteries for cell phones and other devices.
Lithium ion batteries can store large amounts of energy, but can take hours to recharge. Now, a team of MIT scientists discovered that lithium ions, which carry electricity in the battery, can move much faster if they are aligned with tunnels that can be accessed from the surface of the battery.
Fliers distributed describing the local food pantry’s ‘extreme shortage’ of food amid rising demand, led to 3,000 pounds of food flowing in. The residents of Bell Canyon really came through in support of L.A.’s West Valley Food Pantry, organizing an easy way for neighbors to drop food by their mailboxes.
Auto-dealership franchise AutoNation said Wednesday that it will cover car payments for up to six months for buyers who lose their jobs, similar to a provision pioneered by the automaker Hyundai in its Assurance Plan. Called Payment Protection, the plan began at 33 Florida dealerships. The company is considering offering it nationwide. The plan requires an initial 90-day waiting period.
South African lion tamer and animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson doesn’t fear his animals. He’s developed a close relationship with 38 lions that allows him to swim with them, cuddle and play as one of their own. They call him the lion whisperer.
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Jorge Munoz understands the true meaning of giving and service to others as evidenced by his feeding the hungry every night of the week.
At around 9:30 each night, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry. They wait for the white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. To date, Jorge estimates he’s served more than 70,000 meals.
For information on the non-profit he has formed, visit AnAgelInQueens.org
Thanks also to Chris for submiting this link!
History was made this month when a flying car, called the Terrafugia Transition, lifted off the runway for the first time in New York. The Transition is the first “roadable airplane” that is completely self-contained on highways — previous attempts at flying cars required the wings or other components to be trailered on the ground.
At a March 19 press conference, Chief Test Pilot Phil Meteer discussed how the airplane switches to road mode in just 30 seconds as the wings fold in the middle and bend upward at the root, collapsing up next to the fuselage behind the two-person cockpit.
(Full article at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association)
(Thanks to Bob Miller for the story tip)
Watch the video demonstration below and visit Terrafugia’s website to learn how you can prepay a deposit of $10,000 toward your very own flying car — with a sticker price of $194,000.
A new breed of rice that can grow in the drier uplands instead of traditional wetlands has doubled the country’s food production in only four years, offering hope of overcoming Uganda’s food crisis.
(Read the full story in UK’s Independent)
Thanks to Christine for the story tip!
Not only fostering 300 kids, this Fort Lauderdale woman has also raised nine kids of her own and adopted 11 others. Now 73, she reflects on her decades of parenthood with a smile, proud of all the children she and her husband helped…
This story was published in December, but I wanted to share it on the Good News Network.
(Read article in Christian Science Monitor)
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
In an effort to convey the importance of healthy foods, First Lady Michelle Obama joined 26 elementary schoolchildren wielding shovels, rakes, pitchforks and wheelbarrows to break ground on a new vegetable and herb garden for the White House — the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. In the coming weeks they will return to plant the lettuces, berries, herbs, and other produce that will be used in the White House kitchen.
The video below may take a moment to load…
Astonishing pictures from the World Wildlife Fund capture the moment that a terrified mother caught a rope thrown to her by humans and swam across a flooded river to bring her baby to safety. Villagers had reported that the mother and her baby were stranded in a tree when a river flooded on the north east tip of the island.
It is a long-held belief that the giant apes are petrified of water, but after the rope was caught, the mother did not appear to give her leap into the swollen river a second thought.
Holiday donations to The Salvation Army’s iconic red kettles set a new national record of $130 million, despite the ongoing economic downturn, surpassing the previous record of $118 million set in 2007. The 10 percent growth in donations was the largest one-year jump in 11 years.
“We know that Americans always give more in time of need, so we were confident that they would again respond to the call with an outstanding show of generosity. We thank all the donors, volunteers and corporate partners for their contributions and stand resolute in our Mission to serve those who need it most,” said Commissioner Israel L. Gaither, National Commander of The Salvation Army.
The group saw large increases in donations to its kettles in the Eastern territories, by 19 percent, and in the South, by 12 percent. Donations at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores accounted for more than 26 percent of the total raised, or $34 million. Along with a $1.25 million grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, the stores hosted early bell ringers and red kettles on November 8 for a pre-campaign “special day of giving” to give extra support to local communities facing tough economic times.
A laser-guided WMD — a weapon of mosquito destruction — was designed by scientists, using parts bought on eBay, with the intention of blasting the insects from as far as 100 feet away.
Scientists say they hope to use their lasers to fight malaria — which kills about 1 million people each year. (Read more in CNN.com)
A tiny Balkan country greets the spring – and safeguards the environment – by planting five million trees in a massive reforestation initiative. The “Day of the Tree” initiative began last March to help reforest Macedonia and raise ecological awareness, and has since galvanized more than one hundred thousand citizens to plant 13 million new trees.
Teenagers armed with only a $100 camera and latex balloon have managed to take stunning pictures of space from 20-miles above Earth.
Proving that you don’t need Google’s billions, the four Spanish students managed to send a camera-operated weather balloon into the stratosphere to take atmospheric readings and photographs. The Catalonia team completed their incredible experiment at the end of February this year.
Teenagers armed with only a $100 camera and latex balloon have managed to take stunning pictures of space from 20-miles above Earth.
Proving that you don’t need Google’s billions, the four Spanish students managed to send a camera-operated weather balloon into the stratosphere to take atmospheric readings and photographs. The Catalonia team completed their incredible experiment at the end of February this year.
Father Maurice Chase celebrated his 90th birthday on St. Patrick’s Day by taking $15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and doling out the money to hundreds of the most down-and-out residents on the streets.
“This is the Lord’s work,” he said.
Using a novel genetic technology that covers up genetic errors, researchers have developed a successful treatment for dogs with the canine version of muscular dystrophy, a paralyzing, and ultimately fatal, muscle disease.
The current finding shows that the DNA patches could be delivered in a larger animal, with the possibility of successfully treating humans. (Read full story in Science Daily)
Thanks to Steve Perry for the story tip!
“I’m glad my dad wasn’t a doctor or lawyer, because I honestly believe I found what I was put on Earth to do. This is my calling right here,” said Lance Mackey, winning the Iditarod for the third time in a row. The 1,100-mile trek across the Alaska wilderness is the world’s most famous sled dog race.
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In one of the largest gifts ever to a dance organization, philanthropist Glorya Kaufman is donating $20 million to the Dance at the Music Center program and its 11-acre campus in downtown Los Angeles.
“The arts are critical to the lifeblood of this nation,” said Kaufman, widow of KB Homes co-founder Donald Bruce Kaufman. “During this difficult time when art programs are barely getting by, we must do our part.”
(Read the full AP Story at MSNBC)
