After age 30, exercising for more than an hour a week may help cut a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer, according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting in Seattle.
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
Exercise After Age 30 May Curb Breast Cancer Risk
The World’s Most Peaceful Nation Named
The South Pacific nation of New Zealand, already renowned for it’s scenic beauty, has strengthened its idyllic image by being named the Most Peacful Nation on Earth.
The Global Peace Index, a report prepared annually by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, ranks 144 nations on the basis of how peaceful they seem. The ranking takes into consideration 23 different factors such as political stability, risk of terrorism, murder rate, likelihood of violent demonstrations, respect for human rights, internal conflicts, arms imports and involvement in foreign wars.
New Zealand scored top marks for its low homicide rate, stable governement and low defense spending, helping it to outrank the always-strong Nordic countries.
Obama Speech in Cairo Outlines New Beginning for Muslims and America (Video)
President Obama today delivered an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning in relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
Amidst tension between the United States and some Muslim communities the President said, if all sides face the sources of tension squarely and focus on mutual interests, we can find a new way forward.
He outlined some big goals for the future in this highly-anticipated speech, including disrupting, dismantling, and defeating violent extremism. But, first he detailed what our nations have in common.
(Watch the video, or read more, below)
Buy One Ikea Solar Lamp, One Free to a Child Refugee
Starting this month, every sale of a solar powered bedside lamp at IKEA will generate an additional lamp as a donation to a child in the developing world, enabling them to play, read, write or study at night, even without electricity.
The first shipments will be delivered by UNICEF to Pakistani refugees, helping children in camps for families who had to flee their homes in Balochistan and the North West Frontier province.
The IKEA lamp, called SUNNAN, was made especially sturdy for the developing world, designed to resist the wear and tear of difficult living situations and includes a battery capable of withstanding high temperatures. Just expose the solar panel to 9 hours of sun and get four hours of full light from the low-energy LED technology.
Lifesaving Hero Gets Helping Hand from Truckers
The 18-wheel truck was a gift of uncommon generosity, given to a man of uncommon bravery.
Jorge Orozco-Sanchez went into a burning SUV, not once but twice, to pull two little girls from a fiery wreckage. The fire also destroyed his tractor trailer rig – the source of his only income. After months of struggling to make ends meet after the accident, the Independant Truckers Association and Goodyear stepped in to help Jorge replace his truck.
“We haven’t done this for any highway hero in the past, and we don’t want future ones to expect it,” said Tim Miller. Goodyear’s marketing and communication manager. So why do it now? “Well, have you met Jorge?” Miller asked.
Family Pays it Forward After Son is Killed
Parents who lost their son to street violence are now giving back to the community with a new student scholarship created with the loving donations of family and friends.
“When our son died, the community was so supportive,” Zenobia Drakeford said. “We decided to take that and pay it forward for a child to continue their education.”
Ocean City Comes Alive in May: Biggest Beach Crowd Since 1993
Is the economy still tanking? Not in Ocean City, Maryland where the beach resort enjoyed a marvelous May spike in tourism, including its biggest Memorial Day crowd since 1993.
“I think people are just ready to travel,” said resort spokeswoman Donna Abbott. “All the gloom and doom and the long cold winter. It was a pent-up demand to hit the road and hit the beach. It was just a spectacular weekend.”
(Continue reading at DelMarvaNow.com)
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
Bamboo School is Earthquake and Hurricane Safe
Traditional brick school facades could become a thing of the past as educational institutions aim for sustainability. Take, for example, the first U.S. school building constructed entirely of sustainable bamboo:
The 1,200 square foot building in Maui, Hawaii, uses bamboo that has twice the compression strength of concrete and a higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel. That means it’s an ideal material for hurricane and earthquake-prone areas.
In 1991, 20 bamboo houses built for the National Bamboo Foundation in Costa Rica survived a 7.5 Richter scale earthquake, and Bamboo Living homes held up against three Cook Islands hurricanes in 2005 with winds up to 175 MPH.
Encouraging Economic Data Overshadows GM Bankruptcy Filing
US stocks rose sharply Monday to hit seven-month highs as investors took the General Motors bankruptcy filing in their stride and focused on encouraging economic data.
Stocks were further boosted by better than expected US manufacturing data suggesting the economy was bottoming out. Separate data showed that the income of Americans increased in April.
Dog Jumps at Chance to Be Mom to Orphaned Kittens
It was a sad day when Colleen and Robert’s 1-year-old black cat, Velvet, was killed by a car near their farm house and left behind four orphaned kittens. But a faithful friend, an Australian Shepherd named Lakota, stepped in and made it her duty to help them.
Bride Helps Save Neighbors From Burning Home
Georgette Fogarty-Clemons was heading home from her wedding Sunday evening.
That’s when she spotted smoke from the side of her neighbor’s house in Bridgeport.
Still in her wedding gown and high heels, she jumped out of the car and pounded on the door.
“We have no way of knowing what would have happened had she not come to the door,” said Susan Schneiderman, who owns the house that caught fire.
Brain Surgery Activates Hidden Art Genius
When window salesman Alan Brown, 49, emerged from a gruelling 16-hour operation following his stroke, he found he had become a reborn ‘Michelangelo’ and was able to paint and draw with incredible detail.
Mr Brown, who freely admits that before he went under the knife he could barely draw a stick man, is poised to complete a fine arts degree and plans to open a gallery displaying his works.
World’s Most Energy Efficient Skyscraper Under Construction
One of the world’s tallest buildings under construction in China — the Pearl River Tower — is being billed as the most energy efficient superskyscraper ever built.
With wind turbines, solar panels, sun-shields, smart lighting, water-cooled ceilings and state-of-the-art insulation, the 310-metre tower is designed to use half the energy of most buildings of its size and set a new global benchmark for self-sufficiency among the planet’s high rises.
US State Mows with Goats to Go Gently on Environment
Officials in Maryland have come up with an innovative, cost-saving way to protect the environment: they use goats to mow the grass.
The State Highway Administration came up with the novel idea while building an 85-million-dollar road bypass near the town of Hampstead, northwest of Baltimore, after it found that the construction site was home to bog turtles, the smallest turtle in the United States and a threatened species.
Positive Psychology, Person-Centered Therapy, and Happiness
Mental Health Minute: A New Column By Cristina Frick… This new Monday Morning weekly column will showcase recent news developments and topics in the area of mental health from a positive and inspirational perspective as well as provide information that can help those who may be struggling with mental health issues.
I would like to dedicate this column to my wonderful, kind, and supportive father, who was a Humanistic psychologist and with whom I was very close. He died when I was fifteen, but I know he is looking down on me from Heaven and is very proud.
Tomato Pill Beats Heart Disease says Study
Scientists say a natural supplement made from tomatoes, taken daily, can stave off heart disease and strokes.
The tomato pill contains an active ingredient from the Mediterranean diet – lycopene – that blocks “bad” LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries.
Preliminary trials involving around 150 people with heart disease indicate that the pill can reduce the oxidation of harmful fats in the blood to almost zero within eight weeks.
Boy Hears Back From Heaven After Writing Letter
There may or may not be a God, but there certainly are good people in the world.
Bailey, 11, tied a letter to God to a helium balloon and sent it flying into the sky, asking what it was like in heaven and whether miracles actually happened.
While God never replied, a Brampton criminal lawyer did, and their unlikely paths have created an experience neither will forget.
(Continue reading in the Toronto Star)
Photo courtesy of incurable hippie on flickr
Lay-offs Stopped as Co-Workers Rally to Save Jobs
The hospital needed a miracle as it faced a $20 million deficit. It looked like 600 layoffs were inevitable. And most of those would be the lowest-paid employees, people who needed their jobs the most. But when asked, all 6,300 employees were willing to pitch in to save the jobs of their co-workers.
The 13 department heads took pay cuts that totaled $350,000. And doctors took out their checkbooks: The checks came in, some for $500, some $10,000 or $15,000. 401-K matching funds were turned down.
Now most of the cooks, janitors and cashiers have been rescued, thanks to the compassionate hospital CEO who wanted to do the right thing and the workers who agreed.
GNN reported months ago on this story, but this week, CBS news produced a follow-up with the latest news on Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Read the story at CBS News, or watch the video below…
(Reload the page if video doesn’t play)
(Photo, above, courtesy of Sun Star)
Good News Network on 2009 Rolling Stone HOT List!
Now we know we’re HOT. . . The Good News Network made Rolling Stone magazine’s Hot List for 2009!
Listing their HOT INTERNET picks on page 89, only two websites are mentioned, with the Good News Network headlined as HOT WISHFUL THINKING.
“Economic meltdown, Shmeconomic shmeltdown,” is how the short article begins.
“People want good news now more than ever,” says GNN founder Geri Weis-Corbley, who says the site got its biggest traffic spike since 9/11 the day after Lehman Brothers tanked.
The reporter who interviewed me said this issue is always a top seller on news stands, and with Lady GaGa on the cover, this year should be no different.
I hope to use this HOT LIST award to springboard into landing a spot on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and eventually, the Ellen show (which I believe just went on summer break).
Red Wings Give Detroit Reason to Cheer (Video)
Detroit may be hit hard by the economic downturn and the troubled auto industry, but the Red Wings are giving the city a lift as they soar to the the Stanley Cup hockey finals and a win in game one last night.
Hear what fans are saying as they packed the house Saturday for the opening game.
Video below may take a moment to load…