Moscow; A Happy Place to Visit

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Nov 10, 2000

Much of what we hear about Russia or Moscow today is depressing. But according to an on-air “postcard” from National Public Radio’s Anne Garrels, Moscow is now a place where even old guard Communists are laughing in the streets.

Where once there were dismal shops with bare shelves, there are now elegant hotels and chic boutiques. Shoppers stooped with packages find bargains in a vast underground shopping mall. The financial crash of ‘98 is a thing of the past.

There are now 34 McDonald’s restaurants in Moscow in addition to a huge range of eateries with good food, good prices, and fine service. In the past, the patrons enjoying cappucino looked like Mafia thugs, but today they are “simply families out for a pleasant day.”

Cultural activities abound. A freshly painted museum is the destination for throngs of Muscovites with its exhibit called, The Last Czar, full of items belonging to Nicholas II. World class performances of theatre and music are priced at $2-$5, which Garrels calls a bargain — even for Russians.

The Metro is clean, fast and efficient costing only about a cent. Moscow, an architecturally rich city, has joined the modern world.

Congress Votes Overwhelmingly to Restore Everglades

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Good News Network

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Nov 3, 2000

The House and Senate overwhelmingly approved a $7.8 billion project to restore the Florida Everglades and undo a half-century of human impact.

Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Florida, called the plan “the biggest environmental restoration project in the history of the world.”

Rarely does support for environmental action arrive from such a broad base of citizens; Democrats and Republicans, landowners and environmentalists, farmers and home builders.

The work to be done by the Army Corps of Engineers will take 36 years and will pull the 300-mile River of Grass back from the brink of disaster, one Florida lawmaker said. It will be funded jointly by the Federal Government and Florida.

”I have spent the better part of my life waiting for this day,” Environmental Protection Agency administrator Carol Browner said.

The Federal Government in 1949 directed the Corps of Engineers to build canals, levees and pumping stations to drain parts of the swampland for farms and residential areas. Since then almost half the Everglades has been drained.

14 federally listed endangered species rely on the Everglades’ unique resources, including the wood stork, the West Indian manatee and the American crocodile.

Deafblind Girl Jumps Out of Plane to Raise Money for Those Less Fortunate

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Good News Network

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Nov 1, 2000

In an autumnal morning sky, Nicola Henderson, 17, jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 ft. and free fell at over 120 miles per hour for five thousand feet, harnessed to a professional parachute instructor, returning to earth to the cheers of those below.

What made this jump so outstanding is Nicola, a beautiful young lady with a charming personality, has Usher syndrome. Usher is a genetic condition causing deafness from birth and sight loss, leading to blindness, from late teens. But Nicola is determined not to let her disability ruin her life.

“I couldn’t wait to dive out of that plane. I love a challenge and wanted to show everyone that just because I have Usher it doesn’t mean I can’t have a life. I was a bit scared but when I jumped it was the most amazing feeling – now I can’t wait to do another one!” Her jump was intended as a fund raising effort for Sense, the United Kingdom’s leading charity for people who are both deaf and blind.

Nicola was diagnosed with Usher syndrome when she was 15 and initially felt scared and alone. “I felt no one understood the problems I faced. “Sense enabled me to meet other deafblind people, which helped me come to terms with my deafblindness. I wanted to take this opportunity to raise money for deafblind people less fortunate than me and make people aware of this disability and organization.” Nicola’s October 7th jump raised £1,000 for Sense.org.

“I would like to be a positive role model for other deafblind people, showing them that they can’t let their disability rule their life and if there is something they want to do then they need to get out and do it! I have 10 GCSEs [academic honors], a part time job in Safeway, I love swimming and want to be a TV presenter – I won’t let anything stop me!

File photo credit: alwaysmnky, CC license

Oyster Tide is Turning

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American News Service

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Oct 25, 2000

In a rare show of consensus, scientists, fishermen, environmentalists and area residents are joining together to restore the Chesapeake Bay’s historic shellfish bars, or reefs, where oysters thrive. Restoration work today is based on the extraordinary role these creatures play in improving water quality.

Known as “white gold” to the 19th-century fishermen who harvested them, the oysters of Chesapeake Bay by 1990 had fallen to just 1 percent of their historic levels. Today the tide is turning.

State and federal agencies and lifelong residents have committed to building massive oyster reefs in the bay, which serve as feeding grounds and habitat for the oysters.

But more importantly, says scientist and resident John Flood, as these piles of shells and oyster larvae mature they will each begin to filter bay water at the rate of 50 gallons a day. The result will be cleaner water and an improved ecosystem.

Flood remembers when the water on the South River, which flows into the bay, was clean and oysters were plentiful. Intent on returning it to a healthy state, he has involved his neighbors on Harness Creek tributary in raising oysters off their boat docks.

Thanks to the oysters’ amazing capacity to clean the water by removing algae, dirt and nutrients, “We already have 5 to 10 percent more water clarity in the creek,” Flood said. He expects extraordinary results to continue as reefs are grown around the entire bay.

Fencing Program Enriches Inner City Kids

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Good News Network

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Oct 12, 2000

Life was frustrating amid the poverty and violence of the housing projects in Newark, New Jersey. So Peter Westbrook’s mother encouraged him to channel his aggression into the art of fencing at age 14. Her hunch paid off and Peter won not only a path away from drugs and street crimes, but 13 US National titles, three Pan American gold medals and a Bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics.

“Fencing saved my life. If it wasn’t for fencing I’d probably would have been dead by now, like many of my friends and that’s why I knew it would work for our young children in the inner city.”

In 1991, Peter invested his own money to build the Peter Westbrook Foundation to “enrich the lives” of inner city youth through the sport of fencing. The Foundation offers children structure, teaches discipline, and encourages academic success by providing a tutoring program and a monthly essay writing contest. “They realize with the dedication they put in fencing, they can accomplish anything.”

Two members of Peter’s program qualified for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Fencing Team and competed in Sydney — Keeth Smart and Akhenaten Spencer-El.

“The most successful part of our program is getting the kids to be model citizens. Getting the kids to be something better in life, that’s what we do at the Foundation. Creating Olympians is just the icing on the cake for me.”

In September, Peter received the Use Your Life Award on the Oprah Winfrey show which comes with a check for $50,000 and Oprah’s congratulations.

Contact: The Peter Westbrook Foundation, P.O Box 7554 New York, NY 10116, 212-459-4538

Visit their website: www.peterwestbrook.org

38 Year-old First to Ski Down Mt. Everest Without Stopping

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Good News Network

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Oct 8, 2000

Davo Karnicar, of Slovenia, became the first person ever to make an uninterrupted ski descent from the top of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest (29,035 ft).

“I feel only absolute happiness and absolute fatigue,” Karnicar told Reuters by satellite phone after arrival at the base camp.“At some sections I had to ski very fast to escape from the breaking ice.”

The four kilometers of terrain was completed non-stop by the ski instructor in nearly five hours on custom-made Elan skiis.

The Hillary step, the steep crest, and huge amounts of snow which threatened to avalanche were only some of the challenges on the mountain. The air on top contained only a fourth of the oxygen available at sea level and temperatures such as -40 degrees C, accompanied by strong winds, would not be uncommon. There was even the shocking sight of the frozen body of an unknown dead climber along his route.

Davo believes all the decisions you need to make to ski successfully through breaking ice valleys require a mature personality — and Davo Karnicar, at 38 years old, symbolizes the limitless potential available at a mature age.

The historic skiing was captured on video by cameras set up along the way and on his helmet and is available on DVD – See a clip below.

The father of three has already skied down Mont Blanc and Annapurna in the Himalayas, but says he is not striving for titles. He strives for the enjoyment of the adventurous experience.

Europe’s Last Dictator Toppled

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Good News Network

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Oct 1, 2000

For the first time in history the Serbian people have a president chosen by themselves in free elections. Vojislav Kostunica, 56, defeated Slobodan Milosevic by a wide margin and, despite Milosevic’s attempts to circumvent the election results, was sworn in as president on September 30, 2000.

The world watched in amazement as a half million Serbs, answering opposition party calls to march on Belgrade, forced Milosevic to relinquish control of the country he had ruled as dictator for 13 years.

Despite the outpouring of discontent, and a plethora of weapons gathered from captured police stations, only two died and fewer than 100 were injured in the riots that overtook Milosevic strongholds like the Parliament building and Serbian State Television headquarters.

Kostunica assumed power in an inaugural ceremony at a shopping mall that substituted for the smoldering parliament.

“This is a great moment for our country,” he declared. “After all the suffering this may bring us peace.”

Fueled by weariness of losses through three wars in Bosnia, Croatia,and Kosovo, the Serbian people finally flooded the streets in celebration of victory.

How I Created The Good News Network While Caring for Three Small Children

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Good News Network

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Aug 31, 2000

‘What I have Done, You Can do Also!’

A successful career woman just wrote to me saying she, “LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my Web Site.” But more than the Web Site alone, she told me she was inspired by ME… because on her lap was sitting a five month-old baby, her first child, and she was thinking that she doesn’t (and won’t ever) have enough time for her business.

On this day, August 31, 2000, the third anniversary of the official Web launch of the Good News Network, I wanted to take time to express, especially to new mothers who are wanting something more, or to workers in jobs that bring them no joy, that even if a person is caring for small children, or has a full-time job, there is always time, indeed, one must claim the time, to pursue a dream or fulfill a passion.

Our children were 6, 4 and 2, when I first began creating the Good News Network Web site. I utilized the early mornings beginning at 5 or 6 o’clock, waking earlier than was my lifelong habit. In order to awaken more refreshed, I stopped consuming alcohol every night, which had been a decade-old habit. I felt a clarity which made a huge difference.

I started each morning in meditation, which consisted of fully relaxing the body and simply asking and listening for guidance from my own inner wisdom as to what steps I should take in my work. The payoff was obvious very quickly in my personal life. I wasn’t so “short” with the children because my creative energy had an outlet. The frustrations of giving up a career to become a stay-at-home mom were dissipated.

But, how do you get started when you have a passion?

I came across this quote today by Robert J. McKain:

The common conception is that motivation leads to action, but the reverse is true — action precedes motivation. You have to ‘prime the pump’ and get the juice flowing, which motivates you to work on your goals. Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day.

How do you find the time?

I mentioned waking up earlier. Second, I would urge all the new moms: Get over any guilt about entertaining a child over two years with 30 or 60 minutes of television. Make it PBS, commercial-free children’s educational television. That way, if it should work out that you are offered some time for yourself to get creative, the kids are entertained with wholesome programming. Remember, the entire family benefits when you have been energized by the joy or passion within you.

Also, Julia Cameron, in her book The Right to Write, suggests that the five, or ten, or fifteen minute slices of time that are available to us everyday should be appreciated as opportunities, rather than thrown-away as too little time for anything meaningful. When confronted with a ten or fifteen minute interval of free time — like, before you have to leave for a doctor’s apointment or pick up the kids — many of us will choose a meaningless task that we feel an obligation for like cleaning or picking up around the house. Or we choose to grasp for instant gratification by checking our e-mail.

During these opportune moments, we need to write, or act our way toward fulfilling a dream or doing what brings joy. For instance, in order to reach for a goal, does a letter have to be written to someone? A decent first draft of any letter can be crafted, or at least started, in any ten minute period.

One simple stone placed upon another is the work that builds a cathedral!

There is a saying, “Do what you can with what you have right where you are.” After three years I have amassed an archive of hundreds of news stories laid out over the 16-page Web site, and in 14 fantastic newsletters. Combined, the work constitutes the foundation — and part of the ground floor — of my personal cathedral. My house may be dirtier than yours, but it gets cleaned when company is coming! And all the while I am in the pursuit of happiness and purpose.

Finally, to those who think they haven’t found their passion yet, I say, feel around a bit more. What do you love to do, what do you love being? That is where your quarry is, where stones of passion are provided to you in order that you may strive toward your joyful potential. Begin mining for a plan by becoming still and quiet enough so your inner wisdom can guide you. Your dream begins as a process. Momentum is achieved one act and one thought at a time. And like your own cathedral, your process can be dedicated to bringing glory into the lives of your fellow travelers in the world.

Love and Success,

Geri Weis-Corbley, Founder, Good News Network

Judge Pays the Back Rent For Evicted Couple

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Good News Network

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Aug 30, 2000

County Judge Donald McDonough revealed his generous heart in the settlement of an eviction case brought before him in June.

A newly married deaf couple were taken to court by their landlord when they were $250 short on their rent.

The Fairfax, Virginia judge heard arguments, then “abruptly left the courtroom.”

Returning a minute later, he leaned over the bench and handed two $100 bills and a $50 bill to the landlord’s attorney.

“Consider it paid,” he said, and dismissed the case.

The Associated Press reported the judge’s intervention was likely triggered by the fact that the couple had just recently learned their disability benefits had dropped significantly due to their recent marriage.

(READ the full AP story in the Sun-Sentinel)

(Submitted by Ruth Rundgren, Ocean City, New Jersey)

Help for Hot Spots

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Good News Network

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Aug 23, 2000

the World Bank Group Global Environment Facility and Conservation International

A $150 million global fund has been launched to provide protection for environmental “hot spots” that contain the most dense array of plant and animal biodiversity around the planet.

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), spearheaded by the World Bank, Conservation International, and the Global Environment Facility, will fund new national parks and also secure mining and timber rights in rain forests in Africa, Asia, and South America.

“Hot spots” where projects are targeted in the next two years include the Andes, Madagascar, West Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Guinea and the Philippines.

*UPDATES*

June 12, 2001- With a grant of $25 million, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has joined the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, a major effort to preserve the most critically endangered and biologically richest areas on Earth.

June 6, 2002- The Japanese government announced today its most significant contribution ever to support private conservation groups by joining the CEPF. Each organization member has pledged to commit $5 million annually over five years to the fund. Since the Fund was launched in August 2000, the CEPF Donor Council has approved more than $69 million in grant resources, divided among the nine priority areas in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Emotional Reunions for Koreans after 50 years

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Good News Network

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Aug 18, 2000

Asian Hmong woman- photo by Christophe Meneboeuf, CC

Emotions ran high this week at Seoul’s Convention Center in South Korea as 100 Korean families from both sides of the border were reunited for the first time in half a century following the historic June agreement to work toward better relations between the two Koreas.

Brothers and sisters fell into each other’s arms, mothers and fathers were overwhelmed by emotion at seeing their long-lost children, husbands and wives were reunited and were introduced to middle-aged people as the children they had last seen during the Korean War in 1950-1953.

At the same time, a similar scene was played out in Pyongyang in North Korea where 100 Korean families from the South were reunited with their relatives in the North. For four days, the Korean families had the opportunity to meet in the privacy of their hotel rooms and try to take stock of their lives.

It is estimated that there are around 10 million separated family members in the Koreas, more than 7.6 million of them in the South. The Red Cross was assigned the task of selecting the families and arranging the meetings. It required arduous work, checking and cross-checking, to discover if the relatives could be found or if they were even alive. Nearly 77,000 people applied for a seat on the plane to Pyongyang.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Red Cross webste)

Goodwill Summit Ends 50-year Korean Cold War

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Good News Network

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Jul 25, 2000

korean leaders, 1997 - illustration by Geri

The first meeting ever between the leaders of North and South Korea sparked friendship between former foes and produced an historic accord that pledges both countries to “work independently” on common ground issues to achieve “national unification”.

South Korean President Kim Dea Jung, who in the 90’s crafted a fresh “Sunshine Policy” of engagement toward the communist North, declared, “An era of conciliation and cooperation has begun. The hopes and dreams of the people have been realized.”

The most amazing development in the summit of June 13-15, 2000 in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, was the emerging picture of the once-reclusive North Korean ruler, Kim Jong Il II, as statesmanlike, gregarious and gracious. Scenes of camaraderie and congeniality, and hand-holding while singing “Our Wish is for Unification,” shocked both Koreans and Westerners alike. “He really showed he’s not the evilish character living in a dark cave that we thought he was,” a South Korean official conceded.

The historic agreement between government officials who still maintain heavily fortified borders, calls for reunions of tens of thousands of families split apart since before the Korean war, discussion of political prisoners held in the South, and regular meetings. There will also be new cultural exchanges, such as the possibility of fielding a united Korean soccer team in the Olympics.

The two Kims spent more than three hours in private discussions that also produced an unprecedented promise from the host to visit his counterpart in the South.

“I have to admit it was a tough decision for him,” Kim Dae Jung, 75, said. “I told him that (he) must visit Seoul if we are to believe the relations between North and South will improve. I said, ‘An old man has come to visit you, and a young man should return the courtesy,’ Chairman Kim said yes.”

Throngs of South Koreans gathered in their country’s parks to watch on television the triumphal send-off their leader was given at the conclusion of the summit. They were transfixed by the images of Kim Jong Il, who embraced his new partner, and then stood waving as the plane departed.

The South Korean government has indicated it may spend billions of dollars in the reconstruction of North Korea, including building 15 miles of track between the two railway systems, connecting what Kim Dae Jung calls a “new Silk Road”.

“If we go into North Korea to build roads, infrastructure, harbors…the benefits will go to both North and South,” he said referring to the businessmen ready to create the resulting jobs, commerce, and profit.

After the accord had been signed, he declared, “The Korean people are one…We can do away with the border in time…We are at a starting point in history.”

All is in Divine Order

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Good News Network

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Jul 20, 2000

Eloise Vincent founded SOFTLY International– Securing Our Future Today Loving Youth — to supply medical care, clothing and beds to families living in extreme poverty in Costa Rica and Honduras. Until recently, her funding came from individual donations, many from the Unity of Fairfax congregation in Vienna, Virginia, her home church.

One of her Unity beliefs, that “All really is in divine order,” was tested and ultimately strengthened this winter when SOFTLY’s abundant funds ran out.

Upon visiting a village she had worked in for several years she saw one of her “favorite little guys” coming home from his first day of first grade, wearing the only school uniform his family could afford, a hand-me-down girl’s dress from a neighbor. She was “filled with pity.” Looking around some more, she saw that “none of the kids had any shoes to wear to school.”

She returned to her house — frustrated by the poverty of her kids and now herself — just in time to receive a call stateside. She was told that after reading about SOFTLY on her Unity church’s Web site, a colonel from Korea had sent in $5,000 “to help continue her mission”.

“That was a miracle phone call,” Vincent exclaimed, “to have received it on that very day — the day I really needed it!”

Puerto Rican Parrot Population Expands by 25%

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Good News Network

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Jun 27, 2000

For the first time in history, ten captive-bred endangered Puerto Rican parrots were released yesterday to join the last 40 parrots existing in the wild.

The release into a national forest in Puerto Rico is the result of a 32-year combined effort between the U.S. and Puerto Rico to help bring this species back from the brink of extinction.

A director at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said, “This proves that if people work together we can help save endangered species, and in particular, the magnificent Puerto Rican parrot.”

The parrot was once so abundant and widespread that Indians used them as pets and food. The population reached an all-time low in 1975 of only 13 birds left in the Mountains of Puerto Rico.

Thanks to 32 years of effort, there are now 103 captive birds in two aviaries that provide a sustainable source of parrots for release into the wild to bolster population.

*UPDATE*

(July 21, 2000) Nine of the ten parrots released into the wild to join the last 40 surviving birds in that species are still alive, healthy, and adapting to their new environment.

The first seven days after any release are the most critical to the birds survival. Over three weeks have passed and we still have 90 percent survival. The parrots chances increase with each day that passes.

As they adapt to the wild, visits to supplemental feeders have declined, and some of the birds are beginning to forage and fly further away from the flock, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Firefighters ROCK” Screamed Signs at Homemade Parade Honoring Colorado Firefighters

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Good News Network

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Jun 24, 2000

Pine Junction, Colorado- On June 24th, 2000, citizens saluted firefighters with a hometown parade honoring their bravery and hard work.

Children rode bicycles with signs exclaiming “Firefighters ROCK,” and dogs meandered with sandwich boards reading “Thank You,” — all for the men and women who decided to stand as the only thing between the town’s homes and raging fires.

A 10,000 acre wildfire that had destroyed 51 homes and had 2,000 more in its path, was about to consume the Nelson home in Switzerland Village. But firefighters outmaneuvered the blaze with a trench, some felled trees, and a foam coating over the home.

“It’s like every firefighter you see, you just want to walk up and shake their hand,” says Keith Nelson, who was among the hundreds lining the streets.

U.S. Forest Service and local firefighters were surprised by the outpouring of appreciation. “I’ve never had a parade like this,” said Jim Gunning, a six-year veteran of fighting fires in the West. “The appreciation is really nice. It’ll just make us try harder in the future.”

(From an Associated Press story)

Fishermen Take Lead in Helping Endangered Whales

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Nicole Cusano

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May 30, 2000

The decades-old saga of the endangered Northern right whale has long stranded animal welfare advocates and the lobstermen on opposite shores of Cape Cod Bay. Until now.

In what both sides are calling a landmark step in a race to prevent the mammal’s extinction, the two groups have teamed up to clear the bay of lost lobster traps, nets and other gear that have been blamed for injuring and killing the 40-ton creatures during their annual Atlantic migration from Canada to Florida.

The pilot project removed 300 lobster pots and attached lines in a cleanup that environmental officials say they want to repeat each year from now on.

“I believe most fishermen care. Not only do they not want to (lose their livelihood), they love the ocean and they love the creatures on the ocean,” said Kyla Bennett, deputy director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Habitat for Animals division, who helped plan the collaborative effort with the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association.

The collaboration comes while Cape Cod fishermen, particularly lobstermen, are embroiled in debate with environmentalists over proposed regulations that are intended to protect whales but also will require fishermen to spend money on new equipment less harmful to the endangered mammals.

Of the approximately 300 right whales still left in the world, 60 percent bear the scars of fishing-gear entanglement, Bennett said, and 15 whales have died as a result of entanglement since 1970. The other major hazard is ship strikes, she said.

During the lobstering season, which began May 15, at least 42,000 lobster pots are placed in the bay, anchored with lines. Each year, some gear gets lost in storms or is abandoned and remains in the water during the whales’ winter migration. The whales, which are surface feeders, may get buoys and lines caught in their mouths or may get snared in underwater nets used to trap fish.

For the eight-day cleanup, which took place during the first two weeks in May, the Yarmouthport-based animal welfare group put up $12,000 to pay eight lobstermen for their time and the use of their boats and to pay for the services of enforcement officers from the state Division of Marine Fisheries, who oversaw the operation. Lobstermen are concerned about the whales, said Gary Ostrum, a member of the executive board of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, but they believe fishermen can coexist with them.

“We’re trying to use common sense,” said Ostrum. Aside from the cleanup, which he called a success, the lobstermen have developed new underwater buoy lines that are designed to break under pressure from a whale. Ostrum’s association, which represents 1,600 commercial lobstermen, including roughly 400 on Cape Cod, is also considering running classes that would teach fishermen how to prevent whales from becoming entangled and what to do if they spot a whale getting caught in gear.

The issue is being watched closely by environmental organizations nationwide, including the Conservation Law Foundation, which filed a notice of intent in March to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to take enough measures to save the whale. The lawsuit has not yet been filed.

Daniel McKiernan, who coordinates the right whale conservation program for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said the pilot project may become a regular event on Cape Cod Bay.

“We don’t want to have to be the garbagemen of the ocean,” he said. But raising awareness among fishermen may permanently reduce the amount of gear that winds up drifting into the path of the endangered whale.

(American News Service)

Breakthrough on Road to Irish Peace

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Good News Network

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May 10, 2000

On May 7, 2000 the Irish Republican Army made its most groundbreaking pledge since its cease-fire six years ago: to “put IRA arms beyond use” and allow independent inspections of its hidden arsenals.

The promise is part of a plan that, if approved by the Protestant Ulster Unionist party, will restart the historical power-sharing government of Protestants and Catholics, which was deactivated in February after just 10 weeks.

The plan also includes speeding up withdrawl of British troops, continuation of the release of IRA political prisoners, and renaming and revamping of the provincial police force.

Man Wins Lottery and Gives it all to Charity

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Good News Network

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Apr 30, 2000

A Canadian man who won $1 million in a lottery for charity plans to give it all back. “I bought a ticket for $100, thinking I would be giving $100 to charity — now I can give $1 million!” said Gerald Swan, who won the jackpot in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s lottery.

The grandfather of four from Orton, in southern Ontario, has been giving to charities since his teen years and will divide the money among his favorites. “I have lived a good life, God has looked at me favorably, and I got a gift — it is my full intention to give it back,” he said.

Millennium Trees

By

International Federation of Red Cross Societies

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Apr 22, 2000

tree and snow, photo by Geri Weis-Corbley, 1986

In the heat of a crisis, what the urban landscape looks like is low on the list of priorities. But, as time goes by, and as people rebuild, their environment takes on greater importance. Witness the case of the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Last month, some of the internally displaced people from the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia planted 1,000 trees with the support of the Red Cross of Georgia.

These internally displaced people have themselves proposed which kind of fruit and conifer trees they’d like to plant. They’ve chosen native trees, familiar to them, so that they can care for the them as they grow.

The trees were planted near one of the public buildings provided by the state to house more than 100,000 of the estimated 300,000 internally displaced people in Georgia.

One thousand trees were already planted last April as a part of the Red Cross Society of Georgia’s millennium year activities.

Youth Volunteers Deliver Caring Friendships to Armenian Elderly Shut-Ins

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Good News Network

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Apr 3, 2000

An Armenian Red Cross project to help elderly refugees has resulted in some unexpected friendships. The Psycho Social Care for Elderly Refugees project, started in May 1999, assists seniors cut off from society in sickness and poverty.

The refugees, from Nagorno Karabakh and the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, live in small, cramped conditions in a hostel in the Armenian capital. Though they are happy to have a roof over their heads, they are lonely and isolated.

A team of 10 Red Cross youth volunteers visits the refugees at home twice a week providing essential human and social contact.

“It is amazing how they long for our visits,” says volunteer Emma Khachatrian. “They need someone who can listen to them and comfort them, to make sure they are not alone.”

74-year-old Victoria Nasibian spends most of her time looking after her bed-ridden husband, Agasi, 76. They fled the conflict at home five years ago leaving behind their house, nice garden, and all their possessions. Their children are dotted across the world in search of jobs and a new life and seem to have lost contact with their parents.

Emma’s support has been invaluable to the couple. For them, she is now like a grandchild. “Even our children didn’t congratulate us on New Year’s Eve, but Emma was here with chocolates and (Christmas) tree decorations,” Victoria recalls. She still keeps the tree decorations, adding proudly “my child gave it to me.”

Another volunteer, Tigran, says the ties between the refugees and the volunteers are so strong that even if the project ends, they will continue to visit their old friends.

File photo credit: alwaysmnky, CC license

(From an Associated Press story)

(American News Service)

(Weekly News, The International Federation of Red Cross Societies)