Scientists at Georgia Tech in Atlanta are setting the movements of fish and ants to music. The results could help both animals and humans — especially the vision impaired — live richer lives.
Scientists Record Music Composed by Fish, Ants (Video)
Breakthrough Solar Dye Coating Converts Glass Windows Into Solar Power Plants
MIT researchers have developed a new technique that involves coating glass with a specific mixture of transparent dyes which redirects sunlight to photovoltaic cells in the frame. The technology, outlined in the journal Science in July, could be used to convert glass buildings into vast energy plants. (BBC News reported on the discovery)
Iran’s Generosity in Hosting Afghan Refugees Praised
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has lauded Iran’s long record of generosity in hosting one million displaced Afghans since 1998 calling their settlement camps maybe the best in the world.
“In my work I’m used to visiting the worst places in the world, where people are suffering and life is tough,” António Guterres said on Friday, during a visit to Torbat-e-Jam, a camp located about 80 kilometres from Iran’s border with Afghanistan, housing some 5,000 refugees.
“It warms my heart to visit what is probably the best refugee settlement in Iran, if not the world,” he stated as he surveyed the 100-hectare refugee community of solid brick houses, well-equipped schools and clinics and a mosque and community centre featuring a refugee art exhibit.
Benazir Bhutto Honored During 60th Anniversary of Declaration of Human Rights
Marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights December 10, the United Nations honored individuals for outstanding work in preserving those rights. This year the honors were awarded posthumously to slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto and Dorothy Stang, a nun murdered in Brazil three years ago who defended the human rights of poor indigenous farm workers, despite numerous death threats.
The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. Its creation was spearheaded by former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and was designed to guarantee the political and civic rights of all people, including the right to freedom from torture, slavery, poverty, homelessness and other forms of oppression. The 1948 declaration was a product of a unique moment in history, when the horrors of World War II made the world aware of the sanctity of basic human rights.
(Photo: Eleanor Roosevelt holds a copy of the UDHR written in Spanish.)
Every five years the UN honors individuals working in the field of human rights to correspond to the anniversary of the declaration’s adoption. Previous recipients of the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights have included Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Amnesty International in recognition of their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Additional winners this year’ include Louise Arbour, Ramsey Clark, Carolyn Gomes, Denis Mukwege, and Human Rights Watch.
“As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we acknowledge the tireless work and invaluable contribution of these individuals and organizations that have fought to see the rights and freedoms embodied in this historic document become a reality for people in all corners of the world,” said Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto.
Sr. Dorothy Stang of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur defended the human rights of the poor, landless and indigenous populations of the Anapu region of Brazil for nearly 40 years. She worked with farmers to help rebuild their livelihoods, cultivate their land and defend their rights from loggers and ranchers, whose threats never deterred her. She became a symbol of the fight to preserve the rainforest before being murdered in 2005 on her way to a meeting in the Amazon jungle.
Benazir Bhutto was was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996). Before her murder one year ago, she chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in Pakistan and was campaigning for national office. Bhutto told journalists in Islamabad that her party, the PPP, would focus on “the five E’s”: employment, education, energy, environment, equality.
“These awardees constitute symbols of persistence, valour and tenacity in their resistance to public and private authorities that violate human rights. They constitute a moral force to put an end to systematic human rights violations,” Mr. D’Escoto said in a press release issued November 26.
The human rights prize was first awarded on 10 December 1968 on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is awarded every five years to coincide with the date.
More About the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a treaty. However, because its purpose is to define the terms “fundamental freedoms” and “human rights” embedded in the U.N. Charter, all U.N. member nations are bound by it. Cox says the UDHR has acquired the force of international law and has bolstered human rights movements.
According to Article 25 of the UDHR, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food…” That is why it is considered a human rights violation for any government to prevent the distribution of humanitarian aid to any part of its population or to allow economic discrimination against any population group. (
UDHR info from Reuters.com)
Toledo Forgives Speeding Tickets in Exchange for Toy Donation
The mayor and police chief of Toldeo, Ohio have offered to overlook your speeding ticket if you pledge to buy a toy for the Marine Toys for Tots program.
The “Trade a Ticket for a Toy” program will run from Dec. 10 to Dec. 24. Just purchase an unwrapped new toy and drop it off at Family Dollar or Toys “R” Us in exchange for the forgiveness of any “lesser traffic citation,” which would include red light violations and normal speeding tickets.
Finkbeiner said this was one more way for Toledo residents to participate in the “act of charity and act of giving.” The average ticket fine is $130. (More at Toledo Free Press)
Partying Helps Power a Dutch Nightclub
If you felt that the atmosphere in the new hip Club Watt was somehow electric, you would be right: The dance floor harvests the energy generated by jumps and gyrations and transforms it into electricity. The Rotterdam club is one of a handful of energy-generating floors in the world, most still experimental. (NewYork Times)
Amish Gene Mutation Makes Them Immune to Heart Disease
After a dozen studies of the Amish over 15 years, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have discovered a novel gene mutation among the Old Order Amish population that significantly reduces the level of triglycerides in the blood and appears to make them immune to cardiovascular disease.
The scientists believe the mutation was first introduced into the Amish community in Lancaster County by a person who was born in the mid-1700s. This mutation appears to be rare or absent in the general population.
Mexico Pledges 50 Percent Cut in Greenhouse Gases
Mexico announced a plan on 11 December to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 using solar power, wind, and other clean technologies — making it one of the few developing countries to set a specific emissions reduction target. (AP story via Seattle Times)
World’s Friendliest Countries For Americans
Canada, Germany and Australia are topping the list of friendliest countries toward Americans who have moved abroad, says a new study: Canada is the most welcoming; almost 95% of respondents to HSBC Bank International’s Expat Exploreer Survey, released today, said they have made friends with locals. In Germany, 92% were so lucky and in Australia 91% befriended those living there. The United Arab Emirates was found to be the most difficult for expats; only 54% of those surveyed said they’d made friends with locals. (See the list results at Forbes.com)
Company Gives More Than Half Its Profits to Charity
What’s in a name? When it comes to the California-based office products firm, Give Something Back, almost everything. GSB gives back more than half its after-tax profits every year to organizations that support better education, healthcare, arts and culture, and environmental stewardship. Based on Paul Newman’s food company, which donates all profits to charity, GSB was founded in 1991 by friends Mike Hannigan and Sean Marx, who’d worked successfully in the office products business for years but yearned to give something back. And have they ever! In 2007 GSB donated more than $432,000 to California nonprofits, and this year the total donations will top $4 million.
First Windmill Coop Provides Green Energy and Profit to Locals in UK (Video)
2,500 people have invested in the first windmill co-op in Britain, now providing cheap, green energy — and profit — for its owners.
Electric Car Maker Zenn Sees Growth Ahead for Candian Car Company
Canadian electric car maker Zenn Motor Co may find itself in the right place at the right time. Troubled American auto makers have pledged to accelerate development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Chief Executive of Zenn (Zero Emission No Noise) said that green push may spark big demand for his tiny company. (Reuters News has the story)
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A Selfless Act Goes Unnoticed After Olympics
In what may be the best sports story of 2008, Shawn Crawford, a US track runner gave the silver medal he won at the Summer Olympics in the 200 meter race to a runner he felt deserved it more than him.
“And the most amazing thing is, he didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t need the public to congratulate him for doing it. For him, it was just the right thing to do.” (Sport’s Illustrated)
UN Loans $30M to Micro-Finance Plan for Poor Rural Indian Women
A new United Nations loan of over $30 million seeks to boost the social and economic power of rural women in India’s largest pocket of poverty.
Women from an estimated 108,000 poor rural households will benefit from the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) loan, which aims to give women in the Mid-Gangetic Plains of northern India easier access to microfinance and business development services.
Waste Coffee Grounds offer new source of biodiesel fuel
Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks. Their study has been published online in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
Spent coffee grounds contain between 11 and 20 percent oil by weight. That’s about as much as traditional biodiesel feedstocks such as rapeseed, palm, and soybean oil. The scientists estimated that spent coffee grounds can potentially add 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world’s fuel supply.
Calif. Approves Sweeping Global Warming Plan
California officials yesterday approved a climate plan that aims to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% by 2020. Central to the plan is a cap-and-trade program and a requirement for utilities to produce a third of their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. (MSNBC.com has the full story)
Thousands of Trees Help Make Super Bowl a ‘Green’ Event
More than one thousand trees will take root in
(Photo by Sun Star)
10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
In the last few years, psychologists and researchers have been digging up hard data on a question previously left to philosophers: What makes us happy? The emerging field of positive psychology is bursting with new findings about how things like money, attitude, culture, memory, health, altruism, and our day-to-day habits affect our well-being.
Here are 10 scientifically proven strategies for getting happy. (YES magazine features an interactive graphic, or read the text under that, to explain the 10 strategies)
Photo by Tim Middleton, www.timages. biz
Rice-Powered Stove Ignites New Hope for Poor Farmers
More than a third of the world’s population can’t afford propane or other petroleum-based cooking fuels, relying instead on wood or charcoal that burns inefficiently in stoves that emit smoke and toxic fumes. One man succeeded in inventing the impossible: a safer, cleaner, and less-expensive way to cook using the waste from rice – turning it into a clean bright blue flame.
Last month, watchmaker Rolex named Belonio as one of its 10 exemplary innovators. Belonio says he plans to use the $50,000 prize to build a stove demonstration and research center in Iloilo, Philippines.
Legacy of Chicago Sit-In: Empowering Laid-off Workers
For some 240 laid-off workers at a manufacturing plant in Chicago, federal law required a 60-day notice that the facility was closing. Their employer gave three days. Following a six-day sit-in protest staged in the factory, the workers won a severance deal that complied with the law. (Christian Science Monitor)