With the highest obesity rates in Europe, Britain is investing £30 million to urge people in Manchester and 8 other areas to cut the fat. People who run, walk or cycle every day will be rewarded with coupons at stores and even days off work. (Read more in the Christian Science Monitor)
To Battle Obesity, Britain Creates Incentives for ‘Healthy Towns’
Woman Plunges Nine Stories, Walks Away
A Ukrainian woman who plunged 100 feet from her ninth floor flat survived without injury because she fell into a giant vat of grapes that cushioned her fall. (Ananova has a few more details)
Extra Cash? Turn in Your Techno-Junk for Money
As a hungry grad student, Brandon Mendelson can sum up his financial status in two painful words: “broke” and “desperate.” He needed quick cash to help cover his living expenses, so he turned his techno-trash into digital gold.
Mendelson scanned his campus at SUNY Albany and saw possible salvation in the trash stream. Not beer bottles or discarded newspapers. Today’s garbage: his, and his friends’ digital debris.
Skills for a Successful Life
I have seen how the striving for success can create much unnecessary drama. The image that comes to mind for me is rowing with all your might to get to an island that never appears. When do I get there? How do I get there faster? What if someone else gets there first?
My experience as a speaker and consultant has taught me that whenever there is drama in the boat, even the arrival at your destination isn’t going to bring relief.
With that in mind, here are five skills that will make your success journey one worth savoring…
Toys For Tots Literacy Program Turns Dollars Into Books
While known for giving toys to under-privileged children during the holidays, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is teaming up with The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations nationwide to provide books to needy children this holiday season through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.
Launched in March of this year, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program is a year-round initiative offering our nation’s most economically disadvantaged children the ability to compete academically and to succeed in life by providing them direct access to books and educational resources that will enhance their ability to read and to communicate effectively.
“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 12.8 million children are living in poverty,” said LtGen. Pete Osman, USMC (ret), president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “One of the keys to unlocking the door to a brighter and more prosperous future for these children is a good education. With the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, we are able to extend our reach and impact in a very meaningful way by giving the gift of hope and helping to break the cycle of poverty.”
Through Wednesday, Dec. 31, participating The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are selling $1 donation cards to benefit the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Every $1 donation will help the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation buy a book for a deserving child.
“As the exclusive sponsor of the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, we have the opportunity to bring awareness to the issue of children’s literacy year round,” said Stuart Mathis, president of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. (MBE). “Even though a dollar doesn’t seem like much, with each dollar donation the literacy program can deliver a book to a child in need and instill in them a passion for reading.”
Since March, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. network has collectively contributed more than $300,000 to the Toys for Tots Literacy Program through a variety of activities, including in-center donation card campaigns, coin box collections, special events and sponsorships.
MBE and its brands, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc., are the exclusive sponsors of the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Since 2005, the network has teamed up with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, donating more than $1.5 million to brighten the lives of thousands of children nationwide.
Obama Sends Bipartisan Team to Global Financial Summit
President-elect Barack Obama is sending former Republican congressman Jim Leach of Iowa and ex-secretary of state Madeleine Albright to meet on his behalf with delegations attending the global economic summit this weekend. (Read more from Reuters News)
American Idol Gives Back – $67 Million
Celebrities like Bono and David Beckham were on hand to thank viewers of American Idol who helped them to raise $64 million U.S. dollars for charity. Checks of $10 million each were presented to the Global fund for AIDS, and other good causes. (Video below, or read story from AP)
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Man Follows His Dream of Twine
James Frank Kotera wants to make his town of Highland, Wis., famous. He heard a voice one night that told him to make the world’s largest ball of twine. Steve Hartman asks him why.
Music to your Ears? Music for your Heart, Too
Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels dilated in much the same way as when laughing or taking blood medications.
Israel Lauds Saudi Peace Plan Before King Abdullah
Israeli President Shimon Peres seized the rare opportunity of being in the same hall as Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday to praise a Saudi peace initiative that he said had brought hope to the Middle East.
Addressing a special high-level U.N. General Assembly meeting on dialogue between different religions, Peres termed some of the language in an Arab peace proposal based on the Saudi initiative “inspirational and promising — a serious opening for real progress.”
It was a rare moment — an Israeli head of state speaking directly to the Saudi Arabian leader, whose country does not recognize Israel. (Reuters News report)
Parrot Saved Girl’s Life With Warning
A babysitter’s parrot is being credited with helping save the life of a 2-year-old girl who was choking at a Denver area home while the sitter was in the bathroom. The parrot started screaming and flapping his wings and saying ‘mama baby’ “over and over and over again.” (w/ video at CBS4Denver.com)
Al Gore Details Five-Step Plan to Clean Electricity
As speculation mounts over the shape of president-elect Obama’s energy policy, Al Gore laid out a multifaceted plan to rebuild a green and clean U.S. electricity system within 10 years. In an opinion column published Sunday in the The New York Times, Gore said the federal government should fund projects to upgrade the nation’s aging power grid and install renewable-energy sources. (Read the excellent report on Gore’s 5-point plan, and watch clips from his talk at the WEB 2.0 summit last week here, on C-Net)
A Running Friendship Saves Life of One Pal
Friendly teasing by a boss helped an obese man shed 151 pounds and get in shape. This unlikely friendship (one McCain supporter, one Obama) saved a life. It kept a boss from giving up — or letting up — on a man he considered not only a business investment, but a personal challenge. (Full story at MSNBC.com)
Ethiopia Signs Deal to Build Largest Wind Farm in Africa
Last month Ethiopia signed a deal to construct Africa’s biggest wind farm. The 300 million dollar contract with the French company, Vergnet, to complete the facility within two and a half years promises to yield 15 percent of of all electricity in Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa.
Central Union Mission Honors Homeless Vets
In Washington, DC on Veterans Day, the Central Union Mission paid tribute to homeless and other veterans with a special luncheon to draw attention to the plight of the more than 150,000 veterans nationwide who are without a home on any given night. A grateful Leon Jones is one of those veterans… (WashingtonTimes.com)
Citi Will Halt Some Foreclosures, Rework Thousands of Mortgages (w/ Video)
Citigroup has announced a plan to try and keep homeowners at-risk for foreclosure to stay in their homes. As part of the plan, Citi has announced it is imposing a moratorium on most foreclosures. (Read the story at Reuters or watch video below)
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George Carlin Honored in Washington With Mark Twain Prize
Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Bill Maher and Joan Rivers were among the comedians who honored George Carlin last night with the Mark Twain Prize for Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Carlin, who died two days after being informed of the honor in June at the age of 71, was represented at the gala by his daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall. “He would have loved the show,” she said. “It was great.”
Full-length MGM films on Free YouTube Channel
YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s archives. It will result in the launch of a free video-on-demand channel called Impact, dedicated exclusively to action films, TV shows and clips. (Read more at BBC News) Thanks to Bill F. for the tip!
Train’s Conductor Cat Brings $10 Million in New Business (Video)
A cat wearing a conductor’s hat has boosted a small Japanese town’s local economy by 10 million dollars through increased tourism. People are now flocking to see the train’s new “super station master,” Tama the cat.
– Thanks to Hugh for the story tip
Obama Win Inspires Push to End Racism in France
Inspired by Barack Obama, the French first lady and other leading figures say it’s high time for France to stamp out racism and shake up a white political and social elite that smacks of colonial times. (Associated Press reports on comments of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy)