Iraq’s National Museum celebrated the return this week of more than 700 ancient treasures looted during the outbreak of the invasion by US forces. In the years that followed Syrian authorities had seized the items as smugglers attempted to carry them over the border and out of the country. (National Geographic story)
Tesco, the world’s third-largest food store launched a carbon labeling system that makes it easy for shoppers to compare the carbon footprint created by competing products like detergents, juices, and light bulbs.
With the help of Britain’s Carbon Trust, a government organization, the retailer is measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each of 20 products from “seed to store.” Letting consumers know how much energy it takes to create, ship, package and use the product.
Here are ten acts that have tried to make a difference to the environment by reducing their carbon footprint, recycling and charity: Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Mana, KT Tunstall, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Missy Higgins, The Roots, former frontman of System of a Down, Serj Tankian. (Reuters News)
“A low-priced electric car for the masses will be introduced in the U.S. by the end of next year. The battery-powered Think City will be able to travel up to 110 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of about 65 mph, the company said. It will be priced by its Norwegian automaker below $25,000.” (From the LA Times)
“A pioneering gene therapy trial has helped a blind man to see in a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases. British scientists have claimed a world first for the revolutionary treatment, which involves a single injection into the retina at the back of the eye.”
Odds of 67 million to 1 didn’t stop Ted Kemp from sinking two holes-in-one during a single round of golf an Iowa course. He is a 12-handicapper. (Associated Press via MSNBC)
“Federal agencies, states, tribes and concerned residents are spending millions of dollars and thousands of hours on 37,000 river restoration projects under way to reverse decades of poor management and combat the mounting threats of population and climate change… Dozens of volunteers spent a recent day planting native trees along a half-mile stretch of the Santa Fe River that has been reduced to a dry, sandy wash.” (Good News from CNN’s Planet in Peril series )
Twitter is a new and fun way to keep in touch with your friends, but now it also has proved a useful way to win release from an Egyptian jail. A US blogger in Egypt used Twitter from his cell phone to fire off a one-word message: “Arrested”. The 30 friends signed up to recieve his Twitter messages, spread the word within seconds and went to work calling the US embassy. (CNN.com has the story)
Follow me on Twitter with my username: GeriWC (Skype too!)
Efforts to clamp down on illegal fishing for cod in the Barents Sea are paying off – with a 50% cut in illegal fishing since 2005. According to the Norwegian government, more than 100,000 tons of illegal cod was caught in the Barents Sea in 2005 while last year estimates put illegal landings at 40,000 tons (the legal catch was around 450,000 tons).
Technology gets a bad press when it comes to fitness, but not only can it help us, it can make us fitter – not fatter. (BBC video shows that if you're a gadget freak, it could be a motivation to get fit.)
Pills aren’t the answer to helping many people recover from depression, says a February report. But there’s growing evidence that gloominess could be a positive experience.
There are other qualities depression generates, not just resilience.
It can be seen as a defense mechanism that can force a healthy reassessment — a reevaluation of one’s personal career, relationships, and life purpose that can lead to positive results.
(READ the article from BBC News Magazine)
This is exactly the premise discussed with Dr. Lara Honos-Webb on our Great Mentors audio program in February, “Discovering the Gift Within Your Symptoms: Listening to Depression and ADHD.”
A Pennsylvania doctor frustrated by insurance companies interfering with patient care vowed to do whatever she could to increase quality. She opened her own clinic for treating the uninsured. The elimination of paperwork allows Dr. Lorna Stuart more time with patients. (CNN Heroes)
To help a balding penguin to swim again rather than shivering on the sidelines while his 19 peers played in the water, biologists at the California Academy of Sciences had a wetsuit created for an elderly African penguin. (Canadian TV Science News) Thanks to Shelley for submitting story!
Here’s a list of top 10 places to find paradise on earth, from the white-sand beaches of Kauai to untouched lakes and mountains of Patagonia. Travel Picks covered at Reuters.com Lifestyle section.
Mike needed someone to accompany his elderly father on visits from the nursing home to his favorite pub. He received a slew of responses to his job posting in the local paper offering 7 pounds ($14) per hour, but finally decided on a retired doctor and military man. Mike wants to give his father “some of his old life back.” (Associated Press via MSNBC)
Just like we can choose foods that enhance our bodies, we can choose our words more carefully to create the reality we want. A new columnist on GNN-i will join us every Friday to take us on a Word Fasting program. Today’s word — chosen from our menu — is CAN’T. Welcome Jack Barakitis to the first Good News Network Friday Word Fast!
In a historic move, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed federal legislation designed to protect consumers against discrimination based on their genetic profiles. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act now goes to the House, which passed it by a wide margin last year.
A Newark cabbie was honored yesterday by the mayor with a special medallion for reuniting a touring musician with his $4 million violin after it was mistakenly left in the back seat of a taxi.
When the Stradivari stringed instrument finally was returned to him, Philippe Quint fell to his knees and cried.
NJ.com reported, “It took 18 months for Philippe Quint to persuade a wealthy philanthropist to lend him a 1723 Antonio Stradivari violin valued at upward of $4 million. It took less than a minute for the valuable instrument to disappear after Quint left it in a Newark cab.”
(Read about the humble cabbie and his reward in this inspiring New York Times article)
“Gas prices have reached record highs again. Would you like to improve your fuel economy by 30 percent or more without buying a new car? Try slowing down — and installing a dashboard-mounted display that tells how much gas is consumed each time you push your pedal to the floor when the light turns green…” Read the story at Phileadelphia Inquirer and check out www.ecomodder.com, a site dedicated to high fuel efficiency.
The Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program celebrated the creation of its one billionth liter of clean drinking water Tuesday at a rural clinic near Ibadan, Nigeria. Using a packet of water clarification and disinfectant developed by Procter & Gamble, a former company official, John Pepper, helped transform cloudy contaminated water into clear, clean drinking water in a matter of minutes before a crowd of local residents and Nigerian officials.
