"A UK primary school has been praised as "outstanding" in a government report after introducing Harry Potter-themed lessons. The school, in a deprived area, has jumped from the bottom 25 per cent of schools nationally to just outside the top 5 per cent over the last three years after deciding to let pupils pick a theme for the curriculum each term." (DailyMail) Thanks to M. Mealy for the submission!
New Las Vegas Casino to Build Green, Part of New Trend
Even on the Las Vegas Strip, where over-the-top casino and hotel complexes are the norm, the $4.8 billion Echelon is sure to stand out. Slated for completion in 2010, the 87-acre property is expected to house five hotels, 30 restaurants and entertainment venues, pools and outdoor gardens and 140,000 square feet of casino space… It also will incorporate some of the latest thinking in environmentally aware construction. The casino will include a full featured online casino to accommodate players in the age of COVID who cannot play in the casino physically due to social distancing regulations.
iCar Costs Just 2 Cents Per Mile to Drive
A new breed of micro automobiles known as Neighborhood Cars can transport two people for as little as two cents a mile. The stylish Kurrent offers its electric car for around $10,000. These cars, popular in Europe — and designed in Italy — are rolling into Florida, California and mountain state communities at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
Schools Plant Gardens to Sprout Healthy Eaters and Excited Students
"The right answer to a math word problem for fifth-graders in Atlanta, involves multiplication, division and decimals, but it means more that. It means within a few weeks, the students will harvest radishes from the garden they’re designing, getting their first taste of one of the hottest trends in hands-on education." (AJ Constitution) Thanks to Steve Ghent for this link!
London Buys Hydrogen-Fueled Red Buses
The Mayor of London announced Tuesday that ten new red double-decker hydrogen powered buses will join London’s bus fleet by 2010 to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions in the congested UK capital. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles will produce no pollution or carbon dioxide, and, as an added benefit, drastically cut noise levels.
Carmakers Go Green at L.A. Auto Show (Video)
Growing consumer awareness of the environmental impact of gas-guzzling cars and trucks have led to green hybrids galore at the LA Auto Show, with new vehicles using less or no gas at all. (Video)
Medal of Honor Society Launches Above & Beyond Citizen Awards
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is calling upon the American public to nominate their fellow citizens for the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors. It is the first time all 109 living Medal of Honor recipients have banded together to create a national platform to promote “service before self.” The Above & Beyond Citizen Honors will recognize ordinary Americans who have become extraordinary through their selflessness. The awards will be presented at a March ceremony in Washington, DC to be hosted by Brian Williams and televised on MSNBC.
The honors are unique, because they are personally presented to unsung heroes by our nations most honored heroes, the 109 living Medal of Honor recipients themselves.
The live event will be taped on National Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 2008, at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and feature honorary co-chairs, President Bill Clinton, President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State General Colin Powell.
“We hope that this unique honor will help establish, support and recognize the profound notion that within each and every person lies the potential to challenge one’s own destiny and change the world.” said Paul Bucha, a Medal of Honor recipient and Above & Beyond designate from the Society. “The Medal of Honor recipients are ordinary people who, one time in their lives, faced circumstances when they decided that destiny, as they understood it to be, was unacceptable. They found within themselves the potential to literally change fate. This same potential resides in every American and it is worthy of respect and celebration without the need of a medal or a uniform.”
After a nationwide search and selection process for the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors, the Society will select 50 Finalists to represent their respective states. Each of the 50 Above & Beyond Citizen Honors Finalists will be invited to the gala in Washington, D.C. to represent their state. From these remarkable Americans, the Society will announce three Above & Beyond Citizen Honors recipients at the show, and their remarkable stories of hope and courage will be broadcast to the nation.
Nominations for the honors will be accepted through December 16. For information on the nomination process, visit the Above & Beyond website. Short videos on each of the 50 finalists will be available on the website before the televised event, along with extended video packages of the three Above & Beyond Citizen Honors recipients.
“I am proud to take part in this announcement and celebration. The Above & Beyond Citizen Honors recognizes the notion that regular Americans – no matter what their background or circumstances – have the potential to change the world through acts of selflessness and courage,” said Honorary Co-Chair & Former President George H.W. Bush. “I believe that the determination and selflessness of these ordinary American citizens who will be celebrated and saluted by our nations greatest heroes, will guide, inspire and help unite us as Americans, as we move into the next Century.”
The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting
Back in August during my book giveaway, I featured The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting. The winner wrote to let me know how much he loved the book: (From Gary) “I got to read 18 pages so far and LOVED IT. I can’t imagine the great effect you have on the lives of those in your immediate circle — you have touched mine in a most positive way, from far away. Sending that book has already made a very good change.” . . . Today is the official launch of my friend, Carolyn Ellis’s book, The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting: What to Avoid to Help Your Children Thrive after Divorce. This helpful guide could be an inspiration to so many that I wanted to tell all my readers about a special offer involving free gifts, which lasts today only..
In Africa, a Papercraft Path Out of Poverty
Poor Ugandan women who were living on the streets begging for food, have now turned their lives around after joining BeadForLife, a small Colorado-based nonprofit group dedicated to eliminating poverty through handcrafts. (CS Monitor) Submitted by Steve Ghent!
Hospital Donates Life-Saving Surgery To Kosovo Girl
"An Albuquerque hospital and several of its surgeons donated life-saving surgery to a Kosovo toddler. Now, the 2-year-old and her mom are heading home." (KOAT) Link submitted by Andrew.
North American Exclusive! Eco-Friendly Steel Cuts Coal Use and Emissions
The process of manufacturing environmentally friendly steel not only reduces coal use by one-third, it also salvages plastic waste from garbage dumps, cooking it at such intense temperatures that carbon emissions and energy consumption are cut dramatically. Developed in Australia, this breakthrough advancement of turning plastic waste into steel has now commenced commercial production at a Sydney steel plant. (Read more of this Good News Network North American exclusive…)
Anonymous Santa Gives $100 Million to Struggling Town
In a beautiful story, an unnamed ‘friend’ gives $100 million to the struggling old industrial city of Erie, Pennsylvania, to be divided among its 46 charities including the food bank, a women’s center, and a group for the blind, and its universities. “What a godsend for some of these agencies,” says a resident. (CBS News) Thanks for the great link, Han!
NOTE: You May Have Log-In Problems!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Some people have had problems signing up for the Tuesday tele-conference, Tap Into Your Own Intuitive Powers. We have applied a technical fix and hope you will try again to SIGN UP for this Great Mentors Audio Program. Send me an e-mail if you are having trouble, okay? See my Editor’s Blog for details about our psychic guest, Joan Marie.
UPDATE at 9:00 PM: MORE problems — no one can log-in to the Web site — resulting from an upgrade! Patience, please…
Volunteers Build 200 Homes in African Slum in One Week
"1,400 Irish workers brought hope to hopelessly misnamed Freedom Park slum. The initiative, now in its fifth year, was organized by Niall Mellon, a Irish millionaire who bought a holiday home near Cape Town but could not accept the squalor in the townships nearby." (AP w/ photo)
Streetcars Welcomed Back in New Orleans
"On Saturday, streetcars in New Orleans resumed their historic service past the old mansions of the Garden District for the first time since Hurricane Katrina halted the St. Charles line more than two years ago." (AP )
Dolphins Save Surfer from Becoming Shark Bait
A surfer in California was under attack from a great white shark when a pod of bottlenose dolphins intervened, pushing the shark away and forming a protective ring around him, until he could get to shore.
“No one knows why dolphins protect humans, but stories of the marine mammals rescuing humans go back to ancient Greece, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.”
The society told MSNBC that one year ago in New Zealand four lifeguards were saved from sharks in the same way Todd Endris was — by dolphins forming a protective ring.
(WATCH the interview with Todd below from MSNBC)
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$20M Donation to Hurricane-Ravaged Jamaican Schools
“Digicel Foundation has donated $20 million to repair hurricane-damaged Jamaican schools.” Thanks, Andrew.
Thief-Biting Alsatian Named Bravest Dog in Britain
"A crimebusting Alsatian dog has officially been named the bravest animal in Britain after winning the UK Animal Hero award." The owner also wins kudos for adopting and training the "untrainable dog." (Liverpool Daily Post) Thanks to Andrew for the find.
Two Neighbors Risk Lives in Fire Rescue
"Two hero neighbors who helped rescue a man as fire raged through his home in September are to be honored by the fire service." Read the dramatic account of their heroism in Bolton News. Thanks to Andrew in the UK!
5 Ways You Can Live to Be 100 (Updated)
Would you like to live to be 100? Hmm? Maybe, with a couple of caveats: Loved ones who stick around, and good health for all. The author of Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples