Scientists thought as few as 400 Sociable Lapwings remained, a critically endandered bird of the Middle East and Central Asia. “Now, a superflock of 3,000 has been spotted in Turkey.”
Listen to the full story at NPR.
Baby Chimp Shows Off for Camera (Video)
The San Diego Zoo unveils Mali, a pygmy chimpanzee born last month. Mali’s mother had a rough time during the birthing process, with zoo vets worried they might lose the baby. Check out the human-like baby chimp.
Ladybugs Used in Place of Insecticides in NYC
To avoid using chemical insecticides, groundskeepers at one of New York City’s biggest apartment complexes have released 720,000 ladybugs to help control pests like aphids and mites.
Seeing From a Different Perspective
I was out in the backyard cutting the grass last week when I noticed a caterpillar strolling down a blade of grass… Now, I happen to know this particular caterpillar will one day be a Monarch butterfly, you know, the kind with the big black and gold wings. After the change from worm to butterfly takes place, he’ll fly, soar, float and flutter and I’m sure he’ll think he’s in a new world because of his brand new life and freedom to fly anywhere. Our lives are kind of like that little caterpillar’s life…
Clean Cities Program Saves 375M Gallons Of Gas In 2006
Clean Cities coalitions around the nation saved the equivalent of 375 million gallons of gasoline in 2006 — 50 percent more than the 250 million gallons in 2005 — by transforming government and private vehicle fleets into more energy efficient, cleaner burning forms of transportation.
Book Giveaways Give Inmates Food for Thought
Give inmates books when they’re bored and they’re less likely to cause trouble, more likely to think about turning over a new leaf. The Lancaster police station is trying such a program, using library cast-offs and donated items.
Ethiopian Farmers Boosted By Improved Seed
Five years ago, Wegene Abebe was just another local peasant eking out a living in Tijo, 220km southeast of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa; today he is a prominent farmer with a steady income. Wegene has doubled his harvest and leads a group of 13 farmers. He has also moved from a rented single room to owning a big house and four flour-milling machines.
Engineers Without Borders “Beat the Crap Out of Poverty”
This week, Engineers Without Borders held its third annual Beat the Crap Out of Poverty event at Memorial University. For a small fee designated for the charity, students could take a baseball bat, crowbar or sledge hammer and smash an old car painted with words that represented the global problems of poverty and hunger. (Full story)
British Columbia Protects Forests to Save Caribou
In an effort to save a dwindling and endangered population of mountain caribou, the British Columbia government is making hundreds of thousands of acres of old-growth forest off-limits to logging and road building. (Toronto Globe and Mail)
Uganda Unveils $606 Million Plan for Conflict-Torn North
Uganda is kickstarting a rehabilitation plan for the country’s conflict-torn northern region by injecting $606 million in building roads and schools, setting up businesses to stimulate economic growth.
No Arms, No Legs, No Worries (Video)
Australian Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, but today he is a motivational speaker traveling the world bringing hope to millions.
In this inspiring excerpt he speaks about the importance of Perspective, Vision and Choices – three factors that helped him go “from a life without limbs to a life without limits”. (He is also an evangelist preacher, but doesn’t imply that here.)
Nick introduces himself by joking with the audience — even showing how he answers a telephone — showing how charming and funny he is.
Playing for the Poor
"Violinist David Juritz traveled the world as a street performer to raise funds for music education for the poor." This Reuters story w/ photos follows David in D.C. Tuesday playing on the streets for a charity, Musequality.
How to Become a Best-Seller: Run a Book Campaign Like Gina’s
Editor’s Blog- Because of our support and the fantastic package of free self-help gifts that is offered as a bonus when you buy the book — including the MP3 download of my Great Mentors audio program, Learn to Be Happier — The Secret of Successful Failing has hit #1 on Amazon in the Self-Help category! My friend, Gina is thrilled and extending her campaign until midnight tonight to allow more people to take advantage of the $5862.00 in free bonuses. (See earlier blog post about the book.) In related news…
Later this year, I am launching a book campaign nearly identical to Gina’s, to catapult my upcoming book to the Amazon best-seller list (a collection of the best good news stories of the past ten years). If any of you have a free bonus to contribute to the campaign *or* can send a blasts to your email list asking them to buy the book, let me know! I’m going to need Gina’s help and everyone else’s help to propel the title to #1 and make the world sit-up and take notice. (I will be posting a POLL to help decide the title for my book. I’ve had many suggestions pouring in, but want your opinion. . . Stay tuned for that, and sign up for my newsletter for updates on the book, as well as The Top Ten Good News of the Week. It’s Seriously Good!)
Homeless Man is Chess King of Washington (Video)
Extremely articulate, yet homeless, Tom Murphy is one of the best chess players in the country. He has won major tournaments and is just a few points away from earning "master" status. Today, the 49-year-old African-American lives in a park in D.C. where he teaches chess and beats anyone who challenges him.
Virgin Atlantic 747 to Test Biofuel in Early 2008
Richard Branson said his Virgin Group hopes to produce clean biofuels for cars and buses by the start of the next decade, and begin flying jet planes on renewable fuel early next year. (Reuters )
Houses Built on Plastic Bottles Combat Poverty, and Litter (Video)
A house made of littered plastic bottles filled with sand and reinforced with concrete has given a Bolivian family a much-needed sturdy dwelling, while combating trash build-up.
Ten more homes are planned with an eye toward tourism.
(WATCH a Video below or READ more at the Temas Blog) Thanks so much to Carolena Costa for the fabulous link!
NEA Takes Stand Against Homeschooling – Sign the Petition
These statistics, along with the accompanying Wall Street Journal article, show that home-schooled students do exceptionally well. “They excel in (and win) spelling bees, score high on tests like the SAT, and go on to be accepted into many colleges.” Now, the National Educational Association in their 2007-2008 Resolutions has adopted a rigid stand against homeschooling with sad and punitive consequences for the kids should their local school districts fall in line. Please take a moment to tell the NEA that homeschooling is a real option that does produce wonderfully rounded and productive members of society… Read their unbelievable resolution below, which even goes so far as to restrict teaching by adults other than parents, presumably outlawing the social centers within homeschooling known as co-ops!
Look Foward to Aging – for the Fitness
This story is a great feature on aging with fitness, from the LA Times. The paper also reports that age can actually be an asset in sports. You can be as fit or fitter than a much younger person. “I firmly believe that we have underestimated as a culture, and maybe even in the field of exercise science, what older adults are capable of doing. It’s really important for people to realize that you should not underestimate what someone can do based on age, gender or chronic disease.”
Loss of Leg Doesn’t Stop Hunting Dog
"A champion pointer hunting dog, can run, swim and jump despite the loss of a leg after she was accientally run over by her owner, who agonized over whether to put her down." (AP) Thanks to Kim S. for the link.
The Secret of Successful Failing
EDITOR’S BLOG – I am very excited to let you know about a new book that just came out called THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL FAILING, by Gina Mollicone-Long. Gina is a friend of mine and I really admire her fresh perspective on failure. Even more exciting is that I have joined with over 60 authors and best-selling experts, including Bob Proctor, to offer $5862.00 in free bonuses to anyone who buys this book TODAY, on October 16! (I offered an MP3 download featuring my first Great Mentoring program with Tal Ben-Shahar on Learning to Be Happy.) The Secret of Successful Failing shows why failure is a good thing and how you can leverage it by mastering the Law of Attraction. It provides practical techniques for turning failure around so you can confidently move toward your objectives. Click on this link to get the details of this special offer and begin to re-frame your failure.