A German orchestra in Tehran is helping improve ties between Europe and Iran, arranging cultural exchanges and performances. (Video and Text)
Israeli and Palestinian Teens Map Out Peace Plan in Helsinki
"Israeli and Palestinian teenagers, meeting in Finland, put their names Wednesday to their own blueprint for Middle East peace, one that envisions two separate states and the eradication of terrorism." (AFP)
Amid Lingering Chaos, Hope for New Orleans’ Future
"For me, despair about the city’s future began to turn into hope. As urban planners converged on the city, as the Bring New Orleans Back commission began its work, as old residents and newcomers arrived, many of us began to see the devastation as an opportunity to create something better than what we had lost." An NPR reporter shares with some residents a hopeful outlook, even among the lack and loss. (NPR)
New Hope for Chinese Dolphin Thought Probably Extinct
A creature believed to be the rare Chinese white dolphin has been sighted — and videotaped — in the Yangtze river, an expert said Wednesday, renewing hope for a mammal recently declared as probably extinct. Thanks to Lynn J. for the tip!
Lace Builds Structure for Rio’s Poor (Video)
In Rio’s biggest favela, a cooperative focuses on improving the lot of local women, while also giving a boost in stature to Brazilian handicraft. These poor women are proving that luxury items like lace and embroidery can be created by the humblest of all. (Video)
Angelina Jolie Spotlights Plight of Iraqi Refugees as Goodwill Ambassador (Video/text)
Actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is visiting Iraq and Syria to raise awareness of the plight of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families who have fled the violence in their home country.
“I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to this humanitarian crisis and to urge Governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners,” Ms. Jolie said.
“My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the humanitarian plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq.”
Today, the Academy Award-winning actress crossed into Iraq from Damascus, the Syrian capital, arriving at the makeshift Al Waleed border camp housing 1,200 stranded Iraqi refugees who are unable to flee their country. She also observed dozens of Iraqis making their way into Syria at a border checkpoint.
According to UNHCR estimates, over 4.2 million Iraqis have been displaced, with 2.2 million within the war-torn nation and two million in neighbouring countries.
“It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq’s future include plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face,” she said, adding that in her role as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, she will concentrate on humanitarian issues and leave politics to others.
In Iraq, she also paid a private visit to United States troops and other multinational forces based in the area.
Yesterday, Ms. Jolie arrived in Syria and visited a UNHCR centre in Damascus where she met some of the thousands of Iraqi refugees – almost one-quarter of them being victims of violence and torture – registering with the UN agency.
Spending hours talking to Iraqi refugees in their homes, she recognized Syria for opening its borders and for its generosity to Iraqis.
Tens of thousands of the refugees are unemployed, and many young people are missing out on an education and their futures.
Late last month, UNHCR and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, jointly launched a $129 million education appeal to send 155,000 Iraqi refugee children to school throughout the Middle East. Yesterday, the United States announced it will contribute $30 million to the fund.
Photo: Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp
The 10 Fastest Green Cars on the Planet
“Ten cars — funky, fun and each the fastest for its power source, from an American-built, ethanol-fueled roadster that runs like the wind, to a three-seat urban buggy from France that runs on the wind.” (Wired) Tip to Andrew.
Cucumbers Go Full Monty in Name of Good Cause
Throughout the world “people power” is gaining momentum — even in the vegetable stands. The Women’s Institute issued an ultimatum to grocers in the UK to reduce the overabundance of plastic packaging. Now, ‘Naked’ cucumbers have been approved for display in the Co-op stores and been judged by customers to last “just as long” as shrink-wrapped fruit.
(The Daily Mail)
There’s a moral to this story and a pithy way to phrase it… Share your ideas below.
78-Year-Old Tramp a Hit on Facebook
Gordon is legendary in his hometown as the tramp who can accurately predict the time even though he never wears a watch. A local college student paid homage to him on Facebook and now thousands round the world share photos and memories of him asking, “What’s The Time, Gordon?” (Meridian News TV on YouTube)
Tunnels to Prevent Carnage of Canadian Salamanders
Every year hundreds of salamanders are killed by cars on a Canadian highway that stretches between their home in the woods and a lake where they breed. Now the government plans to build four tunnels under the road in a hopeful attempt to protect the local amphibians. (Reuters) Thanks to Lynn J. for the link!
‘House of Plastic Bottles’ Rises in Serbia
A retired Serbian physics professor has built a house with plastic bottles in the place of bricks, using 14,000 containers his students collected as litter from the countryside. The plastic bottles offer great insulation!
Beaming Away Cancer with Simple Radio Waves
Leukemia patient and former broadcast engineer, John Kanzius, has developed a new cancer-fighting technique that uses radio waves to destroy cancer-causing agents. He’s not a doctor but scientists are thrilled with his idea and are two years away from human trials. (Video)
Movie to be Made on Gautama Buddha’s Life
A historical epic is to be filmed about the life and teachings of the Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, a South Asian production team said today.
Weeding by Example: New Orleans Boy Inspired to Help Rebuild
Steve Hartman tells the tale of a New Orleans boy determined to help his community rebuild, even if it means doing it one blade of grass at a time, mowing and weeding land untouched since the hurricane… (Video)
For text of the full story (a report that brought tears to my eyes, this boy is so inspiring) visit CBS News.
Donate to Jack and his non-profit group, called the Mow-Rons at their website.
Or watch, the video below (YouTube):
Project Hope Teaches Poor Kids in Rural China
Fifty-nine volunteer graduates from 22 Chinese colleges and universities set out on Sunday for 29 rural primary schools on a one-year teaching mission to help educate the poor. Read about Project Hope and the 13,285 rural schools built over 15 years. (Thanks, Andrew!)
Crushed Recycled Glass to Bolster Eroding Beaches
Florida’s Broward County is exploring the use of crushed recycled glass to bolster its eroding beaches — a sensible addition to the beach because the main ingredient in sand is glass. (AP) Thanks, Andrew.
“Peace through Business” Program Makes Afghan Women Entrepreneurs
Twelve Afghan women arrived in Michigan last week to attend business classes. After five weeks, they’ll return to Afghanistan and help other women learn business skills, despite the naysayers who will try to stop them from pursuing their dreams. (Detroit Free Press)
A Dollar a Day Transforms Teen Pen Pals in U.S. and Brazil
Imagine the thrill. You’re an American teen, planting your toes into the sands of Brazil for the first time. Imagine total immersion into a culture unlike your own. Imagine returning home still holding someone’s hand across 9,000 miles.
The age-old tradition of pen pals has long sparked international friendships, but now it has become an avenue for providing aid to poor families overseas, with the added byproduct of lasting friendships.
Cameron Boyle, of New Jersey, co-founded the life-changing alliance for American and Brazilian children called CRIANSA Connection. CRIANSA not only means “child” in Portuguese, but also is the acronym for Children Realizing International Alliances Now, Socially and Academically. Since 2004, the CRIANSA pen pal program has taught middle class American youth that there is a larger world of children out there who live without material blessings, who nonetheless can offer the riches of kindness, friendship and adventure.
One hundred such alliances have been sparked and fueled by the CRIANSA Connection. Shelley Siller, from Northern Virginia, has been writing to her pen pal, Maycia, for one and a half years. Her letters are all translated through CRIANSA interpreters. What doesn’t need translating is the money that accompanies the letters.
Maycia’s family, along with the other CRIANSA households, face harsh daily economic realities living in Cumbuco Beach in the Northeast, one of the poorest regions of Brazil. American families sponsor a child with $365 to help the family with material needs, and to provide daily bus fare to a distant school for education beyond the seventh grade.
Grateful for the Siller family donation last year, Maycia, 14, wrote in a letter, “Many thanks to your family for their generosity! With the money you sent, my mother bought a new stove, blender, sofa, and used TV. I WILL be able to go to school next year! My dream is to be a model someday.”
But her biggest hope was that her friend, Shelley, would visit one day.
Shelley, 15, jumped at the invitation, and boarded a plane with her uncle in early August to leave the United States for the first time. A totally different world awaited her.
“We couldn’t believe her house,” Shelley reported. “Her family of eight shares a space the size of our living and dining room. They sleep on hammocks, with no air conditioning, yet they are so optimistic.”
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________________________________
________________________________ Teaching Self-Reliance Through Sales of Homemade Crafts
CRIANSA helps the older children in the community of Cumbuco to raise money by creating handicrafts from recycled materials. CRIANSA’s catalog of homemade merchandise includes purses, jewelry and other crafts.
“These craft cooperatives create sustainable economic opportunities and an alternative to crime or begging,” Boyle explained. ________________________________
For corporate sponsorship opportunities, to make a personal donation, or for more information, visit www.criansa.org or write to Cameron Boyle and CRIANSA:
94 South Fullerton Ave. Montclair, NJ 07042. |
“Each evening, her dad would come in with a bag of whatever he just caught. Everyone would open it to see what dinner would be. They always fed us first, and her dad shimmied up a palm tree to get us coconuts for the coconut milk to drink.”
Siller is the first American involved in the organization to actually travel to Brazil to meet her pen pal.
During their week’s stay, Shelley’s uncle, Chris Cloud, treated Maycia’s family to things they’d never experienced, like meals out, dune buggy riding and a trip to the water park to ride the “Insano,” the world’s tallest waterslide.
“They are incredibly fun people,” remembers Shelley. “We had a blast.”
The friendships formed through CRIANSA are cherished. What if there were enough corporate donations for all the American pen pals to visit, or for these Brazilian children to travel to the U.S.? This is CRIANSA’s vision, children sharing what we all have in common universally.
BP Reduces Course on Lake Michigan Pollution
Responding to a groundswell of protests from politicians and the public, BP and Indiana regulators agreed Wednesday to reconsider a permit that allows the Midwest’s largest oil refinery to significantly increase the amount of toxic waste dumped into Lake Michigan.
Amateurs to Launch Dream of ‘Biggest Rocket’
During International Rocket Week, enthusiasts are chasing their dream to launch the most powerful craft ever fired by amateurs in Britain. At 500 miles per hour, it is set to reach 1,829 metres (6,000 ft.). (BBC) Submitted by Andrew.