"A former separatist rebel has been sworn in as the first directly elected governor of Indonesia’s Aceh province," reports the BBC. He won last December’s elections after a peace deal between the government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement ended nearly 30 years of civil conflict that had killed 15,000 people. This cooperation between former foes blossomed as a direct result of the disasterous tsunami of 2004…
Ex-rebel Becomes Aceh Governor
NYC Cabbie Returns Bag of Diamond Rings
A New York City cab driver from Bangladesh spent hours laboring to track down a rider so he could return a bag of diamond rings that she’d left in his trunk. The jeweler had given Osman Chowdhury only a 30 cent tip on an eleven dollar fare… (CBS)
Amazing Snow Sculptures Compete in Contest
First place was awarded to the home state team of David Andrews, Chris Andrews and Scott Pauli for their vegetarian sculpture called, Veg-Head. Second place and the Spirit Award was bestowed on this creation (right) portraying a roller coaster ride.
The weather at the 14th annual contest made it almost “too cold to sculpt,” but that didn’t stop the 15 three-member teams from across the U.S. from competing… (continue for more photos)
Singles Get Together and Make a Difference for Valentine’s Day
Singles are being inspired across the nation to “get engaged” through volunteering this Valentine’s Day. Recognizing the power of community service to bring people together, the “Get Engaged” campaign wants to provide meaningful ways singles can make a difference in their communities while getting to know others, having fun and sharing their passions.
“We are excited to offer singles a memorable experience this Valentine’s Day,” said Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, which is partnering with Perfectmatch.com, OrganicBouquet.com and the Hands On Network…
“It is our hope that this Valentine’s Day and throughout the year, singles everywhere will get involved, meet new people and share the love through a volunteer service experience.”
This Saturday’s events in Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco will range from beautifying a zoo to celebrating the day with disabled adults and children.
RELATED: Volunteer to build kids’ playgrounds with KaBOOM!
Flickr photo by id-iom
Three Million Muslims Pray for Peace
In Bangladesh, some 3 million Muslims "raised their hands in prayer for global peace at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings." (AP Reports via CNN)
Wellspring House Gives Homeless Hope
Wellspring bed and breakfast for the homeless has been around for 25 years, since Nancy Schwoyer and a group of friends at church decided to buy a historic residence to share with homeless families. They support the families with whatever they need to get on their feet, even helping them to find jobs.
“Perhaps because Wellspring is so comprehensive, its success rate is phenomenal: 80 percent of people who come to the homeless shelter are never homeless again.”
(Read full text or watch Video by Steve Hartman at CBS News)
Crash Victim Says Dog Saved her Life
A stray German Shepherd dragged a bloodied woman up to the highway so drivers would be able to stop and help after her car careened down an embankment 50 yards distant. (AP)
Dog and Family Reunited After Six Years
Lost a pet? Don’t give up hope. This golden retriever was recovered six years after he wandered away from his family, thus the miracle of Web sites for adoptable and lost pets. (AP photo/story)
Whey Remedy Saves Hemlock from Devastating Pest
A beautiful Eastern Hemlock tree in my backyard died years ago, infested with an invasive species of aphid that has devastated trees throughout the eastern U.S. since 1924, the noxious "woolly adelgid," which was accidentally introduced from Asia. Now, a University of Vermont researcher has discovered an ecologically safe spray made of cheese whey and bacteria, that effectively controls the pest and its sticky white egg masses. (AP Story)
College Students Compete to Conserve Energy in Residence Halls
The University of Central Florida is using friendly competition between residence halls to encourage more students to turn off lights when they leave the room, turn off computers and other electrical equipment when not in use and take other steps to conserve energy. Throughout February, residence halls on campus will compete to determine which building can reduce its electrical consumption by the greatest percentage compared to the consumption during the same month of previous years… (right, Shaina Duffey turns off lights in Lake Claire residence hall – photo by Jerry Klein)
Rottweiler Raises Two New-Born Lambs
A Rottweiler named Molly is "showing her softer side, using her maternal instincts to help rear two lambs" that had been born with complications on an English farm — and she is fiercely protective… (photos and story by BBC) Thanks to member MJ Allen for the link!
Inventor Donates $1M and His Innovative Water Purifying System to Native Bangladesh
A man from Bangladesh who is now a chemistry professor in Virginia spent years trying to find a solution to the arsenic problem infecting drinking water throughout his homeland. On Thursday the National Academy of Engineering awarded him a prize of $1million for his ultimate invention — a simple filter that removes most traces of the poison. He is using the prize money to make sure the filters are distributed to the poor in Bangladesh at risk of cancer because of the tainted well water… (AP photos and story via AOL) Thanks to new GNN member, Meyer, for submitting the link!
MidEast Youths Use Amazing Video to Tell Leaders, ‘Enough!’ (Video)
Ordinary young Palestinian and Israeli citizens were given an unprecedented opportunity last week to present an impassioned video expressing their views to world leaders at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni listened as leaders of the youth movement, OneVoice, told them, "Enough!" (Read more to see video)
Oil Giant Injects Biofuel Hopes with $500 Million
"Oil giant BP will give $500 million to a partnership led by UC Berkeley to develop new biofuels and reduce environmental harm caused by the use of fossil fuels, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and company officials announced Thursday. (They) will team up with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign… to develop fuel from plants, improve the extraction of oil from existing reserves and find ways to keep carbon from entering the atmosphere." (LA Times)
Green Mutual Fund Names Top 10 Performing Stocks of 2006
Looking for a place to invest some money? Global mutual fund Portfolio 21 has named its Top 10 financial performers among environmentally responsible companies. The top performers in the fund posted returns ranging from 41% to 131% in 2006 besting 88 other companies in the fund… Focused on earning for customers a "Healthy Return" on their investment, Portfolio 21, based in Portland, has been identifying companies that save natural resources and create a sustainable society since 1999…
The Most Important Quality to Have in Tough Times
In part 8 of our series on Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitiude, Harry Tucker explores the quality of character perhaps most needed for expressing gratitude in tough times.
The D in GRATITUDE stands for Diligence. In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s not easy to live a life of gratitude without effort. Every one of us, no matter how enlightened we are and how grateful we are, experience moments when our belief system is challenged and we question why we should be grateful for something that we are not particularly happy about…
Sony Joins Nike Cutting 10M Tons of Global Warming Gases
As nations gathered to discuss climate change in Paris, twelve major corporations recommitted their pledge, and reported they are on course to eliminate at least ten million tons of CO2 emissions annually by 2010. The 12 international companies joined the Climate Savers Programme and are glad they did. It turns out, reducing pollutants that cause global warming is profitable as well as responsible…
Women Help Keep Peace as Defense Ministers in South America
Fully one-third of the leaders of defense for South American countries are now women. They are talking peace and justice in countries once plagued by macho-dominated attitudes and military dictators. (AP’s Bill Cormier reports)
1,500 Volunteers to Build 6 Playgrounds in One Day for New Orleans Schools
Students at six New Orleans elementary schools will soon have new places to swing, slide and play, after 1,500 volunteers gather in a one-day blitz to erect playgrounds for nearly 36,000 New Orleans children. 1,000 of the volunteers are employees of Fannie Mae and will be taking a day from their national conference in New Orleans to spread happiness to the local kids. The playgrounds were designed by the schools’ own students in December.
The grander vision is called Operation Playground, an initiative by KaBOOM! to build 100 student-designed play areas in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf region. KaBOOM! has built 19 playgrounds in New Orleans to date, each one designed by the children who will use it, planned by local residents and built entirely by volunteers.
The six newest playgrounds are funded by a $400,000 grant from Fannie Mae. The construction on February 13 will also include building picnic tables, benches, shade structures and landscaping.
“Children dream the darndest things, and the folks at Fannie Mae are thrilled to help KaBOOM! build these new kid-designed playgrounds in New Orleans,” said Fannie Mae President and CEO Dan Mudd. “Our volunteers and funds are just a small part of our big, long-term commitment to help the region rebuild and renew. We’ve been here for years, we’ve been here through the aftermath, and we’re here for the long haul.”
The six playground sites set to be completed by Fannie Mae and Operation Playground are Martin Behrman Elementary Charter School, John Dibert School, McDonogh #32 Charter Elementary School, Benjamin Banneker School, Einstein Charter School and Benjamin Franklin Elementary School.
To date Fannie Mae has distributed over $6 million dollars in disaster relief efforts to local nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations.
“The children in New Orleans have displayed incredible strength in the face of unimaginable adversity, said Darell Hammond, CEO and co-founder, KaBOOM!. “We need to give them places where they can just be kids again. For Fannie Mae to demonstrate this level of commitment to helping New Orleans children and the city rebuild is truly remarkable.”
KaBOOM! began as a nonprofit group that envisioned a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Over the past decade, KaBOOM! has brought communities together with businesses to build more than 1,100 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. Check out the KaBOOM! website to learn how to plan a new playspace in your own neighborhood. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, CA.
Investment in Clean Energy Surged 167% in 2006
"Venture capital and private investments in clean energy companies saw a huge leap in 2006, increasing by 167 percent from $2.7 billion to $7.1 billion. The increase was driven by investment in biofuels (up fourfold from $647 million in 2005 to $2.8 billion last year), solar (up 210 percent, thanks to initiatives like California’s ‘Million Solar Roofs’), and wind (which more than doubled from $307 million to $821 million)." (GreenBiz.com)