Maine extended its successful laptop program in schools last week announcing a contract for Apple Computers to supply new laptops to more than 30,000 middle school kids and their teachers, and provide wireless internet and service throughout the next four years. The cost works out to $289 per iBook per year. Maine’s program, launched in 2002 by Gov. Angus King, has been applauded by parents, educators and students alike. . .
Maine Extends Giving Laptops to Seventh Graders
Cheap Allergy Drug Found to Cure Malaria in Mice
"The breakthrough has excited researchers" because the allergy drug found to kill the malaria parasite is "already licensed for use in people," and because it is "no longer under patent, it will be possible to manufacture it at rock-bottom prices." … The drug could save 1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa every year. (The Guardian)
East Timor Rebels Hand in Guns, Desire Peace
A third group of rebel soldiers in East Timor has surrendered its weapons – part of an initiative to restore order in the troubled nation. A major in charge of the rebel faction, said: "We don’t want to fight anymore and we support peace." (BBC )
Judge Rules for Whales in Navy Sonar Case
For those of you concerned that the Navy was going ahead this week with exercises at sea utilizing underwater sonar known to harm whales and porpoises, a judge yesterday granted the environmentalists a temporary restricting order. (More from EarthTimes)
UK Creates its Largest Wetlands for Birds and Flood-Control
The UK is breaking down a sea wall in Essex to give a wide swath of wetlands back to the birds. The government-funded project costing £7.5m aims to replace bird habitats lost to development by creating the nation’s largest area of wetland with mudflats, saline lagoons and seven artificial islands. The new bird habitat, stretching for 115 hectares (284 acres), also delivers storm defense and flood management. (BBC)
Sporty Electric Cars On Silicon Valley Horizon
Tesla Motors’ goal is to design a sports car that would go as fast as a Ferrari or Porsche — but run on electricity. Their first model, “a sleek two-seater called the Roadster” looking something like “a Lotus Elise”, will be unveiled next month for prospective buyers in Santa Monica.
“With about 80 employees, Tesla just raised $40 million from high-profile investors and it plans to start selling its first model next year.”…
At least three Silicon Valley startups — Tesla Motors, Wrightspeed Inc. and battery maker Li-on Cells — are among a small cadre of companies nationwide developing electric cars or components. (CBS.com)
See also the GNN-i report introducing the Tango, another sporty two-seater, made by Commuter Cars, Inc., that George Clooney bought for himself. (195 Miles per Gallon, Zero to 60 in Four seconds… The Electric Supercar is Here!)
Got Breast Milk? New State Law Celebrated
A recent Alabama law says a woman may breast-feed her baby in public or private anywhere she has a right to be. More than 38 states have similar laws. (All 50 states should codify this common sense right. Further, they should encourage their new moms to breast-feed, in order to deliver all the health benefits possible to each child — a proven increase in both mental and physical advantage.)
Chinese Exercises Benefit Older Adults
Tai Chi and Qigong (chee-kung) combine simple, graceful movements and meditation. They are exercises believed to have positive, relaxing effects on a person’s mind, body and spirit.
In two studies, researchers at the University of Illinois found that healthy seniors who practiced a combination of Qigong and Tai Chi three times a week for six months experienced significant physical benefits after only two months. . .
Bionic Limb Breakthrough in Britain
The latest work by scientists in Britain is paving the way for bionic limbs controlled by the central nervous system. Early clinical trials on a small group of patients who had lost fingers or thumbs has been very encouraging. The next stage of trials will involve upper and lower limb replacements and probably benefit victims of last year’s London bombing attacks. The technology could be ready for thumb and forefingers in a few years, and larger limb replacements in five years. (BBC)
Congo Militiamen Disarm Ahead of Deadline
A "massive disarmament" took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week, days before a deadline. Hundreds of militiamen who were fighting in the bush, including at least 18 children surrendered, one explaining it was for the good of his country. They were given some supplies, money and a certificate for rejoining a community of their choice.
"I have surrendered my weapons at last, to help rebuild my country," Ngajole Lipri, one of the disarmed militia leaders, said on Wednesday at a disarmament site it Bunia, the main town in Ituri District, Orientale Province…
Affordable Housing Built by Inmates Teaches Construction Skills
Community groups in Minnesota concerned with affordable housing are teaming up with groups of prison inmates who want to learn constuction skills while behind bars. They learn roofing skills while supervised on site or build modular homes while inside the prisons. This is the kind of win-win rehabilitation program for convicts (and society) that needs to be replicated across the country. NPR’s All Things Considered features text and audio versions of the story.
Buddhists Coexist with Tigers at Sanctuary
A remarkable monastery in Thailand cares for wild animals which are being squeezed off their land by too much development.
A video shows tigers walking next to monks and allowing visitors to pet them, even wrestle with their cubs. A beautiful story of compassion.
The animal senses that the only thing in the minds of the monks is peace. Now, the monastery is raising money for a tiger island sanctuary. Tourism is a natural outgrowth of the peaceful coexistance the monks have established here. Reincarnation is part of the reason behind the compassion.
(Read the text or view the video from PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly)
Chicago Unveils Most Ambitious Bike Plan in US
Chicago has unveiled its new Bike 2015 Plan, designed to achieve the mayor’s goal to make the Windy City the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States. Work has already begun on 75 of the plan’s 150 strategies, including Constructing 10 miles of new bikeways in 2006, to help reach the plan’s goal of a 500-mile bikeway network by 2015…
The Plan’s Strategies Include:
- Providing secure bike parking inside city buildings, to encourage employees to bike to work.
3.8 million Acres of California Ocean Floor Protected
The Nature Conservancy announced this week the purchase of six trawling permits and four trawling vessels from commercial fishermen in Morro Bay as part of a cooperative agreement with the fishing industry to protect a vast swath of ocean off the coast of central California. The precedent-setting acquisitions represent the nation’s first private buy out of Pacific fishing vessels and permits for conservation purposes and to help reform a troubled fishery. . .
London Birdwatchers Awed as Avocet Hatches in City Wetlands
LONDON — With its striking black and white plumage and elegant upturned bill, the avocet is one of the most distinctive birds. It’s also a great conservation success story for Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Their Web site explains, “Avocets used to breed along the coast from Sussex to Yorkshire, but regular taking of adults and eggs for food, egg collecting and taxidermy eventually led to their disappearance as a British breeding bird in 1842. But, thanks to the work of the RSPB, in 50 years avocets have gone from a handful to several hundred pairs.”
Honda to Build Zero Waste Plant in Indiana
Honda just announced the construction of a $550 million automobile plant in Decatur County, Indiana, to build fuel-efficient vehicles and employ 2,000 Hoosiers.
With a vision of sustainability, Honda wants to create a "zero waste-to-landfill" factory. They say their goal is for the plant in Indiana to have "the smallest environmental footprint of any Honda auto plant in North America." . . .
Mouse Rides Frog’s Back in Flood
This amazing and touching Reuters Photo shows a mouse riding on the back of a frog in floodwaters in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on June 30.
Pa. Workers Rescue Puppy From Sewer Pipe
AP reports that a Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, landscaper loaned police a backhoe so they could dig an 8-foot hole to rescue a cute seven-week-old puppy who’d spent the morning stuck deep inside a sewer pipe. (photo and story)
India Offers Free Anti-AIDS Drugs
Indian officials announced that 100,000 Indians with HIV will be provided free anti-retroviral drugs by early 2007 as part of a program which began in 2004 and has already treated 35,000 people. "By August the drug will be made available to another 50,000 affected people and a further 15,000 by the beginning of 2007, officials say." (BBC)
US Presbyterians Urge Medicinal Use of Marijuana
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has become the seventh major religious organization in the United States to support the use of medical marijuana, an issue expected to come before the US House of Representatives during the week. "It is unconscionable that seriously ill patients can be arrested for making an earnest attempt at healing by using medical marijuana with their doctors’ approval," said the Rev. Lynn Bledsoe, a Presbyterian minister from Alabama who works as a hospice chaplain, in a statement issued by the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative. . .