12.21.2007

In New Orleans, a Mother's Search for Her Lost Son

Five years ago, Chris Turnbow left home in Marion, Ark., and just disappeared.

His family had reason to believe he was living in New Orleans; a family friend had bumped into him there at Mardi Gras. But that was before Hurricane Katrina. Turnbow's mother, Jean Aaron, tried not to consider whether his long silence meant he was alive or dead.

Earlier this month, 69-year-old Jean heard her son's voice for the first time since he had left home. She heard him on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, in a story about homeless people living in Duncan Plaza, a park in front of City Hall. (NPR)

Christmastime is here...

It's official: the last day of school is over! Posting here will be infrequent until school's back in session in January, but please check Good News Sources in the sidebar to get your fix of hope in the headlines.

Free online materials could save schools billions

Since March, Dixon Deutsch and his students have been quietly experimenting with a little website that could one day rock the foundation of how schools do business.

A K-2 teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary Charter School in Brooklyn, N.Y., Deutsch, 28, has been using Free-Reading.net, a reading instruction program that allows him to download, copy and share lessons with colleagues. (USA Today)

U.S. Cholesterol Levels Dip To Ideal Range

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the average cholesterol level for U.S. adults is in the ideal range, the government reported Wednesday. Results from a national survey, which includes blood tests, found the total cholesterol level dropped to 199. Doctors like patients to have total cholesterol readings of 200 or lower. (CBS)

Giant offshore wind farms to supply half of UK power

Britain is to launch a huge expansion of offshore wind-power with plans for thousands of turbines in the North Sea, Irish Sea and around the coast of Scotland.

John Hutton, the energy secretary, will this week announce plans to build enough turbines to generate nearly half Britain’s current electricity consumption. (Times)

Madagascar: UN rural development fund to back small-scale enterprises

The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development announced today that it will spend more than $30 million to help farmers and other rural residents in Madagascar develop microenterprises to boost their incomes. (UN News)

UPS cuts fuel usage dramatically by reducing left turns

It seems that sitting in the left lane, engine idling, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can make a left-hand turn, is minutely wasteful — of time and peace of mind, for sure, but also of gas and therefore money. Not a ton of gas and money if we’re talking about just you and your Windstar, say, but immensely wasteful if we’re talking about more than 95,000 big square brown trucks delivering packages every day. And this realization — that when you operate a gigantic fleet of vehicles, tiny improvements in the efficiency of each one will translate to huge savings overall — is what led U.P.S. to limit further the number of left-hand turns its drivers make. (NY Times)

12.20.2007

Once Volatile German-Polish Crossing Is Dismantled

One of the world's most tense borders, the gates between Poland and Germany, will be opened for good as Poland today joins the passport-free zone of Western Europe. (GNN)

Survey shows more Cook Inlet belugas

The number of beluga whales swimming in Cook Inlet appears to be increasing, but biologist say it's too soon to know whether the winsome white whales are finally making a comeback.

This year's increased estimate is the largest since 2001 when 386 whales were counted. (AP Wire)

Snowbound family's 'Help' sign leads to rescue

Stranded in the snowy California woods for three days after losing their way while searching for a Christmas tree, a father and his three children fashioned a "Help" sign out of twigs on a nearby unpaved road, according to the helicopter pilots who found them. (CNN)

Adopted son finds birth mom at his workplace

For years, Steve Flaig, a delivery truck driver at the Lowe's store on Plainfield Avenue, had searched for his birth mother.

He found her working the cash register at the front of the store. (Chronicle)

Ontario turns over Ipperwash park to First Nation

Ontario turned over Ipperwash Provincial Park to a First Nation on Thursday, settling a long-standing aboriginal grievance in the province. (CBC)

7 year old girl saves family from fire

Vallejo firefighters are calling a 7-year old girl a hero for saving her whole family.

A fire broke out at about 4:00 a.m. Monday morning, in a house where Tamara Groves and her three children were sleeping. The smoke finally woke 7-year-old Kelby Yelder, who was sleeping in her top bunk. She knew what to do, but it sure wasn't easy. (ABC7 News)

12.19.2007

A very green year

"There's a clear trend here. Despite setbacks and delays, the world is now giving serious attention and political support to energy use, pollution limits and the 800-pound gorilla of climate change. Just a year ago, none of this was foreseeable." (SFGate)

India starts putting its street children in schools

Eleven-year-old Anurag never went to school because he had to scavenge through Delhi's bins, dumps and gutters in search of sellable trash each day before spending his nights sleeping on the street.

Now, thanks to India's biggest effort yet to educate every last child, he has a smart blue uniform and has started going to a mainstream state school in the Indian capital -- something he had once considered a luxury for destitute children like himself. (Reuters)

'Bubble' baby to return home for the holidays

A New Brunswick baby is coming home for the first time in 15 months after she was treated in American hospitals for a rare genetic immune deficiency syndrome.

Katlyn Demerchant was born with adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency [ADA SCID], sometimes referred to a "bubble boy" syndrome.

The 18-month-old toddler has spent much of her life in a hospital room at the National Institute of Health in Maryland undergoing gene therapy. (CBC)

U.K. Muslims Support Keeping Christ in Christmas

Muslim leaders join the U.K. Commission for Equality and Human Rights in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas, and not worry about offending non-Christians. The urging comes amid reports of schools cancelling nativity plays in order not to offend Muslims and students of other religions. (NPR)

Plans to Build a Cleaner Coal Plant Advance

Plans to create a new, more environmentally friendly coal plant are moving forward.
A consortium of coal industry players has announced that they'll build a pilot power plant in Illinois that will have zero emissions. The facility will sequester the plant's CO2 emissions deep into the ground rather than release them into the atmosphere. (NPR)

12.18.2007

Milwaukee man, 87, completes university studies after 50 years

As the saying goes - you are never too old to learn. Just ask Clarence Garrett.

A 50-year gap in his higher education didn't stop Garrett. (CBC)

North Dakota Bank Giving Workers Money to Donate

A bank is giving its full-time employees $1,000 each and part-time employees $500 each as part of a $502,000 "Pay it Forward" initiative. There's one condition — use it for people in need. (AP)

"Last hope" donor conference raises 7.4 billion dollars

A donors' conference in Paris, which US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called 'the last hope' to avert bankruptcy, has raised 7.4 billion dollars in aid for the cash-starved Palestinians, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday. (Deutsche Press)

Police reward good drivers with coffee

Police are stopping law-abiding motorists and rewarding their good driving with $5 Starbucks gift cards. (AP Wire)

Mobilizing a Kingdom of Women

In a country with a shocking rate of HIV/AIDS, the women of Swaziland live a life with no rights, no say and no hope – until now. Siphiwe Hlophe is on a mission to mobilize the women of her country and give them a future. (CARP)

12.17.2007

Internet initiatives make everyone a philanthropist: AOL founder launches two efforts to encourage online giving

The old thinking goes that to change the world, you have to give millions. But young tech-savvy philanthropists are trying to prove otherwise.

Leveraging new technologies and the growth of social-networking websites, several online-giving pioneers are trying to expand the pool of potential donors by democratizing philanthropy and making it more transparent. (CS Monitor)

Hair and mushrooms create a recipe for cleaning up oily beaches

A group of guerrilla volunteers is cleaning oil from San Francisco's beaches using an unorthodox, albeit totally organic, method: human hair and mushrooms.

While the mats may not be the obvious choice among hazardous waste experts, they hit San Francisco's green chord: More than 700 volunteers have tried them in recent days. Organizers hope their success will inspire more ecological responses to toxic waste removal. (SF Gate)

A Kenyan's Path to Manchester

Sammy Gitau grew up in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. As a teenager, he joined a gang, and became a drug addict. But a pamphlet in a dust bin helped turn his life around. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Gitau, now a graduate of Manchester University. (NPR)

A Wealth of Kindness Among Somalia's Poorest: Clan Ties Open Doors for Refugees From Capital

In the absence of more robust international aid, Somalis are mostly relying on such kindnesses and on money from relatives abroad, as well as the clan structures that have so often been blamed for undermining attempts to form a viable central government. (Washington Post)

Breast cancer patients can skip chemo, opt for lighter treatment: studies

Thousands of breast cancer patients each year could be spared chemotherapy or get gentler versions of it without harming their odds of beating the disease, new research suggests. (CBC)

12.14.2007

Ultralight Pilots Needed: Quicker, More Economic Disaster Relief

Disaster rescue and relief is expensive work. Remote areas often lack landing strips for large supply craft, and helicopters are incredibly expensive to own, operate, and maintain.

"(Bill) Lishman is on to a new project - a tiny, skeletal aircraft he hopes will revolutionize the business of disaster relief. Mr. Lishman wants to pack more than a dozen of the little planes into a container that can be flown to areas such as Sudan's Darfur region, where they could be deployed like mechanized hornets, buzzing to hard-hit sites with loads of food and medical supplies." (Al Fin)

Muslim helps Jews attacked on New York subway

A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah." (CNN)

Santas at the double in Birmingham to raise money for the Acorns hospice

IT was a sight destined to send youngsters wild with excitement but these Santas weren't delivering presents to Birmingham early this year.

Instead, 300 kind-hearted fund-raisers dressed up as Father, and Mother, Christmas to bring some festive cheer to sick children.

And they helped raise more than £20,000 that will spread joy to youngsters being treated by Acorns Children's Hospice. (Birmingham Mail)

Dentist tends the homeless

What started as one man's attempt to involve his family in some community service has mushroomed into full-blown charity. (News & Observer)

Mystery 'Santa' delivers surprise

An anonymous "Santa Claus" is making the rounds around this city this week, offering unexpected gifts of cash to surprised shoppers. (Times Argus)

12.13.2007

Starbucks Drive-Through Spews Goodwill (Video)

At a Starbucks in Greensburg, Pennsylvania yesterday, someone paid for her coffee at the drivethru and also paid for the car behind her. It led to a chain reaction of goodwill and good cheer over two hours and one hundred cars. (ABC Video).

A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation

On a continent woefully short of electricity, 20-year-old William Kamkwamba has a dream: to power up his country one windmill at a time.

So far, he has built three windmills in his yard here, using blue-gum trees and bicycle parts, the first when he was just 14. His tallest, at 39 feet, towers over this windswept village, clattering away as it powers his family's few electrical appliances: 10 six-watt light bulbs, a TV set and a radio. The machine draws in visitors from miles around. (Wall Street Journal)

Water-conserving mayor hopes to keep Sask. town flush with cash

The mayor of Battleford, Sask., wants to go with the low-flow and have residents switch to water-stingy toilets.

According to Mayor Chris Odishaw, the roughly 1,500 households in the town each use 75 litres of water every day.

He wants to reduce that figure by replacing every toilet, shower head and bathroom tap aerator in Battleford with water-saving units. (CBC)

Mystery Santa decking New Jersey's Garden State Parkway with Xmas ornaments

Someone is hanging Christmas ornaments with care, not by the chimney but on trees along New Jersey's Garden State Parkway. (CBC)

Study: Co-operative Fisheries Make Cash

At a time when a quarter of the world's fisheries are considered depleted, can commercial fishermen make more money by fishing less? A study published in the Friday edition of the journal Science says they can — with one condition.

They must be in a cooperative fishery, like those operating in New Zealand and Australia, where individual fishermen own a share of the total harvest rather than the competitive fisheries more common in the United States, where it's a race to catch the most fish. (Yahoo)

12.12.2007

Danielle Babin creates a future for street kids in Africa

Like a lot of twenty-somethings, Danielle Babin loves to travel. But unlike most of her generation, you won’t find Danielle sipping on martinis at an all-inclusive. After visiting more than 20 countries, Danielle’s passport credentials would make most parents cringe.

At the tender age of 17, Danielle journeyed to Haiti in order to volunteer on a humanitarian project. “I wanted to do something good and so my first mission in Haiti taught me a lot.”

She adds, “I always thought travelling was my passion, but a priest made me notice that it’s not the case. I love helping people. I don’t like resorts or cruises or modern countries. I need to get out there and help others.” Since then, Danielle has been a part of over 18 different international development projects in over 22 different countries. (here nb)

Twin sisters receive kidneys from same donor

Chicago-area trauma victim gives gift of life to 10-year-old girls

It had been snowing in Chicago when the call came from the hospital telling Rachel Dalomba that transplant teams had acquired two kidneys from a trauma victim -- one for each of her twin, 10-year-old daughters. “The snow and everything this time of year -- it really felt like we were getting a great Christmas gift.” (story and video at MSN Today)

Argentina Gets Female President

Cristina Fernandez was sworn in Monday as Argentina's first elected female president, completing a rare husband-wife transfer of power that the nation hopes will ensure continued recovery from an economic meltdown.

Fernandez, whose husband Nestor Kirchner is credited with leading Argentina out of its 2001-2002 economic meltdown, vowed to increase his center-left economic programs, create jobs and reduce high poverty levels. (Guardian)

Childhood Cancer Death Rates Down

Cancer deaths among kids and teens in the U.S. have become rarer in recent years, according to a new CDC study.

Childhood cancer isn't rarer than it used to be. Cases of childhood cancer rose by less than 1% per year from 1990 to 2004.

The CDC today reported that the nation's childhood cancer death rate -- which includes kids and adolescents -- decreased by 1.7% per year from 1990 to 2004, thanks to advances in treatment. (Web MD)

Group Touts Seaweed As Warming Weapon

Slimy, green and unsightly, seaweed and algae are among the humblest plants on earth. A group of scientists at a climate conference in Bali say they could also be a potent weapon against global warming, capable of sucking damaging carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere at rates comparable to the mightiest rain forests. (Wired)

12.11.2007

Autism Study Lends Credence to "Fever Effect"

Parents of children with autism sometimes say they know things about the disorder that doctors don't. For decades, some parents have been saying that symptoms of autism diminish when their child has a high fever.

Now a team from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore has done a study that suggests the fever effect is real. The findings might lead to a treatment that could mimic the beneficial effects of fever without actually making a child sick. (story and audio at NPR)

African School Succeeds Against the Odds

Here at the Chiseka school on the rural outskirts of town, many children attend class outside, sitting among weeds in the shade of a towering blue gum tree. There are 1,531 students, six classrooms, no running water and no light bulbs.

Yet Chiseka has the best academic record in its district by far. Last year all 40 students in the eighth grade passed their exams. And 30 did well enough to qualify for secondary school -- a significant achievement in a country where less than 30 percent of students finish primary school. (ABC)

AquaMaker creates water from thin air

In Israel, where water is scarce, a new device allows people to generate water from air.

Aquamaker converts the humidity in the regular everyday air we breathe into water, and it will work practically anywhere in the world, even the desert. The system filters out the pollutants and because it doesn't come from the ground it isn't full of harsh minerals. (Jerusalem Post via Good News Network)

Supporting ex-offenders helps build safer communities

Forward Step supports ex-offenders through “being a sounding boarding, advocating on their behalf and reducing stress in the lives,” said Helmut Isaac, an MCC worker who supports ex-offenders through the Forward Step and the Person to Person programs.

“It is all about safety in the community,” said Isaac. “Whenever there is too much stress in their lives that’s when things go sideways. It’s about friendship—it is not rocket science—it is just being a friend.” (MCC)

Charitable Gift-Giving Growing in Popularity

Toronto resident Ellen Reid is giving symbolic acres of land as gifts to 20 people in her life this holiday season because she says her family and friends already have everything they need.

Socially responsible gifts are growing in popularity in Canada as people turn to charities and aid groups for what are sometimes called gifts that give twice.

The polling firm Ipsos Reid, which surveyed 1,429 Canadians on behalf of World Vision Canada, found that 77 per cent of those surveyed said they didn't need anything this year, while only 36 per cent felt there was something in particular they wanted.

A full 84 per cent said they would prefer to have a gift given on their behalf to help someone else instead of receiving a sweater or a pair of socks. The survey results were released in November. (CBC)

12.08.2007

In US classrooms, 'tech sherpas' assist teachers with computers

In a role reversal, students provide the tech support, creating a 'culture of respect' between teachers and teens.

Doran Smestad walks through the empty gym to the office in the back corner. The high school sophomore's mission: to recover an important file that physical education teacher Jim DiFrederico can't seem to open on his new Macintosh laptop. Doran's long fingers cover the keyboard as he taps at it with cool concentration. (CS Monitor)

US Adds Produce and Whole Grains to Food Assistance Menu

A popular program that provides food assistance to low-income women and their children received its first overhaul in more than 30 years Thursday with the addition of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the list of grocery items covered by the U.S. government.

Created in 1972, the WIC program supplements the diet of 8.5 million low-income pregnant women, new mothers and young children annually.

Recipients will be allowed to substitute items -- such as replacing whole wheat bread with soft corn tortillas, or canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables in place of their fresh counterparts -- in order to reflect cultural differences and make it easier for people to participate. (Reuters)

China Fires up Eight Biomass Plants

China has launched eight biomass plants in five leading grain-producing provinces to cut carbon dioxide emissions in electricity generation amid growing global concerns over greenhouse gas and climate change. (Good News Network)

Britain to Invest $300M For Homelessness

The British government announced Wednesday that it is to provide 150 million pounds (about 306 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years, the biggest ever cash injection, to local authorities to tackle homelessness in their areas. (Good News Network)

Teen Pens Book of Hope

For Estar Hester, suffering from life-threatening illnesses hasn’t stopped the 15-year-old McKinney North High School student from enjoying the greater pleasures in life.

“I like drawing, animation, like anime,” Hester said. “I’m really into the computer. I like taking pictures of people.”

Hester suffers from chronic lung disease, scoliosis and an immune system problem, hypogammaglobulinemia. Despite these illnesses, Hester said she has lived a pretty good life.

“Pretty normal, the only thing I can’t do is physical activity,” Hester said. “It’s been OK.”

Last Tuesday, “Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day - Lessons from a Wish Child” was released in e-book form. The book, written by Hester, talks about life’s struggles and what you can do to stay strong. (Star Community Newspapers via Happy News)

Man who greened Seoul now sets sights on all South Korea

As mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-Bak transformed one of Asia's grimmest urban centres by opening up a waterway through the heart of the city. Now he plans to do the same for the entire country.

Lee's achievements in greening the congested capital of 10 million people made him one of Time magazine's "heroes of the environment" in October. (AFP)

12.06.2007

5 Million Free Children’s Books Now on Grocery Shelves

For the sixth year in a row, Cheerios is putting five million children's books free inside boxes of Cheerios cereal.

In addition, Cheerios is again working with First Book, an award-winning children's literacy nonprofit, to give a year's worth of children's books to 50 reading programs serving disadvantaged children across the country. Over the past six years, Cheerios has donated more than $2.5 million to support First Book and its mission: to help get brand new books to children from low-income families. (Literacy News)

Moncton hospital looks at ways to share its isotopes

A hospital in Moncton, N.B., is fielding calls from other medical institutions after it secured one of the final batches of radioactive isotopes from a U.S. supplier amid a worldwide shortage.

The George Dumont Hospital is looking at ways to share the isotopes it has, Colosimo said, especially for children who may need emergency procedures. (CBC)

Cheer restored after grinch's cookie theft

Two Whos have restored some holiday cheer in Saint John after a grinch stole Christmas treats.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 cookies and other goodies were stolen from Simply Good Catering, a company that provides jobs for people with mental illness in the southern New Brunswick city.

After CBC News broke the story of the holiday theft, two donors, who asked to remain nameless, stepped forward to help the non-profit group. (CBC)

Australian golfer plays 650 holes over 40 hours for charity

After playing 650 holes of golf over 40 hours, Adam Engel didn't expect his marathon charity round to end with a bang: a chip-in birdie from about 45 yards.

Engel said he was inspired to take on the challenge to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation after his best friend, Shane Burn, was stricken with the disease. (CBC)

Scientists hope new materials will give oil spills the slip

U.S. scientists have designed a process to create a material capable of strongly repelling oils, one they said could have applications in hazardous waste cleanup. (CBC)

12.05.2007

Miss Landmine Angola 2008

Miss Landmine Angola, a project backed by the Angolan government, hopes to raise awareness of the continuing suffering caused by landmines in the country. The culmination of the project will be a beauty pageant starring women injured by landmines. (audio interview at BBC)

Soy Provides Opportunity, Challenges for Paraguay

The global production of soybeans is on the rise, thanks to increasing demand. The fastest growing soy producer in the world is Paraguay, the landlocked country in South America still recovering from years of dictatorship and corruption. (NPR)

Congo Creates Massive Reserve to Protect Close Human Cousin

Congo has announced the establishment of a rain-forest preserve intended to shield the bonobo, one of human beings’ two closest ape relations, from wildlife poachers and deforestation.

The Sankuru Nature Reserve — at 11,803 square miles, it is larger than the state of Massachusetts — is being created through a partnership involving American and Congolese conservation groups and government agencies. (NY Times)

China Surges Ahead In Renewable Energy

The Worldwatch Institute reports that ambitious Chinese energy targets, supported by strong government policies and manufacturing prowess, may enable China to leapfrog the rest of the industrialized world in renewable technology in the near future. (Mother Jones)

UN climate change conference hails Australia Kyoto signing

More than 10,000 scientists, bureaucrats and politicians from 186 countries have gathered Monday on the Indonesian island of Bali for the beginning of what is perhaps the world's largest-ever conference on climate change.

Monday's session opened with delegates giving a standing ovation for Australia as the country's delegate, Howard Bamsey, announced Canberra was ratifying the Kyoto accord.

The move ends more than a decade of resistance to the environmental pact and leaves the United States as the sole developed nation that has not recognized the accord. (CBC)

12.04.2007

India Offers to Help Rebuild Bangladesh

India waived a ban on rice exports to Bangladesh and offered to help rebuild 10 villages worst hit by a recent cyclone that devastated crops and property, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday during a visit to the country.

India has already pledged millions of dollars in aid for the cyclone-hit nation.

Mukherjee said India was willing to "adopt" 10 coastal villages for rehabilitation and would allow the sale of an additional 500,000 tons of rice to Bangladesh. (Guardian)

Measles deaths in Africa plummet by 91 per cent – UN

Deaths from measles in Africa have dropped by 91 per cent – or from an estimated 396,000 to 36,000 – between 2000 and 2006, thus achieving the United Nations goal to cut measles deaths by 90 per cent four years early, it was announced today.

The extraordinary successes in Africa are thanks to national governments' firm commitment to fully implement the measles reduction strategy, including vaccinating all children before their first birthday and providing a second opportunity to be vaccinated through mass campaigns, the Initiative said. (UN News Centre)

Finally, something not caused by global warming

While we should in no way downplay the environmental challenges we face today, we should also make sure that we recognize good news. In one case, clean air laws helped reduce pollution and acid rain, but they also created dissolved organic carbon, which was a situation that looked like more bad news at first, but turned out to be a small flame of hope. (David Suzuki Foundation)

Cancer Victim Invents Possible Chemo Alternative

John Kanzius made his fortune owning radio stations in Pennsylvania, then retired with his wife to Florida. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia.

While he was undergoing chemotherapy he decided there has to be a better way to fight this illness. And even though he wasn't a doctor, he figured he could figure it out himself.

Kanzius said he was inspired to invent his cancer-fighting machine after seeing the children who were getting chemotherapy at the same time he was. "I noticed young kids losing their smiles, losing their hair. And I said to myself, 'Today's chemotherapy is cruel. There's gotta be a better way to cure cancer,'" Kanzius told ABC News. (ABC)

The Street Samaritans: Post-Katrina volunteer medics on bicycles created a new model of community health care in New Orleans

In the days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, the city’s Algiers neighborhood was one of the few that stayed dry. Still, Algiers was left without electric power or running water for many days, and the invasion of the city by thousands of soldiers, federal police officers and private paramilitary personnel created an atmosphere of tension and trepidation.

Then one morning four days into the storm, something happened that melted the fear and eased the tension.

Green Jobs Growing

Clean energy, already a job-creation engine, will soon rev even higher. (Mother Jones)

12.01.2007

Education campaigns mark World AIDS Day

Afghanistan, India and Thailand were among countries that stepped up public awareness campaigns Saturday against the spread of HIV/AIDS as part of international efforts to mark World AIDS Day. (CBC)

11.30.2007

World AIDS Day to Honor Life and Restate Figures

World AIDS Day will celebrate the millions of people living with the disease, rather than the pessimism of years gone by. The United Nations reports the number of those infected with HIV worldwide is 33 million, not the 39 million previously reported.

Mark Dybul, who runs the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — a five-year, $15 million dollar effort to reduce suffering from AIDS in poor countries – speaks with Renee Montagne. (NPR)

AIDS patients dedicate a new clinic in Uganda

More than 30 AIDS patients sang together to celebrate the Oct. 19 dedication of an AIDS clinic that Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) helped build at Mengo Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

For years, the staff of Mengo Hospital has struggled to care for AIDS patients in a smaller building without enough private rooms. The new clinic includes six counseling rooms, a pharmacy and other facilities to serve about 1,700 men, women and children with HIV. (MCC)

AIDS update: tracking the progress we've made

It is still the biggest public health challenge on the planet. Each day, over 6,800 people — many of them newborns — become infected with HIV, while at the same time about 5,700 die from AIDS.

But earlier this month, in a relatively unnoticed announcement, the several UN agencies that are charged with tracking the HIV/AIDS epidemic revised their most recent estimates for 2007 significantly downward, by roughly 16 per cent. (CBC)

The Soul of Africa Initiative Kicks Out AIDS

The Soul of Africa Initiative is a registered charity in South Africa which was set up to support orphans whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS.

The surviving family members, often young women and grandmothers, are being empowered through their employment by SOA. They work for a fair wage stitching shoes and making footballs. Many of the women have been trained with new skills by SOA to do this work and the initiative also provides childcare development centres so the youngest children can be cared for while the women work. (Treehugger)

Promising new HIV-AIDS drug approved in Canada

Health Canada has approved a new HIV-AIDS drug, the first in a promising new class of medications.

Drug maker Merck Frosst says it has been given permission to bring Isentress to the Canadian market for treatment of HIV-positive people whose viruses are resistant to other HIV drugs.

AIDS expert Dr. Mark Wainberg says there is tremendous optimism about the drug in the community of HIV patients, doctors and researchers. (CBC)

Canadians care about global AIDS issues: survey

Canadians show more compassion toward people affected around the globe by AIDS and HIV than those in six other G8 countries, a new survey released on Thursday suggests.

"What matters most is our humanity," said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the Toronto release of World Vision's Global AIDS Attitudes Survey. "We come to pledge our part in the battle against AIDS, to do what needs to be done." (CBC)

11.29.2007

Students in developing nations learn a lot thanks to small loans

Save the Children estimates that about 100 million children in developing nations are out of school – 60 percent of them girls. Despite some progress toward meeting the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015, many countries simply don't have enough public school spaces to educate all their children – particularly in the most remote or economically distraught areas.

Microloans, often used to help small businesses, are now helping private schools in Ghana and elsewhere. (CS Monitor)

New Brunswick gets a B on climate change report card

An environmental watchdog has given New Brunswick an improved grade on its efforts to combat climate change.

The province scored a B in a report card issued Wednesday by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, an improvement over last year's C-minus rating.

"It brought in a pretty good climate action plan, the first real one we've had that set reasonable targets for cutting the pollution that causes global warming," said David Coon, policy director for the council. (CBC)

'Anonymous Friend' gives $100 million to town

Mike Batchelor invited the heads of 46 charities into his downtown office for one-on-one meetings to personally deliver the news. Nearby, on a small table, sat a box of tissues.

And then he proceeded: A donor had given a staggering $100 million to the Erie Community Foundation, and all of the charities would receive a share.

That was when the tears began to flow -- and the mystery began -- in this struggling old industrial city of 102,000 on Lake Erie, where the donor is known only as "Anonymous Friend." (CNN)

50 Ways to Green Your Business

Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It's an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd.

Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?). In this article, Fast Company lists its favorite ways that today's companies are greening up. (Fast Company via Daily Good)

11.28.2007

Ex-Child Soldier Named UNICEF Advocate

Former child soldier and best-selling author Ishmael Beah has taken on a new role — showing children caught in conflict that there can be a better life after war and urging government leaders to help fund their return to society.

Beah, a 27-year-old survivor of Sierra Leone's civil war, was appointed UNICEF's first Advocate for Children Affected by War on Wednesday, saying he wants to show that his story of redemption need not be unique.

''For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a living and for whom the bush is the most welcoming community, is a child lost forever for peace and development. I contest this view,'' Beah said. ''For the sake of these children it is essential to prove that another life is possible.'' (AP via Happy News)

Indonesia Embarks on Tree-Planting Campaign

The Forest Ministry of Indonesia announces plans to plant 79 million trees in anticipation of a conference on global climate change in December. The move is part of a United Nations campaign to plant a billion trees around the world. Indonesia has been criticized for its failure to stem deforestation. (audio at NPR)

Documentary Spotlights West African 'Sisters In Law'

Two women in the West African nation of Cameroon are delivering justice and breaking gender barriers in the courtroom. Their work is the subject of the documentary Sisters-in-Law. Judge Vera Ngassa, one of the women featured in the film, and filmmaker Kim Longinotto discuss the women's unique bond and the idea behind creating the documentary. (audio at NPR)

Winds of Change Blow into Roscoe, Texas

There's a new sound out on the green grid of cotton fields that make up what West Texans affectionately call the "Big Country." Joining the hum of a seemingly ever-present wind is the rhythmic whoosh of spinning carbon-fiber blades on dozens of huge wind turbines.

It's a growing Big Country symphony. Roscoe, a farm town with a population of just 1,300, is about to become Wind City U.S.A. — the locus of one of the biggest wind farms in the nation and the world. It's a striking development in a state better known as the U.S. leader in emissions of global warming gases.

The wind project is largely due to the vision of a one-armed, 65-year-old cotton farmer named Cliff Etheredge. (audio and narrated slideshow)

11.27.2007

Sleeping pill awakens girl from coma

A girl who has spent six years in a coma is showing signs of life after taking a sleeping pill.

Amy Pickard, 23, had lain in her bed, unable to eat or breathe for herself since falling unconscious in 2001.

But after being enrolled in a study of the side-effects of the sleeping pill Zolpidem, her eyes have begun to sparkle and she has even managed to stand. (Telegraph)

People Helped By One Washington Car Salesman Come Back With A New Lease On Life

Car salesmen get called a lot of things. “Living saint” is rarely one of them.

“There are no bad men. There are no bad men on the planet,” Korry Holtzlander says. “There're just those who are lost."

By all accounts, this married father of two has always had a good heart. But it swelled to greatness after a series of three chance encounters at work. (CBS)

Green gas bar opens in N.B.

The Caraquet Co-Op in northern New Brunswick officially opened an environmentally friendly gas bar on Monday.

"We wanted this gas bar to give a signal to our people that we are also turned toward the future," said Marcel Garvie, the co-op's president. (CBC)

Mighty mouse engineered to fight cancer

Researchers have created a mouse that is resistant to even highly aggressive cancers.

Scientists at the University of Kentucky created the mouse by introducing into the animal the tumour-killing Par-4 gene, taken from the prostate. Par-4, which was discovered by radiation-medicine expert Vivek Rangnekar and his team, kills cancer cells but not normal cells. It is actually found in every kind of cell, the researchers say. (CBC)

Surgery allows amputees to 'feel' in missing hand

Using an innovative surgical technique, researchers have rerouted major nerves to give amputees greater control of prosthetic arms — and unwittingly restored the sense of touch and temperature in their "phantom" limbs. (CBC)

Israelis, Palestinians agree to seek peace deal by end of 2008

Israeli and Palestinian officials have agreed to a joint statement declaring their commitment to work toward a peace deal before the end of 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush told delegates Tuesday at a Mideast conference in Annapolis, Md.

Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Bush said the two leaders agreed to "immediately launch good faith, bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including core issues, without exception." (CBC)

Disabled nine-year-old walks again thanks to botox injection

A little boy crippled by a debilitating illness can walk again - thanks to Botox. The toxin, usually only used for cosmetic purposes, has transformed nine-year-old William Scott's life.

He has spent the last 10 months off school and the family had to move his bedroom downstairs because going to bed had become to great an effort. But now William, of Great Lumley, County Durham, is recovering thanks to the skill of surgeons and a four month course of Botox injections. (Daily Mail)