Money opportunities during recession
The mainstream media makes the current economic condition of the US seem dire and desperate, but is it really? One news website is saying that home businesses have grown faster than ever despite the recession. In the face of job cuts, this could be a way for people to manage and increase income during times of uncertainty.
There are always other ways to present stories, and while the job market may be harder to break in to, there are certainly other ways of improving your own finances. Not all is bleak!
Source: Legitimate home business market growing fast despite recession
Teen tackles plastic bags
Ah…plastic bags. What luxury it is to take home so many from the grocery store. Not! In an age where people are trying to act in ways that are more environmentally sensitive, these bags are a constant reminder of what we are doing wrong. They pollute landfills and represent our consistent overconsumption.
One Canadian teen is working on a solution to the waste that these bags cause. For a school science competition, Daniel Burd chose to see what would make these plastic bags decompose. He has found a bacteria that can do the job. More research is being done to see how the process could be sped up. This can have pretty huge implications for landfill waste management.
Source: Student isolates microbe that lunches on plastic bags
Sustainable bicycles to spin into Ghana
Bamboo has many purposes, but bicycle designer Craig Calfee has decided to use it to make lightweight bicycles. They are a bit pricy, but they are durable, strong, and lightweight.
Calfee is planning to teach craftsmen in Ghana how to produce these bikes so that they can make a living using their abundant bamboo.
Artificial limbs may make their debut at the Olympics
Oscar Pistorius was born without fibulae, but that is not going to prevent him from trying to compete in the Olympics. The Olympic committee has approved his request to try out despite debate over how his artifucial limbs may be more efficient for running than ‘normal’ human limbs.
This is a victory for people with disabilities–Pistorius would be the first to run in the Olympics with this type of artificial limb.
Source: Sprinter with two carbon-fiber feet gets Olympic thumbs up
Baby survives against daunting odds
A Florida baby born at 21 weeks has defied all odds by surviving and thriving. Her parents fought for the doctors to save her life even though she was incredibly premature. Her survival has sparked debate over the legal age limit for abortion–for now, babies can be aborted as late as 21 weeks.
Little Amillia shows how human strength can abide at even such a young age.
Source: Miracle baby clung to life
Holocaust Hero dies at 98
Irena Sendler saved more than 2,000 Jewish children from the Nazis during WWII. She was humble about her actions, saying that she merely stayed normal when the world had gone mad. She died this week in the town where she was born–she was 98 years old.
Beautiful stories like hers show how even in the midst of madness, human integrity and compassion can reign over great chaos and evil. She was arrested by the Nazis and sentenced to die, but the underground movement bribed her guards and got her out. Rightfully, Catholic, Jewish, and political organizations have lauded her heroic acts.
Source: Polish Catholic woman who saved children from Nazis dies at 98
Daughter sees past Alzheimer’s
The media has a tendency to represent Alzheimer’s as one of the more devastating things that can happen to a family. But for Sue Bourne, it has been an inspirational experience. She has made a documentary about the effects that the disease has had on her family, but maintains a positivity throughout. She writes about cherishing every moment with her mother and the small things in which she can find joy.
Hers is a beautiful story shared by many, but she shows how she captures happiness in spite of the hardness. Hopefully her story will be an inspiration for others going through trying times.
Morning sickness not so bad
Morning sickness, a dreaded element of many pregnancies, may just have a great purpose after all. Researchers are saying that it may actually serve to protect the fetus during its most critical growth phases by keeping potential toxins out of the mother’s body.
The article says that it is rather unpleasant to experience, but that researchers are trying to find ways to make it more manageable without mitigating the positive effects.
Mental health options
Australia has started a program called Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative. This helps those with mental illnesses stay out of the hospitals and remain valuable members of their communities. The program has had major successes, and its participants are healthier in many ways for it. They learn how to take care of themselves, which provides the important morale boosts that keep them out of hospitals.
This is an unconventional way of treating mental illness, but it is sometimes those unconventional methods that have the greatest impact. Rather than wiling away in hospitals, people are now able to contribute, feel valued, and most importantly, be valued.
Dell moves toward Green
Dell has been making changes to both its campus and the technology it produces. They have produced a computer that will be wrapped in bamboo and made with mostly recycled plastics. It is smaller and lighter, providing for easier shipping.
Dell has other environmental initiatives–its campus is run with renewable energy and they have a computer recycling program.
Dell can serve as a model for other companies trying to become more ‘green,’ and as this happens, consumers will have more choice in the type of products they choose.
