http://positivenewsus.org/content/home News RSS feed. en-gb http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/fromtheedi11/03/2007_at_04:13:10 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/fromtheedi Building bridges, reaching out, connecting is at the cen ter of this fall edition. Love befriends generosity in "Rebuilding the Heart." Wealth dances with humility in "Grace of Giving." Activists act out the change in the report from the US Social Forum. Democracy speaks to the heart in "Sacred Activism". And yes, even football players in yoga are saluting the sun. In reality, we all desire the same things in life. We all wish for health, love, safety, and... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/congratula11/03/2007_at_04:13:15 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/congratula By Mary SojournerAt the victory celebration on February12th in Buffalo Park, Flagstaff, Arizona, Dine and Hopi, Anglos and Apaches, artists and lawyers, grand mothers and fierce Dine kids in black greeted each other with the same word: "Congratulations."That morning the eclectic group learned that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had, in the words of activist Roxane George, "ruled for the tribes, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and, of course, the San... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/planetaryf11/03/2007_at_04:13:20 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/planetaryf Katrina Survivors Join Upstate NY Peace and Healing GatheringWritten by: Chrisophia SomerfeldtOver 30 people from a still-devastated, lower-income area of New Orleans rode 26 hours to attend the PeaceWeaver Community's annual Peace Gathering in Bath, NY this August, which focused on personal, social and ecological healing.The PeaceWeavers, Ithaca-based group Love Knows No Bounds and St. John #5 Faith Church in New Orleans raised well over $10,000 to bring members of St. John's to... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/yourheartb11/03/2007_at_04:13:27 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/yourheartb By Lee Riddell"I envision a world where there are authentic relationships and authentic communications." says peace troubadour Cecilia St. King, "Where we recognize that we are all in it together and have to work together to make our world better."Inspired by the late sixties movie Jesus Christ Superstar where Judas sings to Christ 'if you would have come today you would have had a whole nation, Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication.' Cecilia brings hope... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/wereinchar11/03/2007_at_04:13:31 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/wereinchar We're in Charge! Movement Challenges the Causes of Climate Change by Chrisophia Somerfeldt A wave of direct action, collaboration and community empower ment to uproot the causes of climate change is on the rise thanks to Rising Tide North America (RTNA) and other climate justice efforts. With a clear grasp of the threats to the planet's life-support systems, RTNA joins Rising Tide UK and Rising Tide Australia in a grassroots movement to dismantle fossil-fuel-based capitalism and... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/ecovillage11/03/2007_at_04:13:36 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/ecovillage By Steve Gabriel Ecovillages around the world are pioneers of sorts, creating and modeling sustainable lifestyles in harmony with their local environments. By restoring damaged ecosystems, developing participatory governance, growing healthful organic food, building 'green' homes, working for justice and social change, empowering girls and women and youth at risk, and utilizing renewable resources such as wind and solar energy, these communities provide ideal 'campuses' for... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/junior8add11/03/2007_at_04:13:41 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/junior8add "Challenges which confront our world to the best of our abilities. In seeking to resolve these challenges, we need your support. Together it is possible to make a difference."  GERMANY  Imagine having an audience with some of the most powerful leaders in the world, where you have the oppor tunity to tell them what you think about the future of our planet. This is exactly what happens at the Junior 8 Summit each year! The Junior 8 (J8) Summit is the parallel youth... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/ridesharin11/03/2007_at_04:13:46 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/ridesharin The only vehicle the family owns, they use the cab for errands, outings and work. Elisabeth and Jon peddle the cab about 5 days each week averaging 1 to 4 miles per trip. The Harrods urge others to look into this transportation option. "It really is an option for people without a car," says Elisabeth. http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/changingth11/03/2007_at_04:13:53 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/changingth By Donna Beckwith   We are in the middle of a six month trip around Europe and have been staying with many Couchsurfers. We are not the average, young, sleep-anywhere-person, but a middle aged couple. We have made some great friends, learned loads about other cultures, seen things we would not have on a normal holiday and been blown away by people's friendliness and generosity. In a time where the world is supposedly full of hate, fear and mistrust, we are having the best... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/waterforli11/03/2007_at_04:13:58 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/waterforli By Ruth Robertson All eyes are on Stockton, California and the campaign to affirm that access to water is a basic need and a fundamental human right.  This Central Valley agricultural center of 280,000 is celebrating the return to municipal control of their waterworks after four years of for-profit ownership.From 2003 to 2007, Susan Mora and Bill Loyko watched their formerly superbly maintained public water system deteriorate. Susan worked for the Municipal Utilities Department while... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/solarpower11/03/2007_at_04:14:02 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/solarpower BANGLADESH-  One of this year's Ashden Awards winners for Education, Shidhulai Sangstha, was rewarded for a project which makes the most of water as a way of bringing education and empowerment to remote communities. The organisation has designed a fleet of 88 locally-made wooden boats that bring a lifeline to the remote Chalanbeel region of Bangladesh. The boats use solar power to provide lighting and run computers and other equipment. They function as schools, libraries, internet... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/wearemakin11/04/2007_at_12:07:20 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/wearemakin U.S. Social Forum Draws ThousandsBy Marty Luster and Ashley SmithATLANTA, GA - What happens when some 15,000 activists from every state and 64 other countries get together?The first US Social Forum was held in Atlanta from June 27 through July 1. The result of this historic in-gathering of grass roots activists is new energy, new ideas, renewed commitment and a sense that, yes, indeed, 'we are making a difference'.They were young and old, multiracial, men and women, gay and... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_711/10/2007_at_12:44:02 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/apositivew11/10/2007_at_12:46:12 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_7/apositivew LOS ANGELES, CA  Wildlife groups claimed that whales don't want to be exposed to the Navy's powerful sonar. And in August a federal judge agreed.Judge Florence-Marie Cooper has banned the Navy from using high-power sonar during exercises in the Pacific, ruling the sound can hurt whales and other marine mammals. She issued a temporary injunction, after the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed suit on behalf of the sea creatures in March claiming the Navy did not do... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_801/26/2008_at_03:33:36 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/gmofreewor01/26/2008_at_03:33:36 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/gmofreewor I believe we will end genetic engineering of the food supply in two years ~ Jeffrey Smith by Steve Gabriel   Jeffrey M. Smith is a leading spokesperson on the health dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). An international bestselling author, his research and magnetic communication style captured public attention in 2003 with his first book, Seeds of Deception, which detailed the serious and questionable side effects of genetically engineered foods. In his second book,... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/truevictor01/26/2008_at_03:33:43 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/truevictor Dear Friends, Wow - on Saturday [Dec.15], in desperate last-minute negotiations, the world faced down an effort by the US, Canada and Japan to wreck the crucial Bali Climate Change Summit. Over 600,000 Avaaz members mobilized to save the Bali talks, including 320,000 in the final 72 hours! Arriving in Bali, most countries wanted to work towards a new global treaty on climate change as well as new targets for carbon emissions by rich countries. But late last week, the US and Canada... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/theshamani01/26/2008_at_03:33:46 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/theshamani by Christophia SomerfeldtAs part Priestesses, part pep-squad, part hip-hop video dancers. They chant, cheer and dance in cool outfits, leaving audiences from the Burning Man stage to the Power to the Peaceful afterparty with Micheal Franti, Spearhead and the Heavyweight Dub Champions "enthralled, exhilarated and yelling for more." They strut their stuff not for just one team, but for all of us; they shout and shimmy not to egg-on competitors, but to raise positive energy,... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/tenpointpl01/26/2008_at_03:33:51 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/tenpointpl by Annabel McGoldrickHans von Sponeck, who served as humanitarian coordinator for the UN in Iraq before resigning in protest over sanctions, has come up with a ten-point peace plan which, if followed, could finally open the door on a more positive future. Published by a Sweden based think-tank, the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, with director Jan Oberg as co-author, the von Sponeck plan calls for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops and the closure of US... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/palestinia01/26/2008_at_03:33:59 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/palestinia by Marty Luster Since he was a teenager, Ahmad Hijazi, a Muslim Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, has been working for peace in Israel and Palestine. In 1984, he participated in a dialogue program with Jewish teens, and the experience forever changed his life. He finished high school, studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, married and moved to the only village in Israel where Jews and Arabs have made a determined effort to live, work and raise their children together - known... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/studentscr01/26/2008_at_03:34:06 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/studentscr by Lauren Frederick You can't stop the power of the people because the power of the people won't stop!   On November 2, 6000 Students from all corners of the United States car pooled, traveled in veggie-oil automobiles, bused, rode bikes, and walked to the campus of the University of Maryland for the first ever national youth climate summit. Many dedicated students worked hard for over a year to dream and scheme Powershift, a national convergence on climate change aimed... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/oneanthemo01/26/2008_at_03:34:11 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/oneanthemo by Steve Gabriel   What song involves over 200 people from over 30 countries and numerous performances taking two years to complete? "We Are One - A World Anthem" is the amazing collaboration of musicians that involved 90 recording sessions that included 29 singers, 32 instrumentalists, a 40-person Youth Choir, the building of a 94-person World Community Choir, a 101-person Om Choir, and 22 people from around the world speaking "we are one" in their native... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/thepleasan01/26/2008_at_03:34:16 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/thepleasan by Lara Martin   Kipchoge Spencer and his bicycle- powered rock band, the Ginger Ninjas, have hit the road pedaling. Joined by the band Shake Your Peace!, musicians and crew left Grass Valley, California in the early morning  of November 2, 2007. Their four month journey will take them from the mountains of Northern California to the Mayan ruins in Palenque, Mexico. In an effort to promote the use of bicycles in everyday lives, each participant in the tour is riding a... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/globalizat01/26/2008_at_03:34:21 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/globalizat TURKEY - A group of 600, mostly academics, met in Istanbul, under the auspices of Globalisation for the Common Good. Dr Kamran Mofid, an Iranian econ- omist living in Derbyshire, who founded the Initiative, explains: "Our mission is to promote ethical, moral and spiritual values into, amongst others, the areas of economics, commerce, trade and international relations. We are committed to the idea that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere: it is a region of the human... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/abrightide01/26/2008_at_03:34:28 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/abrightide by Steve Gabriel In early November the Berkeley, California, city council approved a solar power loan pro- gram that pioneers a new way of getting solar into homes and businesses. The program will pay for the installation of solar PV panels and solar hot water systems in the form of a loan paid back over a 20 year period. This move attempts to overcome one of the biggest hurdles for solar; the upfront investment of thousands of dollars for installation and equipment. Mayor Tom Bates'... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/livinlavid01/26/2008_at_03:34:34 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_8/livinlavid by Jen Sotolongor Nestled in a wilderness retreat center an hour south of San Francisco, Vida Verde is an organization that gives students the chance to learn outside of the classroom.  The non-profit educational center provides free, overnight environmental learning experiences for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity.  After serving with Teach for America at low-income schools in the Mississippi Delta area, Vida Verde founders Laura Dickerson and Shawn Sears... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_908/14/2008_at_09:10:35 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9 Here are some more positive article titles in our recent issue-- You'll need a hardcopy of this issue or download the paper to read them! http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/thelongest08/14/2008_at_09:10:36 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/thelongest SAN FRANCISCO, CA  On February 11 more than two hundred participants began the Longest Walk 2, a five month cross-country journey on foot to spread their message that all life is sacred. The walkers have come together from many Native American nations and other communities in order to raise awareness about the environment, to visit and promote the protection of sacred Native sites, and to help clean up our Mother Earth.People have come from as far away as England, Poland, and Australia... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/symptomsof08/14/2008_at_09:10:41 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/symptomsof by Saskia Davis Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed; and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world. Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/positively08/14/2008_at_09:10:45 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/positively (c) Ruth Robertson San Quentin is not a typical state prison.  It is one of only a handful of prisons in the US that offer higher education courses in a classroom setting.  In this correctional facility just north of San Francisco, students take courses in philosophy, sociology government and geology, just to name a few. A big goal of the Prison University Program (PUP) is also to challenge popular myths and stereotypes about people in prison.PUP brings together volunteer teachers... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/playingfor08/14/2008_at_09:10:51 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/playingfor Growing up in a small town in Mexico, I was delighted to be surrounded by the beauty of nature, and to always be able to enjoy clean air.  As a child I spent my days working the fields with my parents or taking care of our animals. This was how I learned to appreciate what Mother Earth gives us, and began to believe that there is more beauty in nature than the materialistic life that many people in cities value.Our family's life changed when we decided to come to the United States.... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/scotlandwi08/14/2008_at_09:10:55 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_9/scotlandwi Scotland has won the Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup-the international football tournament that changes lives. Forty-eight nations and 500 players were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country for true grit, spirit and glory. Scotland beat Poland in the finals by 9 goals to 3 in front of packed crowds.The Homeless World Cup is a life-changing international football tournament. It unites teams of homeless people from across the globe. The tournament consists of... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/summer200808/20/2008_at_09:20:20 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/summer2008 Canadian Schools Cultivate Peace http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/canadiansc08/20/2008_at_09:24:48 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/canadiansc by Donna Beckwith The Canadian Cultivating Peace project was born as an alternative to the use of force to resolve conflict. Developed by Classroom Connections in 2002, Cultivating Peace provides classroom-ready resources free to secondary schools throughout Canada. Understanding that long term solutions require a substantial cultural shift, and believing that the strongest force available is education, Cultivating Peace supplies curriculum materials are designed to be part of a... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/chinasaysn08/20/2008_at_09:24:59 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/chinasaysn by Daleena Samara In June, the steady flow of some three billion ultra thin shopping bags into landfills across China slowed down.  This dramatic change wast the result of new laws enacted to ban the practice of giving free plastic shopping bags to shoppers at supermarkets and stores in the country. Instead, shoppers in China have been asked to bring their own cloth bags or shopping baskets when shopping.  The new law, which will come into effect on 1 June, also bans... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/kidssaveap08/20/2008_at_09:25:07 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/kidssaveap by Haley Stern Well, it all started over the course of a few weeks. My cousin was coming - and for her birthday she wanted to go to the zoo - so we went to the Bronx Zoo for a celebration. One of the places we wanted to see was the "Congo Gorilla Forest", so we walked and walked, and - love at first sight. Deep in my heart something told me that these gentle creatures needed me. I went to school being called "H-Gorilla", or "Gorilla Girl" for the next... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/risinggasp08/20/2008_at_09:25:12 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/risinggasp by Ruth Robertson At first Tian Harter worked solo from his home in Mountain View, California on his "Don't Be Fuelish!" campaign to promote bicycle commuting. Retired from a hi-tech job, he came up with a simple drawing of a car and bicycle sharing the road with his favorite slogan as the key message. Tian withdrew money from his personal savings and turned that now well-known sketch into a green and white bumper sticker that he passes out to nearly everyone he... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/seachangeg_208/20/2008_at_09:25:19 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/seachangeg_2 A woman walking on the beach of South Padre Island, in the tropical tip of Texas, was appalled at the rubbish lying around and felt compelled to do something about it. She organised a beach cleanup day and in just two hours 2,800 volunteers had bagged 124 tonnes of waste. That was in 1986. Today, a worldwide movement has grown out of that single event, attracting more than six million volunteers from 127 countries, over the last 23 years. Now, Ocean Conservancy's International... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/vetsfindhe08/20/2008_at_09:25:25 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10/vetsfindhe Drew Cameron and Drew Matott prove an organic pair when it comes to paper-making. Through their project, Combat Paper, they have been generating inspiration for war veterans the nation over. Drew C. is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, having served multiple tours abroad. Whether or not someone agrees with war resistance, the Combat Paper project focuses on encouraging all veterans of combat in their return to civilian life. The striking, if not shocking, part: the paper is... http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news08/20/2008_at_09:26:00 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news   http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_1008/20/2008_at_09:26:20 http://positivenewsus.org/content/home/news/samplestor_10   Empowering the Next Generation  Jammin for a Better World Natural Happiness for All   Students Help Empower Ghana Residents to Prevent Malaria The Power of Positive Walking