I hope you enjoy the
second weekly
Top Ten List of Good News, produced especially for my friends at Daily Kos. I hope you enjoy, (recommend) and look forward to next Friday's list...
1) UK Paper Donates Revenue from Bono/AIDS Edition to Africa Fight
Half of all revenues from the May 16 issue of the UK paper, the Independent, will go towards the fight against AIDS in Africa. The paper, guest edited by U2 rocker and activist Bono, sold out within hours and became an instant collectors' item. All the articles featured the AIDS issue, which Bono laments is missing in other mainstream media that apparently require rock stars to motivate their coverage of the facts: "6,500 people die in Africa every day from a preventable, treatable disease (AIDS/HIV)."
2) Israel Opens Crossing to Gaza Eases Crisis
Israel made a decision to open the main cargo crossing to the Gaza strip for the first time in several months out of humanitarian concerns....
The Karni crossing has been closed on and off for security reasons but Palestinians normally import much of their food and export goods and produce through the opening. The newspaper, Haaretz quoted Israel's new defense minister as saying to his army commanders, "Our war is against terror, not against the residents of the Strip."
3) Former Rivals Join in Common Cause to Save the Internet
An issue came along to unite artists and musicians with Gun Owners of America; MoveOn.org with the Christian Coalition; The AARP with E-bay and Google. All these bipartisan groups along with 600 others have joined together in an effort to keep the internet free and equal for all websites, no matter how large or small.
4) Dramatic Downward Trend in Rapes
The Justice Department's latest annual National Crime Victimization Survey of the United States estimates that rapes and attempted rapes fell more than 80 percent in the last three decades from 1973 through 2004. One expert calls it a "dramatic trend".
5) New Type of Cement Absorbs Air Pollution
An Italian company has begun marketing a cement that is capable of absorbing pollution from vehicles. Italcementi spent 10 years developing the product that is capable of reducing urban pollution by more than 40 percent.
6) Carter Center Eradicates Guinea Worm in Africa
When former US President Jimmy Carter saw the suffering in the developing world caused by a little known disease called Guinea worm, he updated the human rights mission of the Carter Center to include public health. Today, nearly 25 years later, the Carter Center has been successful in fighting the parasite "almost to the brink of extinction," winning him this year's $1 million prize for global health from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
7) Grassroots Internet Campaign Pressures Indonesia to Save Orangutan Rainforest
Under intense international pressure the Indonesian government has virtually abandoned plans to convert large areas of ancient rainforest in the "Heart of Borneo" that are a prime habitat for the endangered Orangutan... International protest via e-mail bombarded the Indonesian government and may have been responsible for the turnaround. (Great photo of mama and baby Orangutan)
8) Israeli Village Breaches Wall to Help Palestinians
This in-depth feature is sure to make you feel better about the Middle East:
The erection of a wall by Israel around the occupied West Bank suddenly cut off contact between an Israeli communal farm and Palestinian village of Qaffin, "two villages that had long set a shining example of peaceful co-existence." Now the leaders of the communal farm are searching for ways around the wall, to help their friends. "If our neighbors don't have a life, we won't be able to live in peace."
9) Celebrations spill into Streets as Nepal Deflates its King
Nepal's restored parliament voted unanimously in favor of reducing the king's power to that of a ceremonial figurehead with no control of the army. Tens of thousands of Nepalese celebrated in the streets when they heard the news... They've earned the right to celebrate. Earlier this month, people gave their lives in street demonstrations against the king and his army. Democracy is unfolding here.
10) U.S. Upgrades Libya to Non-terror State
Colonel Gaddafi's desire to bring Libya back into the international fold has paid off. The U.S. has followed the lead of the UN by choosing to renew full diplomatic relations with Libya and removing the country from its list of nations that support terrorism.
*For more good news and inspiring stories -- going back to 1997 -- Check out the Good News Network, Geri Weis-Corbley, Editor/Publisher (c)2006*