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Devoted widower finishes 15-year labour of love on 'jigsaw' of shredded love lett...
A widower has pieced together thousands of fragments of romantic notes that he sent to his late wife who shredded them in a fit of pique.
Ted Howard wrote 98 letters to his sweetheart Mollie during the seven years he spent courting her. However, she tore them into pieces and stuffed them into a cushion after finding someone reading them in 1953.
It has taken Mr Howard 15 years to put the fragments back together. The 82-year-old, whose wife died three years ago, said that the mental exercise helped him deal with his grief.
"I still miss Mrs Howard terribly but having the memories helps me through," he said. "The letters brought back so many good times. I now want to write a book about them so everything is committed to paper before it is too late." Mr Howard, of Ramsey, Cambs, a retired farmworker and machinery demonstrator, wrote the letters to Mrs Howard on hotel writing paper as he travelled Europe in the late Forties and early Fifties
After he finished putting each note back together, he photocopied it then returned the fragments to the cushion.
Mr Howard said: "It was love at first sight. No two ways about it. I was at a village feast and this girl jumped off the carousel and came careering into me. It turned out to be Mrs Howard. That was July 19, 1948."
Mrs Howard was 18 at the time while Mr Howard was 23. They married in 1955 and went on to have three children and six grandchildren. Mr Howard, who has written an autobiography, Life on the Fen Edge, is ready to start a book on the letters, called A Week At Stanton. It will be dedicated to Mrs Howard. A widower has pieced together thousands of fragments of romantic notes that he sent to his late wife who shredded them in a fit of piq... more -
Top 100 Recipients of Federal Contract Awards for FY 2008
Data from the recently created USAspending.gov website.
http://current.com/items/89001391_usaspending_gov_where...
FY 2008 Rank Parent Company Name Dollars % of total
1 THE BOEING COMPANY $2,883,356,597 5.60%
2 LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION $2,438,000,514 4.73%
3 NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION $1,526,171,116 2.96%
4 LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY LLC $1,447,722,456 2.81%
5 LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC $1,039,231,351 2.02%
6 BECHTEL GROUP, INC $996,006,153 1.93%
7 MCKESSON CORPORATION $949,346,059 1.84%
8 ABU DHABI NATIONAL OIL COMPANY FOR DISTRIBUTION $918,256,500 1.78%
9 GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION $806,912,172 1.57%
10 RAYTHEON COMPANY $793,191,177 1.54%
Complete list at link.
*Note: FY 2008 only includes data up to first and part of second quarter.
The contracts database is compiled from government data last released on 04/29/2008 Data from the recently created USAspending.gov website. ... more -
Easy Way To Feed Homeless Pets
Freekibble.com's primary mission is to provide good, healthy food to dogs and cats to those shelters who are working so hard to see that none of them go hungry - they need our help. We'll continue to provide free kibble to the Humane Society of Central Oregon and now we're expanding to add more shelters in need of free kibble.
Mimi Ausland, a 12 year old girl from Bend, Oregon, wanted to help feed the hungry dogs at her local animal shelter. "There are 10's of thousands of dogs in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal." Say hello to freekibble.com! And now it's time to feed the cats too! http://www.freekibblekat.com/
Freekibble.com's primary mission is to provide good, healthy food to dogs and cats to those shelters who are working so hard to see th... more -
Feed A Starving Person With One Click
www.freerice.com is a website with an online vocabulary that promotes self-improvement and humanitarian aid by providing free rice to developing nations through the United Nations. It works by asking the viewer what the vocab of a word. If you get the question right, 20 grains of rice is donated, if you get the qustion wrong, you get an easier word. The rice is paid for by ads at the bottom of each page. FreeRice now gives you a second chance on words you miss.
http://www.freerice.com/ www.freerice.com is a website with an online vocabulary that promotes self-improvement and humanitarian aid by providing free rice to ... more -
KC Chiefs football player saves a man's life
Tony Gonzalez, a Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs, was having dinner with his family in Huntington Beach, CA when he rushed over to give a man the Heimlich maneuver. Tony Gonzalez, a Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs, was having dinner with his family in Huntington Beach, CA when he rushed over ... more
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Elderly Woman Frees Child Slaves In Nepal
Olga Murray laughs when she's called a modern-day abolitionist. It is, however, a fair description.
This 82-year-old retired lawyer from California now spends half of her time living in Katmandu, Nepal, where she works to free child slaves.
"It's very difficult to think that in the 21st century, this is a practice," said Murray. But, she argued, "it's happening all over the world, and a lot of people don't know about it."
She is no tourist. She and her organization, Friends of Needy Children, have come up with a remarkably simple and successful method of liberating hundreds of young, female slaves.
For generations in Nepal impoverished families from the countryside have been selling their daughters to wealthy families where the girls, known as "kamlaris," are forced to do housework.
When asked why parents would sell their children, Murray explained, "It's not because they don't love them. It's like they have no choice. Sometimes it's a choice between selling their girl & and feeding the rest of their family."
The practice has become so widespread and socially acceptable that we were able to meet and interview slave girls and their owners.
According to the non-profit group Free The Slaves there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world right now -- more than at any time in recorded history.
Olga Murray laughs when she's called a modern-day abolitionist. It is, however, a fair description. ... more -
Christians, We Have A Problem With Our "Good" News
I have always believed that God is love and a loving God does not tortue people eternally. Serious bible study shows how certain words chosen in the New Testament to translate the texts into Greek, added Greek mythology concepts that the Old Testament doesn't support-namely the hellfire doctrine.
Finally the "good news" of Jesus Christ is really "good news". I have always believed that God is love and a loving God does not tortue people eternally. Serious bible study shows how certain word... more -
Californians are climate trendsetters
More current news on sustainable energy science and policy from TouchArt's friend Bill Brown up in Taos at New Mexico Global Warming and The Climate Change Project.
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Greetings, All -- The article below describes poll results recognizing California's policy innovations and citizen's attitudes about fighting atmospheric pollution and climate change.
The poll "...shows broad public understanding that fixing climate change goes hand in hand with energy stability and economic prosperity."
"Californians understand that clean energy combined with energy efficiency measures, which the state has pioneered for decades, mean their total energy bill will go down..."
Note the reference to California Assembly Bill (AB) 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act.
According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab-32], "The Bill (AB 32), authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Member Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), was agreed between Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislators on August 30, 2006. It requires that by 2020 the state's greenhouse gas emissions be reduced to 1990 levels, a roughly 25% reduction under business as usual estimates. The California Air Resources Board, under the California Environmental Protection Agency, is to prepare plans to achieve the objectives stated in the Act."
-- Bill Brown
www.nmglobalwarming.org
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From TouchArt.net and One Earth Blog at www.OneEarthBlog.Blogspot.com More current news on sustainable energy science and policy from TouchArt's friend Bill Brown up in Taos at New Mexico Global Warming a... more -
Hand in hand school Israel and Arab children learn together successfully 50/50
Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education is Israel was founded to build peace between Jews and Arabs in Israel through development of bilingual and multi-cultural schools. Elementary schools were founded in Jerusalem and in the Galilee region of Israel; in 2004 a third school was opened in Wadi Ara. In September 2007, the fourth Hand in Hand school through the parents's group Hagar opened in Beersheva. Under the unique Hand in Hand Education model, each school is co-directed by Arab and Jewish co-Principals; and each classroom is co-taught by Jewish and Arab teachers. Students at each grade level are balanced between Arab and Jewish children. Students at all grade levels are taught in both Hebrew and Arabic, learning to treasure their own culture and language while understanding the difference of others around them.---
Go to link for full text and inspiring pictures._____________________________
From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education is Israel was founded to build peace between Jews and Arabs in Israel through developmen... more -
Pacific Ocean dolphin populations improving
The numbers of Northeastern offshore spotted and eastern spinner dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are increasing after being severely depleted because of accidental death in the tuna purse-seine fishery between 1960 and 1990, according to biologists from NOAA's Fisheries Service.
Between 1960 and 1990, the northeastern offshore spotted and eastern spinner dolphin populations dropped to 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively, of their pre-fishery levels when dolphins were caught and died in tuna purse-seine nets. Since the early 1990s, however, the number of reported dolphin deaths has been very low because of severe restrictions on the fishery.
Researchers emphasize the need to continue to monitor dolphin populations at sea through comprehensive ecosystem research cruises, and to conduct an updated dolphin stock assessment that will include not only these most recent abundance estimates, but also additional information on dolphin life history, fishery mortality, and the ecosystem. This assessment will enable a more definitive interpretation of whether these abundance estimates indicate Eastern Tropical Pacific dolphins are recovering and the degree to which the fishery and other factors affect the conservation of these stocks.
Today's report stems from a series of research cruises conducted since 1986. It presents new estimates of abundance for 10 dolphin stocks for each survey year between 1986 and 2006. The numbers of Northeastern offshore spotted and eastern spinner dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are increasing after b... more -
New York imam forges close ties with city's Jews
The largest Mosque in NY, the ICC, is getting applause from the city's influential Jewish community. Mohammad Shamsi Ali is the Mosque's Indonesian born-imam.
Rabbis who've spoken there call it an open and welcoming community. The Jewish Theological Seminary and the ICC are planning a joint soup kitchen for the homeless. The mosque is organizing an inter-religious studies program for teenagers.
"What I heard Shamsi Ali preach was as fine a sermon on brotherhood as has ever been preached," said Visotzky, professor of midrash (scriptural interpretation) and inter-faith studies across town at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Rabbi Marc Schneier spoke at the ICC last year and invited the imam to speak in his Synagogue last month:
"It was impressive when he spoke to the congregation about Israel's territorial integrity and how suicide bombings are a perversion of the Koran and Islam."
The imam has taken part in the prayer at an inter-faith memorial service in Yankee Stadium two weeks after the September 11 attacks. Ali has also been active in larger inter-faith initiatives such as the National Dialogue of Muslims and Catholics and Imams and Rabbis conferences in the United States and abroad. The largest Mosque in NY, the ICC, is getting applause from the city's influential Jewish community. Mohammad Shamsi Ali is the Mosque... more -
Muslim opens Holocaust museum in Israel
In a world where Muslim's are stereotyped to be "Holocaust deniers" a Muslim Arab created the first Holocaust Museum in Arabic in what is said to be Jesus's (pbuh) hometown of Nazerath in 2005.
''Jewish people everywhere, not just in Israel, have a feeling of persecution" because of centuries of anti-Semitism that culminated in the Holocaust, said the museum's founder, Khaled Kasab Mahameed. ''This feeling of persecution shapes their consciousness. . . . Every aspect of life is affected by this feeling of persecution, which is very deep in the Jewish soul."
''If Arabs really understand this, they should understand that they must act with all their force to protect Israel and defend Jews against Nazis and other killers," he said. ''And when the Jewish people see that the Arabs understand, they will be able to give the Arabs their rights."
Majali a resident of Nazerath said:
''We were not part of this Holocaust as Arabs, but as Arabs now involved in conflict with Jews, we have some kind of responsibility to say 'Jews, we are with you.' " ''They want security. . . . We want an independent Palestinian state, but aside from this, we have to do something so that Jews feel security."
However the Musuem also has its critics both Arabs and Israeli's, but this Musuem is a step in the right direction towards building understanding. In a world where Muslim's are stereotyped to be "Holocaust deniers" a Muslim Arab created the first Holocaust Museum in Arabic in what... more -
Hand in hand - Israeli and Arab children learn together
In Israel today, Jewish and Arab citizens live in a highly segregated environment, often in closely adjoining areas and in many regions throughout the state of Israel. In the most recent census of Israeli citizens, 20% are Arab and 80% are Jewish. Today there are few opportunities for meaningful and deep interaction between members of these two major groups, especially in the fields of elementary and secondary education, which are almost entirely segregated.
In 1997, Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education is Israel was founded to build peace between Jews and Arabs in Israel through development of bilingual and multi-cultural schools. Elementary schools were founded in Jerusalem and in the Galilee region of Israel; in 2004 a third school was opened in Wadi Ara. In September 2007, the fourth Hand in Hand school through the parents's group Hagar opened in Beersheva. Under the unique Hand in Hand Education model, each school is co-directed by Arab and Jewish co-Principals; and each classroom is co-taught by Jewish and Arab teachers. Students at each grade level are balanced between Arab and Jewish children. Students at all grade levels are taught in both Hebrew and Arabic, learning to treasure their own culture and language while understanding the difference of others around them.---
Go to link for full text and inspiring pictures.
_____________________________
From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com
In Israel today, Jewish and Arab citizens live in a highly segregated environment, often in closely adjoining areas and in many region... more -
Woman makes 1,800 trips to feed kids
El Paso native Maria Ruiz knows firsthand how different life can be a mere 30-minute drive south of her Texas home.
"Just by crossing the border, you're in a Third World country," Ruiz said.
For 12 years, she's traveled several times a week to the outskirts of Juarez, Mexico, bringing aid to hundreds of impoverished children and their families.
Ruiz's family has roots in Juarez, but it wasn't until 1996 that she ventured outside the city.
There, for the first time, she saw poverty in the extreme. People lived in homes made of wooden pallets. The elementary school was built of makeshift materials and had no running water or electricity. Teachers told her that many children were failing because they were hungry.
"My heart went out to those kids," Ruiz recalled. "I couldn't just cross my arms and turn away from it. I needed to do something."
Ruiz got donations from El Paso businesses, and within one week, she was running a food program out of her home. She cooked meals in her kitchen and drove the food south to the Juarez school.
She fed approximately 1,200 children every day for three and a half years, until the businesses she depended on for donations shut down in 1999.
But that didn't stop Ruiz from helping the children in Juarez. Now, working with her husband and two children, she gathers donations from around El Paso -- food, clothing, toys, even furniture -- and distributes them at local "giveaways" a couple of times a month. El Paso native Maria Ruiz knows firsthand how different life can be a mere 30-minute drive south of her Texas home. ... more -
German whizzkid got it wrong: NASA
Earlier reports that a 13 year old German schoolboy spotted a miscalculation by NASA, proving the chances of an asteroid hitting the Earth were higher than initially believed, is in fact wrong.
The agency, sounding a bit like a weary math teacher, said its figures are correct when it comes to the asteroid Apophis, not the boy's.
"We stand by our numbers," NASA spokesman Dwayne Brown told AFP.
The agency that oversees space shuttle missions and unmanned space probes issued a statement after the German newspaper Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported on Tuesday that student Nico Marquardt had calculated there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth.
He argued in his project for a regional science competition that scientists at NASA had got it wrong when they estimated the chances of a collision at only 1 in 45,000.
But experts at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California had no doubts about their calculations, Brown said.
The Near-Earth Object Program Office "has not changed its current estimates for the very low probability (1 in 45,000) of an Earth impact by the asteroid Apophis in 2036," Brown said in a statement.
And the newspaper's account was also inaccurate when it described NASA telling the European Space Agency that the German student's calculations were correct, Brown said. Earlier reports that a 13 year old German schoolboy spotted a miscalculation by NASA, proving the chances of an asteroid hitting the E... more -
Alternative fuel - Salt water
I saw a report a few years ago on my local TV news about John Kanzius, a former radio executive, who had discovered that radio frequency will make salt water burn.
I was so fascinated by this idea. I wished I had a few billion dollars to buy his patent and turn his discovery into planet saving technology.
Now, on Sunday, I saw 60 Minutes did a story on John Kanzius and his breakthroughs on cancer research. 60 Minutes did not mention the salt water power solution Kanzius discovered. I wonder why.
Does anyone know if someone bought the technology from Kanzius? I saw a report a few years ago on my local TV news about John Kanzius, a former radio executive, who had discovered that radio frequen... more -
Cat Resuscitated With Oxygen Mask!
A cat who was rescued from a blazing house was resuscitated by firefighters using a child's oxygen mask.
Officers pulled the unconscious black cat named Sookee from the fire in Baluniefield Road, Dundee, after it had been overcome by smoke.
They fitted the oxygen mask over the elderly animal's face and it quickly regained consciousness.
Another two cats and a dog were safely removed from the burning house on Sunday afternoon.
The fire started when an electrical fault caused a blender to burst into flames.
Atleast there's some good news out there. A cat who was rescued from a blazing house was resuscitated by firefighters using a child's oxygen mask. ... more -
Medical discovery of the decade?
Scientists at the Institute for Neurological Research at the University of California have tested an injection which treats the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease "in minutes".
The drug is injected into the spinal column and the patient is then tilted to encourage the drug to flow to the brain. The clinic released video footage of the patients being treated to add credence to their claims, in one video, a man recognised his wife just minutes after the treatment and offered her a hug. He not been able to recognise her in years. Scientists at the Institute for Neurological Research at the University of California have tested an injection which treats the sympto... more -
'Squirrelman' to leave his tree for an RV
A man who has spent the past two years living in a treehouse has a new, terrestrial home just in the nick of time, thanks to neighbors.
David "Squirrelman" Csaky, a self-taught carpenter, learned Tuesday that neighbors had found an aging recreational vehicle for him to occupy.
"I'm overwhelmed," Csaky said. "I started crying when they told me."
For two years, Csaky, 52, has lived about 30 feet above the ground on city land, on a 300-square-foot platform that he built, accessible by a ladder counterweighted with sandbags on pulleys.
Csaky outfitted the treehouse with a tent, wood stove, three chairs, shelves and a counter with an unplumbed sink. His pets include Lucky, a rat; Rainbow, a ferret; and Tilt, a squirrel.
He was lately threatened with eviction because the treehouse is a health and safety concern.
Brandon Ferrante, 28, and Maria Bolander, 27, who befriended him after watching the treehouse take shape, found an aging 22-foot RV online after they learned of Csaky's situation.
"It broke our hearts," Ferrante said. "He's taken care of the neighborhood. We couldn't sleep at night. We decided to make it happen."
They and their landlords, Janet Yoder and husband Robby Rudine, agreed to buy the rig for $500 after the owner offered a special "Squirrelman" discount.
"David's a unique character but a good neighbor," Yoder said. A man who has spent the past two years living in a treehouse has a new, terrestrial home just in the nick of time, thanks to neighbors... more -
The Olympic Truce
The idea of a truce symbolises the spirit of the Ancient Olympic Games. Warring Greek cities assembled in ancient Olympia, where they realised they had more in common with their adversaries than they had thought.
Supporting Olympic Truce
The Olympic Truce call
At the dawn of the 21st century, the Olympic Truce once again calls upon humanity to lay down its weapons and work towards building the foundations of peace, mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation.
Implementing Truce means:
• Valuable time for constructing bridges of communication between adversaries
• Providing humanitarian support to children and adults in conflict-torn regions
• Helping to protect the damaged natural environment and contributing to the replenishment of vital natural resources
• Allowing the youth of the world to participate peacefully in the Olympic Games.
Beyond these, the Truce promises to create the necessary infrastructures for the continuation of dialogue and for the renewal of hope for reconciliation, both during the duration of the Games and throughout the four-year period of Olympiads.
The idea of a truce symbolises the spirit of the Ancient Olympic Games. Warring Greek cities assembled in ancient Olympia, where they ... more
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