Tuesday, February 16, 2010

As donations pour in for Haiti, charitable organizations take stock | Stars and Stripes

As donations pour in for Haiti, charitable organizations take stock | Stars and Stripes:
"For Haiti, the Red Cross has raised more than $250 million and has plans for some $80 million of that so far, said Red Cross spokesman Jonathan Aiken....which spends about 10 percent of its budget on administrative and fundraising work, according to Charity Navigator, has deployed 100 workers to Haiti and provided supplies, including blankets, hygiene kits, mosquito nets and kitchen sets to 130,000 people, provided 3 million prepackaged meals to the United Nations World Food Programme, and money to feed another million people for a month."

Seemingly the best at spending the money so far? Food For the Poor. One of the groups the money we helped raise at the BootDrive went to.

Not so good at least yet:

"Musician Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti said it has spent about $928,000 so far on deliveries of food and water, as well as 500 shelter packages — tents, water purification tablets, canteens, blankets, gloves and personal items — to people in Jacmel. The group has raised a total of more than $8.6 million,"

Leadership & President’s Day | N2Growth Blog

Good look at The leadership of Washington and Lincol
"Abraham Lincoln is one of the most inspirational case studies in examining the leadership traits of persistence, commitment, determination, passion, conviction, and overcoming failure. There is perhaps no greater lesson the world can offer in overcoming failures and understanding the value of persistence than what can be learned from looking at the life of Abraham Lincoln. Born into poverty, Mr. Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout most of his life. He twice failed in business, lost eight different elections and suffered a nervous breakdown."

Monday, February 15, 2010

Matters of the Heart: Risking it All for the Marathon | Active.com

Matters of the Heart: Risking it All for the Marathon | Active.com:
"It has become a known fact that family history and dietary habits play as critical a role--if not a greater role--in heart health than exercise.....

A recent study showed that while regular exercise does indeed benefit the heart, some experienced marathoners past the age of 50 had significant calcium deposits in their arteries, thus increasing their likelihood of suffering a heart attack. The recent heart trauma suffered by 1980s marathon star Alberto Salazar has been well documented, and highlights how even those with a history of elite fitness can be vulnerable."

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

How Many More Are Innocent? - Reason Magazine

How Many More Are Innocent? - Reason Magazine: "
Calculating the percentage of innocents now in prison is a tricky and controversial process. The numerator itself is difficult enough to figure out. The certainty of DNA testing means we can be positive the 250 cases listed in the Innocence Project report didn't commit the crimes for which they were convicted, and that number also continues to rise. But there are hundreds of other cases in which convictions have been overturned due to a lack of evidence, recantation of eyewitness testimony, or police or prosecutorial misconduct, but for which there was no DNA evidence to establish definitive guilt or innocence. Those were wrongful convictions in that there wasn't sufficient evidence to establish reasonable doubt, but we can't be sure all the accused were factually innocent."

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Never Before Seen Photos of World Trade Center - ABC News

Never Before Seen Photos of World Trade Center - ABC News:
"Looking at these images never gets any easier. The photos that follow depict the horrible images of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the aftermath of the recovery efforts where some 2800 innocent people died, including those aboard hijacked flights American 11 and United 175. ABC News recently obtained these images after filing a Freedom of Information Act request in 2009 with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which had collected as part of an investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center. (Det. Greg Semendinger/NYC Police Aviation Unit)"

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Vegetative Patients Talk With Brain

Vegetative Patients Talk With Brain:
"A few patients who appear to be in a persistent vegetative state may in fact be aware of themselves and their surroundings.

Remarkably, such patients may be able to learn to 'speak' using only their brains, suggest findings by Martin M. Monti, PhD, of the UK Medical Research Council, and colleagues.

'If someone can produce a mental state on command, it is like having a language,' Monti tells WebMD. 'We had 23 apparently vegetative patients, and four were really aware -- as we could tell by MRI [brain scans]."