What's good in the world ( news )
 

NH teacher, 100, gets degree a day before dying

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100127/...enarian_degree

CONCORD, N.H. – It was Harriet Richardson Ames' dream to earn her bachelor's degree in education. She finally reached that milestone, nearly three weeks after achieving another: her 100th birthday.


On Saturday, the day after receiving her diploma at her bedside, the retired schoolteacher died, pleased that she had accomplished her goal, her daughter said. Ames had been in hospice care.


Her wish for a degree became known when a Keene State film professor interviewed her a couple of years ago for a piece on the college's own centennial, which the school celebrated last year.


The school decided to research her coursework and see if it could award Ames her long-sought diploma. The offices of the provost, registrar and other departments worked quickly in the last month to determine, that indeed, it could.


College officials, including Walker, drove the document to Ames' bedside on Friday.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100127/ca...7sISGjcVTw0g--

Good news? Well they don't really report that, but here's something...

There has been no, repeat NO, magnitude 8 earthquake in New York City today. Eight million people in that area are all fine. Food and running water are still widely available, and they all still have power. Hospitals have adequate supplies and staffing, and there has been no influx of mass casualties. Garbage pickup continues on a normal schedule.

well that's something

Here's something for you Skysidhe.

3-year-old's 911 call saves grandma's life

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=7239080

yay! woo hoo you go Jaden!

Cat that saved couple from fire then goes missing is found:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/349352...s_and_animals/

Let's hear it for puddy tats!

Now why am I thinking of a three-legged pig?

But what about the mail??????????

A friend of mine, a US mail carrier in NYC, assures me that he is hard at work and there are no extraordinary issues interfering with mail delivery at this point in time.

Whew - thanks Stormie - I was getting worried there for a moment

Yeah, I'm glad those wall street bonus checks are getting delivered.

Suzanne Lanza

I did 11 deliveries on a Thursday and was at work until 11:30 pm. In january!

This is good news...

Snow Storm That Covered South Heads Off to Sea!

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010...ter-Storm.html

It's strange that the country as got terrible storms in batches this winter yet we are warmer than usual or at least warmer than I can remember since being in my teens.

Do you have pictures? I would love to see snow.:D I only see snow on the mountains.

No snow where I live. Only lots and lots of rain.

bumpity boo ... Here is a great "Good News" story.

Cash Mob
Link

:)

Clean your room... no more

The Swiss have been the world's bank for quite a while.
Now the Swiss are saying they'll be our mother, too.

HA!!! Yea, a pig like that you just don't eat all at once.

Prison Kittens are cared for by staff and inmates:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/15/...curity-prison/

Nice story.

And prisoners having access to a pet of sorts might alleviate a lot of the mental stress many of them are under.

I recently re-watched the whole HBO series, Oz.

For those who don't know, this was HBO's first series, started in 1997. It's about the goings-on at Oswald Maximum Security Prison, and in particular about Emerald City which is an experimental part of the prison.

Anyway, at one point 3 of the prisoners (two of the three were my favorite characters: Augustus Hill and Miguel Alvarez...my very favorite character being Ryan O'Reilly (played by Dean Winters, now known as Mayhem in the Allstate commercials) got to keep and train assistance dogs. I think this is a program that is still going on IRL. Oz was, of course, fiction, but it does a heart good to imagine the inmates who take on the task as connecting with the animal.

"Oz: Dream a Little Dream of Me (#5.3)" (2002)
[Penders and Alvarez are training seeing eye dogs]
Alicia Hinden: Okay, you see the steaks?
Greg Penders: We gonna teach the dogs how to cook?
Alicia Hinden: No, we're going to teach them restraint. I'm going to put them on the floor, and you're going to stop them from eating it.
Miguel Alvarez: All right.
Greg Penders: You gotta be kidding me.
Alicia Hinden: What?
Greg Penders: I haven't seen a steak in six years. Now, you're gonna throw it on the floor so a dog WON'T eat it?

Is there any relationship between teaching empathy and learning it from caring from pets? Can this be a form of rehabilitation?

There are many prison dog programs, as well as several prison horse programs.

Those citation only say such program exist in near zero prisons.

But more important, does a useful relationship exist between teaching empathy and learning it by caring for pets? Not if any program exists. What is the value of (if any) practicing or learning empathy?

Bwahahahahahahahaha... choke... gasp... snort... and I believe he's serious. :lol2:

Perhaps tw is an economist and was trying to monetise empathy?;)

Countless psychological studies have proven the value of empathy in promoting pro-social behavior. As for whether animal interaction actually leads to a measurable increase in empathy, specifically in the inmate population, studies are limited but there are a few, though some are only in German.

It also makes you more likeable on forums

That is what I suspected. Also demonstrated here are the many who think otherwise only because they 'feel' it must be true. Same type people also assumed more jails makes a safer society. Another example of knowledge proven by silly emotion.

Empathy is often cited in studies for better health. But we have a problem with rehabilitation. Apparently less studies (domestically) target this problem. Which is also silly since the US has the world's largest prison population both in numbers and percentages.

An interesting proposition is that empathy (ie caring for kittens) could have lasting consequences for some types of prisoners. But it is only a proposition apparently with few facts to justify it. Still the easily manipulated somehow *know* empathy must be good for all rehabilitation. Without first learning facts.

The question remains for others, with a more adult attitude, to contribute. Does a useful relationship exist between teaching empathy and learning it by caring for pets? And which type of prisoners would best benefit from such programs?

Another interesting question. How might one monetize empathy? Virtually?

Who are you referring to? The boogeyman?

A bitcoin for your thoughts ?

How does one monetize empathy? Become a pimp.

Do pimps now take bitcoins?

The boogeyman does not get vindictive when he learns his four wheel drive is one of the most dangerous vehicles in slippery and icy weather. The boogeyman only posts when he has something useful to contribute.

And still, no one knows who you are talking about. You are condescendingly dismissing a nonentity. You are imagining people who do all the things you hate, except they aren't real.

Lumberjim is a bot!

I heard he was a top :/