Visit a new exhibition in Kabul and see a selection of some 2,000 Afghan artifacts which were illegally smuggled out of the country during three decades of conflict and civil war, treasures altogether weighing 3.5 tons.
Little by little, individuals and organizations are creating glimmers of hope across a country steeped in war that promise Afghanistan will once again flourish someday. Here are five things happening in Afghanistan that are helping its citizens get back on their feet, and what you can do to support those efforts.
Japan pledged this week to provide $5 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the next five years to and to speed the delivery of $1 billion for economic assistance to Pakistan pledged in April. The $5 billion will cover reconstruction programs such as support to Afghan police forces, vocational training for former Taliban soldiers, and agriculture and rural development.
Even after U.S. forces have left Afghanistan, U.S. civilians will remain to help the country build its democratic institutions and restore its agricultural economy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee this week.
Several hundred women in Kabul, Afghanistan, many holding pictures of relatives killed by drug lords or Taliban militants, held a loud but nonviolent street protest today, demanding that President Hamid Karzai purge from his government anyone connected to corruption, war crimes or the Taliban.
A leading U.S. newspaper reports U.S. geologists have discovered nearly one trillion dollars' worth of untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan. The New York Times says U.S. officials believe the vast veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold, lithium, and niobium could "fundamentally alter" the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war.
Clunky fanny packs have long since gone out of fashion, but this new carry-all by Hip Appeal offers a stylish way to carry keys, phone and credit cards.
President Bush highlighted the successes of his mostly-compassionate African policies while on a recent 5-nation tour there, from a quadrupling of U.S. humanitarian aid since he took office to his programs that fight AIDS and malaria.
Today is World AIDS Day, and I just found this good news item about the US dropping its travel ban on people with HIV coming into the United States. The full removal of the ban takes effect on January 4, 2010.
A new exhibition opened last week at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, exploring the creation of new designs from existing or salvaged products.
Now there's another kind of prowess achieved by women in their 40s that men peak at earlier in life. Math. Not only do female math students outperform men at Ontario's community colleges, but it's the 40-something female multi-taskers juggling jobs, families and mortgages who edge out their classmates of either sex at any age, new research shows.
Beekeepers have discovered that bees kept in urban areas are healthier and produce better honey. Fewer pesticides and a greater biodiversity help bee colonies thrive there. Today, beehives are quietly buzzing in cities all over the globe -- Chicago, Toronto, Paris, London and New York -- where thousands of different species of plants are blossoming in the gardens and parks to benefit the bees and sweeten the honey.
A cat wearing a conductor's hat has boosted a small Japanese town's local economy by 10 million dollars through increased tourism. People are now flocking to see the train's new "super station master," Tama the cat. video
Laughter yoga -- a new form of exercise that gives you spiritual satisfaction, stress relief and better health, is becoming all the rage in America, where people especially need a smile on their face in the tougher economic climate. (video)
Tony Geraci is leading the charge to overhaul the dysfunctional school lunch system in Baltimore serving as the city's new food service director.
Doctors across the United States commended California which enacted legislation on Friday making it the first U.S. state to prohibit restaurants from preparing food with trans fats, which clog arteries and raise the risk of heart disease.
A YouTube fan spent even more free time assembling 100 of the greatest YouTube moments into a 4 minute montage, so we can all spend even more time watching others act like crazy people.
Tonight, Thursday May 7th at 10/9c, Michael J. Fox returns to TV on on ABC. Fox travels the world in search of the nature of optimism in Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist. Watch this video sneak peak from YouTube.
As many low-income families continue to struggle with rising costs of everyday living expenses, a power company in Ohio launched a $1 million utility assistance program to help low-income families statewide. American Electric Power Ohio has joined the Neighbor to Neighbor Program in partnership with the non-profit Dollar Energy Fund and began distributing utility assistance grants on May 4.
Since the first Earth Day 40 years ago, America has become a cleaner, safer, more beautiful place with less pollution, more pristine rivers, fewer people littering, and many endangered species rescued from the brink. Here are 40 successes in 40 years since the first Earth Day -- an anniversary timeline.
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