This is Good News Friday, where we find some good economic, energy, and environmental news and share it with PP readers. Please send any positive news to dd@peakprosperity.com with subject header "Good News Friday." We will save and post weekly. Enjoy!
Economy
Report: More people are supporting nonprofit news sites (Sparky1)
Most of her calls a few years ago used to be from journalists looking for work, Cross said. Now she’s hearing from more business people, concerned citizens and even politicians wondering what can be done to support journalism.
While the percentage of overall foundation giving may be going down, the amount of money being put in is still increasing, particularly for supporting journalism on specific issues like the environment and social justice, the report said.
Wearable cyborg uses brainwaves to let people walk again (Sparky1)
When Sorensen heard about the brain wave-controlled exoskeleton, which was developed by Japanese roboticist Yoshiyuki Sankai, she knew she had to give it a try. She was determined to walk at her daughter’s wedding a few months later in December.
But it’s not just those with disabilities or injuries who stand to benefit. By 2050, there will be more than 2 billion people over age 60, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and exoskeletons could offer a solution to the world’s aging population.
How to see the International Space Station fly over the eastern US this week (Thomas R.)
The ISS will outshine all of the stars and planets in the sky, making it easy to spot. However; it will only be visible for a few minutes, so knowing what time to look is very important.
A Newly Identified Protein May Be the Key to Vanquishing the Common Cold (tmn)
A problem for both approaches is the huge diversity of viral pathogens. For instance, the viral group responsible for at least half of all cases of the common cold—rhinovirus–has at least 160 different types. Developing more than 100 vaccines to cure one illness is obviously not practical, and in any case, other viruses also cause colds. Complicating matters further, many viruses can mutate in ways that make them resistant to drugs or capable of overcoming immunity. All of which is why an important goal in virology is the development of “broad spectrum” antivirals that are effective against many viruses simultaneously.
Faced With Criticism, Trump Administration Reverses Abrupt End to Humanitarian Relief (sv)
On hearing that she had a chance to stay in California, rather than return to Guatemala, where the drug is not available and she cannot receive the required medical care, Ms. Bueso said, “This is amazing. This is great news to wake up to.”
Woman creates custom dolls to match children’s disabilties (Sparky1)
Amy Jandrisevits is bringing smiles to children all over the world from a sewing machine in her dining room. Four years ago, Jandrisevits made a custom doll for a child with an amputated leg.
Pritzker signs new law raising teacher pay minimum to $40,000 (sv)
The current minimum teacher salary ranges from only $9,000 to $11,000. The new law signed by Pritzker Thursday raises the minimum to $32,076 for the 2020-2021 school year, $34,576 in 2021-2022, $37,076 in 2022-2023 and $40,000 in 2023-2024. Afterward, the minimum salary will rise based on the Consumer Price Index, subject to review by the General Assembly.
“You learn a lot by almost dying,” he says.
He learned enough to surprise his doctors by coming up with a way to treat his disease. Almost six years later he’s in remission, he and his wife have a baby girl and he’s devoting his medical career to saving other patients like him.
University of California to dump fossil fuel investments (Sparky1)
The 10-campus system has been shedding fossil fuel investments for several years. It previously dumped several hundred million dollars’ worth of investments in coal, tar sands and companies building a Dakota-to-Illinois oil pipeline.
The university, which has seen its investment assets grow to $126.1 billion, hasn’t made any new investments in fossil fuels since 2014, the article said.
Explainer: Why Asia’s biggest economies are backing hydrogen fuel cell cars (Thomas R.)
Hydrogen’s proponents point to how clean it is as an energy source as water and heat are the only byproducts and how it can be made from a number of sources, including methane, coal, water, even garbage. Resource-poor Japan sees hydrogen as a way to greater energy security.
They also argue that driving ranges and refueling times for FCVs are comparable to gasoline cars, whereas EVs require hours to recharge and provide only a few hundred kilometers of range.
Toy company Hasbro to discontinue use of plastic in packaging (sv)
“We know consumers share our commitment to protecting the environment, and we want families to feel good knowing that our packaging will be virtually plastic-free, and our products can be easily recycled through our Toy Recycling Program with TerraCycle,” Hasbro President and COO John Frascotti said.
Gold & Silver
Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 9/18/19
Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group
Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@peakprosperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."
The post Daily Digest 9/20 – Good News Friday: More Supporting Nonprofit News Sites, UC To Dump Fossil Fuel Investments appeared first on Peak Prosperity.
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