Longest Kiss Ever: 46-Hour Thai Smooch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbedCMLO1EA&feature=player_embedded

The winning couple in Thailand's Valentine's Day kissathon hope get a world record certified by Guinness, for their smooch that lasted more than 46 hours.

Innovators Develop First Fully Operational Life-Size Nano Hummingbird

AeroVironment, Inc. announced in February that it has accomplished a technical milestone never before achieved -- controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two-wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control.

The milestone was part of the Phase II contract awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to AV to design and build a flying prototype "hummingbird-like" aircraft for the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program.

The final concept demonstrator is called the "Nano Hummingbird" and is capable of climbing and descending vertically, flying sideways left and right, flying forward and backward, as well as rotating clockwise and counter-clockwise, under remote control and carrying a video camera payload. During the demonstration the Nano Hummingbird flew in and out of a building through a normal-size doorway.

“The historic achievement made by the Nano Hummingbird is an example of the leading-edge innovations introduced and deployed almost routinely by the AeroVironment UAS team,” said Tom Herring, AV senior vice president and general manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. “From the battle-proven Raven, Wasp and Puma small UAS to the tiny Nano Hummingbird to Global Observer, the largest, highest and longest flying UAS, AeroVironment continues to define the future of unmanned aircraft systems. Our mission in doing so is to provide our customers with advanced tools that help them succeed.”

The hand-made prototype aircraft has a wingspan of 16 centimeters (6.5 inches) tip-to-tip and has a total flying weight of 19 grams (2/3 ounce), which is less than the weight of a common AA battery. This includes all the systems required for flight; batteries, motors, communications systems and video camera. The aircraft can be fitted with a removable body fairing, which is shaped to have the appearance of a real hummingbird. The aircraft is larger and heavier than an average hummingbird, but is smaller and lighter than the largest hummingbird currently found in nature.

The technical goals for the Phase II effort were set out by DARPA as flight test milestones for the aircraft to achieve by the end of the contract effort. The Nano Hummingbird met all, and exceeded many, of the milestones:

1. Demonstrate precision hover flight within a virtual two-meter diameter sphere for one minute.
2. Demonstrate hover stability in a wind gust flight which required the aircraft to hover and tolerate a two-meter per second (five miles per hour) wind gust from the side, without drifting downwind more than one meter.
3. Demonstrate a continuous hover endurance of eight minutes with no external power source.
4. Fly and demonstrate controlled, transition flight from hover to 11 miles per hour fast forward flight and back to hover flight.
5. Demonstrate flying from outdoors to indoors, and back outdoors through a normal-size doorway.
6. Demonstrate flying indoors 'heads-down' where the pilot operates the aircraft only looking at the live video image stream from the aircraft, without looking at or hearing the aircraft directly.
7. Fly the aircraft in hover and fast forward flight with bird-shaped body and bird-shaped wings.

Playing Casual Video Games Reduces Depression Symptoms

A new clinical study out of East Carolina University found that playing casual, non-violent video games reduced depression symptoms in study participants.

The study found that, of the 59 people who participated in the study, the half that spent an average of 40.7 minutes daily playing the games had a 57% reduction in their depression symptoms.

Their mood improved, while anxiety, tension, anger and fatigue was more than cut in half.

The seven subjects who were identified as having moderate to severe depression symptoms prior to the study had their symptoms reduced to minimal or mild following the study.

(READ the story in the Depression Blog on About.com)

Coca-Cola Happiness Truck Spreads Cheer

Press a big button on the back of Coca-Cola's new “Happiness Truck” and out pops a surprise -- anything from a frosty Coke to a soccer ball, to a beach chair.

In their new video, the Coke “Happiness Truck” travels to Rio— and gives thirsty pedestrians free sodas along with summer fun... a beach toy, sunglasses and more.

Oscar Buzz: The Top 10 Positive Psychology Films of 2010

Have you seen any good movies lately? If not, try one of these 10 best positive psychology films of 2010.

Whether or not they are snubbed by the actual Academy Awards ceremony, these films merit awards for their specific positive psychology viewpoint and each movie is worthy of your time.

For the second year in a row, I present the positive psychology movie awards for films that best illustrate positive psychological principles:

Oscar for Best Positive Psychology Film:Alice in Wonderland

The film explores and teaches positive identity formation, character transformation, character redemption, and goal-setting & attainment, while providing deep viewer engagement. Also, a close look reveals that Alice is teaching the viewer about empirically-validated interventions for working with character strengths. The viewer learns to practice divergent thinking to boost creativity, to develop active curiosity, and to find ways to boost bravery/courage by discovering one’s “muchness.” [See article footnotes here] (trailer)

Oscar for Coaching/Counseling: The King’s Speech

While Geoffrey Rush’s character, Lionel, is neither a counselor nor a coach per se, this is merely a technicality, as he beautifully personifies the support and solution-focused mentality of a coach and the artful blend of direct challenge, empathy, and intervention of a psychologist. During the climactic speech of the king, Lionel’s unwavering attunement to the anxious king is the type of attention and care any client would dream for in a practitioner. (trailer)

 Oscar for Friendship: How to Train Your Dragon

 While there may be underlying metaphors about taming and showing compassion for one’s own inner dragon or shadow side, the bond of friendship that develops between a young Viking and an elusive dragon claims the spotlight in this beautiful tale of teamwork and bonding. (trailer)

Oscar for Imbalance of Character Strengths:Black Swan

Sometimes our best teachers are situations in which we use too much or too little of our best capacities. Natalie Portman’s brilliant and raw portrayal of a competitive and troubled ballet dancer depicts an overuse of perseverance and self-regulation and underuse of judgment and perspective to create an imbalance that leads to her downfall. (trailer)

Oscar for Resiliency: 127 Hours

When most individuals would have folded after a couple days of being trapped by a boulder away from civilization, Aron Ralston pushed forward. He perseveres over every painful emotion a human being can have, not to mention significant mental obstacles and unthinkable physical pain that he must self-inflict in order to survive. (trailer)

Oscar for Positive Relationships: The Kids are All Right

A close-knit, lesbian family is challenged when the mothers’ sperm donor shows up to visit his biological son. The film is honest, realistic, and engaging in its character interactions, portrayals of positive and negative emotions expressed, and is strong in portraying the importance of forgiveness, open communication, and family solidarity during tough times. (trailer)

Oscar for Authentic Happiness Theory: Eat, Pray, Love

It has been said that “the full life” is a life of pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Following a painful divorce, a woman goes on a journey of self-discovery and learns important life lessons – she discovers the gift of pleasure (savoring food, expressing positive emotions and gratitude) in Italy, finds meaning (through meditation, prayer and deep conversation) in India, and realizes engagement (a loving relationship) in Bali. (trailer)

Oscar for Mindfulness: Tron: Legacy

Spiritual themes, religious symbology, an emphasis on humility, stillness, and selflessness, and portrayals of the protagonist using meditation to deal with problems indicate that this is more than your typical action film. At one point the protagonist refers to meditation as “knocking on the sky.” (trailer)

Oscar for Positive Intervention: Jack Goes Boating

An isolated and socially awkward limo driver is taught to use a visualization strategy in order to reach his goal of learning to swim. The approach taught to him is so methodical that he is able to apply this strategy to other areas of his life – the virtue of a great intervention. (trailer)

Oscar for Integration of Different Types of Strengths: Temple Grandin

Based on the real life of the famous professor with autism who revolutionized the cattle industry, Temple employs unique talents for spatial, mathematical, and visualization abilities, skills in building and construction, and resources in jobs working with animals and in people who support her. However, it is her core character strengths of creativity, perseverance, and kindness (to animals) that operationalize and maximize her talents, skills, and resources. (trailer)

Honorable Mentions

Noteworthy honorable Mentions include: Inception (for love and creativity); Please Give (for the multidimensional nature of kindness); The Social Network and The Infidel (for identity and what it means to be human -- the interplay of both human imperfection and virtue); True Grit and Winter’s Bone (for extraordinary adolescent perseverance); Toy Story 3 (for teamwork); Extraordinary Measures (for fairness); The Fighter (for perseverance); and The Book of Eli (for religiousness/spirituality).

_______________________

Ryan Niemiec, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist, coach, and Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character. He is co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies and Movies And Mental Illness. This article was originally published in PositivePsychologyNews.com on February 24, 2011

Top photo credit: M Connors, via Morguefile

source:

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/most-popular/positive-psychology-oscars-2011.html

‎Foyce Le Xuan Opens a unique restaurant named Lush Restaurant & bar, pls do visit!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Foyce-Le-Xuan-%E4%B9%90%E8%BD%A9/118177704900958

Harvest Energy

Harvesting energy is the hottest topic nowadays. There are many ways to harvest it using natural resources and "green" product. One of the interesting innovation was how to harvest the energy from the hump on the road. Every vehicle which passes by the hump will produce certain electricity out of it. This will help us to reduce the electricity used from the power grid as the result of the electricity coming out from the hump.

World's Biggest Solar Power Station

Spain has become the world's leading country in solar thermal power generation, overtaking the US, after opening the biggest solar power station ever built. 

The La Florida plant, in Alvarado, uses a 'parabolic trough' to harness the sun's energy. Sunlight is reflected off mirrors on to tubes filled with fluid. This heats up and is used to create steam that runs electricity-generating turbines. To make the most of the direct light available, the mirrors rotate throughout the day to track the movement of the sun.

The solar farm covers 550,000 square metres and produces 50 megawatts. The new facility brings the country's total installed solar thermal power capacity to 432 megawatts, compared to the US output of 422 megawatts, says Spain's solar energy association, Protermosolar.


http://www.positivenews.org.uk/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=66&num=2860

‎"Even Wildlife Reserves Singapore will upgrade IT systems..."

SINGAPORE: Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which runs the Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, and the upcoming River Safari attraction, will be using a new IT management system starting this July.

The new "SAP Business All In One" (SAP BAIO) system is a million dollar investment meant to enhance the management of F&B, finance, retail and ticketing operations at WRS's parks. 

It will also reduce the need for manual data entry, increasing accuaracy and speeding up operations. 

"With the SAP system, we will also be able to profile our guests spending patterns and also their experience much better so that we're able to provide a more personalised service to them", said Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO for WRS. 

The River Safari will be ready next year. 

- CNA/cc




http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1113534/1/.html&h=0aa0b

Can Jakarta Live Without Plastic Bags?

Jakarta is racing to join other big cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Paris and Singapore that have already overcome their love affair with what green activists call white pollution — those ubiquitous plastic bags. 

But can the nation’s capital — home to about 12 million people during the day — generate enough public and environmental awareness to help its citizens break their long-held plastic-bag habit? 

If the answer is “yes” then it comes with a lot of conditions, says Slamet Daryoni, who, as the chief of urban environmental education at the Indonesian Green Institute, is among the cautious optimists. 

“I’d say it is extremely possible, but here’s the catch: it won’t be as easy as turning your palm over,” Slamet said. “[The movement] is not solely dependent on what the Jakarta administration does, but also on other government departments and, at the other end of the scale, the contributions of individuals. 

“The easiest way is to start from individual awareness by bringing our own bags to the supermarket,” he said.

Slamet said the government needed to work with major retailers, shopping malls and supermarkets to encourage consumers not to rely on plastic bags. They could do this by, for example, announcing that they would no longer provide plastic bags but would instead supply more environmentally friendly alternatives. 

Public campaigns to promote the issue and encourage people to give up plastic bags are also important in changing habits, Slamet said, adding that Plastic-Free Days would be one way to accomplish this. 

“They could put up big billboards to promote Plastic-Free Days and to remind consumers bring their own bags,” he said. “This approach could gradually change people’s habits.” 

Slamet pointed out that there was a time when there were only traditional markets in the country, and people brought their own bags and baskets. 

Governor Fauzi Bowo said on Monday that his administration had agreed to a proposal by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to reduce the use of plastic bags at stores across Jakarta. The governor said the city hoped to be free of plastic bags by 2011. 

According to the Web site earthresource.org, each year an estimated 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. That comes out to more than one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. 

Slamet said he thought the movement could succeed. “It’s a lot easier to educate the public, or consumers, about the danger of plastic bags to the environment because people are already more aware and there are plenty of go-green movements targeting plastic bags,” he said. 

“One year, I think, is enough time for the government to hold a massive campaign to push its [plastic-free] goal.” 

The question, though, is whether it’s possible to live without plastic bags. 

Yani Saloh, a member of Climate Project Indonesia, an initiative established by former US Vice President Al Gore, confessed that she had been trying to change her shopping habits for the last two years but still found it hard to remember to bring her own bag to the market. 

“The biggest challenge is just how not to forget [to bring my own bag],” she said. 

Major retailers such as Carrefour have offered eco-friendly plastic bags that sell for Rp 2,000 and reusable fabric bags for Rp 10,000, as well as cardboard boxes. 

Yani said her lifestyle change was being supported by those retailers. “It helps a lot actually when the cashier asks me if I’d prefer to use one of their [eco-friendly] bags or a plastic bag,” she said, adding that she didn’t think she could ever be completely free from plastic. 

Getting together with like-minded people also helps. 

Inggita Notosusanto, for instance, considers herself lucky to have environmentally conscious friends. 

“ I guess I’m very fortunate to have friends who care about this plastic issue, so we kind of remind each other to bring our own baskets and so on,” Inggita said . 

“We should also realize that there are other alternatives and other ways of doing things rather than using plastic. ” 

For the really environmentally aware, there is the perplexing question — plastic or paper? 

To overcome white pollution, the choice is to use paper bags. But Slamet said that just creates another problem given that these days trees are more important than ever. 

“[Using paper bags] creates another issue because just 15 reams of paper means cutting down one tree,” he said. “So we have to continue to look for better and better solutions, and I think there are lots of options.” 

Slamet said there was a technology by which cassava starch could be used to make “plastic” bags that would degrade within one or two months. That innovation, however, is not yet commercialized due to business competition, he said.




Source:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/can-jakarta-live-without-plastic-bags/357927

Former Businessman Turns to Comic Books to Create Positive Change Through Inspiring Stories

Sensing a mid-life crisis, a successful 35-year-old Japanese businessman quit his job believing it was time to do something positive with his life, instead of just making money. He turned to what he loved most, storytelling -- and especially manga (or anime), the graphic comic book novels popularized by animators in his country. Today, he uses manga, normally the medium for superheroes, to tell tales of real life heroes, such as the Dalai Lama and Ghandi, in a modern quest create positive change within young people and society.

Now 40, Eiji Han Shimizu remembers how anime shaped his values growing up in Japan, instilling determination, compassion, a craving for social justice and an ability for dreaming big. Believing in the power and potential of manga for good, he set out to show how actual heroes like Mother Theresa and Che Guevarra lived their lives, and how these leaders think.

With the backing of Penguin Books, the biographical mangas created by Shimizu's company, Emotional Content, have been released in 20 countries and translated into Chinese, Spanish, Tibetan, Russian, and Hindi.

Most exciting for him in 2010, the Dalai Lama book was distributed as a textbook among the Tibetan refugee children in India and Nepal for the teaching of history and language. On a visit to Dhramsala, the home for His Holiness and the Tibetan government in exile, the ministry of Education told Shimizu that all Tibetan schools (more than 60 schools) adopted its use for their curriculum.

"I am so happy that the Japanese pop culture is benefiting the future of Tibet in this unique way," Shimizu told the Good News Network.

Penguin Books published two manga biographies in English last year that featured the Dalai Lama and Che Guevarra. The huge publishing house is planning two more English adaptations — one about Mahatma Gandhi and another about Mother Teresa. Also in the works are manga based on the lives of Aung San Suu Kyi, Abraham Lincoln, and Anne Frank.

Shimizu earned his MBA at the University of Miami and joined Sun Microsystems, Inc., before returning to Japan to specialize in business development.

When he decided to make the leap to media, he wasn’t sure what kind of inspiring manga to create, whether to interpret the classics such as Shakespeare, Dickens or Dostoyevsky, or focus on great athletes. The answer came during a pilgrimage to Mother Teresa’s home for the dying and destitute in Calcutta.

"(There), I vividly felt Mother Teresa’s presence where hundreds of volunteers from around the world serve with the poorest of the poor. It became clear that, first and foremost, I wanted to make manga about the spiritual and political leaders who changed the world for the better,” says Shimizu in a featured interview with CNN.

Filmmaking is also a keen interest for him. He is working now with animation artists -- and trying to secure funding -- to create an animation series called, North, exploring the hardship and atrocities experienced in North Korea from the point of view of a young man repatriated with his Japanese-Korean family.

He spent five years producing the documentary, "Happy" (see Good News Network story), collecting interviews from experts and citizens around the world about what makes humans happy.

Surely, Eiji knows, the answer for himself is doing what you love.

(READ more of the feature story from CNN International)

Source:

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/most-popular/manga-for-good.html

How To Stay Positive

How To Stay Positive - "My Top 10 List" 

by David Boufford, aka; Mr. Positive! 

1. Turn off the negative news! 

If something really important happens you'll find out.

2. Learn to always see the glass as half full.

Look for solutions/opportunities where others see problems.

3. Exercise Daily /Eat Better

You must move your body even if it's just a 20 min walk.

4. Bombard your mind with positive books, quotes, music & self talk.

5. Fall In Love 

Start with yourself, if that’s hard try a pet, then move to people.

6. Associate with Positive People.

Fire your flaky/negative friends.

7. Keep a feel good/gratitude journal 

Write about all the good in your day/week/life.

8. Find and indulge in your passions. 

Ask yourself 'What brings me joy?' Then dig in!

9. Serve others 

Find a cause you can support and give your time.

10. Find a Spiritual path that resonates with you and practice it.

World's Largest Fresh Flower Bouquet To Raise Funds for Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

The world's largest fresh flower bouquet has been created in Johannesburg to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

It was also made to wish the former president a speedy recovery from his prostate cancer.

Several of his children accepted the bouquet on his behalf.

The bouquet rose 6.5 metres high, spread 3.75 metres, weighed close to four tons and overtook the previous record of 28,801 flowers set by the Missouri Botanical Gardens in 1998.

702 Talk Radio and Telkom organised the Spring Day event, which saw the bouquet built over two days at Sandton City's Fountain Court, reports IOL.

Each flower bought by a member of the public represented a 10 rand donation to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

A number of florists and other firms donated flowers and materials towards the building of the bouquet.

*Heartwarmers story sent by Ananova

This is an amazing act of love towards children. Let's do something similar like this to fund the education in Indonesia.