• British National Archives finds rare copy of the Declaration of Independence hidden in a file
• Centenarians using latest internet technology
• Italy unveils antiquities returned by US museum

• Review of Deborah Henning's debut CD: I Like To Fly
• Global Mother Divine Organization announces 'Introduction to Vedic Dance' courses in Maharishi Vedic City, USA
• Elder of Winnebago Tribe becomes full-time coordinator for American Indian Transcendental Meditation Initiative

• Northern Ireland: Racist attacks in Belfast send Roma fleeing homes
• Lower drinking age tied to pregnancy complications
• Births to unwed mothers rising

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

British National Archives finds rare copy of the Declaration of Independence hidden in a file
4 July 2009 - British researchers have announced the discovery of a rare original copy of America's Declaration of Independence -- just in time for the Fourth of July. Edward Hampshire, the National Archives' specialist in colonial materials, said the find was 'incredibly exciting'. Katrina McClintock, a spokeswoman at the National Archives, said Thursday that a researcher accidentally discovered the 'Dunlap print', named after a printer, several months ago. The find was announced only after it could be properly catalogued. 'It is likely that only around 200 of these were ever printed, so uncovering a new one nearly 250 years later is extremely rare, especially one in such good condition,' Hampshire said. He said the declaration is one of the most important documents in history because it marks the birth of the United States. (more)

Centenarians using latest internet technology
4 July 2009 - Three per cent of US centenarians questioned in a new survey said they use the social-networking site Twitter, the service that allows users to send short text messages of up to 140 characters, at least once a week to keep in touch with their friends and family. Another 10 per cent sent emails to stay connected, 12 per cent shared photos on the Internet, and 4 per cent downloaded music from the web. The results of the survey challenge the stereotypes of ageing and show that getting older does not have to be a barrier to keeping up with the newest trends. The link to new technology is multigenerational with the centenarians' grandchildren and great-grandchildren introducing them to the latest gadgets. 'These centenarians are really inspiring because they are starting to embrace newer trends and newer technologies,' said Sherri Snelling, senior director at Evercare, one of the nation's largest care coordination programmes, which commissioned the survey. (more)

Italy unveils antiquities returned by US museum
4 July 2009 - Italian officials on Thursday unveiled 14 artifacts spanning from antiquity to the Middle Ages that were looted or stolen from Italy and recently returned by The Cleveland Museum of Art. Under a November deal, the US museum agreed to hand over the treasures in exchange for long-term loans of other artifacts and joint work on future exhibitions. Similar deals have yielded the return of scores of pieces from top museums, including the J. Paul Getty Museum in California and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. (more)

Festival aims to bring Jerusalem together through music
1 July 2009 - Throughout June, a group of European classical musicians, accompanied by Palestinians and Israelis, has roused and challenged audiences across Jerusalem in an eclectic festival aimed at bridging the city's divides. Audiences at the fourth annual Sounding Jerusalem Festival have heard chamber music by Brahms and Bach wafting through the Old City, Mozart and Mendelssohn at a Crusader church, in an Israeli Arab village and flutes playing Beethoven in the confines of an ancient fort in the West Bank. (more)

Northern Ireland's Ulster Volunteer Force says disarmed
28 June 2009 - Northern Ireland's oldest paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force, announced its full disarmament Saturday -- a long-sought peacemaking move that, if confirmed, would formally end the pro-British group's decades of terror against Irish Catholics. And the other major Protestant paramilitary group, the Ulster Defense Association, announced it also has begun to surrender weapons to independent disarmament officials. (more)

Poland: Jewish cantors to perform in Warsaw opera house
28 June 2009 - For the first time since the Holocaust, 100 Jewish cantors from around the globe are gathering to perform in Warsaw, once one of the world's leading Jewish centers, Poland's chief rabbi said on Sunday. The cantors, who sing liturgical chants during Jewish religious services, will perform at Warsaw's National Opera, US-born Rabbi Michael Schudrich said. 'This will be a symbolic, historic event, because prior to the Holocaust, Warsaw was a world centre of cantorial culture,' the rabbi said. (more)

Charity organization distributes bicycles in Zambia
27 June 2009 - A US charity started distributing bicycles in Zambia on Wednesday in a programme designed to make it easier for thousands of children in the southern African country to get to school. The Chicago-based World Bicycle Relief plans to give away 50,000 bicycles in Zambia, where long distances and a lack of transportation keeps many children from going to school. The first 100 bicycles were delivered Wednesday to children enrolled at Ndapula Community School in Chongwe. Some of the children shed tears of joy as they received the gifts. (more)

Greenland introduces self-rule
26 June 2009 - Greenland expanded its powers of self-rule on its national day on 21 June, in a move many residents see as a step toward independence from Denmark. The increased autonomy includes taking control of the police and the courts and making Greenlandic, an Inuit tongue, the official language. Greenland will now keep a greater share of revenue from its natural resources. Danish Queen Margrethe and her Prime Minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, attended celebrations in the capital, Nuuk, dressed in Greenlandic national costumes. (more)

Kenya: Small-scale housing project for northern pastoralists
26 June 2009 - A US$125,000 project aimed at providing hundreds of nomadic pastoralists in northern Kenya with decent, environment-friendly, and affordable shelter is under way: Brick- and tile-making for the houses began last week in the northern town of Isiolo, an official said. The first 200 families, most of whom have been living in rundown temporary structures, are expected to move into their new homes in various parts of northern Kenya by the end of 2009. (more)

Greece's new Acropolis Museum opens to visitors
21 June 2009 - The new Acropolis Museum opened its gates Sunday to hundreds of visitors eager to explore its vast collection of sculptures and artifacts from ancient Greece. The museum holds more than 4,000 ancient works, including some of the best surviving classical sculptures that once adorned the Acropolis. Foreign dignitaries attending the opening included the European Commission President, UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, and foreign heads of state and government. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Review of Deborah Henning's debut CD: I Like To Fly
26 June 2009 - 'Like flight itself, Deborah Henning's recently released CD, I Like To Fly, is exhilarating,' writes a reviewer. The CD features twelve songs inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's teachings and by experiences resulting from practice of the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme (including, as the title suggests, Yogic Flying). (more)

Global Mother Divine Organization announces 'Introduction to Vedic Dance' courses in Maharishi Vedic City, USA
19 June 2009 - The Global Mother Divine Organization in the United States announces a special new series of courses, 'Introduction to Vedic Dance', to be held in Maharishi Vedic City, USA in June, July, and August. Courses are open to ladies who practise the Transcendental Meditation Programme, as well as Yogic Flyers and Teachers of Transcendental Meditation. (more)

Elder of Winnebago Tribe becomes full-time coordinator for American Indian Transcendental Meditation Initiative
11 June 2009 - The David Lynch Foundation has supported a school project with the Winnebago tribe in Nebraska for three years, as well as two schools with the Passamaquady tribe in Maine. Based on the success of these projects and the positive results that have been verified by scientific research, the David Lynch Foundation has appointed Prosper Waukon, an elder of the Winnebago Tribe, to be full-time coordinator for the expansion of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes throughout 'Indian Country'. (more)

Transcendental Meditation featured on London Broadcasting Company radio programme
19 May 2009 - The Transcendental Meditation Programme and its wide-ranging benefits were recently featured on the London Broadcasting Company (LBC) radio network, which reaches millions of listeners in and around London. (more)

A new Global Good News page on Facebook
15 May 2009 - Global Good News now has its own page on the social-networking site Facebook. The renowned worldwide news service joins other organizations of the Global Country of World Peace on Facebook--for example, Fortune-Creating Homes, Maharishi University of Management, Maharishi University of Enlightenment, and IamU (I am Universal). (more)

Russia: Dr David Lynch's visit and book inspire continuing high interest
12 May 2009 - The visit of world-renowned filmmaker David Lynch to Russia this Spring, as well as the release of the Russian version his book, Catching the Big Fish, inspired a great wave of interest in the Transcendental Meditation Programme, as hundreds of people lined up for booksignings and to hear him speak on how the meditation practice develops consciousness and creativity. (more)

Celebrating Mother's Day in the United States: Global Mother Divine Organization holds national celebration
8 May 2009 - The Global Mother Divine Organization in the United States will be celebrating Mother's Day in a national celebration with the Raj Rajeshwaris - Mothers of the World from the Sovereign Domain of Consciousness - and Mother Divine Programme on Saturday, 9 May. (more)

Global Mother Divine Organization announces Full Moon celebration web broadcast - 9 May 2009
8 May 2009 - The Global Mother Divine Organization announces the monthly Full Moon celebration Internet broadcast Saturday, 9 May 2009: 'Introducing the Speciality of Traditional Astrology for Women'. The broadcast features a special presentation about the Maharishi Jyotish and Yagya Programme -- a new service for Mothers and Families. (more)

One million at-risk youth will soon be able to learn the Transcendental Meditation Technique
8 May 2009 - Positive press coverage of the star-studded 'Change Begins Within' Benefit Concert at Radio City Music Hall appeared in thousands of media reports all over the world. The goal of this event was to increase awareness of the value of the Transcendental Meditation Technique for children, and to raise the funds to teach one million at-risk children around the world to meditate. (more)

Dutch magazine features successful citizens who practise Transcendental Meditation: 'These shining, happy people are among us'
6 May 2009 - A magazine in Holland recently featured interviews with successful citizens who practise Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation Programme, highlighting their experiences of reduced stress and increased focus and success. The interviews have inspired a new wave of interest in the technique in the nation. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Northern Ireland: Racist attacks in Belfast send Roma fleeing homes
17 June 2009 - Racist thugs armed with bricks and bottles forced more than 100 Romanian Gypsies from their Belfast (Northern Ireland) homes in a wave of attacks that sent them fleeing to the safety of a nearby church. Community leaders in Belfast on Wednesday condemned the attacks, while Romania's government urged British authorities to take measures to avoid more racist violence. The 20 Romanian families, including one with a 5-day-old baby, first fled to a Belfast church Tuesday after gangs hurling bricks and bottles attacked their homes in a working class neighbourhood, according to the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, a local community group. Local authorities moved them to the roomier community centre Wednesday morning. (more)

Lower drinking age tied to pregnancy complications
3 June 2009 - While there have been calls to lower the legal drinking age from 21 in the United States, a new study suggests such a move could result in more unplanned pregnancies and premature births among young women. Researchers found that in the late-1970s and 1980s -- when US states varied in their minimum drinking ages -- there was a connection between more lenient drinking ages and the risk of premature birth and low birthweight among women younger than 21. There was also evidence linking a legal drinking age of 18 to a higher rate of unplanned pregnancies among young women. Unplanned pregnancies are associated with a higher rate of complications, at least partly because women are less likely to get proper prenatal care. (more)

Births to unwed mothers rising
14 May 2009 - The percentage of births to unmarried women in the United States has been rising sharply, but it's way behind Northern European countries, a new US report on births shows. Iceland is the leader with 6 in 10 births occurring among unmarried women. About half of all births in Sweden and Norway are to unwed moms, while in the US, it's about 40 per cent. However, in the United States, unmarried mothers are more likely to be on their own and - traditionally - they are more likely to be poor and uneducated, experts said. The report shows trends from 1980 to the most recent years available. Increases in unwed births were dramatic in many other countries, with Italy rising from 4 per cent to 21 per cent, Ireland from 5 per cent to 33 per cent, Canada from 13 to 30 per cent, and the United Kingdom from 12 per cent to 44 per cent. (more)

Poverty fueling Muslim tension with West
8 May 2009 - Joblessness and poverty are a more potent source of tension between Muslims and wider European and US society than religious differences, one of the first major studies of Muslim integration claimed on Thursday. Despite their desire to belong, only a small number of Muslims questioned in Britain, for example - 10 per cent - consider themselves integrated into British society. That compares to 46 per cent of Muslims in France and 35 percent in Germany. The global economic crisis could exacerbate such issues, with competition for jobs and resources adding stress to race relations, the study claimed. British government research into radicalization has highlighted joblessness and low pay as among factors that can push people toward extremism. Those with poor prospects can look to violent extremism to improve their sense of achievement and status, according to the research by security officials. (more)

Ethnic violence erupts in Pakistani city
30 April 2009 - Ethnic violence broke out in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, officials said. Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub and the capital of southern Sindh province, has a long history of ethnic, religious, and sectarian violence but the sprawling city has been relatively peaceful in recent years. Violence erupted in different parts of the city after an unidentified man opened fire on a mohajir neighbourhood in the centre of the city. More than two dozens cars and several shops were torched in violence across the city, police said. (more)

England as the 51st State? American trends challenge British ways
11 April 2009 - The landscape of London is changing. Dozens of diverse, very British shops on the chic King's Road in Chelsea face eviction to make way for Anthropologie, an American-based chain planning an American fashion emporium, much like the stores it operates in St. Louis and Miami Beach. The cultural mood is changing along with the physical landscape. Harried British physicians are more likely than ever to prescribe antidepressants, in part because the waiting list for individual psychological therapy under the government-run National Health Service is so long. Meanwhile, Britons are turning to fast food at such an alarming pace that obesity among young people is reaching epidemic proportions. The fast food chain KFC, already has more than 700 chicken restaurants, with plans to add another 200 to 300 in the next five years. Sales are up 14 per cent so far this year despite the economic gloom. (more)

Amount of litter on British beaches soars
9 April 2009 - The amount of litter dumped on beaches across Britain has more than doubled in the last 15 years to its highest ever level, endangering the health of wildlife and humans. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said its beachwatch 2008 annual survey had found an average of 2,195 items of litter per kilometre of beach, a rise of 110 per cent since 1994. Items such as food packaging and cigarette butts dropped by the public make up more than a third of all litter, with discarded fishing paraphernalia accounting for 13 per cent. The MCS said marine animals and seabirds often ingest litter or accidentally eat plastic, leading to infections or death. Humans were also affected as some plastics can attract toxic chemicals, while filter-feeding animals that ingested plastic particles could see pollutants ultimately entering the human food chain. (more)

US births break record; 40 per cent out-of-wedlock
19 March 2009 - More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any other year in the nation's history -- and a wedding band made increasingly little difference in the matter. Births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high of about 40 per cent, continuing a trend that started years ago. More than three-quarters of these women were 20 or older. The teen birth rate was up for a second year in a row. Teen women tend to follow what their older sisters do, so perhaps it's not surprising that teen births are going up just like births to older women, said Sarah Brown, the Chief Executive for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. (more)

Recession will be worst since 1930s: Greenspan
18 February 2009 - Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Tuesday the current global recession will 'surely be the longest and deepest' since the 1930s and more government rescue funds are needed to stabilize the US financial system. Mr Greenspan also said that a housing recovery is a necessary condition for the end of the financial crisis, but that 'the prospect of stable home prices remains many months in the future.' Mr Greenspan, a proponent of self-regulation, said he was 'deeply dismayed' when in August 2007 the premise that firms had the enlightened self interest to monitor their own risk exposure 'failed.' 'I see no alternative to a set of heightened federal regulatory rules for banks and other financial institutions,' he said. (more)

Harassment forces Afghan girls out of school
28 January 2009 - Violence against female students is dashing the dreams of thousands of Afghan girls and women who are thirsty for an education that may help rejuvenate the fractured economy and society of their war-torn country. In villages, and particularly in the deeply conservative south, the Taliban have burned down schools, killed female students and teachers, and attacked schoolgirls by throwing acid in their faces. In relatively safer and less conservative Kabul, girls are facing abuse and kidnappings. 'In the past eight months, around 138 students and teachers have lost their lives and another 172 have been wounded in criminal and terror attacks,' said Asif Nang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education. (more)