Measles deaths have plummeted by some 74 per cent worldwide since 2000, the United Nations announced today, while warning that the problem has still not been eradicated.The estimated number of people dying from measles each year dropped dramatically from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000 between 2000 and 2007, thanks to improvements in routine and supplementary immunization activities.

In the same period, the Eastern Mediterranean region – including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and the Sudan – has cut measles deaths from 96,000 to 10,000, achieving the UN goal of reducing measles deaths by 90 per cent three years ahead of time.
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Help is at hand for parents who fear for their children’s safety while using the internet with the launch today of a government scheme aimed at keeping children safe in cyberspace.

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety will bring together more than 100 public and private organisations to develop a national strategy on child safety on the web. It will become a one-stop shop for parents, providing the information they need to keep themselves and their children safe. [Read more →]

On a central California ranch, Lynea Lattanzio feeds and cares for feral and abandoned cats.
‘C’mon babies, let’s walk!” Lynea Lattanzio, a fit 50-something woman with curly brown hair, slides open her kitchen door and five, 10, 15 cats rush through the opening like water gushing out of a pressurized spigot.

“C’mon guys,” she calls out. “Let’s go for a walk!” The flock follows her down the steps.

Ms. Lattanzio, sure enough, is herding cats. But as she crosses the lawn and opens a gate, the subtleties of cat herding emerge. Individuals run in spurts and stops, in a manner distinct from sheep. A black cat, two tabbies, and a Siamese drop out of the procession. They’re replaced by three new cats that materialize from under a tree, eager to tag along for a minute as Lattanzio strolls down to the shady banks of the Kings River, 50 yards away. [Read more →]

In 2000, a 4 year old cancer patient named Alexandra “Alex” Scott announced a seemingly simple idea -she was holding a lemonade stand to raise money to help “her doctors” find a cure for kids with cancer. The idea was put into action by Alex and her older brother, Patrick, when they set up the first “Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer” on their front lawn in July of 2000.

For the next four years, despite her deteriorating health, Alex held an annual lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. [Read more →]

Cheerfulness helps the body brush off the common cold. A smile a day may keep the doctor away. Happy people are better able to laugh off the common cold, according to a study. On the other hand, depressed people are more likely to complain about their symptoms whether or not they are actually sick.

A positive attitude brings fewer cold symptoms, explains Sheldon Cohn, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Cohn and coauthors interviewed 334 volunteers three evenings each week for two weeks to assess their mental state. The psychologists looked for signs of well-being, vigor, and calm as well as negative feelings like depression, anxiety, and hostility. [Read more →]

An inshore rescue boat helped two injured swans from a lake in Somerset after they swallowed fishing hooks.

Staff from the Secret World wildlife centre at East Huntspill called the rescue boat after a walker spotted the birds struggling in Highbridge Lake.

The swans were captured using a large net. One has been released and the other is still receiving treatment. [Read more →]

There’s been a shakeup in Pakistan’s feared and reprehensible Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), reports Time’s Omar Waraich. Historically, the ISI supported–arguably created–the Taliban (and Al Qaeda) as a counter to India’s power in Afghanistan. But the new boss, General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, seems more pro-American and anti-terrorist–a reflection of his boss’s fear that the U.S is sufficiently unhappy about Pakistan’s support for the Taliban that we might stop sending truckloads of cash to support Pakistan’s military. [Read more →]

If this Britain is broken, someone forgot to tell the glittering gathering of heroes, stars and celebrities last night.

They forgot to tell Bernard Butler, the lorry driver who ignored his own heart condition to rush into the path of a 50ft chemical fireball to save a man’s life after a motorway crash.

They forgot to tell eight-year-old Tilly Griffiths, who feels “free as a butterfly” despite suffering from a severe muscle-wasting illness that limits everything she does each day. And they forgot to tell hero hoodie Carl Duval, 17, who risked his life to save a stranger who collapsed on to a live rail line in the path of a 100mph express train. [Read more →]

Something that has always intimidated me from starting something new has always been a deep worry about my shortcomings. I know that I have weaknesses, and I’m afraid they’ll lead to my failure.

I’ve learned in recent years, however, that those weaknesses can be turned into strengths with a very simple tool: the right mindset.

I’m not talking just about the power of positive thinking (which I think is a great tool for anything) but about figuring out ways in which weaknesses can actually be strengths. If you develop the mindset that weaknesses aren’t really weaknesses, you’ve just broken through your limitations and fears. [Read more →]

More parable than novel, “The Alchemist” uses the story of young shepherd Santiago’s search for his Personal Legend as an allegory for everyman’s struggle to break from the comfortable confines of conformity and pursue his life dreams. Along the way, of course, our young everyman is beset by all manner of setbacks, testing his resolve and forcing him to become attuned to the Soul of the World in order to survive. By paying attention to the details in the world around him, which serve as omens guiding him towards his goal, young Santiago becomes an alchemist in his own right, spinning unfavorable circumstances into riches.

Aside from the ubiquitous theme about the power of perseverance, my favorite part of the book was its glorification of simplicity. Like the pared-down manner in which the story is presented, Santiago’s rare ability to get in touch with the Soul of the World comes not from the procedures described in arcane tomes pursued by traditional alchemists, but rather from a simple honesty and observance of the workings of the world. While the lack of character or plot complexity precludes this minimalist work from being considered a great novel, it will be a satisfying read for those seeking inspiration of the purest sort.

Review by Kevin Joseph, author of “The Champion Maker”
Courtesy Cheerfulliving