You buy an OLPC laptop for yourself, but in doing so you also buy one to be donated to a child somewhere in the majority world.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.

Previously on Things Are Good: Cheap Laptop

Advocates argue that a green approach to burial is environmentally friendly, spiritually uplifting and often less costly than the conventional American way of laying people to rest.

Some conservation groups see green burials as a way to preserve public land that otherwise might be devoured by development.

“Before the ‘better dying through chemistry’ era was born, this was the way most of humanity cared for its dead,” said Joe Sehee, founder and executive director of the Green Burial Council, a nonprofit group leading the charge for biodegradable burials. “It’s a way to honor the dead and heal the living in an environmentally responsible manner.”

You can read about it at  http://www.orphan.org/red_scarf_project.xhtml or http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/now_norma_knits_2/2007/04/i_was_in_error.html

 In the end 15, 097 scarves were made.  So many that some are being kept for next year’s event.  They are planning to make the deadline earlier though.  It will likely be in September or October of 2007.

Hockey good thing number 1:

“A recent winner of a hockey contest on Information Morning in Fredericton gave back his grand prize, asking the show hold an auction with proceeds going to a child who couldn’t afford to play hockey this year.” From Inside the CBC. A news story about hockey from a CBC blog about a contest run by the CBC that also involves beer (can’t much more stereotypically Canadian than that).

Hockey good thing number 2:

Canadian researchers have found out what spot of the ice a hockey goalie needs to watch.

Previously we spoke of hockey on Google Video.

“Well, the town of Plymouth was able to scrounge up a few spare fire trucks, used, but in good working order; so why not ship them to Guinea-Bissau, along with an ambulance, and give the former Portuguese colony some peace of mind?
And that’s what is going to happen.

The country’s fire chief, Malam Djaura, will receive the keys to the equipment and training in how to operate them from Plymouth firefighters before the trucks and ambulance are shipped from New Jersey to West Africa.

These things, as improbable as they may seem, don’t happen in a vacuum. A Plymouth resident, David Applefield, who is a reporter for a newspaper in Guinea-Bissau, told his father, Jerry, about the fire. Jerry, in turn, mentioned it to state Rep. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth. DeMacedo’s brother, Olavo bought one truck, and Jerry Applefield bought the other truck and ambulance, and Plymouth and Hanson fire officials threw in a bunch of hoses, connectors and other equipment. Olavo deMacedo even had one truck lettered and decorated with the Guinea-Bissau flag.”

All this activity finally brings down the hammer of the border patrol, and a jeep shows up to separate us. The officer is friendly but firm. He’s just come on shift and has no idea we’ve been playing volleyball over the fence for the past hour.

“Really?”

He tells us that a daredevil launched himself across the border in a cannon a while back, but that ours was, in fact, the first-ever game of international border volleyball.

“And it worked over that tall fence?”

“Yup,” we say. “We’re up for one more round if you want to play.”

“No, man,” the officer says. “I’m on duty.”

There are, scattered around The United States, a group of organizations who have found a win-win-win situation. They are the Single Volunteers.

These groups act as a loose liason between single (as in unmarried) adults and organizations in need of volunteers to run events like charity walks, public television fund drives, and community events. They have no operating budget, no elected officers, and no offices. Volunteers pay nothing to join or participate. Their administration exist strictly in cyberspace. Volunteers check a web page (edited by a volunteer) and send e-mail to a (volunteer) team leader to sign up for events.

Win #1: The single adults get to work alongside other single adults.

Win #2: Events get staffed with free helpers.

Win #3: Charities benefit from the free help and events.

This is definitely one area where the news is good. People working for others. The web page I list above is just one of the “SV” (Single Volunteers) groups, this on being based in the Baltimore/Annapolis area of Maryland.