Inspirational and good news.
Disappointed with the Canadian election? Well, don’t despair, ThingsAreGood.com is having an informal meet-up in Toronto. The meet-up is chance to meet other people who want to make the world better in all sorts of crazy ways!
It’s this Thursday at 8pm and on at the Red Room, for more info check our Good Meets section.
Look for people wearing buttons like the one to the left, and if you show up you too can have a stylish ThingsAreGood button!
Hope to see you there!
The new site (www.jubao.gov.cn) is run by the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision.
The Web site offers Chinese villagers and others a way to lodge complaints directly, bypassing local authorities who are sometimes criticized for retaliating against petitioners or refusing to take action on complaints.
China has the world’s second-largest population of Internet users after the United States, with more than 100 million people online.
China also has a huge problem with peasants getting screwed over by middle management while higher levels of government turn a blind eye. This certainly won’t solve the problem, but it could be a good start.
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable deaths in Canada, and the Ontario government wants that to change. The province, along with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to give 14, 000 smokers nicotine patches or gum to help them quit.
If you are a smoker in Ontario you can call 1 800-350-5305 for an interview to see if you can qualify. Those that get chosen for the study will get the gum or patches sent to them for five weeks, and will have to complete some follow up studies a few months after that.
In the spirit of the holiday season, it seemed appropriate to highlight a charitible organization that is making a difference to many in the Toronto area on a year-round basis. Second Harvest was founded in 1986, and is dedicated to ensuring that fresh food from GTA grocery stores and restaurants does not go to waste. Using six refrigerated trucks, the organization picks up high-quality fresh food and produce on a daily basis and delivers it within hours to over 230 community centres, shelters, breakfast programs, and drop-in centres across the city.
Second Harvest distinguishes itself from food banks in that it collects perishable foods, such as meat, milk, and vegetables. Its efforts help provide 13,000 meals each day to children, the elderly, women who are fleeing abuse, and the homeless.
In addition to its main program, Second Harvest undertook two other initiatives that are making a difference in Toronto. The Feeding Our Future program began in 1999, supplying lunches to inner-city children who were otherwise unable to attend free summer camps because their families could not afford to send a lunch along with them. Harvest Kitchens was launced in 2001 in four Toronto facilities, where unemployed individuals were trained in food preparation with the aim of giving them valuable skills to help them find jobs. The refrigerated trucks deliver raw food from donors to the kitchens, where folks are trained under the supervision of food service professionals.
People in the Democratic Republic of Congo have voted for a new constitution in a recent referendum. The post-war constitution paves the way for national elections next year.
This is a big step for a nation that is plagued by violence and high in mineral resources. Next year’s elections would be the first free elections in forty years.