USA - "King of Talk" Quits for Wife

The famous anchorman and his country singer wife, Shawn Southwick, each filed divorce papers earlier last April, citing irreconcilable differences that could have led to the demise of their 13-years marriage. The pair are now in therapy, ostensibly for the benefit of their sons, Chance, 11, and Canon, 9. Mr. King has had six other wives, one of whom he divorced twice. The New York psychotherapist, Ronie Fakerwell, is the author of Make Up, Don't Break Up, Julle Collins co-authored title How to Make Divorce Fun, and Connecticut-based lawyer Laurie Giles author of What Now, Divorce Planning, all agree that instead of couples splitting, they recommend they sit down with a therapist at least five times to discuss the decision before heading to a lawyer. However, in late June, the couple announced that they were cancelling their plans for divorce, while Larry King announced that he would be ending his nightly CNN interview program, Larry King Live this autumn after 25 years on-air, in order to devote his time to his wife and children. Yet, he will remain with CNN, working on news specials and special event coverage.

Canada - Elijah Smith's Aboriginal-inspired Elementary School

Fifty percent of the students attending Elijah Smith Elementary in Whitehorse are aboriginal, and 50% of the teachers are as well. Hanging on the walls are large murals by students, including paintings of eagles, foxes, rabbits and bears. The school was opened in 1992, and until a new principal named John Wright arrived in 1996, the school began to draw students from the nearby community Kwanlin Dun First Nation. He imagined a school that brought native culture alive for students, while at the same time giving them the academic fundamentals. The 320 students of the school are taught the language of the Kwanlin Dun and a course called "Hunter Education", which teaches them respect for animals and how to survive in the outdoors. The kids spend the first semester in a science course, by going into the bush with a local elder to learn about the flora. They learn to classify the different plants, trees and bushes. Pupils of he school are trained to do a traditional native dance, and upon graduating they would not only know their ABCs but also know about native culture.

Canada - Autistic Girl Speaks on her Laptop!

Carly Fleischmann, 13, cannot speak and does not attend a regular school. Her parents sought therapists and doctors to help their daughter break the intellectual and emotional silence that she possessed. They believed that she could communicate suing pictures or pointing, understood the spelling and simple word lessons that her therapists conducted. After two years, she was working on a computer with one of her therapists, when she suddenly typed the word, "teeth" followed by "help". Her parents realized that she was trying to tell them her teeth were sore. Several months ago, Carly began turning to the family computer to express her thoughts, and to tell them how she was feeling showing how she has progressed. Her parents were really surprised by her non-verbal and augmented ways of communication. Carly's mother said that her family has proof that their daughter is intelligent and emotive, but simply did not have a way of expressing herself to those around her. Autism experts developed numerous new forms for therapy, including voice boxes, specialized computer programs, and typing to help reach out to autistic individuals and make it easier for them to communicate. These therapies provide hope to families desperate to connect with autistic children.

Global - A Goat for Every Family

Plan-Canada, founded in 1937, as Foster Parents Plan, made a world of difference by inviting people to give the gift of their choice and pick the country they wish it to go, in order to make the world better for needy families worldwide. One of their projects in Nepal, Mozambique and Benin offers to provide a goat as a source of nourishment and income for one family for just $40.Others chose to purchase a cow, and secretly name it after their boss! In El Salvador, a donor can give $2,200, which would be used to provide food and agricultural skills to students through the creation of a school garden. For $600, donors can assist in filling a school library with books in earthquake stricken Haiti, or even $25,000 for secondary school scholarships for 20 girls in Burkina Faso. Other projects involve the delivery of safe and clean water systems,  supporting immunization campaigns, and the setting up of local health centers.

Norway--Pioneer of Social History Honoured

The 81-years-old humanitarian, Dr. Natalie Zemon Davis, was named last March as the recipient of the $785,000 Holberg International Memorial Prize - awarded by the Norwegian parliament which she received in June. She is the second consecutive winner of this prize from the University of Toronto. It went before to philosophy professor Ian Hacking last year. Dr. Natalie, who is also an emeritus professor at Princeton University, is considered a pioneer of social history and has a long record of political activism in civil and women's rights. She believes that studying history enriches people's understanding of the world they live in. In addition to courses in the history of early modern France, she has taught or co-taught courses in history and anthropology, early modern Jewish social history, and history and film. She has also been an important figure in the study of the history of women and gender, founding with Jill Ker Conway a course in that subject in 1971 at the University of Toronto: one of the first in North America. The Holberg prize committee described her as one of the most creative historians writing today, an intellectual who is not hostage to any particular school of thought or politics. Her most celebrated work is a book entitled, The Return of Martin Guerre, was published in 1982 and translated to 22 languages. She was president of the American Historian Association. Davis was born in Detroit into a middle-class family, the daughter of 19th century Jewish immigrants to America. She attended Kingswood School, Cranbrook and was subsequently educated at Smith College, Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan, from which she received her Ph.D. in 1959. In 1948, she married Chandler Davis, University of Toronto, a mathematician (now retired) who has also written science fiction under the name Chan Davis.

Global - Ribbon and Bracelet Culture

Canada - Diabetes Epidemic in Native Communities

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal examined trends among diabetic patients in Saskatchewan from 1980-2005. The sample included 8275 aboriginal people and 82306 non-aboriginals. Dr. Ronald Dyck of the department of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan mentioned that, "Diabetes is a disease of young first nations adults, with a marked predilection for women. In contrast, diabetes is a disease of aging non-first nations adults which is more come in men." It is known that diabetes is one of the principal causes of blindness, amputations, kidney failure and heart disease. Overall, the incidence and prevalence were both about four times higher among aboriginal women and 2.5 times higher among aboriginal men. It has been well documented that rates of overweight obesity are significantly higher in native communities. Dr. Dyck notes that the difference in epidemiology of the disease in native and non-native people means prevention programs should be different as well. He recommends that for first nations, medical practitioners should focus on women in their reproductive years.

Canada - Norway's "Queen of Vancouver"

Marit Bjoergen was a winner of three gold medals and five in total at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. They called her the "Queen of Vancouver". This was Norway's first gold in the 4 x 5 skiing relay classic in 26 years. The Norwegian team consisted of Vibeke Skofterud, Therese Johaug, and Christine Stoermer. They beat out the German team, followed by the Finnish team. Bjoergen became the first Norwegian woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics - something that did not sit well with Justyna Kowalczyk, the top ranked skier in the world cup circuit. Achievements of such proportions are amazing for any athlete, but adding to the magnitude of her achievements, Bjoergen is asthmatic and was under medication at the time of competing.

Haiti - A Miracle after the Earthquake

Three days after Haiti's catastrophe, with hope begging to dwindle for trapped survivors. while Haitian officials admit they are at a complete loss, local volunteers are being bolstered by growing ranks of rescuers from abroad. Five-year-old, Samael Jachond was saved from his concrete tomb by a small team from a nearby town, led by a local official who ignored the quick conclusion that there were no survivors beneath the ruins. Covered in concrete dust, a light ghost child appeared to be dead, until his bright eyes broke his powdery mask. Rushed to an outdoor clinic run by Cuban doctors, his diagnosis was quick, "He is fine," said nurse Bila Guevara. Shortly before giving the boy a shot of pain killers, he cried for the first time. In another shocking incident, only hours after the Haitian government declared search and rescue operations over, 22 year old Wismond Exantus Jean-Pierre was dramatically rescued after spending 11 days under the rubble of a hotel in Port-au-Prince. International emergency teams hailed his rescue as "more than a miracle."

Global - The Jockey of the Queen Mother's Horse

Dick Francis, became the racing thriller. His career as a writer was dogged with speculation that his best-selling novels were actually written by his wife. His is author of 42 crime novels, selling more than 60 million copies in 35 languages. Some people believed that his highly educated wife wrote the books for him. He had won several gold and silver dagger award from the Crime Writers Association, while in the US he was made a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and appointed OBE in 1984 and CBE in 2000. Prior to his author career, he was champion horse jockey in the 1953-54 session, riding the Queen's horses till 1957. The Queen Mother was also fond of his books, and he also offered a special first edition of his titles to her. Francis was born in a farm in southwest Wales, coming from a line of farming gentry and horsemen. As a child, he attended a one-class village school three days weekly and then would ride horses the rest of the week. He published his autobiography, Dick Francis: A Racing Life in 1999. In 2007, Francis published the novel Dead Heat in 2007, then Silks in 2008, and Even Money in 2009, prior to his death at the age of 89 last February.

Japan - Spouse-Hunting School!

Dozens of Japanese are attending a newly launched school in Tokyo that aims to turn them into marriage material. The Infini school offers various classes for wannabe brides and grooms at a time when many people in Japan are either shunning the institution of marriage or finding it very difficult to hook-up with a partner. The school open to men and women, teaches students how to talk, walk, and present themselves elegantly in a bid to capture the hearts and minds of partners and their parents. Infini which opened last February, now has about 30 female students and an almost equal number of males. Government statistics show that nearly two-thirds of women under the age of 34 are unmarried, even though about 3,800 firms offer match-making services. The school charges students an average annual fee of $2,260. Mei Oda, one of students studying at the school said, "I'm looking for a man who makes more than 10 million yen a year, doesn't ask me to live with his parents and takes good care of me." instructors provide critiques about students’ dress, posture and even details such as how they cross their legs or get out of a car. Men and women are taught different skills, which range from how to set a table well to how to be more emotionally expressive.

Canada - Picasso in Inuit Art

The Nuu-chah-nulth people of Vancouver Island, Canada, have marked important family events by painting ceremonial curtains, or thliitsapllthim. Births and weddings are documented by these huge narratives. These Ceremonial Curtains and the Work of Ki-Ke-in last March was the first focused exhibition of these curtains in a gallery setting. The curator of the exhibit, Charlotte Townsend-Gault explains, "The show mixes historic curtains with contemporary works by Ron Hamilton (Ki-ke-in), who lives on the Ahahswinis Reserve just outside Port Alberni." Tl'iishin Thliitsapilthim, is a century-old curtain which was part of the dowry for a woman names Nina Jack in her 1914 marriage to Chief Jack Peters. The two dominant figures in the artwork art mythical cod fish-alligators: One swallows the moon to create lunar eclipses, and the other swallows the sun to create solar eclipses. Of interest to Hamilton, from an art history perspective, is the human figure on the right side of the curtain. He says, "Of course this is the kind of thing that Picasso and others were so struck by. People can easily see the face on the right as being Picasso-esque."

Global - Honorary Canadian Citizenship to the Aga Khan

His Highness Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's 15 million Ismaili Muslims and renowned philanthropist received his honorary Canadian citizenship from Prime Minister Stephen Harper last May in Toronto. The Aga Khan, who traces his ancestry directly to prophet Muhammad, is seen as one of the Muslim leaders most closely engaged with the West. His foundation carries out development work in areas such as education and health care, both in Africa and Central Asia. He always declares his profound admiration of Canadian pluralism. He showed the Prime Minister, a model of the new Aga Khan Museum and Park to be opened in Toronto in 2013, as part of the Aga Khan's official visit to Canada. The Prime Minister said, “Canada is honoured to have been chosen as the site for these important institutions. They will serve to promote pluralism, peace and tolerance through greater understanding of Islam. On conferring the honourary citizenship, Prime Minister Harper added that is was in "recognition of his leadership as a champion of international development, pluralism and tolerance around the world and of his remarkable leadership as Imam of the worldwide Ismaili community.”

Canada - New Way to Repair Damaged Nerves

Dr. Patrice Smith, 32, is a distinguished neuroscientist at Carleton University (Ottawa), who completed her PhD at the University of Ottawa and then joined Harvard University as a post-doctoral fellow to pursue her interest in the differences between young and old brains. She discovered a new coax damaged nerves to repair themselves. Her experiments could lead to novel therapies for brain or spinal cord injuries. Until about the age of 2, the neurons in the human brain are still growing, stretching out long arms known as axons to form connections  and build networks and circuits. Along with her colleagues at Harvard, she found a molecule that appears to put the breaks on neuron growth in adult mice called SOCS₃. She reported her findings in the journal Neuron last December. With right kind of therapy, she believes people can recover at least in a limited way from a brain injury, if neurons that have not been damaged can provide an alternate route for signals. Dr. Smith wants to get the damaged cells to repair themselves, and for people to know that Canada is a land of possibility when it comes to scientific research.

USA - The Optimistic Senior Senior Citizen!

Mary Josephine Ray is was oldest woman in the US, who cheered the Boston Red Sox baseball team till the end, shrugged off hip replacement surgery at the age of 106, and kept her memory till her death at the age of 114. Mary, who was born in Prince Edward Island in 1895 and moved to Maine at age 3, was the second oldest woman in the world, just a few days younger than the oldest person, Kama Chirfen of Japan, who is 114 years and 303 days. There are now 75 people in the world aged 110 or older  (known as super centenarians), according gerontology research group in Los Angeles. All but three of them are women. She left two sons, eight grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren.

Canada - The Book of the Dead in the ROM

The Book of the Dead of Amen-em-hat, a newly unveiled treasure belonging to the Royal Ontario Museum, is a 7-metre scroll, written and illustrated with care by a scribe for the Egyptian noble, Amen-em-hat, to take with him to his tomb in order to travel smoothly into the afterlife. Amen-em-hat is presumed to have been a man of considerable wealth, who lived around 300 B.C., whose Book was the focus of ROM's recent exhibit in 2009, "Out of the Vaults: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead," and was seen by the public for the first time in 2200 years. The Louvre museum hosted a major exhibition on Books of the Dead after 18 months of ROM display. The ROM has owned Amen-em-hat for roughly 100 years, until a German PhD student from the University of Bonn spotted them in the storage area. Books of the Dead were an essential part of death for the ancient Egyptians. They vary widely in composition, but all contain spells instructions for smooth passage to the afterlife. It combines hymns to the gods and illustrated vignettes showing how to avoid dangerous monsters. In the Hall of Judgment, they believed the deceaseds hearts would be placed on a scale and weighted against a feather, the emblem of maat, the goddess of truth, order and justice.

Canada - Multiculturalism's First Lady

Kati Rekai, born in 1921 in Budapest, was a Hungarian immigrant to Canada, with her husband John, a surgeon, and his brother Paul, a physician who established Toronto's Central Hospital. She was a key supporter of other Hungarian immigrants, and championed tolerance and cultural diversity. She helped in the birth of the book, The Adventures of Mickey, Taggy, Puppo, and Cica, a series of children's guidebooks, stirring our fairy multicultural friends who travelled the world and welcomed visitors to Canada.  Kati was a strong believer of multiculturalism, among the many prestigious awards she received for her work on multiculturalism were the Certificate of Honour for Contribution to Canadian Unity, Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary for Contribution to the Development of Canadian-Hungarian Cultural Relations and the Order of Canada in 1993 with the citation, "She has written travel books for children that introduce and promote Canadian cities and European countries through the eyes of four animals, Mickey, Taggy, Puppo and Cica, each of which represents a part of the Canadian mosaic; the books educate children and adults about music, literature, pioneering and native peoples". For her contributions over the years, Kati Rekai had gained the de facto status of Canada's literary ambassador to the world.

Afghanistan - Distinguished Educator Challenges Taboos

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi has devoted her life to educating women and children in her country, through the Afghan Institute of Learning, which started in a Pakistani refugee camp in 1995. Today the institute reaches seven million people, and is a destination for family planning and maternal health care in Afghanistan. Dr. Sakeena is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who believes that educated women can raise their children with confidence and able to go and work. When she went to the US, she was exposed to a participatory methodology in which she learned how to ask questions and be active in the classroom. When she went to Pakistan, she decided that the most important thing for her to do was education. She was interested to also open a discussion of reproductive health with her fellow Afghanis. When asked on her view if the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, she mentioned, "I cannot allow myself to think about that. If I do, I will just have a heart attack. I think the first victims will be women and children, and especially the women who have been out of the house working and going to school."

Canada - Autism Treatment with Neurofeedback Training

Dr. Shane Dunne, a consultant in Kingston with 20 years experience with MRI, Ultrasound and Microscopy, created a video game for people with autism, that analyzes brain wave patterns to control game play. It was a hit with his 14-year-old autistic son, Sam, with Asperger's syndrome. Last June, a workshop in Ottawa brought together top Canadian researchers specialized in game technology, social networking, and digital media with those who study brain disorders in children. The goal is to find new ways to diagnose and treat autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, attention and deficit hyperactivity disorder, by bringing people like Dr. Dunne together with medical researchers to develop and assess potential treatments. Dr. Dan Goldowitz, director of NeuroDevNet said, "You can imagine how virtual reality can help shape sensory and cognitive systems, rewire the brain, help tweak one system, and down regulate another." Two years after Dr. Dunne and his wife searched the scientific literature for ways to help their son, they took him to a Mississauga clinic run by psychologist, Lynda Thompson, that offers neurofeedback training. After more than 80 hours of training over nine months, Sam began to make progress, and his symptoms were starting to diminish. Dr. Dunne created entertaining ways to make his son, and other autistic spectrum kids, to improve with entertaining fun and games.

Italy - Dr. Zamboni's New "Liberation" MS Theory

The Italian doctor and director of the Vascular Disease Centre at the University of Ferrara in Italy, Paolo Zamboni, whose revolutionary research into multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests that it is a vascular condition caused by blocked or malformed veins responsible for draining blood from the brain, rather than an autoimmune condition, urged patients demanding immediate access to the treatment, to wait till it is probably tested. His controversial therapy that MS may be cured with simple surgery of reopening the blocked veins from the brain, which he named Chronic Cerebro-spinal Venus Insufficiency (CCSVI). Zamboni's controversial theory created bitter MS Society of Canada elections last June. There were worries that supporters of Dr. Zamboni's "liberation" theory could overwhelm the board. New diagnosis theories state that MS may be caused by iron blockage in the veins. The Italian physician, Paolo Zamboni, claimed some success with his "liberation" treatment, which was approved in Bulgaria, Kuwait and Poland. Eager MS patients have flocked to foreign clinics that are willing to do the treatment, spurred on by anecdotal reports from others who have undergone it. But skeptical neurologists believe that may be a placebo effect at work and want to see well conducted clinical trials before they embrace the idea.

North America - The Underage Soldier who became Canada's Oldest Veteran

Jack Babcock, who was born in 1900 in Ontario, volunteered for the Canadian army in 1916. More 60,000 Canadians died in the Great War. He died at his home in Washington at the age of 109 last February. He was the last surviving Canadian veteran from the First World War. Canadian Veteran Affairs Minister, Jane-Pierre Blackburn, presented to his widow, Dorothy, with the maple leaf flag that flew over the Peace Tower of Parliament on February 18 - the day he died. He was the last of 650,000 Canadian men and women who served in what was then known as the "War to end all wars". Prime Minister Harper issued a statement offering his deepest condolences to Jack's family, saying "Mr. Babcock's passing marks an end of an era, one in which a new Canadian identity emerged from the battlefields of Belgium and France at the cost of 60,000 young lives."

Afghanistan - Haligonian-inspired Orange Blossom Perfume

7 Virtues is a new perfume created by Halifax (Canada) entrepreneur, Barbara Stegemann, using essential oils from Afghanistan. Ms. Barbara's venture, a group of female Afghani farmers in Jalalabad, were persuaded to abandon poppy fields once used for opium production, and grow orange blossoms for fragrance oil instead. The new perfume, 7 Virtues Afghanistan Eau de Perfume, is not surprisingly a bit of a novelty to to making a perfume from an orange blossom, oil  from more stable places, such as Spain, France, Sicily and Florida. Stegemann's idea is to make the scent appealing to North American women in particular, which introduces another interesting cultural variable, and thus the fragrance was tailored to their tastes.  The packaging also features quotes from poets and political leaders, an inspiration which seems to have been drawn from the annual Narinj Gul (Orange Blossom) festival in Afghanistan which operates as a traditional framework for expressing social ideas through the medium of poetry. Afghanistan Orange Blossom EDP is priced at $70; and her book, authored entitled The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen is priced at $25.

France - The Bastion for Literary Culture

For more than 30 years, Marie-Jo Grandjean has spent her days amid the organized clutter of her tiny Left Bank Shop, where art books crowd every available surface and shelf, right up to the high ceiling. In a city that thinks of itself as a capital of culture, the decline is seen as a full fledged emergency. In the late 1970s, Ms. Grandjean opened Courant d'Art, after abandoning her dream of being a flamenco dancer. She presides over an inventory of about 100,000 rare and old art photography books. It allows people to stay in touch with culture, and culture to be transmitted to people. A book seller is not just any old business and Latin Quarter historically has been home to the biggest concentration of book stores as well as publishing houses. They are part of the area's identity. Paris remains a book lovers mecca, but independent book sellers have trouble competing with the big designer fashion stores that have been moving into their traditional turf.

South Africa - Shakira and Desmond Tutu

 The 2010 World Cup got underway on June 11 in Johannesburg amid elaborate pageantry, the blare of ubiquitous plastic horns known as vuvuzelas and profound grief over the tragic death of Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter. Among the dignitaries in attendance were South African President Zuma, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 78, the anti-apartheid activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, and former South African president F.W. de Klerk, 74, who served as the last head of state of the apartheid era. On the night before the opening ceremonies, a large concert was organized, highlighted by the finale performance by Colombian pop star's Shakira's performance of the World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" with local band Freshly ground while confetti rained down on spectators.

USA -New Book Examines Edward Said's Legacy

The 566-pages book, Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation, is set to be released by University of California Press in August 2010, with 31 distinguished contributors from a variety of disciplines. The two Canadian editors, Adel Iskandar (Georgetown) and Hakem Rustom (LSE) have worked seven years in preparing this book. Many academics got the opportunity to review the book before its official release, including professors Cornel West (Princeton University), Hamid Dabashi (Columbia University), Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University), Ahdaf Soueif (Booker Prize finalist), Zachary Lockman (New York University), Immanuel Wallerstein (Yale University), and Judith Butler (University of California, Berkeley). In his review of the book, South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "Edward Said was an intellectual with a passion for justice and he allowed nothing to deter him in its pursuit. Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation reflects this."

Global - Gates and Buffett "Give Half Away"

The two American billionaires, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, launched the largest fundraising campaign ever conceived - $600 billion! They are pushing other billionaires to donate at least half their wealth. The campaign, called "The Giving Pledge", is an effort to address society's most pressing problems by bringing more dollars to philanthropy. Today, there are about 400 billionaires in the US, and hold roughly $1.2 trillion in total assets according to Forbes magazine. In Canada, Lim Fleck, a Toronto businessman, has already given away more than half his wealth. While Alberta businessman, Harley Hotchkiss has donated $40 million to the University of Calgary, while Montreal businessman John Hallward started "Giv3" last year, which encourages Canadians to donate 3% of their income and volunteer 3 hours a month.

Global - The Sunshine Vitamin

Major clinical trials in the US will settle whether everyone living at northern latitudes should pop a vitamin D pill everyday to help ward off cancer, heart disease, and a host of other serious ailments. The trials will also test the benefits of calcium supplements and omega-3 fatty acids. Dr. Joan Lappe, professor at Creighton University in Nebraska, is the lead researcher on one of the trials. The second trial, which will run for about seven years, will involve 20 thousand people, is being run jointly by Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. It will also test the theory that fish oils are good for heart health and stroke prevention.

Ireland--Book Explores Joyce's Ulysses and Everyday Life