Yikes…August already. I wish the winters went as fast as the summers. Where I live we are already contemplating the cooler weather being upon us again soon. Depressing…
Need some good news? I do!
Little Lifesavers: Kids Capable of CPR
Kids as young as nine can and should learn CPR. A recent study of 147 schoolchildren has determined that although the smallest kids may lack some physical strength, they can readily learn and retain the knowledge of how to perform basic life support.
A team of researchers studied children who had received six hours of life support training. Four months after the training, 86% were able to still perform CPR correctly. The skills taught to the children included automatic defibrillator deployment, providing CPR and calling for the emergency services. Success in the skills of CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was dependent on the size of the child. Age was not a factor.
U.S. Postal Service Opens Its First Green Roof
The U.S. Postal Service has another example of its environmental leadership. It has dedicated its first (and New York City’s largest) green roof at the top of the Morgan mail processing facility.
The building was built in 1933 and is a 2.2 million square foot facility located in midtown Manhattan. Its roof was constructed originally to serve as an additional mail processing location. When the roof was scheduled to be replaced in 2007, it was determined that it was strong enough to support the necessary weight to create a green roof.
The green roof will last up to 50 years, which is twice as long as the roof it replaced. It will reduce the amount of contaminants in storm water runoff as well. It is almost 2.5 acres and sits seven stories above the city. The green roof offers a beautiful view of midtown Manhattan and the northern New Jersey shore.
Gaza Children Attempt World Record for Kite Flying
Children in the Gaza Strip attempted to set a new world record by flying colorful homemade kites. The event was sponsored by the United Nations and brought 6,000 campers where they released their kites into the sky.
The Guinness Book of World Records said it had received an application from Gaza for “most kites flown simultaneously.” Guinness officials were unable to send a judge to the attempt because of travel restrictions into Gaza. The current record is 967 kites. The children would be able to break the record even without a judge if the accomplishment is verified in another way, according to a Guinness official.
