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Costa Rica Elects First Female President

Congratulations to Laura Chinchilla who, earlier today was elected President of Costa Rica, making her the first female to hold the position. 

A protege of former President, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oscar Arias, Chinchilla says she plans to carry on many of her precedssors policies while also aiming to improve education and stop drug traffickers from using Costa Rica as a transit route.

-JH 

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Saints Win

Congratulations to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints for their big win yesterday.  To be honest, we were kind of torn on who to root for, since there are great players and stories on both sides, but for everything the city of New Orleans (and the whole Gulf Coast region for that matter) has been through since Katrina its good for them to have something to celebrate.

By the way, here’s a link to some of the things the Saints as an organization have been doing to help the community.  Many players (including Peyton Manning, actually) have been involved on a personal level as well.

-JH

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15 Year-Old Medical Wiz Kid

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tony Hansberry is only 15 years old, but many doctors are already impressed at his medical know-how and surgical skills.  This kid definitely has a bright future ahead. Check out the MSNBC video above for the full story.

-JH

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Embrace Baby Incubator

Over 20 million babies are born premature each year.  Since many of them are in rural areas access to life-saving incubators is usually not available.  Thanks to the simple technology behind the new Embrace baby incubator, this problem can be solved for as little as $25.  Watch the video above for more details.

-JH

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Black Tie Ball

Our friend (and Majority Mag contributor) Grace Woo is putting together a Black Tie Ball to raise money for the people of Haiti.  If you live in the Seattle area, please join us Saturday February 13th for a fun evening featuring performances from local artists, dance lessons, and desserts.  All proceeds will go toward World Vision’s Haiti Relief Efforts.

-JH

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Vince Young Takes McNair Boys Under His Wing

When former Titans quarterback Steve McNair was shot last July, Vince Young (the team’s current QB) promised to help be a father-figure for his two sons, Trenton and Tyler.  Throughout the season Young invited the boys to join him at several games, and even attended a “Dear Dad’s Breakfast” at the boys’ school. 

Young says the boys come hang out at his house often, and this past weekend he brought the brothers along to the Pro Bowl giving them the VIP treatment and taking them around with him everywhere he went.  (Full story via the Tennessean)

-JH 

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7 Year-Old Brit Raises $200K For Haiti

After seeing images of Haitian children being pulled from the rubble, 7 year-old Charlie Simspon of Fulham, West London decided he wanted to do something.  With the goal of raising $500 for UNICEF he asked people to sponsor him on a 5-mile bike ride around a local park. 

Once the media caught hold of the story, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown even tweeted about it,  the sponsors poured in, and when it was all said and done Simpson had raised over $200,000.  Another great example that anyone can make a difference if they choose to.

-JH

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National Mentoring Month

I realize there are only a few days left, but did you know President Obama declared January National Mentoring Month?  The goal is to urge Americans to help young people (especially those in single-parent households) grow up to be responsible, productive adults. In conjunction with the announcement, several mentor/mentee pairs, including a duo from our friends at The Mentoring Project (pictured above) were invited to a special ceremony at the White House. 

The President also announced he and several of his top aids would be hosting their own mentoring program aimed at encouraging local D.C. area kids in education, career planning, and community service.

-JH

via The Mentoring Project

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Healthy Home-Ec

With the goal of helping young people learn how to live healthier lifestyles, subsitute teacher Kim Carrington recently launched a program called Health Heroes at Surratsville High in Clinton, Maryland.

Once a month kids will be able to learn how to create healthy alternatives to some of their favorite meals and learn some fun ways to excercise and be active as well.  Sounds like a program every school should incorporate. Check out the full story here via the Washington Post

-JH

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The Power Of Half

Back in November of 2008 we shared this story about the Salwen family who decided to sell their $2 million home in Atlanta, move into a smaller one, and donate half the profits to a global hunger initiative. 

Now, after donating over $800,000 to The Hunger Project and traveling to Ghana to see the programs they funded in action, the family has released The Power Of Half, to share  how downsizing brought their family together and hopefully inspire others to think about what they could live without, so they could give more.

-JH

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