Damien Agossou Degbo (front) and his students at his martial arts club in Akpro-Misserete town. Photo courtesy Club Super Shaolin Du Benin, via Facebook.
West African Man Becomes Kung Fu Master, Brings Chinese Martial Arts And Meditation Back Home
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
Meet Master Degbo, a Chinese Shaolin kung fu and tai chi teacher on the other side of the world from China. From the West African nation of Benin comes the ultimate story in intercultural exchange, whereby a young man inspired by Jackie Chan films took up kung fu and persisted to run the largest Chinese martial arts club in his country. In a town about 20 miles north of the country’s economic center of Cotonou, some 350 girls and boys of all ages stamp their feet and strike the air to the sound “hay-ya!” When the physical training ends, they can be seen in half-lotus, practicing Buddhist meditation.
Cub Found Alone In US Woods Now Being Raised By Wildlife Staff In Bear Costume
by Coral Murphy Marcos, The Guardian
Human bears, some would say, are taking care of a two-month-old cub that spent days without his mother, starving in a California forest. The small black bear cub was rescued by campers in Los Padres national forest after being found alone and starving. The infant bear is now recovering at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, and is believed to be the youngest cub the organization has ever cared for. The two-month-old cub was discovered on 12 April by campers hiking in the forest. Wildlife officials with the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) attempted to reunite him with his mother overnight, but she didn’t return.
Unique Miami Recycling Company Gives Discarded Shoes New Traction
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
In Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, a local business sorts through thousands of donated sneakers to decide the best way to keep them out of landfills. Whether pristine or worn out, each pair will have a future either as recycled material or with a new owner who’s going to appreciate and continue to use them. Sneaker Impact was founded by a man seeking a more environmentally friendly way to do business, and second-hand shoes is a good gig—the only competition is the landfill. Americans will own an average of 250 pairs of shoes in a lifetime, and that is unfortunately where many will end up.
How Social Housing Won In Seattle, Despite A Flood Of Big Tech Money
by Roshan Abraham, Shelterforce
In the days before a recent ballot referendum in Seattle that would determine the future of social housing in the city, large tech companies spent big. Amazon and Microsoft, both of which are headquartered in the Seattle metropolitan area, each donated $100,000, and opponents of a tax to fund social housing spent a combined $780,000 in the lead-up to the Feb. 11 vote. Despite this, the vote on a corporate tax to fund the city’s social housing authority won big, with 63 percent of voters supporting it. In 2023, voters had already resoundingly approved the social housing authority.
Colombia Takes Regional Lead In Indigenous Self-Government, Raising Hopes For Amazon Protection
by Steven Grattan, AP News
Colombia this week took a leading position in Latin America for Indigenous rights and forest protection by formalizing Indigenous local governments across swaths of the Amazon, raising hopes that other countries in the region will follow its lead. Activists say Monday’s decision gives Indigenous communities not just land titles, but actual self-governing authority — complete with public budgets and administrative power. The process, underway since 2018, now has a legal framework enabling Indigenous councils to function as official local governments.
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