Solar-Powered Hearing Aids Are Music to the Ears of Kids Around the World

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Grace O’Brien’s motto has always been, “I don’t know what I want to be, but I want to be something great. Meaning, I want to make sure that whatever I choose to do, it’s making a positive impact.”

So far, the 18-year old Stanford freshman is off to a pretty good start. At 14, she founded the nonprofit Ears for Years, which has supplied hundreds of low-cost, solar-powered hearing aids to children in developing countries. And O’Brien has already received national attention as one of the 2015 winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.

Source: Solar-Powered Hearing Aids Are Music to the Ears of Kids Around the World

Layoffs announced at B.C. open-pit copper mine: United Steelworkers – Yahoo Finance Canada

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By The Canadian Press

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The union representing workers at the Highland Valley Copper mine in south-central British Columbia says low copper prices have led to layoffs.

Teck Resources Limited (TSX:TCK-A.TO – News) owns the open-pit mine near the community of Logan Lake.

Kyle Wolff of the United Steelworkers local 7619 says the company announced Thursday that it is looking to trim six per cent of its workforce at the mine by early 2016.

He says the it’s a tough market, copper prices are soft and the mine is looking at cutting production of the metal by 30 per cent next year as the company moves into a different phase of mining.

Wolff says language in the contract means non-union contractors will be targeted by layoffs before unionized staff.

Company president and CEO Don Lindsay said in an October news release that commodity prices were low, but the company had reduced costs and raised $1-billion in two transactions. (CFJC)

Source: Layoffs announced at B.C. open-pit copper mine: United Steelworkers – Yahoo Finance Canada