Thursday, February 26, 2009

Shot of the Day for February 26, 2009

Illuminate Yaletown (Vancouver)

By Flickr Member Sillygwailo

Good News Now for February 26 (posted by Mary Beth)

White Ribbon Alliance and CARE Launch Mothers Day Every Day: A Campaign for Healthy Moms and Newborns

"The well-being of women is central to a nation's health and prosperity. Today, the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) and CARE, two organizations at the forefront of global women's health issues, joined a distinguished group of advocates to unveil Mothers Day Every Day, a campaign calling for greater U.S. leadership to accelerate progress toward safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth globally."

Read more about the initiative - click here.


Obama’s Overtures: Why the Islamic World Isn’t Listening

"In his first post-inauguration interview, with an Arabic language television channel, President Obama said he wanted to 'initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest' between America and the Muslim world."

Click here to read why Chuck Colson believes Islamic enthusiasm for President Obama's election has cooled.


'If it costs me my life to protect our land and people then that is a small thing...'

"As President Obama and military officials plan for a marked escalation in the number of American troops in Afghanistan, the powerful words of a fallen soldier show how much the mission continues to mean to the women and men on the ground.

Illinois National Guard Sgt. Scott Stream, 39, of Mattoon, Ill., was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan. He wrote to a friend on New Year's Eve. The Tribune received a copy of the letter from Stream's mother."

Click here to read Sgt. Stream's letter.


Facebook says it will be more democratic about important changes

"Facebook introduced Thursday a new system that will allow its members to participate more actively in crafting governing policies for the site and even vote on important changes. The announcement was a response to an uproar last week, when users learned of changes to the site's Terms of Use that they believed granted Facebook overly broad control over their personal data."

The rest of the story awaits you here.


Black Bear still seems headed east through St. Tammany


"A Louisiana black bear that has been moving through St. Tammany Parish was spotted Thursday morning along the Tammany Trace between Mandeville and Abita Springs, meaning the animal is continuing its eastward trek from Iberville Parish."

Although it isn't Yogi, you can say "Hey there" by clicking here.


Ailing baby giraffe is on the mend

"Not long after the 5-foot newborn giraffe unfolded her long limbs into the world, staff at Southwick's Zoo in Mendon knew there was something wrong. The downy beast was not able to suckle. Her mother was not producing milk."

Check in on little Molly right here.

Good News From Mary Feb. 26, 2009

Largest Gathering of Inmates and Children Looks to Break Cycle of Crime

The prison once deemed the most violent in America will be hosting the nation’s largest gathering of inmates and their children next month to promote reconciliation and healing within families.

The Returning Hearts Celebration is expected to reunite more than 1,000 kids with their incarcerated dads at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for a special day of activities and bonding. The annual event enables fathers who may not have seen their sons or daughters in years to seek forgiveness and build connections in an effort to break the cycle of familial crime.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Don't be fooled by work-at-home scams

He was out of work and desperate for money. So Wesley Bailey of Destin, Fla., went online looking for something he could do at home. He landed on the web site for Rebate Processor Jobs. It promised to teach him how to make money processing customer rebates.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Elie Wiesel Talks About Losing Millions to Madoff

When Elie Wiesel met Bernard Madoff over dinner about 20 years ago, the topic of money never came up. They talked about history, education and Jewish philosophy, and the then-revered money manager urged Wiesel to leave his teaching post at Boston University and join a New York college.

Madoff "made a very good impression," Wiesel recalled Thursday. "We spoke about education. ... Not the economy."

Click here to read the rest of this story.

'Unrestored' copy of first Superman comic book for sale

After being hidden away for years, a copy of the original "Superman and Friends" comic book will make a comeback -- at a price of about $400,000, a comic expert said Thursday.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Chocolate 'makes for happy babies'

Scientists in Finland say eating chocolate during pregnancy may make for happier, livelier babies.

Click here for the rest of this story.

Thursday, February 26, 2009 Good News Stories (Margaret)

Orchids as Art, With a Nod to Brazil

"IF you expect the usual fantasy rain forest with orchids dripping from trees when “The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern” opens on Saturday at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, you are in for a surprise."

Click here to read more about this upcoming event.


Retirement Ready

"President Barack Obama wants to fix the sorry state of retirement in the U.S. It won't be easy. But thankfully, someone has a roadmap.

Annamaria Lusardi, an economics professor at Dartmouth College and research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, is editor of the just-published book 'Overcoming the Saving Slump.'"

Click here to read about an eight-step plan.


Five Ways to Use Facebook as a Force for Good

"Facebook has been in the news a lot the past couple of weeks. While much of that news concerns the terms of service, in Catholic circles the debate has been about giving Facebook up for Lent. The push behind that movement is that, for many people, Facebook has become an addiction. They have been neglecting the real-life people in their lives in order to spend much of their time interacting with their on-line friends. Obviously, this is a problem. Nevertheless, Facebook , in and of itself, is moral-neutral. Like the Internet itself, and television before it, it can be used as a force for good or evil. So, then, how can Facebook be a tool for good?"

Click here to read the five ways.