Spring
By Flickr Member Iris Dragon
Monday, April 6, 2009
Good News for April 6 (posted by Mary Beth)
Poll Finds New Optimism on Economy Since Inauguration
"Americans have grown more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country in the 11 weeks since President Obama was inaugurated, suggesting that Mr. Obama is enjoying some success in his critical task of rebuilding the nation’s confidence, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."
To read the rest of this story, click here.
Save the Children Responds to Children Affected by Italian Earthquake
"Save the Children has deployed emergency experts to central Italy, where a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday morning and displaced thousands of people. The team will focus on assessing and responding to the most urgent needs for children."
Click here for more on the relief effort.
Astonishing Folly: Anti-Christian Britain
"As you may know, in Islamic countries such as Afghanistan, converting from Islam to Christianity is a crime punishable by death. While they don’t go that far, certain Indian states and Nepal erect formidable hurdles for would-be converts to Christianity.
And then there’s the United Kingdom."
Click here for the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary.
Michael Jordan elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
"Michael Jordan accepted a Hall of Fame jersey, looked at former competitors John Stockton and David Robinson and threatened to make another comeback.
'Every time I see these guys, I want to put my shorts on,' Jordan said."
Want to know more about his feelings? All you have to do is click here.
Advocate of livable cities sees the big, detailed picture
"Tim Beatley wants to bring nature back to city streets. He’s trekked through Copenhagen, Melbourne and other far-flung locales to see why people have left their cars in favor of walking, or planted gardens on their roofs. In Houston last week to speak at Rice University, the author and University of Virginia professor took a few minutes to talk with Chronicle reporter Maggie Galehouse."
Click here to eavesdrop on the interview with Professor Beatley.
World-Record Athlete Scott Rigsby Named Team World Vision Advocate for Children Living with Disabilities
"If you think running a marathon or completing a triathlon for a great cause is beyond your reach, don’t tell Scott Rigsby. The Ironman triathlete, also a double amputee, is teaming with World Vision to ask Americans to look beyond their limitations and set previously unthinkable goals---to help children with disabilities and living in poverty achieve theirs."
For more on how World Vision plans to work with Rigsby to aid disabled children, click here.
Audio Bibles Make the Final Four
"Rev. Billy Graham once said, 'One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime. So who's coaching the coaches?'
Two influential Christian ministries have teamed up to do just that. This week in Detroit at the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Faith Comes By Hearing and Nations of Coaches will inspire about 700 coaches to lead their teams from a biblical perspective and then provide them with free Audio Drama New Testaments."
Click here for more on this plan to coach the coaches.
"Americans have grown more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country in the 11 weeks since President Obama was inaugurated, suggesting that Mr. Obama is enjoying some success in his critical task of rebuilding the nation’s confidence, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."
To read the rest of this story, click here.
Save the Children Responds to Children Affected by Italian Earthquake
"Save the Children has deployed emergency experts to central Italy, where a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday morning and displaced thousands of people. The team will focus on assessing and responding to the most urgent needs for children."
Click here for more on the relief effort.
Astonishing Folly: Anti-Christian Britain
"As you may know, in Islamic countries such as Afghanistan, converting from Islam to Christianity is a crime punishable by death. While they don’t go that far, certain Indian states and Nepal erect formidable hurdles for would-be converts to Christianity.
And then there’s the United Kingdom."
Click here for the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary.
Michael Jordan elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
"Michael Jordan accepted a Hall of Fame jersey, looked at former competitors John Stockton and David Robinson and threatened to make another comeback.
'Every time I see these guys, I want to put my shorts on,' Jordan said."
Want to know more about his feelings? All you have to do is click here.
Advocate of livable cities sees the big, detailed picture
"Tim Beatley wants to bring nature back to city streets. He’s trekked through Copenhagen, Melbourne and other far-flung locales to see why people have left their cars in favor of walking, or planted gardens on their roofs. In Houston last week to speak at Rice University, the author and University of Virginia professor took a few minutes to talk with Chronicle reporter Maggie Galehouse."
Click here to eavesdrop on the interview with Professor Beatley.
World-Record Athlete Scott Rigsby Named Team World Vision Advocate for Children Living with Disabilities
"If you think running a marathon or completing a triathlon for a great cause is beyond your reach, don’t tell Scott Rigsby. The Ironman triathlete, also a double amputee, is teaming with World Vision to ask Americans to look beyond their limitations and set previously unthinkable goals---to help children with disabilities and living in poverty achieve theirs."
For more on how World Vision plans to work with Rigsby to aid disabled children, click here.
Audio Bibles Make the Final Four
"Rev. Billy Graham once said, 'One coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime. So who's coaching the coaches?'
Two influential Christian ministries have teamed up to do just that. This week in Detroit at the NCAA men's basketball tournament, Faith Comes By Hearing and Nations of Coaches will inspire about 700 coaches to lead their teams from a biblical perspective and then provide them with free Audio Drama New Testaments."
Click here for more on this plan to coach the coaches.
Good News From Mary April 6, 2009
Easter and My Struggle with the Brutality of God's Plan
Something about the story made me cringe every time I heard it, and since I grew up a Baptist, I heard it a lot: To satisfy His need for justice and His demand for holiness, God sentenced His own Son to death in the brutal agony of a crucifixion as punishment for the failures and excesses of humanity.
It’s all about food lately.
Lovey-dovey language — even your own — can be so corny it makes you want to puke. But researchers have found that it might actually serve a purpose: Pet names and code phrases pave the way to a playful, resilient, and satisfying relationship. One study on couples' "insider language" published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships reported that the more goofy names, made-up terms, and covert requests for nooky a couple used, the higher their relationship satisfaction tended to be.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
When It Came to Dirt, Dad Knew Best: Feed It, Then Brace for Bounty
MY father loved his lordly third of an acre in our suburban development, and sported grass stains on his khakis from April through October. When he died 10 years ago, we grown siblings sent him to glory with a couple of gardener’s talismans tucked into his coffin.
There was a little vial of the green paint he used to camouflage every frugal garden cheat — be it a piece of rebar staking a lily or a bit of plywood hammered in as edging. And there was his garden radio, the innards of a transistor set held together with rubber bands. Tony Bennett soothed him as he faced down the chickweed.
In hindsight, we should have added one more thing: a scoop of soil from Dad’s vegetable garden. You could taste the spicy, sublime earth in his lettuce, a revelation in those days when watery iceberg reigned at the A & P.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
Scientists find why scratching relieves an itch
Scratch an itch and you get ... aaaaaah. Now scientists have watched spinal nerves transmit that relief signal to the brain in monkeys, a possible step toward finding new treatments for persistent itching in people.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
Something about the story made me cringe every time I heard it, and since I grew up a Baptist, I heard it a lot: To satisfy His need for justice and His demand for holiness, God sentenced His own Son to death in the brutal agony of a crucifixion as punishment for the failures and excesses of humanity.
Don't get me wrong. I want as much mercy as I can get. If someone else wants to take a punishment I deserve and I get off scot free, I'm fine with that. But what does this narrative force us to conclude about the nature of God? to read the rest of this story.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
It’s all about food lately.
Culinary shows like “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” are all the rage. Tainted peanuts have us worried about what we eat and how to make it better. Books such as “The Omnivore's Dilemma” and “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” are bestsellers. And even first lady Michelle Obama is getting in on the act, planting a vegetable garden at the White House.
Not surprisingly, more and more laid-off workers, those switching careers and young people just starting out are contemplating jobs in the food industry.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
Cutesy nicknames strengthen a couple’s bondsLovey-dovey language — even your own — can be so corny it makes you want to puke. But researchers have found that it might actually serve a purpose: Pet names and code phrases pave the way to a playful, resilient, and satisfying relationship. One study on couples' "insider language" published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships reported that the more goofy names, made-up terms, and covert requests for nooky a couple used, the higher their relationship satisfaction tended to be.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
When It Came to Dirt, Dad Knew Best: Feed It, Then Brace for Bounty
MY father loved his lordly third of an acre in our suburban development, and sported grass stains on his khakis from April through October. When he died 10 years ago, we grown siblings sent him to glory with a couple of gardener’s talismans tucked into his coffin.
There was a little vial of the green paint he used to camouflage every frugal garden cheat — be it a piece of rebar staking a lily or a bit of plywood hammered in as edging. And there was his garden radio, the innards of a transistor set held together with rubber bands. Tony Bennett soothed him as he faced down the chickweed.
In hindsight, we should have added one more thing: a scoop of soil from Dad’s vegetable garden. You could taste the spicy, sublime earth in his lettuce, a revelation in those days when watery iceberg reigned at the A & P.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
Scientists find why scratching relieves an itch
Scratch an itch and you get ... aaaaaah. Now scientists have watched spinal nerves transmit that relief signal to the brain in monkeys, a possible step toward finding new treatments for persistent itching in people.
Click here to read the rest of this story.
Monday, April 6, 2009 Good News Now Stories
Experts find gene trigger for deadly skin cancer
"Up to 70 percent of melanoma skin cancers may be triggered by a gene mutation that causes cells to become cancerous after excessive exposure to the sun, researchers said on Monday."
Click here to read more about this discovery.
How To Get Your Kids to Enjoy Gardening
"Most kids love to play in the dirt, so gardening has a built in advantage as a fun activity. To get young children enthused about having their own special garden, start small.
Get them excited by letting them pick out what they will grow. A walk down the seed packet isle should tempt them with the pictures. Point them toward quick growing plants like, radishes, peas and cucumbers. Smaller children do best with large seeds like corn, beans, peas and sunflowers."
Click here to read more.
135-City 40 Days for Life Campaign Ends; Many Communities Eager to Keep Going
"From February 25 to April 5, 135 cities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland joined together for the 40 Days for Life campaign, an effort that features 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, constant vigil outside abortion centers, and extensive community outreach."
Click here to read more.
What Does the Bible Say About Organ Donation?
"Q: Recently, a friend had a kidney transplant that probably saved his life, and it's made me want to be an organ donor. Would anything in the Bible forbid this? - D.L. "
Click here to read Billy Graham's answer.
"Up to 70 percent of melanoma skin cancers may be triggered by a gene mutation that causes cells to become cancerous after excessive exposure to the sun, researchers said on Monday."
Click here to read more about this discovery.
How To Get Your Kids to Enjoy Gardening
"Most kids love to play in the dirt, so gardening has a built in advantage as a fun activity. To get young children enthused about having their own special garden, start small.
Get them excited by letting them pick out what they will grow. A walk down the seed packet isle should tempt them with the pictures. Point them toward quick growing plants like, radishes, peas and cucumbers. Smaller children do best with large seeds like corn, beans, peas and sunflowers."
Click here to read more.
135-City 40 Days for Life Campaign Ends; Many Communities Eager to Keep Going
"From February 25 to April 5, 135 cities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland joined together for the 40 Days for Life campaign, an effort that features 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, constant vigil outside abortion centers, and extensive community outreach."
Click here to read more.
What Does the Bible Say About Organ Donation?
"Q: Recently, a friend had a kidney transplant that probably saved his life, and it's made me want to be an organ donor. Would anything in the Bible forbid this? - D.L. "
Click here to read Billy Graham's answer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)