Thursday, April 9, 2009

Good News From Mary April 9, 2009

"Miracle" Baby Survives Off Life Support

A heart transplant between two baby girls in Canada had to be scrapped because of the seemingly miraculous improvement in one of the infants' health.

Kaylee Wallace, 2 months, suffers from a rare condition called Joubert Syndrome, a brain malformation that affects motor functions and the ability to breathe. Knowing their child would soon die, her parents decided to donate her heart to another little girl in need.

But when they took her off life support, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston, Wallace continued to breathe on her own, despite warnings from doctors that she would not be able to survive without the help of a respirator.

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The Intensity of Christ's Love and the Intentionality of His Death

The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love. "When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). Every step on the Calvary road meant, "I love you."

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was. Consider these five ways of seeing Christ's intentionality in dying for us.

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For disabled, video games can be a lifesaver

Nissa Ludwig used to be musician and a dancer and a performer. But ever since a progressive metabolic disorder rendered her wheelchair-bound, “Rock Band” is as close as she gets to the stage.

“It’s a place where you don’t lose your social skills,” says Ludwig, a top-ranked bass player in “Rock Band.” “I have the opportunity to be a human being and not be judged by what I look like.”

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As the bird turns: Scientists figuring out flight

For millennia, people have watched the birds and bees and wondered: "How do they do that?" Thanks to high-speed film and some persistent scientists, at least one of the secrets of flight is now revealed. When birds, bats or bugs make a turn, all they have to do is start flapping their wings normally again and they straighten right out.

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Travel essentials you can find at your drugstore


On a recent trip to my local drugstore, I discovered that high-priced travel specialty shops aren't always the best places to find must-pack travel products.

Drugstores offer a wealth of multi-use items that are affordable, practical and carry-on compliant, from toiletries to tasty snacks. Here's my list of the top things you should pack on your travels, plucked from the shelves of a simple drugstore — print this out and bring it on your next shopping excursion.

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Thursday, April 9, 2009 Good News Now Stories

Health care workers urge Obama not to rescind conscience rights

"Dr. John T. Bruchalski would rather close the doors of his highly successful Fairfax, Va., medical practice than violate his conscience if he is forced to offer services that violate the basic tenets of his Catholic faith.

A pro-life obstetrician and gynecologist whose Tepeyac Family Center delivered 629 babies in 2008, Bruchalski is concerned that a Department of Health and Human Services proposal to rescind a conscience protection regulation for health care workers would force him to perform abortions or, at the very least, refer patients to physicians who offer the procedure."

Click here to read more.





Making Kosher a Little More Convenient

"BACK when the rules of Orthodox Judaism were set forth — that no work should be done on the Sabbath, from Friday evening until Saturday evening — no thought was given to the number of dirty dishes that would pile up in Howard and Elaine Alt’s kitchen over the weekend.

The Alts, who live in Teaneck, N.J., typically have nine people for Friday night dinner, an elaborate meal that includes homemade chicken soup with matzo balls, and 15 or 16 for lunch on Saturday, when the family digs into roast chicken or beef as well as vegetables. But the Alts never turn on the hot water or even use a sponge during the Sabbath, so the mess at the end can be pretty big."

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Tropical Forest Seed Banks: A Blast From The Past


"Seeds of some tree species in the Panamanian tropical forest can survive for more than 30 years before germinating. That is 10 times longer than most field botanists had believed."

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How Green Is Your Gadget?

"The idea started with organic beer. In recent years Scot Case had noticed an explosion in green advertising claims on everything from electronics to, yes, alcohol. So as vice president of the consulting firm TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, he dispatched researchers to investigate whether company claims were verifiable. The result: Only one of roughly 1,000 products examined in 2007 passed muster. 'How am I, as a consumer, to know what's accurate?' asks Case."

Click here to read more.


Easter Blessing Eggs

"Make these colorful Easter Blessing Eggs with your kids as a reminder of God's blessings and his promise of eternal life."

Click here to read how to make these eggs.