Good News From Mary January 16, 2009

Speak Your Spouse’s Language

Your husband seems to say one thing yet do another. Your wife seems to expect you to read her mind. You and your spouse are frustrated that what you heard each other say wasn’t what was meant. Sometimes it can be like your spouse is speaking a different language from yours – one you don’t understand.

But you can learn to speak your spouse’s language when you work on communication skills in your marriage. Here’s how:

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Study: If you touch it, you will buy it

You've heard of "you break it, you buy it," but what about "you touch it, you buy it?"

A new study suggests that just fingering an item on a store shelf can create an attachment that makes you willing to pay more for it.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Walk to Ward Off Age-Related Weight Gain

Walking as little as half an hour a day may keep the extra pounds from adding up as you get older.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Eating with your stomach, not your eyes

It's halfway through January and your initial enthusiasm for those fitness resolutions may be waning.

After maintaining an austere, healthy diet for a few weeks, the desire to eat a juicy cheeseburger proves too irresistible for some dieters.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

A wedding to defy death

Jessica Keenan tried on wedding dresses in a fancy Beverly Hills boutique, about 100 miles from the Santa Barbara, California, clinic where she gets blasted with chemotherapy once a week.

Keenan is 34 years old and battling Stage 4 breast cancer with faith, hope and a charity called the Dream Foundation, which helps terminally ill adults.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Good News for January 16 from Mary Beth

Champions of Charity: Faith-Based Initiatives

For years to come, President Bush’s supporters and detractors will argue over how he responded to 9/11 and Katrina, conducted the war on terror, and handled the economy.

But there’s one effort that, in my opinion, the administration deserves a lot of credit for—one the media is overlooking. And that’s the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, which released its final report earlier this week.

More of Mark Earley's commentary awaits you here.


Art Deco darlings; Survey aims to find and preserve Chicago's gems

Zigzagging decoration. Bursts of color. An upbeat celebration of modernity. Art Deco buildings are rare in this city of right angles and “less is more” sobriety. So it makes sense to preserve them, not only downtown but also in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to read more about the preservation effort.


Ride on the wild side

"Easy Rider" cruised into town 40 years ago. Today, Easyriders comes to Sacramento as motorcycle enthusiasts anticipate the annual motorcycle expo.

Roar on over to more information by clicking here.


Metairie, LA 'Family Gras' festival spreads its wings

In addition to marquee performers such as Sara Bareilles, Better Than Ezra, Jesse McCartney and Lee Ann Womack, the third installment of Jefferson Parish's Family Gras will include an art market and a second stage focusing on Louisiana musicians, organizers said.

Let the good times roll right here!

Friday, January 16,2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

Cloaking device may make cell phone static vanish

“A new light-bending material has brought scientists one step closer to creating a cloaking device that could hide objects from sight.

Beyond possible military applications, it also might have a very practical use by making mobile communications clearer, they said on Thursday.”

Read more of this story here.


Volunteers give time to others in honor of civil-rights leader

“The alarm will buzz as usual Monday morning for some people who have the day off from work and school.

They are the volunteers who have decided that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the perfect opportunity to help others.”

Read more of this story here.


Death by Chocolate

“Now that another Christmas has come and gone, many of us will step on the bathroom scale to face the consequences of our indulgence. If our waistlines have expanded, it might be appropriate to expand our examination of conscience. Gluttony, the excessive indulgence in food and drink, is a sin we don’t hear much about anymore. Can you recall the last time you mentioned it during confession? For most of us gluttony is a venial sin. However just because we’re not as wedded to the pleasures of the table as Mr. Creosote from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, doesn’t mean we should consider ourselves immune.”

Read more of the story here.

Shot of the Day for January 15, 2009

Decayed Hydrangea in Sepia

Tanakawho is one of my favorite photographers on Flickr. Everyday she posts the most amazing photos. Visit her site.

January 15 is a Good News Day (posts from Mary Beth)

Judge won't order Obama not to use 'God' in oath

A federal judge on Thursday refused to order the words "so help me God" taken out of President-elect Barack Obama's oath of office next week or to prevent ministers from praying at the inauguration celebration.

Click here for the details of this decision.


At the Baker's Bench - an adventure in baking

For anyone who enjoys baking, a new resource is like a fine pastry - a tasty delight! At the Baker's Bench is celebrating Bake Your Own Bread as the 2009 theme. If you love the aroma of freshly baked goods or just get a kick out of reading about them, you'll enjoy At the Baker's Bench.


Under the Influence: TV and Teenage Sex

Approximately $60 billion is spent every year on television advertising. That’s $200 for every man, woman, and child. It is spent in the hopes that by seeing something on television, people will think or act in some desired fashion.

Click here to read more of Chuck Colson's commentary.



Chicago's new Web site aims to lure tourists

Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday unveiled a new Web site to promote city tourism, an economic engine he said is even more crucial in these tough times.

The interactive site, explorechicago.org, features audio tours, slide shows and video clips. It also highlights timely events, such as winter activities and local celebrations related to next week's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Click here for more.

Good News From Mary January 15, 2009

'Miracle on the Hudson'

A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but officials said rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story!

Mortgage Refinancing Advice from a Founding Father

"A penny saved is a penny earned," advised Benjamin Franklin. Or to put it not quite so memorably: "Cutting expenses produces the same budgetary result as earning more money." Actually, because income today is taxable (something old Ben didn't have to worry about), cutting expenses can actually produce a better bottom-line result than earning more.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Is conflict between God and science hardwired?

God and science are inherently at odds, or so goes the story with roots that reach back nearly 400 years to the Inquisition's trial of Galileo on suspicion of heresy.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

IRA Change Helps Retirees Ride Out the Storm

It's hard to keep up with all the legislative changes taken as the federal government grapples with the recession.

So, on occasion, I'll be writing about the new laws affecting your pocketbook. You may have already heard about the changes, but it can't hurt to confirm what you know or think you know.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

'English Galileo' maps on display

"Moon maps" created by a little-known Englishman 400 years ago are to go on display to mark the launch of the International Year of Astronomy.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News Now story.

January 15, 2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

Helping Each Other Overcome Fear

"Fear. As we go about our daily lives, it exists as an undercurrent to everything we do. It is almost palpable, fueled by daily reports of job losses, stock market fluctuations (mostly down), and business closings. No one knows where the next ax will fall and so we have all retrenched, spending less, giving less, trying to give ourselves some measure of security while the ground shifts underneath us. Yes, indeed, these are scary times."

Read more of this story here.


Your Mother Is Moving In? That’s Great

"LINDA BAKER ROBY’S life would seem to be a mathematical impossibility: she is a professor of public administration at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, as well as the chief executive of GII, her own public policy consulting firm in Springfield. She is also the mother of two, George, 6, and Gared, 4, who live in St. Louis, where her husband, George Roby, is an account manager for AT&T."

Read more of this story here.


Learning To L.A.U.G.H.

"A brand new year stretches in front of us… a fresh start; a new page to write the journey of our lives on. New opportunities and new challenges await each of us. Here are five simple steps to help keep your heart light as you navigate the road ahead. "

Read more of this story here.


A ministry sees God's fingerprints on 38 villages in Honduras

"When launched in Honduras, it was affectionately called the 'Rambo Project.' Sandy Hudson with International Aid says there's nothing but good news to share a year later about how effective the fast-moving, high-impact community transformation project turned out to be."

Read more of the story here.


Add color to brown bag

"Whether your goal is saving money, keeping more control over what you eat, or looking busier at your job so you can hang on to it, a resolution to brown-bag your lunch more often makes sense this year."

Read more of this story here.