Thursday Jan. 8, 2009 News From Mary

Rise Above Unexpected Challenges

Life rarely turns out the way you’ve planned. An unexpected diagnosis, a sudden job layoff, a surprise relationship breakup, an accident – all kinds of challenges can come into your life at any time and blow your best plans apart. When that happens, you have a choice. You can allow your circumstances to bring you down and try to survive in a miserable state. Or, you can decide to rise above your challenges so you can thrive despite them.

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Microsoft's Ballmer touts 'best version of Windows ever'

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday with an impassioned endorsement of PCs and a sneak peek at the company's future Windows 7 operating system.

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Security Council calls for cease-fire in Gaza

The U.N. Security Council late Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.


A photo provided by the Israel Defense Forces shows Israeli paratroopers in Gaza on Thursday.

Fourteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor of the resolution, with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice abstaining from the vote on behalf of the United States.

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In Search of a Good Doctor

In response to my recent column on patients trusting doctors too much, several readers wrote in about the difficulty of finding or sifting through information on doctors and diseases. Many asked for suggestions, so a couple of weeks ago I contacted several nationally respected leaders in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, oncology, surgery and anesthesia and asked them to share their advice on researching doctors and diseases.

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So Much to Learn About the Oceans From Sand

As a young geophysicist in the 1980s, Rob Holman attended a conference in San Francisco that included a field trip to a beach. Dr. Holman, who grew up inland, in Ottawa, stared at the ocean, assessing the strengths and vectors of the waves and currents. But when he looked around, everyone else was studying the sand.

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