Sunday, February 8, 2009 Good News Posts from Margaret

56-year-old becomes 1st woman to swim Atlantic

"Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, exhilarated and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month.

Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean — a dream she'd had since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed."

Click here to read more about her journey.


Herb Gardening - Planning and Planting an Herb Garden

"Herbs gardening has gotten a bad reputation for being fastidious and snooty. Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow and they grow effusively. Most require very little maintenance, unless you have the notion of planting a tidy 4-square decorative herb garden. Most herbs are not tidy and the plants are meant for use, not decoration. "

Click here to learn more about herb gardening.


Vitamin D May Cut Multiple Sclerosis Risk

"Getting enough vitamin D early in life may cut the odds of developing multiple sclerosis, researchers report.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common in parts of the world far from the equator, where the sun wanes during winter. During that seasonal sunshine shortfall, it's harder for the body to make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight."

Click here to read more about this study.


Ministry supports couples facing troubled pregnancies

"Cubby LaHood will never forget the news her doctor told her 20 years ago.

LaHood, then 13-weeks pregnant with her second child, was told her unborn baby had several fatal abnormalities and would likely die within one week after birth. She was advised -- in the best interest of the baby, herself and her family -- to terminate the pregnancy."

Click to read more about this ministry.


"Be Mine, Valentine -- I Gave to Charity"

"Valentine's Day has long been a boon for confectioners and greeting-card makers. (Consumers are expected to spend a whopping $448 million on candy alone during the week of Valentine’s Day, according to The Nielsen Company.) Now another group is trying to horn in on the Valentine's Day spending frenzy: Charities -- and the retailers that say they give to them."

Click here to read (and see) more of this story.