Good News for March 26 (posted by Mary Beth)

E-mail add-ons can tame even the peskiest inbox

"I don't have the sharpest memory around, but my computer forgets nothing. That's why I prefer to communicate via e-mail; it provides a permanent record of the conversation.

But with thousands of messages rolling in every week, how do you keep track of it all? My favorite e-mail software, Microsoft Corp.'s Outlook, has a pretty good set of management tools, but there's lots of room for improvement."

Click here for more information on organizing your inbox.


KFC's proposal: First pot pies, now potholes

"Everybody needs a little KFC. But maybe not Chicago.

The fast-food chain has sent off a letter to the nation's mayors, offering to patch their potholes for free. The company will leave behind a stenciled brand on the patch informing people the road has been 'Re-Freshed by KFC.'"

Read about KFC's newest strategy by clicking here.



Right whales in Cape Cod Bay

"In a rare congregation, about 70 North Atlantic right whales have gathered in Cape Cod Bay. The group represents approximately 20 percent of the endangered species' worldwide population."

Click here to enjoy a slideshow of images taken of this unusual gathering.


A baby's first Bluebonnet patch

"Nature's first green may be gold, but in Texas it's also blue, pink and orange. Take a look at how happy spring makes these kids."

To view the joy of kids and wildflowers, click here!



Bridging the past and present

"Sitting on the banks of the American River, Folsom has always had one engineering feat to aid its transportation needs — bridges.

And in celebration of the city’s newest bridge, the Folsom History Museum is highlighting the structures, both past and present, with a special exhibit that opened earlier this week and runs through May 10."

Click here to visit the Folsom History Museum and its new exhibit.

Good News for March 18 (posted by Mary Beth)

Save the Children in Sudan: Our Unwavering Commitment to Children

"On March 4 and 5, Save the Children USA and Save the Children United Kingdom received letters from the Sudanese authorities asking us to suspend operations in northern Sudan. We were among at least 13 international aid organizations to have their registrations revoked. No reason was given for the action."

Read the Save the Children Q&A about the situation by clicking here.


"Hooked": Sex, Science, and Spirituality

"Advocates of so-called 'comprehensive sex education' have tried to convince us that kids should be taught in the classroom simply the basic scientific facts about sex, with no values getting in the way. But a new book tells us that science actually demonstrates just how much we need values in the sexual realm.

In Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex Is Affecting Our Children, Doctors Joe McIlhaney and Freda McKissic Bush explain how kids are being taught that there are only two major risks that come with sex: pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.


In Chicago's 'Loop U,' schools provide economic buffer

"A sprawling urban campus has taken hold in the Loop and South Loop, with close to 60,000 students from 20 institutions of higher learning inhabiting a slice of downtown Chicago and making a significant economic impact.

'Loop U,' as boosters call it, encompasses 1.65 square miles bounded by the Chicago River, Wacker Drive, Roosevelt Road and the Lakefront and includes students from Columbia College Chicago and the Loop campuses of DePaul and Roosevelt Universities. In the last two years, businesses that cater to students have proliferated, especially coffee houses, burger joints and bars."

Want to read more about an economic bright spot? Click here!


Jumping for bluebonnet joy

"Although part of the country is still experiencing wintry weather, bluebonnets are blooming in Texas. In a delightful slideshow, the Houston Chronicle shares images of pets enjoying the wildflowers."

Click here to view pets and petals.


The pauper and the president

"Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ted Robinson is known locally as a Sacramento County Parks commissioner, but an incident that happened 66 years ago halfway around the world to a man who would later be elected President of the U.S. is what everyone wants to know about.

One night in early August 1943, Ensign Robinson was the radar officer on the lead attack boat in an offensive against the Japanese. It was World War II and a young Lt. John F. Kennedy was believed to have been lost that night when his boat was rammed, and sunk, by a Japanese destroyer."

For more about the historic connection between Robinson and Kennedy, click here.


Dunkin' invites fans to create its next donut

"Sinker buffs, take note. Dunkin' Donuts is calling on all hands to access their inner Rachael Ray and create a doughnut of their own design. (Ray, of course, is the TV uber chef who sometimes promotes the Dunkin' brand.)"

Click here for more on this tasty article.



Understanding Obama's Pastors

"Saturday's New York Times reported that President Obama, in lieu of finding a D.C. church home, 'has quietly cultivated a handful of evangelical pastors for private prayer sessions on the telephone and for discussions on the role of religion in politics.'

Christianity Today has extensively covered four of the five pastors. (Well, we may have articles on Otis Moss deeper in the non-digitized CT archives. We'll keep looking.)"

You'll find insights into the Presidential pastoral partners by clicking here.

Spring Deep in the Heart of

When I think of Bluebonnets I think of Texas, we rule. There is an unspoken ritual some of us indulge in here, deep in the heart of. It is the shooting of bluebonnets. I mean with a camera. The quintessential bluebonnet portrait is as Texas as well let me think, big hair. Bluebonnets bloom in April. This year they arrived a tad early; today to be exact… much to my surprise and delight. The blue sky after our tornado weather that we in Texas are know for also, lured me out of the house with my camera. I took off to look for wildflowers. Pulling over and parking my car next to Plano’s Bluebonnet Trail. I joined my fellow Texans in the ritual. It is community thing. We talked of years gone by as we shoot away. I asked some fellow bluebonnets aficionados if I could take their group picture for this story. It is their third year of bluebonnet portraits. I understand. We all agreed we would be back again next week to see if the Indian Paint Brush would be ready to bloom. That adds a whole other dimension to the experience. You won’t want to miss it.

When I came to Texas I read numerous articles complaining about this ritual. “People trampled the flower in order to get pictures!” those stories stated. I lived in fear for years and never entertained the idea of getting a close look, much less walking in them. But let me ask you, “have you ever walked in a meadow?” It is easy to step around the flowers. All good bluebonnets aficionados in Texas do.

Bluebonnets are the official Texas state flower. I say bluebonnets because there are five species of bluebonnets that are the official state flower. This was due to the Bluebonnet War of 1901. The Texas Legislature inadvertently chose the Lupinus subcarnosus to be the state flower to the dismay of the Lupinus texensis supporters who want this sturdier species of deeper color to represent the state. It took until 1971 for the problem to be resolved. Not daring to start another Bluebonnet War they chose every known species of bluebonnets for the state flower. They are as followed: Lupinus subcarnosus, Lupinus texensis, Lupinus Havardii, Lupinus concinnus and Lupinus plattensis.

Just goes to show that you learn something new everyday. And to the relief of my conscious I learned: IT IS NOT ILLEGAL to pick bluebonnets in Texas. It is not illegal to pick wildflowers in Texas. That is an urban legend probably propagated by parents who told us to eat our vegetables because there were starving kids in China.


by Ruth Eshbaugh
Good News Now
www.goodnewsnow.com