Good News From Mary January 14, 2009

Life's Most Important Choice

Any student of the Bible might wonder why the book of Genesis devotes more space to Joseph’s life than to Adam and Eve, the first couple, or to Noah, the hero of the ark and the flood, or to Abraham, father of the Jewish nation. I believe the answer is that Joseph illustrates one of life’s most important choices: the choice to forgive.

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Police use Facebook to nab burglar

New Zealand police have arrested a safe burglar by using the popular social networking website Facebook to identify and track him down.

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Apple's Jobs backtracks on health, takes leave

Apple Inc. co-founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Wednesday he is taking a medical leave until the end of June — just a week after the cancer survivor tried to assure investors and employees his recent weight loss was caused by an easily treatable hormone deficiency.

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Slow and I, Now We're Fast Friends

Cook dinner while you sleep! Cook dinner while you're away at work! Cook dinner while you run errands, schlep the kids, plow the back 40 and re-caulk your bathtub!

It's the siren song of the slow cooker, and I have finally succumbed. Up to now, I felt like just about the only American who didn't own one. About 83 percent of American kitchens contain a slow cooker, according to the 2008 Kitchen Audit by market research firm NPD Group, meaning cookers are as common in our homes as coffee makers, says NPD's Peter Goldman.

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Who should apply for college aid? Every student

Most people won't bother to pick up a penny on the sidewalk. If they're in a hurry, they may not even stop for a dime. Most will, however, stop to pick up a $5 bill, even if they're late for lunch.

Many parents of college-bound students take the same approach to financial aid.

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January 14,2009 Posts from Margaret

How you can make inauguration learning experience for your kids

"There may be fancier inauguration balls in the works, but it's doubtful any of them will be more fun than the 'Children's Inaugural Ball' slated for Sunday afternoon, Jan. 18."

Click here for this story...


Bestselling Author Provides Much-Needed Help for Loved Ones of Cancer Sufferers

"The World Health Organization recently released a report claiming that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That's a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease?"


Click here to read more about this new book...


A Win-win: U-pick Pumpkin Farms Recycle Urban Leaves

"Americans love pumpkins. The growing popularity of rural fall festivals, grade school farm tours, and 'u-pick' pumpkin farms has resulted in an increase in consumer demand for pumpkins throughout the country. A critical challenge for pumpkin farmers promoting entertainment agriculture, or 'agritourism', is maintaining fields that are weed-free, attractive, and safe for consumers."

Read more of this story here...


ECCO GPS Clips to Your Keys, Finds Your Car (PC Magazine)

"IDC Design Corp. has announced a tiny GPS system that can be mounted on a pair of keys, as an electronic breadcrumb trail back to a particular location."

Read more about this here...


Facing The Financial Crisis

"Pastor, theologian and evangelist Pedro Lapadjian has been involved in leadership for both My Hope Uruguay and the upcoming Franklin Graham Festival in Montevideo, Uruguay. Here he tells how lessons learned during Uruguay’s severe financial crisis of 2002 can help us during the economic struggles we face today."

Read this story here...

It's January 14 and a Day for Good News! (from Mary Beth)

Heroes for Life: Countercultural Defenders of Human Dignity

In times when many evangelicals are tempted to retreat from the front lines of the battle for human dignity, we need some modern-day heroes for life—people whose bold and countercultural stand for life can serve as inspiring role models.

Click here to read the rest of Mark Earley's commentary.

Two Chicago Bulls staffers honored for humanitarian work

On Tuesday in Phoenix, Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Lanier presented the Bulls' Bill Smith and Joe O'Neil with the league's Value of the Game Award, a prestigious honor recognizing outstanding community service.

Read the whole story here.


Jefferson Parish seeks to adorn more streets with sculpture

With three abstract pieces already installed, Jefferson Parish officials are calling on more sculptors to help turn cluttered thoroughfares into showcases for artwork.

Click here for the story and to see an example of the artwork.


The Body Beautiful -- A Devotion

A caregiver faces many issues. Beyond the physical demands of helping someone to rise from a bed or chair are the emotional demands of assisting in nutrition or personal hygiene.

Click here to read more.

This devotion is part of a series. Click here to access the whole series.


Celebrate Valentine's Day with Julianne Moore

Save the Children Artist Ambassador Julianne Moore is celebrating Valentine's Day by giving back. You too can share your love with a new set of cards made to celebrate children.

See these cards with a heart right here.

Shot of the Day January 13, 2009

Vivian

By Flickr Member Emma Werderman Photographs

Good News From Mary Jan. 13, 2009

The Currency of Heaven

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past; Only what's done for Christ will last."

When my brother-in-law, Jim, was 18, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and told he only had a few months to live. The Lord had other plans though, and following treatment, Jim lived a full life for the next 22 years. In the summer of 2004, the tumor unexpectedly returned, and in time it became clear that medical treatments weren't going to save him. Again he was told that only a few short months remained. This time it was true.

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Largest-ever study of U.S. child health begins

Scientists begin recruiting mothers-to-be in North Carolina and New York this week for the largest study of U.S. children ever performed — aiming eventually to track 100,000 around the country from conception to age 21.

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There’s the rub: Vicks might make kids sicker

Vicks VapoRub, the menthol salve used to soothe generations of congested kids, may actually make some little ones worse, a new study suggests.

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Harry W. O. Kinnard, Who Said One Word Would Do, Dies at 93

Lt. Gen. Harry W. O. Kinnard, who inspired the storied retort “nuts” to a German surrender ultimatum during the Battle of the Bulge, died Monday in Arlington, Va. He was 93.

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Surgeon general for a new health-conscious era

The U.S. Surgeon General may be best known for cigarette warnings that helped to cut the percentage of American smokers in half over 40 years.

The job promises to return to a higher profile in coming years as medicine gets more sophisticated, demanding more nuanced public-health advice for consumers on how to make better risk-benefit decisions about prescription drugs and recommended procedures, for example.

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

Good News for Jan. 13 from Mary Beth

Miracle of Nice brings hockey stick back home

It was a young hockey fan's dream come true: After the Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day, a Detroit player motioned to Kalan Plew, then handed him the stick he had used in the game.

Click here to read more about what the media has dubbed The Miracle of Nice.


Marching band from Georgia realizes its dream

First someone tossed an envelope containing 500 dollar bills on the doorstep of the high school before scurrying away, a gift for the marching band.

Find more about this inaugural miracle here.


Mapping the sea and its mysteries

In 1953, when Sylvia Earle began studying algae, the marine plants and related microbes were often considered weeds or worse. Boaters ridiculed them as scum that turned patches of sea into pea soup.

To read more about ocean secrets which have been uncovered, click here.


Super Bowl appetizer recipes almost as popular as the commercials

It's the biggest sports and television event of the year, and there's a very important question we must ask. So what are you preparing for your Super Bowl parties?

Click here to get some great ideas from the recipe archives of the New Orleans Times Picayune!



The March of Death: A Culture Commits Suicide

What happens to a society when life is devalued? How does a Christian society respond? Read what Chuck Colson has to say on the subject here.

January 13, 2009 Good News Post from Margaret

10 Most Common Herb Garden Mistakes

"I have gardened in so many situations through the years, that there probably are not many mistakes I have not made. In no specific order, here are my 10 most common herb garden mistakes people make, and how to avoid them."

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Keep the home fires burning

"Four ways to prosper even as you stay home this winter season"

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Making Room for Miss Manners Is a Parenting Basic

"For years, I took care of a very rude child. When he was 3, I called him rambunctious — and I talked to his mother about 'setting limits.' At 4, I called him 'demanding.' At 5, he was still screaming at his mother if she didn’t do what he wanted, he still swatted me whenever I tried to examine him, and his mother asked me worriedly if I thought he was ready for kindergarten."

Read the rest of this story here...


Baby boomers rate health good or excellent

"The oldest of the baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — have turned 62 years old. A recent survey from the "Live Healthy. KEEP GOING®" campaign, funded by the Energizer Battery company, asked this age group to rate their overall health as well as that of their spouse. The campaign is designed to help educate consumers about better ways to live a healthy, active lifestyle and stick to their resolutions year-round."

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Going Home


"The funny thing about families: Even if you're apart for awhile, when you get back together, it's like no time at all has lapsed."

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