Positive News ~ Jan. 13

This series is to spotlight the Light and Love inside humanity, and the wonder and miracles that can be found around us. Please click on the headline to read the full article.

If you have any stories that you wish to share, please let me know; JesusSister2011@hotmail.com is my email.

~ESA

U.S. STORIES:

- New lease on life begins with an act of humanity Five people get transplants thanks to one man's desire to help others.

- Waterman rescued by a Christmas miracle “We are truly blessed as we all know a few inches either way or a few seconds more in the water and we could be in real trouble,” Diane Hruby wrote in an email to friends that described her son’s rescuer as the family’s Christmas guardian angel.

- Iannetta a 'Hero Among Us' Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Iannetta has dedicated the last 21 years to serving others, but he never thought an emergency would happen so close to his home.

- Donation to help paralyzed Portland Police Officer Paul Meyer restores faith in humanity A couple purchased a minivan from Dick Hannah Toyota in Washington last week to donate to Portland Police Officer Paul Meyer and family after seeing news reports about Meyer's paralysis from an on-duty accident.

- Missing woman spends night in submerged car in Plymouth A 67-year-old Anoka County woman spent Friday night in her car, which was partly submerged in a Plymouth pond in freezing weather, before being spotted by a passing bicyclist shortly after 12:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 17 hours after she crashed.

- Reluctant hero honored for saving three lives His actions late last year are credited with saving three lives and the family members of those three gathered this weekend to break bread and thank the man for his actions.

- Good Samaritan helped cops catch armed robber Chicago police say the quick thinking of a Good Samaritan led to the arrest of a convicted felon who held up a Humboldt Park shoe store at gunpoint Thursday.

- Phoenix Rescue Mission's "Hope Coach" helps the homeless The people who live without homes faces many challenges, but they are especially hard pressed on a bitterly cold day. One valley man is helping.

- Sister Berta Sailer’s challenge: Give kids hope for tomorrow She came up with a challenge, aimed at everyone in the Kansas City area: Pick a nonprofit group or social service agency that serves children in the metro, whether it’s one that provides food and shelter for families or that mentors at-risk youths or that helps young people with developmental issues. Then contribute, by giving time or money or used clothing and a bundle of diapers.

- Ribbons of Hope: Women pool resources to help others Together, they formed Ribbons of Hope-Invest in Women, which brought together 50 women (former and current lawyers, business executives, small-business owners and community leaders) who shared a passion to empower other women. And they’re doing so by pooling their resources and expertise.

- Salvation Army collects toys for Angel Tree program Volunteers choose a child that they would like to shop for and help make that child’s Christmas a little brighter by purchasing clothes and toys for them.

- HOPE receives assistance from Food City The couple is committed to lending a hand to those who qualify, and stated that they have been blessed to have the continued support of the local Food City store and area churches, and without them, the food pantry could not provide for near the amount of individuals that it does.

- Conference infuses hope among Santa Ana's youth When he and the other camp-goers, most between 15 and 20, returned to Santa Ana, they wanted to organize a conference inviting local youth to experience for a day what they experienced in that camp.

- Marine had an angel on his shoulder Long before the Rev. Joe Knight began saving souls as a minister, he distinguished himself by saving lives in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.

- 'I'm no angel,' says sobfella Emmanuel Garofalo, but 'this community needs my help' Emmanuel (Manny) Garofalo’s good deeds helping rebuild his storm-ravaged community allowed him to dodge prison; he insists his work has only just begun.

- Sharing a hero's tale They've spent some time living overseas touring those cemeteries and documenting their journey. Now they're sharing it with others.

WORLD:

- 12-year-old boy lauded as hero for alerting family to house fire Twelve-year-old Nicholas DeShane was watching his dad make lunch when he noticed something seeping through a vent in the kitchen. “It was smoke,” DeShane said. “Lots of it.”

- Hero uncle A 13-year old boy is forever grateful to his uncle for saving him from their burning home in Waiyavi, Lautoka, on Friday night.

- Inspirational Bucket List teen Alice Pyne passes away Pride of Britain Teenager of Courage award winner touched hearts around the world with her blog and upbeat attitude.

- Passenger has baby aboard flight to Armenia A passenger has given birth aboard a plane flying to Armenia and named her daughter after one of the flight attendants who helped with the delivery.

- Kenya president rejects lavish pay for legislators Mwai Kibaki Saturday ordered the attorney general to redraft the law to make it compliant with the constitution.

- Central African Republic dissolves government after peace deal Central African Republic President Francois Bozize dismissed his prime minister and dissolved the cabinet on Saturday, clearing the way for the nomination of a national unity government in line with a peace accord signed with rebels.

- Russians protest against ban on adoptions by Americans Thousands of demonstrators gathered for a march in Moscow on Sunday to protest against a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, saying President Vladimir Putin's government had made orphans pawns in a political dispute.

- Music schools drum up new hope for students in Haiti The musicians were affected by the earthquake, too, but after mourning their dead and refurbishing mangled instruments, they were eager to heal the best way they knew how: through music.

- Thirty women…and Saudis hope for more The participation of women in one of the state’s most important institutions is an acknowledgment of the maturity and efficiency of women as well as their right to serve the community of which they are part.

FURRY FRIENDS:

- Found Animals’ “Twelve pets of Christmas” promotion helps over 3,100 pets find forever homes for the holidays Found Animals Foundation, the Los Angeles-based animal welfare organization, today announced that its Holiday 2012 initiative, ‘Twelve Pets of Christmas,’ saved 3,130 pets across Los Angeles County shelters by way of adoption.

- Missing dog found at owners funeral site Meghan Matthews reports the dog was missing for days before suddenly turning up in the most unusual of places.

- Good Samaritan lends a hand to a sloth "Little did I know, that inside he was screaming, ‘Please help me, I'm about to fall, I'm at the end of my branch.’"

BUSINESS:

- Ashtead Technology comes to the aid of hurricane Sandy victims As a business that focuses on providing instrumentation and support services to protect people, infrastructure and the environment, we will be mobilizing our resources so that they can be available to support the much needed recovery efforts of inspection, remediation and repair activities.

- The World’s Best Children’s Magicians create magic to benefit children in Pasadena The Children's Magic Workshop is performing to benefit the children served by Hillsides, a the premier provider of high quality care, advocacy and innovative services to create lasting change for children, youth, and families in Los Angeles.

- Woodcraft sends first check in the Fresh Wood Campaign; Goal is $10,000 Woodcraft and other industry organizations have joined together to promote Fresh Wood, which has helped vital school woodworking programs survive, thanks to the recognition received in the competition.

- TCG distributes backpacks filled with toys and school supplies to local school children The Continental Group (TCG) joined forces with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation to help underprivileged children from Hibiscus Elementary School.

- Angel Mission gets helping hand to move to bigger store Members of the Houghton County Sheriff's Office work release program helped with the move of the store, which took about six hours, Bazin said.

- Family Voices announces a “New Year: New Healthy Choices” raffle for families of children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities The "New Year, New Healthy Choices" raffle marks the beginning of a year-long focus by Family Voices on improving health and wellness across the lifespan for all children and youth, including those with special health care needs and/or disabilities.

- Local charity introduces virtual way to donate food She says in lieu of gifts, people may encourage wedding or birthday party guests to donate to the virtual food drive.

- Landing a dream job sometimes involves taking a risk Work that plays to your natural strengths and feeds your soul is just part of what constitutes a modern-day dream job, according to workplace experts and career coaches.

SPORTS:

- Athletes from across the sports world try to make Newtown children smile once again “It’s a pick-me-up for the community and the kids to get back to a little bit of a sense of normalcy and to kind of take their minds off of everything that has happened.”

Summit girls and boys basketball to host 'Hoops for Hope' In its sixth year, the event will raise money for the Adrienne Reid Memorial Scholarship fund and for the Connie Dwyer Breast Center. Over the past five years, Summit has donated 20,000 dollars to local cancer related charities.

- Texans linebacker Bradie James goes from 'mess' to 'message' Bradie James, a starting linebacker for the Houston Texans, knows that "God has given me this talent, and if I do my best, and if He receives all the glory, that's really what it's about."

- The man who never quit Doctors warned Bart Bryant that he might never play golf again.

/> - Though going blind, E.J. Scott keeps looking ahead, moving forward Diagnosed with choroideremia, which robs sight, E.J. Scott changed his life. He ran 12 marathons in 12 cities in 12 months to raise funds to fight the ailment, and now he's set to take part in an L.A.-area race.

- Bold move pays off with record-breaking Kaepernick The scores mark the fourth time in NFL history a player had two touchdowns rushing and two touchdowns passing in a postseason game.<

- Ravens win is one for the ages He practiced making a field goal. And for one of the few times on a frigid afternoon-turned-evening in Denver, something turned out exactly as planned.

- Jones the Rovers hero Doncaster Rovers made it a club record twelve away games unbeaten in one season with a late late show at Stevenage.

- Athletics-Grand prix circuit for disabled athletes planned An international grand prix circuit for elite athletes with disabilities will be launched in April by the International Paralympic Committee.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

- Erupting Russian volcano creates lava lake A volcano erupting in Russia's Far East is sending plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and creating a lava lake.

- Obama won't support building 'Death Star' Response to "John D" from Longmont’s petition for the government to "begin construction of a Death Star by 2016."

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT:

- Miss Montana: First autistic Miss America contestant She has formed partnerships with the autism groups Autism Speaks and Generation Rescue and the special needs support group AbilityPath. It's all provided her with a perfect platform for Miss America: Living with Autism.

- Miss America crown goes to Brooklyn woman A woman from Brooklyn, N.Y., is the new Miss America, winning the title after tap dancing to a James Brown tune, deftly dealing with a question about guns, and raising the issue of child sexual abuse in her contestant platform.

- Baby steals the show at dad's live music concert 17 month old baby, Ethan ran out onstage when his dad, Coffey, was performing at NYE event, started dancing, and stole the show.

LIFESTYLE:

- The world welcomes a 'miracle' baby The surgeon said, "It is amazing this baby was ever conceived, let alone successfully carried for 33 weeks."

- 5 Good Samaritans who will restore your faith in humanity But fear not, dear cynics, because there's reason to believe there's good in this world. Check out these regular, hardworking people, from an altruistic janitor to a coffee shop customer, who will make you see the light and, perhaps, pay it forward.

- My own sober miracle I used to scoff when sober zealots talked about "waiting for the miracle." When mine arrived, I became a believer.

- These Nebraska quadruplets are rare indeed In the case of the Negus babies, one egg split twice, producing identical triplets who shared one placenta. The fourth, fraternal sibling Connor, was produced by a separate sperm and separate egg.

- Giving hope to new moms Moms can receive points for scheduling doctor’s appointments, participating in Medicaid or attending approved community events, among other activities. Points are redeemable at Highland United Methodist’s Hope Chest “store,” which is stocked full of items like diapers, baby blankets and more.

- Hope for mothers and babies at Boston's State House A person trained in working with mothers and babies together would be available for hour-long sessions for mothers in the postpartum period who are particularly stressed and overwhelmed.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY:

 - Step into 2013 with Run for God in Lake Wylie Jason Everson of Good Samaritan United Methodist Church has been helping others grow in two areas he loves: the Bible and running.

- ‘God’s not done with me yet’ Marshall Potter’s life took an unexpected detour when he almost died from a massive pulmonary embolism. This new year, he celebrates a second chance at life.

- New trend emerging in global evangelism Now, evangelism tools consist of a conglomerate of smartphone apps, video clips, and podcasts.

- China's Christians, on social media, undaunted Chinese Christians are sharing their faith on Weibo, China's giant state-regulated social network -- and some are beginning to challenge censorship by speaking out against religious persecution.