Positive News ~ Feb. 4

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. ~ESA

HEROES:

- NB teen hailed as hero for pulling woman from burning car A 16-year-old New Brunswick boy is being hailed as a hero for pulling a woman from a burning car.

- Hero plunges into dark ocean to help teenagers A man spent almost an hour in the ocean last night trying to rescue three teenagers swept out by a rip after nightfall on a beach near Waiuku.

- Zac labelled a hero after dramatic flood rescue at Aldershot A dramatic rescue at Aldershot during Australia Day celebrations has resulted in mother labelling her son a hero.

- Hatchet-Wielding Homeless Hitchhiker Took Down Man Claiming To Be Jesus A recent story aired on KMPH about a man claiming to be Jesus and the homeless hitchhiker who saved the day.

- Students encouraged to be a ‘HERO’ & stand up to bullying He focused on the strength, support and encouragement that bystanders can provide to victims.

- Cambodia farewells its 'great hero king' Thousands visit the crematorium in a final farewell to Cambodia's former king, Norodom Sihanouk.

HELPING HANDS:

- Carlisle boy strives to donate to Make-a-Wish 9-year-old decided to celebrate his birthday a little differently than most children his age.

- Internet pleas help reunite Good Samaritan who lost his keys, woman who appreciated good deed It took a broken down van on a cold night, a kind stranger and a dropped set of keys along a Grand Rapids highway to remind Julie Spahn that people are good.

- My grandmother was put in the nursing home 4 years ago. Despite the one-hour drive, my grandfather visits her EVERY day.

- Galesburg church boxes 285,000 meals for Nigeria Members of a west-central Illinois church have packaged more than 285,000 meals that will be shipped to malnourished people in Nigeria.

- ‘Dine to Donate’ event to benefit Branchville family affected by fire Dean Viachos and his wife, Frieda, have planned an event to support a local family who suffered a house fire.

- Family, Pink Ladies donate to Pines Retirement Home The Pink Ladies in turn decided to match the donation and contribute $5,000 to purchase a sterilising unit for the Pines Retirement Home in Grand Cayman.

- Touchdown for Hope raises money for mental health The fourth annual Touchdown for Hope took place Sunday evening at Great American Ballpark raising money for mental health care.

- Bozrah man ready to donate land to town A Bozrah man is preparing to donate almost 9 acres of his property to the town if voters give the approval next week.

MIRACLES/WONDERS:

- Girl shot by Taliban undergoes 2 operations in UK A Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban is in stable condition after undergoing two successful operations to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing.

- Miracle baby is most premature in area A mum who started delivering her baby in Tesco 17 weeks early is celebrating the health of her miracle daughter.

- 'Miracle Baby' Her pregnancy began as a challenge. Her physicians didn’t think she’d make it to term in the beginning.

- Miracle girl embarks on first day of school The significance of the milestone is not lost on her parents Rachael and Wayne, who wondered whether their ‘‘miracle’’ baby would ever make it to school.

- Miracle workers rescue cyclo-cross Worlds from flood Without quick thinking, without teamwork and without rapid deployment of all available resources, the racers would have needed snorkels and fins to race at the scheduled time on Sunday.

HOPE/PEACE:

- Alabama town prays for gunman to release 5-yr-old This town of 2,400 nestled amid peanut farms and cotton fields has long relied on a strong Christian faith, a policy of "love thy neighbor," and the power of group prayer.

- Addicts turn to the Web to share success stories, give others hope The move to come out of the closet about one's addiction is slowly taking hold, as those in recovery realize if they don't begin to tell their success stories, the mug shots will be the only picture of addiction.

- Slain nurse's family forgives her murderer Instead of seeking revenge, her family is choosing the path of forgiveness and service.

- The Cancer Institute of Guyana Once the disease is detected early and with the right treatment, there is that chance of a person with cancer surviving and moving forward with a normal existence.

- Bullying declines for LGB youth over time It does get better for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, according to a new study of the name calling, threats and violence faced by teens in England.

- Afghanistan, Pakistan leaders in UK for talks The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan are due to hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on the Afghan peace process.

- New initiative calls for Arab parties to join gov't Amnon Beeri-Sulitzeanu and Mohammad Darawshe stated that the invitation of the Arab parties to join the coalition has a value in itself because it conveys a positive message and encourages Arab citizens.

FURRY FRIENDS:

- Rio Carnival goes to dogs at canine street party Roughly half the revelers were humans, the other half dogs, though the canine contingent was unquestionably the better dressed of the two.

- Bike Riding Dog With four legs, two wheels and a future on TV, Norman the bicycling sheepdog is ready for stardom.

BUSINESS:

- Vaccine group funds cervical cancer immunisations for poor The GAVI global vaccines group is to help protect more than 180,000 girls in eight countries across Africa and Asia from cervical cancer by funding immunisation projects with vaccines.

- UA student to expand T-shirt business, donate to build school in Ghana Westberg and Steitz decided 13 percent of proceeds from each Serengetee shirt sold would go to a charitable foundation from the country or region that the fabric on the shirt came from.

- Free IHOP pancakes part of Children's Miracle Network fundraiser Tuesday is National Pancake Day at IHOP restaurants, and guests will be treated to free pancakes.

- Pound Ridge Police Donate Car Show Proceeds To Hospital The 10th Annual Police Officer Tom Pisco Memorial Pound Ridge Car Show was the most successful show in the event’s history, raising $18,500 overall.

- Aviation Department Receives Engine Donation from FedEx FedEx Express Air Operations held a reception at Lewis University for the aviation department, donating a Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4 engine.

- StarHub launches Donate-A-Tone The service allows mobile customers to chose a connecting tone that urges people to donate to a charity or calls for volunteers.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

- Beer will help power Alaska brewery The Alaskan Brewing Co. is going green, but instead of looking to solar and wind energy, it has turned to a very familiar source: beer.

- Experts find remains of England's King Richard III Scientists say they have found the 500-year-old remains of England's King Richard III under a parking lot in the city of Leicester.

SPORTS:

- Game of Hope brings fun, benefits to others The Game of Hope Classic started in 2005 as a fundraiser for local charities that try to improve the lives of chronically or terminally ill children.

- Super Bowl 2013; Players put their faith in God Those who believe in God have always found a way to show their faith either by making the sign of the cross, pointing to the sky, or getting down on one knee.

- John and Jim Harbaugh share sweet exchange after Ravens beat 49ers in Super Bowl They briefly spoke to each other, with Jim ending it by touching his brother's cheek and saying, "Good job." With that, John was left to celebrate, and Jim to console his players.

- After winning final game, “life really begins for Ray Lewis now” “My family, my sons, they really sacrificed for me, now I get the opportunity to sacrifice for them. To see their faces, to hear their comments, and know what’s in their hearts.”

- Caltech baseball team ends 228-game skid California Institute of Technology's baseball team ended a 228-game losing streak Saturday with a 9-7 victory over Pacifica - the Beavers' first win in nearly 10 years.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT:

- 10 Super Bowl ads that stood out Here are the ads that will be the buzz around the water cooler — and on social media sites — on Monday.

LIFESTYLE:

- How to balance technology and family No one would argue that smart-phones, iPads, and the many devices we have access to have made our lives easier and more entertaining for our kids. But technology has drastically changed family life as well.

- Eat for a Sharper Mind: 5 Brain-Boosting Foods Are you getting enough of the right nutrients to support healthy cognitive function and improve memory?

- Super Bowl Indulgence? Start Walking If you do overdo game day calories, Neily advised getting right back on track the next day with a sensible diet and some moderate intensity exercise.

- Build your own backyard ice rink: Boston dad-approved tips All you really need is some lumber for bracing, plywood for boards, and a tarp or liner, and for a few hundred bucks you can be skating on your own labor-of-love backyard rink in less than a half day of work — plus, if you plan correctly, you can reuse your materials each winter.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY:

- Give the gift of time to family, friends and God The most precious gift in the world is our time. Time is more valuable than things, because things can always be replaced and time cannot.

- A killing, a life sentence and my change of heart I had never prayed for the person who killed my loved ones; I had never even uttered his name.

- Proclaim God's love with boldness Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday asked Christians to proclaim God’s love with “boldness, humility and coherence” like Jesus.

- Telling the story of God It allows people to discover how they might live lives that are influenced by love and allows them to be champions of human flourishing in this post-modern age.

- Do You Worship God As Though You See Him? We know we can’t see God, but the manifestation of His presence is everywhere.

- I See God in You God wanted to create human beings with hearts and minds like God’s, capable of thoughts and feeligns like God’s.

- The Concept of God in Buddhism For adherents of monotheistic religions, the Buddhist concept of God can be hard to understand.

- What in God's Name...? God will always be God, and to claim to have captured the entirety of God in any religion is to reduce God to non-God who has finally been held captive by the human imagination.