Top Stories

USPS Misses Another Payment

The Postal Service missed its second straight multi-billion dollar payment to the Treasury yesterday, and Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says their fate lies in the hands of Congress.  Donahoe has been trying for more than a year to get Congress to approve the elimination of Saturday mail delivery, and allow them to reduce their 5 billion dollar annual payment for future retiree benefits – but Congress has failed to act.

Team Europe Comes Back to Win Ryder Cup

An historic comeback for Europe helped them hang onto the Ryder Cup, beating the American team 14 ½ to 13 ½ after the Americans had led 10-4 midway through Saturday’s matches.  The Americans have still only won it twice since 1999.

The Internet Through a Light Bulb?

If you think wi-fi is amazing, how about sending data through ordinary light bulbs?  A German physicist is working on a process that could speed up the way we send data and make it more widely available, even in under-developed countries.  He calls it Visible Light Communication, putting a microchip in an LED light bulb that makes it blink very quickly – too quickly for the human eye to distinguish it.  Early tests show it can send data up to one gigabyte per second.

Weekend Violence in Iraq

More bombings across Iraq yesterday killed 26 more in the latest insurgent attacks.  The worst came in Taji, just north of Baghdad, where 3 cars were rigged to explode within minutes of each other.  No immediate claims of responsibility, but those kinds of attacks are a hallmark of al-Qaida.  In all, at least 94 people were wounded.

Sad Milestone Reached in Afghanistan

US military deaths in Afghanistan have now reached 2,000, thanks to a recent spate of insider attacks by Afghan army and police.  These were the people we were helping to train.  Roughly 40-percent of those casualties were caused by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

Deadly Shooting at Florida VFW

Two people are dead and another was injured following a shooting at a VFW post in central Florida this weekend.  Police in Winter Springs say a charity motorcycle ride was supposed to leave the post when the shooting broke out.  Several people were detained and weapons were confiscated, but so far no arrests.

Candidates Gear Up for Wednesday Debate

President Obama and Mitt Romney are scaling back the campaign stops and gearing up for their first debate this Wednesday.  This first debate will be focused on economic issues, but the GOP has continued to focus much of its criticism on the president regarding foreign affairs lately – most notably the handling of the attacks at the consulate in Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens last month.

GM Recalls Thousands of Autos

General Motors is recalling more than 40-thousand cars because a plastic part can crack and cause a fuel leak.  It affects Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 sedans from the 2007 to 2009 model years, as well as Chevy Equinox, Pontiac Torrents, and Saturn Ions from 2007.  The problem is far more common in warm weather states.

Faith

Rick Warren Home from Hospital

Pastor and author Rick Warren is back home after spending a couple of days last week in the hospital for pain in his arms and numbness in his fingers.  Doctors ruled out the big things like heart attack and stroke, but they’ll be doing some more tests to find out just what it was.

Some California Christian Ministries May Be Banned From their Mission

Ministries that help folks deal with same-sex attraction may be in trouble in California, after Governor Jerry Brown signed a new ban on what he calls “Gay Cure Therapy.”  The Pacific Justice Institute, a Christian legal defense group in California is taking the state to court over the new law, calling it an intrusion of parental rights.

Texas Cheerleaders Allowed Bible Messages, For Now

Cheerleaders in a Texas town WILL be allowed to include Bible messages on the signs at their sporting events after all.  The Kountze Independent School District, northeast of Houston, had put a ban in place on the signs after the Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened a lawsuit.  Liberty Institute won a restraining order against the ban, and a court hearing is scheduled for later this week.

Family & Relationships

TV Ratings Worthless, According to Parents Organization

The Parents Television Council says that the TV-PG rating is virtually worthless, and does not adequately shield kids from graphic content.  They say 98-percent of what airs in primetime is given either a TV-14 or TV-PG rating, and assuming most parents allow the least restrictive of the two, kids would be exposed to objectionable content every 5 minutes.

Peanut Butter Recall Expands

A recall on peanut butter at Trader Joe’s has now been expanded to include about 100 products by Sunland that include peanuts or other nuts or seeds.  Health officials investigating a salmonella outbreak in 19 states now say these other products may be contaminated as well, and young children and those with weak immune systems are especially vulnerable.  You can get the full list of the recalled products at FDA.gov/food.

Work

Campbell’s to Close Plant

Things aren’t Mmm Mmm Good at Campbell’s these days.  The company announced last week that it was closing one of its original plants, in Sacramento, California, after more than 60 years there, and cutting the 700 jobs there.  That plant originally opened back in 1947.

Health

Playing to Your Strengths May Help Your Emotions

If Monday’s always feel a little more stressful, the answer may lie in your strengths.  A new Gallup poll suggests that the more hours a day that you use your personal strengths, the less likely you are to report emotions like worry, stress, anger, sadness, or even physical pain.