Top Stories

Gaza Fighting Intensifies

More fighting on the Gaza Strip yesterday as Israeli war planes slammed dozens of targets, and at least three Israeli civilians were killed in a counter attack at an apartment complex.  The latest round of fighting set off sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time since the Gulf War in 1991.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved his troops closer to the border, but has offered an olive branch to the militants, saying Israel will stop the strikes if Hamas does.

Parade Tragedy in Texas

A tragedy at a parade in Midland, Texas yesterday.  Four people died when a float carrying wounded veterans was struck by a train.  Seventeen others were injured.  The float was one of two flatbed trailers which got caught on the tracks in the middle of the parade.  It had been scheduled as part of a “Hunt for Heroes” banquet to honor veterans.

 “Bless Friday”

Since Black Friday is morphing into Black Thursday for some retailers, some churches around Houston have decided to try to turn it into Bless Friday instead of Black Friday.  Chuck Fox is the founder of it, and says “We want to begin our Christmas celebration by serving others like Jesus did.”

CEO’s Meet With President

President Obama sat down with CEOs this week to talk about the coming fiscal cliff and how it would impact their business.  Twelve executives met at the White House, including Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who told the president that the country needs collaboration and compromise.  Mike Duke with Walmart said their customers are shopping for Christmas, and they don’t need any more uncertainty.

Frustration Growing Among Sandy Victims

Some people along the East Coast haven’t been all that happy with the government’s response to Hurricane Sandy.  President Obama was there yesterday to tell them “we’re doing all we can.” He said, “During difficult times like this we’re reminded that we’re bound together and we have to look out for each other and a lot of the things that seem important--the petty differences--melt away and we focus on what binds us together and that we as Americans are going to stand together in their hour of need.” The president toured the region yesterday to see how the clean up effort is coming, and says he’ll be back to check progress.

Very Very Early Black Friday Shoppers

Some people just can’t wait to get into the holiday spirit.  I’m not sure if this qualifies,  but stores in Los Angeles are reporting that people are already lining up outside for their Black Friday deals, and there’s growing concern that people are becoming more aggressive.  Last year a woman used pepper spray on fellow shoppers at a Best Buy in El Cajon to get the X-Box she wanted.  That store has hired 27 more security guards for this year’s Black Friday. And it is one of the stores reporting people already in line, 8 days before Black Friday.

Faith

Faith and Family Help Students Fair Favorably

We’re often told that taking the Bible out of classrooms helps keep students of other faiths from feeling snubbed – but a new study suggests that may be hurting minority groups.  After combing through more than 1,000 studies on academic achievement, involving at least a million students, researchers have found two common denominators among those that score highest – an active personal faith and a strong family unit.  When those two things are present, there is no education gap.

Salvation Army Bell Ringers Ready to Ring

The sound of the bells means Red Kettle time, as Salvation Army bell ringers will be getting a head start on the holidays across parts of Family Life Nation this weekend.  That effort started in 1891, and all those donations provide Christmas dinners, clothing and toys for families in need.

Presidential Oath Under Attack From the Usual Suspects

Usually when a new president takes the oath of office they place their hand on the Bible and finish the oath with “So help me God.”  Not surprisingly the Freedom From Religion Foundation has a problem with that.  They’ve written a letter to President Obama, asking him not to do it, saying the Constitution doesn’t require it, and they say it’s against the Constitution to do it.  So far they haven’t filed a lawsuit.

Family & Relationships

Stressful Early Childhood Environment Carries Over for Years

Experiencing lots of stress when girls are really young can change their brain function. Researchers at Wisconsin-Madison say girls who live in homes where the mom is very stressed show a higher level of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.  That stays with them well into their teens, and may have an impact on their emotions through their teen years.  What’s interesting is that boys did not show the same patterns.

Work

Texas Instruments Cutting Jobs

Texas Instruments is cutting 17-hundred jobs to try to reduce expenses.  That’s mostly because they’re moving away from chips that run mobile devices and will be focusing on making components for cars.  Samsung and Apple are developing their own chips now, so there’s not as much money to be made in that for Texas Instruments.

Finances & Economy

Jobs Numbers Bleak

Seasonal adjustments to the unemployment numbers show a huge increase in new claims, pushing them well up past 400,000.  Last week’s numbers were around 361,000 new claims, and analysts say it has to be below 300,000 to show any growth.

Health

Study: Vitamin C Helps Lower Blood Pressure

If you’re trying to keep your blood pressure in check, have a little more OJ.  Doctors at Johns Hopkins say they’ve found taking about 500-mg of vitamin C every day can help lower your blood pressure levels.  Most patients that are on blood pressure medication could expect a drop of up to ten points.

Another Energy Drink Faces Scrutiny

Another caffeine drink may be linked to a number of deaths.  The FDA has confirmed that 5-Hour Energy may be tied to thirteen deaths in the past four years.  That comes just a month after an investigation was launched into five deaths tied to Monster Energy Drinks.  At this time, there is no plan to make companies stop selling them.

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Super Storm Sandy

Clothed in Compassion

Nick Sippl is from Northern Michigan. He is in New York helping victims of Super Storm Sandy through his job.  Seeing the need first hand, he has organized a clothing drive. He says The police and the National guard were literally not knocking on doors, but kicking in doors to see if anyone was home. They had to be evacuated the water was rising so much. This lady I talked to was about five and a half feet tall. She told me when she came out of the house they were holding their children over their heads. When she came down to the street level, the water was up to her neck. They had pretty much lost everything. When they came in, we got them dried off. "That’s what got me thinking, these people have nothing." If you live in the area, please drop clothing off at Ogemaw Hills Free Methodist Church. Click here for their address and phone number. There's a trailer parked outside where you can place your donation.

Salvation Style

Pearl Foy is using one of the talents God has given her to raise money for Super Storm Sandy victims. She will give it to the victims by way of the Salvation Army. She's organizing a Hair Cut-A-Thon. It will be held on Sunday November 11th from 10am-5pm in the Phoenix Arizona area. There are two locations. One is located at the Turning Point Beauty College in Mesa. The other will be held at Kor Beauty Academy in Peoria. 

Help Salvation Army Relief Efforts with A Simple Text

Text the word "STORM" to 80888. Then respond with a "yes" when the text response comes to you.
 

Give Blood and Money Through Red Cross

Because many blood donation centers on the east coast are closed, it is even more important for we who are out of harm’s way to donate. www.RedCross.org has all you need to know. You may also give money via that web site, or you can give $10 via text message by texting the word “RedCross” to 90999.

Slice of Family Life Nation reaches Out to Sandy victims

Nick Sippl is from Northern Michigan, but he’s in New York right now helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Nick has gone the extra mile to organize a clothing drive after seeing one family’s struggle. Nick told FLR News, “The police and the National guard were literally not knocking on doors, but kicking in doors to see if anyone was home. They had to be evacuated the water was rising so much. This lady I talked to was about five and a half feet tall. She told me when she came out of the house they were holding their children over their heads. When she came down to the street level, the water was up to her neck. They had pretty much lost everything. When they came in, we got them dried off. That’s what got me thinking, these people have nothing.” Nick says the National Guard had to literally kick in some people’s doors to see if they were home.  We’ve got more stories and links up on this page.