Top Stories

We Could Call it “Black Cyber Friday”

Were you one of the early birds that got up on Friday morning to go out and get some Black Friday deals?  Or did you get your deals online?  Today is Cyber Monday, but a lot folks didn’t wait for that – as online sales on Black Friday topped one-billion dollars for the first time ever.  That represents a 26-percent jump in online sales compared with last year, led by Amazon.com.   ShopperTrak says foot traffic in stores was down about 2-percent, and a Gallup poll says most people plan to spend about 770-dollars on Christmas this year.

Archeologists Find 1608 Jamestown Church

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered a major piece of America’s Christian heritage - The original church building that was built at James Fort in Jamestown, Virginia in 1608.  It is believed to be the first ever Protestant church in America - The same church where Pocohontas was married and where Pastor Robert Hunt planted a cross and claimed the New World for Jesus Christ.

Larry Hagman Has Died

The guy that personified evil on TV’s “Dallas” back in the 1980s has died.  Actor Larry Hagman is best known for his role as J.R. Ewing.  The episode where we found out “Who Shot J.R.?” remains the second most watched TV episode ever.  Hagman also had a 5 year run as Major Tony Nelson on “I Dream Of Jeannie.”  He died at a Dallas hospital on Friday.  Larry Hagman was 81.

Laundry Soap Packet Warning

If you use those little single-load liquid laundry packets, make sure you keep them stored away from little kids.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission says they’ve received 500 reports of incidents involving young kids being hurt by these packets, because their soft, chewable, and can look a lot like candy, toys, or teething rings.  More tips at www.CPSC.gov.

Some No-Tax Pledge Signers Wavering

As Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break, they’ll get back to work on avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff.  And more congressional Republicans are showing signs of breaking with a twenty year old no tax pledge in order to get a deal done.  238 House members and 41 Senators have signed the pledge from the Americans for Tax Reform group, but NY Congressman Peter King and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham both said this weekend that they would accept some tax changes to generate more revenue.

Church Around the World

Church of England Votes “No” to Women Bishops

The Church of England has narrowly voted against the appointment of women as Bishops.  Leaders in the Anglican church voted 324-122 in favor of allowing women to serve in that capacity, but it was six votes shy of the required majority.  It could be another five years before a vote is held again.

Faith

Waterproof Bible

Parts of Family Life Nation had their first snowfall this past weekend, and if gearing up for winter means hitting the slopes for you, you can still take your Bible with you – just make sure it’s waterproof.  Bobby Bardin came up with the idea because of his love for nature and the outdoors, but says it can come in handy for all kinds of folks, such as a hunter, or outdoorsman, or hiker, or just for use around the “spill zone” of the kitchen table. All you need to know at www.WaterProofBible.com.

Family & Relationships

New Study Ties Marriage to Longer Life and Happiness

Want to live longer and make more money?  Get married.  A new study shows that married people outlive their single, widowed, and divorced friends.  And the Census Bureau shows married men and women make more than single men and women.  Maybe that’s what Proverbs 18:22 meant when it said “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”

Study: Team Sports Help Kids Emotional State

So you’re worried about little Johnny getting hurt if he plays sports.  I can’t promise he won’t get bumps and bruises, but new research does say he’s less likely to be depressed.  A study out of Boston College suggests that kids involved in an after-school team activity are less likely to be depressed than someone who might take up art, for example.  Their rationale is that more introverted people enjoy the arts, and tend to be more prone to depression.

Work

Careers for Loners

If you’re a self-proclaimed loner, have we got a job for you.  Business Coach Pamela Slim says you may want to think about becoming an accountant, because they’re often left by themselves to crunch numbers and generate reports.  A few other suggestions: Software Developer or a Paralegal.

Want Better Grades? Get More Sleep

As the kids head back to school to finish up the term before Christmas break, that’s probably going to mean some pageants, concerts, and parties at school.  It’ll also mean more exams.  What’s the best way to study for those?  Sleep.  New research out of Baylor tells students to make sure they study a lot throughout the semester, especially in the early evening because that’s the optimal time of alertness – but don’t stay up late.  Getting eight hours of sleep the night before the exam is the best for memory recall.  That’s especially true for college students, but works for high schoolers too.

Finances & Economy

New Push to Collect Online Sales Taxes

Enjoy this Cyber Monday while you can.  Brick-and-mortar stores are asking Congress to step in and start collecting sales taxes on online purchases.  People are supposed to pay taxes on those purchases anyway but realistically, one of the big reasons Cyber Monday has been so popular is there are great deals - and only online retailers with a physical presence in a given state are required to collect the tax.  Trying to police the 1.25 billion dollars in purchases expected today isn’t going to be easy.

Number on Food Stamp Rolls Rising

More than 42 million Americans are now on food stamps.  That’s a 70-percent increase over just five years ago, and to give you some perspective would be like adding everyone in California and Connecticut.  Last year that program spent 72-billion dollars.

Health

Breast Cancer Over-Diagnoses?

More scrutiny for just how good mammogram screenings are at saving lives.  A new study by doctors in Oregon and New Hampshire suggests that 1.3 million women have been over-diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 30 years, and been given unnecessary surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.  They say nearly one-third of all of the newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer fall into this “over-diagnosis” category, meaning that these are not the types of cancers that typically cause death.

Push for More Birth Control Access

The country’s largest group of OB-GYNs is pushing to make birth-control pills available over the counter without a prescription.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say half the nation’s pregnancies remain unplanned, a rate that hasn’t changed in twenty years.  They say the remedy is making it more available, although that would certainly lead to fewer insurance companies paying for it.

Archeologists Find 1608 Jamestown Church; We Could Call it “Black Cyber Friday”;

Breast Cancer Over-Diagnoses?; Want Better Grades? Get More Sleep; Some No-Tax Pledge Signers Wavering; New Push to Collect Online Sales Taxes; Larry Hagman Has Died; Waterproof Bible; Careers for Loners; Study: Team Sports Help Kids Emotional State; New Study Ties Marriage to Longer Life and Happiness; Laundry Soap Packet Warning; Church of England Votes “No” to Women Bishops.

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.