Top Stories
Supreme Court Courts Marriage Cases
The Supreme Court is planning to meet Friday to discuss
whether to take on one or more of the ten same-sex marriage petitions. According to CitizenLink, eight of the
petitions involve the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, as it applies to
homosexuals who are already married under various state laws. Remember DOMA is the federal law that defines
marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Students Win right to Call Christmas Trees Christmas Trees!
Here we go again. A
group of college students in North Carolina
decided to sell Christmas trees as a fundraiser, but Western Piedmont
Community College told
them they have to call them holiday trees.
Matt Sharp is with the Alliance Defending Freedom. He says, “it’s ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about
using the word Christmas as part of a Christmas tree sale. Not only is it
constitutional to use the word Christmas, it’s unconstitutional for the college
to prohibit this student club from using it. This is another example of the
immense misunderstanding about what the first amendment truly requires.” With
the ADF’s help, the college relented and allowed the use of the word
“Christmas.”
Zig Ziglar Has Died
Christian author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has
died, following a short bout with pneumonia.
He was 86. Zig started his
speaking ministry when he was in his 40s, but he was practicing what he
preached long before that – in his home. His daughter, Julie Ziglar Norman, testifies
to that truth, as she recounts memories, such as “We woke up to ‘Opportunity
Clocks’ rather than ‘alarm clocks’ and we experienced ‘strong ends’ rather than
weekends!” Ziglar-Norman wrote a book with her dad called “Embracing the
Struggle”. That was after a 2007 fall that left Zig with a brain injury. Besides Julie, he leaves behind another son
and daughter, and his beloved wife of 66 years, Jean. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Lunch With Barack and Mitt
President Obama is expected to have Mitt Romney over for
lunch at the White House today, as talks continue to try to avoid the fiscal
cliff. No word on whether it’s just a
friendly chat, or whether the president will ask Romney’s advice. In the meantime, the talks go on with both
the White House and House Republicans saying they believe a deal will get
done. However there are still
significant divisions over taxes and spending cuts.
Drill Recall
If you got your hubby a new drill for Christmas, you may
want to double check before you wrap it.
Drills made by Harbor Freight are being recalled because the trigger can
overheat and cause a nasty burn. All you
need to know at www.CPSC.gov.
Feds Clamp Down Further on Tobacco Companies
A federal judge has hit the tobacco companies again, ruling
this week that they must admit they lied about the health effects of smoking. The companies will now have to sign an
agreement that says smoking kills more people than murder, AIDS, suicide, car
crashes, and alcohol combined. No word
on whether an appeal is coming.
Church Around the World
Ending the Plight of Rwandan Orphans
Rick Warren’s Saddleback
Church is launching an effort to try
to see zero orphans in Rwanda
by the year 2015. That effort is
starting in conjunction with World AIDS Day this Saturday, and part of
Saddleback’s Compassion Weekend. They’re
also hoping to get other local churches around the nation to sign on and help
in the effort of “Getting To Zero.” All
you need to know at www.Saddleback.com.
Family & Relationships
Wii (Not So) Fit?
If your child is trying to convince you that getting a Wii
will help their fitness level, think again.
A study out of Canada
shows that it may get kids off the couch, but things like Wii Fit do not
improve a child’s overall activity level.
The experts still recommend at least an hour of moderate to vigorous
activity every day.
Work
Are Gifts to the Boss a Good Idea?
Giving an apple to the teacher is one thing, but don’t think
getting your boss a gift will help you get that promotion. In fact, it might hurt you. While a little plate of cookies might be
okay, experts say trying to impress the boss with a gift usually backfires –
and it doesn’t help your relationship with co-workers either. Probably the best piece of advice – know your
office culture.
Finances & Economy
Mortgage Applications Down
Applications for home mortgages are down again, mostly
because more people are having a tougher time getting approved for re-financing
deals. The Mortgage Bankers Association
says loan requests were actually up 2.5-percent, but re-fi’s make up more than
80-percent of mortgage activity.
An Advocate for Continued Low Interest Rates
The president of the Federal Reserve in Chicago wants to see interest rates stay low
until employment picks up. Charles Evans
says he thinks the ultimate goal should be around 6.5-percent, but the jobless
rate hasn’t been that low in over four years.
Evans will be back as a voting member of the Fed this January.
Health
Be Careful of What You Mix with Grapefruit Juice
Before you take your medication today, you may want to reach
for the water instead of the grapefruit juice.
New research out of Canada
suggests that more than eighty common medications can have severe interactions
with grapefruit, causing serious side-effects and in extreme cases even
death. Many of those drugs include
statins to control cholesterol, some antibiotics, and high blood pressure
medications.
Toxic Sofas?
No, it’s not the name of a punk Rock Band, but it could another
good reason for you to get up off the couch – it may be toxic. Duke
University tested several
sofas over a fifteen year span and found they contained potentially toxic, or
at least untested flame retardants. One
of the chemicals they found was phased out of baby pajamas back in the 1970s
because of the health risks, but showed up on 41-percent of the couches they tested.
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