Top Stories
Michigan
Right to Work Bill Under Fire
A big showdown today in Michigan between lawmakers and organized
labor, as the so-called Freedom-To-Work bills get set for final approval. President Obama even chimed in on it
yesterday. In a speech at an engine
plant outside of Detroit,
the president said “state government should not be trying to take away your
rights to bargain for better wages.”
However, those bills do NOT touch collective bargaining rights. They simply state that belonging to a union
should not be a condition of employment.
About 30-thousand people are expected outside the Capitol today. State police and fire marshals are calling in
reinforcements.
HHS Mandates Back in Court
This Friday will mark the first appellate court hearing of
religious organizations against the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate in
the Affordable Care Act, which forces businesses to cover contraception and
abortion drugs in their insurance plans.
Belmont Abbey
College and Wheaton College
are the first plaintiffs. Oral arguments
are set to begin at 9:30 Friday morning.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is arguing on behalf of the
colleges.
Gas Prices Continue Slide
You may have noticed gas prices are a little lower again
this week. They’ve fallen nine weeks in
a row, especially over the past three weeks following drops in crude oil prices
and a sap on demand caused by Hurricane Sandy.
The national average is now about three dollars and thirty-seven cents
per gallon.
Religious Liberty Wins in Minnesota
A big win for the First Amendment in Duluth, Minnesota
– as a federal court has ruled that people can share their faith during the
city’s annual tour of lights. Jonathon Scruggs with the Alliance Defending
Freedom says Christians were banned from passing out literature last year:“The government cannot ban the First Amendment in a public
park just because event officials don’t like the message that a person is
sharing. In this situation the district court did the right thing in enforcing
what the original order sought to protect: the constitutionally protected
freedom of speaker to express their beliefs peacefully in a public park.” The
court order last week lifted that ban.
NC “Choose Life” Plates Ruled Unconstitutional
A federal judge says it’s unconstitutional for North Carolina to issue
pro-life license plates unless it also offers pro-abortion plates. That ruling was handed down last Friday, as
Judge James Fox called it “viewpoint discrimination” because the state legislature
there rejected a “Respect Choice” plate six times.
Nap Nanny Recalled
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is suing the makers
of the Nap Nanny after more complaints of injuries. The Nap Nanny was recalled once after being
blamed for five infant deaths, but more injuries have come since the recall –
some of them earlier this year. If you
have one of them, all you need to know about returning it is at www.CPSC.gov.
Church Around the World
Crackdown on Christians inUzbekistan
Christians in Uzbekistan are in need of
intercessory prayer. International
Christian Concern says authorities in the former Soviet bloc country are
raiding Christian homes and imposing heavy fines on believers. On at least 2 occasions, Christians in that
country were fined, some of them more than one-hundred times, simply because
they own Bibles and meet to worship.
Faith
Jesus Good for Your Physical Heart, Too
Knowing Jesus solves the disease of sin in your heart, but
it also makes your heart healthier.
Researchers studied the relationship between heart disease and religious
activity and found that those who go to church once a week or more, and prayed
or studied their Bible every day, had a 40-percent lower blood pressure reading.
Family & Relationships
Detecting Fraud gets Tougher as You Age
For all the good things the Internet has brought us, it’s
also meant an increase in the number of scams out there. And it seems like the elderly are the most
likely targets. Why? New research suggests that changes in your
brain as you age make it harder to detect warning signs that people may be
untrustworthy. The National Association
of Area Agencies on Aging says scams cost an estimated three-billion dollars
every year, and there’s been a 12-percent increase since 2008. The really scary part is that more than half
the time, it’s done by a family member.
Work
Family Revenue Streams
You can only stretch a buck so far. So what do you do when
it’s about to break? Quintessential
Careers says more people are picking up part-time jobs to make ends meet. Randall Hansen with the group suggests a few
other means as well, like renting out a room in your home or turn your hobby
into cash. Unfortunately church league
softball doesn’t pay that well.
Finances & Economy
Free Up Cash for Christmas Shopping
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re not
checking out deals on toothpaste for your Christmas shopping. Josh Elledge with Savings Angel says finding
deals on the mundane can free up cash for Christmas. He says, “you can get products like shampoo, body wash, makeup,
health and beauty supplies for pennies on the dollar. We commonly get those
items for 80 percent off and they make great gift baskets for the holiday.” More
tips at www.SavingsAngel.com.
Health
Healthy Holidays
We’re only about 10 days away from the official start of
winter, which can mean heart attack season according to Dr. Debra Braverman,
who offers these tips to help you be proactive: “Be mindful of what
you’re eating and drinking. Choose fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Exercise is very important, not just this time of year but all year round.” Dr.
Braverman says the hectic schedule, stress, and cold air can all play havoc on
the heart, but at least when it comes to the stress you can pray it away.
Food Allergy Diagnoses Rise
A recent federal study shows that between 1997 and 2007 food
allergies jumped 18-percent among kids under eighteen, and now the Centers For
Disease Control thinks they know why: Pesticides and chlorine. The CDC says those two things are impacting
drinking water and are spreading to foods like milk, wheat, peanuts, soy, and
shellfish.
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