Top Stories
Leading By Example
Here’s a pastor who’s leading by example. Steve Reynolds is
a pastor in the nation’s capitol. He was convicted to lose weight to make his
temple fit for the Lord. He lost 120 pounds. His recipe is the acronym ACTION.
Be aware of your medical health. Commit to living a disciplined life. Transform
the way you think. Incorporate healthy eating habits and exercise into your
daily routine. Organize a team of people who will help you. Navigate to leaving
a legacy. Not only did he lose 120 pounds, but he no longer takes medications for
high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Reynolds has been
“Intentional” with losing weight and now he’s inspiring his congregation and
us! find out more at www.bod4god.org.
Planned Parenthood Sets New Abortions Record: With OUR Money
Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions in
the past year, using 542 million of your tax dollars in the process. At the same time, the cancer screenings and
prevention services they offer dropped almost 30-percent.
Big Banks Foreclosure Settlement
Ten major banks agreed this week to pay 8.5 billion dollars
to settle complaints that they wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners. Those banks include heavy hitters like
JPMorgan/Chase, Bank of America and Well Fargo.
These agreements are the latest step toward helping banks get rid of
billions of dollars in liabilities related to the housing crisis that hit its
peak back in 2008.
Shifting Attitudes About Weight
For all of the talk we hear about New Year’s resolutions to
lose weight, dieting in America
is actually down. New research suggests
that on average about 20-percent of us were on a diet during any given week in
2012. That’s down from 31-percent twenty
years ago. That could be because more of
us don’t see weight as unattractive anymore.
Just 23-percent of us last year said those who aren’t overweight were
more attractive. Back in 1985, that number
was 55-percent.
Laser Drone Defense
A German defense company has demonstrated a laser that they
say can shoot down drones. A
demonstration by Rheinmetall Defense this week took down two fast moving drones
from a mile away. The BBC says they’re
now trying to equip it so it can be used aboard a variety of vehicles.
More Fallout from Syrian Civil War
Yesterday we told you the UN estimates more than 60-thousand
people have been killed in Syria’s
civil war in the past couple of years.
Now they say as many as a million people are going hungry there because
food aid cannot reach them. And there
are about four million people in need of some sort of humanitarian aid.
Hundreds of “New” Planets?
If the galaxy feels a little more crowded today, that could
be because NASA says they’ve discovered 461 potential new planets. That effort comes from what they call the
Kepler Mission, which now totals 2,740 potential planets orbiting more than
2,000 stars.
Church Around the World
Beijing
Church Continues to Press
On
A church in Beijing
is continuing to hold outdoor services, despite the fact that somebody seems to
get arrested every week. The Shouwang
church held its fifty-third service this past Sunday, and this time fifteen
worshipers were arrested. All of them
have since been released, and even in the midst of that kind of persecution –
the church has publicly thanked God for his protection.
North
Korea Again Tops Christian Persecution List
We mentioned this briefly yesterday. Open Doors USA’s annual World Watch List is
out, and North Korea
is on top for the 11th year in a row as the worst nation for Christian
persecution. To give you some
perspective, just having a bible in North Korea could get you and three
generations of your family killed or sent to prison. Saudi Arabia
is number two and Afghanistan
number three. The full list is available
at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
Faith
School Prayer Push in Indiana
A lawmaker in Indiana is
pushing to bring prayer back into the classrooms in the Hoosier State. Republican Dennis Kruse heads up the
education committee in the Senate there, and last year unsuccessfully sought to
have creationism taught in schools.
Kruse’s effort this year would allow school districts to require their
schools to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
Family & Relationships
Rhode Island
Seeks to Redefine Marriage
Rhode Island
is the latest state to be looking at a new definition of marriage, just six
months after the governor signed a civil unions bill. Watchers say the bill is likely to pass the
House but probably not the State Senate there.
Save on Toiletries So You Can Eat Healthier
Maybe you’ve decided to take an all-in approach on New
Year’s Resolutions. Eat healthier, get
organized, work on your budget. Problem
is all of your coupons are on processed foods and not fruits and veggies. Josh Elledge with Savings Angels says deals
on toiletries can help make up the difference: “With Savings Angel you can get
products like shampoos body wash, makeup health and beauty supplies for pennies
on the dollar, we commonly get those types of products for 80-90% off.” More
tips at www.SavingsAngel.com.
Work
Gender of CEO’s Baby Makes a Difference for You
If your boss is a man whose wife is about to have a baby,
pray for a girl. New research suggests
that the gender of a male CEO’s child significantly impacts the salary of his
employees. Generally speaking, if the
boss has a boy, worker’s pay goes down point 4-percent. However, if they have a girl – and if it’s
their first child – salaries actually go up by more than 1-percent. Regardless of the gender of the child, men’s
salaries tend to shrink more than women’s salaries when the boss has a baby.
Health
Good News for Cancer Rates
Cancer rates continue to decline. The annual report from the Centers For
Disease Control shows overall rates are down pretty much any way you slice it –
among men, women, all major racial and ethnic groups, and among the most common
cancer sites like lung, colon, breast and prostate. This latest report looks at the years 2000 to
2009. There were a few types of cancer
that saw an increase, including skin melanoma among men.
Knee Pain
Vitamin D doesn’t help osteoarthritis, that’s according to
Doctor Timothy McAlindon. The study looked at 146 patients over the age of 45
with moderate knee pain. Half were given a placebo. The other half were given
vitamin D for two years. The findings are published in this week’s Journal of
the American Medical Association.
One Thing: Potatoes!
You’ve probably heard there are carbohydrates in potatoes.
Some people trying to lose weight believe they can be the enemy. The
interesting thing is a guy on the Potato board decided to put his money where
his mouth is, to refurbish the reputation of the vegetable. Chris Voigt is the
executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission ate 20 potatoes a
day. That’s it, nothing else. He didn’t even add toppings. He did use some
spice and a little oil for cooking. Chris lost weight even though that wasn’t
trying. He also improved his cholesterol numbers. You could say his “One Thing”
for those 60 days was potatoes.
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