Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The News That Matters
I don't know why I did it. Maybe I'm just fair game for marketplace deals that offer something for free. But when the newspaper representative at the supermarket told me I could get Sunday delivery for half the regular price, all he had to do was reel in my check for a year long subscription.
Now that I'm getting computerized, I get most of the news right here where I'm sitting. But the subscription was only thirty nine dollars a year, and I could keep up better with local happenings, I rationalized. So I paid for it, and took my Sunday free copy home, and because I'm vintage Depression Era, and not likely to change, I decided if I'm spending that much, I should at least read all that free news.
And this is some of what I found in my buy one, get one free, Denver Post June 10 edition. But first I must note that I'm not giving more importance to one of these stories over the others. They are just news, and you get to decide their merit.
Some individual apparently owns Napoleon's battle sword, and it's up for auction, and estimated to bring 1.6 million dollars.
A tax fraud scheme is suspected in a State government department, so that's being checked out by audit.
And did you know (I didn't), that the popular snack food Twinkies has 39 separate ingredients, and one of those is thiamine mononitrate, which comes from petroleum. This information, and much more about food additives is offered in a paper titled "Twinkie, Deconstructed", by Steve Ettlinger.
He maintains there is petroleum from China in my beloved Twinkies. Not that I pretend they are healthy, but am really worried now. Petroleum does sound artery clogging, wouldn't you think. One of the strongest points of this study is that America doesn't know where various food additives originate, so how can they be monitored, or quality controlled, if you don't know where they came from?
And tucked way down low in the bottom left hand corner of page 10A, is a news note from Los Angeles, stating that a California radio show host, Bree Walker, is buying five acres in Crawford, Texas near the President's ranch, from Cindy Sheehan. Walker is quoted as saying she plans to create some kind of peace memorial that can include the names of fallen soldiers, and injured soldiers.
All through this free copy of the Sunday paper, I'm finding news stories, most of them not very inspiring, and am wondering why I'm willing to pay someone to bring me bad news.
But I did find a few. Diane Carman, in a Sunday article about Ryan McLean, calls her a "winner by example.... who navigates the world-on upper body strength."
This writer tells us that McLean was paralyzed below her chest when an SUV crashed on c-470. Her boyfriend, and the SUV driver were killed, but McLean didn't die. and plunged into rehabiltation, and getting more education, and coached children swimmers. Her teams were competitive, and won some championships. Her rehab after the wreck was rigorous, but she did it, even though she said it was five years before she felt confident again. Her teams were competitive, but what they learned most from her was sportsmanship. Mclean used her life in her chair to teach the children.
Diane Carman points out other things about this courageous woman. Years later, McLean was fired from her coaching job, but apparently she doesn't look back, and forges ahead, in her own house, with her new dog, and a lot of foreign travel. She has a new racing chair, and thinks about competing again.
Another story, more interesting than additive laden Twinkies or an ancient sword, even if it was napoleon's, is about the uncontested strength of a mother's love. Armenian doctors told her that her son could not be repaired, but Elmira Poghoseyon could not accept their opinion about young Arsen. With almost less than nothing, she searched the internet, and found a Denver doctor who could fix his medical condition.
And with so little that she sold even their clothes and suitcases to be able to come to Denver, and boarding a plane with their belongings stuffed in bags, this Mom never gave up, and just like miracles, even though seemingly so small, seem to kick in; When your're believing, and doing all you can, a man living in Dever heard about Arsen's need (do you sense an angel in this story?) and called a doctor here, and that one selfless act changed Arsen and his family forever.
The Ronald McDonald House provided needed housing. The article about this unfolding miracle says that families are asked to give fifteen dollars a day while there, but that none are turned away.
Arsen and his Mama, Elmira, who didn't know English before coming to our country, taught themselves by watching and listening to television. But the TV's turned off every evening, so this little boy can read aloud, in English, then in Armenian to his mother.( My kind of mom!) helping her son to do better in this new country, by learning its language, but also preserving his native one.
Dr. Nigel Pashley a pediatric specialist, and a Denver hospital are the hands and hearts completing this modern day miracle. Isn't it amazing what transpires when good follows good.
In this third newspaper story, freelance journalist, Marcia Darnell describes her grandmother, juanita, who is waving at her through a safety glass window of a nursing home. Alzheimer's disease has enveloped her for more than ten years. Mood swings mask her usually joyful disposition, and supervision is needed.
To Juanita, other residents and Staff are local natives from her past. Long term memory assists her in recalling childhood friends, and times they shared.
But this grandmother/grand daughter relationship reaches farther back than today. For twenty years Juanita was a social worker, and the grand daughter tells of her visiting her while she was in a crippled childrens' hospital for months at a time, for some years. Except for her parents, who couldn't visit often, the Grand ma was her only visitor.
In many ways she nurtured her, and this grand daughter has not forgotten her caring enough to be there. Sometimes the nursing home setting reminds her of the hospital that once enclosed her, and those memories are hard to shake, but she returns and returns, to comfort the grand ma who once nourished her.
I may have missed other good stories, but there'll be another paper this Sunday, as life keeps turning them out.
In it, as in nature, patterns return again and again. And in these, the giving of self for the benefit of someone else reigns, and just like our Lord, Who is Love Himself, the giver always gets more.
Now that I'm getting computerized, I get most of the news right here where I'm sitting. But the subscription was only thirty nine dollars a year, and I could keep up better with local happenings, I rationalized. So I paid for it, and took my Sunday free copy home, and because I'm vintage Depression Era, and not likely to change, I decided if I'm spending that much, I should at least read all that free news.
And this is some of what I found in my buy one, get one free, Denver Post June 10 edition. But first I must note that I'm not giving more importance to one of these stories over the others. They are just news, and you get to decide their merit.
Some individual apparently owns Napoleon's battle sword, and it's up for auction, and estimated to bring 1.6 million dollars.
A tax fraud scheme is suspected in a State government department, so that's being checked out by audit.
And did you know (I didn't), that the popular snack food Twinkies has 39 separate ingredients, and one of those is thiamine mononitrate, which comes from petroleum. This information, and much more about food additives is offered in a paper titled "Twinkie, Deconstructed", by Steve Ettlinger.
He maintains there is petroleum from China in my beloved Twinkies. Not that I pretend they are healthy, but am really worried now. Petroleum does sound artery clogging, wouldn't you think. One of the strongest points of this study is that America doesn't know where various food additives originate, so how can they be monitored, or quality controlled, if you don't know where they came from?
And tucked way down low in the bottom left hand corner of page 10A, is a news note from Los Angeles, stating that a California radio show host, Bree Walker, is buying five acres in Crawford, Texas near the President's ranch, from Cindy Sheehan. Walker is quoted as saying she plans to create some kind of peace memorial that can include the names of fallen soldiers, and injured soldiers.
All through this free copy of the Sunday paper, I'm finding news stories, most of them not very inspiring, and am wondering why I'm willing to pay someone to bring me bad news.
But I did find a few. Diane Carman, in a Sunday article about Ryan McLean, calls her a "winner by example.... who navigates the world-on upper body strength."
This writer tells us that McLean was paralyzed below her chest when an SUV crashed on c-470. Her boyfriend, and the SUV driver were killed, but McLean didn't die. and plunged into rehabiltation, and getting more education, and coached children swimmers. Her teams were competitive, and won some championships. Her rehab after the wreck was rigorous, but she did it, even though she said it was five years before she felt confident again. Her teams were competitive, but what they learned most from her was sportsmanship. Mclean used her life in her chair to teach the children.
Diane Carman points out other things about this courageous woman. Years later, McLean was fired from her coaching job, but apparently she doesn't look back, and forges ahead, in her own house, with her new dog, and a lot of foreign travel. She has a new racing chair, and thinks about competing again.
Another story, more interesting than additive laden Twinkies or an ancient sword, even if it was napoleon's, is about the uncontested strength of a mother's love. Armenian doctors told her that her son could not be repaired, but Elmira Poghoseyon could not accept their opinion about young Arsen. With almost less than nothing, she searched the internet, and found a Denver doctor who could fix his medical condition.
And with so little that she sold even their clothes and suitcases to be able to come to Denver, and boarding a plane with their belongings stuffed in bags, this Mom never gave up, and just like miracles, even though seemingly so small, seem to kick in; When your're believing, and doing all you can, a man living in Dever heard about Arsen's need (do you sense an angel in this story?) and called a doctor here, and that one selfless act changed Arsen and his family forever.
The Ronald McDonald House provided needed housing. The article about this unfolding miracle says that families are asked to give fifteen dollars a day while there, but that none are turned away.
Arsen and his Mama, Elmira, who didn't know English before coming to our country, taught themselves by watching and listening to television. But the TV's turned off every evening, so this little boy can read aloud, in English, then in Armenian to his mother.( My kind of mom!) helping her son to do better in this new country, by learning its language, but also preserving his native one.
Dr. Nigel Pashley a pediatric specialist, and a Denver hospital are the hands and hearts completing this modern day miracle. Isn't it amazing what transpires when good follows good.
In this third newspaper story, freelance journalist, Marcia Darnell describes her grandmother, juanita, who is waving at her through a safety glass window of a nursing home. Alzheimer's disease has enveloped her for more than ten years. Mood swings mask her usually joyful disposition, and supervision is needed.
To Juanita, other residents and Staff are local natives from her past. Long term memory assists her in recalling childhood friends, and times they shared.
But this grandmother/grand daughter relationship reaches farther back than today. For twenty years Juanita was a social worker, and the grand daughter tells of her visiting her while she was in a crippled childrens' hospital for months at a time, for some years. Except for her parents, who couldn't visit often, the Grand ma was her only visitor.
In many ways she nurtured her, and this grand daughter has not forgotten her caring enough to be there. Sometimes the nursing home setting reminds her of the hospital that once enclosed her, and those memories are hard to shake, but she returns and returns, to comfort the grand ma who once nourished her.
I may have missed other good stories, but there'll be another paper this Sunday, as life keeps turning them out.
In it, as in nature, patterns return again and again. And in these, the giving of self for the benefit of someone else reigns, and just like our Lord, Who is Love Himself, the giver always gets more.
