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TODAY IS THURSDAY - FEBRUARY 26, 2009


LIFE CHANGING WORD
LOVE DARE # 14

Love Takes Delight

Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life. Ecclesiastes 9:9

One of the more important things you should learn on yourLove Dare journey is that you should not just follow your heart. You should lead it. You don’t let your feelings and emotions do the driving. You put them in the back seat and tell them where they are going!

In your marriage relationship you won’t always fell like loving. It is unrealistic for your heart to constantly thrill at the thought of spending every moment with your spouse. Nobody can maintain a burning desire for togetherness just on feelings alone. But it’s also difficult to love someone only out of obligation.

TODAY’S DARE: Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they’d really like to work on. Just be together.

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUERSTION AFTERWARDS: What new thing did you learn (or relearn) about your spouse?

TODAY IS…..

Today is National Chili Day.

Today is For Pete's Sake Day, a day to wonder who is Pete and why we do or don't do things for his sake

Levi Strauss, the inventor of blue jeans, was born on this date in 1829. I am so glad they came up with loose fitting jeans. I tried to put on a pair of those Levi skinny jeans one time and nearly put out my husband's eye when one of those silver rivets popped off!

On this date in 1936 Adolph Hitler opened the first Volkswagon factory. Imagine that. Hitler was responsible for giving us "The Love Bug."

On this day in 1919 Congress turned a huge hole in the ground into Grand Canyon National Park. Then, as congressmen always do before, during, and after accomplishing anything, they patted themselves on the wallet with a pay raise.


John Kellogg was born on this day in 1852. Kellogg invented corn flakes. Jim loves corn flakes. Which may explain why he's so corny and so flaky.


In The News……

Sit down for this one. A new study says that kids actually need to run around and have enough recess time at school to learn properly!

The New York Times reports that researchers recently took a new look at the benefits of making sure that kids have enough time to let off some steam at least once during the school day.But millions of kids are apparently not getting that break. In a study of eight-and-nine-year-olds by the journal Pediatrics, 30-percent were found to have little or no daily recess. Another report found that 40-percent of schools had cut back at least one daily recess period.


Fish pedicures are all the rage across Asia. You stick your feet in the water and little fish eat the dead skin off your feet. But several US states are banning the practice.

According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Florida Board of Cosmetology will not allow the carp pedicures in salons across the Sunshine State. The fish pedicures violate two rules: Animals and pets are not allowed inside salons unless they are there to assist in the hearing or visually impaired, or the physically disabled. There's no way to clean or disinfect the foot pools between fish pedicuresSeveral other states have also banned the practice, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas and Washington


A prison inmate blames NASCAR for his naughty behavior, and is suing them for $23-million dollars. The City Paper of Nashville reports JONATHAN LEE RICHES became a NASCAR addict, and claims that watching races influenced him to drive 135-miles-per-hour. That's just for starters.

His "addiction" also made him open up illegal credit card accounts so he could buy tickets to NASCAR events. Seeing all the action in person only fueled the fire. Jon said, Plus, JEFF GORDON's DuPont-sponsored car "poisoned" Jon with chemicals. He told the court he's praying they'll grant his motions "for relief," so that he doesn't die behind bars.



Beauty and the Brain…Women Use More Than Men

"Beauty is in the brain of the beholder. Go to any museum and there will be men and women admiring paintings and sculpture. But it turns out they are thinking about the sight differently. Men process beauty on the right side of their brains, while women use their whole brain to do the job, researchers report in Tuesday's electronic edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science."



It Was Just A Joke: Cowell Has No Deep-Freeze Plans
"A spokeswoman for Simon Cowell says reports that the 'American Idol' judge wants to be frozen after death are greatly exaggerated.

Cowell was making a tongue-in-cheek remark at a dinner in London two weeks ago with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other guests, spokeswoman Lisa Dallos said Tuesday."

I think I might like to have the two of us frozen after we die. "Think of it! They freeze us up, bring us back when our corny old-time one liners and comedy material come back in style!!! It's ingenious!"



You Won’t Believe This! Woman Has 6,005 Piercings!

When first accredited by a Guinness World Record official in 2000, Davidson had 462 piercings, with 192 in her face alone.

Now, nine years later, she has 6,005 including more than 1,500 that are "internal".
However, despite her eye-watering record, Miss Davidson, born in Brazil, claims she doesn't like being pierced, and suffers for her art.

She said: "I don't enjoy getting pierced, but to break the record you have to get to a high level.

"I wanted to break the record.

"My family don't even like tattoos or piercings.

"But I am happy. I decided to change myself and be me."

Miss Davidson, a nurse who now lives in Edinburgh, was speaking in Darlington, Durham, as she opened a piercing studio.

She officially cut the ribbon at Arcadia.

Shop owner Les Fry said: "Elaine is a friend and she very kindly agreed to open the shop.

"We have got an excellent piercing artist who can perform the most up-to-date techniques."

Click here to see the picture:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4786930/Worlds-most-pierced-woman-adds-to-her-collection.html


Faith Revealed on IDOL Stage

The two men chosen so far to be among American Idol's top 12 finalists are both Christians who are active in their churches' music ministries.

Oilfield roughneck Michael Sarver leads praise and worship at Harvest Church in Jasper, Texas.

Danny Gokey is a worship leader at Faith Builders International Ministries in Wisconsin.

Sarver says he and Gokey "pray together" and "talk about God and the things of God."
Gokey, who got his start singing with his family in church, says he'd rather become a mainstream recording artist than perform strictly Christian music.



NOKIA Is Asking 1,000 Employee to Voluntarily Quit

Nokia, which announced this month it was planning cut jobs, said Tuesday it will seek up to 1,000 voluntary resignations to further reduce costs amid the global economic downturn.

The world's largest mobile phone maker said it will open a global voluntary resignation package on March 1, and plans to increase short-term unpaid leaves and sabbaticals.

It also appealed to employees to accept holiday time as payments, instead of cash, for overtime work in 2009.

Nokia described as "encouraging" the response from employees and unions in proposing ideas to help reduce personnel-related costs.

Nokia said it will accept applications for the resignation package until May 31, or when 1,000 employees have applied.

Two weeks ago, Nokia said it will close a research center, ax up to 320 jobs and temporarily lay off 2,500 workers in Finland. It also announced some 90 layoffs in global support and new businesses departments.

The announcements came after the company last month warned of cost-cutting measures after its fourth-quarter net profit crashed 69%. It also lost market share — falling to 37% from 38% in the previous quarter.



School Lunch Ladies Going After Deadbeats

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A cold cheese sandwich, fruit and a milk carton might not seem like much of a meal - but that's what's on the menu for students in New Mexico's largest school district without their lunch money.

Faced with mounting unpaid lunch charges in the economic downturn, Albuquerque Public Schools last month instituted a "cheese sandwich policy," serving the alternative meals to children whose parents are supposed to be able to pay for some or all of their regular meals but fail to pick up the tab.

Such policies have become a necessity for schools seeking to keep budgets in the black while ensuring children don't go hungry. School districts including those in Chula Vista, Calif.; Hillsborough County, Fla.; and Lynnwood, Wash.; have also taken to serving cheese sandwiches to children with delinquent lunch accounts.

Critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment for children whose parents can't afford to pay. Parents who qualify for free meals are not affected.



Stay Married and Help Save The Planet!

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Staying married is better for the planet because divorce leads the newly single to live more wasteful lifestyles, an Australian lawmaker said Tuesday.

Senator Steve Fielding told a Senate hearing in the Australian capital Canberra that divorce only made climate change worse.

When couples separated, they needed more rooms, more electricity and more water. This increased their carbon footprint, Australian Associated Press (AAP) quoted Fielding as telling the hearing on environmental issues.

"We understand that there is a social problem (with divorce), but now we're seeing there is also environmental impact as well on the footprint," AAP quoted him as saying.

Such a "resource-inefficient lifestyle" meant it would be better for the planet if couples stayed married, he said.

During the hearing, the senator read out quotes from a U.S. report that advocated his stance.

Fielding, who leads the independent Family First party, grew up in a family of 16 children and has been married for 22 years, his website says



Are You Escared of Kitty Kats?

What are you afraid of?

Research by Hitwise, a web analysis company, showed that after fear of flying, the most searched for "fear of" term in the UK was fear of cats, by some margin.
Robin Goad, UK research director, ran the numbers for "fear of" search terms by UK internet users over a three-month period ending on February 14. He found they searched for more than 8,500 distinct "fear of" terms.

Here is the top ten:
1. fear of flying (2.27% of all ‘fear of’ searches)
2. fear of cats (1.72%)
3. irrational fear of cats (1.34%)
4. fear of clowns (1.10%)
5. fear of long words (1.01%)
6. fear of heights (0.86%)
7. fear of the dark (0.62%)
8. fear of death (0.61%)
9. fear of spiders (0.43%)
10. fear of crime (0.36%)

So cats get second and third places in the list and adding them together makes cats the most feared thing in Britain. Blimey!

However Goad adds:

"There are over 500 variations on the term ‘fear of flying’, and once these are added together they beat the 90 or so variations on the cat theme. I must admit to being surprised by the popularity of cat fear, so had to check it wasn’t the name of a film or something. But, no, lots of people really do seem to have an irrational fear of cats!"

In producing the list Goad was trying to illustrate one of the themes in a new book Click by Bill Tancer, who is the general manager of global research at Hitwise.
Tancer says that you can use search data to reveal what people are actually doing rather than just what they say they are doing to friends or researchers. The example cited in the book is people's fears.

According to surveys in the US the most feared objects are bugs, mice, snakes or bats. The fear of flying did not even come in the top ten but it was by far the most searched for "fear of" in the US as it is in the UK.

There is a difference between having a fear and wanting to find out more about a fear - so I am not sure that Tancer's thesis works completely in this case but still, who are all these people who are so frightened of cats that they are desperately looking for more details?

Point of information: the official word for fear of cats is ailurphobia from the Greek ailouros" (cat) and "phobos" (fear). People who suffer from ailurophobia may fear physical contact, such as bites and scratches, and may also fear the perceived supernatural nature of cats as well as those depicted in the literary works as Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat.

So what scares you?



FIRST FAMILY’S DOG ARRIVES IN APRIL

WASHINGTON – This isn't just another wag-the-tail story: The Obamas are getting a dog in April.

First lady Michelle Obama tells People magazine that the target date for the arrival of the family pet is after her daughters' spring break trip in April, though 7-year-old Sasha is convinced the dog is coming April 1.

"So Sasha says 'April 1st.' I said, 'April.' She says, 'April 1st.' It's like, April!" said Mrs. Obama, who said she favors Portuguese Water Dogs.

The Obama girls — Sasha and 10-year-old Malia — attend the private Sidwell school, which has spring break March 20-29 and a day off for students on April 13.

The first couple and their daughters have been going back and forth on possible names. Among the two Mrs. Obama mentioned — and nixed — were Frank and Moose.

"I'm like, no. Come on. Let's work with the names a little bit," she told People.
Barack Obama and his wife had promised their daughters that they would get a dog if he were elected president, and the selection of the first pet has been eagerly awaited not only by the children but by the nation's dog lovers.

In the interview, the first lady discussed the family's daily routine in the White House, her efforts to keep things normal for her children and a recent girls' night in.

She said on Feb. 19, when the president traveled to Canada, she invited secretaries and policymakers to the White House for popcorn and a screening of the movie, "He's Just Not That Into You."

She said she and her husband rise at 5:30 a.m., exercise in the White House gym and typically have breakfast together. The White House chefs cook "mean waffles and grits," she said.

"We have dinner as a family together every night, and Barack, when he's not traveling, tucks the girls in," she said. "We haven't had that time together for (years), so that explains a lot why we all feel so good in this space."

The interview with Mrs. Obama appears in Friday's editions of People. The first lady appears on the magazine's cover.