Please post good news here for people to enjoy, thank you.
Stories of Miraculous Survivals and Rescues from Japan
by Aimee Herd : Mar 16, 2011
"Her discovery has put a new energy into the search [for survivors]." -Japan civil defense official.
Baby found aliveIn the midst of the tragedy Japan has faced since March 11th, there have a few bright spots which CNN is reporting as "miracles."
On Monday, soldiers from Japan's Defense Force were charged with the grim task of going from house to house (or what remained of them) and pulling out bodies from the rubble.
After almost dismissing it, they realized they had heard a baby's cry. Following the sound, they moved away pieces of wood, rock and glass until they found her. A little 4-month-old infant girl lay wrapped securely in her pink woolen pram.
According to the report, both of her parents had survived the horrific earthquake, but their baby girl had been swept from their arms when the tsunami hit their house. Fearing the worst, they took shelter in what was left of their home.
Soldiers happily reunited the baby with her elated father; the event renewing hope for the searchers that perhaps there would be more who survived.
"Her discovery has put a new energy into the search," said a civil defense officer. "We will listen, look and dig with even more diligence after this."
There were other stories of survival as well; one 70-year-old woman who'd been swept out to sea along with her house was apparently determined to stay alive. Rescuers indeed found her on Tuesday, suffering from hypothermia, but otherwise okay.
And then there is Hiromitsu Shinkawa, who—after the tsunami pulled his house from its foundation and into the ocean—floated on a piece of rooftop until finally being spotted and rescued after 2 days.
A friend of mine just told me this. She's a flight attendant and flies internationally. She was on the same flight (the day after) as the underwear bomber of Christmas 2 years ago. She was on the flight and would have been on a layover in NYC the same day as the bomber in time square, except she was a day earlier. She had a migraine the other day which forced her to miss her flight to tokyo, which she would have landed just around the time of the earthquake.
Letter to the world:
Japan crisis: 'There's no food, tell people there is no food'
Japan's survivors scavenge for food in aftermath of tsunami
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8392549/Japan-crisis-Theres-no-food-tell-people-there-is-no-food.html
Only good news please, there is more than enough of bad news reported.
That WAS the good news--the fact that the plea got out to the world.
ok ok I'll look for another thread...
The White House – Office of the Press Secretary
Throughout our history, Americans have turned to prayer for strength, inspiration, and solidarity.
Prayer has played an important role in the American story and in shaping our Nation's leaders. President Abraham Lincoln once said, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day."
The late Coretta Scott King recounted a particularly difficult night, during the Montgomery bus boycott, when her husband, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., received a threatening phone call and prayed at the kitchen table, saying, "Lord, I have nothing left. I have nothing left. I have come to the point where I can't face it alone." Dr. King said, in that moment of prayer, he was filled with a sense of comfort and resolve, which his wife credited as a turning point in the civil rights movement.
It is thus fitting that, from the earliest years of our country's history, Congress and Presidents have set aside days to recognize the role prayer has played in so many definitive moments in our history. On this National Day of Prayer, let us follow the example of President Lincoln and Dr. King. Let us be thankful for the liberty that allows people of all faiths to worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience, and let us be thankful for the many other freedoms and blessings that we often take for granted.
Let us pray for the men and women of our Armed Forces and the many selfless sacrifices they and their families make on behalf of our Nation. Let us pray for the police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect their fellow citizens. And let us ask God for the sustenance and guidance for all of us to meet the great challenges we face as a Nation.
Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those who have been affected by natural disasters at home and abroad in recent months, as well as those working tirelessly to render assistance. And, at a time when many around the world face uncertainty and unrest, but also hold resurgent hope for freedom and justice, let our prayers be with men and women everywhere who seek peace, human dignity, and the same rights we treasure here in America.
The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a "National Day of Prayer."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2011, as a National Day of Prayer. I invite all citizens of our Nation, as their own faith or conscience directs them, to join me in giving thanks for the many blessings we enjoy, and I ask all people of faith to join me in asking God for guidance, mercy, and protection for our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
President of the United States of America
http://nationaldayofprayer.org/ (http://nationaldayofprayer.org/)
You might find this interesting wings
Oxford study: Belief in God is natural
By: Amy Shank
Monday, 16 May 2011, 11:16 (IST)
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A study led by academics at Oxford University has concluded that believing in gods and an afterlife is part of human nature.
The £1.9 million study was conducted in 20 countries and looked at whether such beliefs are learned or a natural human inclination.
It found that people living in cities in developed countries were less likely to have religious beliefs than those living in rural areas, and that people with religious beliefs may be more willing to cooperate as a society.
The researchers suggested that attempts to suppress religious beliefs would ultimately fail because human thought "seems to be rooted to religious concepts".
They found that it was especially natural for children under the age of five to believe in "superhuman properties".
In one test, young children were asked whether their mother would know the contents of a closed box.
While children at the age of three were likely to think their mother would always know the contents of the box, by the age of four they started to understand that their mothers were not all-knowing.
Dr Justin Barrett, from Oxford University's Centre for Anthropology and Mind, noted that the findings did not amount to proof of the existence of God.
"This project does not set out to prove God or gods exist," he said.
"Just because we find it easier to think in a particular way does not mean that it is true in fact."
The co-director of the project, Professor Roger Trigg, from the University of Oxford, said the research showed that religion was "not just something for a peculiar few to do on Sundays instead of playing golf".
"We have gathered a body of evidence that suggests that religion is a common fact of human nature across different societies," he said.
"This suggests that attempts to suppress religion are likely to be short-lived as human thought seems to be rooted to religious concepts, such as the existence of supernatural agents or gods, and the possibility of an afterlife or pre-life."
Christianity remains the world's largest religion, with around 2 billion followers worldwide. Islam is second, with 1.2 billion followers, followed by Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism.