It's a Wonderful Life #7

This is one that we all definitely take for granted:

7. The modern automobile
"Granted, cars emit greenhouse gases and create maddening traffic jams, but consider what else they do. Compared with the models on the road in 1970, today's cars burn less gasoline per mile and emit 98 percent fewer pollutants. That's why, despite the doubling of the number of cars, there's much less smog in the air.
The basic sedan today offers more creature comforts and safety than the luxury cars of old. The fatality rate has declined sharply, and cars have become so reliable that it's rare to come upon that once-routine sights on the shoulder of the road: a driver forlornly staring under the hood."

It's a Wonderful LIfe #6

This is the 6th reason we should give thanks for the times we live in (according to Reader's Digest).

#6. More wilderness
"Once you travel beyond the sprawling exurbs of America, you'll find plenty of open space and peaceful forests. Many of the prairies and woodlands cleared by settlers have returned now that the land is no longer needed for agriculture.
In recent decades, America has gained 70 million acres of wilderness, which is more than all the land currently occupied by cities, suburbs, and exurbs, according to Peter Huber, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. And more people than ever can get to that wilderness because of the technology that we now routinely curse..."

It's a Wonderful Life #5

Reader's Digest John Tierney explains:

#5. The horn of plenty
"The royal dinners of Versailles might have had glitzier place settings, but Louis XVI would gaze enviously at the food in a middle-class home or restaurant today: kiwifruits from New Zealand, South African peppers, Thai pineapples, Italian gelato. He'd be amazed, too, at the way we take fresh produce, fish, and meat for granted in every season.
The king's subjects, of course, would be even more envious. France was one of the world's richest countries in the late 18th century, but the average Frenchman consumed less than 2,000 calories per day--about the same level as people in the world's poorest countries consumed in the middle of the 20th century. Today, the typical person in a poor country consumes 2,700 calories daily, a nutritional improvement made possible by farmers growing more food at lower cost.
While the occasional food shortage or price spike grabs our attention, the long-range trend is what really matters. While incomes have risen since 1950, the inflation-adjusted price of food has declined by 75 percent, according to the World Resources Institute. So it represents a smaller and smaller portion of our paychecks.
Food is so plentiful that in many countries, the old concerns about hunger have been replaced by worries about obesity."

It's a Wonderful Life #4

We are almost halfway through the list. I hope you enjoyed the last three so far. Again, this is from Reader's Digest February issue 2009. This list was compiled by John Tierney.

#4. The Reader's Revolution
"In 1970 barely half the people in the world were literate, and many of them could afford only a few books. Middle class people needed installment plans to afford an encyclopedia. Local libraries offered a limited selection of books; new titles went on sale in bookstores but soon disappeared unless they were bestsellers.
Today, more than 80 percent of the world's people can read, and 22 percent have access to the greatest library in history. The Web provides classic books and reference works like Wikipedia free of charge, and the online network of booksellers means that no book ever really goes out of print. Whatever it is, old or new, someone somewhere will sell it to you, often at a bargain price."

It's a Wonderful Life #3

The third reason we should be thankful for the times that live in, according to Reader's Digest John Tierney, is:

#3. A roomier American dream
"While some people are struggling to keep their homes, the vast majority of Americans still have plenty to be thankful for when they walk through the front door. In 1950 the typical new American house had one floor with 1,000 square feet, two bedrooms, and one bathroom--and even that bungalow was beyond many people's means. Nearly half of Americans didn't own their homes, and more than a third of homes lacked complete plumbing facilities.
Today, more than two thirds of Americans own their own homes, and the typical new house has two floors, at least three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and more than 2,200 square feet of space for the family."

I would like to add another fact. When you see the images of poverty-stricken families in other countries, it truly makes you feel blessed to live here in the United States.

It's a Wonderful Life #2

This is the second reason, according to Reader's Digest John Tierney, why we should be counting our blessings.

#2. Peace
"Wars and terrorist attacks will always make headlines, but its remarkable how many of the world's 6.7 billion people now live in peace. In recent decades, despite the growth in population, the number of war casualties around the world has declined, according to the Human Security Report Project from Canada's Simon Fraser University. And despite a new fear of terrorism following 9/11, terrorist casualties have been declining in recent years.
In some earlier generations, a quarter of the male population died violent deaths. Over the past century, even counting the world wars, a person's chance of dying from war or violent strife was less than 2 percent, according to John Mueller, a professor of political science at Ohio State University. That means that the scourge of war is now comparable to the statistical risk of driving a car in the United States."

It's a Wonderful Life

In my February edition of Reader's Digest there was an article entitled,"It's a Wonderful Life" and it listed ten reasons why we should be thankful for the times we live in. It was written by: John Tierney and I feel it's one of the best articles I have read in a long time. I am going to count down the top 10 reasons we should be counting our blessings each day for the next 10 days..... Enjoy!

#1) Free time:
"As much as we complain about being busy, the typical American has more free time than ever--more than five hours per day, according to time surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau and researchers at the University of Maryland and Penn State. That's a gain of nearly an hour since 1965 and a gain of about four hours since the 19th century. In Victorian England, when life expectancy was only about 50, workers put in 60-hour weeks, from age ten until they died.
If you feel too busy, it's probably only because you're doing so many other things than work. Over the course of a lifetime, you typically spend no more than 20 percent of your waking hours on the job, and experts say there'll be even more free time in the future as life expectancy keeps increasing and work hours keep shrinking. By 2050 in the industrialized world, others project, the average workweek will be just 27 hours."

Reader's Digest Pet Heroes

I was so inspired by these stories. It is true that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
http://www.rd.com/hero-pets-amazing-animals/

My favorite story is the one of Sunny Boy, a palomino quarter horse, who saves a girl from an out-of-control pit bull!!

Good News About Our Health

With all the healthcare news I keep hearing, I wanted to post what is REALLY happening in the U.S. I found out a very interesting fact today at foxnews site:

"U.S. life expectancy has risen to a new high, now standing at nearly 78 years, the government reported Wednesday.

The increase is due mainly to falling death rates in almost all the leading causes of death. The average life expectancy for babies born in 2007 is nearly three months greater than for children born in 2006."

Read all about it at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,540661,00.html

Missing Cargo Ship Found

The Russian cargo ship that has been missing since last month was finally found today. The Arctic Sea was 300 miles Cape Verde. Read all about it on CNN news site.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/17/russia.ship.found/index.html

Heroes in Time

http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow-20090416-heroes-hard-times

The Oprah site has some wonderful stories of heroes in hard times. Among the stories:
Ashlee Smith (10 years old) lost everything four years ago to a housefire. She decided to collect toys to help other kids who had lost their toys due to fire or other natural disasters. In just two years she has managed to collect over 50,000 toys for other children.
Hannah Turner (8 years old) decided to give a homeless man her pink socks and then next day she and her mom decided to purchase 100 pairs of socks to hand out to the homeless. Since then, they have collected over 100,000 pairs of socks!!

Ethan St. Amant

(The following story takes place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.)
Eight year-old Ethan St. Amant decided that instead of spending his money to buy a toy or any other thing a typical child would enjoy, he would donate his money to the ASPCA organization. I found this at http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/8-year-old-gives-birthday-money-charity:

"After he saw a commercial for neglected dogs by the ASPCA, Ethan St. Amant decided to give the animal welfare group all his birthday money.

Ethan has his own webpage to keep raising money through the ASPCA.
Since his birthday last week, he's helped raise almost $500.

He said he hopes to keep raising money for neglected animals and making sure they stay safe."

I saw this young man interviewed and they asked him if he had plans for the future. His response was, "Maybe we can ask Santa to donate some money at Christmas time."
His mom responded, "I am sure he can, honey.... I am sure he can."

Good News About the Stock Market

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks rallied Friday, with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at the highest point in nine months, after the July jobs report showed the smallest number of job cuts in nearly a year, adding to recovery hopes."
Read all about it at CNNMoney.com: http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm?cnn=yes

It looks like the economy is stabilizing. The unemployment rate also went down from last month.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee Home at Last!

Many thought that Laura Ling and Euna Lee would die in North Korea. However, this is what happened (according to CNN news):

"On Tuesday, Clinton secured the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling -- reporters for his former vice president Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV -- after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The two had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally. They were reunited with their families in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Though in consultation with the White House, Clinton traveled to Pyongyang as a private citizen to retrieve the journalists. Upon their return, President Obama applauded the president, saying the administration was "extraordinarily relieved" that the pair had been set free."