The Need For Good News

As we recover from the news coverage of the J.F.K. Jr. saga we are greeted with more bad news.  Mark Orrin Barton killed his wife, children, and other and injured many innocent people. Visions of the recent Columbine High School killings come to mind. 

I believe we need to get away from collective public grieving and find some happy things to read about. I know that the news provides us with good and bad.  What we need is some uplifting and good exciting news. 

I like to separate news into good, mixed good and bad, and plain embarrassing.  I try to stay away from the totally bad news. 

Let's start with some good and exciting news.

In the world of medicine doctors witnessed a medical miracle.  "It's something that I have never seen happen in 17 years "someone waking up who I thought was going to die" said John Frazee, Neurosurgeon at UCLA Medical Center. 

A few months ago Maria Lydia Lopez, a 25 year old woman fell into a coma while pregnant with twins.  She had a condition called AVM arteriovenous malformation in which people are born with malformed or tangled arteries or veins in the brain. 

After 30 days in the hospital Lopez was still in a coma and the family was asked to allow the removal of life support.  A priest was called to administer the last rites.  During the service Lopez began to cough.  The doctor and the nurses claimed it was an involuntary reflex and that she was destined to die.  But, it seems that G‑d had other plans.  She lived and consequently gave birth to two beautiful babies. 

"I've given up making predictions" Frazee said.  "I still have no medical explanation why she recovered.  All I know now is that her outlook is fantastic.  The sky's the limit with her."

Recently, Lopez was transferred to the rehabilitation center at Loma Linda.  The family and medical team are hopeful for Lopez.

Some more good news.  Kerry Madden-Lunsford was rewarded a settlement by the Borders Bookstore chain.  Kerry had been asked to leave a Borders Bookstore when she was caught breast-feeding her baby.  When she protested the Manager claimed that "company policy" did not allow breast-feeding in the store and was asked to leave.  Kerry claimed that her civil rights were challenged.  Now the court has ruled in her favor as State law permits breast-feeding in public.  Yes, mothers are protected.

Here is the mixed news.  Nine UCLA football players have pleaded guilty in using handicapped permits for parking spots on the campus.  Linebacker Ali Abdul Azziz said "We did not realize the seriousness of our actions.  Our faces have been posted on television and newspapers and we know we have embarrassed our school, our families and ourselves."  The applications used to obtain the parking permits contained fake medical problems.  Worst of all some had forged or fabricated physician's signatures.  Their punishment is game suspension!!  Personally, I wonder why fabricating a physician's signature does not bring a mandatory jail sentence. 

Here is the good news - they were caught and pleaded guilty.  The bad news - they received a slap on the wrist.

Then there is plain embarrassing news. 

Recently the women's world cup soccer final was played by China and the USA.  The American team was declared winners. 

Overlooked was the American goalkeeper, Briana Scurry's,  illegal move during a penalty kick that gave the U.S. it's winning title.  The U.S. won the game because the goalkeeper broke the rules during the tie breaker. When asked about cheating Scurry said "Everybody does it.  It's only cheating if you get caught."

If that is not bad enough, Brandi Chastain, after booting in the winning bonus goal pulled off her blouse advertising the new Nike Inner Active Pullover Racerback Bra.  Pulling off your blouse is a strange way to celebrate. 

Our players showed no shame or restrain. Why are we proud of winning?  We should be embarrassed of our players' conduct.

Reading, hearing and reacting correctly to the news is an art that has to be learned.

Here is a story that makes the point.  Sam the carpenter came to the burial society director with the following news.  "My wife has died", he said "and I would like to buy a burial plot."  The official wondered how that could be!  "We buried your wife three years ago".  "Yes, that was my first wife" said Sam "and now my second wife has died."  "Excuse me, I did not know you had remarried -congratulations, Mazel Tov!" 

Yes, there is an art in dealing with news.  We ought to train ourselves to stay away from the bad news.  We need to continually search for the good news.  When we do, we raise our spirits and lives. 

Looking at the happy miracles that G‑d performs daily like Mrs. Lopez and her twin babies makes me smile.

"Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far land."  (Proverbs 25:25)