News for May 16, 2005

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Appalachian Residents, Ravaged by Drugs, Turning to God for Help (May 16, 2005) - If he wasn't at rock bottom, Steve Collett wasn't far from it, shivering inside a portable toilet that served as his shelter on a cold winter's night. Fresh out of jail with nowhere else to go, Collett started praying to Jesus, seeking help from the shambles he had made of his life because of drugs and crime. When daylight arrived, Collett stepped out of that plastic privy into a new day, having made peace and vowing never to return to his old ways. Such stories of repentance are being repeated across the heart of Appalachia, where church leaders say communities rife with drugs are uniting behind a spiritual solution and sheer despair is forcing addicts to seek help from a higher power. "We're right in the middle of a regional transformation," said Doug Abner, pastor of Community Church in Manchester, which ministers to people who have been caught up in the drug trade. "Obviously, if you're a Christian, you believe God can transform a person. We really believe God can transform a community, a city, a county, a region."

Solar Storm May Disrupt Communications - Scientists have issued a warning that cell phone calls, TV reception and other communications might be disrupted today because of a massive solar storm. Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic storm on Sunday, which they classified as an extreme event, measuring G-5—the highest level—on the NOAA Space Weather Scales.

Abortion-breast cancer link covered up by scientists? (May 16, 2005) - A pioneer researcher into the connection between abortion and breast cancer says an overwhelming amount of evidence collected in nearly 50 years of studies demonstrating a conclusive link has been systematically covered up by biased scientists, government agencies and the news media using fraudulent data to deceive women about potentially life-and-death decisions.

UFOs spotted over Melbourne (May 13, 2005) - If witnesses to the strange phenomenon seen on Friday night are to be believed, the answer could be alien spaceships. The mystery developed at 10.30pm when about a dozen of the orange lights were seen hovering over Ferntree Gully. Tim Webster, 23, of Upwey, admits he was looking forward to an alien abduction as he photographed the lights on his phone-camera.

NOAA ISSUES SPACE WEATHER WARNING (May 16, 2005) - Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic storm on Sunday, May 15, which they classified as an extreme event, measuring G-5—the highest level—on the NOAA Space Weather Scales.

Shocking FRENCH Study: Those Who Have Abortions Have Double the Risk of a Dangerous Birth in Later Pregnancy (May 11, 2005) - According to the Telegraph, a new French study shows women who have had an abortion double their risk of having a dangerous birth later on. The study investigated 2,837 births finding that mothers who had previously undergone an abortion were 1.7 times more likely to a premature baby-less than 28 weeks gestation. Many infants born that early die soon after being born or experience severe disabilities.

Conscience Causes Christian Store Thief to Give Back What He Stole Dave Newbart / Aimee Herd reporting (May 16, 2005) - Former Christian bookstore owner Bob Walsh says he has lost thousands of dollars to shoplifters in his store over the years. Even those who have stolen Bibles! But last week's envelope in the mail stunned him as it's contents revealed twenty $100 bills. The money was accompanied by an apology that read, "This is money for the items I stole from your store many years ago...I'm very sorry." "Whoever heard of paying back for something that you stole?" exclaimed Walsh. "Maybe someone who stole one of those Bibles actually read it." According to the Chicago Sun-Times the sender knew enough to mail it to Walsh's home address, since he hasn't owned the Logos Christian bookstore in Oak Park since 2001. On the same day the money arrived in the mail, Walsh received a large bill for his new heating and cooling unit and used half of the $2,000 received to pay it. His wife, Marietta, wants to give her cut to charity. "She's says it's found money and we should give it away," says Walsh.