Former 'Lost Boy' Lomong chosen to carry U.S. flag

Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong didn't even have a country. Now he'll be carrying the flag for his adopted nation, leading the U.S. Olympic team at opening ceremonies Friday night.

Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, won a vote of team captains Wednesday to earn the honor of leading America's contingent into the 90,000-seat Bird's Nest Stadium.

The 1,500-meter track runner will be the flagbearer only 13 months after becoming a U.S. citizen.

"It's more than a dream," Lomong said in an interview with The Associated Press moments after he got the news. "I keep saying, I'm not sure if this is true or not true. I'm making the team and now I'm the first guy coming to the stadium and the whole world will be watching me carry the flag. There are no words to describe it."

He was born in Sudan, separated from his parents at the point of a gun at age 6, and with the help of friends, he escaped confinement and made it to a refugee camp in Kenya. In 2001, he was brought to America as part of a program to relocate lost children from war-torn Sudan.

More of this wonderful story at ESPN

A heartbreaking yet heartwarming story - Steven Curtis Chapman on Good Morning America

No one could imagine an accident so terrible, as Maria, the child they adopted from China, now 5 years old and full of life and personality dies due to being ran over in an SUV by their youngest son. Amazingly it seems instead of tearing this family apart, this has brought them closer together. How you might ask? Only by the grace of God and the prayers of thousands of fans including myself. Get out your hankies for this video, this one is going to make you cry.

From YouTube and ABC News.

Son of top Hamas leader converts to Christianity - 'I hope my father and family open their eyes to Jesus and the Kingdom of God'

The son of one of the most popular leaders in the Hamas terrorist organization has moved to the U.S. and converted to Christianity, it has emerged.

In an exclusive interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper, Masab Yousuf, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheik Hassan Yousef, slammed Hamas, praised Israel and said he hoped his terrorist father will open his eyes to Jesus

and to Christianity.

"I know that I'm endangering my life and am even liable to lose my father, but I hope that he'll understand this and that God will give him and my family patience and willingness to open their eyes to Jesus and to Christianity. Maybe one day I'll be able to return to Palestine and to Ramallah with Jesus, in the Kingdom of God," Masab said.

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40 Positive Effects of a TV Free Week

“What could you accomplish if you stopped watching TV? What would you do with all the extra time?” My wife asked me these questions two weeks ago. After a short discussion, we decided to find out for ourselves. We completely eliminated television from our lives last week. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. We now have a plan to drastically reduce our future viewing habits.

See what this writer accomplished. Here are 40 positive effects from our week without television.

HERO - Fort Worth dad deploying to Iraq, the country that took his son

In a few days, Francisco Martinez will land in Iraq.

He is one of tens of thousands of men and women who, with various motivations, enlisted in the armed forces, knowing that they’d someday end up there.

For Martinez, Iraq is a kind of perdition, a receptacle for all the dark emotions, anguish and guilt that have buffeted him for the last three years.

When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.

This deployment — in fact, his entire enlistment — is completely his doing. Nobody forced this on Martinez, except maybe the sniper who put one well-placed bullet in Spc. Francisco G. Martinez on March 20, 2005, in Ramadi.

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Son's Death In Iraq Drives Father To Build Life-Saving Robot

It's called the LandShark, and the shopping cart-sized robot is a memorial to a young U.S. soldier killed in Iraq whose father is convinced the device can be effective in thwarting at least some of the explosive attacks that are aimed at U.S. forces in that war-torn country.

When Army Pfc. John Hart was killed in a 2003 ambush, his grief-stricken father, Brian Hart, decided to channel his heartache and anger into finding a way to help U.S. troops, who lacked proper armor and other protection.

"He asked me to help him," Brian Hart told The Associated Press, recalling a call he got from his son in Iraq. "Get us body armor and vehicular armor," the son requested.

"He thought he'd be killed on the road and in an unarmored Humvee," the father continued. "And a week to the day later, he was."

The elder Hart's solution was to create Black-I Robotics, a company that develops relatively inexpensive unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) aimed at combating the ever-more-effective and deadly improvised explosive devices that have caused the majority of casualties among U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

More from Information Week

Firefighter Lifts Car, Rescues Pinned Woman

An Ocala firefighter lifted a vehicle about a foot off the ground, allowing other firefighters to free the arm of a driver who was involved in a crash.According to Ocala fire officials, two firefighters who were not at the fire station drove up on the crash, which took place on Northeast 36th Avenue, at about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday.An older model Chevrolet Blazer was on its side and two people were inside the sport utility vehicle, fire officials said. A small white car had apparently pulled out of a nearby convenient store parking lot and struck the SUV, causing it to flip, fire officials said.

The Blazer driver's arm became trapped between the vehicle and the pavement as the SUV overturned, firefighters said.Firefighters responding to the crash stabilized the overturned Blazer, but the driver could not be removed from the vehicle until her arm was freed, officials said.Firefighter Chris Hickman lifted the SUV about 12 inches off the ground, allowing other firefighters to free the driver's arm, officials said. The roof of the SUV was cut away by firefighters, and the woman was removed and airlifted to Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, fire officials said. Her condition was not released.The occupants of the other vehicle were not injured.

From Local6.com

92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, Pew survey finds

Americans overwhelmingly believe in God and consider religion an important part of their lives, even as many shun weekly worship services, according to a national survey released today that also found great diversity in religious beliefs and practices.

Ninety-two percent of those interviewed for the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey said they believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, and 58% said they pray privately every day. But California, like other states along the country's two coasts, resisted the prevailing national tendencies.

More from the LA Times

Jesus in China

Christianity — repressed, marginalized and, in many cases, illegal in China for more than half a century — is sweeping the country, overflowing churches and posing a sensitive challenge to the officially atheist Communist Party. By some estimates Christian churches, most of them underground, now have roughly 70 million members, as many as the party itself. A growing number of those Christians are in fact party members.

Christianity is thriving in part because it offers a moral framework to citizens adrift in an age of Wild West capitalism that has not only exacted a heavy toll in corruption and pollution but also harmed the global image of products "Made in China."

More from The Chicago Tribune

Dale Earnhardt Jr Hypermiles to Victory in NASCAR Racing

Who says racing has nothing to do with fuel economy? Honestly, I was rather shocked to hear about the prominence of hypermiling techniques in racing, especially NASCAR. Perhaps the revolution is hitting home with more people than the news would lead us to believe. Here’s the word direct from Earnhardt and ESPN:

Knowing the race was going to be extended beyond its scheduled 200 laps, Eury told Earnhardt to shut the engine off and coast whenever he could under the caution flag in a desperate effort to save more gas.

For those of you who don’t know already, this technique is oftentimes called “Pulse & Glide,” and is widely used by ecodrivers looking to get better gas mileage. P&G works by making your engine work only when it’s most efficient, and shutting it off at other times.

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Conservatives really are nicer people, latest research shows

There is plenty of data that shows that Right-wingers are happier, more generous to charities, less likely to commit suicide - and even hug their children more than those on the Left.

Those surveyed were asked: 'Is it your obligation to care for a seriously injured/ill spouse or parent, or should you give care only if you really want to?' Of those describing themselves as 'conservative', 71 per cent said it was. Only 46 per cent of those on the Left agreed.

To the question: 'Do you get happiness by putting someone else's happiness ahead of your own?', 55 per cent of those who said they were 'very conservative' said Yes, compared with 20 per cent of those who were 'very liberal'.

More from the Mail Online

HERO - Hiker sacrificed self to save wife on Mtn. Rainier

A hiker who lost his life high on Mount Rainier lay down in the snow and used his body's warmth to save his wife and a friend from the 70-mph winds of a freak June blizzard, national park officials say.

When it became obvious the trio of friends could not find their way back to base camp in whiteout conditions, they dug a snow trench with their hands. Then 31-year-old Eduard Burceag lay down on the snow and his wife and a friend lay on top of him. Later, when they begged him to switch places, Burceag refused, saying he was OK.

"In doing so, he probably saved their lives," park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Thursday.

Mariana Burceag, also 31, survived the storm, as did the couple's good friend, Daniel Vlad, 34.

More at AZCentral

Mike Huckabee knows how to save a life - PERFORMS HEIMLICH ON NC LT. GOV. CANDIDATE

He may not be the next president, but he’s a savior to at least one.

Former Arkanas Gov. Mike Huckabee performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking Robert Pittenger during Saturday’s North Carolina GOP convention breakfast, Huckabee’s former campaign spokeswoman confirmed Sunday.

Huckabee was the keynote speaker at the convention, and was sitting next to the Pittenger, who’s running for the lieutenant governor’s seat, when Pittenger began choking.

Huckabee noticed Pittenger couldn’t breathe and took action, giving Pittenger the heave in the chest needed to dislodge the offending food bit.

“I’m glad that Mike was in the right place at the right time and continued to lead by example,” former South Carolina Lt. Gov. candidate Mike Campbell told The Palmetto Scoop. “We all know that [Huckabee] is pro-life, and once again he has lived up to it.”

The newspaper noted that Pittenger apparently suffers from acid reflux, which likely caused the incident to occur. It added that Huckabee, who is also known for losing 110 pounds and promoting healthy living, was trained as an EMT in college and this may not be the first time he’s sprung to action when needed.

From Fox News

Grandfather builds Web browser for autistic boy

John LeSieur is in the software business, so he took particular interest when computers seemed mostly useless to his 6-year-old grandson, Zackary. The boy has autism, and the whirlwind of options presented by PCs so confounded him that he threw the mouse in frustration. LeSieur tried to find online tools that could guide autistic children around the Web, but he couldn't find anything satisfactory. So he had one built, named it the Zac Browser For Autistic Children in honor of his grandson, and is making it available to anyone for free.

LeSieur's quest is a reminder that while the Web has created important communication and educational opportunities for some people with cognitive impairments, computers can also introduce new headaches for families trying to navigate the contours of disability.

The Zac Browser greatly simplifies the experience of using a computer. It seals off most Web sites from view, to block violent, sexual or otherwise adult-themed material. Instead it presents a hand-picked slate of choices from free, public Web sites, with an emphasis on educational games, music, videos and visually entertaining images, like a virtual aquarium.

Other programs for children already offer that "walled garden" approach to the Web. But LeSieur's browser aims to go further: It essentially takes over the computer and reduces the controls available for children like Zackary, who finds too many choices overwhelming.

More at Yahoo News

Mother's anger turns to delight after her baby survives an abortion

Finley Crampton really shouldn't be here. Although his parents would have loved another child, they knew their baby could inherit a life-threatening kidney condition – and they couldn't take the risk.

After all, their first son had died of the condition and the second was born with serious kidney damage.

So when Finley's mother, Jodie Percival, became pregnant while on the Pill, she and her fiance Billy Crampton, 35, made the agonising decision to abort this child.

'Deciding to terminate at eight weeks was just utterly horrible but I couldn't cope with the anguish of losing another baby,' said Miss Percival, 25.

However, Finley had other ideas. And some time after the operation, Miss Percival felt a fluttering in her stomach.

Eventually her doctor sent her for a scan – and she discovered she was 19 weeks pregnant.

The child had survived the abortion and thrived in the womb. 'I couldn't believe it,' said Miss Percival. 'This was the baby I thought I'd terminated.

More from The Mail Online

KID CAN DO IT ALL ON ONE LEG - Baseball, football, soccer -- nothing slows him down

Adam Bender slips a chest protector over his Astros jersey, buckles a shinguard to his right leg, positions a mask atop his head, grabs his catcher's mitt and hops out of the dugout.

Adam has his game face on. Or at least what passes as a game face for an 8-year-old. His eyes are serious. His freckled nose is crinkled with determination.

Adam is amazing to watch. He takes his position behind the plate, resting on his right knee.

When a runner rounds third looking to score, Adam jumps up and holds his ground.

He suffered a mild concussion on one collision and missed a practice or two. But he recovered and was ready for action in the next game. At one point this season he led the rookie league in put-outs at home.

At bat, his athletic skill and balance allow him to take a full swing, and he usually makes contact. He hops to first base as quickly as he can. If he's safe, he uses crutches to run the bases. When he gets thrown out, he hops dejectedly back to the dugout.

He's a competitor, and not just in baseball.

Adam, who lost his left leg to cancer when he was 1, has played soccer for a couple of years. He uses crutches, and is a whirlwind on the field in Centenary United Methodist's "I Am Third" league.

More with Video at Kentucky.com

Holy water? Christian man's car 'gets 100 miles per ounce'

With gasoline prices in the $4 per gallon range, a Christian inventor in Florida claims he's developed a way to seriously stretch the fuel mileage on his car. "I get 100 miles to the ounce on water," Anthony Brown told WJXX-TV in Jacksonville. "I can run any water – distilled water, drinking water, tap water."

"Right now it's using a little bit of gas. If anything, it's getting a fuel vapor. I've got the fuel injection system shut down," he added. Sporting a T-shirt that proclaims, "Today, He Forgives," Brown brought his vehicle and the local ABC affiliate to a mechanic to examine his system, which he says is still in development.

Brown, who the station says runs the Wings of Love Ministry, indicated any profit from the invention would help missionaries around the world. "I've just been asking for a way the Lord to show me to raise money rapidly, and I started working on this idea," he said.

I've got my doubts about this one but I hope it is for real.

More at WorldNetDaily

'God loves you, Reno,' billboard says

A Southern Baptist church plant in Reno, Nev., has come up with a plan to counter the hateful messages touted by frequent protestor Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church group: Rent space on a billboard to proclaim God's love for the people of Reno.

"Out here, a lot of people are just kind of ignorant to the Gospel," Mike Stewart, pastor of Discovery Fellowship, said, referring to a cultural lack of knowledge regarding true Christianity. "If they know anything about God, it's either He's indifferent or He's angry or He hates women."

So in a staff meeting at the church, the idea of renting billboard space was conceived. The church learned they could rent space for $7,000 for 16 weeks, and they quickly raised the funds.

"I've heard people say that money follows vision, especially compelling vision, and within two weeks we paid cash," Stewart said. "It came from people within our church, people who know of our church but live across the country, and then the Nevada Baptist Convention helped out too."

Now the proclamation "God loves you, Reno," along with the Discovery Fellowship Web address, is one of eight messages that rotate on a digital billboard on a well-traveled thoroughfare in Reno.

More Good News on this story from Baptist Press.

Afghan insurgents 'on brink of defeat'

Even though our brave troops due an incredible job overseas, the American Press does not have our best interest in mind and are often afraid to share it. I WILL!

The new "precise, surgical" tactics have killed scores of insurgent leaders and made it extremely difficult for Pakistan-based Taliban leaders to prosecute the campaign, according to Brig Mark Carleton-Smith.

In the past two years an estimated 7,000 Taliban have been killed, the majority in southern and eastern Afghanistan. But it is the "very effective targeted decapitation operations" that have removed "several echelons of commanders".

This in turn has left the insurgents on the brink of defeat, the head of Task Force Helmand said.

"The Taliban are much weaker," he said from 16 Air Assault Brigade headquarters in Lashkar Gah.

"The tide is clearly ebbing not flowing for them. Their chain of command is disrupted and they are short of weapons and ammunition."

More from The Telegraph

Phil Stacey's Christian Roots Anchor His Country Album Debut

American Idol alumnus Phil Stacey has combined his Christian upbringing and a passion for country music on his new self-titled album for Lyric Street Records. As a consequence, the album is being worked in both musical formats.

"If You Didn't Love Me" has already climbed to No. 32 on Billboard's country singles chart, while "Identity," an introspective album cut, is being programmed on several contemporary Christian radio stations. EMI Christian Music Group is distributing the album to Christian music outlets.

"I sing Christian songs on my country record," Stacey says, a point rendered apparent by a close reading of the lyrics, many of which could allude equally well to earthly or spiritual love. The son and grandson of ministers, Stacey was born 30 years ago in the tiny Harlan County hamlet of Loyal, Ky. During Stacey's youth, his father moved to other pastorates in Kentucky and Ohio before settling into a ministry in Wichita, Kan., where Stacey attended both junior high and senior high school.

More from CMT.com

Also - Jonas Brothers bring Christian pop rock to UK from The Telegraph