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Divine Intervention: 1 in 2 Say Prayer Saves the Dying. Do You?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:44:20 -0700

Paging Dr. God? More than half of adults in the US put more faith in the divine than in a doctor's care — 57 percent said God's intervention could save a dying family member even if their doctor had declared treatment futile. Researchers say this data should spur doctors into being prepared "to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle."Oddly, the strong show of faith over doctoring may be a result of leaps in medical care. The author of the study says that advances in trauma treatment has allowed more patients to survive past the scene of an accident, living longer and allowing more time for hope and prayer. He says, hospital trauma specialists "are much more heavily engaged in the death process," and that he frequently meets people who think God will save their dying loved one. It's a tricky balance, mediating a miracle. He says, "you have to respect that," while still showing the medical facts that may ultimate prove otherwise.With prayer even being credited with softening gas prices, where do you stand? Source

Divine Intervention: 1 in 2 Say Prayer Saves the Dying. Do You?

Of course prayer works. Faith is most important in times of trial and miracles happen.

Prayer could help the patient, but it's probably the biggest comfort to the one praying.

Faith can't trump science and fact. Doctors are the only ones who can save lives.

Other. I'll tell you my opinion in the comments.

Second Pregnant US Soldier Found Dead

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:25:58 -0700

Second Pregnant US Soldier Found Dead
The US military was rocked today by the "suspicious" death of a 23-year-old pregnant US soldier, the second female service member this year to die before carrying her child to term. Megan Lynn Touma, a US army dental specialist, was found dead in a hotel room in North Carolina, not far from where the body of 20-year-old US marine corporal Maria Lauterbach was discovered in January.

How Much Is Too Much? Celebrity Death Tributes — Too far?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:00:26 -0700

For every lash, there is an equal and opposite lash in the reverse direction: a backlash if you will. So it is with a seemingly irreproachable story like the tribute paid to the passing of Tim Russert. After his shocking passing last week, the news hasn't been shy with coverage. From the moving tribute held during the usual Meet the Press time slot, all the way to today when MSNBC will broadcast the private memorial service at 4 p.m. EDT. Some are saying it's too much. In Debra Saunders column yesterday she acknowledged the Meet the Press tribute was appropriate, but then said: Overall, however, the hours and hours of tributes across the cable spectrum show the news media at their worst. For me, the Russert Weekend only served to confirm my suspicion that in 2008, cable TV stations can only do one story at a time -- and then they overdo it and beat it silly. . . An outstanding journalist of Russert's stripe rated more than a nice sendoff story. But there is another tenet of the profession that Washington TV news bureaus seem to have forgotten in the shock of Russert's passing: We are not the story.

Over on Slate, Jack Shafer had this to say: I wonder whether the media grievers gave a moment of thought to how this Russert torrent they produced played with viewers and readers. Did the grievers really think Russert was so important, so vital to the nation's course, and such an elevated human being that he deserved hour upon hour of tribute? I wonder whether any of the responsible journalists paused to think, "Hey, this is really weird. We're using our unchecked editorial power to soak the nation with our tears about our friend, and that's unseemly!"

Gawker went one step further and created the "Scale of Celebrity Death" ranking the impact of surprise celebrity demise. Princess Diana, incidentally, ranked a 10. Are celebrity death tributes, and the wall-to-wall media coverage surrounding them, too much? Do we need them to mourn those characters who've touched so many lives? At what point does a tribute become ghoulish?Source

How Much Is Too Much? Celebrity Death Tributes — Too far?

Not at all! Celebrities are people who've touched a lot of us — a group mourning is good.

There's a line between coverage and tribute (Russert) and what happened to Anna Nicole.

Yes. A story is one thing, 24-hours of coverage is too much and almost disrespecful.

Other. I'll let you know how I feel in the comments.

Breaking: Tim Russert of Meet the Press Dies of a Heart Attack

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:49:32 -0700

I couldn't be more sad to report that Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press has died of a heart attack. The New York Times reports they heard the news from Russert's family.

Upon announcing the news, Tom Brokaw said, “this news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice.” Russert is survived by his wife Maureen Orth and their adult son, Luke. He was 58 years old.

Source

Is the Media Closing the Door on Senator Kennedy's Recovery?

LibertySugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:27 -0700

Ever since the sad news of Senator Ted Kennedy's brain tumor diagnosis broke, I've been seeing a barrage of news coverage that seems pretty postmortem. Article topics include:

The coverage makes me think media companies are rolling out their prefabricated eulogies a little too soon. In fact, if someone wasn't paying close attention, they might assume the Senator already died!

Are these reports an honor to Senator Kennedy, or disrespectful? Since he did just receive a very serious diagnosis, should the country take the opportunity to celebrate all of his achievements while he is still alive? Should the media adopt a more hopeful and positive outlook in order to support Kennedy's efforts to battle the tumor?

Source