Mr. Optimistic's Blog

#10: Church Gives Its All

Mr. Optimistic — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:14:54 +0000

According to NBC, a church in Schaumburg, Illinois is getting back to basics by giving away 100% of its donations to people who need it. Every dollar donated to the Waterfront Community Church goes to people like the single mother with a sick child who needed $11,000.

That’s an attitude that’s worthy of praise!

#9: Optimists Live Longer

Mr. Optimistic — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:32:20 +0000

Optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists, US researchers said on Thursday. In a Women’s Health Initiative study women who were optimistic — those who expect good rather than bad things to happen — were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause than pessimists and 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease after eight years.

Good news for me!

#8: There’s still one banker with a heart

Mr. Optimistic — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:49:10 +0000

According to a story in the Miami Herald, after selling a majority stake in his Miami bank, Leonard Abess took $60 million from his own pocket and gave it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, all 399 workers on the payroll. He even tracked down 72 former employees to share it with them too. President Obama talked about Abess in his address to Congress. For longtime employees, the bonus — based on years of service — amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, even topping $100,000.

Whether it’s large or small, you’ll find that everyone has a gift to give.

This is harder than I thought…

Mr. Optimistic — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:33:48 +0000

You may have noticed that I haven’t lived up to my goal of adding a new post every day. I assure you that it’s not for lack of good news. Rather, I have fallen back on bad habits. Of dwelling on the negative instead of the positive. Of not seeing that there is a cause for optimism. That’s going to change. A new post a day. I mean it this time!

(Some days, though, I just don’t get on the computer. You’ll just have to give me a pass on that.)

#7: Michigan not among 100 worst intersections.

Mr. Optimistic — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:28:26 +0000

According to the latest issue of Forbes magazine, the most congested intersection in America is Exit 4B of the Cross Bronx Expressway, where the average speed during it’s 94 hours of rush hour is 11 miles per hour. Of the other 99 worst intersections, not a single one is in Michigan. Not even Orchard Lake and Maple Road. Or Rochester Road and Auburn. In fact, most of the worst intersections are in metro New York, metro LA and Texas, with Atlanta thrown in.

Just one more reason to live here instead of there.

Comments are not only allowed, they’re encouraged!

Mr. Optimistic — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:13:17 +0000

What’s wrong with this picture? A blog called “A Cause For Optimism” pessimistically predicts that all comments will be negative. Yeah. And it took me a month to figure that out!

So, comment away! But please, keep your comments optimistic. And save your negative stuff for Drudge or Huffington. They like that stuff anyway.

#6: Cancer detection improves survival rates

Mr. Optimistic — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:33:43 +0000

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the earlier a cancer is detected, the better the patient’s survival rate. And while current detection methods rely upon seeing a mass on an X-ray or MRI, new methods to detect cellular changes in the bloodstream are being tested. That means scientists may one day be able to detect a tumor when it’s first beginning to grow, target those few cells, and wipe the whole thing clean. Unfortunately, only 8% of research funds are currently spent on early detection. To make a difference, specify that your donations go to detection.
It’s another case where being early makes all the difference.

#5: Science winning war on blindness

Mr. Optimistic — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:03:52 +0000

Scientists are having success treating some forms of blindness thanks to gene therapy. They take genetically altered cells and inject them directly into the eye, where they help the cones and rods detect more light. The younger the patient, the better it works. Several patients have gone from seeing only blurs, to being able to read two lines of text on an eye chart.

I guess seeing is believing.

#4: Food yields are growing every year

Mr. Optimistic — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:14:00 +0000

According to an article in a recent issue of Wired, it’s possible to grow 155 bushels of soybeans in a single acre. The current average yield of soybeans per acre is just 40. Some farmers have also achieved yields of 329 bushels of corn per acre. The secret isn’t really a secret. Just turbocharged seeds, precision chemistry and lots of TLC.

Good news for the world. And, yes, food for thought.

#3: Elephants on the comeback trail.

Mr. Optimistic — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:55:39 +0000

According to Smithsonian magazine, the elephants living in Botswana now number more than 150,000. That’s the largest population of elephants on the continent. And it’s all due to strict conservation efforts.

Who says that man and beast can’t find a way to live together on this Earth?