January 2007

American Teenage Boy Plans to Run 200 Miles for Children's Charity

WOW ... can you image running continuously for 200 miles???? That's what the following young man is planning to do to raise money for a Children's Hospital!!! See the details in the article below:

Teens Vows To Run 200 Miles For Children's Charity

By Michele Gile

(CBS) LAKE FOREST, Calif. An 18-year-old runner will begin a planned 200-mile continuous run to raise funds for patients at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) tomorrow at El Toro High School.

Jesse Zweig will begin his "ultramarathon" at 2:30 p.m. from his alma mater at 25255 Toledo Way, and hopes to finish it Saturday, with the goal of raising $20,000, said Vicki Koda of the CHOC Foundation.

The run, with only short bathroom stops, will conclude at Zweig's home on Chestnutwood in Lake Forest, the hospital's Denise Almazan said.

Zweig plans to pass through Orange, Tustin, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills, she said.

The distance is the equivalent of 7 1/2 marathons, Almazan said.

Zweig, who competed in track at El Toro High School, became interested in the concept of running an ultramarathon after reading the book, "The Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner," written by Dean Karnazes, Almazan said.

"He has no personal connection to CHOC," Almazan said. "He feels blessed that he enjoys good health and wants to do something for the kids who are not as lucky."

Zweig, a Mormon, is awaiting an assignment for a two-year mission before going to college, Almazan said.

Zweig told KCAL9 that he is making backup preparations.

"This is the second pair of shoes (that) I need to break in, just in case," he said.

"There's no way I'd be able to do this by myself, (without) people, (without) their encouragement," Zweig said. "I've gotten e-mails, just telling me their stories, people who have been to CHOC. They're kind of helping me out. And also donations, they help out a lot."

Last year, Zweig raised about $7,000 when he ran 100 miles for CHOC, Channel 9 reported.

"It's going to be tough," Zweig said. "It'll be tough, I know that, but I'm prepared for it. I'm not going to give up just because it's hurting. So, I'm just going to push through it."

Zweig said he will keep himself going by thinking of the children at the hospital

News and Views about CHINA

Last week on our Public Broadcast TV Channel they started a four part series entitled CHINA FROM THE INSIDE and I just finished watching the last two parts of the program tonight. It was very interesting and informative about what is happening in China today on several issues: environment, people, human rights, freedom and justice, etc ... seemed to be very acccurate from our experience in China.

Here's a News article that appeared on the Internet today in the USA -- What do you think should be done????

China Facing Major Gender Imbalance

Jan 12, 2007

BEIJING - China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women in less than 15 years as a gender imbalance resulting from the country’s tough one-child policy becomes more pronounced, state media reported Friday.

The tens of millions of men who will not be able to find a wife could also lead to social instability problems, the China Daily said in a front-page report.

China imposed strict population controls in the 1970s to limit growth of its huge population, but one side effect has been a jump in gender selection of babies. Traditional preferences for a son mean some women abort their baby if an early term sonogram shows it is a girl.

“Discrimination against the female sex remains the primary cause of China’s growing gender imbalance,” Liu Bohong, vice director of the women studies institute under the All-China Women’s Federation, was quoted as saying in a report from the State Population and Family Planning Commission.

Sex selective abortion is prohibited but the government says the practice remains widespread, especially in rural areas.

Anticipating social problems

The report, carried in the newspaper, said China’s sex ratio for newborn babies in 2005 was 118 boys to 100 girls, a huge jump from 110 to 100 in 2000.

In some regions such as the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, the ratio has ballooned to 130 boys to 100 girls, the newspaper said. The average for industrialized countries is between 104 and 107 boys for every 100 girls.

The report predicted that by 2020 the imbalance would mean men of marriageable age — especially those with low income or little education — would find it difficult to find wives, resulting in possible social problems.

The problem is not just a rural issue, with the newborn gender imbalance also widening in cities. In the first 11 months of 2006, there were 109 boys born in Beijing for every 100 girls.

China Daily said one way to solve the problem would be to create a proper social security system so rural couples would not feel they needed a son to depend on when they get old.

Up to 800 million of China’s 1.3 billion people live in the countryside.

THE REAL CHRISTMAS ...

The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force.

Christmas is a busy season. Streets and stores are filled with people making last-minute preparations. Travelers on the highways increase, airports are crowded—all Christianity seems to come to life with music, lights, and festive decorations.

A writer has said:

“Of all holidays there is none that enters so fully into the human heart, and stirs so many of the higher sentiments. The thoughts, memories, hopes, and customs linked with it are bound by antiquity and nationality collectively; and by childhood and old age individually. They embrace the religious, social, and patriotic sides of our nature. The holly and mistletoe entwined among the evergreens, the habit of giving gifts to those we love, the presence of the Christmas tree, the superstition of Santa Claus, all combining to make Christmas the most longed-for, the most universal, and from every standpoint, the most important holiday known to man” [Clarence Baird, “The Spirit of Christmas,” Improvement Era, Dec. 1919, 154].

The Origin of Christmas

The season is steeped in tradition, and its roots stem back in history. The commencement of the holiday lies in pagan worship long before the introduction of Christianity. The god Mithra was worshiped by the ancient Aryans, and this worship gradually spread to India and Persia. Mithra at first was the god of the heavenly light of the bright skies and later in the Roman period was worshiped as the deity of the sun, or the sun god—Sol Invictus Mithra.

In the first century [before] Christ, Pompey carried on conquests along the southern coast of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, and many of the prisoners taken in those military actions were brought captive to Rome. This introduced the pagan worship of Mithra to Rome, for these prisoners spread the religion among the Roman soldiers. The worship became popular, particularly in the ranks of the Roman armies. We find today, in the ruins of the cities of the far-flung Roman Empire, the shrines of Mithra. Mithraism flourished in the Roman world and became the chief competitor of Christianity in the religious beliefs of the people.

A festive season for the worshipers of the sun god took place immediately after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year—the time when the sun stands still after its annual dip into the Southern Hemisphere. The commencement of its climb from this low point was regarded as the rebirth of Mithra, and the Romans celebrated his birthday on the 25th of December each year. There was great merriment on this holiday—festivals and feastings, gifts given to friends, and the dwelling places decorated with evergreens.

Gradually Christianity gained a victory over Mithraism, which had been its strongest rival, and the festival day celebrating the birth of Mithra was used by the Christians to commemorate the birth of Christ. The pagan worship of the sun, deeply rooted in Roman culture, was replaced by one of the greatest festivals among Christians. Christmas has come down to us as a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing—a day of good cheer and goodwill to men. Although it has an earthly relation and significance, it is divine in content. The ancient Christian celebration has lived continuously through the centuries.

The Meaning of Christmas Today

How is Christmas regarded today? The legend of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the decorations of tinsel and mistletoe, and the giving of gifts all express to us the spirit of the day we celebrate; but the true spirit of Christmas lies much deeper than these. It is found in the life of the Savior, in the principles He taught, in His atoning sacrifice—which become our great heritage.

Many years ago the First Presidency of the Church made this significant statement:

“Christmas, to the Latter-day Saint, is both reminiscent and prophetic—a reminder of two great and solemn events, which will yet be regarded universally as the mightiest and most wonderful happenings in the history of the human race. These events were [foreordained] to take place upon this planet before it was created. One of them was the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time, to die for the sins of the world; and the other is the prospective advent of the risen and glorified Redeemer, to reign upon the earth as King of kings” [“What Christmas Suggests to a Latter-day Saint,” Millennial Star, Jan. 2, 1908, 1].

In Paul’s short letter to the Galatians, he showed great concern over their apparent disbelief and their forsaking of his teachings regarding Christ. He wrote to them: “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:18–19). In other words, Paul expressed himself as suffering pain and anxiety until Christ be “formed” in them. This is another way of saying “in Christ,” as that expression is used by Paul repeatedly in his writings.

It is possible for Christ to be born in men’s lives, and when such an experience actually happens, a man is “in Christ”—Christ is “formed” in him. This presupposes that we take Christ into our hearts and make Him the living contemporary of our lives. He is not just a general truth or a fact in history, but the Savior of men everywhere and at all times. When we strive to be Christlike, He is “formed” in us; if we open the door, He will enter; if we seek His counsel, He will counsel us. For Christ to be “formed” in us, we must have a belief in Him and in His Atonement. Such a belief in Christ and the keeping of His commandments are not restraints upon us. By these, men are set free. This Prince of Peace waits to give peace of mind, which may make each of us a channel of that peace.

The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force. The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master. I continue with what the writer defines as the real spirit of Christmas:

“It is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service, and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember only what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of … your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground—to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts—to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness and go your way unobserved” [Improvement Era, Dec. 1919, 155].

In his contemplation of the Christmas season, James Wallingford penned these lines:

Christmas is not a day or a season, but a condition of heart and mind.

If we love our neighbors as ourselves;

if in our riches we are poor in spirit and in our poverty we are rich in grace;

if our charity vaunteth not itself, but suffereth long and is kind;

if when our brother asks for a loaf, we give ourselves instead;if each day dawns in opportunity and sets in achievement, however small—

then every day is Christ’s day and Christmas is always near.

[In Charles L. Wallis, ed., Words of Life (1966), 33]

A wise man has said:

“The most amazing thing about the Christmas story is its relevance. It is at home in every age and fits into every mood of life. It is not simply a lovely tale once told, but eternally contemporary. It is the voice crying out in every wilderness. It is as meaningful in our time as in that long-ago night when shepherds followed the light of the star to the manger of Bethlehem” [Joseph R. Sizoo, in Words of Life, 33].

It has been said that Christmas is for children; but as the years of childhood fancy pass away and an understanding maturity takes their place, the simple teaching of the Savior that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) becomes a reality. The evolution from a pagan holiday transformed into a Christian festival to the birth of Christ in men’s lives is another form of maturity that comes to one who has been touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Find the True Spirit of Christmas

If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept.

I know that God lives. I bear witness of the divinity of His Son, the Savior of the world, and I express appreciation for the blessing of having upon the earth a prophet of the living God.

By President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) Fourteenth President of the Church

Howard W. Hunter, “The Real Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2005, From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on December 5, 1972.

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