Thanks to Zimbio

Don’t add “diplomat” to Justin Bieber’s repertoire. Pop star might be ruining relations in Israel.

Long road ahead; President Obama lays out 12 year plan to cut spending and borrowing.

Environment or economy? China weighs their options.

Republican governors will be Republican governors: Labor supporters angered by Florida’s GOP governor.

And, Barry Bonds breaks the rules.

Are you tired of Charlie Sheen stories?

Good news… we found some celebrity news worth celebrating.

Ashton Kutcher, the guy behind MTV’s Punk’d along with his actress wife Demi Moore are using their celebrity status’ to fight for a worthy cause.  They are the brains behind the fittingly titled “Demi & Ashton Foundation.” DNA is focused on putting an end to child trafficking and sex slavery.

Believing that freedom is a basic human right, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher founded The Demi and Ashton Foundation (DNA) to raise awareness about child sex slavery, change the cultural stereotypes that facilitate this horrific problem, and rehabilitate innocent victims.”

The husband and wife duo is also behind a controversial series of public service announcements made in support of their campaign.

Most of the PSAs feature a male celebrity who humorously acts out what “real men” do before the  tagline “real men don’t buy girls.” Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn, and Kutcher himself are all among the leading men.

All of the videos can be seen on YouTube.

Critiques of the campaign have claimed the videos make light of the issue. Others say DNA are simply missing the point.

This is what happens when celebrities do an issue divorced from the movement. Once you chose an issue and don’t do it in collaboration with people who have been doing this for a long time, this is what you end up with.”

Do real men need to back off the issue?

Thanks to Huffington Post

Graduating this spring? Well the results are in!

If you’re an engineering major, you’re in luck.  We’ve found a list of the top paying jobs for 2011 graduates.

Chemical engineers are expected to completely dominate the job market in the upcoming months.

As for everyone else, The Huffington Post says graduates can

expect an average starting salary of $50, 462–a 5.9 percent increase from the average offer to 2010 grads.

Not too bad.

Of course… this assumes you can actually FIND a job.

What are your job prospects like? Is $50,462 in your future?

Luke 1:39-45 (NIV)

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Reflection:

The beginning of Luke recounts the miraculous ways that John the Baptist and Jesus were conceived.  One was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, an old couple well beyond the years of child bearing, and the other to Mary, a young virgin girl.  Both situations are considered impossible in this world, but they are possible to God and He accomplished them.  May we respond as Mary did, who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises.  When we take hold and believe that the impossible is now possible with God, we enter into a life of incredible blessing.  This is a blessing that will overflow into the various lives around us as they see God moving in our own lives.

Responding to Transmission:
Mary trusted and believed that God would fulfill His promises, and God delivered on His promises.  Let’s spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to increase our faith to see the impossible things in life become possible in Christ.

Catherine Kuenzel of Northrop Grummon will speak on Your Future in Emerging Technologies as part of the UMBC Visionaries in Information Technology Forum on May 4, 2011. Her talk will cover emerging technologies in health, homeland security, cyber security and renewable energy.

Kuenzel is the the Vice President of Federal Mission Programs for the Civil Systems Division of Northrop Grumman's Information Systems. She has extensive experience in the information technology industry. She is skilled at leading teams that supply a full range of IT solutions to governmental clients, including the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense. Her current team provides services to a wide range of civil enterprise systems, from cyber security to law enforcement to document and records management.

The UMBC Visionaries in Information Technology Forum is an annual, four-part breakfast series created to help elevate the prominence and recognition of Maryland as a critical hub of information and emerging technologies. The forum is free and includes a complimentary breakfast. It will meet May 4, 2011 from 7:30am to 9:00am at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD 21240. Since space is limited, registration is required.