The Water Cooler Week-in-Review

Good, clever, fun stories to share at the "water coolers" of your life.

Video Rental submitted by Greg Whiteley

"Sugar": Not your typical sports movie...a story of a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro De Macorís, who struggles to make it to the big leagues and pull his family out of poverty.  Heart Breaking and heart warming.  Parental guidance suggested.

Giving submitted by Jean Kingston

Is it better to give than receive?  For my younger kids, that's a question for debate, but from my perspective, giving truly is the best part of the season.  This article highlights the correlation between giving and physical and emotional health.

Candy submitted by Tom Walsh

Sure, reviews of books, movies, etc. are helpful to your family. But where do you go when you need help in deciding on the right choices for you and your family when it comes to… candy? To the candy reviewer, of course. And her highly emotional reviews helpfully steer clear of nutritional information and other objective facts that can cause us all such confusion.

Documentaries submitted by Tom Walsh

So how does the life of a baby born in North America differ from one born in, say, Africa, or Japan, or Mongolia? That’s the question asked by the upcoming documentary ‘Babies,’ tracking the first year of life of 4 of them – here’s the trailer (accompanied by a nice Sufjan Stevens tune). Will this be a thought-provoking look at the tension between our cultural differences and the things we all share in common? Or will it mainly just prove that babies everywhere are, you know, cute? We’ll find out in 2010 (unless we find the idea of paying money to watch babies just a bit too upside-down).

Inspiration as submitted by Jean Kingston

Efren Penaflorida, 28, was named this year's "CNN Hero of the Year" during a gala in Hollywood.  (A replay of CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute will play on Christmas Day on CNN with guest appearances by Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood and many other stars).  Efren rose from the slums of the Phillipines and started a "pushcart classroom" - educating children living in extreme poverty in hopes they turn away from prevalent gang violence.  In his youth, Efren was a sponsored child of World Vision (an international humanitarian organization I'm a big fan of).  Follow the stories of all the CNN heroes here.

Sports as submitted by Jean Kingston

I'm a diehard Red Sox fan who's thrilled to see Derek Jeter on the cover of Sports Illustrated as Man of the Year 2009.  After 16 years in the the big leagues his consistent excellent play, leadership and character have shined through. "My whole thing is, you're only playing for 3 hours a day.  The least you can do is play hard.  You have what, four or five at bats?  O.K., it's not difficult to run, to give it a 100 percent.  It's effort.  You don't have to have talent for effort." How can you not like that attitude....and, he calls his parents everyday!  

Photo of Derek Jeter by Keith Allison