Valentine’s Day Card Contest Launched by Save the Children to Engage Kids on Childhood Poverty in U.S.

"In an effort to promote kids unity as a force against the childhood poverty crisis in the United States, Save the Children and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) today announced a Valentine's Day art contest for students across America. The contest and rules are live today at www.savethechildren.org/cardcontest."

To learn more about the contest, click here.

God-Entranced Worldview: Jonathan Edwards’ 'Religious Affections'

"If all you know of Jonathan Edwards is his classic sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' you don’t know the man who may be America’s most important and original theologian. That’s why if you listen to Ken Boa this month as he discusses Jonathan Edward’s best-known book, 'A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections'—one of my all-time favorites—you’re in for a treat."

Click here for more on Ken Boa's discussion.

Educational Pornography? The Kerfuffle at Maryland

"A Maryland state senator blocked the showing of an X-rated film at a state university. Predictably, the Washington Post ridiculed him for it. But what’s really at stake here?"

Click here for more on the discussion.

Cada Vida Importa: A Pro-Life Message to the World

"This past Saturday, a demonstration in Madrid drew an estimated one and a half million protesters. That’s between 3 and 4 percent of Spain’s entire population, the equivalent of 9 to 12 million Americans gathering in Washington.

What government policy were they demonstrating against? Sending troops to Afghanistan? Was it Spain’s nearly 20 percent unemployment rate?"


To read more of Mark Earley's commentary, click here.

Mission to Save Migratory Birds Lands in Fairfield

"They are scared, dehydrated and hungry, but they are the lucky ones. Nearly 300 migratory birds arrived at the U.S. Coast Guard base at McClellan Business Park in Sacramento late Monday, on their way to a new lease on life.

As workers off-loaded the birds in crates and boxes from a Coast Guard C-130 transport plane, workers with the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Fairfield said the quick journey will give many of the birds another chance at life."

Click here for more on the remarkable recovery effort.

Rights, Rover, and Aww Wilbur

"When your rights bump into my rights, who decides between us? The government, of course.

In July 2008, Ian Martin needed a place to stay. That should have worked well for Douglas McCue, the owner of the CornerStone Bed and Breakfast.

Well, maybe it would have in another place, time, and culture."

To read more about what's left after the clash of rights, click here.

Saenger Theatre renaissance is under way

"The crowd that gathers Thursday at Canal and Rampart streets, just outside the boarded front doors of New Orleans' iconic Saenger Theatre, will witness a renaissance moment.

Out of the darkness that has prevailed since Hurricane Katrina, the bulbs of the Saenger's giant marquee are expected to blink on to mark the coming return of the landmark playhouse that for years anchored the performing arts district along the city's signature commercial boulevard."

Click here to read more about this historic restoration.

Save the Children Launches Relief Effort to Assist Kenyan Children Facing Hunger, Deteriorating Living Conditions

"Save the Children has launched emergency food aid programs to reach some of northeast Kenya's most vulnerable children and their families, all threatened by a hunger crisis brought on by consecutive crop failures and withering drought."

For more on the relief effort, click here.

Psychological strategies for surviving the holidays with hearing loss

"The transcript of the latest webchat session from the Hearing Loss Association of America is available in .pdf format. 'Psychological strategies for surviving the holidays with hearing loss' with Dr. Michael A. Harvey, Diplomat in Clinical Psychology, offers tips and tools. Whether you have a hearing loss or know someone who does, you'll appreciate this resource from HLAA."

Click here to access the free transcript.

A Tough Sell: Can We Be Happy without Sex?

Professor Dale Kuehne is a professor of politics at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. At least once a semester, Kuehne can count on a certain question always being asked when he teaches a class called “The Politics of Diversity.”

“Professor Kuehne,” a student will say, “are you seriously going to try to persuade us that if we forgo [sex] outside of marriage we can have a fulfilling life, even if that means we never have a sexual relationship?”

For more on Mark Earley's commentary, click here.

Women in Work Conference set for November 10

"It's time to get inspired, motivated, network and learn! We could all use help making the most of new opportunities in this new economy.

Join Sacramento Momslikeme as we present in partnership with Tri Counties Bank, Women in Work Conference on Tuesday, November 10th in downtown Sacramento at the beautiful Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. Learn how to jumpstart your worklife from a woman who re-invented herself – Good Morning America’s workplace contributor, Tory Johnson."

Click here for more information.

Beyond the BlackBerry: Columbia software firm's services grow as iPhones get more corporate

"Watch out, BlackBerry. The iPhone is creeping into the workplace - and that's a good thing for BoxTone.

The Columbia-based software firm has built a growing business on helping corporations monitor their employees' use of BlackBerry smart phones over the past four years. But the Apple iPhone has been a runaway hit among consumers, who are increasingly using these smart phones on the job - and putting pressure on their corporate information technology departments to support the devices."

Click here for more on BoxTone.

Auschwitz Memorial Launches Facebook Page

To try to reach young people around the world, the memorial museum at Auschwitz has launched a page on Facebook, the social networking site usually home to news and photos about friends, funny videos and the minutiae of modern life.

The page aims to be a forum for discussion, reflection and learning about the Nazi death camp, and many people have left a simple message in English, Hebrew and Polish: "Never again."

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Dogged determination: Cynthia Bathurst works to stop violence by helping animals and people peacefully co-exist

"Any puppy training class will have its share of 'eureka' moments. With endless repetition and a big enough bag of treats, even the most unmanageable dog eventually gets it.

But this, this was special."

Click here for more on this story.

Teen pilot: 'Miracle' he walked away from fiery crash

"A LaGrange, IL senior says he's 'a little bit stiff' but otherwise OK after he crashed his small plane near Peoria over the weekend.

'I'm doing fine. I'm a little bit stiff, but other than that, I'm not hurt,' Scott Hall, 17, told WBBM-AM. 'I'm a bit shaken up but not hurt at all.'"

For more on the story, click here.

‘Not this time’: A Red Sox player who lived the miracle looks back

"Ellis Burks reminisces on the 2004 Red Sox American League championship experience."

Take a look inside the heart of a pro. Click here.

Swine Flu Update: New Flu Shot Locator for Parents and Caregivers

"Just as the Swine Flu vaccine is becoming available across the U.S., parents and caregivers will have a new multi-language resource to help them locate a place close to home to get vaccinated.

With the Flu Shot Locator on Flu.gov, you click your state on a map to get the latest information on where to get either the seasonal or H1N1 (Swine) Flu vaccines. You can also get important updates on other state flu resources."

Click here for more on how to use this resource.

Storefronts come back from the dead, at least for a month or two

"Festooned with orange banners, animatronic monsters and neon spider webs, scores of makeshift Halloween stores are filling the void in recession-battered strip malls, at least for a few more weeks."

Click here for more on this story.

Cheerleaders Welcome Special Needs to the Squad

Watch the cheerleaders at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, and you may want to stand up and cheer yourself. They don't always execute perfect routines; in fact, they may miss steps or clap off beat once in a while. But their fun is contagious.

These cheerleaders are like no others. In the Spring of 2008, cheerleaders Sarah Cronk and Sarah Herr got the idea to expand their varsity squad.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Garth Brooks comes out of retirement with deal to play Steve Wynn's Las Vegas casino

"The e-mail from Garth Brooks was so special, Steve Wynn printed it out and framed it.

The note from the country superstar, in retirement for nearly a decade, asked the owner of the Wynn Las Vegas resort if he could test out the relatively intimate Encore theater — just him and his guitar. What's more, Wynn was asked to invite a handful of his closest friends for the private show."

For more on Brooks' decision, click here.

Sofa Mart and Furniture Row Outlet Raise Over $231,000 To Aid World Vision’s Mexico City Street Children Program

"National furniture retailer Sofa Mart and Furniture Row Outlet, specialty stores of Furniture Row Companies, have donated over $231,000 to aid the estimated two million street children in Mexico City.

The charity campaign titled, 'Hope Is Always In Style,' allocated $20 for every sofa sold from 8/19/09 through 9/23/09. Those proceeds will benefit World Vision’s 'Niños de la Calle' (street children) program which assists in the wide spread problem of homeless children in Mexico City."

Click here for more on the program.

'Twitter Bible' Converts Scripture into Mini Messages

A new so-called “Twitter Bible,” which summarizes the over 31,000-verse Bible into nearly 4,000 short-form tweets, is being released at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week.

Formally named And God Decided to Chill, the German language book is the compilation of tweets by more than 3,000 German Christians who participated in the church project earlier this year.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Turnaround at Brockton High Emphasis on literacy brings big MCAS improvement

"Brockton High School has every excuse for failure, serving a city plagued by crime, poverty, housing foreclosures, and homelessness.

But Brockton High, by far the state’s largest public high school with 4,200 students, has found a success in recent years that has eluded many of the state’s urban schools: MCAS scores are soaring, earning the school state recognition as a symbol of urban hope."

Click here for more on how Brockton has overcome the odds.

At Work in the World: God’s World News

"How do you help your kids understand the world from a Christian perspective? Well, I’ve got a good tip for you.

In the early 1980s, Joel Belz, who would go on to become the founder of World magazine, had five daughters in grade school or getting ready to head there. He was eager to show them how a Christian worldview had something to say about everything they were going to be studying."

For more on this story, click here.

Chicago marathoners tell their stories: They ran for different reasons -- and finished

"The elite who crossed the finish line in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday competed for glory, competition or money. But most of the 34,792 people who started the race in the cold morning hours weren't elite. Many would end their races long after the top finishers."

Click here for the stories behind the Marathon.

African-American gospel fans embrace white choir in national competition

"For nearly four hours Monday night, about 7,000 people, almost all of them African-American, made a joyful noise unto the Lord — singing along with gospel classics, cheering on their favorite choir and praising God.

They were attending the St. Louis regional finals for 'How Sweet the Sound: The Search for the Best Church Choir in America.'"

Click here for more of this melodious story.

Goats help planned rec center take a bite toward progress

"The decrepit mansion once served as home to the president of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, but two decades of brush has grown and, along with vandals, has made it uninhabitable.

Cue the goats."

Click here to read more.

Hospitals ramp up patient amenities

"Free wireless Internet service, live plants, reclining chairs, European showers, flat-screen TVs, and pleasant views more often describe plush hotel accommodations than sterile hospital rooms.

But more health care facilities are now offering those amenities, as patients demand comfort and privacy in addition to quality care, executives say."

For more on the hospital upgrades,click here.

Adagio for Souls: God's Gradual Work

"God has begun the gradual metallurgy of fall. Outside my window, down to the left, He’s refining one tree into pure gold.

It quivers ever so slightly each day as it moves from one degree of gilded glory to the next. Just beyond the edge of the dark green forest, I can see touches of copper and bronze. But the furnace of change heats so gradually, I cannot perceive exactly how the vista has altered from the day before. Like most things God does, it’s subdued, unhurried, and steady."

Click here to read more.

Pet blessings

"Every year, some churches in Chicago invite parishoners to bring their pets with them to Sunday services, where the furry creatures receive blessings from the pastor.

Here's a few images from a 'pet blessing' held Sunday by Grace Episcopal Church at Dearborn Station in the South Loop."

Click here to view the story and accompanying photo slideshow.

Former foster child in Chicago now a million-dollar scholar

"Derrius Quarles leans back in his seat and methodically analyzes Aristotle's theory of truth during freshman honors English class at Morehouse College.

He strides across campus in a navy blue tailored suit and a bold red sweater handing out business cards that boast 'Student/Entrepreneur/Leader.'

But behind the 19-year-old's dauntless appearance is a past that few on campus know."

For more on this amazing young man, click here.

Eat the Panda: Not Merely Another Animal

"Consider your average panda, the endangered, cute-as-a-button, roly-poly bear. Should mankind save the panda? Like everything else, that depends on your worldview."

Click here for more on Chuck Colson's opinion.