Haiti quake a ‘game changer’ for corporate philanthropy

"As Haiti marks nearly eight months since its devastating earthquake and Chile sees the six-month mark since its own destructive quake, international aid agency World Vision has seen a notable increase in both corporate donations and level of involvement and interest in disaster relief from companies in a broad range of industries."

Click here for more on the changes.

Five Easy Ways to Save Water and Money

"Going green doesn't mean going without - it just means being smarter about how we use what we have. Here are five small tricks to help you save big bucks and lots of water."


To learn more, click here.

Save the Children Provides Critical Health Services to Vulnerable Mothers and Children

"As the devastating floods in Pakistan continue to cause misery for millions of families, Save the Children reports that tens of thousands of newborn babies and their mothers could be in serious danger."

For more on Save the Children's efforts,click here.

Eat like a cave man: Paleo diet is the latest trend which encourages prehistoric eating

"Our Stone Age ancestors lived in an uncomfortable world, spending their 30-year life spans hunting and gathering without air conditioning or heat. But some say the cave men ate better than we do.

That's the premise behind the Paleo diet, a health and weight-loss trend that encourages people to eat modern-day versions of Paleolithic food."

Click here for more on this dietary trend.

Pray and Act - a movement gearing up this fall

"Pray and Act is a movement calling Christians to spend extensive time in prayer for our culture. It includes a call for Christians to stand up and take action, especially as the political season heats up.

You can visit the Pray and Act website for more information and view a video message from Chuck Colson on the Pray and Act initiative here at Colson Center."


Click here for more on the Pray and Act movement.

Save the Children Opens Child-Friendly Spaces to Give Thousands of Children in Pakistan A Place to Play, Recover and Learn

"Thousands of children affected by historic flooding in Pakistan are receiving support to reinforce their ability to cope with disaster and protection from abuse and exploitation.

Save the Children has established 10 child-friendly spaces in Muzafargarh and four in Swat. Three mobile child-friendly spaces are also providing activities for children in DG Khan, Muzafargarh and Rajanpur."

Click here for more on these kid-friendly spaces.

Religious leaders to congress: ‘Don’t tamper with our rights’

"Leaders from more than 100 religious organizations are urging Congress against tampering with the freedom of religion, contending that pending legislation would deny religious charities receiving federal grants their fundamental right to hire people who share their faith."

Click here for more on the position of these leaders.

Summer for Marriage Tour: Civility in the Face of Hostility

"In the debate over same-sex marriage, why is the side demanding tolerance so radically intolerant? And how should we respond to intolerance?"

For more of Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.

New microbe discovered eating oil spill in Gulf

"A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress."

Click here for more on this new discovery.

Mentoring programs offer minorities a chance to grow

"Small-business owner Patricia Watts recently graduated from a two-year mentorship program for minority-owned companies.

But Watts, who is chief executive of FCI Management Consultants in Long Beach, didn't get just know-how out of the program. She also scored a job for her energy services company from one of the corporate mentors, sports and entertainment giant AEG."

Click here for more on how these programs make a difference to small companies.

Chalmette area is no stranger to broken hearts

"Get to know a little bit about Chalmette, an unincorporated municipal area and seat of government for St. Bernard Parish, bounded roughly by Florida Avenue on the north, the Mississippi River on south, the Murphy Oil Refinery on the east and Jean Lafitte Parkway on the west."

Click here for more on this amazingly resilient community.

Eggsploitation: Women as Commodities

"More women are donating their eggs to infertile couples and for embryonic stem cell research. One new documentary shows why that may be a very bad idea."

To read the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.

Top federal parks chief promises to help St. Louis Arch project

"A top federal official on Friday viewed the rival plans for reshaping the Arch grounds and declared the project 'one of our highest priorities,' despite the recession's pressure on government budgets."

For more on the plans to enhance the Midwest icon, click here.

Greening gets down and dirty: Farming technique tried in city schoolyard to control polluted runoff

"To be truly green, you have to get down and dirty, it seems. As Baltimore officials begin to tackle the polluted runoff fouling the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay, they are turning to a technique long used by farmers."

Click here for more on an old technique that's working in today's world.

If wary of heartburn meds, some natural remedies may work

"Can you fight acid reflux without heavy-duty medications? Here are some possibilities."


For more on how you may be able to reduce or avoid some heartburn medications, click here.

For Gulf tourism, problem is perception — not oil

"On the great yawning porch that once belonged to Confederate president Jefferson Davis, two women sit in rockers listening to the cicadas and looking out over Mississippi Sound as they wait for their tour to begin."

Click here to read more about what's happening on the Gulf coast.

Tai chi appears to help fibromyalgia patients

"For fibromyalgia sufferers who disdain the sterile smell of gyms, a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine offers another option to deal with the constant pain and fatigue: the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi."

Families burdened with back-to-school shopping: Five tips to cut costs

"According to new research released by the National School Supply and Equipment Association, over 30 percent of teachers spent less on both school supplies and instructional materials in the 2009-2010 school year than the previous year. Teachers and schools alike can no longer afford to purchase classroom necessities that will give children the equal opportunity to learn. Budgets are tightening at every level, increasing the burden on low-income families to provide the essentials for their children, such as pens, pencils, binders and even reams of paper for use in school printers."

Click here for five tips to cut back-to-school costs.

Transitioning from heartthrob to actor

"This summer, Zac Efron, Chace Crawford, and the thinking girl’s crush, Michael Cera, are making tentative steps to trade in their boyish personas and show audiences they can tackle different types of characters and more complex material."

Can the heartthrobs go big time? To see some role models who made the leap, click here.

New Orleans Staycation serves up delights that were unimaginable after Hurricane Katrina

"The last time The Times-Picayune ran a story about playing tourist in our hometown was in July 2005. At that time, then-travel editor Millie Ball wrote: 'You know what? Most of us who live in New Orleans don't take advantage of what's here.'

A month later, what was here was devastation."

Click here for the update on what's happening in New Orleans.

The Real Meaning of the ADA: Sanctity of Life

"Twenty years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. For at least one person who attended the signing, that Act was something much greater than just one more law coming out of D.C. It was a demonstration of what Christian worldview can look like in practice."

Click here for more on the importance of the ADA.

Painter worked on both landmark bridges

"There can't be many Californians like Harry Fogle. He is one of a handful of men who worked on the construction of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge."

Read more about this fascinating man. Just click here.

Who Is Being Irrational? Prop 8 and Judicial Overreach

"Is there a rational basis for prohibiting same-sex marriage? Yes, Judge Walker’s opinion notwithstanding.

In his ruling overturning California’s Proposition 8, Judge Vaughn Walker wrote that the amendment failed the legal test that is a rational 'rational basis' for limiting marriage to heterosexual couples."


Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

How to Donate Extra School Supplies and Make a Difference in a Child's Life

"Back-to-school means a frenzy of collecting supplies and getting ready. Thrifty shoppers try to get the best deal possible on the items their children need for school. Sometimes that means buying a bulk package of needed materials and perhaps ending up with more than you need."


For more on how you can help, click here.

Help Schools in Need with Elmer's and Walmart

Here's your chance to help a school in need!

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES
Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook note.
Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

Click here for Elmer's Virtual Bag It Forward program.

We Can Still Win This Thing: The Court and Public Opinion

"A federal judge gave a real body blow to traditional marriage. But folks, this fight is far from over."

Click here for the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary.

The Great Hang Up - Television Station Promotes Hands-On Driving

"Sacramento television station News 10 makes a request of those who use cell phones to talk or text while driving: Please Hang Up! 'The Great Hang Up' campaign seeks to save lives by promoting full attention to the task of driving."

For more on this life-saving movement, click here.

Judging Marriage: Proposition 8 Struck Down

"Yesterday, federal district court Judge Vaughn Walker, a Reagan appointee, overturned California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

While the immediate impact is limited to the state of California, the consequences of this egregious bit of judicial overreach threatens to be nationwide."

Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

Praying for My Country

"We've all sung the words to 'America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee).' Sometimes it doesn't feel as though freedom is ringing from every mountainside anymore. So here is an updated version for today's world.

'My country, ‘tis for thee
Now on my bended knee,
For thee I pray.
Come back to freedom’s start-
Faith at your deepest heart.
May God His strength impart
To thee, I pray.'"

Click here for the rest of the updated song.

Adult stem cell studies abound for heart, diabetes, MS; far ahead of embryonic research

"A few months ago, Dr. Thomas Einhorn was treating a patient with a broken ankle that wouldn't heal, even with multiple surgeries. So he sought help from the man's own body.

Einhorn drew bone marrow from the man's pelvic bone with a needle, condensed it to about four teaspoons of rich red liquid, and injected that into his ankle."

Click here for more on these promising findings.