Tom Brokaw's new book urges people to make a difference

"Just in time for the 2012 general election, Tom Brokaw has written a book that begins with the sentence: 'What happened to the America I thought I knew?' It's easy to imagine Republicans and Democrats flipping through it for ideas on how to avoid another debt ceiling debate, improve educational opportunities for all, or pursue green energy initiatives."

Click here for more about Brokaw's new book.

No Need to Keep Jumping

"There's a proverb that says if you love something, let it go. If it returns, it's yours. If not, well, it never belonged to you in the first place. But had my son Braden written that proverb it would go more like this: 'If you love something and it won't cooperate, stomp the guts out of it.'"

Check out Braden's story here.

They're playing our poem

"If you want to make Stephen Sondheim mad enough to swat you over the head with a rolled-up musical score, try this:

Call him a poet."

Get into the debate here.

World Vision invites Parisians to take a chance at life: Will you be left hungry?

"On the eve of the G20 Summit in Cannes, France, World Vision invites Parisians to learn more about the
'geographic lottery' of life by participating in a game of chance. Chance dictates where each of us is born – and whether or not we will have enough to eat, be able to attend school, or live to see past our fifth birthday. As global leaders meet to discuss critical issues for our world today, including many that impact food security and nutrition, this interactive, thought-provoking experience encourages each participant to take action and urge G20 leaders to remember those children born on the wrong side of chance."

Read more on this event here.

Watching Leaves Change before Your Eyes

"If you can't make it to a "Fall Color" tour this year, don't despair. A Weather.com viewer has shared the changing colors of Endicott, New York from August through October. Enjoy!"

View this delightful video here.

Celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez gives to New Orleans students

"About 20 culinary students at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts stepped Tuesday into the world of celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez, who showed them how to make his flavor-filled version of shrimp and grits. He interspersed his demonstration with cooking tips and encouragement to stay in school, find a mentor and develop a signature cooking style."

Click here for more on Sanchez, one of the judges on 'Chopped.'

Selling Evolution: All Things Examined

"After 150 years of scientific 'evidence,' decades of inculcation in public education, and a raft of books, like The Dragons of Eden, The Selfish Gene, and The Blind Watchmaker, only 16 percent of Americans believe that humans developed from an unsupervised process of variation and natural selection. Belief that God had some part in the process has held steady over the last 30 years, at around 80 percent."

Read more about how people view evolution here.

A Studio in the Woods in Algiers inspires filmmaker

"Artists often look to nature for inspiration. In Lower Coast Algiers last month, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Rebecca Snedeker met her muse at A Studio in the Woods, an artists' retreat hidden within a forest preserve at the far end of River Road."

Learn more about this off-the-beaten-track retreat here.

Miniburgers can create a taste for healthy salmon

"For a smart baby, eat more fish.

Although fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, in recent years the government has warned pregnant women to restrict their intake to avoid exposure to high levels of mercury.

But researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine have found a diet high in omega-3 may outweigh the risks posed by environmental pollution."

Get more information and the recipe here.

Sweet tips for stocking a candy buffet

"Candy and dessert buffets at weddings, showers, and other gatherings are just one of the ways to show your guests gratitude in one of the sweetest way possible. However with all the costs and efforts involved -- color-coded candy, tongs and scoops, and apothecary jars of all sizes, oh my! -- attempting a DIY version of a table can be intimidating. But never fear -- we asked area party and event planners for their tips on how to make a cost-effective candy buffet that doesn't skimp on WOW factor!"

Click here for some expert advice on a sweet subject.

New Orleanian cycles in Pablove Across America to raise money for childhood cancer research

"On Saturday, Wes McWhorter will leave Nashville and head for New Orleans -- on his bicycle. For a week, McWhorter and other determined cyclists will pedal an average of 75 miles a day. They will also take photos, make videos, write blogs, tweet, raise money and visit children’s hospitals along the way. He can hardly wait."

Click here to read more.

Fighting for Family Dinners: It's Good for Your Kids!

"Would you do anything -- anything -- to protect your children from harm? Then get cooking.

I believe there is something moms and dads, aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers can do and start doing it tonight — that’s right — tonight — to make a real difference in the lives of our young people. It’s time to reclaim the family dinner."

Read more on this important family event here.

World's first malaria vaccine works in major trial

"An experimental vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline halved the risk of African children getting malaria in a major clinical trial, making it likely to become the world's first shot against the deadly disease.


Final-stage trial data released on Tuesday showed it gave protection against clinical and severe malaria in five- to 17-month-olds in Africa, where the mosquito-borne disease kills hundreds of thousands of children a year."

For more on the report, click here.

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Announces Partnership with CARE to Help Improve the Health and Lives of Those in Need

"Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today, on the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a partnership with CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization, to help the international agency in its mission to reduce global poverty and provide emergency aid-related services. More than 900 million people throughout the world live on less than one dollar a day. As part of Sunovion's Follow the Wings^TM campaign, Sunovion will contribute $1 to CARE, up to a total of $100,000, each time the interactive game is played or shared. People are encouraged to visit www.FollowtheWings.com to play and share the game."

Click here to learn more about this campaign. 

Presidential Religion: Enough, Already!

"A few days ago I was on the air with Los Angeles’s outstanding drive-time host, Frank Pastore — a keen worldview thinker. Frank told me his phone lines have been burning up over the comments made by a prominent evangelical pastor who said that presidential candidate Mitt Romney belongs to a cult.

Should Christians vote for a Mormon? Is Mormonism a cult? Let me say right off: These questions are an enormous distraction in an important presidential campaign."

Read more of Chuck Colson's commentary here.

Training the Next Generation-Devotions from the Road of Life

"I know that Father's Day is a few months past, but lately I've found myself dwelling on the subject of fatherhood and parenting in general. A couple of things have honed my focus.

The first is the latest movie from Sherwood Productions, 'Courageous.'"

Click here to read more.

Safer Foundation puts ex-cons to work

"Tim Mellerke emerged from prison in the middle of the recession. With a drug conviction and no work history, his chances of getting employed seemed remote.

But even while incarcerated Mellerke had been working with the Safer Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit that aims to help ex-offenders find a place in the job market. He took several training classes with the group, and soon he landed an entry-level position at a suburban Five Guys restaurant."

 Read more about the Safer Foundation's work here.

World Vision Horn of Africa Response to Drought Overview

"World Vision has been working in the Horn of Africa for years. The current drought is only the latest crisis the organization has addressed there. This video provides an overview of how they are responding to the crisis and making a difference in the lives of Africa's hard hit communities."

Watch the video here.

Tererai Trent Inspires Schoolchildren at Matau Primary School on Visit Home

"'Education is the pathway to progress and the gateway out of poverty,' said Oprah’s all-time favorite guest, Tererai Trent, to schoolchildren, teachers and the community at the Matau Primary School in Zimbabwe this past week. Tererai returned on October 11 to the school, which she attended as a little girl, to deliver words of hope and encouragement on her visit home.

The Matau Primary School is part of a Save the Children project funded through The Oprah Winfrey Foundation to honor Tererai, whose story of tenacity, courage and spirit inspired Oprah and millions of fans around the world."

For more about this project, click here.

World TB cases decline for first time ever-WHO

"The number of people getting sick with tuberculosis declined last year for the first time, while the death toll reached its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.


In 2010, 8.8 million people fell ill with TB and 1.4 million died, both marking a notable decline compared to years prior, the United Nations health agency said in releasing its 2011 Global Tuberculosis Control Report."

Read more on this hopeful report here.

'God Bless You': Offended by God - Devotions from the Road of Life

"A recent news story related the uproar caused by a teacher banning the phrase 'God bless you' following a sneeze. He lowered students’ grades and generally seems to feel that a sneeze is a bad enough disturbance without the addition of a phrase following it. Later reports indicated that the class in question was using the blessing to deliberately cause a disruption, a sad indictment of the faith level of those students."

Claim or Shame? Which Best Describes Your Attitude Toward God? Read More Here. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Chemo with a Side of Bananas

"Her mouth burning and her sense of smell acute, swallowing medications was a trial for Shari Ichelson Silverman. To ease the discomfort Silverman was advised to tuck the pills inside banana chunks, which are slippery and go down easily."

Learn more here.

Progress in Hepatitis C research

"Hepatitis C has long been a problem with a low rate of cure. But new drug therapies are in use and others are on the horizon, according to Dr. Paul J. Thuluvath, chief of gastroenterology at Mercy Medical Center and the medical director of the Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy. That has meant better liver health for millions in this country and around the globe."

Click here for the latest information.

Calling Out the Pledge: Standing up to Special Interests

"I have known Congressman Frank Wolf for a long time. His commitment to principle, dedication to the public good, and his courage are beyond question.

This is, after all, a man who, rather than take Beijing’s word on the matter, snuck into Tibet posing as a tourist to learn first-hand about China’s human rights record. Well, today my friend adds to this legacy, only this time, his display of courage is at lot closer to home."

Click here to read more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

Louisiana seafood safety testing results go online

"Louisiana officials seeking to erase the stereotype of tainted shrimp, crab and fish dirtied by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill unveiled a new website Friday that contains test results they say prove to restaurants and consumers that the state's seafood is safe to eat. The website www.gulfsource.org shows data collected by the Louisiana departments of wildlife and fisheries, environmental quality, health and hospitals, and agriculture and forestry."

Dive into more information here.

Jobs authorized biography so his kids can know him

"Steve Jobs, in pain and too weak to climb stairs a few weeks before his death, wanted his children to understand why he wasn't always there for them, according to the author of his highly anticipated biography."

 Read more here.

Fifteen women have won Nobel Peace Prize

"Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Only 15 women have won the peace award. There are 43 women laureates in total for all the Nobel prizes.


Marie Curie was honoured twice with the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics and the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. "

Check out the list of women Nobel Peace Prize winners here.

Living forgiveness: Lessons on the fifth anniversary of the Amish schoolhouse shootings

"Five years ago today, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered an Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pa., and shot 10 girls — mortally wounding five — before killing himself. This quiet, rural community in Lancaster County suddenly became a place of unprecedented contrasts: violence amid peaceful people, hordes of satellite trucks in a place that favors simplicity."

Click here to read how forgiveness can help healing.

Move Review: 'Courageous' from Sherwood Pictures

"Join the officers protecting the town of Albany, GA as they work to keep the streets safe. It's a tough job, but they do it willingly. Now if they can just preserve their own families as well..."

Read more here.