1,000 Reasons to Smile

All eyes were on Haiti during the beginning of 2010 when a violent earthquake shook the nation and tested the resolve of the Haitian people. With over 400,000 people killed or injured and over 2 million left homeless, the country is still very much in the early stages of recovery. And yet, amid the turmoil that occurred, the spirit of the Haitian people is stronger and more determined than ever before. View Full Article

Dr. Ana Steele: Champion of the Dalit

Dr. Ana Steele is equally at home in the halls of Congress and the halls of academia. She has a masters degree from Georgetown University and masters and doctorate degrees from Johns Hopkins University. She has taught at Harvard and lobbied members of Congress for the Dalit people of India. She is intelligent, articulate, and passionate. Her passion is symbolized by a picture on her bookshelf. Among the tomes in Italian, Greek, and Russian is a close-up shot of a young Indian girl whose wide brown eyes demand your attention. View Full Article

Angel food for the body and soul

Hundreds of financially strapped South Floridians are putting food on the table with a little help from an Angel.
Angel Food Ministries (AFM), a national, faith-based, non-profit organization, provides food relief to people of all income levels through host sites around the country. Each AFM box, dubbed “blessings in a box,” consists of brand-name foods at a cost of $30—half of what consumers would pay at a grocery store. View Full Article

Supreme Court pick may be sidelined

As solicitor general, Elena Kagan has taken sides on a number of issues, which may exclude her from initial decisions as a Supreme Court justice.
As the person chosen by President Obama to represent the interests of the U.S. before the high court, she would, as a justice, find herself called upon to offer an opinion on cases she was directly involved in.
If confirmed, Kagan would likely have to recuse herself from 11 out of 24 cases, including a racketeering lawsuit against tobacco companies and a suit involving detainees at Guantanamo Bay. View Full Article

Interview with: Bruce G. Roberts

Biographical information:
Birth Place: Brooklyn, NY
Years in Florida: since 1964
House of worship: St. Coleman’s Catholic Church, Pompano Beach
Married to: Scharlene since 1979, with 2 Children
Occupation: A police officer since 1973, he served as the Chief of Police for Ft. Lauderdale from 2001 to 2008.

Family/human interest:
Q:     Where did you grow-up and what was it like?  View Full Article

Grassroots effort fights Kagan nomination

Only 46 percent of Americans support the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll. That’s lower than the last five court nominations.
Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said her lack of experience is cause for concern.  He also sees other red flags. “Her whole course of conduct against military recruiters at Harvard Law School is very troubling, and the excuses that have been offered for that simply don’t justify what she did.” View Full Article

Texas passes social studies standards

On May 21, the Texas State Board of Education passed the social studies standards that it had been debating for over a year; however, a California state legislator has moved to block the standards from influencing the textbooks in his state.

The decision came after some had wanted to remove or diminish references in the Texas textbooks to Christmas, Independence Day, and America’s religious heritage. A majority of the Texas State Board stood firm, and voted 9-5 to strike down any attempts to rewrite history.

Socialism’s not in the Bible, Mr. President

Having placed 50 percent of America’s economy under government control, the Obama Administration is now angling for a tighter grip on the financial sector.

Constitution means what it says

Washington, D.C. — On January 21, the United States Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Citizens United v. FCC, voting 5-4 to stand by the Constitution and protect our First Amendment right to free speech.   Justice Kennedy, writing for the Court, said, “We find no basis for the proposition that, in the context of political speech, the Government may impose restrictions on certain disfavored speakers.”

Barbara Collier – political difference

Birth Place: Falls Creek, Pennsylvania
Years in Florida: Over 50
Home Church: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
Marital status: widowed; married 50 years
Children/Grandchildren: 3 sons and 6 grandsons [no girls!]
First job:   Printing Company
Favorite movie:  Gone With The Wind
What do you like to read:  The Bible, newspapers, and US World and News Report.  View Full Article

Planned Parenthood told teenager to lie

A counselor at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Memphis, Tenn., was caught on hidden camera coaching a 14-year-old girl to lie to a judge so he would not find out about her 31-year-old boyfriend so the girl could obtain a waiver for an abortion without her parents’ knowledge. This is the sixth Planned Parenthood clinic implicated in a developing multi-state child abuse scandal involving the deliberate suppression of evidence of statutory rape.
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