Addiction Among Us

I’m learning a lot about addiction now that I’m working on a project for the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program.  I’m learning about the impact alcohol and drug abuse have on kids when there is addiction in the home.  I’m also learning that there is hope that a family can escape the clutches of addiction.  Healing is possible with the right kind of help.  According … Continue reading Addiction Among Us

Fear and Loathing in West Texas

Just returned from San Angelo, Texas where reporter Carol McKinley and our crew worked on a story for HDNet’s World Report about the FLDS and how the polygamous fundamentalist Mormon sect is integrating into the local economy.  If you recall, members of the FLDS picked up in 2004 and left their homes in Utah to relocate to Eldorado, Texas.  They built a huge compound and … Continue reading Fear and Loathing in West Texas

Homeless Children

The plight of homeless children was the focus of two articles in the 5/18 edition of USA Today. One is about 11 year old Zach Bonner who is walking from Atlanta, Georgia to Washington, D.C. to raise money and awareness for homeless youngsters. He hopes to meet with President Obama when he arrives in July. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-17-wagon-boy_N.htm?csp=34 The other is by CBS anchor, Katie Couric, who … Continue reading Homeless Children

India Ethics

I wrote a blog on Christmas Day 2008 (after seeing the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”) about how conflicted I was while in Delhi, India over what to do when children begged for handouts.  Apparently I’m not the only person who has struggled with how to respond.  Check out Sunday’s New York Times column, The Ethicist, by Randy Cohen. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03wwln-ethicist-t.html For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com Continue reading India Ethics

Slumdogs

I can’t get the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” out of my mind.  Just like India, it was surprising and unexpected.  The beauty and brutality are staying with me.  It made me think back to a little street urchin who came up to our car window in Old Delhi.  I can’t get her out of my thoughts either.  She approached our vehicle when we were stopped at an … Continue reading Slumdogs