I am so lucky to travel to and from work each day without the fear of being killed because of my job.  It seems crazy to me that someone would be threatened simply for using their voice.  In Afghanistan, a woman by the name of Humaira Habib, started Radio Sahar at the age of 19.  The radio station carries women’s community programming related to women’s rights.  Humaira has been threatened by authorities in Herat where the station broadcasts and has seen female colleagues murdered for becoming journalist.  Despite such a violent environment Radio Sahar presses on, broadcasting to 700,000 people each week.  Go Humaira!– and all female journalists in Afghanistan.  Thank you for your bravery and your VOICE!

I learned about Humaira in an article in “World Pulse” magazine.  You can read about her and other global issues facing women at their website.

I’ve just returned from a trip to the other Washington.  I enjoyed all the standard D.C. sites and attractions– visiting monuments, parks, historic homes and museums and walking about 10 miles each day!

One of the must-sees on my list was the new Newseum, a museum devoted to journalists and journalism.  But you don’t have to be a part of the profession to appreciate the exhibits.

Some of the highlights include the Berlin Wall gallery with a three-story guard tower and eight sections of the original wall, an interactive newsroom, a Pulitzer Prize photographs gallery, a journalists memorial devoted to reporters who have died while covering the news and a September 11th gallery.  I had no idea the 9/11 exhibit would have such a profound affect on me.  I thought I had heard all of the stories and seen all of the footage, but just reading the timeline and looking at a piece of the Twin Towers had me choked up.

One of the most simple yet amazing exhibits was the “Today’s Front Pages Gallery”.  Each day the museum staff prints the front pages from a newspaper in each of the 50 states and several countries from around the globe.  It was incredibly fascinating to see what “made the news” in different parts of the world.  In another section of the Newseum, you could even read a newspaper dating back to the American Revolution and beyond.  It is shocking how much language and news styles have changes since then and a stark reminder of how much the news business continues to evolve and change.

And while the museum may be devoted to journalism and its impact on the world, it’s also a reflection of all of our lives.  Journalism is, after all, the documentation of events that will eventually become history.

A few days ago I was watching “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO and to my surprise his first guest was Joe the Plumber.  This guy is still around?  Apparently he has a new book, a new website and is on a campaign for America.  I’ll give it to him… he held his own with Maher but isn’t Joe’s 15 minutes of fame over yet?  Maybe he should hook-up with another instant celebrity, Octupulets mom, Nadya Suleman and go into hiding.

Today I read an article about 27 year old Aaron Schock, a Republican congressman who began his political career at the age of 19.  Too bad it took a celebrity website/tv station for many people, including me, to discover him.