One year ago this week violence erupted once again in Palestine. It continued unabated for weeks. Hundreds of people were killed. Thousands of homes were destroyed. Millions of lives were impacted.

Today, one year later, the living conditions in Palestine continue to be disastrous. It’s an ongoing tragedy.

And yet, there’s also hope.

Many women, in particular, refuse to accept the status

Susan notes: US journalist, author, blogger and self-confessed “dove” Sara Davidson is in Afghanistan researching the views of Afghan women on the US military presence in their country, and more. Her blog posts are fascinating. In this, the fifth to date, she documents some of the paradoxical views she and her colleagues have discovered. Links to Davidson's blog and website are at the end of this

The auditorium fell dead silent when Dr. Sunitha Krishnan stepped onto the stage at TED India on November 6. And Tedsters around the world, watching via a live stream webcast, were transfixed – or at least we were in Dubai!

The diminutive, soft-spoken, anti-trafficking crusader, who was gang-raped as a teenager, began her talk with the heart-wrenching stories of three children – Pranitha,

Journalist and camerawoman Margaret Moth is one of a kind.

No doubt. No argument. And definitely no tears.

Born Margaret Wilson, Moth changed her last name after asking herself what stopped her from having her own moniker rather than inheriting her father’s, or adopting a husband’s.

Her choice was inspired, she says, by a friend’s Tiger Moth plane, from which she frequently sky dived as

My Mom has Alzheimer's.

She doesn't know what time of the day it is, let alone the day of the week, or the month.

Sometimes she doesn't know even know the season of the year. Or what she just ate. Or the name of her cat.

One day soon she won't know who I am either.

But even in her demented state of mind, she knows it's wrong to torture people, she knows that sometimes you

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again and again, likely 'til the day I die): we’re surrounded by amazing women who are doing incredible work to make positive change in the world.

They come from all races, religions and nationalities.

In the last few weeks three amazing young women in particular have come onto the AWR radar screen: Masarat Daud, Natalie Carney (pictured at

Sarah Bainbridge speaks asylum – the first language of refugees around the world.

On July 30, 2009, she bravely stood atop the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square (on behalf of Refugee Action UK), and used her asylum-speaking skills to help dispel some of the myths about refugees.

Coincidentally, there was a group of young refugees who happened to be visiting Trafalgar Square at

Last week countless people worldwide were sickened by the harrowing personal account of a 15-year-old boy who was almost certainly brutally beaten and raped in an Iranian prison.

This boy's story is shocking. Equally so is the fact that, according to Amnesty International:

Torture is a real problem around the world with many hundreds of thousands of victims. Amnesty International has

My Mom is an amazing woman.

She’s feisty, fiery and passionate about what she believes in.

Her clear belief in what’s right and wrong have served her in good stead over the last 80+ years.

I know – I’ve seen her oppose many things she believed were wrong. AND I’ve personally been on the south side of her wrath on several occasions! It’s not a happy place to be ☺

She’s rallied people

People who live more than eight decades have usually acquired some wisdom - simple wisdom that comes from personal experience.

My mom Patti is no exception.

She turns 81 in a few weeks. Although her memory isn’t what it used to be, her heart knows what’s right, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind.

She and I had a conversation about Iran tonight. I asked her a few questions. Her