1. Heart disease is the number one killer in the world, and it is mostly preventable.

But reducing deaths from heart disease will require changes in lifestyle and public policy, and better public awareness programs. Women are at greater risk from heart disease than men. That's partly because it's harder to diagnose in women. When a man has a heart attack, it is often because of a blocked artery. An x-ray of blood vessels, called an angiogram, can usually spot a blockage caused by a buildup of plaque. It involves threading a thin tube into a patient's arteries. But angiograms don't always spot problems in women's arteries. That puts women at greater risk for a heart attack. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that heart disease claims the lives of 18 million women a year. And it's a disease that doesn't just impact older women. Carrie Vincent had a massive heart attack after giving birth to her first child. "My God, I was 31 years old... 31 year olds don't have heart attacks," said Vincent. Vincent is now taking her message to women in their homes. Irene Pollin went into action when she learned this fact. "Heart disease is the number one killer of women," noted Pollin. Pollin founded an organization called Sister to Sister to educate women about heart disease. She encourages women to learn about their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other risk factors. "The goal is really prevention, having people understand their risk, that they should try to get screened, know their numbers and then do something

about it," Pollin added. Pollin teamed up with cardiologists at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston where Dr. Joanne Foody focuses on prevention. "The good news is that we know that 95 percent of heart disease is preventable by reducing risk," said Foody. That means also becoming or remaining a non-smoker, controlling or avoiding diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight, eating the right foods, exercising 30 minutes most days and managing or reducing stress. Heart disease increasingly affects women in developing countries. Cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozafarian places a lot of blame on the global obesity epidemic. "People are getting chronic diseases by not eating too much, but by eating poorly. What they're not eating is mostly what's harming them," said Mozafarian. Mozafarian recommends increasing our intake of fish, whole grains, vegetables, vegetable oils and nuts and decreasing the amount of salt and transfats in our diets Both doctors recommend public policies that promote heart health, and, of course, screening and education, the type that Irene Pollin and Carrie Vincent are doing one event at a time.

2.

Georgia businessman Herman Cain is the surprise leader in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, according to the latest poll. But some political analysts question whether Cain has enough staying power to remain a serious contender as the first caucus and primary votes approach early next year. The latest Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll has Herman Cain with 27 percent support, followed by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney at 23 percent. Texas Governor Rick Perry drops to third place with 16 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul is in fourth place with 11 percent, and the remaining four Republican contenders trail in single digits. Cain was only at five percent in the same poll last month. Cain is the only African-American in the Republican field and has gained notice with a smooth speaking style and an ability to connect with voters. Cain also captured attention with a tax reform plan that would lower personal and corporate taxes to nine percent each and would impose a nine percent national sales tax. Cain defended his "9-9-9 plan" at the most recent Republican debate. "It starts with, unlike your proposals, throwing out the current tax code," he said. "Continuing to pivot off the current tax code is not going to boost this economy." Cain was the chief executive of a pizza company for many years and he also built a conservative following through a radio talk show. Cain acknowledged on ABC's Good Morning America program that he has little foreign policy experience, but said if elected he would work to solidify ties with U.S. allies like Israel and take a tougher line toward adversaries like Iran.

"President Reagan's philosophy was peace through strength. My foreign policy philosophy is peace through strength and clarity," he said. Analysts say Cain is surging because he is a fresh face in the Republican field, who excites conservative voters committed to lowering taxes and reducing the size of the federal government. "Why is Herman Cain doing well? There are an awful lot of people who are unhappy with what is going on. That is what we need to pick up out of this poll," noted pollster Peter Hart on MSNBC television. Quinnipiac University pollster Peter Brown says Cain's challenge will be to continue building support even as attention on him intensifies. "Cain is a favorite of many of the Tea Party types in the Republican coalition," he said. "He is obviously a strong speaker and has a business background. But with that rise in poll standing it is likely he will get media scrutiny and then we will see whether that helps him or hurts him." Despite Cain's recent rise in the polls, Mitt Romney has had several strong debate performances and many Republican strategists still see him as the long-term frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination. 3. Tala Hadavi | Washington October 08, 2011 On a recent sunny afternoon, first lady Michelle Obama hosted the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and a group of local children who got to spend some time playing soccer on the White House lawn.

Early last year, First Lady Michelle Obama launched an ambitious national campaign called "Let's Move." It is aimed at solving the problem of childhood obesity in only one generation. "One of my biggest initiatives is making sure that kids like you all across this country are getting the exercise you need, and that you are eating the proper foods, and you are understanding how that's going to help you in so many different ways," said Obama. The "Let's Move" campaign involves many sectors and partnerships, but one of the lighter programs involves sporting events held on the south lawn of the White House. For this one, six players from the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team showed the youngsters some drills on the grass. It was a special privilege and a thrill for the budding players. Exercise is close to the first lady's heart, and on this day she was not afraid to show it. She ran around with the kids and encouraged them in the various drills. "You don't have to be a superstar athlete to enjoy sports and to move, but getting involved in something like this can help you in so many different ways," added Obama. "There is a direct connection between how healthy you are, the kind of food you put in your body, and how your mind operates." In the past three decades, childhood obesity has tripled in the United States. Today, nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. The first lady would like to make a difference in that situation before her husband leaves office. 4. Faiza Elmasry | Washington, D.C. October 18, 2011

Photo: Aubuntu at UGA Dr. William Finlay (seated right) on a hike with a study-abroad group in South Africa. Each year, about a quarter of a million Americans study abroad. For many of them, a summer or a semester in a foreign country involves more than just sitting in classrooms and hanging out with other American students. Instead, they are required to be involved in the local communities where they are studying. On his first morning in Beijing, one American study-abroad student was dropped off in a distant part of the Chinese capital with $5 and instructions to find his way back home on his own. It took a while, but he made it. That's one example of how American students are being pushed out of their comfort zone' in order to fully experience another culture. "It's absolutely crucial that they know something about how people in other parts of the world live and think and how they behave," says William Finlay, head of the sociology department at the University of Georgia. "Often those students go in large groups. They hang around each other. We felt that they really weren't getting to know the local inhabitants as well as they could." In 2008, he co-founded a study abroad program with South Africa's Stellenbosch University. It combines traditional academic in-class learning with community involvement. The program partners with a local NGO which runs daycare centers for children of working parents and a library with computers available for patrons to use.

"Our students typically work either with the little kids in the day cares or they work in the library and teach basic computer skills to mostly young adults," says Finlay. Having an impact The three-week program proved to be a transformative experience for Hillary Kinsey. "It was interesting to learn the history of the area and the recent development with democracy and that sort of thing," she says, "and then talk to these people and see what the social dynamics were, what the ethnic divisions were, how certain groups felt about other groups."

Aubuntu at UGA Study abroad students Ben Valerio and Hillary Kinsey at the Siyazingcy Creche, a daycare center in South Africa. When the international affairs major returned from South Africa a few weeks ago, she and other students in the program established a non-profit. "We called it 'Ubuntu,' which is a South African concept coined by Desmond Toto," she explains. "It means I am, because we are.' The idea is based around the relationships within the society and what generates prosperity for all. We took that notion and translated it into a larger international community." The group hopes to contribute to advancing education and development in South Africa.

"We have a lot of people that did not go to South Africa, but they are interested in this," she says. "And one of the purposes of our organization is that we hope to raise money and awareness for the situation of these people and try to facilitate building daycares there and helping to promote any sort of educational development we could through donations and fundraisers and that sort of thing." Intensive approach While many study abroad programs focus on helping Americans learn foreign languages, others take a more intensive approach. "In all of our locations, we place students with local roommates," says Mark Lenhart, executive director of CET Academic Programs. The organization sends more than 1,000 students to China, Jordan, the Czech Republic and other countries each year.

Aubuntu at UGA Study abroad students (from left) Gina Nuccio, Hillary Kinsey and Alyssa Crosby dance with Zulu musicians and performers wearing traditional tribal clothing. He says American students benefit from such one-on-one interactions, in spite of the challenges they face. "Not just in terms of language learning, but they also find the local culture can present challenges, and perhaps misunderstandings," Lenhart says. "They have to adjust to local life. It's no longer okay just to have a little

Chinese, for instance. If the student is studying Chinese, they want to come home from a program like this fluent in Chinese. So this will enable students to become more employable when they graduate." Going global Preparing American students to be more competitive in the global job market is one of the goals of the recent trends in study abroad. Allen Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education, which promotes educational exchange, says study abroad also prepares young people to become global citizens. "You really can't have that global citizen perspective by just reading a book or just connecting to someone who lives in Egypt on the Internet," Goodman says. "You have to go and see the reality of another place. That's what study abroad promotes." He predicts study abroad programs will continue to evolve and attract more students who find it to be a unique and valuable opportunity to learn about themselves and the world in which they live.