Welcome

As a result of her sustained fight over many years for human rights and democracy in Iran, Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2003. Focusing on the legal status of women and children, Ebadi, a Muslim, was the first Iranian to receive it.

" To tackle poverty, empower women and educate girls," was the message United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan gave earlier this year. "When it comes to solving problems, I believe in girl power," 1 he said.

I WAS HAVING CHEST PAINS , so I went to the doctor's office in search of help. The young physician who examined me asked if I'd had any heart problems.

MORE THAN EVER BEFORE , spirituality is a factor in the individual quest for healing. This interest in spiritual healing is a growing force in society.

Wanting to get more involved in my community, I accepted the job of vice-president of the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) for my son's elementary school. It promised to be an exciting year, and an enriching one for the children.

Leadership. It's a topic that touches everyone, from people in the smallest town right up to the international scene where the people of Iraq and other nations work to define what leadership really is.

Whether I spent it in my grandparents' house in San Francisco as a child, in a storybook setting Europe as a young mother, or in the heat of Melbourne, Australia, I've always loved Christmas. To me, it's more than a season or a date on the calendar; Christmas is a power.

Imagine, if you will , a world in which there are no airplanes, no telephones, no Internet websites. A world where international communication is slow and uncertain, where international friendships are difficult to develop.

I couldn't move or even breathe without pain. I was praying and was talking daily with a Christian Science practitioner who was giving me treatment.

Healing —it's something everyone wants, and it is possible for everyone. Long-term illness affects literally millions of people.