Making a Difference in South Africa

Check out Reach for a Dream -- an organization committed to fulfilling the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses in South Africa. Inspired by the USA's Make a Wish Foundation, Reach For A Dream has fulfilled the dreams of more than 6,300 children. On average three dreams are fulfilled each day and five outings arranged each weekend nationally. Read through the inspiring catalog of stories and dreams fulfilled, and learn how you can sponsor an individual or group dream yourself.

What is the Secret?

If you haven't heard about The Secret yet, you will soon, as this groundbreaking film is creating an extraordinary buzz on both the internet and mainstream press. The film is a spiritual documentary along the lines of What the Bleep, discussing The Law of Attraction -- the theory that we attract into our lives whatever we focus our thoughts on (both good and bad). While this type of thinking used to be considered "New Age," new scientific studies coupled with the internet buzz the film is getting has prompted a torrent of new magazine and newspaper articles, as well as an in-depth, 3-part series on The Power of Thought this week on Larry King Live. You can check it out by ordering the DVD or watching the entire film online at TheSecret.tv.

Adopt Us Kids

AdoptUsKids.org is another unusual adoption website that actually lets potential parents search for available children by race, gender, disability levels, geographic location, etc. It's almost alarming at first to search for children like you'd search for online personals, but it certainly makes sense -- matching children to potential parents isn't easy, and the internet may ultimately prove to be the most advantageous medium for both the parents and the children. The site contains an extensive adoption resource center, is sponsored by the Dept. of Health & Human Services, and is a sober reminder of just how many children there are currently stuck in the system and waiting to find a loving home.

Donor Sibling Registry

Started by mother/son team Wendy and Ryan Kramer, the Donor Sibling Registry is the first and only worldwide Sibling Registry created to help facilitate the connection of genetic families created by donor insemination. The focus of the DSR is to assist individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation who are seeking to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they share genetic ties. Active membership in the Donor Sibling Registry is currently at 7034 with matches between more than 2710 half-siblings (and/or donors) facilitated. The site also has a discussion forum, books and resources, and an inspiring catalog of success stories.

Giving All Musicians a Chance

Here's an ingenious new site for up and coming bands who haven't been able to get signed to a label. Amsterdam-based SellABand.com allows fans -- or what Sellaband calls "believers" -- to invest in unsigned acts in $10 increments. Once an act reaches $50,000, it is given access to a recording studio and professional production, song-writing and marketing expertise. Investors get a free copy of the CD, a cut of any CD sales and a share in the advertising revenue generated for the site, sellaband.com. Recording veterans have signed up to work with Sellaband because they think it can fill a void left by the industry consolidation that is siphoning profits back to parent companies instead of using them to develop up-and-coming talent.

The Audacity of Hope

Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken," restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people, and bringing the political parties together. "There are a lot of well-meaning people in both political parties," he writes. "Unfortunately, the political culture tends to emphasize conflict, the media emphasizes conflict, and the structure of our campaigns rewards the negative. When you focus on solving problems instead of scoring political points, and emphasize common sense over ideology, you'd be surprised what can be accomplished."