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Those of us who grew up in church knew them as “mission trips,” but it appears that traveling with a purpose may be entering the mainstream with a new monniker, as “voluntourism!”

A recent USA Today article quotes Sally Brown, who heads the Indianapolis not-for-profit group Ambassadors for Children, as saying that “the number of travel organizations of various kinds that offer voluntourism trips has probably doubled in the past three years.”

There are many companies offering these unique types of travel experiences:

Sustainable Harvest International focuses on fighting poverty and deforestation in Central America.

Travelocity’s Travel for Good Network can point you to an array of non-profit travel partners representing a wide range of trip opportunities – from environmental work to animal rescue and habitat restoration to humanitarian and homebuilding missions around the world.

GlobeAware is one of those partners. GlobeAware offers one week adventures in service that focus on cultural-awareness and sustainability. All program costs, including the cost of airfare, are tax-deductible.

Ready to take the plunge? For some great tips on planning your voluntourism experience, check out Voluntourism.org. From trip selection criteria to suggestions on handling the post-trip “re-entry,” they’ve dialed in the details of voluntouring, and can help you make the most of your precious vacation time!

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Perhaps the story of Anna Nicole Smith might have ended differently if she had access to a reliable online prescription drug interaction checker?

Okay, perhaps not. But you can certainly make use of a variety of helpful online tools to check out your prescriptions for adverse drug interactions.

Why bother? According to the Washington Post,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that deaths from accidental drug interactions rose 68 percent between 1999 and 2004, continuing a steady climb since the early 1990s. Unintentional drug poisonings accounted for nearly 20,000 deaths in 2004, said the CDC, making the problem now the second-leading cause of accidental death in the United States, after automobile accidents. “Prescription drugs, especially prescription painkillers, are driving the prolonged increase,” the report stated.

Luckily there are lots of online resources to help. The University of Maryland Medical Center might be my first stop, if for no other reason than university doctors seem smarter than most. On the negative side, the results tend to be what you’d expect from medical school professors, and so can be a bit hard to parse through.

Drugstore.com also has its own tool, as does Drugs.com, Eckerd Pharmacy, and Discovery Health.

The quality of the information probably varies site by site, so as always, don’t take what you read online at face value — always remember to use the information to check with your doctor!

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I don’t often find myself on the same side of an issue as Senator Bill Frist, so when it does happen, it’s probably worth passing along to you!

I received an email today through the Save Darfur Coalition from Senator Frist, encouraging me to call the White House to launch “Plan B” to stop the genocide in Sudan.

Here is an excerpt:

Due to a series of increasingly violent attacks on foreign aid workers in Darfur over the past six months, international efforts to protect civilians and provide them with food, clean water, shelter, and medical care are in a state of crisis.

Please join me in calling the White House comment line today to urge President Bush to launch “Plan B,” his tough, three-tiered plan to push Sudan to end the genocide, before more lives are lost in Darfur.

Simply follow these steps to make your voice heard:

1. Dial 1-800-671-7887 (toll-free)
2. Once you’ve been transferred to the comment line leave your comment using the talking points below:

I’m calling to urge President Bush to implement “Plan B” to help bring an end to the genocide in Darfur. Specifically, I am asking him to:

Enforce tough sanctions against Sudan;
Work with the UN to authorize and enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur to protect civilians from Sudanese bombers; and
Press the UN for faster deployment of UN peacekeepers to protect civilians in Darfur.

3. Click here to report your call back to the Save Darfur Coalition (this step is crucial - please don’t skip it!

Let’s be thankful we live in a country where we have the freedom to voice our opinions, and call the White House comment line today! Certainly the people of Darfur deserve no less.

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This one falls under the heading, “So easy, you MUST do this!”

Seventh Generation, the makers of environmentally-friendly cleaning products, are inviting you, with one easy step, to help donate a pack of organic cotton tampons to a homeless women’s shelter in your state.

According to the Seventh Generation website,

Women’s shelters in the U.S. go through thousands of tampons and pads monthly, and, while agencies generally assist with everyday necessities such as toilet paper, diapers, and clothing, this most basic need is often overlooked. You and I may take our monthly trips down the feminine care aisle for granted, but, for women in shelters, a box of tampons is five dollars they can’t spare.

Simply dragging and dropping the heart into the virtual shelter donates one box of tampons or pads to a shelter in your area!

Please click this link and take 2 minutes to help someone who needs you today. Instant karma!

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The International Museum of Women wants to value the lives of women around the world, and what better way to do this than to turn the spotlight on mothers?

On Thursday, March 8th, the Museum is hosting their Global Celebration of Mothers. And my good friend Sydnie Kohara will be mistress of ceremonies!

According to the Museum’s mission statement,

The Museum amplifies the voices of women worldwide through history, the arts and cultural programs that educate, create dialogue, build community, and inspire action. With its unique focus on cultural change, the Museum advances the human right to gender equity worldwide.

With compelling speakers, educational curriculum, and outreach workshops, the museum brings together women from all over the globe to highlight issues of equality and opportunity.

If you share a concern for these issues, check out their website and consider becoming a member today!

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