For the second straight year, a team from Mississippi State University won a nationwide competition aimed at designing the most fuel-efficient engine for the next generation of vehicles. So what was the winning design? How does it work? Could it really be mass-produced by American automakers over the next few years? We ask Dustin Black, team leader for the back-to-back champions from Mississippi State.
On this Thanksgiving Day, we pause and give thanks to God for His immeasurable blessings in our lives. We also take a break from the frenetic news cycle to examine the history and traditions of Thanksgiving. In our first segment, we look back at the bold and life-threatening decision of the pilgrims to leave England and begin life anew in colonies and what they found when they arrived.
We chronicle the story of the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts back in the 1620s. What was the story behind that first feast? And how did it continue to the point of starting a movement to create a national holiday?
So how did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? How did the Civil War set the stage for an official day set aside each yearfor America to pause and give thanks as a nation? We bring you the rest of the story!
How can you bring a Merry Christmas to an impoverished or orphaned child in a difficult part of the world? That’s what we’ll learn as we talk with Randy Riddle of Operation Christmas Child – a project of Samaritan’s Purse. We’ll also discuss more of the interesting history and traditions of Thanksgiving.
Our final segment exploring the history, traditions and true meaning of Thanksgiving.
What were the faiths of our Founding Fathers? Were they deeply guided by their beliefs or just a bunch of deists as some of our history books lead us to conclude? How did their religious convictions guide them in the revolution, in the crafting of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and in debating whether there should be a separation of church and state? We ask Stephen Waldman, author of “Founding Faith”.
How well are we doing in the fight against radical Islamists? Is the decisive progress in Iraq reaping dividends throughout the Middle East? What are we not doing right or not doing at all that is critical to winning this struggle? And what are the three keys to actually winning (and not just managing) this war? Those are the questions we ask terrorism expert Dr. Walid Phares of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. His new book, “The Confrontation”, is the third in a three-volume series on how best to comprehend and defeat Islamic extremists while also winning the hearts and minds of the Middle East people.
In the 2nd half of our interview with Dr. Walid Phares, he elaborates on our current strategy to fight radical Islam and what he sees as the three ingredients needed for victory.
President-Elect Barack Obama has plenty of concerns awaiting him after being sworn into office on January 20. But should one of his priorities be to create a special commission to determine how best to fight rising crime rates? What would the commission actually accomplish and what kind of commitment would it want from the new president when it comes to supporting and funding the conclusions? That’s what we ask Ronald Ruecker, President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
