Prosperity

Off the Beaten Path

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:38:50 -0600

Whether it’s a day trip or a two-week vacation, there’s nothing like travel to help you reflect on what’s important in life.

I should know. I’m a host on the Travel Channel and I’m on the road more than 200 days a year.

Travel should inspire you. You can get back to nature or stand on top of a mountain for a whole new perspective. Sometimes it’s about swallowing your fear and breaking out of your comfort zone. And, of course, there’s the pilgrimage. Let me show you what I mean.

read more

An Act of Faith

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:11:36 -0600

"How do you keep doing what you do?” people ask me all the time.

It’s a good question.

Over the past two years alone, my work for NBC News has taken me to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Congo and the edge of Darfur. Why is it I feel driven to cover these stories of human suffering, including Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami, when it means leaving my husband and two children behind at home?

I don’t have to. Anchoring the news on Today and Dateline NBC keeps me busy enough.

read more

Living on Faith

jbloustein — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:57:03 -0600

A faint glow appeared on the dark horizon.

Nashville was close, I could feel it. Goosebumps ran up and down my arms.

I’d made this six-hour drive down I-71 from Columbus, Ohio, so many weekends to sing at karaoke bars with my cousin Jay, who lived in a tiny one-bedroom not far from Music Row.

But this time was different. I was moving to Nashville for good. Every time my truck hit a bump, I heard everything I owned rattle in the back, reminding me of what a huge leap I’d made. The biggest of my life.

read more

Common Ground

jbloustein — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:43:13 -0600

In her cover story An Act of Faith, Today show news anchor and Dateline NBC anchor Ann Curry talks about reporting from some of the world's most dangerous places to shed light on injustice and give voice to the voiceless.

"Journalism is about changing the world, isn't it?" she said. "It's about giving people the truth so that they can change the world. The world is evolving, I believe, into a more compassionate place."

read more

My Toughest Competitor

mcherkezian — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:24:25 -0600

A crushing defeat I suffered when I was only 10 years old helped send me to the Olympics.

For it acquainted me with a deadly competitor—the other Peggy Fleming.

It had only been a year since Dad had taken me to a neighborhood ice rink for the first time. Up to that time, I had been roller-skating, playing baseball, and could shinny up a tree as well as any boy. But that first glide on the ice convinced me this was it.

read more

Fighting Spirit

test_1 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

I skated out to center stage, or rather center ice, 10,000 people cheering me on at The Forum in L.A. I know it sounds hammy, but I’m a performer, and all my life center stage is where I’ve wanted to be. This was my comeback performance—my comeback from testicular cancer. Everyone, including me, wanted to see if I was as good as I’d been before the cancer. It had been 14 years since I won the gold medal at the Sarajevo Olympics. My own expectations were probably higher than they should’ve been.

read more

My 3 Keys to Integrity

jbloustein — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:14:03 -0600

Is there a sports fan in your home?

If so you may recognize me from TV on football Sundays. I host The NFL Today show on CBS.

Because of my big six-five frame, people assume I played football. Actually, my sport was basketball.

There was a time—well before I got into broadcasting—when I was just as tall but lean and lanky. I played college ball, and thought I was going to make my mark in the NBA. Things didn’t work out.

read more

Daring to Dream Big!

mcherkezian — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:06:48 -0600

Many of us, I think, can look back and recall certain specific moments in our lives that take on greater importance the longer we live.

"The past has a different pattern," T.S. Eliot wrote, when viewed from each of our changing perspectives.

For me, one of those moments occurred when I was 17 years old. I was a high school senior in Louisville, Kentucky, representing my state in the 1963 America's Junior Miss competition in Mobile, Alabama.

read more

This Year, I Resolve To...

mcherkezian — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:58:36 -0600

Hugh GrantWhere You Know Him From: He’s the charming, rakish Brit who has starred in a million romantic comedies. Right now he co-stars with Sarah Jessica Parker in Did You Hear About the Morgans? Previous hits include both Bridget Jones films, Music and Lyrics and About a Boy.

His New Year's Resolution: To go west.

read more

Actors Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

batch — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:05:11 -0600

In an effort to raise awareness for the global water crisis, actors Emile Hirsch and Jessica Biel joined a group of individuals to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is Africa's highest peak.

As an introduction to the world's current clean water crisis (an estimated 1 billion citizens do not have access to clean water) the group of actors, activists, musicians and environmentalists spent a few days in a village in Tanzania, where they witnessed firsthand the hardships some people go through.

read more