Today on Kresta - January 5, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 5

4:00 – Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line
Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life. Unplanned is a heartstopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, hew book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

4:30 - The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West
In Europe and North America, networks tracing their origins back to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements have rapidly evolved into multifunctional and richly funded organizations competing to become the major representatives of Western Muslim communities and government interlocutors. Some analysts and policy makers see these organizations as positive forces encouraging integration. Others cast them as modern-day Trojan horses, feigning moderation while radicalizing Western Muslims. Lorenzo Vidino brokers a third, more informed view. Drawing on more than a decade of research on political Islam in the West, he keenly analyzes a controversial movement that still remains relatively unknown. Conducting in-depth interviews on four continents and sourcing documents in ten languages, Vidino shares the history, methods, attitudes, and goals of the Western Brothers, as well as their phenomenal growth. He then flips the perspective, examining the response to these groups by Western governments, specifically those of Great Britain, Germany, and the United States. He joins us.

5:00 - Why New Years Resolutions Don’t Work and What You Can Do About It
Each January, roughly one in three Americans make New Year’s resolutions to better themselves in some way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those resolutions. While about 75 percent of people stick to their goals for at least a week, less than half (46 percent) are still on target six months later, according to research. We talk with Jim Berlucci of the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership about why New Year’s resolutions don’t work and what you can do about it.

5:20 – The Feasts of Epiphany and the Baptism of Christ
The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is traditionally celebrated on January 6, marking the culmination of the twelve days of Christmas celebrates three events: the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, Christ's Baptism, and Jesus’ first public miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. These events have now been separated into individual feast days, but Steve Ray is here today to tie them all together and explain the history.