I am so sad to report that Oprah has confirmed that in 2011 she will end her daytime talk show.

A spokesman for the CBS Television Studios, which distributes her show, said “We have the greatest respect for Oprah and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors, we do know anything she turns her hand to will be a great success.”

But Oprah can’t retire until I’m one of her guests! I adore Oprah, her shows are insightful, compassionate and smart. I always dreamed of being onstage with her and answering her thought-provoking questions and discussing our new collaborative charity project. The show would of course end with us giving her audience free autographed copies of my latest book and dvds of the first season of my sitcom, to which they would howl and cheer with overly enthusiastic joy!

Aside from Oprah’s always fantastic shows, she is well-known for her generosity and amazing amounts of charity work. Oprah’s Angel Network was established to “encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others. Oprah’s vision is to inspire people to help others rise to their potential.” To date, Oprah’s Angel Network has received more than $80 million in donations from the public and has used those funds to help build more than 55 schools in 12 countries, provided education for thousands of children in rural areas throughout the world, helped victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, given life-changing assistance for women and girls, and so much more. I know once the Oprah Show goes off the air, Ms. Winfrey herself will continue her wonderful charity work, but I (and all of her fans) will still miss her daily does of on-air goodness.

Hi Readers! I’ve really enjoyed writing for this wonderful site over the past few years but, the time has come for me to leave the TakePart family. Although I will not longer be a Takepart.com blogger, I will continue to be a reader and supporter. And now here’s a oldie but goodie video I’d like to share in honor of my last post.

Feel free to keep up with me on the web at giuliarozzi.com.

laszlo-photo's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Access to safe and clean water is a right that should be afforded to everyone, but unfortunately pollution, climate change and privatization, among other obstacles, prevent one billion people obtaining this vital necessity.

This upcoming Thanksgiving week, SYRV, a non-profit that connects travelers with volunteer opportunities in developing countries, will be traveling to Jiquilillo, Nicaragua, one of the many places that lacks access to clean water.  There they will help build desperately needed water-purifiers as well as other community support projects.

And if you happen to be in Los Angeles this evening, you should head down to Venice to attend the SYRV fundraiser where you can learn more and help support the amazing work they do.

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Participant Media presents entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Behind these films and issues, there are thousands of people nationwide who work tirelessly on campaigns that use the films as inspiration to make a difference. As a member of the company’s Social Action team, which develops initiatives that are inspired by the films, I’m excited to announce the first posting of a weekly blog of Sarah’s Social Action Snapshot, which will offer the latest updates on our campaigns and offer specific actions and tools, from our campaigns, for people to get involved in issues in the news.

Food, Inc.
Do you want to know about rGBH dairy, issues facing small farmers or organic yogurt? If so, check out our recent online chats with some of the leading food advocacy organizations from our campaign and Stonyfield Yogurt.

We learned this week that obesity rates continue to climb with an expected 103 million Americans to be obese by 2018. Scary? Yes. Preventable? Yes. Take action by supporting menu labeling and check out our campaign’s 10 tips for healthy eating.

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Editor’s Note: This post is by Erich Rettstadt, a student at New York University who attended The People Speak College Tour event on his campus last week.

A rainy mid-November day in Manhattan did not deter the NYU masses from attending the latest stop on The People Speak college tour. Lines of students buzzing with anticipation wrapped around The Cooper Union’s historic Great Hall hours before the 2PM event began, braving the wet and windy weather to see the headlining mega-celebrity. Matt Damon, you ask? Oh no. None other than Mr. Howard Zinn himself. After Damon’s passionate reading of an excerpt from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the crowd’s cheers were overwhelmed by the standing ovation Mr. Zinn received upon entering the stage moments later. Handling himself with grace, dignity and unmatched wit, Mr. Zinn encouraged the largely college-aged audience to push and prod our government until we get the change that we wanted to see. And to never give up.

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As I pointed out yesterday, last night Al Gore was on a special green episode of 30 Rock!  His cameo comes late in the show but as usual the entire show is funny and it is totally worth it to wait a little while to see Al Gore interact with Kenneth.

Beyond the Gore cameo the show showcased (and admittedly made fun of) the various ways people can reduce their carbon footprint. I can’t think of a better way to brainstorm ways to change your life then by laughing along with the gang at 30 Rock.

Give a watch and then visit the “act” section of this post to see how you can help in the fight against global warming.

CREDO Mobile, a cell phone provider that donates 1% of your charges goes to progressive nonprofits, is mailing coat hangers to all the democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted in support of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in Obama’s health care reform bill.

The Credo site is asking people to sign their petition saying: “We know what happens when women are denied access to reproductive health care including abortion. And we can’t go back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions. Reconsider your vote on the Stupak amendment. Tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the final health care bill that emerges from the conference committee can’t turn the clock back on women’s rights.” When you sign the petition they’ll send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women’s rights.

It’s a harsh action, but it definitely sends a message. To learn more about how the healthcare reform bill is affecting reproductive rights, check out this article on the Frisky.

CREDO is also the company I wrote about earlier this year that offers those great free stickers in support of gay marriage, click here to get yours.

Editor’s Note: This post is written by Andrew Winston, a globally recognized expert on how businesses can profit from thinking green and the co-author of the best-seller Green to Gold.

For the past few years, the business world has been swept up in a green wave—a rising tide of interest and concern about environmental issues. The Great Recession has not stopped the pressure pushing this wave. Environmental crises such as climate change and water shortages continue to evolve. Mega-forces such as technology-driven transparency and the rise of the consumer in India and China—which will force the price of oil and other resources up over time—continue to advance. Closer to home, key stakeholders are demanding more of companies than ever, especially corporate customers greening their supply chains. For business, going green is ultimately unavoidable. Read the rest of this entry >>

One of the things about language that fascinates me most is that so much of translation is really just a science of digesting a saying comfortably into another tongue. For instance, the phrase me gusta– delineating one liking a person, place, or thing and often translated to mean I like–actually translates literally to mean gives me pleasure. So when I falter on my attempts at vegetarianism and proclaim “Pero [but] me gusta tacos de al pastor,” what I’m saying isn’t “But I like al pastor tacos.” No, more accurately what I doth protest is really: “Al pastor tacos give me pleasure.”  (My inner foodie is in agreement on this one.) As most things do, this brings me to cinema–I’m a lover of food and film, what can I say? As such, I was recently blessed with the experience that is Broken Embraces or Los Abrazos Rotos by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

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Today, November 20 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the most widely ratified international human rights treaty. The UNCRC laid out the civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights for children all over the world. The documented has been ratified by 193 countries including every U.N. Member State but the United States and Somalia.

I was surprised to learn that the U.S. was not included in the 193 supporting nations. VOA News reports: Despite the success of the Convention in raising awareness of children’s rights worldwide, one of the largest and most influential countries in the world has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States has not approved the Convention because it fears government interference in family life and the possible loss of its sovereign rights.

But ratifying a treaty doesn’t always promise results as many are acknowledging that 20 years later, children’s rights are still being violated. Many nations that ratified the Convention have not taken all the steps to protect children leaving many children victim to preventable diseases, malnutrition, violence and exploitation. Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Saad Houry, calls the Convention a milestone, but notes the reality does not always live up to the document’s vision of a world made safe for all children. He says millions of children remain excluded from that dream saying “despite remarkable economic growth in scores of countries over the past 20 years, shocking disparities are also growing, with the poorest children left further behind.”

However many are hopeful that the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child will serve as a reminder to countries to keep their promise and take action to protect our littlest citizens. Click here for a list of worldwide UNCRC anniversary events.