The TW&E History Book:

• Oct. 15, 539 B.C. - Cyrus the Great captures Babylon and chooses to release the Jews from almost from almost 70 years of captivity. He allows them to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Read about it in Ezra, chapter 1.
• Oct. 15, 1969 - An estimated two million demonstrators nationwide participate in the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. Here is a story about the event that appeared in the UK's Guardian newspaper.
• Oct. 16, 1978 - Cardinal Karol Jozef Wojtyla of Poland is elected Pope of the Roman Catholic church and becomes John Paul II. He became the church's second longest-serving Pope, leading the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 2005.
• Oct. 15, 1991 - Following bitter confirmation hearings, the U.S. sneate narrowly confirms the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, 52-48.

Marvin Olasky announces the winner of the Hope Award

• Announcing the winner of WORLD magazine's Sixth Annual Hope Award for Effective Compassion! The winner is...
• Read profiles, watch videos, and view video slideshows on all four finalists in the 2011 Hope Award for Effective Compassion competition at WORLD's Hope Award page.

Book Nook: Susan Olasky discusses the More-With-Less Cookbook

Pianist Roger Williams is remembered

• WORLD News Group senior writer Susan Olasky writes here about the More-With-Less Cookbook.
• Learn more about pianist Roger Williams, who died last weekend at the age of 87.

2012 Campaign: former Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at the Values Voter Summit

• Read Edward Lee Pitts WORLDmag.com Web Extra report on the first day of the Values Voter Summit.
• The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog reported on former Sen. Rick Santorum's speech at last weekend's Values Voter Summit. Santorum's presidential campaign website is here.

Iran plot

Abdulmutallab

Economic roundup

Jobs bill falls

• WORLD Magazine's Warren Smith discusses the state of the economy.

Joel Belz commentary: Why politicians should think twice about the occupy Wall Street protests

• Commentator Joel Belz is the founder of WORLD magazine, part of WORLD News Group.

Afganistan 10 years later

Egyptian violence

• On the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afganistan, WORLD News Group's Mindy Belz interviewed Shaida M. Abdali, now the nation's deputy national security advisor.
• Dr. Michael Youssef is the senior pastor of church of the Apostles in Atlanta and the founder of Leading the Way.

Eric Metaxas discusses Socrates in the City

Author Arthur Holmes obituary

• Learn more about Socrates in the City and about the author Eric Metaxas.
• Influential Christian philospher and author Arthur F. Holmes died last weekend at 87. Learn more about him here.

Rep. James Lankford talks about Operation Fast and Furious

• Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) says Congress needs answers about federal gun sting operation. Read more here from The Oklahoman newspaper.
• Read Edward Lee Pitts report on Fast and Furious in the Oct. 22 issue of WORLD Magazine.

GOP debate roundup: Herman Cain on the rise

Non-conventional wisdom from Randy Evans about the GOP field.

• Read Marvin Olasky's interview with Herman Cain.
• Archived video of the Oct. 12 GOP debate in New Hampshire is available via Bloomberg.
• Georgia-based political columnist Randy Evans is an attorney with law firm of McKenna, Long, and Aldridge LLP in Atlanta. His latest column is here.