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Whitney Houston's death at the age of 48 is making global headlines this morning.  Her debut album in 1985 made her an international star.  Many believe her 1992 marriage to Bobby Brown began her downward spiral into cocaine and alcohol abuse that ravaged her voice and may have contributed to her death.  While her fans grieve her death, her Father is grieving her life as well.  He gifted her with one of the most remarkable voices of our generation.  Whatever the cause of her death, she died too soon.

Vanderbilt University was founded in 1873 by the Methodist Church.  In 1914, the school and church severed ties (leading Methodists to create Southern Methodist University in Dallas).  Last year, Vanderbilt forced the Christian Legal Society on its campus to remove Bible verses and the words "Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior" from its constitution.  Now the university has stated that Christian groups cannot have guidelines requiring specific beliefs for their leaders.

Everyone knows that Mitt Romney is a Mormon, a fact that has provoked consternation among some evangelicals who would otherwise be predisposed to vote for him. But you may not know that he's also Hispanic.

The 2000 Census states that "the terms 'Hispanic' or 'Latino' refer to persons who trace their origin or descent to Mexico and other Spanish cultures. People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race."

Islam is making headlines this morning.  We begin with Time magazine's decision to name "The Protester" its "Person of the Year." The story starts in Tunisia and spreads to Egypt and across the Arab Muslim world and beyond.

You may have heard of "All-American Muslim," a reality TV show that debuts this Sunday night.  The series looks at five Lebanese-American Shia Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan.  Lowes Home Improvement was criticized by a conservative group for advertising on the show.  When the company pulled its ads, an online petition gathered nearly 20,000 signatures calling on the store to reinstate them.