18 May, 2007 - Published 16:38 GMT

On Outlook This Week

"Light and shade."

This is one of the things that we're aiming for on Outlook: a blend of serious subjects with stories that may make you laugh or smile.

In general the shade is easy to find - given this troubled world of ours.

This week for example, we have an interview with the parents of 19-year old Mary Karen Read who died in the Virginia Tech shooting (Monday).

We also talk to Iraqi children living as refugees in Jordan (Tuesday); residents in Gaza (wednesday); children who work cleaning bricks in Peru (also Wednesday); and a Colombian hostage who escaped after 9 years in captivity (Thursday).

At least he escaped...

Finding the lighter pieces is usually much harder.

Sometimes we will be visited by an author or musician.

This week we hope to have session musician Guy Pratt who's played with both Madonna and Michael Jackson (Friday); and on the horizon is Australian cricketer Shane Warne (the following Tuesday).

Sometimes people do the most extraordinary things.

This week we're talking to a woman who was inspired by someone on Death Row to deliver 150 pizzas to the homeless in Nashville (Monday) and hearing about Milo the poodle who warns its owner of impending epileptic seizure (Thursday).

And sometimes you the listener will get in touch to let us know of things that you want to hear on the radio.

This week we're hearing from Anne Kajuga who wanted to respond to another listener Musa Kamara concerning his thoughts on bringing up children (Thursday).

And we're also hearing from another listener Eric Wanjamah,who's comparing the life of probation officers in Nairobi and the UK (Wednesday).

So there you have it: light and shade; the perfect English Spring Day; sun peeping through the clouds.

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