CHEERS: to the young women who participated in the ninth Sister-Sister Summit. It’s a chance for girls ages 11 to 14 to share their ideas, dreams and frustrations, help them make positive changes in their lives, learn to network, and transform their thoughts into a platform for action. Cheers as well to the Medina County Branch of the American Association of University Women and all the partnering organizations that make the annual event possible.
CHEERS: to Army Spc. Damon Lawrence for returning to his roots before his deployment to Kuwait later this month. The Cloverleaf grad visited with fourth-graders at Seville Intermediate School, where he once was a student. The children, who had written letters to him, took the opportunity to ask Lawrence all sorts of questions about military life. “It’s great for the younger kids to see, ‘This is what I could be,’ †teacher Lynn Wilson said.
CHIDINGS: to the Federal Reserve for its taxpayer-backed bailout of investment bank Bear Stearns in a desperate attempt to shore up the U.S. economy. It’s one thing for the Fed to insure the deposit of the average citizen whose money is trapped in a failing bank. It’s another to use tax dollars to rescue an investment bank that made at least a portion of its money at the expense of consumers who received bad mortgage loans.
CHEERS: to the legacy of writer Arthur C. Clarke, who passed away at his home in Sri Lanka at age 90 after battling debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s. The author of more than 100 books on space, science and the future, Clarke was recognized as much more than a writer of fiction. He was credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945 — decades before they became a reality.
CHEERS: to Medina County for becoming one of 14 Ohio counties to earn StormReady distinction from the National Weather Service. The honor is given to communities best equipped to warn and help the public during severe weather. In recent years, we’ve seen examples in the national news of communities without adequate readiness programs. We can take some comfort in knowing we’re as ready as can be for whatever Mother Nature dishes out.
CHIDINGS: to a loophole that allows dozens of the nation’s worst sexual predators to receive taxpayer-funded Pell Grants, ostensibly to take college courses by mail, while confined by the courts to treatment centers. Some simply quit school after receiving the money and use the funds to buy clothes and DVD players. Congress must find a way to fix this fault in the system and make sure Pell Grants go to the low-income families they were designed to help.
CHEERS: to the uncommon modesty of former billionaire Chuck Feeney, who is quietly “giving while living.†Known for his frugal lifestyle, Feeney has instructed his foundation — which he declined to name after himself — to give away his entire $8 billion fortune to charitable causes by 2016. The self-made tycoon hopes to inspire other wealthy individuals to do the same. “I’m not going to die until I can spend it,†Feeney said.
