More on passports

Sunday's Forum discussed the issue of passports, specifically the fact that the U.S. requires you to have them to re-enter the country if you're flying from Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico.

We listed the costs of getting a passport, but we apparently failed to note one important change that adds $60 to the equation.

This from Lora L. Himes, a postal employee at the Donald Marrs Branch in Western Hills:

"I read an article about passports for the second time in about two weeks. The fees you mentioned are correct except that you did not mention that the Passport agency charges an extra $60 expedite each passport. The last time the fees were mentioned (minus the $60.00 expedited fee) in the Enquirer we had several customers complain that they were not aware of that extra fee.

Please, please mention that there is an extra fee charged by the passport agency the next time you write an article about passports that are expedited. That could alleviate a lot of unhappy people!!"

FYI: There's a lively story chat discussion underway as well. Click on the link, read the piece and join the discussion.

Hey, dads -- tell us about balancing kids and work

This week, "mommy wars" is a topic of discussion on the Enquirer's new web site, cincymoms.com. The term makes me cringe, both because I think it falsely assumes women are at war with one another -- and, I fear, further pits them against each other -- and because it assumes that the work-outside-the-home-vs.-work-inside-the-home debate is limited to "mommies."

The issues at the heart of this matter have more to do with workplace policies and childcare options than they do with the gender of the parent. I think there are plenty of fathers out there who would like to simply be included in a discussion on balancing child-rearing and work, or taking time off from a career, or the guilt and resentment they feel at not being a bigger part of their children's lives.

So I'd like to hear from some men on this issue. Please weigh in. And while you're at it, let me know if you'd be willing to share your quotes -- and name and neighborhood -- for a related story we're running in Sunday's Forum section. If you are, send me an email at kramsey@enquirer.com. Meanwhile, let's start the conversation here.

'Let's be careful out there.'

Those of us who grew up in Snow Belt areas tend to scoff at the notion that Cincinnati gets anything approaching a real winter. But this week's cold weather, with the predicted snow and ice for Thursday and Friday, poses some very dangerous problems.

One of them, the plight of homeless in frigid conditions, was addressed on Tuesday's editorial page. This issue was underlined tragically on Wednesday when authorities said a man staying in a homeless camp in Queensgate apparently had frozen to death overnight. Even though the man may have been seriously ill anyway, his death raises several issues, such as the weather criteria under which emergency shelters are open, and how authorities deal with homeless people who refuse to go to those shelters ("Shelters are nasty," said one of the man's companions. "It's safer out here.")

A front-page story in Wednesday's paper addressed another major winter peril -- the predictable rash of serious crashes on our roadways each time the snow starts falling. A report Tuesday from the Ohio State Highway Patrol highlighted a couple of main causes that come as no surprise -- driving too fast and young, inexperienced drivers. Come to think of it, those two usually come hand in hand. Speeding was the main factor in 74 percent of snow-and-ice crashes in Ohio from 2004 to 2006, the patrol reported. Among drivers age 20 or younger, that figure was 79 percent.

Part of our problem in Greater Cincinnati is that we are located between northern and southern climates. We don't get enough snow for drivers, young or old, to get past that "inexperienced" stage regarding winter driving. They often fail to understand the winter driving principles the Ohio patrol outlines: that when there's snow and ice on the road, you have to do everything a little bit slower and smoother - accelerating, braking, turning. You have to anticipate more; you have to leave more space between your car and others.

Unfortunately, odds are we'll see that predictable rash of crashes in the next 24 to 48 hours. But in at least 74 percent of those crashes, according to the Ohio patrol's figures, you won't be able to blame it on the snow. Blame it on the drivers.

And watch out for them. As Sgt. Esterhaus used to say in TV's "Hill Street Blues" in the 1980s, "Hey, let's be careful out there."

Energy sense and nonsense

Today's editorial page discussion on U.S. energy policy may not seem like the most exciting topic -- certainly not on the order of another Bengal being arrested -- but all of us ought to feel a sense of urgency for the nation to finally adopt a coherent plan, not just talk about it.

As syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer noted (Washington Post; requires free registration) late last week, energy "solutions" have been proposed in 24 of the 34 presidential State of the Union speeches since the traumatic oil embargo of 1973 -- including President Bush's speech earlier this month touting a "Twenty in Ten" plan to cut gasoline consumption. Still, we are more dependent on foreign oil than ever, and demand will only grow.

Krauthammer advocates a three-part "tough love" approach that probably will rankle both liberals and conservatives, although for different reasons -- raise gasoline taxes dramatically, drill for oil in the Arctic, and build nuclear plants.

That third point most intrigues me. Ever since Three Mile Island and the "China Syndrome" in late 1979, the wide-scale use of nuclear energy has been near-political poison in this country. But safer technology has evolved since then, and now we're faced with the real "China Syndrome": China, with its rapidly growing middle-class consumer economy, is making petroleum deals and embracing nuclear technology to meet future demand. In short, they're following much of Krauthammer's advice.

Soon, China will be the world's other superpower, flexing tremendous economic muscle. It doesn't matter that we may be on friendly terms politically; it's going to be about resources. Conservation will help, but only so much. America could find itself in a long-term economic decline if we don't do something to at least even the energy playing field -- and fast.

Getting ahead of ourselves

Those of you cruising Cincinnati.Com may have noticed that Peter Bronson's 'Sunday' column was actually posted on Friday afternoon. That's because Pete had an exclusive interview with Bengals owner Mike Brown about the Bengals bad boy Chris Henry and his problems. When you've got hot news there's no point in keeping it to yourself. More than 30 people weighed in on the "Speak Up!" feature within a couple of hours. Expect to see more of this.

I especially liked the part about how all the Bengals now have designated driver numbers to call anytime -- apparently a mid-season addition to the team's playbook.

Print consumers will still see Pete's Sunday column in the Sunday edition.

Poor, picked-upon Pettus-Brown

LaShawn Pettus-Brown, a former Taft basketball star, is the Cincinnati embarrassment that refuses to go away. His latest stunt is suing for $10 million in federal court claiming he was made a scapegoat for the failed Empire Theater fiasco and accusing assorted federal officials of victimizing him, including U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith who threw out his federal conviction in 2005.

How's that for ingratitude? He was later convicted of fraud in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. Pettus-Brown ripped off the city for tens of thousands of dollars in construction vouchers and spent the money instead on shoes, plane tickets, Maisonette dinners and other personal pleasures.


Among other accusations, he's playing the race card, claiming he was prosecuted because of the color of his skin. No, he was prosecuted because he stole money that ultimately belonged to taxpayers in a city that's 44 percent black.

He's also still using that tired convict line that he just got in over his head on the project and couldn't pay his bills. Oh yeah? Do most folks when they can't pay their bills forge bank documents to be able to keep collecting Other People's Money?

Ford: Bonuses for $12.7 billion lost?

Nearly 40,000 Ford workers are losing their jobs. Those who remain will likely be asked to make sacrifices in wages, benefits and job assignments. Ford retirees are picking up part of their medical coverage, and current workers are trading in some future raises to help build up a healthcare fund.

Meanwhile, the company is considering reinstating bonuses for top executives. Some may eclipse their salaries. Ford chief Alan Mulally, for example, can earn more than $3 million in bonuses to top his $2 million base salary.

The bonuses are tied in part to statistical measures of quality and cost.

Faced with a year's losses of $12.7 billion, Ford execs should have an interesting time making their case for a merit-based bonus.

One wonders, on top of accepting perks for what hardly looks like stellar performance, if the top folks might not sleep better at night knowing that a bit of belt tightening could have saved the jobs of a bread-winner or two.

If conscience doesn't come into play, maybe public relations will.

American car companies are learning a bitter lesson in humility and taming of ego. When it comes to production of gas guzzlers or pampering of executives, they should take a lesson from foreign automakers who understood long ago that less in the short run can turn into more in the long run.

Do you have your passport yet?

On Wednesday, a federal law took effect that requires citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere. That means if you're planning a trip to Cancun for Spring Break and were hoping traditional identification could ensure re-entry, you're out of luck.

It's all part of the Department of Homeland Security's plan to help keep America safer.

But does this new rule affect your travel plans? Tell us about them at letters@enquirer.com, or bmccauley@enquirer.com.

Write "passport" in the subject line. Please include a name, hometown and a photo if you have it.

Me and you and a dog named Brew

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A dog walks into a bar, see, and …

… well, just sits there while his owner has a burger and a beer and watches a game on the wide-screen.

No joke. At least it won’t be in the state of Washington, if state Sen. Ken Jacobson gets his way. Jacobsen, a Democrat from Seattle, has proposed a law that would allow – not require, mind you – bars and restaurants that have state liquor licenses to permit dogs on their premises – provided they are on a leash, with their owners and well-behaved. The dogs, that is. Presumably the owners could still act rowdy.

This might be the best idea to come out of Seattle since Starbucks. If you can’t drink with your best friend, who can you drink with? Who are you going to toss your peanut shells to?

Jacobsen, who doesn’t own a dog, told the Associated Press he felt sorry for the rain-soaked pooches he saw waiting outside a downtown Olympia pub, and figured this might be a common-sense solution. Which it is – especially because it gives the option to the proprietor of a privately-owned business, a refreshing change from the kind of behavior-control legislation we’re usually seeing these days. This bill would merely allow dog owners to enjoy a convivial night out at a place where everybody knows your name – and half of them come when you call them.

Uncivilized, you say? It’s common in France to see Fideaux accompanying their masters to the bistros.

Opponents of the idea will surely bring up the health issue, which is fair. I share those concerns. I wouldn’t want any innocent pups to get sick from contact with strangers. I don’t know about your dog, but my Golden Retriever tends to be a whole lot neater than many humans I know. Drools less, for one thing.

Yes, a state health official told AP that certain canine traits might lead to what he delicately called “potential issues with food.” But service animals have long been permitted in a range of establishments. In fact, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that they be allowed in privately owned businesses that serve the public. And Florida now allows dogs to sit with their owners at restaurants’ outdoor tables.

Hey, just as long as ol' Rex doesn’t light up a cigarette, right?

How about a code of conduct for parents?

This week, Forest Hills Schools adopted a new code of conduct for students involved in clubs, sports and other school activities. In essence, it says that a student who breaks the code at any time, in any location -- after school, weekends, at a friend's party -- will be banned from any activity for the remainder of that school year.

Lots of people have, will and should weigh in on the scope of such a conduct code, and can debate all they want where the school's role -- and supervision -- should start and where it should end. Is Forest Hills messing with how far a school system should reach into the life of its families? That could be, but the other side of this coin is that families reach into the life of a school system all the time with the poor conduct they abide and even abet in their children. And they reach into the lives of other families, often without invitation or permission.

I've known parents who say it's solely their business if their teenager drinks at a weekend party. I've heard of parents who offer visiting teenagers an alcoholic drink, or host a party where there's alcohol. I've known parents who turn over their house to their kids for parties.

Some of that behavior puts other people's children at risk, and compromises the standards those families set. And to think it doesn't eventually have an impact on the culture of a high school is naive.

Tolerating under-age drinking and certainly abetting underage drinking -- or excusing incidents of vandalism, harassment or other behaviors that violate conduct codes -- is wrong no matter how you look at it. Excusing it as the height of a parent's rights is not only a shortsighted way to justify it, but a selfish one.

Parents can complain all they want when a district such as Forest Hills adopts an aggressive and sweeping code of conduct. Maybe Forest Hills is reaching beyond its logical responsibility. But that's only because too many families and teenagers don't accept the responsibility that is rightfully theirs.

Is the world getting better or worse?

From 1982 to 2006, the five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer rose from 74 percent to 98 percent, when the disease is caught early.

Since the start of the Iraq War, 3,060 Americans have been killed and 22,951 wounded. More than 35,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed as well.

This week, a partnership of U. S. businesses and environmental groups joined forces to call on the federal government to enact legislation requiring reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

A Nature Conservancy study shows that 5,121 flowering plants are in danger of disappearing, mostly because of lost habitat and environmental pollutants. Meanwhile, the wolf population is coming back so strongly that it may soon be removed from the endangered list.

Wesley Autrey, a New York City construction worker and Navy veteran, threw himself on a stranger convulsing on the subway tracks, saving both their lives as five cars rolled inches above their heads.

A Boone County man was arrested Tuesday for posting Internet pictures of himself having sex with an 18-month-old girl. He has been charged with seven counts of sodomy and sexual abuse.

Every day, our world produces stories as diverse as these -- inspiring, discouraging, enlightening, disgusting.

Sometimes we as an editorial board toss around the question of whether the world, overall, is getting better or worse. Is civilization progressing or regressing? Are human beings becoming wiser and more civilized, or more brutal and debased?

Do you think of human life in those terms? Where do you come down on the issue, and what specific developments give you hope or leave you despairing?

State of the Union

President Bush's State of the Union speech Tuesday seemed to go pretty much by the book, style-wise, for this annual political ritual, despite earlier administration hints that it would be shorter and more focused than the traditional SOTU. Bush talked at length about Iraq policy, the war on terrorism and other international issues, and went through a list of domestic agenda items -- government spending and taxes, immigration reform, education, reform of entitlements and more.

But the two focal points were his proposals on energy (reducing consumption of gasoline by 20 percent over 10 years) and health care (making insurance more available, affordable and even-handed). Beforehand, the White House provided a document (in pdf format; click to read, right-click to download file) outlining the speech's main points in considerable detail. Take a look at it.

Now that it's over and the spinmeisters on both sides have done their best spinning, what are your thoughts on the content of Bush's speech? You can post your comments here, or on either or both of the public bulletin boards we've set up for the community to discuss his Iraq plan and his domestic agenda.

State of the War

President Bush is to give the State of the Union speech in a few hours.

In a rundown of topics to be discussed that was put out by the White House earlier today the military was seventh on the list -- coming after energy, health care, education, immigration, HIV/AIDS and malaria. Important issues all, but are they what you want to hear the president talk about tonight?

Race, gender (and philosophical) diversity all good

A reader chastised us over today's editorial about diversity in sports and politics.

He noted it's not diversity if your name is "Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice, J.C. Watts, Elizabeth Dole or Alberto Gonzales," apparently because we named Democrats prominently in the editorial. (He might have missed the mention of Dole in paragraph 12.)

Answer: Of course it is, and I've favorably written about many of them, particularly Watts and Rice, in past editorials and columns.

A testy message board can be seen at the end of the editorial as well, including the well-worn notion that we are all Americans -- no hyphens.

True, but those willing to face the truth would acknowledge the historical road of progress in America has been less smooth for those who were born tan, brown or chocolate or female. The point is that things have changed and are changing still. So what's the harm in celebrating that?

I believe in the opportunity that America provides for all people today. The fruit hangs a bit lower for all now. But those unwilling to acknowledge historical inequities need to open their eyes and gain a fresh perspective.

Recently, Katie Couric noted how she was the only major network female anchor at a White House press briefing.

She wrote: "As I was looking at my colleagues around the room—Charlie Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Brian Williams, Tim Russert, Bob Schieffer, Wolf Blitzer, and Brit Hume—I couldn’t help but notice, despite how far we’ve come, that I was still the only woman there. Well, there was some female support staff near the door. But of the people at the table, the “principals” in the meeting, I was the only one wearing a skirt. Everyone was gracious, though the jocular atmosphere was palpable."

Even the well-compensated Couric, who appears to have it all, acknowledges the obvious -- to a point. All of those "principals" at the meeting surely work really hard and deserve to be there. Surely some can tell stories about the hardships their ancestors faced.

Yet should it matter that all but one were men and none were born tan, brown or chocolate?

Lawyer ethics

Gov. Ernie Fletcher's general counsel Jim Deckard has been named the new executive director of the Kentucky Bar Association, which serves as an agency of the state Supreme Court, including prosecuting lawyer disciplinary cases.

Deckard defended Fletcher against misdemeanor charges in the patronage hiring scandal and helped negotiate the deal that dropped charges against the governor. Before joining Fletcher's staff, Deckard was counsel to Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph Lambert, who served on the Bar's search committee for a new director. Lambert threw a lifeline to Fletcher during his misdemeanor prosecution by inserting a footnote into an unrelated opinion arguing that the governor could not be prosecuted until after he left office.

The KBA earlier this month asked the attorney general for evidence unearthed by the special grand jury that investigated Fletcher hiring abuses. Now, after hearing that Deckard will head up the KBA, the attorney general's spokeswoman Vicki Glass warned that since Deckard lawyered in the patronage case, he should play no role whatsoever in any KBA follow-up ethics investigation.

Deckard is an able lawyer and administrator. But given KBA's reputation for secretive disciplinary procedures, how would we ever know if Deckard kept hands-off or not?

Iraq vote looms over State of the Union speech

According to the White House, President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union speech Tuesday night will avoid the usual "wish list" of narrow initiatives, and instead will focus on a few issues such as energy, health care and education.

But one issue – one that affects families in every community, including our own – appears to be looming large over everything else the president intends to talk about: the war in Iraq. Specifically, Bush’s announced intention to send about 20,000 more U.S. troops to quell sectarian violence in the Baghdad area.

The so-called "surge" strategy is generating waves of protest – and action in Congress.
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has drafted a resolution (excerpts below) that opposes "escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq" and states that U.S. strategy should be "to have the Iraqi political leaders make the political compomises necessary to end the violence in Iraq."

Biden’s resolution is up for a vote in the Senate on Wednesday, the day after the president’s speech. It promises to overshadow the other likely themes and proposals in Bush’s address.

What do you think this Senate resolution – and the White House policy it objects to – means to our community and the nation as a whole? We’ve already asked a number of readers for their thoughts on Sen. Biden’s resolution. Their comments appear on our Monday editorial page and Web site. Now it’s up to you to continue this discussion. Express your thoughts here, or on our public bulletin board devoted to this topic.

From the resolution by Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., with Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.:
(1) It is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq, particularly by escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq;
(2) The primary objective of United States strategy in Iraq should be to have the Iraqi political leaders make the political compromises necessary to end the violence in Iraq;
(3) Greater concerted regional, and international support would assist the Iraqis in achieving a political solution and national reconciliation;
(4) Main elements of the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should transition to helping ensure the territorial integrity of Iraq, conduct counterterrorism activities, reduce regional interference in the internal affairs of Iraq, and accelerate training of Iraqi troops;
(5) The United States should transfer, under an appropriately expedited timeline, responsibility for internal security and halting sectarian violence in Iraq to the Government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces; and
(6) The United States should engage nations in the Middle East to develop a regional, internationally-sponsored peace and reconciliation process for Iraq.

Streetcar higher math

Now that consultants for Cincinnati are studying how much it would cost to build a three or four-mile streetcar loop downtown, the focus is on the numbers, but which numbers matter most to you?

Advocates say the streetcar line can repopulate downtown and Over-the-Rhine. They say it will make the numbers work for developers who won't need to include as many parking spaces per unit of housing, and that buyers who then can do without a car or two can use those extra discretionary dollars to buy downtown.

Metro CEO Michael Setzer says you can't charge high fares for short streetcar trips so to justify subsided fares you got to put the lines where they deliver the biggest development bang for the buck.

But will developers who save on parking costs soon have to pay more for inner-city land? Portland's super-successful streetcars and light-rail sent housing and land costs soaring.

Cincinnati Councilman Chris Bortz says if streetcars help grow the numbers of higher-end market-rate housing, that will also give the city added resources to subsidize more affordable housing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it sound like there's a number in this streetcar mix to appeal to just about everyone?

Read more about it on the editorial page and join the conversation on this idea either here or on our public bulletin board.

Pay to play

Has the mother of a Newport Middle School student invented a new low in pay-to-play?

Sherry Herzner has been charged with hosting a slumber party at her home, where she allegedly collected money from seven teenagers, then bought vodka and converted the event into a drinking party. A 14-year-old girl, afraid of another girl who wanted to fight, blew the whistle on the drink-and-drown when she called her mother to come and rescure her.

A Newport police officer lamented that some parents think they are doing kids a favor by serving alcohol at home to give them the experience in a controlled environment. But aren't adults' motives rendered questionable and any thread of responsibility shredded the instant they start downing the alcohol themselves? Police found Herzner "highly intoxicated."

Human errors

After airline crashes, are we too quick to entirely equate "human error" with "pilot error"?

Last week, the FAA admitted its current system of notifying pilots about construction changes on airport runways and taxiways "may be inadequate." Comair 5191 pilots were notified in writing about construction changes at Lexington's airport before their Aug. 27 pre-dawn crash upon takeoff, but as for visuals, they had only 8-month-old, pre-construction airport maps to guide them.

Blue Grass Airport had offered to publish interim diagrams for the taxiway construction underway, but the FAA rejected that in favor of diagrams to show what the new runway area would look like -- after construction was completed. Because of a computer glitch at the publisher's, neither diagram reached the pilots by Aug. 27, when they took off from a too-short runway in the dark.

Can even good graphics overcome mystifying decisions?

Diploma first, then parenthood

I suspect I'm not the only one with mixed feelings over a story about former and would-be dropouts who overcame great odds to graduate from a local charter school.

The graduate featured is a 17-year-old mother who fought her way through tremendous obstacles to complete her schooling -- motherhood at age 14, working at a job until 10 p.m., and then dealing with a high-needs infant with serious disabilities. First she wore out, then she dropped out. Then she entered the charter school and worked fiercely to graduate before her daughter entered preschool.

She earned respect for making the best of a very difficult situation, and she certainly has mine. But this young woman is still in for a long, hard climb, and so is her daughter.

According to the Pulse study of the status of local females, families with children headed by a single mother are far and away the poorest in our eight-county region. Only 12 percent of married Hamilton County families with children live in poverty while 66 percent of those headed by a single mother do.

Teenage parenthood destroys any easy path to education, and lack of education cripples one's earning power for life. Poverty, in turn, makes families more likely to have unstable housing, insufficient healthcare, and limited options in childcare, education and employment.

It may be inspiring to hear stories about young women and men who juggle parenting duties and still manage to graduate, but how much easier their lives would be -- and brighter their children's futures would be -- if they put off parenthood until they had at least one diploma in hand.

They need to think longer term, consider consequences and get their self-esteem from something other than physical relationships and premature parenting -- and we need to help them. Taking an interest in young women like this 17-year-old before she becomes a mom with a heartbreak story is a test of our own willingness to do more than watch and judge.

No longer looking for Mr. Right?

According to Census numbers, the majority of American women now live without a husband. It's a huge cultural shift from the 1950s, when two-thirds of women were married, and life as a single female wasn't seen as desirable or even necessarily appropriate.

A thousand research projects have probably been kicked up by this statistic and even more marketing campaigns set in motion. Retailers are trying to predict what kind of buying patterns and lifestyle decisions this phenomenon will trigger. Sociologists are studying its impact on the family and the workplace.

But as experts consider how prepared society is for all these single women, females themselves need to think about how prepared they are to be single long term.

Yes, many women will marry at some time in their lives, but the Census numbers suggest they are marrying later, living longer as widows, choosing to raise children on their own and delaying remarriage. The single life is no longer a handful of years following high school or college. It's an extended period for many women, and a permanent state for others.

That means that girls should grow up expecting to be able to provide for themselves, manage their own finances, think long-term about a career, have the skills to maintain a house or apartment, build their own social network, plan for their own retirement. Right now, some grow up that way, and some don't. Families can begin building those competencies in even very young girls.

Independence and life skills are essential for single women -- and only come as a benefit for those who do decide to marry.

MLK Holiday: The day after

King Day was celebrated peacefully in most places yesterday, including in Cincinnati. Thankfully, no homicides were reported. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center allowed people to experience it for free. Various peaceful marches happened, and churches held commemorative services.

But there was one very embarrassing blemish. Students fought at a basketball event at Cintas Center. So far today, we've had our share of comments about how typical such behavior is. It's not typical behavior, but it is unfortunate. It's easy to discuss the irony as well; King's nonviolence stand, and these knuckleheads brawling in the stands. I was there last year, when stands were packed to see Bill Walker and O.J. Mayo. Nothing as major as six arrests occurred.

The greater tragedy is that when something like this happens publicly, on a day as special as MLK's birthday, it simply illuminates what's going on daily in some of these kids' lives. So it's not as simple as pointing out the irony on this "day of peace."

Well before the holiday and the basketball event, a sense of moral responsibility, right and wrong, good citizenship, etc., must be taught -- at home, in schools, in church -- no matter where you are, regardless of what circumstances you find yourself in.

Those who didn't participate -- the overwhelming majority -- must know this.

Meanwhile, from a practical standpoint, add more security in the building and at checkpoints outside.

Power of non-violence

Talk about missing the point on Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Numerous fist-fights broke out Monday in the stands and on the court during a six-team high school basketball tournament plus R&B performance at Xavier University's Cintas Center. A WIZF-FM DJ begged the crowd of mostly high school boys and girls: "Please, people, remember why we are here. This is MLK Day, a day of peace and love."

Set aside, for the moment, questions about adequate security. With all due respect to the DJ, are appeals to respect a holiday honoring an American hero likely to pacify youngsters if they haven't internalized what may have been Dr. Martin Luther King's greatest gift -- faith in the power of non-violence?

A recent survey found that although college students knew who King was, they were less clear about what he accomplished. I wouldn't be surprised if even fewer know or remember how he accomplished it -- through non-violence. Every year, some express fears that his vision of a color-blind society is being lost, but given our city homicide rates and gun violence, are we in danger of losing an even more transformative MLK legacy -- his abiding faith in the power of non-violence?

Keep your hands off playtime

Call it enabling, cosseting or crippling. Surely one of those terms applies to New York City planners who not only designed a playground that channels children into organized play but plan to staff it with "play workers" who will monitor and guide their actions. The purpose, oddly enough, seems to be to nurture more imaginative play.

Were these people never children themselves? The whole point of playgrounds and recess is to be away from adults, in a world with games and rules of children's own making. This is kids' down time, and the thought of having adults hovering nearby -- to, what, suggest story lines? -- is sure to suck the fun right out of things.

Every kid knows there are rules for safe play, and no parent would argue that there's a need for discreet adult supervision. But enforcing basic civility and "guiding imaginative play" are two entirely different things, and any kid can spot the difference in a minute.

Some sacred spots should be off limits for enrichment, organization and productivity. A playground is one of them.

Earmarking reform - a start, but with loopholes

They still don’t seem to get it – and we taxpayers may keep on paying for it.

After last year’s outcry over congressional “earmarking” – the long-standing practice that allows lawmakers to target anonymous, unaccountable “pork-barrel” spending items to favor pet projects, contractors or donors – and the then-GOP majority’s failure to deal with it, Democrats promised quick action on reforms. But while the rules changes on earmarks the House adopted last week – and the Senate is considering – sound good, they fall short of what’s needed to clean up the kind of corruption that wastes billions of taxpayer dollars a year.

The new House rules will make members submit detailed written requests for earmarks and certify that they and their spouses do not stand to gain financially from them. And the proposed earmarks in House legislation will be posted online. So far, so good. This would add the light of public disclosure, and would lessen practices such as one that was revealed by USA Today last year – special interests hiring the family members of lawmakers who arrange earmarks that benefit them.

But here’s the catch. As Citizens Against Government Waste points out, the new rules do not cover spending items that are earmarked for more than one state, and they do not cover earmarks meant to go to federal agencies. That latter loophole, notes Jacob Sullum on Reason magazine’s blog, would have allowed now-disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to keep doing the very thing that eventually landed him in an Arizona prison – exchanging government contracts for bribes.

Many who gain power in Washington think they need earmarking authority to hold onto that power and stay in office. House Minority Leader John Boehner, who refuses to deal in pork projects, period, is living refutation of that “conventional wisdom.”

Earmarking has spawned an entire industry of special interests that almost inevitably leads to corruption -- think "Jack Abramoff." Congress should end the practice. The new rules may be a good start, but it’s only a start, and it’s full of loopholes. They should do better.

Raising the odds for missing children

There is much we can learn from the successful return of 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, of Kirkwood, Mo., four years after his kidnapping. The first lesson is that, when it comes to missing children, we should risk being wrong or looking foolish to take whatever steps we need to make sure kids are safe.

Shawn's friends, and even their adult family members, regularly commented on how much Shawn looked like the boy they saw on missing posters. Yet none of them, apparently, picked up the phone and called police. Had someone snapped a digital photo of him -- when he stayed at their children's homes for sleepovers, which Shawn sometimes did -- and emailed it to his parents, who had a foundation and a web site, perhaps his captivity would have ended much more quickly.

Some press accounts say Shawn was not attending school, another red flag for neighbors and families of his friends. Someone -- anyone -- simply following up with authorities might have resulted in a rescue from his captor.

The speculation on why he stayed with Michael Devlin, who thus far has been charged with kidnapping, should be the last of our concerns. Shawn is alive, which means he did everything right. Our concern should be what we can do better.

One simple step: Always look at missing child posters -- not just thinking you'll memorize a face in case you come across it, but to see if there's a face there you already know. For more tips on how to help find missing kids, go to missingkids.com, the web site of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Zips and dips

Great story on Friday's Enquirer.com about Chris Torbeck's iconic soft-serve Zip Dip and the government bureaucracy's effort to grind him down out in Green Township.

Except that the bureaucrats seem like human beings, Torbeck doesn't sound bitter and there is a grain of sense in all that government grinding. The ice cream store is a non-conforming use, which means because Torbeck altered his operation by adding some picnic tables he has to comply with current zoning laws. That means eventually he will have to move the shop a safer distance back from the curb of busy Harrison Avenue. I hope this move toward safety, which nobody is making him do immediately, won't put him out of business. Places like Zip Dip deserve to be cherished by the ice cream lovers of future generations.

The planning and zoning officials only want people to be safe. But there is one grain of sand in their soft serve. Zoning regs will require elimination of Zip Dip's rooftop neon ice cream cone sign when the building is moved. The community should insist on a waiver for this one or march on the courthouse with dripping cones in hand.

Rare new cabinet department

If you've been wondering, as I have, why some big-city mayors would want the added grief of taking over public school systems, you can add a new puzzle to this trend. Now, Ohio's new Gov. Ted Strickland wants more control over the state's higher education. Democrat Strickland wants to make higher ed a cabinet-level department and make the chancellor report directly to him.

This new chain of command was Republican House Speaker Jon Husted's idea, and Republican Senate President Bill Harris also endorses it. Although apparently no other state makes its higher education system into something approximating a state agency this way, Ohio political leaders are justifying it by saying it will make higher ed more "accountable." A bill's in the works to that effect. Ohio Board of Regents was about to pick a new chancellor from among six finalists, but now, naturally, that's been put on hold. The board opposes the cabinet plan. No wonder. It would emasculate the Regents. You can imagine how Ohio university presidents will greet this power shift.

The Regents admittedly have been ineffectual. The former chancellor a few years ago pushed a plan to eliminate duplicate academic departments around the state, but none of the universities wanted to give anything up. Is Ohio's higher ed problem "accountability" or not enough top-ranked academic programs and not enough funding?

This Cabinet-level plan will let Strickland shake up higher ed sooner, but is it a formula for excellence -- or just for more political in-fighting?

Helping the local economy

What are you willing to do to help our local economy?
That's the question we pose today after the story "Region's economy stagnant," stuck out like a sore thumb.
Why is it that Greater Cincinnati continues to lag while other regions - including the South and Southwest - grow more robust?
We have strong highway infrastructure. Our network of colleges and universities are among the strongest in the country. And we have a highly trained and highly skilled work force. But unemployment throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky through November was 4.8 percent, including the loss of about 1,700 manufacturing jobs.
This continues a longstanding downward slide experienced by Rust Belt areas. And that highly skilled work force is getting older.
An Enquirer poll showed local residents are less optimistic today than they were three years ago about the shape of their personal finances.
Employees need to be able to learn new skills. We have to attract more 21st century innovators to the region to start businesses and support them. Our education system must adapt.
Those are macro ways to improve our economy. But there practical ways you can improve the economy and your personal finances by doing small things:
Spend less.
Save more.
Stop misusing credit cards.
Drive less.
Sure, institutional investors steer large economic shifts, but small businesses and thrifty individuals have a great impact on their local economies.
In the coming days, we'd like to hear from you. Tell us changes you think we all can make to turn the tide from a stagnant economy to a more vibrant one.

'Surge' or not, Bush's plan is a longshot

On one major point regarding Iraq, President Bush and his critics in Congress are in agreement: It is time for the Iraqi government to step up, take responsibility for the nation's security and offer its people the tools to make economic progress.

But as Bush's major policy speech on Iraq and the critics' reaction to it Wednesday night demonstrated, there's a huge political rift regarding how to get Iraq to make that step. The president announced his plan to send 20,000 more U.S. troops to the Baghdad area at least temporarily to help quell sectarian violence, hopefully giving the Iraqis the chance to create some political and economic stability. Bush added a warning to Iraq that "America's commitment is not open-ended."

Reacting to the prime-time televised speech outlining the president's "new way forward" on Iraq, Bush's opponents called his plan an "escalation" and said that, as some military have suggested, announcing a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops to begin in the next few months would force Iraqis to face reality and save their own society from chaos.

These two starkly different approaches to Iraq will dominate debate in the coming weeks not only in Congress, which will look at funding and other related matters, but in the media, public forums and even family dinner tables across the country. It will be a complex debate, but one that deserves thoughtful attention and creative thinking.

Earlier Wednesday, as Bush prepared for his speech, his White House staff was busy spinning the plan’s details for the media. White House spokesman Tony Snow, in a conference call with a several newspapers' editorial boards (including the Enquirer's), described the major points Bush wanted to get across – and took issue with the labeling of his 20,000-troop plan as a “surge” strategy.

“ ‘Surge’ didn’t come from us,” Snow said. “(The president’s) not going to use the word ‘surge.’ That makes it sound like rush hour. It’s not like there’s suddenly 20,000 more troops in Iraq.”

It was part of a delicate dance by Snow, and later by Bush in his speech – forced to acknowledge that the old U.S. strategy in Iraq has been an abject failure, but determined to deflect growing criticism of the new strategy, which is nowhere near the fundamental change many Americans have been demanding as the situation in Iraq has appeared to spin out of control.

Many of the points the White House was trying to make are subtle, intangible ones, likely to be lost on the public. Reaction from the spinmeisters on all sides Wednesday night seemed almost to confuse the issue further, although there was wide support for a few points in Bush's plan -- notably a more focused counterinsurgency strategy inspired by the brilliant work of Gen. David Petraeus, who is poised to become the top U.S. military commander in Iraq.

But here’s the gist of the Bush arguments:

-- The projected gradual, targeted deployment of about 20,000 additional U.S. troops in and around Baghdad is part of a plan to reorganize the city into nine “security zones” and create a new “confidence-building” military presence on the streets – something that almost sounds like what Cincinnatians have come to know as “community-oriented policing,” but on a bigger, far more dangerous scale. And as Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq, the theory holds. Snow noted that 80 percent of sectarian violence in Iraq occurs within 30 miles of Baghdad, and half of the nation’s 18 provinces average fewer than one violent incident a day. As for the notion that 20,000 troops is too little, too late, Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., pointed out that this number will double the U.S. combat strength in Baghdad.

-- More U.S. troops are just part of the equation, the White House said. Iraq has pledged a quick increase in its forces, including one additional brigade (about 4,000 troops) around Baghdad by Feb. 1 and two more brigades by Feb. 15. More U.S. personnel will be embedded with Iraqi units, a U.S. commanders will have a freer hand to go after insurgents in neighborhoods where Iraqi politicians were previously able to veto military action. Tribes in Anbar province will take the lead in fighting al-Qaida forces there. And the U.S. is ramping up diplomatic efforts, trying to get regional players such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to back Iraq’s government and discourage mischief by Iran and Syria.

-- But while many Americans, among them Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., want the new strategy to keep U.S. troops out of harm’s way, Snow said the way the new troops will be deployed in Baghdad will likely lead to greater risk and more casualties. Troops will be on the streets after dark, instead of retiring to their barracks. “In the short run, it is going to make the situation more violent because you’re going right into the areas where the bad guys are and you’re going to fight them,” Snow said.

-- The bottom line for U.S. taxpayers: Bush is asking for $5.6 billion for the extra troops, $414 million for Iraq reconstruction, $400 million for a “quick response” fund, and $350 million for a military commanders’ fund. The latter two requests look like mechanisms to stash extra money to tap in case things go sour. But the White House was quick to claim that the bulk of the new money going into the Iraq effort will come from the Iraqis themselves and their regional neighbors. Iraq is tapping $10 billion of its oil-derived $11.5 billion surplus for reconstruction. "The American public wants to see Iraqis ponying up more money,” Snow acknowledged.

The idea is to push the fledgling Iraqi government to create jobs and economic opportunity after areas are made secure. As Bush’s speech put it: “Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhood and communities.” That’s a very tall order.

The challenge Bush’s “new way forward” faces is to create conditions in which ordinary Iraqis will see they have more to gain by signing on with Iraq’s multiethnic coalition government instead of taking sides in the sectarian strife.

That seems like a real longshot right now, and the U.S. public’s apparent skepticism toward Bush’s plan is well-founded. If it somehow works, Bush’s counterinuitive, non-surge “surge” may yet prove a smart shift in strategy. But don’t hold your breath.

'New way forward' or same old song?

As President Bush prepares to announce his “new way forward” for Iraq in a televised speech Wednesday night, commentators and political leaders already are reacting to Bush’s anticipated call for 20,000 more troops in Baghdad and elsewhere. Democratic leaders in Congress have asked Bush to begin withdrawing troops within four to six months.

And the public is weighing in. According to polls by CBS News and others, about six out of 10 Americans want U.S. troop levels in Iraq reduced. However, public sentiment about a short-term “surge” intended to stabilize Iraq may be more evenly divided, with 45 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed, noted the CBS poll.

Meanwhile, defense officials said Tuesday the first wave of extra troops already is scheduled to be deployed to Iraq by the end of the month.

How do you feel about Bush’s proposal? Do you believe the war can be won, or that Iraq at least can be kept from chaos, through additional U.S. action? What is your reaction to the bill Sen. Ted Kennedy has submitted that would require congressional approval for an increase in Iraq troop strength?

Comment below now, or come back to this page after the president’s speech and add your reactions at that time.

Smoke-free vehicles

Maine upstaged Ohio, Kentucky and the rest of the nation on the American Lung Association's 2006 "report cards" for state tobacco control measures. Maine was the only state to rate all A's -- for tobacco prevention funding, smoke-free air, cigarette taxes and youth access. Kentucky got all F's, and Ohio's grades were mixed -- two C's, an F and only one A, after voters in November passed a statewide ban on smoking in public places.

As if to reinforce Maine's top ranking, Bangor's city council on Monday night (Jan. 8) passed a law banning adults from smoking in any motor vehicle, including their own, if children are present. Since then smokers and nonsmokers from around the country have been lobbing incendiary comment at the Bangor Daily News, either decrying this back-woods ordinance which takes effect in 10 days or hailing it as worthy of immediate duplication nationwide.

Bangor council members even made it a "primary" law, which authorizes cops to stop a vehicle for no other reason than seeing a driver or passenger smoking in the presence of a kid, up to 18 years old. I'm not sure what they do if the kid is smoking.

Pediatricians and other medical people testified for the ban. I reckon it's at least as enforceable as primary seat-belt laws, but it does make me wonder if it won't be long before they decide to go beyond vehicles and add homes to the ban. I assume the car ban is based on roads as public rights of way, and considers secondhand smoke a form of child abuse. Have those Maine-iacs gone too far this time, or could this be the next big national push?

A fat pill for Fido

You noticed but didn't want to say anything -- the extra set of jowls, the huffing after a flight of stairs, the trouble fitting its fanny through the dog-house door. Fido is getting fat, and so are 17 million other American dogs.

Now pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is applying a quintessential American solution to the problem with its introduction of Slentrol. The prescription drug suppresses a dog's appetite and blocks fat from being absorbed from those chicken nuggets his owner sneaks him in the backseat or the Combos tossed from the couch.

The answer for a chubby canine, of course, couldn't be as simple as picking up the leash and walking the poor thing more. It couldn't be as logical as reducing the human-sized servings plopped in his dish three times a day. No, the only thing to do with a fat pooch is medicate him.

Dogs, like small children, do not have the ability to drive to the supermarket and load a cart with Tater Tots and cinnamon buns. What they eat is purely a product of what they are presented with, and in what amounts and how often.

And while the familiar saying about sleeping dogs implies that they like to lie around, the truth is just the opposite. It's not that Rover is bored with running, fetching or catching, it's that his sedentary owner doesn't give him the chance to.

Before we pop him a pill (which, by the way, has side effects of vomiting, diarrhea and even doggie anorexia), let's take our pup for a walk around the block or a dash around the yard. He might not be the only one to benefit.

Let them eat apples

This goes down as the biggest news in penal reform since the outlawing of the thumbscrew!

According to the Associated Press, the Franklin County Jail will no longer be injuring the health of inmates by serving them doughnuts.

According to the report: "County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy put a $55,000 annual contract for the doughnuts on hold last month over questions about their nutritional value and trans-fat content." That prompted the Franklin County Sheriff's office to drop its request for its annual contract with Jolly Pirate Enterprises, which supplied the inmates with glazed, jelly and crullers.

Now, I don't think Jolly Pirate Enterprises is the Halliburton of the prison pastry world or anything, but at a reported $4 per dozen, that means the Franklin County prisoners were being fed 13,750 dozen artery-cloggers per year -- a terrible dietary supplement for a population with such a sedentary lifestyle.

I'm with Kilroy on this and think her example should be followed in jails everywhere. No harm will come from imposing a healthier diet on prisoners.

Can 'firsts' in politics be inspiring?

Most readers of this blog seem politically in tune and were likely engrossed by some of aspect of this past November’s elections, the results of which were ‘enacted’ this past week. Still, the reality is that the majority of Americans do not vote and according to comments I hear from people who don’t exercise this right are usually along the lines of ‘if things are going OK for me why I should bother’ or ‘what I think or vote doesn’t really matter’.

None the less, the major shift in power in Washington with a Democratically controlled Congress and Senate as well as in the Governor's office in our capitol in Ohio, has several firsts that make for interesting observation and cause for reflection. Nancy Pelosi is one of 87 women in the US Congress with 71 of them in the House of Representative. She is the first woman ever to be the Speaker of the House. At a time when the number of women in the Ohio legislature is down to 23, the lowest it has been since 1992, Pelosi’s position can be a bright light at the national level for young women who may be interested in politics.

Another contemporary ‘first’ of Pelosi in the House is rookie Congressman Keith Ellison, the Democrat from Minnesota, who happens to be the first Muslim elected to Congress. Ellison, an African-American who can trace his roots in America to 1742, created some hoopla when he indicated he would take his ceremonial oath into Congress with his hand on the Quran, the holy book of Muslims. Though he certainly was not the first Congressman to take his oath on something other than the Bible, and despite the fact this was not the official swearing in where no scripture is used, it brought about animosity from certain talk shows and even one of his fellow Congressman, Rep Goode of Virginia. Ellison stayed his ground in his low key dignified way. Interestingly, he used a Quran from the Library of Congress that belonged to Thomas Jefferson and was a 1764 English copy that was part of Jefferson's original library. With minority religions not new and some interesting religious diversity in Congress, I hope this "much ado," contrasted with the down to earth views of Rep. Ellison , does not deter other minorities from serving this nation.

So can any of these firsts inspire more people to vote or encourage our brightest and hardest working young people to pursue the life of public service in the future? What, if anything, will you do to encourage that?

International (Bowl) exposure

If the Rose Bowl is the “granddaddy of them all” Saturday’s inaugural International Bowl might be called its grand-nephew twice removed.

The bowl, to be played at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Bluejays, is like an untested rookie playing his first game in the pros: No one knows what to expect because there is no precedent.

This could be good for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, who face the Western Michigan Broncos at noon. UC beat Utah State in 1997 in the first Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. It accepted the International Bowl bid after beating then No. 7 Rutgers at Nippert Stadium and ending the season with a 7-5 record.

This bowl is sandwiched between Monday’s night’s national championship game between Ohio State and the University of Florida and a host of other bowls played and forgotten. It’s easy to see the International Bowl as a consolation prize or just one more way to fill TV time.

We beg to differ. Anytime UC can gain national – and in this case, international – exposure, it opens the possibility to place the university on the minds of those unfamiliar with the school. UC athletics can give it the opportunity to promote its strong academic offerings and raise its profile. The $750,000 payoff for UC doesn't hurt, either.

ESPN will televise the game in the United States. TSN will televise it in Canada.

While Toronto is a North American city, its reach is international. Bowl promoters play up the bowl's novelty, saying the International Bowl is the first NCAA Division I football game played in the Toronto’s Rogers Centre and is the first NCAA college football bowl game to be played outside of the United States since the Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba in 1937.

No, this is no Rose, Orange, Sugar or Fiesta Bowl. It’s new. It’s still a novelty. It’s close by. And, most importantly, we get to show off. What do you think?

Smoked out

If we take down all the speed limit signs will everyone start driving 100 mph?

We had the bright here at the Enquirer Thursday morning to ask people to tell us what Ohio bars, restaurants, bowling alleys etc., are ignoring the state's smoking ban for public places that supposedly went into effect Dec. 7.

I say "supposedly" because by now anyone in the state with a nicotine craving knows the law is not being enforced, at least not yet. The law exists, but as our question to readers this morning noted, its enforcement is in limbo while the Ohio Department of Health figures out exactly how it will make people follow the rules. The result, as about 150 of you told us by 5 p.m., is that lots and lots of public places are simply ignoring it when customers light up. No warnings and no fines means no reason to hassle a customer who wants to smoke and drink at the same time.

Patrick Carroll, executive director of the Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association, which filed a suit challenging the law, advises people to "smoke'em if you got 'em," according to our news story.

That's a catchy phrase -- worthy of the Marlboro Man. Stupid, but catchy.

True, you can get away with lighting up in lots of Ohio bars these days while we wait for the health department to catch up to the voters. If the management doesn't care, you don't risk anything except the ire of the non-smoker who might be at the next table.

And of course your own health.

Law or no law, that is still the best reason not to smoke in bars, restaurants and anyplace else. It's very bad for you.

Acknowledging a hero and MLK responses

I didn't want to let this day pass without casting more light on Wesley Autrey of New York. You might have heard about him.

He's the man who saved the life of film school student Cameron Hollopeter, who suffered a seizure and fell between tracks on one of New York's subways.

Autrey leaped onto the tracks and shoved Hollopeter into the only space both could survive, a trough between the tracks. We get tons of complaint over the simplest problems. Here's a man who risked his life for another and is inspiring a nation.

Perhaps it will inspire a true-life film by Hollopeter.

***

On another note, we still are seeking responses for our MLK Day project. Videographer Glenn Hartong will videotape some of you; others can see their faces and words here and in next Sunday's edition.
Here's a condensed version of an earlier blog entry that explains details:

As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Day we want you to tell us what your dream is for the future. Did King's philosophy inspire you during the turbulence of the civil rights struggle? How does it impact you, two generations later?
The Jan. 14 Forum will feature the opinions in print and on video of well-known citizens as well as those who are less well-known. To participate, send us your dream for America in 200 words or less to letters@enquirer.com. Write "dream" on the subject line. Please include a daytime telephone number where you can be reached.

Fitter, not fatter kids

A proposed Kentucky bill is aimed at reducing the state's bloated child obesity rates by requiring schoolchildren to spend a half hour each instructional day in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Kentucky seems to be doing more than Ohio at "capacity-building" to address the obesity "epidemic," but at least Ohio education department's fitness advisory council did develop a national list of school best practices.

A few examples:

An Indian Lake, Ohio elementary school got good results by scheduling recess before lunch and using pedometers so students kept track of how many steps they took. Steps are a better indicator than time for how much exercise we get. Students were more active at pre-lunch recess, drew fewer disciplinary referrals and wasted less food at lunch.

A Puerto Rico school gave students options: team sports, dance, games, etc.

Many model schools feature small-group teams or partners rather than competition that results in winners and losers.

Florida's Fitness Fun Forever is typical in keeping school physical activity fun rather than a chore.

El Cajon, Calif. schools favored running and other aerobic activity that required no special equipment.

Atlanta's Take 10! program encourages teachers to splice into their instructional day 10-minute breaks for student physical activity. Yes it can be done in classrooms, no need for a gym.

A Winfield, Kansas program uses playground laps to teach math, geography and fitness.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a kids program called Eat Smart, Play Hard.

Which begs the questions: Might many discipline problems in-school or out be eliminated if youngters played harder? If daily they worked off excess energy or anger? And are educators only hurting themselves if they object to the minutes that phys ed takes away from instructional time?

The art of discipline

Too big to spank, too rich to fine and in many cases to valuable to bench. What's a coach to do?

Marvin Lewis has promised to get tough with misbehaving players next year. Judging from the reader comments we have gotten during the past, arrest-studded season, that will be a popular move with the fans. But what does Lewis mean exactly?

He acknowledges that fines don't seem to make much of an impression on million-dollar athletes. On-the-field antics that violate rules and draw the league's ire bring fines of a few thousand dollars, that are more than offset by the publicity generated for the hotdog. And face it, high-paid athletes are big investments that business often can't afford not to use.

Pro athletes know that a DUI can jeopardize a career, college basketball players know they have to stay academically eligible to play -- yet every season, in every sport, at every level, we see players who step over the lines anyway.

This isn’t just a problem in the pro and college ranks. High school teams have players who break the training and eligibility rules. Players in recreation leagues and even third-grade soccer tyros have been known to flaunt the rules.

Marvin promises discipline, but what discipline really works? We're going to explore the options on this question in this coming Sunday's Forum. Are you a coach, a parent, an athlete or a fan with an opinion? Do you have ideas about what works and what doesn't? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts on this blog, or by sending us an e-mail to letters@enquirer.com. Write "discipline" in the subject line and include you name, neighborhood and daytime telephone.

Senioritis -- what if they're tired, not lazy?

Calling the letdown some 12th-graders experience as they approach graduation "senioritis" used to be a slightly funny jab at legendary adolescent carefreeness and carelessness.

But today at the most competitive high schools, there is little margin for being either careless or carefree.

By senior year, the most competitive students have spent so much time chasing after achievement -- schedules crammed with Advance Placement courses, resumes brimming with extracurriculars, years of fiercely competing for top rankings -- that they not only have exhausted themselves, they can't really remember what they're competing for.

The fact that they can see they'll reap the benefits of their frenetic work -- acceptance at top-ranked colleges in demanding majors -- simply adds to their burden.

After years of keeping their heads down, following the rules and trading in sleep and hobbies and foolish fun with their friends for astronomical grades and perfect college profiles, all they can see is more pressure, competitiveness, high expectations and work ahead. They don't call it Harvard for nothing.

Sure, there are plenty of high school seniors who shirk their duties, frustrate their parents and cheerfully kiss their grade-point averages goodbye. But there are plenty of other very sober and hard-working 17-year-olds who experience a well-earned mid-life crisis three decades before their parents did.

MLK had a dream, what's yours?

Enquirer photographer and photographer Glenn Hartong first approached the editorial board early last month about a project in which we would interview prominent and common local citizens on the heels of MLK Day and ask them: Has the dream been realized?

We all got together and refined the plan a bit and came up with the following, and we'd like your help:

Martin Luther King Jr. outlined his vision or racial harmony and economic parity in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. The civil rights leader and Nobel Prize winner who espoused change and justice through non-violent protest would have been 78 on Jan. 15, had he not been gunned down by an assassin on April 4, 1968.

As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Day we want you to tell us what your dream is for the future. Did King's philosophy inspire you during the turbulence of the civil rights struggle? Does it continue to do so today?

The Jan. 14 Forum will feature the opinions in print and on video of well-known citizens as well as those who are less well-known. To participate, send us your dream for America in 200 words or less to letters@enquirer.com. Write "dream" on the subject line. Please include a daytime telephone number where you can be reached. You can also attach your response to the posting on this subject on the Today at the Forum blog at Cincinnati.com. Keyword: blogs.

Our hope is to have enough responses by Monday, so that we can select candidates to be taped and choose the best responses.Thanks