A Fresh Start
Can you believe it’s August already? No one enjoys the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the cracking open of crisp, clean, empty notebooks more than I do - your editor and super-geek-in-chief. The beginning of a new school year has historically been the time of clean slates, fresh starts, and endless possibilities. Although the past two years have seemed more like one loooong year, we may finally be getting back to normal as far as school goes.
“Normal” is not a word to use when describing Emily Taila. Emily, all of 14, is an artist who has been recognized for her talent at the national level and who has had her art displayed in the nation’s capital. She’s going places and thankfully, will carry the community with her wherever she goes.
“We the people” is more than just a line on an old parchment. Guest writer N. Peter Antone felt a need to expound on the principles of the U.S. Constitution, what it meant when it was written and what it means now. Considered a “living document,” this founding paper is the basis for our courts, legal system, and government - yet few people have actually read it, much less understand it.
We have a new features writer this issue, Karam Bahnam, who shares his experience and expertise combining his faith with daily business practices, not all that easy in today’s business world. The state of being a business owner is fraught with opportunities to take advantage of people but remembering our Christian roots and adhering to the Golden Rule helps keep us on the straight and narrow.
Valene Ayar, who has contributed once before, shares her knowledge of mindfulness and the law of attraction. With all the conflict going on around us, it helps to take a moment and breathe. Being present in the moment and focusing on positivity helps us more than most people realize.
Combining faith and business practice is something Dr. Michael Haddow, who is profiled in this issue, takes to heart. For more than 30 years, Dr. Haddow has been donating his time and energy to perform periodontal procedures and much needed surgery to grateful individuals in third world countries. “It’s part of my faith,” he explains. He also brings his passion into the classroom, teaching future dentists surgical techniques and the art of caring for others.
Dr. Adhid Miri brings us the fifth and final segment of his long-running series, “Genocide in the 21st Century.” If only printing the last article would signal the end of the persecution…
Sports are back and Steve Stein writes about Jeremy Denha, a winning high school basketball coach. Paul Natinsky gathered all kinds of information for our readers about this year’s Republican gubernatorial candidates, and we address the aging population and caring for those with special needs. We also bring you back to Iraq with Qaraqosh in the Frame, a continuation of the popular photo essay of the homeland that we began back in February.
Of course, this being the August issue, we give you the “school list;” being 2022, we offer it to you online.
Best wishes for a fresh start,
Sarah Kittle