Opinion

Should You Buy Your Child An Ebike?

Should You Buy Your Child an Electric Bike? With the Spring around the corner, many parents, family or friends are considering buying an electric bike (ebike) for their favorite child, or maybe they got one for Christmas. If you search the internet for advice on whether an ebike is safe for your children, you'll see that there aren't a lot of concrete studies on the topic. Before doing so, the pros and cons of an ebike (versus traditional bikes) should be considered:

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Volume 16, Issue 3, Posted 8:59 AM, 03.01.2024

An Important History Lesson For This Year

There is a favorite quotation that said that those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it. This could be coming true in this year’s election. One of my favorite cartoon programs from my youth was the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. One segment on that show featured a very brainy dog and his boy, an eager lad named Sherman. Peabody the dog had invented a “way back machine” that could go back in time where they could change history. For this piece, let’s set the “way back machine” to the year of my birth, 1948.

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Volume 16, Issue 3, Posted 8:59 AM, 03.01.2024

Journalism Today In My Opinion

Scrolling through my social media feed recently, I came across a news article about Parma Ohio, tourism, arts & culture. I’m very proud of my city. I’m a big cheerleader for it, ask anyone who knows me. Parma has a lot to offer, and I love living here. The article stated that Parma had 9 local art & cultural places to immerse yourself in. Wow I thought! Another arrow in my quiver to use when I boast about our city. So I eagerly read on. 

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Volume 16, Issue 2, Posted 5:03 PM, 02.01.2024

Senator J. D. Vance Should Realize That His Loyalty Is to The People Of Ohio

There was a disturbing column recently in the Cleveland Plain Dealer regarding Ohio’s junior Senator J. D. Vance regarding his opposition to continuing aid to Ukraine in it’s battle against the Russian invaders. The United States and its European allies in NATO have continually supported Ukraine for two years since Russian forces invaded that nation and sparked the biggest war in Europe since the end of the Second World War. This was an unprovoked invasion by Russia, and it has been the objective of Russian Premier Vladimir Putin to restore the old Soviet Union.

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Volume 16, Issue 2, Posted 5:03 PM, 02.01.2024

Hometown Heroes....Veterans Beware: New Year Resolutions Can Be Dangerous To Your Health

According to the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report in 2021, which is the last update from the VA, 6,392 Veterans died by suicide, an increase of 114 suicides from 2020. This means that an average of 17.5 Veterans died by suicide each day in 2021.The age- and sex-adjusted suicide rate among Veterans increased by 11.6% from 2020 to 2021, if the 11.6% yearly increase over the past few years, remains constant, we can assume that the 2023 to 2024 increase means the daily average of veteran’s suicides is near twenty-three. Veterans remain at a 13% higher elevated risk for suicide compared to the general population.

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Volume 16, Issue 1, Posted 2:00 PM, 01.01.2024

Hate Has No Place In The United States

Following the attack by Hamas on Israeli settlements outside the Gaza Strip in Israeli territory on October 7, there has been an increase in anti Semitism around the world and even in the United States. This country was founded by people escaping religious persecution in Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, that document established the reasons for independence from Great Britain enshrined the ideals of freedom from tyranny.

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Volume 16, Issue 1, Posted 2:00 PM, 01.01.2024

Maybe There's Hope

Hamas rapes and tortures women, kills and beheads men and children and we have celebrities like Susan Sarandon telling us how bad the people are who were raped and murdered. Reminds me of listening to Truman Capote one night on the old Johnny Carson Show. He made an awfully good case that being intelligent and being an actor are mutually exclusive. Now, over fifty years later, Sarandon is proving that hasn't change. Personally, I've never seen an actor demonstrate any expertise in anything other than pretending to be someone they are not. Con men do the same thing and go to jail for it. There's a lesson there but a lot of people just can't seem to learn it and they keep believing everything celebrities say. Apparently, intelligence isn't only mutually exclusive with acting.

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Volume 16, Issue 1, Posted 2:00 PM, 01.01.2024

The Story Behind A Holiday Classic (And More)

Perhaps the most popular song of all time is the classic Bing Crosby Christmas classic “White Christmas”. Although Bing Crosby has been dead since 1977, his song will be played everywhere during this holiday season. But no doubt few people today know how or where this song originated.

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Volume 15, Issue 12, Posted 10:13 AM, 12.01.2023

We Have Been Through Strange Times Before

A favorite television cartoon show back in the early 1960s was the Rocky and Bullwinkle show that featured a flying squirrel and a moose fighting the cold war. One segment on that show was a brainy dog, Peabody and his eager boy, Sherman and their “way back machine” that allowed them to go back in time. It made for great entertainment in my early adolescence. Let us imagine that we had a “way back” time machine and we could set the time to go back in time fifty years to the autumn of 1973. Here we go.

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Volume 15, Issue 11, Posted 12:33 PM, 11.01.2023

Sail On, Jimmy Buffett; It’s Been A Lovely Cruise

I was surprised on the morning of September 2 when I heard of the death of Jimmy Buffett. Ever since the mid-1970s when I first heard his song “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and *bleep*”, I was hooked on his music. Since his first album after leaving Nashville in 1972 after his first two albums didn’t sell, he has released 29 studio albums with most of the songs being new material with a new studio album scheduled for release in November. Along with the many concert recordings and collections, he has become one of the most prolific recording artists of the past fifty years.

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Volume 15, Issue 10, Posted 1:36 PM, 10.01.2023

A Poem For St. Charles

This poem was written last year as part of a mini series for the 100th anniversary of St. Charles. Our community is many things — and chief among them is our sense of belonging.

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Volume 15, Issue 10, Posted 1:36 PM, 10.01.2023

Are We Now Living In That Dystopian Future?

Fifty years ago, this past summer, one of the top movies playing in the theatres was Soylent Green. That movie starred Charlton Heston as a police detective and Edward G Robinson in his last movie before he died as his old friend and confident. The setting was in an overpopulated dystopian society in 2022 where there weren’t enough jobs to go around, and we couldn’t produce enough food to feed the masses. The giant Soylent corporation literally controlled the world’s entire food supply, and the favorite food was their Soylent Green.

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Volume 15, Issue 9, Posted 4:42 AM, 09.01.2023

Parma's First Bike Lane.

Congratulations, Parma, you have your first bike lane! You may have noticed some symbols painted on
the right outer lanes on Pearl Rd between Brookpark and Snow Rd. This is called a sharrow. Bike
Cleveland describes it as this: "This symbol is a “Sharrow” (a cross between “share” and “arrow”) or “Shared Lane Bicycle Marking”. They are painted on roadways as a reminder to motorists that bikes may be present on the road, and
yes, they are legally allowed to take the full lane."

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Volume 15, Issue 9, Posted 4:42 AM, 09.01.2023

An Antiquated And Failed Political Philosophy

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, it may seem that the Republican party has adopted a different belief than it had held during the immediate post Second World War period. Now, many Republicans are following the beliefs espoused by the Libertarian Party and it has now become mainstream in the Republican party.

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Volume 15, Issue 8, Posted 10:45 AM, 08.01.2023

Hometown Heroes....The Myth of Independence Day

Independence Day (July 4th) is commonly but falsely associated with the military, the fact is that Independence Day has no affiliation with the military. The firing of military guns and cannons on this day lead to the assumption that this day was in fact a military related event. The gun salutes heard on this day were actually  salutes to represent the original thirteen founding colonies. This is the day the thirteen colonies declared independence from Great Britain. More importantly, July 4, 1776, is the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. (It was actually signed on the 2nd of July)

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Volume 15, Issue 7, Posted 6:07 AM, 07.01.2023

America’s Best Idea

It has been said that our national parks are America’s best idea. In fact, the entire idea of setting aside unique natural features was an American idea. On March 1, 1872, then President Ulysses Grant signed an act that established the Yellowstone area of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho as the world’s first national park. Ulysses Grant never visited Yellowstone National Park. But the reports from explorers told of natural wonders that were incredible; of geysers spouting boiling hot water and of hot pools of mud and of the remarkable wildlife in that area. In fact, Yellowstone National Park was the first declared national park in the entire world.

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Volume 15, Issue 7, Posted 6:07 AM, 07.01.2023

It’s The Same Old Song

A few months ago, Florida Senator and Senate Republican chairman, Rick Scott suggested “sunsetting” government programs. This is a term that would require reviewing government programs every five years and perhaps terminateding some. He also suggested that Medicare is one program that should be reviewed and renewed on a periodic basis. I wonder how this went over in his state of Florida that has perhaps the largest population of people over age 65 in the nation.

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Volume 15, Issue 6, Posted 10:06 AM, 06.01.2023

Help Us Save Parma Senior High School's Bell Tower And Theaters.

Many of you know that the Parma City school board and the superintendent have decided to tear down Parma Senior High school and several elementary schools. They also want to build a new school on Parma Senior High School's site. I would love to fight to save the whole building as it is my alma-mater. In addition, I have been involved in some way or another in the school district and Parma Senior High for the last 25 years. I definitely do not agree with the superintendent's plan to get rid of these schools for many reasons and I definitely do not think he should be tearing down Parma Senior High at all because the school was build very well and is still very viable but I think that fight would be fruitless. I am, however, helping the Parma Senior High School Stage Crew circulate a petition to try to save a piece of Parma Senior High School. We are trying to save the beautiful, historic 1500 seat theater, the iconic bell tower and the little theatre. The large theater used to be home to the Cleveland Orchestra and many stars like Frankie Avalon have been on that stage. One of the students has put together a petition with a lot of history about these spaces to get signatures to present to the school board and superintendent to try to convince them to keep the theater section of the school. I am asking the residents of Parma to help us by signing our petition. The petition is on Change.org. I am including the link here. https://chng.it/rj8kdZ54LD If it doesn't work, please type in the url to get to the petition or go to Change.org and search for "Save Parma Seinor High theaters and bell tower". We are hoping to get enough signatures to change their minds.

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Volume 15, Issue 5, Posted 11:01 AM, 05.01.2023

Easter At Pleasant Lake Villa

We had an egg-ceptional Easter at Pleasant Lake Villa this year. We enjoyed a beautiful Good Friday prayer service lead by our very own, Reverend Thomas. He spoke about the importance of Good Friday. On Holy Saturday, there was some-bunny special that stopped by with Easter candy and helped us color Easter eggs. Then, we showcased our residents' art and enjoyed delicious Easter-themed desserts. Thank you to all that made our Easter season such a blessed experience this year! 

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Volume 15, Issue 5, Posted 11:01 AM, 05.01.2023

Hometown Heroes. We Need Our Heroes !

The word hero comes from the Greek ἥρως (hērōs), "hero" (literally "protector" or "defender"), The definition of a hero has changed throughout time. Merriam Webster dictionary currently defines a hero as "a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities." Wikipedia defines hero, as one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good.

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Volume 15, Issue 4, Posted 12:13 PM, 04.01.2023

Speak Up! Guide The Parma City School Board To The Best Decisions For Our Children.

I am writing to express my opinion that the Parma School Board is not making a good decision about tearing down and closing schools and moving kids at this point.There is no levy money, inflation is high, construction costs are extreme, and children in the 2nd and 3rd grades are way behind in math and reading due to school closures. I felt that the board needed to slow down, and let our children recover from time lost in the closures. When I went to the meetings and expressed these ideas, I was told that “kids are resilient”, will get over it, and the board’s plans were going to be continued. It was, also, mentioned that this was all based on an internet survey with receiving about 1,000 responses. Unfortunately, I was the only one present at the BOE meetings. I, also, believe that they feel that if they tear down Parma Senior High, it will force people to pass a levy. Just know that we will only have one high school in the end, and all others will be torn down. It would please me to know that more residents had their voices heard. Whatever your thoughts, please contact the Parma School Board members and let them know. We shouldn’t allow this big a decision about the futures of our children to be left to so few people. Thank you for your thoughts in advance. Pat Nemeth, retired teacher and grandparent.

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Volume 15, Issue 4, Posted 12:13 PM, 04.01.2023

The Wind From Hell

“From the far north they heard a low wail of the wind. They could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the coming storm. There now came a sharp whistling in the air from the south and as they turned their eyes that way, they saw ripples in the grass coming from that direction also. The north and south winds met where the house stood and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of the cyclone, the air is generally still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it higher and higher until it was at the very top of the cyclone and there it was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather.”

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Volume 15, Issue 4, Posted 12:13 PM, 04.01.2023

Facing Adversity Strengthens Character

On February 14 1884, a young Theodore Roosevelt then a state legislator in the New York State Assembly welcomed the birth of a daughter. But later that day, his wife, the love of his life, passed away after giving birth due to Bright’s Disease. That same day, he learned that his mother had also passed away from typhoid fever. His father had passed away a few years earlier. Now, a young Theodore Roosevelt was devastated with grief.

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Volume 15, Issue 3, Posted 7:58 AM, 03.01.2023

TRI-C's Encore 55+ Classes Proves It's Never Too Late For College

It’s a new year, which means you have goal setting on your mind to create a new, better you!  As a senior, it's never too late to learn something new. If you’ve always wanted to study history or art or one of the myriad other courses offered at TRI-C Community College, now might be the perfect time. Residents 55+ can sign up for Encore 55+ Classes. There are virtual sessions or on-campus sessions which run on Fridays only from Jan 27- March 10. Only $99 for up to 6 courses (bundle) or $30 per course (a la carte).

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Volume 15, Issue 1, Posted 6:11 PM, 01.01.2023

Public Health And The Public Good

I grew up around health care. My mother was a long time RN at Lutheran Hospital in the OB-GYN Department. Later in her career she became in instructor in OB-GYN at the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing. She went to Ohio University right out of high school in 1936 and was in a six year cooperative program between Ohio University and the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing that led to a BA degree and a RN certification. She finished that program and started her nursing career in 1942, the same year that she married my father. She retired in 1984.

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Volume 15, Issue 1, Posted 6:11 PM, 01.01.2023

My Cleveland Christmas Memory

There is a new sequel to the classic holiday movie "A Christmas Story" about Ralphie showing his children the wonders of Christmas in his youth. This is a column that i wrote a few years ago and I felt that it was entirely relevant again. We all have our unique Christmas stories and here is mine from growing up in Parma during the 1950s.

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Volume 14, Issue 12, Posted 10:57 AM, 12.01.2022

The Flamingo Writers’ Guild Seeks Local Authors

Parma, Ohio’s literary group seeks writers who have published at least one book who live in, are heavily involved with, or have lived in Parma or Parma Heights. The group is creating a collection of the city’s local talent including the likes of author and therapist Lynne Shayko, city poet laureate Jeremy Jusek, and Beat Poet Laureate of the United States John Burroughs, the last of which operated Crisis Chronicles Press locally for decades. Also on display are the dozens of writers and authors who have published through the West Side Poetry Workshop’s annual anthology—a writing group that was established in 2015.

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Volume 14, Issue 12, Posted 10:57 AM, 12.01.2022

Why Are So Many Americans Angry?

This month all across the country, families and individuals will be sitting down for a dinner and to give thanks what ever we have received throughout the year. The annual feast of Thanksgiving is truly a unique American holiday that is neither a religious holiday nor a purely secular holiday. Throughout the country Americans will be sitting down with family and/or friends and giving thanks for what we have, regardless of personal wealth or faith.

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Volume 14, Issue 11, Posted 8:51 AM, 11.01.2022

Three Reasons to Vote Yes on Issue 9

          To put it mildly, Parma has had some issues getting a new levy for its schools. My kids attend Shiloh and Thoreau Park, which means I’m involved in their education and extracurriculars (sports, student councils, FAST, etc). I speak with other parents about this issue. And I get it: parents feel burned. Recent memory reminds us of a prior administration who intentionally shrouded themselves in a cloud of secrecy before bankrupting the district. I saw the news, and I stood in line with other angry parents to try and figure out what had gone wrong.

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Volume 14, Issue 11, Posted 12:44 PM, 11.04.2022

Support Issue 9

On behalf of the Parma Council of PTAs, we urge our communities to vote "yes" on Issue 9, the Parma Schools bond issue. We recently adopted a resolution in support of Issue 9 because we believe this is an important investment in our children. The one high school campus that the administration is developing will have more Career Tech, Advanced Placement, and College Credit Plus classes in one location than we are able to have now. Students will not have to travel across the district to capitalize on the wealth of options that the district offers. We will actually be able to have strong Freshmen and JV teams in our sports, too, instead of the low numbers we often see now. It's time for Parma to start being more competitive with so many of our neighbors who have already invested in new schools. Our students, too, deserve the best we can give them. As a graduate of the district, mother of two current students, and the President of the Parma Council of PTAs, I support Issue 9 and ask you to join me!

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Volume 14, Issue 11, Posted 8:51 AM, 11.01.2022

The Price Of Education Is Small Compared To The Cost Of Ignorance

I grew up in Parma on Theota Avenue near the Pearl and Ridge Road intersection. I attended the Parma Pubic Schools through high school. I graduated from Valley Forge High School in the class of 1966. I was able to go to college right after high school and graduated from Kent State University in June 1970. While I was attending school in Parma, I never gave much a thought about the quality of education I was receiving. I just took the courses I needed to get into college. My grades were good, but I was not National Honor Society; but they were good enough for me to get into college.

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Volume 14, Issue 10, Posted 8:04 AM, 10.01.2022

Reasons To Vote No On Metroparks Replacement Levy

I’ve been privy to scandalous stories about Cleveland Metroparks (CMP): Murders, accidents, lives lost and saved, low staff morale, wanton greed, public trust violations, and the park system’s demonstrably ineffective deer “population control” program, sharpshooting.

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Volume 14, Issue 10, Posted 8:04 AM, 10.01.2022

Where Were You In 1962?

In 1973, a movie premiered titled American Graffiti that had as it’s line “where were you in ’62? The movie dealt with the adventures of a group of young adults who had recently gradated from high school the previous June over a Labor Day weekend. The movie was set in Modesto California and was directed by a young man who grew up in Modesto and remembered those days of rock and roll music and “cruising” down the main drag of the city on summer evenings. That young director was George Lucas and the success of American Graffiti gave him the credibility to begin on his next project, a science fiction movie that was Star Wars.

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Volume 14, Issue 8, Posted 8:43 AM, 08.01.2022

Culture Clashes Are Nothing New

Somehow it seems that our country and society has become consumed with “culture wars” between the political parties and among different lifestyles recently. But culture clashes are nothing new and there were times when there were great divisions in the United States. Of course, the period before and during the civil war always comes to mind when the nation literally split apart over the issue of slavery. But there have been serious culture clashes in more recent times.

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Volume 14, Issue 7, Posted 6:19 PM, 07.02.2022