AS I SEE IT ... Bruce Barton Happy holidays to all! We 'II talk after the holidays. The grandchildren (and their parents) are visiting and I ant preoccupied. I wish you the very best in 2002! Crazy Horse Progress Includes More Than Mountain Carving The nine-story-high face of crazy Horse looms above an-going drilling and blasting on the colossal mountain carving in the Black Hills of S.D. Cost of the big hydraulic track drill was deeply discounted by atlas Copco, a major equipment benefactor of the Memorial. Crazy Horse Mem.. S.D.- changes on the Crazy Horse mountain carving, growth of educational and cultural programs and opening new facilities highlighted an eventful year at crazy Horse Memorial. The nonprofit project in the Black Hills of S. D. is a tribute to the North American Indian. The nine-storv-high face of Crazy Horse was dedicated June 3. 1998, after which blocking out began on the 22-storyrhigh horse's head on the world's largest sculpture. "The on-going support ofthe public has made 2001 another year of steady progress." said Ruth Ziolkowski. president of the Crazy Horse Memorial-" Foundation. "The visiting public is responding mere enthusiastically than ever to the Memorial's growth, and we hope that is increasing their knowledge and appreciation of Native American heritage and culture. "The public also seems keenly interested in the challenging work now underway to block out the 219-foot-high horse's head on the mountain," she said. "My Fellow Chiefs and 1.:." SpulptorKorczak Ziolkowski (1908- 1982) began the Memorial in 1948 at the request of Lakota elders. On their behalf Chief Henry Standing Bear's invitation said. "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." Following Korczak's death his wife, Ruth, their large family and the foundation have continued the project using the sculptor's detailed plans and scale models. Seven of the 10 Ziolkowski sons and daughters are actively involved in varying aspects of the Memorial. "National events have touched all our lives, and each of us has responded in different ways," said Mrs. Ziolkowski. "One of our responses has been to continue to move forward and work that much harder toward realizing the Crazy Horse dream of Chief Standing Bear and Korczak. "The on-going financial support ofthe project by new and old friends indicates many also are rededicating their efforts toward that goal," she said. Progress in Several Areas MOUNTAIN CARVING: blocking out the massive horse's head continues with recent consipletiaft of the second access road or bench blasted around the upper portion of the 219-foot-high head. For the year more than 22,500 tons of granite were blasted off the mountain. That involved 2261 boreholes re- j quiring nearly five and one-half miles of drilling. Work on the mountain will be speeded by the recent donation by four major manufacturers of five pieces of heavy equipment. INDIAN MUSEUM: The Indian Museum of North America during the year received major donations of artifacts and art works representing several tribes. Included is a Native American saddle used at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Memorial's Native American Scholarship Program is providing some S55.000 to Native students during the 2001-02 academic year. NEW FACILITIES: The Memorial's educational mission is being formalized with a newly-completed Education and conference Center. It is located in the 18.000-square-foot lower level of the Memorial's new Orientation Center complex. A fund drive continues to furnish and equip the facility which will be used for a wide variety of communication functions. Choosing A Gift That Keeps On Giving (NAPS)?When it comes to giving from the heart, some people have a bear-y good idea. These gift-givers are choosing a bear that helps make wishes .come true for children with life-threatening illnesses. For every 2001 Zales Holiday Bear that is purchased this year, $2 of the price will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make wishes come true for children with life-threatening illnesses. The fluffy, white collectible bear is available at all of the Zales Jewelers stores across the country for $9.95 with a purchase of $99 or more. "This is the fifth year that we have offered the collectible Zales Holiday bear and we are thrilled that we have had the opportunity to provide more than a million dollars to help make the wishes of children come true," says Pamela Romano, president of Zales Jewelers. "We are so pleased that in addition to making our customers' wishes come true, we can also help such a worthy cause as the Make-A-Wish Foundation." The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses and by so doing gives these children hope, This white, fluffy, collectible bear is a way to make many children happier. strength and joy. The largest wish-granting organization in the United States, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 83,000 wishes since its founding in 1980. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org. Zales Jewelers, also known as Zales The Diamond Store , is one of the largest fine jewelry retailers in the United States. To place an order or to find a Zales Jewelers store near you, call 800/311-JEWEL, or visit www. zales.com. Search for Truth by F.lder Joseph Billiard MIND-BOGGLING! Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of Cod: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. I John 3:1, K.J.V. "lie hold" ?l.ook! Look here! Give vtiut consideration to this. Nothing deserves your full attention so much as the following fact. "U'Aut mantlet"-?this is something peculiarly unique. ( The Sl).-\ liible Commentary says this expression was used to imply "admiring amazement.") "Of love"?the greatest thing in the world, the most dynamic power, the highest emotion, the most positive force. " I 'he h'alher"?l.ord of the universe, the One who made and commands the stars in space, who created us. who gives us our dailv needs, who cares about our future, who has prepared a future especially for us, the one Jesus called His Father. "Hath bestowed"?given freely?outright, heaped upon us. with no strings attached. An accomplished fact; He has already done it. It is a finished deed; the results of which are continual. We may accept that love or reject it, but nothing can take away the fact that God has offered us His eternal love. "C./10it to"?most ignoble us. who were aliens, enemies, sinners. And wc were enemies even at the moment God was doing the bestowing of His love. Unimaginable! "thai we"?the focus of Cod's attention is upon us. His sacrifice is altogether for our benefit. It is truly godly love because it is selfless love. "Should he called"?called by God Himself, who does not lie, who makes no mistake. Called before a universe of witnesses, not done in a corner but proudly, for all to see. "The sons of Cod"?and the daughters of Cod, of course, for this is a generic term. We are God's family now; wc take His name; we are heirs to His riches; His bosom is our home; and Jesus is our Brother. "And such we are" (N.E.B.)?these words are the capsheaf for the entire statement?we are not merely called the sons of God, we tire the sons of God! And that right now, as the next verse says. ' . l.et the wonderful fact that God loves you open your heart to the sweet influences of His Spirit. His smile says a lot about you. Your gift to Volunteers of America brings smiles to the faces of individuals and families in need. Help us ensure that thousands of men and women in our community can lead happier, more productive lives. Volunteers of America? changing lives, restoring hope. Please call us at 1.800.899.0089 or visit www.voa.org. Volunteers of America* Ihcrc arc no limits to caring. - (nfvr?K? - WcJkjt; md iw jjCtPP^ pn*?? xrt^ud J y*? dor***: o* ?cv ii>?raAc * 'Wi' * C*mvmi?K*' W >?cc*?r. * ~v r:J* :o *? ? irrt dorr nW *) At pnit* ?vi * -NcO^; rt*^< - Avmllmblllty - All rj-^y**. *t j.*bSe - fr?? #-RAf.tr? F* EE 8jxrCkctyiwr Eiitc XL(rC ??m<*r OEX' Mcva ?om tfrtflw* S/o'i S*\ <*t T'*fo\ b\ Colh?: 1-800-774-0788 5? Wl? ryidW . ear holds forth the possibility of beginning with a clean slate. What has been has been- some things good and some things not so good. Obv iously .it's more pleasant to dwell on positive things. Still and all it's not logical io ignore those things which happened during the previous twelve months - good or bad- even if there's nothing that can be done about them. The mold situation at Prospect, for example, certainly wasn't positive. Still it can't be ignored. Nor. was it Everything that could be done to rectify the situation was done We worked with those experts who knew how to deal with that kind of problem. The same goes w ith the recent outbreak of E-coli. Even though it was ascertained that its source was not food prepared at the school where most of the students were affected, it still was a concern. It's to be hoped that the source w ill be found so that the minds of the parents of students at the school will be set to rest. We had our share of fires set at some schools during the year. It's the sort of thing we have to be vigilant about despite the fact that it would be extremely difficult, it not impossible, to forestall such a happening. We can only hope that parents work with us to impress on their children what effects such misdeeds have on the school and their fellow students as well as how it could J act on their own lives. he dropout rate for our school system indicates that all too many students dropping out of schools. In our next column we'll discuss that in detail, suffice it to say that we're concerned and hope to be able to remedy the situation. We're working on it now. On the positive side, construction- both on new buildings and renovation of older ones- is in the home stretch. It's been a long haul but. when it's been a long haul but. when it's all completed, our studems will have more and better facilities than ever before. Test scores are up and we have more schools ofdistinction than we've ever had along with having two schools which are in the top 25 K-8 schools in the state. Reading and writing are both taking significant strides forward and we expect substantially more improvement in reading when the "Every Teacher is a Teacher of Reading" program starts to lake effect. There's more in the way of positive accomplishments that I could mention but. suffice it to say, as we head into the new year, we are looking forward to a year much more improved over 2001. As 2002 gets underway, plans are to make it the best year ever for the Public Schools of Robeson county. Probably the oldest of all present-day breeds of dog Is the salukl, believed to have already existed as a breed In the Middle East at least 4,000 years ago. The first official Times Square New Year's Eve celebration took place'ln 1904. A party was held on a roof for editors of a local magazine. Getting Women the Cardiovascular Care They Need (NAPS)?Women may not be getting what they need in terms of cardiovascular care. That was the findirtg of a group of 19 female cardiologists who met recently for the National Summit for Cardiovascular Care in Women. The cardiology specialists discussed the unmet need in cholesterol -therapy specifically in women, which can lead to heart disease. The summit focused on preventive cardiology and ways to improve risk-factor management. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the largest single killer of men and women. Yet according to the American Heart Association's survey of women's understanding of heart risk, only eight percent cited heart disease as the leading health threat. CHD kills more women than breast cancer in every decade of life, with more than a half-million women dying of cardiovascular disease every year. In addition, women tend to have more silent heart attacks than men, and tend to have more atypical symptoms like fatigue, nausea,' shortness of breath, abdominal, back or jaw pain. Because of this, they tend to avoid going to the hospital. As a result, women tend to be treated less aggressively than men Over one half million women die of cardiovascular disease every year. Because of the aging population, more people are dying of coronary heart disease than in the past. for men, it's leveling off, but for women, the numbers have increased from 10 years ago. 0 with heart disease. One problem in getting women the help they need is that patients may go to more than one healthcare provider, and care may not be coordinated to ensure that women benefit by monitoring and lowering their LDL or "bad" cholesterol. TVeatment Options Heart disease statistics for women could improve if they receive the cholesterol-lowering therapy they need. A significant percentage of young women in their teens and 20s already have cholesterol plaque and could benefit from getting their LDL cholesterol down. Current guidelines recommend LDL cholesterol levels of less than 130 mg/dl for patients who do not have CHD. However, Karol Watson, MD, PhD, co-director. Lipid Clinic, University of California at Los Angeles, and one of the speak ers at the summit, states, "If this country could get down to a place where our mean LDL was less than 100, we could significantly reduce our burden of cardiovascular disease." Medications are being developed that may be more appealing to women. Data was presented on one such medication, WelChol1 (colesevelam HC1). Unlike some other medications, WelChol, marketed by Sankyo Pharma Inc., is not absorbed into the bloodstream and can be taken by women of childbearing age. Women who are pregnant should discuss cholesterol treatment with their physician. Diabetes & CHD Diabetes is another factor in heart disease. An explosion in the rate of Type 2 diabetes is expected to result in more women being screened for cholesterol a lot earlier, which will hopefully lead to women getting treated earlier. The bottom line is that women need to be more aware of their CHD risks and take steps to prevent and treat high cholesterol. For more information on WelChol, call 1-877-4-SANKYO (1-877-472-6596), or you can visit www.welchol.com. 1 Building Fund Drive is $200,000 Short of Goal Crazy Horse Mem., S.D. -- A fund drive for Crazy Horse Memorial's large new Orientation Center complex is S200.000 short of going over the top. So far the campaign has raised 51,650,000 or about 90% of the 51,850,000 goal. The new facility includes the recently completed Education and conference Center. It is located in the 18,000-square-foot lower level of the complex. "The S200.000 still needed will help furnish and equip these multipurpose facilities," said Crazy Horse Memorial foundation Chairman Richard Tobias of Rapid city, S. D. "We welcome corporate and individual participation in realizing this giant step forward in our educational efforts. Many contributors have helped bring this building to reality, and we appeal to others to join them to put our fund raising campaign over the top this year. That would mean a great deal to the project." Contributions to the nonprofit Crazy Horse Memorial foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization, are tax deductible under IRS rules. Tobias noted that major capital improvements at the Memorial are financed primarily from fund drives rather than from visitorgenerated operating revenue. The new 40.000 square foot, splitlevel building includes: Orientation Center with twin theaters (seating 300) and extensive display and exhibit space, new Lakota Wing of the Indian Museum of North America, new home for the 22.000-volume (and growing) crazy Horse Research Library, new education and conference Center with classrooms and a meeting room seating up to 300. Additional information about Crazy Horse Memorial can be obtained on the * Internet at . http:// www.crazyhorse.org or by writing: Crazy Horse Memorial. Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730-9506 USA; phone (605) 673-4681; FAX (605) 673-2185; E-Mail: memorial@crazyhorse.org. A till Is among favorite exhibits In the new Lakota Wng of the Indian Museum of North America. It Is part of Cray Horse Memorial's new Orientation Center.