According to Tip O’Neill, all politics is local, signifying that REAL change occurs at the community level and that the best way to institute change is at the community level… oh, and the votes also come from the localities, not at the national level (which is the real reason why all politics is local). In much the same way, I’d offer a similar thought that all news is local, especially if one really wants to read up on the people, places, and things going on in their localities. Unlike the national media (or irritatingly referred to as the mainstream media or MSM now…), community papers don’t have to appeal to national interests or to the mass media market. Our community newspaper here in Southern Maryland is the Gazette, and I’ve found many wonderful stories highlighting the wonderful achievements of many local people like Jan Olsen, the founder of Handwriting Without Tears, highlighted in this Gazette article.

Although the program has been around for a while, it’s still great to hear about successful people making an impact on our children in our local communities. According to the article, the program has already taught over 2 million people how to write. I could have probably used the program myself, given that fact that my handwriting is dismal (which I find hilarious for a fountain pen fanatic like myself). One item in the article I did note was that the program encouraged parents to read. If parents read, the theory is that your children will do the same and I’ve found that to be absolutely true with our children. Hey, maybe I can do things right every now and then!