Parkland Press

When I read about massive earthquakes or devastating forest fires destroying communities, I often comment on how nice it is to live in Pennsylvania, where severe weather is not such a big concern.

The occasional small tornado or earth tremor make the news and cause a stir, but for the most part, we feel safe from Mother Nature's outbursts.

Last year's heavy snow on Halloween weekend set me straight, however, about how severe weather can come anywhere at any time.

With the recent deaths of astronaut Sally Ride, and Cosmopolitan magazine editor Helen Gurley Brown, what other women do young girls look up to?

Setting sun shimmering on the bay

Multi-configured clouds

Frame this glorious scene

Scent of sea engulfs my senses

As gulls ride the thermals heavenward

A fitting climax to an

all too insular summer

Devoid of supernal inspiration

by nature's handiwork

Ah, how the muse performs

Her song of bliss

enlivened by this scene

Reveling in joy at summer's end

As the sun sets in the west

Yet another summer passes

I am transfixed by this

sublime summer's end.

D.J. Hausman-Hill

Lititz

Imagine stepping into your store, restaurant or the office where you run your business after a wildfire has been contained, a tornado or hurricane has passed, or floodwaters have receded.

Unfortunately for thousands of business owners across the country, this scenario is more than just imagined.

I was raised with the notion I could be anything I wanted to be.

There was never discussion on barriers placed on particular careers because I was a girl.

We recently lost a very important woman, Sally Ride, who helped pave the way for young girls.

Ride was the first American woman in space and the youngest American to ever circle Earth.

According to her biography on sallyridescience.com, she answered a NASA newspaper ad seeking astronaut candidates in 1977 while finishing her Ph.D. She already had degrees in physics and English.

Eleven years have passed since the 9/11 Islamic extremists' terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and the crash of hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 into a farmer's field near Shanksville, Somerset County.

Last year's 10th anniversary memorial tributes to those lost in the tragedy were televised; I doubt there will be as much broadcast this year.

The pain and sense of loss, however, continues for the families and the survivors.

Editor's note: Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died on Aug. 25.

Where were you when he walked on the moon and what was your reaction?

·Special Olympics Bethlehem is in need of a training coordinator. Contact Robert Sehee at 610-419-3285 or bso.sehee@gmail.com.

·American Diabetes Association, Bethlehem, needs help to make the next diabetes walk in Bethlehem Oct. 13 the most fun and successful walk to date.

Contact Dawn Fernandez at 888-342-2383, ext. 4625 or dfernandez@diabetes.org.

Coco Foundation, Bethlehem, needs volunteers for its annual Tee Time for Coco Golf Tournament Sept. 29.

Contact Lisa Walker at 570-954-8024 or lisa@thecocofoundation.org.

To the Editor:

Dora M. Lacy was a friend like no other person could be.

When I was injured in a motor scooter accident, Dora, her sister, Evelyn, and their brother, Richard, who was a classmate of mine for four years in the fantasic class of 1949 at Whitehall High School, stepped in to bolster my self-esteem at a time I needed it badly.

Frequent visits playing pinochle and board games, and cranking homemade ice cream were welcome treats to the boredom of waiting for broken bones to heal.

The Aug. 15 arrest of state Rep. Joseph Brennan, D-133rd, on simple assault and DUI charges, and the subsequent an-nouncement he would not seek re-election in November should lead residents of the Lehigh Valley to conduct deeper research into whom their candidates and elected officials are.

We, the people, should place higher standards on our elected officials, and those public officials should abide by higher ethical and moral standards.