a COOL pledge

All 134 Juniors at the University Preparatory Academy, a charter school with small class sizes in Detroit, have paired up and pledged to the Detroit City Council to graduate in 2012. Detroit is nationally known for having a poor high school graduation rate, 62% graduate while 21% drop out.

Charles Pugh, Detroit City Council President, encouraged the Juniors to complete school on time and to help each other along the way to ensure they all go to college. Also, to assist the Juniors to be successful in their pledge, tutoring is mandatory as is the involvement of parents.

Challenges do arrive for these students from their neighborhoods, friends, and school workload. Elaine Davis, 17, who will be the first in her family to graduate high school and attend college states, "We face the same problems as other kids. We come from the same neighborhoods." Fellow classmate, Kia Benson, 16, is grateful for the support of her peers, "We said we would help each other no matter how hard school gets for us. We have each other's backs." She reiterates, "The pledge means you are not only responsible for yourself but for another person and their fight to finish school."

CEO of New Urban Learning, which runs the school, Doug Ross, is impressed with these students who want to spread their pledge to other Detroit high schools to show that their goals are achievable, "Part of the message is if they do this-and they will-it's not about chance or luck or fate. It's a decision. It's a choice."

Here's to the Juniors at University Preparatory Academy for pledging to not only graduate and go to college but for taking on the responsibility of helping each other along the way-stay positive, stay generous, STAY COOL!

What do you think of the pledge these students took to graduate and to help each other achieve a higher education?

a COOL pitch

Tim Lincecum, 26-year-old pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award Winner of the San Francisco Giants, pitched in $25,000 to the Bryan Stow Fund to help pay the 42-year-old paramedic's medical bills and expenses.

Bryan Stow is a longtime Giant fan who was attacked and beaten last month outside Dodger Stadium. After the Dodger's season opener Mr. Stow, a father of two, was heading to his car when he was jumped and beaten. Bryan remains in the hospital and is currently in a medically induced coma. There is a $150,000 reward for anyone who has any information about Mr. Stow's assailants. So far no arrests have been reported.

The young pitcher states, "This was a senseless act of violence and I wanted to help out Mr. Stow and his family. I encourage Giants fans to support Mr. Stow in a positive way and hope there are not any more unfortunate acts between fans in this great rivalry."

The Giants have also donated $10,000 to the Stow fund and have currently raised $70,000 in all.

Here's to Tim Lincecum, a young talented pitcher who has been voted the best pitcher in the National League back to back years (08'-09'), who made his best and most important pitch to Bryan Stow in hopes of helping him and his family recover from a horrific incident-stay positive, stay generous, and STAY COOL!

What do you think of Tim Lincecum and his donation of $25,000 to the Bryan Stow Fun? If you would like to donate:

Send check to: The Bryan Stow Fund, San Francisco Police Credit Union, C/O San Mateo Branch, 1495 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94402 or online at any bank listed at http://www.cuswirl.com.

COOL puppies

The Puppy Program of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the birth of the 500th puppy to be born into the program, Dolan. He will be trained by the TSA's National Explosives Detection Canine Team to eventually be able to detect explosives in airports and other transportation systems nationwide. The K-9 Team was created post 9/11 to help fight terrorism.

All the puppies in the program are named after a 9/11 victim in hopes of honoring their memory. Dolan, the newest member of the program, is named after Captain Robert Eward Dolan Jr. who was a victim of the attack on the Pentagon. Lisa Dolan, the late Captain Dolan's wife, expresses her gratitude, "My children and I are very excited to have a puppy named in Bob's memory. Bob began his military career as an explosives ordinance expert. When he was killed at the Pentagon, he was working on Homeland Defense, and so it's very fitting to have one of the TSA puppies named for our hero. Knowing "Puppy Dolan" will one day be an explosives detection canine in the service of our country is reassuring. Dolan's future career keeping travelers safe is a fitting addition to Bob's legacy of freedom."

The program has been around for nine years, based at Lackland Air Force Base, and about half of the 500 puppies are still working in the field while others have become breeders. The dogs go through a very extensive training program and are fostered out to families in the San Antonio or Austin areas from ten weeks to 12 months of age. The families provide a nurturing environment for the puppies to grow and develop mentally as well as socially while the TSA supplies the food, equipment, and all veterinary care.

John S. Pistole, TSA Administrator, is proud of the things the program has accomplished, "We are proud that the program has provided hundreds of world class puppies over the past nine years. Our dogs continue to perform at a high level and enhance TSA's explosives detection capabilities."

The TSA is hoping to expand to 200 puppies per year who need fostering. For those of you presently living or planning on living in the San Antonio and Austin areas and interested in fostering a TSA puppy please visit www.tsa.gov and in the search area type "puppies" or call 210-671-1624.

Here's to all the puppies who are born into the TSA Puppy Program and named after a victim of 9/11-keep sniffing-stay puppy like, stay tail wagging, and STAY COOL!

What do you think of the TSA's National Explosives Detection K-9 Team and the puppies born into the program? Would you be willing to foster a puppy from 10 weeks old to 12 months of age?