Buzz Bin

North Idaho Angel


Among the many acts of giving we witnessed this season, one stands out in particular. Longtime local charitable organization, the Inland Northwest Community Foundation (formerly Foundation Northwest) recently received a major bequest from the late Margaret F. Galbraith amounting to $12 million. This chunk of change (which makes up more than a fifth of the entire value of the foundation's funds) is to be devoted exclusively to North Idaho communities. The Foundation will see to it that Galbraith's money goes to organizations working on children's issues, young adult education and public improvements, among other things, and will no doubt benefit people whom Galbraith never met. It makes us want to feel overwhelmingly selfless -- as if we had a small fortune to give away too.





Playing Doubles


In case you haven't gleaned it from other parts of the paper, allow us, your friendly Buzz Binsters, to tell you that the newspaper you hold in your hands is a double issue. We're taking a week off. No, that doesn't mean the boss has finally allowed us to go home -- we're just taking a week off from delivering a new paper so that we can prepare a surprise. The next Inlander will arrive in your local Inlander rack on January 11, featuring the product of our toils. While we don't want to ruin the surprise, we can tell you that something is happening that will change every single page of The Inlander. See you soon.





Make a Difference


It's easy to feel that individual efforts are meaningless when faced with the enormity of the world's problems, but the first step in changing the world is feeling like your efforts count. Students at University High School will launch a program on Jan. 3 to do just that -- with the goal of helping the victims of genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. They begin with an effort to educate the school's population about the problem; next comes positive action -- selling Darfur T-shirts to raise money for the cause. Finally, they'll see the fruits of their labors by donating the funds raised to an organization directly involved in providing humanitarian aid to Sudanese people. To help, call Paul Schneider (228-5240), or send donations to: The Genocide Project, 12420 E. 32nd Ave., Spokane Valley, WA 99216.





Let Registers Ring!


The halls of commerce were booming this week after Christmas, as everyone ran out to cash in all those gift cards and certificates that have become the gift-giving rage. Lines were longer than at any time other than the Saturday before Christmas. Don't they know we have to get our 2 pm latte on time or heads will roll?