Mary Novaria

All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing. –Edmund Burke On the campus of a major university, in the locker room of a revered football coach, a colleague harmed vulnerable children in the worst way and, for a long time, got away with it. We are shocked. We are speechless… Sadly, there are people out there who are sick in a way that compels them to prey on the young and vulnerable. Others are sick in a way that causes them to shirk their responsibilities, disregard the rules, and cover for the offenders. Secrets keep us sick. Penn State’s Board of Trustees made a voluminous statement in its immediate dismissal of Joe Paterno and the school’s president. Educators, if I’m not mistaken, are mandated reporters. Legalities aside, adults have a moral obligation to speak up when children are sexually abused. Whether it’s your spouse, your coworker, your priest, your doctor or your coach, there should be zero tolerance for silence....

Kristen and I jumped into the rental car at Maui’s Kahului Airport. Primed for adventure, sunshine and Mai Tais, we were Thelma and Louise. Okay, so Brad Pitt didn’t tag along and our Alamo rental may not have been a ’66 T-bird, but at least it wasn’t a minivan. While the iconic characters, played by Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis, had some significant legal troubles, the closest my cousin and I came to breaking the law was meandering off the trail in the Iao Valley State Park in search of a promised but elusive waterfall. Who could blame us? This was an escape, after all, a brief respite from daily pressures of work and family and, for Kristen, the looming cold, snow and darkness promised by another Alaskan winter. We needed to bank some serious Vitamin D. One way to stay a step ahead of the law is to not drink and drive. That means grilled fish and frothy blended piña coladas at the condo… or a walk on the beach to happy hour and dinner. The sunsets are spectacular and, later,...