OUR OPINION: Thumbs up, thumbs down

THUMBS UP: To the U.S. Army for providing marriage programs to keep military families intact. Deployments put severe strains on couples. Through a variety of enrichment seminars, the Army is seeking to cut the 21 percent divorce rate among couples where one spouse has been sent off to war.



THUMBS UP: To Dan Davis for collecting old musical instruments for less fortunate students in the Valdosta City School System. Working on behalf of the Valdosta City Schools Foundation, Davis hopes to collect 200 instruments.



THUMBS UP: To the Coca-Cola Co., Home Depot, Pfizer Inc. and other U.S. corporations for donating millions of dollars in cash and supplies to victims of the tsunamis along the Indian Ocean.



THUMBS DOWN: To news from the American Heart Association that more than 10 percent of U.S. children ages 2-5 are overweight. Experts say that obesity is increasing across the board in people of all ages in the United States. Along with more heart attacks, strokes and diabetes, obesity will certainly usher in higher health costs for all Americans.



THUMBS DOWN: To news that United Nations peacekeepers and staff have sexually abused or exploited war refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week, a French UN aid worker was arrested on charges of manufacturing pornographic videotapes of young girls. About 150 similar allegations have forced the UN to investigate the peacekeepers who were sent to the region to protect the populace.