Thumbs Down

To the people who ought to know better but still give alcohol to underage drinkers. A study by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated that there are 10.8 million underage drinkers in the country based on the survey result that 28 out of every 100 people ages 12 to 20 said they had consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. They're getting it not from inattentive store clerks but in homes - from other adults or family members. Of those who consumed, one in four said they obtained alcohol from an adult not related to them; one in 12 got it from an adult family member not a parent or guardian; and one in 16 got it from a parent. Drinking has always been one of Wisconsin's problems, but the laws on underage consumption won't work unless adults, and that means all of us, make them work.

Thumbs Up

In view of the above, we welcome the decision by a city of Racine committee to keep a keen eye this summer on local establishments which are collecting too many alcohol ordinance violations. As we said above: Laws work only when we make them work.

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To the Village of Caledonia for its study of alternatives to membership in the Racine Unified School District. Citizens are not done deciding what to do with the information, but reexamining options is never a bad idea.

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To Briana Lipor of Racine, who was crowned Miss Wisconsin on Saturday night. Aside from scholarship money, she's headed to Las Vegas for the Miss America pageant. Good luck to our Miss Wisconsin.

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To FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency became its own contradiction in terms after bungling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, by all accounts, the agency has learned from its mistakes and has been a model of responsiveness in the wake of flooding throughout the Great Plains and Midwest.

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To Mars Inc. , which has declared its intention to decode the DNA sequence of the cocoa tree in collaboration with IBM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The idea is to create cocoa trees that are more resistant to pests and diseases, and better able to withstand the anticipated stresses that will come with global climate change. So relax. No matter how bad it gets, we'll still have chocolate.