Oxford Community Schools superintendent Bill Skilling sees the coming century as one that will be dominated by China's economic and political interests. With that in mind, he has become a strong advocate for teaching our kids both Chinese culture and language. It's a vision shared by many in Metro Detroit. But how do you make it a priority in an era of shrinking educational resources?

Last week Affirmations help celebrate National Coming Out Day with an event that introduced Metro Detroit to the next generation of LGBT leadership. The room was packed, the speeches and stories were inspirational, and Metromode's Kim North Shine was there to take it all in.

Yousif Ghafari is the living embodiment of the American immigrant success story. He was born in Lebanon, earned multiple college degrees in the U.S., and spent decades building a business from scratch. The result has been wealth, community status, political connections, and a reputation for philanthropy. Needless to say, Ghafari has some strong opinions about the role of immigrants in our region's success. Dennis Archambault gets the story.

When it comes to the forefront of scientific, technical, and leadership roles, women are still running in place, for the most part. Civil Air Patrol Major General Amy Courter, president of the Michigan chapter of Women in Defense, writes this week on how more women can achieve line positions in Michigan's burgeoning defense industry.