Columnists

The Public Eye: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Debt?

By Bob Burnett
Monday April 18, 2011 - 01:28:00 PM

Last week, I received an angry email accusing me of ignoring the number one political story, “…the USA is broke, and has $14 TRILLION DOLLARS worth of debt!” It wasn’t unusual as many Americans are overwrought about the US public debt. Sure, it’s a problem but not number one and here’s why. -more-


German WW II POWs In the U.S.

By Ralph Stone
Monday April 18, 2011 - 01:37:00 PM

I just finished "A Brother's Blood" by Michael C. White. The novel is set in Maine where German prisoners of war (POWs) were detained during World War II. The novel begins many decades after the war when Wolfgang Kallick arrives in Maine from Germany to find out the details of his brother Dieter's death at the camp. The book is loosely based on the POW camp at Seboomook, Maine where, because of the increased shortage of paper, Great Northern Paper Company had an arrangement with the U.S. Army for a POW camp and initially 250 prisoners from General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, the German elite, were brought to cut pulp wood and yard it with horses. You will have to read the book to discover the mystery surrounding Dieter Kallick's death. -more-


Senior Power: Older Americans Month

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Monday April 18, 2011 - 10:58:00 AM

Older Americans Month is coming up in May. It “pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities, and highlights how technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives.” Thanks to President Carter's 1980 designation, it is now called Older Americans Month, and it has become a tradition. Each year the Administration on Aging issues a theme to assist the National Aging Services Network plan May activities. This year’s is Older Americans: Connecting the Community. -more-


On Mental Illness: There are No Shortcuts to Recovery. (Part 2 of 2)

By Jack Bragen
Tuesday April 19, 2011 - 09:23:00 AM

Now that I have put forth a working definition of recovery, you might ask; “but how does a mentally ill person achieve all of that?” One method of “getting there” is to refrain from being excessively combative. If you fight those who are trying to help you too much, it is a lot harder to get results. If you are a person with a lot of “fight” in you, like I have been, you should try to redirect this instinct toward something positive. -more-