Columnists

The current corruption crisis zeroing in on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyio Erdogan has all the elements of one of his country’s famous soap operas that tens of millions of people all over the Middle East tune in to each day: Bribes, shoe boxes filled with millions in cash, and dark whispers of foreign conspiracies. -more-

With the exception of Senator Elizabeth Warren, American politicians had a terrible year. President Obama’s approval ratings plummeted along with those of Congress. Indeed, the most popular “politician” in the United States was a non-American, the new head of the Catholic Church, 77-year-old Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis. -more-

Ralph E. Stone’s December 16^th Planet column, “Eclectic rant: Protect yourself from scams this holiday season,” was right on. And I would add, especially senior citizens and year-round and everywhere. As a former Federal Trade Commission attorney and currently a volunteer for Consumer Action and Seven On Your Side, the consumer hotline for ABC-TV Channel 7, he has heard a wide range of scams that separated unsuspecting consumers from their money, especially during the holiday season. -more-

A "normal" person can become psychotic under certain conditions such as sleep deprivation or taking narcotics. However, many newly, correctly diagnosed people with schizophrenia, as a form of denial, will decide that their problem was just due to the drugs they took or to lack of sleep. -more-