Breaking News

Uncategorized

Is a new US-Mideast war inevitable?

In October 1950, as U.S. forces were reeling from hordes of Chinese troops who had intervened massively in the Korean War, a 5,000-man Turkish brigade arrived to halt an onslaught by six Chinese divisions. Said supreme commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur: “The Turks are the hero of heroes. There is no impossibility for the Turkish Brigade.” President Harry Truman awarded the brigade a Presidential Unit Citation. In 1951, Turkey ended a neutrality dating to the end of World War I and joined NATO. In the seven decades since, there has been no graver crisis in U.S.-Turkish relations ...

A slippery slope — with a beer chaser

Dear Annie: I work in a big city. After work, I enjoy going to the local bar. I’ve been doing this for three years, and everything was fine — with occasional problems — until the past few months. Now it is what I seem to be living for. My work is not very challenging, but I consider myself lucky to have this job. Many people would give anything to have it. At five o’clock, I leave the building and head straight for the bar. When I started doing this, I could take it or leave it, but gradually going to this pub has become an obsession. I can’t wait to get there and to order ...

The puzzling problem of vaping

SAN FRANCISCO — A 29-story office building at 123 Mission St. illustrates the policy puzzles that fester because of these facts: For centuries, tobacco has been a widely used legal consumer good that does serious and often lethal harm when used as it is intended to be used. And its harmfulness has been a well-established and widely publicized scientific proposition for generations. The building is the headquarters of Juul, a large company that markets vaping products — electronic cigarettes — that has been running full-page ads in major newspapers ostensibly attempting to limit ...

Hopping off the merry-go-round

Dear Annie: I finally realized that I cannot change people or their behaviors. I can only change mine. Now, how I react? I am working on that. The situation: My 52-year-old life partner, “Ed,” assists his 80-year-old mother, “Laurie,” with everything. Ed is not in the greatest shape; he has gone to the ER regarding chest issues and is sore all the time. Still, he will not stop assisting her. A few weekends ago, I overheard him telling her I was not feeling well, but that if she wanted to, she could come by for a quick cup of coffee. I retired to my bedroom. She came over, ...

FD council to consider trail easement

The Fort Dodge City Council on Monday will consider approval of a trail easement with United States Gypsum Co. for the South 32nd Street trail connector. That item is listed on the council’s consent agenda. The trail easement is part of the city’s efforts to expand its trail system. The overall project is estimated to cost $2,100,000. The city has been awarded a $400,000 grant from Enhance Iowa, a grant program administered through the Iowa Economic Development Authority, to help with the expansion. Additional funds will come from existing trail funds, Community Foundation ...

Apollo 11’s achievement still dazzles

WASHINGTON — Thirty months after setting the goal of sending a mission 239,000 miles to the moon, and returning safely, President John Kennedy cited a story the Irish author Frank O’Connor told about his boyhood. Facing the challenge of a high wall, O’Connor and his playmates tossed their caps over it. Said Kennedy, “They had no choice but to follow them. This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space.” Kennedy said this on Nov. 21, 1963, in San Antonio. The next day: Dallas. To understand America’s euphoria about the moon landing 50 years ago, remember 51 years ...