To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Test this natural law by loading your rifle and pulling the trigger. The kick back gives you a clear understanding of how this law works. The bullet leaves forward out the muzzle at very high velocity and the rifle butt kicks you in the shoulder. […]
In the 1970s and 1980s, at the height of Nigeria’s post-oil-discovery wealth and power, Nigerians could walk the streets of the major northern cities of Kaduna, Jos, Kano and Maiduguri without a concern, unhurried and unharmed. Today, public spaces, from churches to restaurants and cafes in these cities send very real frissons of fear down […]
A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of honorably discharged deceased veterans. This program was initiated in March 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and has been continued by all subsequent Presidents. Statutory authority for the program is Section 112, Title 38, of […]
It’s disingenuous for the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to publicly state that they had always intended to increase their investment in the community. We spent four months bargaining with them and they spent the first three months offering 0% — no one goes to buy a car from a dealer and starts negotiations […]
I was a recent member of the negotiating team along with other county employees and SEIU staff. We were representing Units 1, 3, 6 and 7, which is about 3200 employees. This letter is a response to Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Cox, who made comments (August 7, 2014-Edition of Valley Voice) regarding his assessment […]
I graduated from Berkeley with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. But this does not make me a pacifist. Some wars need fighting, I’m afraid, and some people need killing–even though it strains my humanity to utter it aloud. The second Iraq War–for instance–was a four-star clusterf**k, while we should have gone hammer and […]
I flew into St. Louis on Saturday, August 9, to celebrate the birthdays of my mother and nephew and immediately learned about Mike Brown, a soon-to-be college student who was fatally shot by Ferguson police. As my community and I struggle to make sense of this recent murder, I cannot help but think of the […]
My mother grew up on a farm in Kansas, one of nine children. My grandfather, R.W. Young, had bought an old farmhouse and property before the depression that nobody wanted. He eventually moved to Wichita, Kansas in the thirties, where he worked as a cattle stockbroker, served as a minister and helped build the church […]
If the 20th was the American Century, it follows that the United States spent much of that time–especially during the Cold War–propping up and otherwise aiding democracies across the globe. Just in the last decade we have joined battle in both Iraq and Afghanistan with the stated aim of promoting stability (democracy) in those countries. […]
A prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans is a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders and memory problems. VA refers to these illnesses as “chronic multi-symptom illness” and “undiagnosed illnesses.” The term “Gulf War Syndrome” is used when referring to medically unexplained symptoms […]