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‘Murder 101’ isn’t much about a murder at all

Columns

Like parents, teachers can shape not just a child’s experience in the world but also the very essence of who they are. Stumble into a class with a bad teacher and the encounter might stick with you forever. To wit: I’m a grown woman with kids of my own, and I still remember my 8th-grade social studies teacher, who, on the first day of school, made fun of my exotic-sounding Greek last name and told the giggling class that it sounded like a disease. But the right one can transform your very being. Mr. Hopkins was my 10th-grade English teacher. On his wall, he had a “no ...

Breaking down what exactly constitutes protein

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I know this maybe an ignorant question, but what exactly constitutes protein? I know that it naturally comes from livestock and their byproducts. But one can find diverse categories — such as cereals, pasta, sweet/salty snacks, and even soda pop — with “protein” displayed on the packaging. What’s up with that? — E.M. ANSWER: I’m sure that many people have the same question. There are three major macronutrients (molecules for us to get the calories that we need for all of our activities), and most foods contain some amount of all three macronutrients. One ...

How one boy overcame loneliness and brought a neighborhood together

Columns

Many people across the nation were touched by the heartwarming story of Roman Butzlaff, a 4-year-old boy in Concord, North Carolina, who befriended several of his elderly neighbors and became their adopted grandson. When the CBS Evening News aired its July 10 “On the Road” feature on Roman, I was amazed at his genuine desire to connect with individuals decades older. I’m sure others found this odd at first, as Roman was spending his mornings saying “hey” to everyone walking by his home instead of being immersed in a video game. Many children his age would have ignored the ...

Dear Annie: Not looking to cause a stir

Columns

Dear Annie: I have a family problem for which I would appreciate your opinion. My wife and I are Americans living in a small village in Italy, in an area popular with tourists. Recently, I contacted my sister and her husband from the States and expressed our interest in having them visit us and stay at our house, since we haven’t seen them for many years. We’re all retired, they easily have the means to make the trip, and our house has plenty of room for visitors. Her reply caught me unprepared. She said that they were expected by their church to do a mission outside the U.S. and, ...

The American presidency and perpetual war

Columns

One of the defining failures of modern American government has been the steady erosion of Congress’s constitutional authority over war. The Constitution grants Congress — not the president — the power to declare war. Congress decides to go to war. The president wages it. Over the past several decades, presidents of both major parties have increasingly treated military intervention as an executive prerogative rather than a congressional requirement. The last six presidents have not reflected distinct foreign policy doctrines but a uniparty continuum of executive overreach. While ...

Support the employees at Mt. Nittany Health

Letters to the editor

Susan Trainor, CRNP College Township As someone who has worked for Mount Nittany Health and its predecessor organizations for more than 30 years, I support the Mount Nittany Health employees represented by SEIU in their effort to earn wages that reflect the value of their work. During my career, I have seen extraordinary advances in medicine and technology. But one thing has never changed: healthcare is only as good as the people providing it. Every patient experience depends on the nurses, technicians, housekeepers, transporters, dietary workers, respiratory therapists and so many ...