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Job applicants need to meet expectations

Some young people are unhappy about men and women returning to the workforce after years, months — or even days — of retirement. When asking a formerly retired individual why he or she decided to give up on a less-demanding, presumably less-stressful life, the questioner often remarks that, by returning to work, the former retiree has taken employment from a younger person who needs a job. That is a reasonable point, but there are important reasons why some employers appreciate the opportunity to hire an older person, even if that person never has worked in the kind of position ...

Let’s all be neck-deep in USA pride

Today, people of the United States, as they celebrate the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, ought to be neck-deep in patriotic pride for having the opportunity to live in this nation of freedom and abundance, despite its imperfections. Of course, as everyone who pays attention to the news knows, the patriotic pride this holiday deserves won’t be close to the unanimity that this day deserves to exhibit. The divisions on many political and non-political fronts — national, state and local — will not be eroded by the meaning, history and significance of today’s ...

Anxiety keeps heightening in Russia

No one can predict precisely what is in store for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, as the weeks and months pass in the aftermath of what the Wall Street Journal has labeled the “lightning insurrection” launched by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner paramilitary group. Will what the world has witnessed in recent days be acknowledged someday as the spark that eventually helped overturn Russia’s previous successes in Chechnya and Crimea? No doubt Putin’s troubles inflicted at the hands of Prigozhin has helped bolster optimism in Ukraine that the Russian president’s ...

Trooper’s ultimate sacrifice

Footage posted on social media captures the chilling audio of the intense gunfight in Mifflintown between law enforcement and Brandon Stine, the man who Pennsylvania State Police say killed Tpr. Jacques Rougeau Jr. and critically wounded Lt. James Wagner in separate encounters last week. On Saturday, June 17, the popping of hundreds of bullets flying through the air can be heard as the police exchanged gunfire with Stine, who was armed with a .458 magnum caliber hunting rifle. Surrounded in a residential area, Stine fought the police until the bitter end. The final battleground ...

Cancer treatment: Encouraging signs keep emerging

It is no secret that great strides continue to be made in cancer treatment, but probably the most notable publicized development of 2023 thus far has been the evolution of the treatment mindset that, at least for some cancers, “aggressive” might not necessarily be better. For many cancer patients, that might have been welcome news when that information was first delivered, although some patients might have preferred to remain skeptical regarding such a course of care. Nevertheless, consider: — Study findings published on March 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine ...

Housing for homeless challenging

A Mirror article in last weekend’s edition, “Homeless advocates urge more affordable housing,” provided a snapshot of a complex problem that challenges not only Altoona but communities across the country. However, the words “affordable housing” do not fully address the issue currently at hand in this and many other cities, larger and smaller. Probably the bigger, more relevant issue is how to effect a turnaround in the lives of the homeless so finding affordable housing will be less difficult. Owners of rental properties can be excused for some of their reluctance regarding ...