Adam J. West

From absurd lawsuits to irrational verdicts, the abuse of the legal system in America continues a downward spiral; lawsuits for burns from spilled coffee – unknowingly hot – to even more ridiculous claims like the man who recently filed suit against the Guinness Book of World Records for naming him the World's Most Litigious Man. What can you do to avoid litigation and seek protection from frivolous lawsuits?

The societal scourge of spousal, child and elder abuse has grown at an alarming rate over the past couple decades. Violence among family members fills our news headlines as the lives of men, women, and children are being ravaged by an often secret epidemic…domestic violence. How severe is domestic violence in our modern "civilized" world? Is there a way of escape from its oftentimes deadly consequences?

In 1993 I enlisted in the military. My decision was due in large part to the fact that my best friend Lawrence was already serving and stationed in Oklahoma. He travelled to our home town often. Together we ran, lifted weights, and did push-ups…all in preparation for my departure for training in mid-August. I could never have predicted the events that followed.

The holiday of May Day is primarily celebrated in the northern hemisphere and occurs annually on May 1st. Modern day reasons for celebration of this day vary widely, as do the methods, but its origins are well known. Where did this celebrated day come from? Just who was the Queen of May? Should you take part in May Day traditions?

May Day was observed in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. The first day of May was also the first day of summer. It was celebrated in anticipation of the mid-summer solstice occurring on June 21st.

My Dad worked in the coal mines of Novinger for seven years. Seven years is considered 14 years as the coal mine calculated it. Coal mining is notoriously arduous work, but Dad didn't mind. That's what kept food on his family's table.

My Dad's inability to read or write did not keep him from finding honorable work after the coal-mining years. Whether he was digging ditches, operating forklifts, tearing up concrete with a jack-hammer, or trading and selling animals to make ends meet, we never missed a meal.