Opinion Forum

Has America Become Too Competitive?

April 2nd, 2013

By Dr. Jim Taylor Let’s be honest. America may be the most competitive country in the world (though China is rapidly catching up). Competitiveness lies at the heart of what has driven our country to become the best on Earth at so many things. Whether the space race, the arms race, the human genome race, […]

Articles written by Dr. Jim Taylor
Tags: competitive, cooking, dancing, poetry, reality tv, singing, sports
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Winning Hearts and Minds

January 27th, 2013

By Jan Barry Fifty years ago, I turned 20 in Saigon, a very drunk and slap happy soldier in the service of the US Military Assistance Command Vietnam. We were making war, when we weren’t doing Happy Hours in every bar from Soc Trang to Da Nang, under slick counter-insurgency slogans like “Winning Hearts and […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: Agent Orange, anniversary, poetry, PTSD, suicide, veterans, war, WHAM
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Death of a Poet

October 11th, 2012

By Jan Barry A poet, at his or her best, channels the rhythms of life and death. Somehow when we get ready to put things in order, we know our time has come … (“Getting Ready”) That was the last poem in John Edwin Cowen’s latest book, Poems from Dylan’s Wales, a reflection on Welsh […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: death, Dylan Thomas, John E. Cowen, poet, poetry, teacher
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Winning Hearts & Minds Anniversary

October 2nd, 2012

By Jan Barry The Puffin Poetry Jam presents a 40th anniversary celebration of Winning Hearts & Minds: War Poems by Vietnam Veterans on Friday, Nov. 2, 7-9 p.m. at Puffin Cultural Forum, 20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJ. The event is a benefit for the Warrior Writers program. $10 suggested donation. Readers include Winning Hearts & Minds […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: anniversary, contributors, poetry, vets, Vietnam, Winning Hearts & Minds
Categories: Life, Military, Politics | Comments (2) | Home

Remembering Paula Kay

October 1st, 2012

By Jan Barry She would have turned 70 today. Instead, she died of cancer more than 10 years ago. I met Paula Kay Pierce at a peace march. She was my greatest supporter in transforming from bitter ex-soldier into a productive citizen. She became my life partner and made it possible in all sorts of […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: family, memories, Paula Kay Pierce, poetry, remembrance
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