Donna Dolan began the ceremony by briefly discussing the history of Veteran’s Day and describing how it came to be in the United States. What is now Veteran’s Day used to be called Armistice Day in honor of the last day of World War I, November 11th. She then asked for all veterans, current troops, and family and friends of current troops, to each stand for applause before introducing the main speaker, Ray Geremiah.

Ray began by briefly discussing his past, which included being a troop in the Korean War, and a journalist afterwards. He described how these experiences shaped the way he looked at wars and Veteran’s Day in particular. Talking about U.S. wars from the past, he mentioned how veterans would describe the mental toll that battle took on an individual. In World War I & II they would call it “shell shock,” a fitting name for the condition of a person after having shells fired upon them for days at a time in the heat of battle. It wasn’t until later in the 20th Century after the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, that “shell shock” came to be known by the official name of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This evolution of describing the mental effects of battle on people mirrored the evolution of how society looked at wars in America.

Ray described how in the early 20th Century during the two World Wars, people celebrated the war/ending-of-war itself more than they celebrated the individual people who either fought or gave their lives for the country. As time went on, and we became involved in more conflicts around the world, including Korea and Vietnam, society began to better recognize the individual sacrifices people made for our freedom. The Vietnam War was the first American war to have a memorial that listed the names of every American life lost in it. Ray furthered this by saying that rather than separating people by who fought in the war, we should celebrate everybody as “veterans of the 21st Century.”

The ceremony ended with Lyndon’s chorus group giving a rousing rendition of Dona Nobis Pacem.

Lyndon State College chorus group

Dr. Strokanov’s journey began at Perm State University

With an expected voter turnout of around 500,000 people, equal to the number of registered voters in just Sacramento County in California, the vote is expected to be much more closely fought than that losing effort, and the amount of money pumped into the campagin thus far attests to that. NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality has raised over $4 million so far in its efforts to keep the law on the books, compared to the $2.5 million

Artist's Rendering of New Building

After over a year of construction and taking up parking spots, Lyndon State College’s newest architectural addition, the Academic and Student Activities Building was finally finished this semester. It has made waves among students across campus in both bad and good ways. While many praise the environmentally friendly aspects, and modern design, there are others who find it to be a waste of the school’s money and resources. While it is hard to deny the value of the new classroom and office space, some students have complained of not having any classes in the new building, and therefore have not gotten their money’s worth out of it. Senior Pete Dutile was one of these people.

“I’ve got five classes, and none of them are even in it. They could have at least put a new snack bar in it or something…..something I could benefit from. I’m a senior and the extra money I spent on tuition for it will go to everyone but me cuz i’ll never use it.”

While there is some discontent among students over the new addition, there also seemed to be a positive attitude present as well. Throughout the semester, I have heard many people praise the new study rooms, and plentiful computer labs. The Atmospheric Sciences department has got to be pretty happy too, with their vastly expanded space including a research room, and new up-to-date computer labs.

RMS Queen Victoria pulling into Portland Harbor

Passengers paid as much as $43,000 per person to go on the Queen Victoria cruise, which should ensure that they will definitely come wanting to spend money. This is great news to business owners throughout the Portland Metro area, especially after a slow tourist season in such tough economic times. In all, forty-five ships are scheduled to make port calls in Portland this year, bringing with them almost 70,000 passengers. The Ocean Gateway appears to have been a great investment for the city.

Original Link: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=286476&ac=PHnws