Ron Ross

It is claimed that depression affects an estimated 33 to 35 million U.S. adults at some point during their lifetime. The symptoms are numerous: trouble focusing, sadness, irritability, hopelessness, trouble sleeping, weariness, feeling worthless or guilty, major weight change and/or disinterest in favored activities. This list was adapted from a website of one of those drugs you see advertised every night during your favorite TV show. You know, the one with the sad looking people with bags under their eyes standing with their arms folded gazing off into nowhere. Then and announcer comes on and tells them there's hope if they just talk to their doctor about AbiliProzCymbilify, or something like that. My question is: Who here hasn't suffered episodes of one or more of those symptoms in their lifetime? I don't see any raised hands. So I'm thinking that the number of p... (more)

Seven Reasons we Might Open the Doors of Our Lives to Others – Reason 5: To Accomplish a Task

Our homeowners association was having problems. Certain board members were causing difficulties with certain homeowners. The management company was not getting the job done. Work needed to be done on several decks that were almost falling down. The painting schedule had been abandoned. And worst of all, the reserves were at an all-time low. So a few of us decided to see if we could fix things. We held meetings after work to discuss strategies. We recruited new candidates for board members then sent out mailings to get proxy votes so we could get them elected. At the next Annual ... (more)

What Makes a Good Citizen Journalist?

Lots of folks ask us, "What makes a good citizen journalist?"   The short answer is passion. But a good a good citizen journalist needs more than just passion. Six proficiencies that a good citizen journalist needs to develop are: Curiosity. Situational awareness. If you have this quality, it means that at all times you are aware of what is happening around you. Lots of people don’t pay any attention to anything other than what is going on in their tiny world; they can sit through a train wreck or sleep through an earthquake and not know it ever happened. On the other hand, good... (more)

What Makes a Good Citizen Journalist?

Curiosity is the lifeblood of a citizen journalist Lots of folks ask us, “What makes a good citizen journalist?” The short answer is passion. But a good citizen journalist needs more than just passion. Six proficiencies that a good citizen journalist needs to develop are: Curiosity. Curiosity is the lifeblood of a good citizen journalist. It’s what keeps the mind alert and the stories coming. The mother of a childhood friend of mine once said, “All you boys do is go around turning over rocks to see what’s beneath them.” She was talking about our insatiable curiosity. A good citi... (more)

The First Martyr for Freedom of the Press

In 1826 Elijah Parish Lovejoy graduated from what is now Colby College Waterville Maine. He graduated with honors at the top of his class. After graduation he moved to St. Louis, Missouri and became the editor of an anti-Jacksonian newspaper and taught in a school. A few years later, influenced by the Revivalist Movement, he left St. Louis and went on to Princeton University to study theology. Back then Princeton was a very conservative theological institution established specifically for the training of Christian ministers. Upon graduation, he was ordained a Presbyterian ministe... (more)