Articles by Steven Gilchrist

O n Thursday night at the University of Denver, Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama had their first debate of the 2012 Presidential election season.   For the majority of the debate the candidates discussed their views about the economic and jobs outlook for the future of America.   It is clear that the effects of the most recent recession are still lingering.   Watching the debate made me think of the resources that Americans have depended on during the worst economic situation since the Great Depression.   These resources include Social Security and Unemployment Insurance (UI). August 14, 2010 marked the 75 th anniversary of the Social Security Act.   The act was signed into law on August 14, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.   The act has various provisions for workers who retire, suffer a death of a family member, lose their job, become disabled, or need welfare assistance.   The federal Social Security Act encouraged states to create their own Unemployme

E arlier this year on April 6, 2012 thousands of people in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina paid special tribute to the 11,541 people who lost their lives during the longest siege of a city in modern history.   The nearly four-year Serbian siege of Sarajevo began on April 6, 1992. The 380,000 residents of the city were under the constant threat of mortar and gun fire.   Additionally, residents lost electrical power, water, and heating for 3 years, 8 months.   Children, men, and women died in the war.   Associated Press reporter Aida Cerkez described the beginning of the war in a news article that appeared in The Boston Globe on April 7, 2012.   “On the fateful day of April 6, 1992, about 40,000 people from all over the country – Muslim Bosniaks, Christian Orthodox Serbs, and Catholic Croats – poured into a square further down the red street to demand peace from their quarreling nationalist politicians.”   The spark that ignited the conflict occurred when Serb nationalists shot and