’ No. 46 Ready, aim, fire! BINDERY CO Py gens Ley b Er | Icpc } 2.790) served. UdIrD 1A/-74£Y By WALLY KOCHER Staff Correspondent If a nuclear war was ever to take place, what would Mountain area? Although much of it is speculative, mass destruction of property, radiation sickness, and deadly amounts of fallout would be expected. However, it is fortunate to know that no matter what, one thing you wouldn’t have to worry about would be the delivery of your mail. The federal government has devised a system where the post office will forward your mail to wherever you have been relocated after the conflict. You may not be alive to read it, but never-the-less, it will be in your mailbox, or what's left of it, on time. Editorial, page 4 If a nuclear war is to take place, there is a possibility that Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area would be among the missile targets. According to Walter E. Wint, Executive Director for the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency (Civil Defense), areas such as the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton areas have been designated as target sights since 1950. “Any industrial city, such as Wilkes-Barre, is a possible target,” said Wint. He also added that one of the industries worth destroying to an enemy would be the Air Products plant. It is impossible to say what effect an all-out nuclear war would have on the Back Mountain area. It all depends on the size of the bomb and other factors such as whether it would be exploded in the air or on the ground. However, the speculation proposes vast destruction of property and life. By WALLY KOCHER Thanksgiving held an extra 'spe- cial meaning for the William ({sopi family of Dallas this year as the ‘‘pitter-patter’ of feet echped } through the recently quiet halls of the house. Had they experienced the joy of a blessed arrival? They sure did! Their son was home from Bill Isopi, Jr., son of Bill and Rosemary Isopi of Overbrook Avenue, enrolled at the main campus of Penn State University this past September. Since that time, all three family members admit they have had to make sev- eral changes in their lives. Bill, who is majoring in Political Science, said that perhaps the big- gest change he has had to accept By JANE C. BOLGER Staff Correspondent “People helping people” is the goal of the new Back Mountain Family Center which is using a unique combination of professional knowledge and personal feedback to solve everyday problems that come up in our community. A typical example of what the Family Center has to offer to the community is a recent presentation by Clinical Psychologist Jeff Stern- lieb. Sternlieb’s lecture, entitled “The Role of Parents’, was fol- lowed by a group talk session that applied his theme to individual problems encountered by parents in the audience. The action took place in the Fran- cis Lord Building, Mercy Center on the College Misericordia campus. Everyone was invited - single, mar- ried, divorced, widowed. The orga- nization is a non-denominational one that fosters the idea of developing a common living faith. There is no charge for the lectures and free babysitting and refreshments are also otfered.There is also a sense of peace in knowing that there are other people nearby who are having the same problems and dealing with them. “Don’t keep your problems hidden in your own home, says Sister JoAnne Jones who started this net- work of people. ‘They are part of the human condition.” Five years ago, when Sister JoAnne was studying in California, one of her dreams was the idea of a community program ‘‘to help fami- lies live better and deal with 20th century conflicts.” Today in Dallas, the dream has become a reality with the help of a volunteer Steering Committee com- posed of Ann Batory, Sandy Dres- sler, Joanne Ennis, Marsha Howes, Ed and Linda Steltz. The group is a resourceful one which has selected a Speakers Bureau as the first phase in its development. Upcoming subjects will be ‘Self Esteem’ which will be presented on Nov. 29 by Maureen Ambrose, Luz- erne County Community College counselor; and ‘‘Holiday Stress and Coping,” a joint presentation by personal Sister Cor Mariae Mulhern and Sister JoAnne, scheduled for Dec. 8. An earlier subject presented in October was ‘Dealing With Death, Divorce and Separation.” The Back Mountain Family Center is currently an inspirational organization, but is also designed to be a support system in a crisis. There will be Help Line referrals and contacts with outside agencies as they are necessary. Sister JoAnne, Assistant to the President of Mercy Hospital, is most excited about the group’s “Feb to Feb Plan.” Following a Membership Drive which will be conducted both by mail and through area families, churches and schools - the Family Center will hold regu- lar monthly meetings designed to meet the needs of all community members. “The First Track,” according to Sister JoAnne, ‘is to have adults talk about the phases in their aging parents’ lives.” The Second Track will be ‘Where have we been, where do we stand now, where am I going in the sense of living life as an adult.” : The Third Track will be “Where is the child in the family and what is the adult’s relationship to the child’s growth patterns.” Rather than presenting theoreti- cal discussions, Sister JoAnne plans these to be ‘‘practical aids on how to handle normal everyday prob- lems.” Back Mountain Family Center is strictly a neighborhood program for all who have wished to live life in a better way. Membership in the would be the idea of having a constant roommate. “Being an only child, I was used to more privacy before. Now, I have to get used to having someone there all the time. Somebody is always going in or out,” he said. However, Bill added, he is starting to like the idea of being with more young people, although at times he wishes he could be back home. ‘‘Homesick,”” he added, ‘‘was one" thing I didn’t expect to be.” Another change that Bill has grown to like is the environment into which he has moved. (See LIFESTYLE, page 8) 25 Cents Immediately after the explosion, there would be a blinding flash of fire which could instantly burn off the clothing and -flesh of those exposed. After a brief pause, a shock wave, traveling at the speed of sound, would travel miles from the point of impact, destroy- ing everything in its path. Since the federal government doesn’t believe in financially supporting the construction of fallout shel- ters, as many European countries do, everyone would be forced to find his or her own shelter. This could be anything from a basement at home to an underground parkade. The government does have a relocation plan, how- ever. With this plan, people who live in high risk cities would be relocated to rural areas. Luzerne County has been termed as a “risk host area”. This means that the county will host any of its own people who need to be relocated. According to Wint, the extreme rural areas of the Back Mountain would be used for these purposes. Many arguments go along with the plan. Those who are for it say that the most important thing is to get the people out of the target sites. Those who are against it say that once the people have been relocated, there will be no shelters to protect them from the fall out. Both Senator O’Connell’s and Senator Murray’s offices were contacted for comments on the govern- ment’s position, however, both declined any comment at all. According to Wint, the Emergency Management Agency is constantly planning and training people for emergency services. These services would include - such things as the monitoring of instruments and shelter management. One responsibility of a team of managers would be to periodically leave their shelter and gather information on how safe the radiation level would be outside. Perhaps Wint put it best when he said, “Our best defense is to not have an encounter in the first place.” 0 The Great Back Mountain Holiday Decoration Contest is here again and, along with it, comes your chance to win a $50 Savings Bond. Sponsored by The Dallas Post, the contest is open to residents in the townships of Kingston, Jackson, Dallas, Lehman, Lake and Franklin and the boroughs of Harveys Lake and Dallas. Prizes to be awarded are a $50 Savings Bond to the best lighted display and a $50 Savings Bond to the best unlighted display. Only homes are eligible to enter the contest while commercialcesta- blishments or structures which are primarily or significantly commer- cial in nature will be eligible for certificates of honorable mention. Entries may be submitted by the resident of the entered home or on Americans are Americans are reading more than ever, says a New York Times arti- cle. The article was based on exten- sive interviews with readers, educa- tors, publishers and scholars. The article, written by Edward B. Fiske, said that: - Two out of three Americans read a newspaper on any given day. - Women now read more than men. - Whites read more than blacks. - Young people read more than nomination by passers-by or neigh- bors, however, the prize winner will be the occupant of the home respon- sible for the decoration. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest and entries should include the first and last name of the home owner, address and direc- tion (if necessary) to the location of entered home, phone number of home owners, title and theme of display (if designated) and hours when display is to be lighted if it is a lighted display. Independent judges will be arranged by The Dallas Post and winners will be selected based on originality, overall effect, appear- ance and pertinent to the holiday theme. Employees of The Dallas Post and Pennaprint Inc. are not eligible to enter. reading more older people. - Retired people read less than they did when they were employed. The literacy level of newspapers has greatly increased. Wire service stories are now written on the 11th grade level (up from the sixth grade level) and sports stories are written on the 10th grade level. The median daily reading time for books, newspapers and magazines was 158 minutes based on a study of 102 Delaware households. All entries must be received by The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, no later than Dec. 16. Win- ners will be published in the Dec. 28 edition of The Dallas Post. Winners in last year’s Holiday Decoration Contest included David Andes, RD 5, Oldfield Road, Shaver- town, first prize, lighted category; Duane Sprau, 110 Church Street, Dallas, first prize, unlighted cate- gory. Receiving honorable mention were ‘the homes of Dr. Robert Brown, Dallas; William Rinehimer, Shavertown; Jay Pope, Dallas and Mrs. James Hawk, Dallas.