Free Republic

CHICAGO (AP) — Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out everything doesn't go downhill as we age — the golden years really are golden.That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.The two go hand-in-hand — being social can help keep away the blues."The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."A certain amount of distress in old age is...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2007 – Ask Master Chief Petty Officer Bruce “Skip” Binda why he joined the Navy nearly three decades ago and he’ll tell you it was a matter of pride. At 19, Binda had spent all of his tuition money on beer and eight-track music cassettes and was too proud to ask his father for the $200 he needed to return to college. Along came a Navy commercial proffering $1,500 to join, and Binda took the bait “hook, line and sinker,” he said. Since joining in 1980, he has served on one submarine and 10 ships and served...