Recently I heard about a study that found that, as we age, men are happier with their lives than women. Part of the difference comes from financial aspirations, and some from family life.

Men's happiness begins exceeding women's when they reach their late 40s. No big surprise there! At that age many women are reaching the pinnacle of success in their careers, but at the same time still bear most of the responsibility for home life that includes children and aging parents. The demands come from all sides with equal intensity.

Editor:

Our editor permitting, I would like to share with The Citizen readers a telephone conversation I had with Aaron Stubna regarding retraction of the section of the pro-liquor advertisement in The Citizen, Feb. 4, 2011, pertaining to Allegheny County. I reiterated this conversation to councilman Mark Helbling, Bellevue’s assistant administrative services director Katie Hale, and Allegheny County’s Allegheny Together department director, Lance Chimka.

Editor:

Many...may have read an article in a November edition of The Citizen that Avalon Borough was behind $80,000 in unpaid garbage bills as far back as 2008. I attend the monthly council meetings and at the meeting I asked how we could be so far behind on the garbage bill and for this long and not know about it. No one had an answer except that times are hard for so many people and unemployment is high. My other question was, did they contact these people and ask them to start a payment plan of any type to assist in paying the overdue bill?