Stop or I'll say, "Stop!" again.

During the 50s and early 60s it seemed as though bombs were dropping everywhere. Some saw these bombs as a source of defensive strength and national pride. Others, particularly kids such as me, went to bed scared most nights. We were afraid of the images of the mushroom clouds and learned about Strontium-90 in our milk.
The frightened children of the world can now take comfort that the United States wants an official U.N. response to North Korea's nuclear test within a week of the explosion. A week is a bit too fast for China, but everyone on the Security Council agrees that the whole world should glare at North Korea.

Not only did we have war and rumors of war in the 50s, we had real, honest-to-goodness Friday the 13ths. Walt Kelly, through the Pogo comic strip, taught us how to avoid the perils of this day.

In addition to Kelly, Herb Block (Herblock) drew cartoons that were sad or frightening or barbed (all at the same time). Herblock's portfolio includes material about war, nuclear arms race, McCarthyism, civil rights, and corporate culture.

Even as each writer covered the same topics, they did so with unique styles. Kelly developed characters lyrically while Herblock tossed javelins at the tips of pointy-headed officials.

I miss them both. Fortunately, I have a number of Pogo books that remain fresh more than 50 years after the strips were published.

Meanwhile, our president is reporting on the nation's finances. "These budget numbers are not just estimates; these are the actual results for the fiscal year that ended February the 30th."

Football notes, by way of the Holden Landmark:

• "We spread the ball a little bit and had people like Mike Hakkarainen, Andrew Tokarz and Burt Grinstead running it.
  "Wachusett's 3-2 JVs knocked off Westboro, 24-0, earlier this week. The TDs were scored by Justin Stevens, Kellon Haynes and Mike Hakkarainen.
• "The Mountaineer freshmen remained undefeated, downing Westboro, 32-19, earlier this week. Gary White, Matt Hakkarainen and Matt Pedone had the TDs."
• "Joe Hakkarainen and Ryan Getchell ran the ball well...