We have 4 large Maple trees in our yard, that are over 25 years old. One of the trees has severe?

It sounds like: Verticillium Wilt. Put that into google, there will be zillions of results. If it is, it's curtains for your maples, and any of the other susceptible plants, and there are many, you'll need to find immune stock.

It sounds like some kind of pest. I would bring in a tree expert to look at it--but don't wait too long. My friends ignored their 40 foot pepper tree and it fell one day and crushed half their house.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.