No reason to celebrate this Earth Day
It is my birthday week, something I don’t get as excited about as I used to. It was great when you were younger – turning 10 (double digits), 16 (driver’s license!), 21 (drinking legally). Those are a big deal.... more
The rites of spring means chores
Let’s face it – we all lie to ourselves. Usually they are little lies: I look great today. I don’t look fat. I am going to clean the basement this weekend. I can’t wait to start jogging.... more
You are being tracked – by big business
I really didn’t like my biology teacher in high school, and it was pretty clear he didn’t like me either. He was one of those guys who was very full of himself and thought it was just fine to put down 15-year-old boys in the class if it got a laugh out of everyone else. I, of course, provided plenty of opportunities for him to blast off.... more
Always keep a light on government at all levels
It sure didn’t feel like it, but last week was Sunshine Week. No, that is not a week of warm, wonderful sun. Sunshine Week is a week set aside annually to celebrate how important open government is to our democracy, and how freedom can die if the business of government is done in secrecy.... more
Change won't stop just because you want it to
I was a big fan of the rock group KISS back when I was in my early teens. I loved the over-the-top nature of the band. The bombastic music and visuals were perfect to attract the love and attention of teen boys. Hey, we wanted to rock and roll all night and party every day, even though we really didn’t party that much and had a set bedtime.... more
Burial options are fine, but I give them very little thought
A story in the paper last week really got me thinking about death. No, it is not a great topic to spend too much time thinking about, but we all have to at some point. And the older we get, the more it tends to pop into our heads at the worst time – like in the middle of the night. Hard to sleep through those thoughts.... more
Show highlights dangers of Internet
I enjoy a good real crime movie or limited series. Ah yes, the limited series. A series where they take a topic that could have been told in two episodes and make it six. My wife and I recently watch one on Netflix that has a lot of people talking. It is called “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.” It is about the disappearance and death of a young woman at a notorious Los Angeles hotel. ... more
I truly appreciate our readers
I love my job. I really do. But there are times that it can certainly be trying. Like when someone sends an email and asks for your cellphone number so they can complain at you about something on the phone instead of in an email. Or when people get angry and accuse you of all manner of things because you won’t print the letter they submitted that is filled with falsehoods.... more
The polar vortex is just no fun
Oh look, it’s our friend the polar vortex. Remember a couple of years ago when the polar vortex came down from Canada (thanks, Canada!) and made us feel like living Popsicles? I remember our driveway at home was a solid sheet of ice. It took me ages to chip that stuff off. We have a very long driveway.... more
A COVID hair experiment gone wrong
The great hair experiment is over. Done. Finished. Lockdown has changed a lot of things for all of us. Eating at home more than ever for sure. Also, doing smaller loads of laundry because those sweatpants are good for a week. And we have all learned to either accept or simply keep quiet about the habits of the loved ones we live with. This has certainly taught us patience.... more
Kinzinger did the right thing
Politicians that people can look up to are pretty few and far between these days. My go to is always John McCain, the former U.S. Senator from Arizona. McCain was a great American and a good man. He always put his country before his party, which is the way things should be.... more
'Live PD' shows the best, and the worst
I love the TV show “Cops.” It is an adrenaline rush of a show, and one that highlights some of the best police officers and some of the dumbest criminals on the planet.... more