In a world where screens are almost always within arm’s reach, many would fear that the days of flipping through a book or newspaper pages are behind us. With the rapid advancement of technology, digital media has become the norm for many, from streaming videos and podcasts to e-books and online articles. Yet, there’s something undeniably special about physical reading materials that digital formats can’t quite replicate...

At this writing, the Nebraska Legislature is nearing a conclusion to its special session addressing Nebraska’s property taxes, among the highest of the fifty states. As they grapple with the delicate balance of trimming expenses and finding alternative sources of revenue at the state level, it’s interesting to look at how we fit into the national tax landscape and the educational framework that drives much of our local property tax burden...

Whether we call ourselves the fourth estate, scribes, correspondents, pundits, reporters, or the greatest moniker of all, “ink-stained wretches,” those of us who haunt the hallways of public buildings talk a good game about government transparency. Why?...

Aren’t these interesting times? Between an assassination attempt and a presidential campaign abandoned, former President Trump named a new VP candidate, J.D. Vance, who deserves a prize for political inoculation. The millennial Vance made himself the hero of his own autobiographical drama while confessing to multiple crimes long before he entered politics. It all seems a bit too perfect, and perhaps it is...

Earlier this week, I found myself on the learning end of a conversation about the state of local newspapers. The conclusion drawn was that although local newspapers perform a vitally important function in our rural communities, they still suffer from the challenges facing the newspaper business writ large...

Back in the days when I was publishing, one of the more popular features I picked up was called “News of the Weird,” distributed by the syndication arm of the Chicago Tribune. The column was a collection of then-current news stories that zeroed in on all things quirky and unusual...

There has been much talk recently about Supreme Court decisions regarding abortion and presidential powers. Those issues get the headlines, but small “L” libertarians are paying attention to a less-discussed but far-reaching decision. Last Friday, the court released a decision overturning a 40-year precedent that instructed lower court judges to defer to reasonable agency interpretations of ambiguous federal statutes...

As we approach our national birthday, I wonder about the future of the holiday–and the future of patriotism in general. We notice that some friends and neighbors observe the holiday with great reverence while others immerse themselves in the trappings of summer holidays that have made the recreational pursuits of Labor Day and Memorial Day eclipse the meaning of those holidays...

A few things grabbed my interest this week. The McCook School Board’s approval of a policy that bans cell phone use in classrooms caught my eye. I no longer have kids in high school, but as an employer of people who are younger than I am (most people are), I have noticed a couple of distinct cell phone characteristics among the youngest of them...

In 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) employed the "nuclear option," changing the rules to allow cloture on executive branch nominations and most judicial nominations (excluding the Supreme Court) with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of 60. At the time, pundits warned that what goes around comes around...

An article in last week’s Gazette signaled that we are approaching budget time for the McCook City Council again. It’s a process fundamental to the operation of all municipalities, and whether we are interested in the inner workings of government or just enjoy complaining about it, it’s worthy of our attention...

Those of us who are time travelers from the 1900s recall the exhilarating years between Sputnik and the moon landing when our imaginations ran free. We pondered, often incorrectly, the implications of space travel and how it would affect future life here on Earth...

In the May 16 Gazette story regarding the latest developments in our Sports Complex saga, I was stopped short by the words, “The project was initially shrouded in secrecy….” The article centered around an effort by City Manager Nate Schneider to dispel misconceptions regarding the project. ...

Last week, the Gazette ran a story about upgrades to NET radio that would include a new station in McCook, KNNE at 90.7. A kind gentleman at NET provided further detail saying, “The current timeline is that the transmitter will tentatively launch in the Fall of 2024. The transmitter site is not moving from where it is now.”...

This week, the Brookings Institute published an article warning that only 36% of seniors in the high school class of 2024 had filed FAFSA applications, which is down 24% from last year. The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the first step in applying for the recently infamous student loans but is also used to determine eligibility for a variety of other benefits, including state grants, institutional aid, work-study programs, and closer to home, the Nebraska Promise program that supplements grants and scholarships for Nebraska undergrad students.. ...

‘Tis the season. It’s the time of year when we check the batteries in our radios and flashlights, listen for the howl of sirens, and scan the skies for funnel clouds. As residents of “Tornado Alley,” we are too familiar with our seasonal routine. The recent devastation in Elkhorn and surrounding areas reminds us of the potential devastation caused by tornadic activity and that it can just as easily happen to us. ...

I have been battling sleep issues lately, and as I look for ways to improve my situation, I find myself being drawn into a broader exploration of the topic. It’s interesting stuff, and I find it easy to understand why people devote entire careers to their studies. I am also humbled by realizing how little I know about a function that, in theory, should comprise roughly a third of our lives...

Editor’s Note — Since this column was filed, Israel has launched a limited counterattack on the Iranian Air Base in Iran’s Isfahan Province. Iranian media reports that three drones were shot down, but no damage has been acknowledged. It’s been an interesting week. ...

As we approach the final months of our presidential election process, I think about how media coverage and advertising have changed over the years. Social media now play a prominent role in news coverage, generating what’s known as “earned media” in marketing circles...

Our recent snowstorm allowed me to catch up on some reading, including an essay in “Imprimis,” a newsletter I have received since the late 1980s. The piece addressed our current immigration issues, comparing the rate of crossings to those in 1960 when the Eisenhower Administration began keeping track of those numbers. ...

After a substantial wait, I have finally received my test results from the Ancestry DNA folks. The noteworthy headline is that I’m not nearly as Irish as I have been led to believe. As it turns out, I am genetically more Scottish, English, and Western European than Irish, and I must now, painfully, retract any derogatory comments directed at Elizabeth Warren...

In our revolution of 1776, we fought a war that overturned an oppressive, rigid, and inescapable class structure that had enslaved us all for millennia. Our newer, more egalitarian design for government inspired others and spread like an infection throughout much of the Western world...

It is often said that “What goes around comes around.” We hear that phrase uttered regarding fads and fashion, but a changing technological landscape can occasionally drive the repetition of more practical matters–sometimes in unexpected ways. Recently, I’ve found myself being pulled back in the direction of local, personalized customer service. ...

As I consume my balanced news diet, I hear much concern from the left about Trump’s narcissistic tendencies and fear that he will become a dictator. The more thoughtful pundits I encounter are less concerned about his hyperbolic “dictator for a day” comments than his willingness to challenge vote certification and his wait-and-see attitude toward the January 6 Capitol incursion. ...

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I have finally joined the ranks of those using the Alexa Echo Dot smart speaker. I’m glad that I have made the transition. They have been around since 2014, and I have given them as gifts, but this is my first...

At a recent campaign rally, our former president commented that if NATO countries did not maintain an agreed-upon level of defense spending, the United States would not only refuse to help defend those countries but would also encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want.”...

I recently took a road trip up to North Platte, which used to be the northern edge of my business footprint and a weekly visit. It’s been too long since I ventured out in that direction, but driving north on 83 made it crystal clear that too much time had passed since I took that route. ...

I don’t recall what I was looking for when I stumbled across a unique find on eBay last week, but it didn’t take long to hit the “buy now” button. A quick dip into the PayPal account and a few shipping days later, a used copy of “Weekly Reader: 60 Years of News for Kids 1928-1988” is now mine...

I recently had a conversation with a coworker about websites and was reminded of the days when portals like GeoCities, Excite, Lycos, and Yahoo offered the ability to create free web pages. Businesses used them to a limited extent, but they were used most as personal pages, acting as the precursors to today's social media sites...

The leftish British daily newspaper, The Guardian, recently ran an interesting article suggesting a possible cultural shift on our horizons. They have predicted a revival of romanticism in the 2020s and have substantiated the argument by looking at history...

A few months ago, I read an opinion piece in the Gazette by J.L. Schmidt discussing “Brain Drain,” the net loss of high academic achievers to other states. The premise was an x-tweet by Governor Pillen about 31 Nebraska students who earned perfect scores on the ACT exam. Pillen expressed hopes that those students would return to Nebraska after college...

Do you recall how our Constitution shamefully counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person? Well, according to the National Institutes of Health’s Body Mass Index, I am six-fifths of a person. I know I shouldn’t joke about slavery, but I probably shouldn’t joke about being overweight either...

The ancient Egyptians aligned temples and pyramids with celestial events, solstices, and equinoxes. The Mayans developed a complex calendar aligned with the movements of the sun, moon, and planets. Stonehenge is also believed to be influenced by solar alignments and other astronomical events, as were the rituals of native Native American, ancient Chinese, Greek, and Aboriginal Australian cultures...

Over the past few years, I have followed the storyline of our national gender dysphoria with a combination of dismay and amusement. The left’s reshaping of our culture to fix a problem that most of us didn’t know we had is only slightly more absurd than the hysterical fulminations of the right...

The world has enough film reviews, and I’m not typically drawn to those discussions. I encountered a notable exception early this week when my spouse encouraged me to see a specific new release. Her father and two brothers both worked in the film industry, but she wanted my opinion on the content, and that doesn’t happen very often...

While reading the many retrospective tributes (and hit pieces) about our departed friend Henry Kissinger, one of his many remembered quotables was, “To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it.” It’s an excuse of sorts, often heard from people who make difficult decisions destined to be controversial, like bombing an adversary back to the negotiating table or backing a friendly dictator. ...

I had reason to pull out a neat old book of mine this week. It’s one that my mom gave me back in the late '80s, written by a gentleman named Tad Tuleja, who is often referred to as a “folklorist” in web references. The Folklorist moniker may be a bit generous. Teluja...

During the holiday season, most Americans make a disproportionate number of discretionary purchases. The amount varies, depending on income and family tradition, but the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that consumers will spend an average of $875 on “core” holiday purchases this year. ...

For many years, historians have reminded us that the Thanksgiving holiday we were taught about as children was a romanticized and perhaps sanitized version of historical events. We have been told that many foods considered essential to our contemporary holiday observation were most likely not at the original feast. ...

The nuances of labor shortages in a post-pandemic world "Challenging Assumptions: Exploring the Nuances of Labor Shortages in a Post-Pandemic World" Over the past weekend, I spoke with a fellow baby boomer who was incredulous about the current labor shortages. ...

It’s no surprise that we view world events through the context of our own experiences. What other choice do we have? As I attempt to bolster my inadequate understanding of current events in Israel, I can’t help but draw comparisons with our American experience. The analogies are by no means perfect, but they are close enough to help me decipher the Middle East situation and, for a moment, reflect on our own...

An old saying has been attributed to everyone from Thomas Jefferson to George Bernard Shaw. “We get the government that we deserve” is, if nothing else, the battle cry of sore losers. When we win, however, our public officials reflect our aspirations or, at the very least, reveal our willingness to research a candidate or position before going to the polls...

Sam Clemmens once wrote, “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” I don’t know that I would have dragged God into the discussion, but I am inclined to agree. I think we can all name a few Pacific Islands that we would never have known about were it not for WWII, and I’m no exception. The study of history is inseparable from the study of geography, and history is too often defined in terms of war...

One of the hazards of commenting on current events is that, sooner or later, they aren’t current. In almost 30 years of writing and publishing, I have had my share of “Dewey Defeats Truman” moments. It’s never fun, but things seem to have taken a darker turn lately...

Have you noticed that ageism has been creeping into the news lately? I suppose the most notable example is Nikki Haley’s recent challenge, calling on all presidential candidates over the age of 75 to take a competency test. I like Nikki, but I think she’s way off on that call...

Much has been written about the current state of electronic news media. Critics on the right complain about “the mainstream media” or, more directly, “liberal media.” On the left, pundits are more apt to generalize all conservative outlets (Newsmax, The First, Blaze, etc.) simply as “Fox.” The generally agreed view is that nearly all contemporary broadcast news tends to be opinionated and politically polarized. It’s one of the few things on which both left and right can agree...

Where political matters are concerned, I have grown accustomed to reading about problems and situations that are entirely out of line with my personal experience. I can usually chalk those disparities up to regional differences or political calculations. Those don’t bother me, but I become concerned when financial news doesn’t reflect my reality...

I have forgotten the exact wording, but about a week ago, a post on social media challenged readers to state a belief that may be unpopular but true. A friend of mine took the bait and answered with the insightful thought, “Nationalism is not patriotism.” I immediately agreed, of course, but the statement nagged me over the weekend because there are two distinctly different connotations of the word “nationalism,” and I wasn’t 100% certain of his intent. ...

Is it just me, or is the sun coming up a bit later? I don’t know that summer has fully let go of its grip yet, but we’re getting closer. I’m one of those people who would take 100 degrees over ten any day of the week, and ten-degree weather is on the way...

I’ve seen enough back-and-forth about the proposed repeal of LB753 that I feel compelled to root for my team. Like most controversial topics, if I arrive at a conclusion too quickly, I’m afraid I haven’t given it enough thought. There are compelling arguments on both sides of 753, not the least of which is that measures desperately needed in densely populated urban areas are not so urgent in rural Nebraska...

As the world remains focused on the war in Ukraine and the recent coup d’etat in Niger, a recent event in our own hemisphere has gone somewhat underreported. You may have read about the Chinese-Russian naval exercises that took place in the Bering Sea, as well as the US reply with two destroyers and an assortment of reconnaissance aircraft. ...

Nearly every morning, just before dawn, I drive southeast around Country Club Drive. As I turn south onto East 7th Street, I find myself staring into bright lights. They aren’t the headlights of an oncoming car. They are flood lights inside what will become McCook Community College’s East Campus...

I have always had an interest in American History, primarily to discern the difference between myth and reality. I had been told that we were a special country, founded by people who wanted to improve upon the class-based feudal system of old Europe. ...

In a few days, a small city within our city will begin to take form at West 5th and M streets, replaying a tradition that dates back at least 130 years, perhaps longer. I recall reading somewhere that it was first held in 1886. That seemed plausible to me because the county was first organized in 1873, but I haven’t been able to confirm that figure. ...

I recently read an obituary in the Gazette for Vaughn King that launched a flood of memories. Vaughn was McCook’s water guy in the early 2000s, and back in the days when I was publishing interviews, he gave me a nice tour of our wastewater treatment facility. What stands out in my memory from the visit was a concrete spillway studded with concrete cubes to aerate the treated water that Vaughn called “effluent.” That was my new word for that day...

Another year has passed, and once again we have an opportunity to celebrate a piece of paper; a document. It seems ironic that we hold a list of complaints in such high reverence, but woven into our rant against our King were thoughts that just happened to signal a turning point in the history of mankind. ...

The 2024 primary season is beginning to take form, and what we know so far is that the Democrats plan to hold their convention in Chicago, and there is a Kennedy seeking the nomination. Why does that seem familiar? What could possibly go wrong? So far, legal battles have framed much of the current race on both sides of the aisle, and while those legal punches do little to change the minds of the party faithful, prosecutions of presidents and family members are just dramatic enough to reach voters who are otherwise politically disengaged. ...

You have probably heard by now that both the U.S. House and Senate are considering a move to force automakers to include AM radios in all vehicles. The “AM for Every Vehicle Act,” introduced in mid-May, would require vehicle manufacturers to include a broadcast AM radio in all passenger vehicles and stipulates that the service be included at no extra charge. I have mixed feelings about that legislation, and I don’t think I’m alone...

A few weeks back, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) issued a press release detailing the results of the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “nation’s report card.” This particular release focussed specifically on trends in the areas of civics and U.S. history and it probably won’t shock you to hear that it wasn’t good...

A couple of weeks ago, our City Council annexed and rezoned land for industrial use, and not all parties were pleased with the outcomes. As much as I cheer for most economic development projects, I am also saddened when I see people who feel cheated or displaced. It’s easy for us to point out that rezoning, annexation, development, and progress in general usually result in both winners and losers. It’s always harder when we see their faces and hear their stories...

There is a term that I have used intermittently throughout the years that seems to be making the rounds again, and in ways that are different and potentially more serious. The term “Luddite” has been used somewhat pejoratively to describe someone who is not particularly savvy in the ways of technology and is perhaps even openly resistant to technological advancement...

By now, you have already heard what happened last week on the New York Subway. A gentleman named Jordan Neely, who seemed to be experiencing a mental health crisis, reportedly had a threatening interaction with other subway passengers. One of those passengers, a Marine Veteran named Daniel Penny subdued Mr. Neely and in the course of doing so, allegedly caused his death...

Before I moved to McCook in 1994, I was a resident of Capitol Hill in Denver. It was 24-hour, round-the-clock excitement. I was within walking distance of the State Capitol, a short hop from the University and I only had to cross the street and walk through a park to get to the 16th Street Mall. The food, the arts, and the nightlife were great. I was still in my twenties, had no family and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be a young bachelor...

In the process of writing this column each week, I frequently look to the calendar for inspiration. Our religious organizations see to it that we understand the meanings behind our high holy days, but many of the other holidays get lost in commercialization or recreational pursuits that obscure their meaning. In those instances, I try to bring myself up to speed on the topic, and if I find anything interesting, I share what I have learned...

As I watch House Speaker McCarthy’s efforts to use the debt ceiling as leverage to decrease future debt, I find myself feeling a bit conflicted. In the past, I have always bristled when politicians of either stripe used the debt ceiling extension as extortion for political purposes. ...

This week, a social media friend of mine shared an interesting URL with me. It was a site called travelsafe-abroad.com, and it seemed to be created for tourists considering the safety of travel destinations around the globe. On the site were articles and ratings written about Ho Chi Minh City, Odessa, Istanbul, Bangkok, Aleppo, Bucharest, Lisbon, Juarez, Mumbai, Port-au-Prince, and McCook, Nebraska. ...

Earlier this month, the Gazette ran a story referring to the old St. Catherine’s Hospital as an “albatross” hanging around the city’s neck for “more than a decade.” That’s a powerful image. Is our lovely old building really that bad? Well, it wouldn’t be the hardest case to make...

As I’m sure you are all aware, Mr. Trump had his day in court earlier this week and every talking head on the planet is either preaching or prognosticating about the matter. Are we turning into a third-world country where we imprison our political rivals? Or are we a good and decent country that has fallen under the spell of a mega-maniacal sociopath who needs to be reigned in? There are sincere arguments for both, but what distresses me more than the arrest of a former president is the number of people on both sides who have already made up their minds about the outcome. ...

As we awaken to the realization that our drunken consumption of cheap Chinese goods has painted us into a geopolitical corner, we find ourselves in a half-hearted catch-up mode. Our military leaders recognize that we have outsourced enough of our current industrial capabilities to jeopardize national security, but our consumers, and the politicians who are appropriately beholden to them, are either too short-sighted or economically addicted to change their consumption habits. ...

As consumers, we purchase Chinese household goods, Japanese cars, and Korean electronics without as much as a blink, so why can’t we maintain an Asian restaurant in McCook? When I landed on these shores in the mid-1990s, we had one Chinese-style restaurant on West 10th calling itself, “Goodlife.” In retrospect, I didn’t appreciate it enough. They didn’t have heavy sauces and fun dishes like moo-shoo or dim sum. It wasn’t at all exotic...

I had occasion to listen to a podcast featuring Newt Gingrich this past weekend as he discussed the Federalist Papers. Most folks will recognize Newt’s name as the Speaker of the House in the late 1990s, but before he went into politics he was a history teacher. As someone who worked the halls of congress and ascended to our third highest office, his perspective on history is uniquely well-informed...

While global economics and the politics of power are resistant to oversimplification, it seems that the more I absorb and try to understand what makes the world work, the more convinced I become that our fates as Americans are tied directly to the prominence of the dollar. ...

This week, I stumbled upon a recording of a radio interview with Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been advocating for what she calls a “National Divorce.” By that, Greene suggests that portions of our country should undergo a secession of sorts, cutting ties to our mega-powerful national government and forming a coalition similar to the European Union or perhaps even our former government under the Articles of Confederation. ...

This week, I stumbled upon a recording of a radio interview with Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been advocating for what she calls a “National Divorce.” By that, Greene suggests that portions of our country should undergo a secession of sorts, cutting ties to our mega-powerful national government and forming a coalition similar to the European Union or perhaps even our former government under the Articles of Confederation. ...

As we approach Presidents’ day, we will very likely be bombarded with images of Abraham Lincoln and the occasional Jack Kennedy, but we can be sure that the image we see the most will be that of George Washington. You were probably told that George Washington was our first President, but the people who gave you that information also taught you that Columbus discovered America and Pluto was a planet. Well, they were arguably wrong about George Washington too...

A large, unidentified spherical object hovers over a critical US Military base, while another is tracked moving through South America. Isn’t that how alien invasion movies start? Our visitation by a Chinese “weather balloon” last week was an unusually fun news story. ...

I am a little bit concerned about our dollar. I’m not tremendously worried, but I am watching carefully. The dollar’s status as a global currency is extremely strong. It will continue to be the international monetary device of choice during our lifetimes, but those of our children? I’m not so sure...

“McCook, Nebraska was an important town in the 19th century as it was a hub for transportation and commerce. The Union Pacific Railroad built a major rail yard there in 1882, making it a central point for the movement of people and goods. The railroad brought significant economic growth to the town and attracted many new residents and businesses. ...

There’s a great book, titled, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” written by Robert Fulghum in 1986. The book was so elegant in its simplicity that it sold seven million copies, made Fulgham an instant celebrity (and a millionaire), and spawned numerous sequels and imitators...

I received an email earlier this week that provoked thought. It was a familiar message that I have skipped past many times before and one that told me nothing I hadn’t been warned about repeatedly, but for some reason, I stopped to digest it this time. ...

There is a process in nature that I have always found absolutely fascinating and it bears the catchy name, “toxoplasma gondii.” You may have heard of toxoplasmosis, which is a parasitic disease that infects nearly all mammals and can cause flu-like symptoms in adults. You may also have heard that pregnant women shouldn’t come in contact with used kitty litter. That’s because toxoplasmosis is spread through the excrement of cats and can cause serious complications in pregnancies...

Among the things I find enjoyable in mass media this time of year are the annual year-end reviews. They are a staple item used throughout all media (print, radio, TV) and a wide variety of genres (sports, arts, politics, etc.), but the old three-letter, legacy television networks were always particularly good at it. During the decompression period that lies between Christmas and the new year, those retrospectives were entertaining, educational, and often amusing...

As we open our gifts on Christmas morning (or whenever your family opens gifts) we would do well to remember the many people who keep the world running on Christmas day. We’re probably already aware of firemen, police officers, 911 operators, and other emergency personnel, as we should be. Between drunk driving, over-eating, and faulty extension cords, those people stay busier during the holidays than one might expect...

Have you been following Elon Musk and the Twitter saga? If the new House majority keeps its promises, a whole bunch of people are going to get dragged into Congress for some rather intense hearings. What will result from those hearings? It’s hard to say, but if partisan posturing doesn’t steal the show, we could see some serious discussions about the nature of the internet and the news media in general; issues that have been lurking in the shadows for quite a while...

I have rediscovered YouTube, and I’m finding that I am able to use it in ways I had not previously imagined. Believe it or not, the online video streaming service known for home blooper reels, cat videos, and Mr. Bill can also be a rich source of information. As with its parent company Google, I can use it for researching just about anything that my scattered mind can conceive...

Temperatures have plunged, holidays are beginning to tick by, and earlier this week we had our first snow. I suppose I am now forced to admit that summer is over. We each have our winter and snow day rituals, and in my case, it reflects a flaw in my character. Our recent snow was relatively light and I was spared the need for shoveling, but I make no secret of my contempt for the task...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I don’t have a great deal of regard for people who insist that their vote doesn’t matter. Voter participation isn’t mandatory in our system, but good people vote their convictions and if enough other people share those convictions, changes are made. History is made. The future is made, and every single vote counts...

During my several years of writing, advertising, and pretending to be a journalist, I have faced many challenges. I have dealt with deadlines, difficult interview subjects, software problems, equipment breakdowns, rotten employees, writer's block, and humiliating typographical errors. I have done all of that, and yet I wonder if I am up to the arduous task before me now–writing about Thanksgiving on the heels of another Trump presidential announcement. This time, I may truly be in over my head...

We’re all going to vote next week, right? Voting is a privilege not enjoyed by all, so I hope you will exercise your rights with gratitude. In my many years of tinkering around the edges of politics, I’ve followed races at the state and national levels that were decided by voter turnout alone. ...

As we grow older and gain a broader perspective of things political, many of us find ourselves increasingly immune from the constraints of party influence. We have watched waves of populism swing back and forth like a pendulum, while more significant trends, good and evil, plod along slowly and unstoppably toward outcomes beyond our control...

Back in the mid-1970s, my Dad would bring periodicals home from his office in D.C. for me to read. It was a nice selection of news and financial publications that had made their way around the upper echelons of his government office, and when everyone had signed off as having thumbed through the publications, they were deemed up for grabs and available for anyone to take. ...

My family doctor and I recently had a gentleman’s disagreement about mandatory motorcycle helmets. I offered my usual, libertarian view that government should protect us from each other, but not from ourselves. My doctor argued the irrefutable truth that helmets save lives...

I stumbled across a column earlier this week that commanded my attention. Noted journalist, long-time television personality and political operative Pat Buchanan wrote, “Reading Putin’s excoriation, it is hard to recall, in four decades of Cold War, or the three decades since, a speech of such relentless vitriol and hostility toward the West.”...

Being a news junky isn’t always a happy business. At its best, political news centers around people with good intentions in conflict over how to fix a problem. Too often, it’s about allegations that the other team caused those problems and, at its worst, it devolves into personal attacks...

As we receive brightly colored postcards disclosing tax increases, and ponder ballot initiatives, it occurred to me that some back-to-basics thought about the nature of taxation might be in order. I have found that one way to tackle the subject is with an easy thought exercise that I call “the lottery test.”...

Well, that was awkward, wasn’t it? I rarely write about the United Kingdom, but when I finally get around to it, the queen dies about six hours after I submit my column. Had I mentioned a word about the Queen? Thankfully, no. My usual irreverence was not directed at Her Majesty last week, nor will it be today...

Early on Labor Day morning, I was flipping around between Sky News and the BBC to watch the election of the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister. I’m only an occasional follower of British politics and was more interested to see if the cost of the British Pound against the U.S. dollar would be affected by the announcement. What the FOREX community refers to as GBP/USD (nicknamed “sterling”) was trading at about $2.65 back in the 1970s, but has now dropped to under $1.50...

In the early days of the 19th century, life was already difficult for the non-landed, rural poor in the village of Tolpuddle, Dorset, in the south of England. On average, agricultural workers were only earning nine to ten shillings per week, which was just enough to cover bread for a family with little left to put toward rent and other expenses. ...

Learning how to mourn I lost my Mom this week and I don’t quite know how to feel. I know how the church I was raised in says I should feel and yes, I am sad. I will miss her wit, her independent energy and her natural sense of fashion, but I have been missing that for about twenty years now...

I may have a new favorite book. I purchased it for seven bucks on Amazon last week, and it’s really more like a pamphlet than a book. The 4”x7” hard-back has only 30 pages, but if you enjoy a peek into early American life, the evolution of the English language, and would value a refresher course on gentility, it’s a very satisfying 30 pages...

It’s that time of year again. Elementary schools are circulating their supply lists, and parents are rounding up sundries for the coming school year. Parents of students of all ages are replacing and refilling wardrobes and college kids? They’re buying cars and small appliances...

Lately, I have been curious about the nature of time. It rules our lives. We define ourselves by it, yet we don’t entirely understand it. As our fourth universal dimension, time is mysterious. Albert Einstein called time an “illusion” and with his special theory of relativity, explained that time is “relative to the observer.” He also sought to prove that gravity could create time by increasing spacetime curves. ...

We are all accustomed to partisan bickering, so much that we have become numb to it. Whether it’s immigration, crime, vaccinations, or the causes of climate change, the party talking points on each side are invariably crafted to make the opposing party look dishonest, unpatriotic, or stupid. That’s the way it has been since Jefferson split with Adams in 1796, and that’s the way it will be long after we’re gone...

It should surprise no one that I caught a bit of heat over my article published two weeks ago. It was admittedly caustic, and as is often the case, the Democrats accused me of being a mouthpiece for the Republicans, and the Republicans called me a flaming Liberal. That isn’t exactly how I wish to be regarded, but it tells me I’m in the right neighborhood...

It’s been quite a summer so far. Just a few months ago, people were talking about a “red wave,” and flipping both the House and Senate to Republican majorities. Historically predictable mid-term losses have plagued first-term presidents consistently for the last 75 years. ...

We had another tragedy in the Chicago suburbs on Monday and the news is too familiar. Another young, white, disaffected male has taken innocent lives and we are all asking, “why?” How could this happen? What’s going on with these kids? The far-left knows the answer. ...

Given recent events at the Supreme Court, our country is currently focused on our Constitution, and the Tenth Amendment in particular. It’s a moment of accomplishment for some people in our community, and a point of sadness and pain for others. Passions run high, and discourse is too often unproductive. ...

This week, a friend of mine who is a good guy and a respected member of our community, passed along a social media rant from an organization named, “Voice of the Majority” (VOM). It was one of those deals that hits our mailbox along with 40 other things, and it reads well enough on the first pass that we share it with our contemporaries. ...

Mothers bear the pain of childbirth, which is a wonderful, miraculous thing of beauty. It’s appropriate that we honor and celebrate motherhood in western culture and throughout the world, but for fathers, that whole “giving birth” thing presents a very hard act to follow. ...

I view much of the world through analogies, so when I’m not writing about something whimsical like UFOs or Bananas, I am usually on the lookout for historical experiences that might be applied to current events. Admittedly, I sometimes find myself reaching a bit and have produced my share of strained comparisons, but on other days, they just fall into my lap. ...

Some days, I can only be awed by the historic events that we are now witnessing, though much of it isn’t good. Let’s see, we have double-digit inflation, a war in Europe, an energy crisis, too many people shooting at each other, and supply line problems with infant formula of all things. ...

Once again, the time has come for us to celebrate the traditional kick-off of spring. Although the spring equinox took place two months ago, the Memorial Day weekend provides an opportunity, for those who have not already done so, to haul the boat out of mothballs, spruce up the lawn, and fire up the grill. At last glance, the weather forecast looked favorable in our region with high temperatures in the low 90s and our beloved Nebraska winds ranging between ten and twenty miles per hour...

Changing Populations and “AIMSOG” We have had three terrible, tragic shootings in the past week. On Friday 13, 21 people were shot in a series of related events following an NBA playoff game where the home team lost to the Boston Celtics. Fortunately, no one was killed, and 11 people have been arrested in connection with what is presumed to be gang violence...

I like teachers. While it’s true that I’m no fan of Teacher’s Unions, and I think school choice should be considered seriously, teachers, as individuals, are a special breed. We entrust teachers with our most treasured assets, but as public employees, we also ask them to work with limited resources. Our teachers always rise to the challenge and should be appreciated accordingly. I certainly do...

I’m a word guy. I have been since the first time I heard George Carlin in the early 1970s. In his “Class Clown” album, Carlin observed that words are inherently neutral and that if there are any “dirty” words, it’s because we have assigned an unpleasant meaning to them. The word itself, a collection of letters, is not to blame...

Mexican drug cartels and Tammany Hall It’s no surprise that immigration issues are back in the news. They never really went away, but the topic du jour is a section of the United States Code, known as “Title 42.” The law in question grants law enforcement organizations, at the direction of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the ability to deny entry to asylum seekers if they pose a risk of introducing communicable disease into the country. ...

Perfection. Whether it’s Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Gettysburg Address, a ‘59 Coupe DeVille, or the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team, it is as elusive as it is subjective. As I move into my sixth decade, I find myself looking at seemingly small things and realizing that they aren’t small at all. In doing so, it has recently occurred to me that there are few things quite as perfect in life as the lowly banana...

I read something this week that left me with a momentary chill. In an advertising piece for vertical lift solutions (AKA helicopters) from the defense contractor BAE Systems, the very first sentence began, “As the U.S. Army continues the pivot from the global war on terror to the near-peer nation-state fight….” The content then goes on to tout the company’s products and how they can be utilized in a “new” battle environment, etc. ...

It’s been an interesting week. One would think that with a war in Europe, rising oil prices and soaring inflation, there would be little bandwidth for other news, but I seem to be getting hit with Second Amendment-related stories from numerous directions. It began over the weekend with a shooting in Sacramento that resulted in six fatalities and 12 hurting. In keeping with the Rahm Emanual doctrine (never let a crisis go to waste), the administration quickly rolled out a new anti-gun agenda...

For some among us, today is a high holy day of sorts. It’s not so much a holiday, as it is an international, year-round tradition that happens to be recognized on one particular day. There is no widespread consensus on the exact origin of April Fool’s day, but the most generally accepted view is that the origination of the custom coincided with the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Inflation’s perfect storm My Grandfather had a 1923, 10,000 mark German coin that was passed down to me when he died more than 50 years ago. It’s a huge, important-looking coin that one would presume to be worth quite a bit of money. At 1.2 troy ounces with a diameter of 1.75 inches, it’s much larger than an American Silver Dollar (.86 troy ounces and 1.5 inches in diameter) , but rather than being made of a precious metal like gold or silver, it is made of brass. ...

Now entering its fourth week, the War in Ukraine has officially surpassed the collective attention span of the American Public, and the partisan bickering is back in full stride. On the left, blame for the war falls equally between Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson. ...

Watching history unfold is both exhilarating and terrifying. My inner news-geek is oddly entertained by the political intrigue (both foreign and domestic) associated with the current conflict. It’s said that the political process is a peaceful substitute for war, but it seems that the process has broken down. War has begun, and we will be dissecting and interpreting the causes for decades...

Last weekend, I broke down and rented a movie. It’s not something that I normally do. Those of us who have embraced the “cord cutter” life, know that there is more free entertainment available than we could ever possibly digest, so purchasing content seems rather awkward to me...

For better or worse, I have returned. I should begin by thanking all of you all for your support and good wishes during my absence. Much has happened since our last chat, and I am naturally tempted to discuss the Ukraine situation. The information coming from that part of the world is, whether by accident or intent, unreliable and unlikely to remain unstable in the coming days. ...

The First Gulf war of1990 introduced me to a new hobby, and it’s been with me ever since. Of those of you were old enough to care at the time, you’ll recall that CNN was taken seriously as a news organization then and they gave us a front-row seat to the conflict...

The recent discussions of Pastime Park are a pertinent topic to consider as we work through plans for a public pool upgrade, yet rings a personal note for me. In the summer of 1973, I had the pleasure of attending a five-week session at Buffalo Gap Camp in Capon Bridge, West Virginia...

On Tuesday of this week, Amazon founder and Chairman Jeff Bezos paid a brief visit to sub-orbital space with the assistance of his company, Blue Origin. This follows a similar flight by Richard Branson under the auspices of his company, Virgin Galactic. The Blue Origin Rocket was somewhat conventional in design, but the Virgin Galactic spacecraft was designed by Burt Rutan, who has a flair for the unusual, and he certainly lived up to that reputation...

Every year my backyard gets away from me. This year, it happened a little earlier than usual. It normally happens in August, but we had a very wet June and plenty of heat so far in July so already my backyard needs copious amounts of glyphosate. I’ll start spraying when I complete this article...

New Year’s Day is often seen as a time to reflect and to make new plans. People do, and a lot of gym memberships get canceled in February and March. I’ve always had more of an affinity for this time of year. My birthday and that of my country are only three days apart. As of yesterday (Thursday) I am officially middle-aged, providing that I live to be 118 years old...

Well, it’s official. After a few months of procrastination, I have finally had my first vaccine shot: the jab; the poke; the Fauci Ouchy. Because my pharmacy is a full-service, conscientious, customer-centric organization, they threw in the government tracking chip and mark of the beast at no extra cost...

As I look through the many repetitive tropes found on social media, I frequently see populist opinions about term limits. There’s no question that folks overwhelmingly favor them, but I feel obligated to take the contrarian view of that matter. Having been exposed to some of the mechanisms of government, and having grown up in the household of civil servants, I am informed by a couple of long-held observations. ...

I don’t like writing about racism. It makes my gut ache, but sometimes one must speak out. I had the honor of working with Newt Gingrich on a video back in the late eighties, and have been a disciple ever since. I was just a snot-nosed college kid working on a state senate campaign at the time and was told to show up at a given place on a given date. I honestly didn’t know what I was there for, but it really influenced the trajectory of my life...

When I consume news, I like to look for common themes, discover trends, and draw analogies. This week was a jackpot. The common thread running through the recent chatter is the unraveling of what were previously believed to be crackpot conspiracy theories. It amuses me to see that a few are proving to be more true than many believed. It makes for some interesting turns of events...

The holiday, “Labor Day,” is easy to have fun with. Although I have ancestors who decidedly benefited from the collective labor movement, I have more recently known it to be a drag on our economy. Not so with Memorial Day. Yes, On one holiday, you put your white shoes in, then on the next, you pull your white shoes out. It’s the three-day weekend hokey pokey but I take Memorial Day more seriously...

Since our last discussion, I have watched situations further deteriorate under the current administration, and I am beginning to draw some analogies between the long list of grievances expressed. Specifically, the similarities between our border control situation and the administration’s treatment of the current Middle East conflict. I have concluded that it is due to a strong, but minority influence in Congress...

A common theme among the pundit class these days is that our current national situation is somewhat reminiscent of the 1970s. That resonates with me quite a bit. The similarities are hard to ignore, but there are also differences. I am old enough to remember the energy crises of the 1970s. ...

Even though Valentine’s Day is named after a Saint and has historical significance, it’s popular to make fun of the holiday. It is widely seen as a conspiracy between florists, candy, and greeting card companies. The history of Mother’s Day is quite the opposite...

It doesn’t surprise me at all that the left wants to capitalize on their newfound advantage in Congress and the White House. I expect them to make their best efforts to pack the supreme courts, raise taxes, loosen the borders and pass restrictive gun legislation. No surprises there...

We have a problem in this country of extreme political divisiveness. The concept of governance for the common good seems to be long forgotten. It concerns me. I believe it has resulted in incivility at a disturbing level which we are experiencing in both our major cities, on social media, and at the voting booth. If I were inclined to blame, I could blame the political class, or mass media, or education...

I’m getting to the age where my peer group begins to joke about walking into a room and not remembering why we went there. It’s humbling when we feel ourselves begin to slide in that direction. It’s good that we can make light of it. The experience reminds me of my earlier education at the hand of the Jesuits. ...

We have a complex relationship with our elected officials in this country. On one hand, they are elected to represent our wishes, yet we tend to distrust those who rely upon polls rather than their personal principles. A politician with a finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing has become a perennial negative stereotype...

I spend way too much time on social media. It’s not good. It doesn’t bring out the best in us. It certainly doesn’t bring out the best in me, but it is an interesting gauge of public opinion. In the past several months, friends of mine have been passing along memes about the student loan debt crisis and discussions of a possible government bailout. ...

I recently fell into a conversation with a friend-of-a-friend on social media who was agitating for a popular vote in national elections. I can appreciate the frustrations of Democrats in Nebraska (particularly those in the 3rd District), but I’m always amazed when I hear a Nebraskan criticize the Electoral College. ...

I had intended to write about the Electoral College this week, but sometimes other stuff gets in the way. We can cover that in another article. Today, I want to tell you about my friend Cloyd Clark, whom we recently lost. He was a District Judge, a founder of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival, a friend to all, and I’m pretty sure I have seen his likeness on Mount Rushmore...

It’s never too late to learn, and I have done a bit of that this week. In discussions surrounding the nomination of Merrick Garland as Attorney General, and his flaccid support for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, I learned that the Second Amendment was somewhat tied in with the Fourteenth Amendment. I never knew that...

It’s been quite a week. New variants of the Covid-19 virus originating in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil have made their way into the United States, threatening to be more contagious. The mutations have also called into question the efficacy of the vaccines in which so much hope has been placed...

As we endure the dumpster fire that is the current impeachment effort, it will ironically enough, overlap with President’s Day, or the observation of George Washington’s birthday next week. Although it’s Washington’s birthday, adjusted for the government calendar to the third Monday in February, we are instructed to reflect on all Presidents, including Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, and the other greats. Instead, it is usually observed in the form of auto and mattress sales...

I’m trying my best not to write about politics and viruses. One is painful and the other is tiresome. I have been fascinated by politics most of my life, but if I am feeling fatigued, my guess is that I have lost a few of you folks long ago. I have already written articles about my dog and my cars, which is largely the sum total of my earthly existence, so that leaves one obvious topic of discussion: food...

As this whole Covid thing unfolded in March of last year, I began looking for silver linings to the dark clouds ahead of us. At the time, my hope was that it would force us to make progress in the utilization of remote learning, which is a net-plus for rural Nebraska. ...

Noticeably absent from this week’s inauguration festivities was our oldest living President. Jimmy Carter, who excused himself for health reasons. Mr. Carter, or as I call him, “Jimma,” was born in October of 1924 and has survived at least one bout with cancer. He’s not getting any younger, and I fear that we won’t have him for much longer...

An Emory University study published in the journal “Frontiers in Neuroscience” in 2018 demonstrated that dogs are indeed able to understand human language. The dogs’ cognitive abilities were measured by using specific verbal phrases, measured by MRI scans. The study indicated, in an objective fashion, that dogs recognize our words. Who didn’t know that?...

Welcome back. We took a couple of weeks off for the holidays, but it was not without adventure. A member of my family, Typhoid Mary, returned from college with a case of the Covid. While the rest of you were enjoying New Year’s Day and contemplating the workout routine that you won’t continue, I was camped out at the Community Hospital emergency room...

To all the girls I have loved before The American obsession with the automobile is a well-studied, overly familiar, and hackneyed topic. I wouldn’t be bringing anything new to the table by discussing it in generalities, but my personal story of forty-plus years of driving and car ownership may be a bit unique for this region. It might warrant storytelling for a few car buffs, so please indulge...

The mask issue seems to have reached our city hall, and for now, I am mostly pleased with the results. Make no mistake, I support the use of masks when in tight quarters and consider it a matter of civic duty to do so, but I would personally find a mandate inappropriate...

As the next administration begins to take shape, I am carefully watching the runoff races in Georgia to see who will control the Senate and whether there will be any checks and balances between the White House and the House of Representatives. Naturally, I remain concerned about the second amendment and the reversal of trade policies established in the past four years, but I am particularly concerned about the taxation that will accompany healthcare, environmental policies (AKA the green new deal), and a host of other items on the Democratic Party’s wish list. ...

As we round the corner toward the Christmas holiday, I find myself revisiting an old conundrum presented by our seasonal symbols. I’m thinking specifically of the gift-giving bearded guy and the equally benevolent bunny. My children are grown now, but at one time, I seriously entertained the idea of not promoting those legends in my household. ...

In 1585, English settlers attempted to establish a colony on Roanoke Island in what is now North Carolina. The colony failed, but a second attempt was undertaken in 1587. Poorly supplied and troubled by ill relations with the native populations, the colony was found abandoned in 1590. ...

Elections and occasional irregularity The saga continues. Left-leaning media are fond of saying that the administration’s claims of election irregularities are unfounded, but there is plenty of smoke. The several allegations being thrown at the current projection of a Biden/Harris victory range from ridiculous to the sublime, and a few have already been struck down by the courts. ...

I understand that the recent appointment of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a controversial one, from both an ideological standpoint, as well as a procedural issue. The role of Supreme Court Justices, in my opinion, is widely misunderstood and unappreciated. ...

As we approach what will surely be a contentious election, and one that won’t quickly be decided, I am entertained by the stories of elections past that tested the limits of our constitution. The presidential election of 2000 between George W. Bush (AKA “43”) and Al Gore is fresh in the minds of most of us and a bureaucratic mess that involved recounts, hanging chads, armies of attorneys, and no small amount of partisan bickering. ...

In the midst of all the COVID-19 madness and the several false narratives circulating around the upcoming election, I have been reading that aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (AKA China) have been making increasingly provocative incursions into Taiwan’s airspace. ...

Did everyone have a chance to watch the televised decline of western civilization on Tuesday night? If you aren’t one of the estimated 72 million people who watched the presidential debate, I’m sure you have heard about it. President Trump, former Vice President Biden, and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace put on a show that reminded me of one that I would watch on Saturday mornings as a child. I’m not entirely sure which ones would play the part of Larry or Curly, but Trump was definitely Moe...

I am inspired by Dick Trail’s tribute to Bill Elliot on his retirement. That guy deserves gallons of ink, as do all of our city and county employees. Bill, in particular, saved my bacon once when my son and I were experimenting with Estes rocket designs. We became a bit too creative and blackened one of the lower baseball fields. Were it not for Bill and his crew from the rural fire department, it could have spread further south...

Following politics as closely as I do is about as sure prescription for depression and anxiety as one might find. As a general rule, I don’t recommend it. For at least once, and for this week alone, we may be able to say that politics isn’t always a drag. The United States played a pivotal role in the official recognition of Israel by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain...

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “I would rather sit in a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” Along with the typical accouterments of my fourth-grade classroom; a US flag, an alphabet posted above the blackboard (upper and lower case, in cursive), and a rotary pencil sharpener mounted to the wall, my matronly, gray bunned and skirted stereotypical school-marm teacher posted a few famous quotes above the green letters of the alphabet. ...

Having watched both the GOP and DNC primaries in the past two weeks, to the extent that I could stomach them, I walked away with a firm grip on what one party is against (or more appropriately, who one party is against), but no clear idea of what either party was for. The DNC intensely dislikes Donald Trump. That memo has been received loud and clear, and they have no particular affection for middle-America either...

Occasionally, the Sunday-morning talking heads wax eloquent about our divisive times and compare ours to the period leading up to the civil war. I always find that to be a bit of a stretch, but comparisons with 1968 are hard to avoid. We have civil unrest in our cities where, alongside a handful of peaceful protesters, lawless mobs burn, vandalize and loot. ...

According to our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sunrise/Sunset calculator, the “apparent” sunrise and sunset at the flagpole on Norris Avenue (40°12’10.13”N, 100°37’32.79”W) will be 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. respectively on Friday, August 21. ...

This week, we finally received a break from the 24-hour coverage of the Juice-Boxer Rebellion in Portland with the announcement of Kamala Harris as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate. I called that one several months ago, but I won’t take too deep a bow. It was simple electoral math in a party that places a high value on identity politics. Besides, predictions can be a cruel mistress. Think back to Y2K, or look around for flying cars...

In my lifetime, I don’t recall vice presidential picks being such a big deal since the Nixon administration. That’s reaching back a bit. For those of you too young to remember, Spiro Agnew was Nixon’s vice president and resigned, just as Nixon was looking down the barrel of the Watergate scandal...

It’s been quite a week. Between the Barr hearing, Dr. Stella, and mystery seeds from China, well, there’s never a dull moment. The much-publicized and broadcast, four-hour hearing of Attorney General Bill Barr looked more like a Stalinist kangaroo court than what should be a product of our system of government, but those are the times we live in. ...

I had a conversation with a family member this week that was thought-provoking. We were talking about new masking requirements in retail spaces and I was bemoaning the degree to which the issue has become politicized. I’m sincerely troubled by that. As much as I can be a political animal, some things should be off-limits to political spin, but that’s not the world we live in...

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. We live in difficult times. By the time you read this, it will be a few days old, but today I am thinking about Bastille Day. The holiday is on July 14, which has great meaning to me both on a historic plane, and as a personal memory. I’ll start with the important stuff...

As I watch the recent street violence unfold and listen to the partisan punditry surrounding it I find myself amazed by the amount of time and energy we spend agonizing over symbolism. I’m not referring to the literary device or the 19th Century European artistic movement, but the endless wave of nationalistic symbols being violently attacked and passionately defended in our nightly news...

Yankee Doodle went to town, Riding on a pony, Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni. It was a pejorative song about unsophisticated, provincial Americans sung by pre-revolutionary British. You know how we reacted to it? We adopted it as our own. We owned it. We sang it back to them. How American is that?...

As I piece together dates and places from the past, my best guess is that it was the Christmas of 1969 when I was given my first shortwave radio. We were at Sheppard Air Force Base that year, and Santa brought me an ICP Nine Band-Portable that he probably picked up at the on-base Air Force Post Exchange. Santa didn’t like to pay sales tax...

Reparations and white privilege As I watch the current racial tensions play out and reminders of the Confederacy being toppled, my mind goes back to the reparations issue that was tossed around lightheartedly during the Democratic primary. I find it odd that it has been seriously considered this many generations after the fact, but self-interest being what it is, it grabbed the attention of a good many voters...

There are a series of memes circulating on social media, mostly by my conservative friends that say, “We the people say NO to vote-by-mail. This should be shared enough that it goes viral.” Naturally, there are many variations to the message, but they all seem to offer very little detail and insist that the declaration be shared...

Back in 1971, the United States Navy paid a Stanford University professor, Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, a substantial sum of money to research the social dynamics between guards and prisoners of the Navy and Marines (AKA the brig). You have probably heard of it. Zimbardo’s research has been the subject of several books, a movie, numerous documentaries, and a cautionary tale recounted in a broad variety of academic works...

Look out your window. It looks peaceful, doesn’t it? It’s spring. At my house, we have a pair of baby rabbits in our yard, and birds chirping. The squirrels are running around as busy as always, and the grass is green. Kids are playing and shouting in the block behind us, and my dog, wanting to play along, echoes their shrieks with a few barks of her own. Seems nice, doesn’t it? Here’s what’s really going on...

Somewhere in my formal education, I’m not sure exactly when or where, I was exposed to what is perhaps the most poorly named, yet critical behavioral concept. It’s called “Fundamental Attribution Error.” With a handle like that, it could be anything, right?...

I went to church on Sunday, sort of. I have admitted within these pages that I’m not the most religious guy you’ll ever meet, but I had a chance to sit in on a service, my first in two about two years, under circumstances that would not have taken place, but for the COVID-19 Virus...

I can’t pretend to know more about food supply issues than the readers of this publication. I have lived in McCook for more than 25 years now, have had a modicum of contact with the ag sector. I have absorbed what I can, but I am still a city guy. I’ll leave production issues to the big boys...

Well, we didn’t have a great week, did we? When the list of states most likely to qualify for the administration’s three-tier recovery plan was released, there was a notably absent hole in the middle of the map. It was us. Nebraska. Like all densely populated areas, our friends in Lincoln and Omaha are predictably having problems, but our nearer neighbors in Grand Island are having even more difficulties...

As we live through these historic times, I think of the many seminal moments in US History that, some of us, depending on our age might remember. We always hear people say that they remember where they were when they first heard about Pearl Harbor, or when JFK was killed, or on September 11, 2001. The inescapable humor will be that when asked where we were during COVID-19, many of us will predictably answer, “stuck at home.”...

Well, this is the third week in a row that I have tried to write about something other than COVID-19. We could all use a break from it, but what else defines our times and occupies our discourse as much as a global Pandemic? It’s hard to top. I am afraid that the toughest part of this journey is still ahead of us. ...

Well, forgive me for whistling past the graveyard. We all have our way of dealing with stress, and mine is to make fun of what scares me. So naturally, I’m finding no shortage of dark humor in Washington DC’s most recent assessment of our battle against the coronavirus...

So, how are we holding up? Are you dug in? Working out of the house? Trying to be productive while watching the kids? Do you provide an essential service and have to brave the threat of illness head-on? Or are you in a high-risk group and even more wary of exposure than the rest of us?...

This week, my wife mentioned that a coworker of hers uses the word “normalcy” when speculating about the prospect of someday ending our current closure of schools, restaurants, churches and other social gatherings. Although the grammatical construction is a bit suspect, the word couldn’t possibly be more appropriate for our times...

I was reminded this week of an old saying that is known alternately as the “Chinese Curse” or sometimes, the “Chamberlain Curse.” As the Chinese Curse, it is believed to be an English translation of an expression found in Chinese literature dating back to the 17th century. ...

Well, folks, we have had another busy week. Consequently, there are a few housekeeping items to be addressed. I should begin with an apology to my friends in the aviation community. As you are aware, the 737 Max is Boeing’s problematic “stretch” airliner. The term, “Supermax,” on the other hand, is a slang term for a super-maximum security prison. The 737 Supermax that I so cleverly referenced in last week’s article is, as they say, “not a thing.”...

Well folks, it’s been quite a week. The contradictions and surprises just keep coming. Last week ended with Joe Biden on the ropes and predictions that Bernie Sanders would sweep Super Tuesday. That didn’t happen. As expected, Biden had a good showing in South Carolina, but he got to work cutting deals with Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar to drop out and endorse him. ...

In the German language, there is a wonderful word that, until recently, I thought had no equivalent in English. “Schadenfreude” (shaa·duhn·froy·duh) is described in the Oxford dictionary as “pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.” As it turns out, we do have an English equivalent in “epicaricacy,” but that’s just not as catchy. ...

This week, the Boy Scouts of America filed a Chapter 11 petition in the Delaware bankruptcy court under the saddest of circumstances. The bankruptcy applies to the national organization and not to local councils, and although official statements from the organization insist that they intend to continue operations, national recruitment numbers have been down...

I haven’t been feeling well this week, so I’ll keep this one short. This article will come out on Valentine’s day, and I want to seize the opportunity to say a few things that need to be said. The holiday, in theory, is named for a third-century Roman priest who distinguished himself by ministering to persecuted Christians. He is remembered for paying a significant price for that political mischoice, was sainted, and a feast day was established in his name...

Hey folks. It’s been a busy week. We had the Superbowl on Sunday, the Iowa Primary on Monday, the State of the Union on Tuesday and the impeachment vote on Wednesday. It’s really too much material to work with, so instead, I would like to address something that our friend Dick Trail addressed in these pages on Tuesday...

There has been much discussion in the business press lately about “Fintech,” or the rapidly emerging financial technology sector. Fintech describes a broad, loosely defined spectrum of financial services, all of which are offered over the Internet. Basic banking services like loans, credit, and debit card accounts and peer-to-peer point-of-sale payment processing are offered along with traditional ancillaries like insurance products, brokerage accounts, and advisors. ...

I have an awkward relationship with social media. On one hand, it helps me stay in contact with friends and family from different parts of the world, and from other times of my life. At the same time, I am convinced that social media doesn’t always bring out the best of us. ...

Vaping: On December 20 of last year, the minimum legal age to buy and use tobacco products, by smoking, chewing or using one the newer e-cigarette vapor products, was raised from 18 to 21 by the US Congress and signed into law. The popular reaction on social media was generally negative. ...