Mike O'Dell

Columns Archive

• The tangible vs. the digital: Why physical reading still holds its ground (8/23/24)
• Consolidation, choice and tax relief (8/16/24)
• Transparency and accountability (8/2/24)
• Fences, politicians, tradition and ambition (7/26/24)
• Community, transparency and value (7/19/24)
• Stranger than fiction (7/12/24)
• Josh the Otter and the Chevron Decision (7/5/24)
• Patriotism and independence (6/28/24)
• Power of a cell phone, European elections, and food deserts (6/21/24)
• Historic scandals take a dangerous path (6/14/24)
• Budget process fosters appreciation (6/7/24)
• Mid-cenury dreams, today's realities (5/31/24)
• Sunshine and the perils of leadership (5/24/24)
• A better signal, but what about content? (5/17/24)
• Campus chaos, tragic realities and grandma's poultice (5/10/24)
• History, climate change and lilapsophobia (5/3/24)
• Diving into sleep Evolution, dreams and aging (4/26/24)
• Human tragedy and 5G warfare (4/19/24)
• Campaign songs, part one (4/5/24)
• Immigration anxiety: A voice from the past (3/29/24)
• Family lore unraveled (3/22/24)
• Taxation with representation (3/15/24)
• Tech underlines the value of local service (3/8/24)
• Narcissism, gaslighting, and the general election (3/1/24)
• Exploring the hands-free experience (2/23/24)
• Profitable Peril: Trump on NATO defense spending and DC gridlock (2/16/24)
• Lakes, legacies and a road trip to North Platte (2/9/24)
• Time capsule unearthed: The Weekly Reader (2/2/24)
• Putting processing in perspective (1/25/24)
• Art in a technical revolution (1/19/24)
• The 'Brain Drain' revisited (1/12/24)
• The perennial resolution (1/5/24)
• Mathematics, history, and the leap year (12/29/23)
• Surveying Identities: Liberty vs. Social Reform (12/22/23)
• Leave the World Behind? (12/15/23)
• Henry Kissinger and the Dunning-Kruger effect (12/8/23)
• ‘Foreignisms’ and the tapestry of language borrowings (12/1/23)
• Community-minded consumerism (11/17/23)
• History, tradition and the Thanksgiving holiday (11/10/23)
• Challenging assumptions: The nuances of labor shortages in a post-pandemic world (11/3/23)
• We are Israel, for better or worse (10/27/23)
• The government we deserve (10/20/23)
• Hamas attack: Geopolitical impact, global response (10/12/23)
• Errata: A chronicle of untimely comentary (10/6/23)
• Ageism in government (9/29/23)
• The evening news (9/22/23)
• Inflation and perception (9/15/23)
• Nationalism vs. Patriotism (9/8/23)
• Seasons, political and otherwise (9/1/23)
• Weighing in on LB 753 (8/18/23)
• Routine exercises? (8/11/23)
• Bare bricks and bright lights (8/3/23)
• Making history personal (7/28/23)
• The ultimate variety show (7/14/23)
• Interviews remembered (7/7/23)
• My local observations on the Fourth of July (6/30/23)
• The spoilers (6/23/23)
• AM for every vehicle? (6/16/23)
• Students declining in civics and history (6/9/23)
• Public hearings and the erosion of confidence (6/2/23)
• Luddites, artificial intelligence and change (5/26/23)
• Justice, tyrants and the mob (5/19/23)
• Urban flight (5/12/23)
• Gringo de Mayo (5/5/23)
• Limiting more than debt (4/28/23)
• Is McCook safe? (4/21/23)
• Albatross or opportunity? (4/14/23)
• News you may have missed (4/7/23)
• Guns, butter and Bill Knudsen (3/31/23)
• Asian food in McCook? (3/24/23)
• Were the Federalists right? (3/17/23)
• Our mighty dollar (3/10/23)
• Contemplating a national divorce (3/3/23)
• Contemplating a national divorce (3/3/23)
• Our forgotten presidents (2/17/23)
• Dealing with unclear boundaries (2/10/23)
• The almighty dollar (2/3/23)
• Questionably intelligent (1/27/23)
• All I need to know, I learned in the '80s (1/20/23)
• Cybersecurity in our future (1/12/23)
• toxoplasma gondii (1/6/23)
• A year in review (12/30/22)
• Remember essential workers (12/23/22)
• The Twitter (12/16/22)
• Nostalgia on demand (12/9/22)
• Our first snow (12/2/22)
• Holiday shopping with a purpose (11/25/22)
• Thanksgiving in turbulent times (11/18/22)
• Voting with gratitude (11/4/22)
• The view with age-enhanced perspective (10/28/22)
• What's new? (10/21/22)
• The value of friction (10/14/22)
• Cold War 2.0 (10/7/22)
• The power of information (9/30/22)
• The lottery test (9/23/22)
• Charlie and the Queen (9/16/22)
• Liz Truss and our popular vote (9/9/22)
• Tolpuddle martyrs (9/2/22)
• Learning how to mourn (8/26/22)
• Civility and decent behavior (8/19/22)
• Back to school (8/12/22)
• Our limited time (8/5/22)
• Recession or not? (7/29/22)
• Three legs or four (7/22/22)
• Looking forward to 2024 (7/14/22)
• Extremist views cloud important issues (7/8/22)
• Delving into the Declaration (7/1/22)
• Alternative energy isn't the problem (6/23/22)
• Father's Day in a changing world (6/17/22)
• Diversions in the Art of War (6/10/22)
• Royal anniversary provides needed relief (6/3/22)
• The two sides of Memorial Day (5/27/22)
• Changing populations and 'AIMSOG' (5/19/22)
• The Connecticut Compromise (5/13/22)
• Orwellian Overload and a new ‘Whodunnit’ (5/5/22)
• Mexican drug cartels and Tammany Hall (4/29/22)
• In praise of the banana (4/22/22)
• Near peers and unknown unknowns (4/15/22)
• Gun issues back in play (4/8/22)
• Foolishness and tradition (4/1/22)
• Inflation's perfect storm (3/24/22)
• Blood and oil (3/18/22)
• Live during wartime (3/11/22)
• Wag the Dog (3/4/22)
• I hope Neil Young will remember (and I can use a reminder myself) (2/18/22)
• Collecting maps deepens understanding of world events (8/6/21)
• A Goyim enjoys a summer at Buffalo Gap Camp (7/30/21)
• The privatization of space (7/23/21)
• Taking care of our own backyard (7/15/21)
• A pure, simple, profound and majestic birthday declaration (7/2/21)
• Finally getting 'the jab' (6/25/21)
• A few thoughts before we impose term limits (6/17/21)
• Racist systems? (6/11/21)
• Crackpots and conspiracy theories (6/4/21)
• Relax, remember, reflect this holiday weekend (5/28/21)
• Deja Vu, part two (5/21/21)
• Deja Vu (5/14/21)
• Mother's Day's original roots (5/7/21)
• Credentialing of media (4/23/21)
• In pursuit of critical thinking (4/16/21)
• Funes the Memorius (4/9/21)
• DACA reconsidered (4/2/21)
• Fixing the problem of student loan debt (3/26/21)
• Electoral College vital for rural America (3/12/21)
• Memories of Cloyd in six chapters (3/5/21)
• Gun control and the 14th Amendment (2/25/21)
• The pandemic, a personality and Perseverance (2/19/21)
• Viewing past presidents by the light of a dumpster fire (2/12/21)
• Lunch time: Post a picture or 'smack your granny'? (2/5/21)
• Pandemic opens door for innovation (1/29/21)
• The man in the crowd at the White House party (1/22/21)
• Neuroscience, Fiona and upcoming personalities (1/15/21)
• Typhoid Mary and getting things under control (1/8/21)
• To all the girls I have loved before (12/18/20)
• Rural mask mandates: Do it for ourselves and each other (12/11/20)
• The Laffer Curve (12/4/20)
• The Big Fib: Should the holiday deception continue? (11/27/20)
• Thanksgiving and American resilience (11/20/20)
• Elections and occasional irregularity (11/13/20)
• Perfect pitch (10/30/20)
• Contested elections are nothing new in America (10/23/20)
• Taiwan, Cuba and our new 51st state (10/16/20)
• How did we get here? (10/2/20)
• A friend who should still be alive (9/25/20)
• Middle East peace and the Monroe Doctrine (9/18/20)
• Why do we live in McCook? (9/11/20)
• Presidential race portends continued division (9/4/20)
• Violence and Virus vs. 1968 (8/28/20)
• Looking forward to better times (8/21/20)
• Presidential predictions and a lunch encounter (8/14/20)
• Surveying the field of vice presidential possibilities (8/7/20)
• Back to school (7/31/20)
• Pandemics, politics and manners (7/24/20)
• Viva liberty! (7/17/20)
• From slaves to symbols (7/10/20)
• Yankee Doodle: We still own it (7/3/20)
• World events mirror domestic events (6/26/20)
• Reparations and white privilege (6/19/20)
• Mail-in voting and responsible voters (6/12/20)
• The Stanford Experiment (6/5/20)
• Another day in paradise (5/29/20)
• Fundamental Attribution Error (5/22/20)
• Virtual church connects with past (5/15/20)
• COVID-19 and The Jungle (5/8/20)
• Let's get local (5/1/20)
• Historic times (4/24/20)
• The road back to normal (4/17/20)
• Why federalism is our friend (4/10/20)
• Coronavirus will buttress distance learning (4/3/20)
• Waiting for a return to normalcy (3/27/20)
• Interesting times (3/20/20)
• Trump's alibi, Bernie on the ropes (3/13/20)
• Surprises, contradictions just keep coming (3/6/20)
• Inevitable problems on horizon for DNC (2/28/20)
• Confessions of an old Boy Scout (2/21/20)
• A few words about Valentine's Day (2/14/20)
• A difficult day, a forever flawed decision (2/7/20)
• Will growth of fintech be a positive thing (1/31/20)
• Accusations or racism considered (1/24/20)
• Vaping, helmets, seatbelts and other concerns (1/17/20)
• The War Powers Act revisited (1/10/20)
• Taking time out to surf the web (1/3/20)
• With apologies to Al and Greta (12/27/19)
• The Space Force and political realities (12/20/19)
• In defense of being an Independent (12/13/19)
• A gift idea and some thoughts on Christmas (12/6/19)
• Gun violence motivation key to prevention (11/22/19)