Years ago, Woody Guthrie wrote “Mean Talking Blues,” a stinging satire of malicious right-wing officials who take perverse pleasure in demonizing, holding down, and punishing poor people: “I’m a big disaster / Just goin’ some place to happen / I’m an organized famine / Studying ...
My place of prayer and meditation is the bathroom, precisely, sitting on the stool, and has been for the 36 years I have been clean and sober. It is a place that is private and can be found for the most part wherever I am, be it at home, a motel or someone else’s home. Even while traveling, a bathroom stall in the Men’s Room works so-so. My time of prayer and meditation is early in the morning when I arise, and I arise early. This also benefits my privacy as no one else is up yet, tapping on the door, wanting to use the bathroom. The time spent during prayer and meditation is ...
Ionly wanted to serve my country. Now I’m worried about my family going hungry. I was selected for a highly competitive State Department Information Technology (IT) fellowship in 2024 — a program that included investing in my graduate degree. I was one of a few Black participants selected, and I quit two good-paying cybersecurity jobs to focus on the fellowship. With the government’s help, I received my Master’s Degree, finished my training, and completed the painstaking process to obtain top-secret clearance. The government’s investment in me had paid off — and I was ...
Per new polling reported by Gallup, religion is no longer important to most Americans. In response to the question “Is religion an important part of your daily life,” 49 percent said yes. Ten years ago, in 2015, 66 percent responded affirmatively. Gallup notes that this 17-point drop “ranks among the largest Gallup has recorded in any country over any 10-year period since 2007.” This departure from religion has partisan characteristics. In 2001, per Gallup, 11 percent of Democrats and 7 percent of Republicans said they have no religion. In 2023, this difference widened ...
All my life, I’ve been fascinated by the power of storytelling. To me, stories are not just words on a page—they are the lifeblood that connects us to the past and passes wisdom to future generations. J.K. Rowling once said: “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever.” Very early on, I knew I wanted to be part of that mission: preserving stories for the future. As a kid, I wrote tales of imagined lands and impossible adventures. Those stories came from deep within me — they weren’t just fiction, they were expressions ...
Young adults need lower housing prices, not longer mortgages. The median age of first-time home buyers is now 40, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors. Among all buyers, the median age was 59. Home buyers are more likely to be near or at retirement age than young, married parents. It wasn’t always like this. In 1991, the median age of first-time home buyers was 28. It has generally been around 30 for decades. In 2017, the median age of first-time home buyers was 32. In 2025, those same buyers are now 40 — the current median age for first-time ...
