Veterans Day is upon us. This is a day to honor, and celebrate, those who served. Veterans are former members of the Army (Soldiers), Navy (Sailors), Marine Corps (Marines), Air Force (Airmen), and Space Force (Guardians). Veterans separated themselves from this 330-million citizen ...
The United States of America is 3.8 million square miles, filled with 340 million people, producing over $30 trillion in gross domestic product per year. We are the fourth largest country by land, third by population and first by GDP. We no longer know each other, care for each other or like each other. We are a nation of isolated people staring at screens and filled with existential terrors about the other, whoever the other might be. On Tuesday night across America, those existential terrors played out with fear of the other. Hispanic voters who voted for President Donald Trump and ...
Addiction often begins with the promise of escape; a harmless experiment that becomes a habit, then a lifestyle, then a prison. Drug dealers market their product by normalizing it in culture — through music, film, and television — until the damage feels inevitable and normal. With a mixture of guilt, fear, and excitement, users continue their relationship with the drug. Each experience deepens the habit until it becomes an identity. This process is how people become addicted. Of all the addictive substances, few are as addictive as war. Like any drug, it is habit-forming, ...
Have you ever lost your temper at … yourself? Blamed and then beat yourself up a little inside for doing something you regret? Maybe you’ve been harsh with someone, only to be much harsher with yourself later? It’s easy to be tough on yourself — we tend to do it much more than we realize. But what if there was a better way? When we forgive ourselves, accept our perceived flaws, and show ourselves kindness, we practice self-compassion. It’s often a lot harder than it sounds, but with the right techniques, we can learn to make it a habit that sticks. Self-compassion is the ...
The irony of it all. November 3, 36 years ago, I was so drunk I fell through the glass top of my coffee table at 2:00 am in the morning, cut myself to smithereens, and almost bled to death. November 3 of this year, 2025, I will be at University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics having a MRI of my brain and a full-body CT scan. Ginnie will be with me of course. It’s not the way I would usually celebrate a sobriety birthday, but in a sense it may be better. I expect the CT scan to verify that I am cancer free, and the MRI of my brain to show that I have one. LOL! Joking aside, I expect the ...
Interest in local elections in Jefferson this fall appears to be greater than usual. It’s a good thing. City council and school board elections in Iowa are held in odd-numbered years. In both 2021 and 2023, out of about 3,100 registered voters in the city of Jefferson, only a little more ...
