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Will this be the unhappy American birthday?

In one month, the United States will observe its 250th birthday. It is shaping up more like a memorial service for a lost loved one than a party to celebrate something special. Rather than anticipating a happy occasion, America at 250 is increasingly characterized by anger, name- calling and ...

Screen time now has another mark against it.

I’ve written about this before, mostly as it relates to children as that’s where most data has been focused. Screen time is leading to decreases in emotional intelligence, an increased inability to solve problems and think critically, and a decrease in building and maintaining healthy ...

The present breaks the past’s heart

Change is not my best friend. Not since the day my family moved from Wisconsin to California when I was eight. Leaving the land of my grandmother, the skating rink and snowballs in winter, Lake Mendota and the tennis courts in summer, the community garden and all that seemed unfair. The ...

Keep politicians out of college sports

Nearly everyone who is a college sports fan, myself included, knows the state of affairs in the NCAA is one fine mess. Especially regarding football and men's basketball, the two major money-making sports, things have changed massively in the last few years -- and mostly not in a good way. Elite and even above-average athletes have effectively become free agents selling their services each year to the highest bidders. Every year the school rosters are different, so there's almost no team or university loyalty. It's rent-a-player, and the big college teams are now effectively ...

Forget the rainbow, let’s taste the vinegar

My mind wanders, and sometimes I just follow behind it, seeing where it goes. Driving to the gym recently, I debated bringing in my water bottle before remembering there was a water fountain inside. I started thinking about the person who designed the fountain itself, about the mechanics of the water arcing upward at exactly the right angle, about the pressure required to make it work, and the decision to replace the old metal push button by the spout with a broad bar easier to press. Someone had to solve those problems so the rest of us could take a drink without giving it a second ...

Dems ruminate over an autopsy when they should be making hay

It seemed to take forever, but on Thursday the Democratic National Committee finally released their autopsy of their ill-fated 2024 presidential campaign. It's bitter medicine, my Dem friends, but, as Momma used to say, take a spoonful, it'll do you good. As midterm elections loom, and as ...