Opinion
Why I use 'I' when I think 'I' helps you know I understand you
A man who read my column called “Pebbles in our shoes” got to the end of my thoughts about learning that we have had an accused murderer living in our midst for several years . Then he made an observation, and then asked an important question.
“I counted 41 times the word ‘I’ in that piece,” wrote a man named Tim Hench.
Creativity vs. controversy: The best, worst & mediocre Super Bowl commercials
There is nothing more American than ... a good, old-fashioned social media melee over Super Bowl commercials.
The game was forgettable (although not to Seattle or its fans), but the commercials still have millions of people talking – and typing.
No, there was no “Thank God for a Farmer,” tribute which Dodge shared with us, using Paul Harvey’s legendary voice and words last year.
A hot glue gun and a memory
Today we received an obituary for Charlotte Knupp.
Now quite frankly, I didn't know Charlotte, but I knew Charlotte's store.
As a kid, I always enjoyed creating things. At Christmas, on my dad's side, our family drew names, and I always hoped that a certain aunt of mine would get my name, because I knew if she did, I'd get an awesome present, a craft kit of some kind or a book about how to make something.
XVIII years of defending the NFL's stolen trademark
Perhaps you saw an ad on TV, or a flier in a newspaper, or some other form of advertising that refers to Sunday’s NFL Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks as “the big game.”
Why, you may wonder, don’t they just say “Super Bowl?”
Because, they can’t – at least not without having the NFL and its trademark lawyers suing them. Remembering 'The Bell'
My hometown was not Vinton, but rather in a cold northern desolate place not known for its success on the football field.
No, it was not as far north as Minnesota, although the frequency with which the school band there played the Minnesota Fight Song still leaves me unwilling to sing along. (We will address the Wisconsin Fight Song issue in a later column. Pebbles in our shoes: Addressing the pain of having an accused killer among us
Fortunately for those of us who live in small town America, murder is still a very rare event.
Still, in a span of just under five years -- From Nov. 8, 1995, to Nov. 3, 2000, three murders took place in areas of eastern Iowa where I was working as a newspaper reporter.
I covered all three cases. I attended the funeral of Independence teacher Janine Venzke.
One Iowan global warming skeptic shares his reasons
"If you torture numbers, they will tell you anything."
I do not know who first said this, but it applies to just about everything, from sports statistics to political polls.
Today, the numbers I wish to torture concern global warming. (I refuse to let anyone get away with calling it "climate change," because the climate changes every day.
Sportsmanship, not race: What an NFL player's interview does not say about us
Did you watch the now-infamous interview with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman?
Did you hear him say "I am the best and if you try to beat me I'm gonna shut your mouth?"
And did you respond by saying, "Wow, what a jerk?"
If so, you are a" ludicrous" racist who "isn't ready for lower class Americans from neighborhoods like Compton (California) to succeed.
$10k raised! Thanks for making Salvation Army bell-ringing fund-raiser a success
CONGRATULATIONS Vinton and Benton County Residents:
November and December of 2013, I was privileged to SUCCESSFULLY re-establish the volunteer assistance program of the Salvation Army in Vinton. This program had been limited to $200.00 annually for the past seven years, due to the lack of “Bell Ringers”.
THANKS to MANY generous hearts, we were able to achieve the $10,000 goal set … 70% of these funds stays in the Vinton assisting those in need in our area and 30% to meet other emergency needs on the Salvation Army national level.
Chris Christie's not-so-subtle blunder
Most people who have paid attention to the whole George Washington Bridge-closing scandal believe that it means bad news for the presidential aspirations of New Jersey Governor Chris (The Redundancy) Christie.
But most Americans do not understand why.
The problem is not that Christie and/or his staff members tried to publicly punish a political foe.