Posted February 01, 2017in Guest Commentary
“I’ve been raped.” “(The Affordable Care Act) saved my life.” “My pussy is not up for grabs.” Around the country, around the world and around Iowa this weekend, women put on pink “pussyhats,” grabbed signs — many with personal messages — and headed to Washington, D.C., their state capitols or the
Read More →As we come to terms with election results — and the frustration or despair with the 2016 campaigns — here are three topics worth considering: 1. How will we define the American Dream in the 21st century? 2. How does the 1940 election shed light on 2016’s and Iowa’s role
Read More →While the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger” is familiar, we also should acknowledge that Litigium — Latin for dispute, controversy or distress — is no stranger to the podium either. Litigium was evident at the 2016 games in Rio when Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia finished second in the marathon. At
Read More →Taking people at their word can be risky. That’s why we question what folks running for public office say. But we might also consider some comments we utter on occasion. For example: “It won’t matter in 100 years”: (Don’t waste time worrying about likely futile efforts.) The catch here is
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Posted July 27, 2016in Guest Commentary
Writer E.B. White has a well-deserved warm place in the hearts of millions of people. It would be nice if his writing also had a place among those who place profits ahead of informing people. White (1899-1985) gave us Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little and gave The New Yorker
Read More →The evidence is strong: Americans are dividing themselves by category and issue, including personal values, politics, healthcare, international engagement, trade, war, terrorism, guns, wealth, income, housing, education, integration, race, religion, geography, sexual identity and family structure, to name a few. And what does that produce in our public and private
Read More →Here’s an option for food manufacturers who don’t want to disclose all that sugar they use: Use less. Food labels are changing. In the past, you could only see how much total sugar was in your food. That included sugars naturally occurring in healthy, whole foods — like lactose
Read More →The system is trying to squeeze you harder than any generation before you. Congratulations, college graduates! As you enter the next phase of life, you and your parents should be proud of your achievements. But, I’m sorry to say, they’ve come at a price: The system is trying to squeeze
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Posted April 27, 2016in Guest Commentary
The country learned that we in Iowa can indeed have a good time Thirty years ago last week, thousands of Iowans retrieved their Des Moines Sunday Register, “The Paper That All Iowa Depends On.” Most were shocked to learn from the front-page story that 24 Democratic members of the Iowa
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The making of a newspaperman
How Art Cullen won a Pulitzer Editor’s Note: The following is an April 19 column from Art Cullen, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorial writing in The Storm Lake Times. Connections with Art and his brother John date back to my childhood days in Algona, my college days
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