July 19, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Stray Thoughts
In recent years, Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa Legislature often agree on little. But they were nearly unanimous this spring in supporting an important piece of legislation — a bill requiring faculty and administrators at the state universities to go through training about the First Amendment and the rights
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July 13, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in The Culture Buzz
The Covid-19 pandemic persists. Be safe. Be considerate. Be compassionate. Strongly consider getting your vaccinations. Continue to be creative. Find ways to celebrate your thankfulness safely with family, friends and others. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz, 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration in the Arts Quote of
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July 12, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Stray Thoughts
Several times a week, someone contacts me because they had difficulty learning about a government meeting or ran into obstacles trying to get government records. These calls and emails to the Iowa Freedom of Information Council come more frequently than just a few years ago. This is a troubling trend
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July 06, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in The Culture Buzz
The Covid-19 pandemic persists. Be safe. Be considerate. Be compassionate. Strongly consider getting your vaccinations. Continue to be creative. Find ways to celebrate your thankfulness safely with family, friends and others. – John Busbee for The Culture Buzz, 2014 Iowa Governor’s Award for Partnership & Collaboration in the Arts Quote of
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July 06, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Stray Thoughts
Controversy, of sorts, arrived in my driveway last week. There was no commotion. There were no protesters. No picketers. No chants about destroying the economy or caving in to China. In fact, there was virtually no sound at all when the revolution in the American automobile industry rolled to a
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June 30, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Feature 1
What pushes marathon runners and other endurance athletes past the finish line? The first “marathon,’’ according to ancient Greek legend, was run circa 490 BC. A Greek courier named Pheidippides ran 25 miles from a battlefield in Marathon all the way to Athens. Upon arriving, the exhausted runner delivered his
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June 30, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Feature 2
This year’s class reinvigorates venerability. All these people and institutions are long overdue for honoring. The idea for the CHOICE awards originated seven years ago and was inspired by Japan’s Living National Treasures. That program honors “preservers of important intangible cultural properties.” In the years after World War II, anxiety
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June 30, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Business Feature
Pension plans are almost a thing of the past as employers shift to defined-contribution plans such as the 401(k). Today, it may be hard to believe that, at one time, families made ends meet on one income. Usually, it was Dad who supported the family, and, back then, he
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June 30, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Civic Skinny
No state high school baseball tournament this year at Principal Park? You read that correctly. But will the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) bring the tournament back to the Iowa Cubs home stadium in 2022? The answer is a definite… maybe. According to the IHSAA, conflicting dates with new
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June 30, 2021 by Beckham Miller
in Political Mercury
An obsession with balance can obscure the truth. In his brilliantly performed new audio book “The Bomber Mafia,” Malcolm Gladwell, using expert reporting, inviting prose and riveting sound effects, including actual audio recordings of the sources quoted, raises a historical question that indeed does enter the “both sides” structure. Should the United
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