Columnists

Whenever someone says the word Facebook to me, usually how I respond is with an audible sigh. In so many ways the social media giant, known as Meta (as well as other platforms), has become the bane of my existence and giant pain in the wazoo. So why am I so down on the platform?…

When I began at NWMSU—more years ago than I care to share—there was a Dunkin’ Donuts in the Jones Student Union. It was not in this Dunkin’ that I discovered my affection for confection; donuts and I had long been friends. No, it was at this store I really began my love affair with coffee.…

As I may have mentioned before in one of these weekly columns, I once had a former student of mine label me as ‘a man of nerd-ish pursuits.’ I presume he was calling me out for my love of fantasy, science fiction, jigsaw puzzling and other acts that ran contrary to the standard perception of…

Two hunters who were members of a hunting lodge in a western state have died from Cruetzfeldt-Jacobs disease, which they apparently got from eating venison from a CWD prion-infested deer. But you can’t prove it because the disease, known as TSE, (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy) is found in cattle, goats, sheep and elk. Maybe they ate…

To me voting is a commitment. It speaks to citizenship, responsibility and purpose. It is an exercise in fundamental democracy, and through it we have a say in who governs us. Voting should not be taken lightly or for granted. Voters determine the future. The choices we make may be on the nose or become…

If you have the ambition to get away from the air conditioning and get your body acclimated to summer, find an isolated section of Ozark river where canoe rental people do not operate, and plan a two- or three-day trip in the middle of the week with a friend who is inclined not to complain…

I am not sure what exact quality of my voice causes it – maybe it’s the volume, the timbre, perhaps the pitch – that makes me sound like I’m angry when I get excited or passionate about something. This week marked the return to school for a whole bunch of teachers that you probably know,…

It’s not news that cancer screening is important. Recommended screenings can catch cancer early when it’s more treatable – and some can even prevent cancer in the first place. But not every cancer has a good screening test. In fact, screening is recommended only for breast, cervical, colon and lung cancers. While these account for…

Dennis Whiteside, my long-time friend whom I have hunted and fished with since our college days, sent me a message about ten days ago. It went on and on about how good the fishing was about to become, as he envisioned heavy-bodied, tail-walking bass trying to throw a top-water lure. It is indeed topwater time…

The moral of the upcoming story is that sometimes, despite our earnest desire that it weren’t so (and sometimes despite our efforts to prevent it), things break. Over the past several days, I’ve had to laugh at times. It began with my driver’s side car window _ I left it about a quarter of the…