Fourth of July is close. A celebration of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. While it has become more about who makes the best burger, brats, or fireworks, it is the most important holiday. Without declaring independence, the United States of America would not have existed, nor ...

Happy Birthday, Michael!

If we are ever going to stop the warming of the Earth, we must find ways to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. One proposal growing in popularity is to encourage the use of clean energy by putting a fee on the carbon emissions from fossil fuels. The collected fees would be returned to citizens ...

The Price is Right is my jam. I always looked forward to this show when I was sick from school growing up. Unfortunately, as the years have gone by, my time watching this show has waned. Every time I turn it on, I am always reminded of why I love this show and all the fun aspects of it. The ...

Playing to your emotion is key. Any director, producer, or creator wants you to care about their content. Emotion is the quickest way to do it. To the news, they always lead with a crime, typically gun violence or murder. If it bleeds, it leads. While annoying to see it every night and how most ...

Jay N. “Ding” Darling, the noted conservationist and Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist for the Des Moines Register, was correct. He understood that if we abuse the land and its harbored wildlife, we will have less to pass on to our children and grandchildren. Wildlife habitat that is ...

For the Republican trifecta-controlled Iowa government, most bills supported by one part of the trifecta easily sail through the other parts. What is happening in the Iowa government right now is fascinating. This is a curious case of interparty, government squabbling over private school ...

One of my favorite pastimes is exploring old buildings. The good news is Iowa is full of old buildings from farmsteads to small towns to the big city. Old is all around and old is not bad. Some of the best old buildings to look at, especially in small towns, are opera houses and theaters. These ...

One of the hindrances to the development of alternative energy is the shortage of rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium that are essential in the powerful magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. Currently, domestic production of these critically needed elements ...