The smiles make everything we’ve collectively been through worth the effort. Looking at familiar faces, complete with their smiles and comments and laughter reminds me how much I have missed these people, and more surprisingly to me, how much I love them.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming swiftly responded to her ouster Wednesday as GOP conference chair by vowing she would do all in her now-limited power to see to it that Donald Trump "never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office."
Five years ago next month, British voters, in the largest turnout ever, voted to leave the European Union by a 52% to 48% margin. It was an unexpected result, and a harbinger of Donald Trump’s even more unexpected election as president five months later.
It’s time to talk about the federal minimum wage. Legislation was almost passed in the latest economic stimulus bill which would have successively increased the minimum wage each year until it reached $15 in 2025. Although the provision didn’t make it past the Senate, it brought overdue atte…
I grew up my entire life with only two options at mealtime: take it or leave it. So, I took what was given and didn’t ask questions. But would you be surprised if I told you that the very same food we consume so blindly is the reason for rampant disease, environmental chaos, animal abuse and…
Imagine rows upon rows and layers upon layers of crops, enough food to feed a city grown locally right in your next-door skyscraper. Growing food in warehouses or skyscrapers is the future, and this new innovation is called a vertical farm. New research shows crop yields in vertical farms ca…
I love to participate in and watch sports in my free time. Have you ever wondered what the definition of a sport is? According to Dictonary.com, the definition of a sport is “An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” By that definition, hunt…
Many years ago, I arrived home from my first year at Syracuse University full of knowledge and righteous indignation about the state of the world. I was fully prepared to argue with any person who disagreed with me. I have always thought anyone who disagreed with me just had to have a conver…
My early school years are characterized by a series of papers — single page, handwritten, name and date on the upper right-hand corner — on “What Freedom Means to Me,” “What America Means to Me,” “What Family Means to Me” and so on. Somewhere, deep in the garage live these jewels that have, …
Imagine, for a moment, you are in charge of water conservation efforts for your country. Imagine everyone will do what you say — politics and individual human choice don’t matter. If you were able to consult with experts (hydrologists, engineers, architects, etc.), you could construct plans …
Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an ax was embedded in a rafter.
Have you ever wanted to make money playing video games? I know I have. As a kid, I would sit down and watch my favorite Minecraft videos from my favorite YouTubers. I used to dream that one day I could make money from playing my favorite games, too. I know I wasn’t the only kid who felt this…
You may recycle, limit your single-use plastic or turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. But beyond these eco-friendly habits, have you ever considered the environmental impact of your closet? Maybe you should, as nearly any clothing item you pick up at the mall has an ugly influence …
Former President and famed World War II General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field”. President Eisenhower was alluding to what many Utahns already know — government bureaucrats in Washington, …
John and Oliva Smith just had a baby in the hospital. “It is a boy!” the doctor says ecstatically. John and Olivia gasp; they are having a boy? How exciting! John and Oliva are excited about all the boyish activities they can indulge their child in. While they daydream about all the fun hobb…
“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.” — Louis D. Brandeis
Captain America was a fierce inspiration to American men during WWII and continues to be an inspiration in the media. Steve Rogers, the fictional character who transforms into Captain America, was scrawny and insignificant before he was pumped full of steroids, shoved into spandex and used a…
Everyone knows about the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs, but it may be surprising to some that Earth is going through its sixth mass extinction. More species are becoming endangered every year, but most people don’t care enough to help prevent these deaths. Yet for those who under…
Welcome to May, everyone. As we celebrate springtime in Utah, it is also our opportunity to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage. Over the course of this month, you will see exciting programming, information and engagement opportunities that reveal the diversity of c…
Linda (not her real name) became a single mother the way many do. Her husband decided the responsibility of a family was more than he could handle, so he left. Troubled times led up to that moment, but his face was set in that direction, and he was gone.
Entanglement. Ingestion. Starvation. These are just some of the conditions nature’s magnificent creatures are forced to endure due to our everyday plastic pollutants.
There are many reasons to reflect on the historical significance of President Joe Biden’s first joint address to Congress. It was a great speech by a man who understands why he is in this role, in this time. He knows who we need him to be, and isn’t that a relief.
With spring in full bloom and pandemic restrictions loosened, it’s been fun to see the local parks and fields teeming with kids playing sports. At the Utah Women & Leadership Project, we know that girls’ participation in sports is a widely recognized pathway to leadership, improved grade…
When your significant other asks you to take them someplace expensive for dinner and you end up eating in the lumber section of the home improvement store, you will know the struggle with lumber prices is real. I wish I was kidding.
Do I live in an alternate universe?
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos want to colonize outer space to save humanity, but they couldn’t care less about protecting the rights of workers here on earth.
A Weber State University course created in fall 2020 called Repair as a Radical Act is on the vanguard of a “Right to Repair’’ movement in this country. Many states and the federal government are pursuing legislation to allow you to fix your own stuff in 2021.
How will future historians explain this? From 2001 to 2014, majorities of Americans, including supermajorities of blacks and non-Hispanic whites, told Gallup pollsters that “race relations” were either very or somewhat good.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s first priority in reaching office was tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Now he has another on his plate in the flood of deaths by readily available firearms across the country.
It’s not 2007 again. But apparently no one has told George W. Bush.
The United States faces a strategic adversary in the Chinese Communist Party that is challenging our political, economic, industrial and educational systems. In response, Congress and the Biden administration have taken steps toward adopting “Made in America” policies to reduce U.S. dependen…
Once upon a time, I spoke fairly fluent, if inaccurate, German. It’s been a long time though, so I thought I’d start reviewing from the very beginning to close up the gaps (giant sinkholes) in my grammar. A friend suggested the famous Duolingo app (thanks, Anna!), and off I went.
WASHINGTON — In 1983, then-Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware called “court-packing” a “bonehead idea,” and warned in 2019 during a presidential primary debate that restructuring the Supreme Court by adding more justices would destroy “any credibility the court has at all.”
As a scientist and son of an engineer, I understand tradeoffs. So when I went shopping for an electric lawn mower several years ago, I was skeptical I could find one to do the job. Would it run long enough or be powerful enough? How long would the batteries last? Since we have a small horse …
It’s a testament to the hardiness of peach trees that mine is covered in pink blossoms. Between high wind gales, sporadic snow and sleet, and chilly nights, there shouldn’t be anything left on that tree but frost-nipped branches. And yet, three days of semi-warmth and those blossoms burst op…
“It is time to end the forever war.”
It wasn't even close. The final count was 1,798 against and 738 for, 71% to 29%.
WASHINGTON — After nearly 20 years of an American armed presence in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces there, in effect acknowledging failure of the long mission that had plagued the three previous presidents and NATO allies.
“Nomadland” is a remarkable movie about struggling Americans wandering the vast spaces of the interior west. Most of them are white, middle-aged and up, living in vans. The filmmaker, Chloe Zhao, is a Chinese woman who has captured their bare existence as they move through a bleak but beauti…
By now, it’s a ritual of contemporary American life — a police-involved shooting followed by a riot.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” — Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Did you know that in 2018 April was designated the National Month of Hope? After spending the better part of a year indoors, I find that hope has been an essential part of my well-being. One definition of hope is “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.…
Well, it all depends.
Individual gun rights should never be confused with Second Amendment rights. Ratification of the Bill of Rights (BR), including the Second Amendment, was completed Dec. 15, 1791, when Virginia, the 11th state, approved it. Did that adoption of the BR guarantee an individual right to gun owne…
When the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines first proved their efficacy, preventing nearly 95% of coronavirus infections in those who got the shots in test trials, a vexing issue immediately arose.
Understanding the concept of federalism is crucial to understanding the framework our founders established for our system of government. Municipal (city), county, state and national governments all have an important role to play in our country, and the better you understand the delineation b…
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 7 million votes in November, but he still must invoke special presidential orders, as Trump did, to get his way, for lack of sufficient congressional support on certain controversial issues.
The big lie works — until it doesn’t.
Sometimes, I wonder if I'm ever going to get over how some humans have behaved during this pandemic.
When Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, he had a problem. There were almost no paved roads in America. To sell his product to the masses, he needed good roads.
"Which is better -- to be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away, or three thousand tyrants one mile away?" -- Rev. Mather Blyes (1706-1788)
Weber State University graduates and community members gather for the 2020 Spring Commencement on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. The ceremony was delayed four months due to COVID-19. When the ceremony finally happened, it was moved outdoors with masks, extra distance and smaller crowds.
