Vaping. Big buzzword lately. What is it and why is it a big deal? For a quick introduction, we’ll go through the history. Back in 2007, a couple of design students on Stanford University’s campus were focusing on ways to help smokers to stop smoking; a noble mission. They wanted to create an alternative for “health conscious smokers.” Essentially, these two created an … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…Community involvement
Volunteering your time, mind, and energy to accomplish the goals you believe in doesn’t merely satisfy a sense of civic duty; it is legitimately gratifying to work with others who share your passions. Have you ever seen those “Adopt a Highway” signs? Do you know what they’re for? Those signs tell us who has offered their time and energy cleaning up road ditches along the … [Read more...]
We need regular ways to hold presidents accountable
“I ask how and why this decision was reached,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said in the Senate recently. He was calling for an investigation into President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria. “Was there no chance for diplomacy? Are we so weak and so inept diplomatically that Turkey forced the hand of the United States of America?” Good questions, but here’s a wager: … [Read more...]
Making lasting connections
After several busy months of taking advantage of warm weather, the leaves start to drop from the trees in preparation for winter and I am reminded of the importance of slowing down and connecting with others. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we are spending this season connecting with many of our partners in our 20-county region at several major events. We … [Read more...]
Impeachment: The last resort
To the Editor, OK, Jeff, you’re absolutely right. As soon as Trump stole the election, the more thoughtful Democrats started thinking about impeachment. We were horrified that such an insincere, frivolous, unprincipled person could possibly be put in charge of our country for four years. It is not that the House of Representatives is panicked. Trump has just finally … [Read more...]
Approaches to the child care shortage
In 2016 Minnesotans were alerted to a serious lack of child care by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Since then, there have been many efforts to work toward solutions. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we have been supporting the communities in our 20-county region through various programs and trainings. In SMIF’s region alone, we have a … [Read more...]
Humor: one of the tools in dealing with adversity
I spent the summer sitting on our deck watching the grass grow. Now that it’s fall I sit in my easy chair and look out my window at the giant trees in my neighbors’ yards turning a brilliant gold, their leaves released by the wind drifting and spinning finding their way to the ground. There is a song from The Connecticut Yankee – “I’m busy doing nothing, isn’t it just a … [Read more...]
America, now the untrustworthy
To the Editor, There is a group of people (the Kurds) who have been fighting mightily for years as our allies against ISIS, a barbaric religiously extreme group of people in Syria and Iraq. The ISIS group cuts off American heads and is our terrorist enemy, remember? On October 6, President Erdogan of Turkey asked President Trump to withdraw several dozen of our soldiers … [Read more...]
October 14 headlines
To the Editor, This morning’s headlines in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “U.S. pulls out of Syria, ISIS prisoners go free!” “Mayhem in Syria after American withdrawal,” “Feeling abandoned by the U.S., Kurds join Syrian forces,” “Trust broken, green berets feel ‘ashamed’ for leaving the Kurds.” I wonder how the right wing-nut contributors to the Fillmore County Journal … [Read more...]
Who judges Heaven or Hell?
To the Editor, I attended a Representative Hagedorn Town Hall meeting in Winona in early September. I’ve been haunted ever since by his response to a citizen who was asking if he was aware of the relationship between gun ownership and suicide. Mr. Hagedorn’s response was that he believed that “people who commit suicide go to hell.” Why I’m haunted by that response is that as … [Read more...]