Opinion

A friend of mine recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Apart from the knowledge he acquired through his book learning, there was one other fact he discovered in college: that he never wants to live in a big city ever again. He now lives in a town of 600 people in South Dakota. He absolutely loves it. He once told me that he prefers living in South Dakota over Iowa because Iowa ...

One of my favorite essays of George Orwell?s, and perhaps his most famous, is ?Politics and the English Language,? written in 1946. It is a criticism of modern political writing for being vague. Specifically, Orwell saw in the writing of his contemporaries several annoying habits which he believed had social implications. The thrust of Orwell?s complaints is that his fellow writers had a bias against plain ...

I have thought of purchasing a bicycle for more than a year. I went to the Optimists? Bike Auction in 2010 and saw some pretty nifty bikes. Not only that, but from the sounds of it people were purchasing quality bikes for very reasonable prices.I was not prepared to bid on one myself, though. I had not been in a bike shop in years, so I didn?t know what a good used bike should cost and how it would compare to ...

To the editor:Fairfield might be one of the only towns in Iowa with a natural swimming hole walking distance to town. It is such a benefit to the community as well as beautiful and refreshing. Closing the park would be like taking art, music, and PE out of the school for the kids ? another stupid move by the adults. The swimming feature in the park is a kid?s paradise! What would we have the kids do instead ? ...

To the editor:We are writing in response to Sarah Flinspach?s Troy Banner article entitled: ?Why We Need Planned Parenthood? [May 26]. In the article she states, ??no one can deny that this organization is out there to help people.?One of the saddest things is that so many people buy into Planned Parenthood?s (PP) lies, such as the one above, and do no research about it on their own. Here is some background ...

To the editor:Over the years my granddaughters and I have had many wonderful days during the summer swimming at Waterworks Park. Think what a ban would mean. It is beyond common sense. Hot days, a wonderful park, a great beach, and a fun, refreshing swim, going beyond just chest deep water ? a real swim. What a wonderful way to teach children the joy and cautions of swimming. In a way it is weird that we ...

The Washington softball team was going to play its first game on its new field on Tuesday come you-know-what or high water.And high water is just what head coach Angie Shrader found when she got to the field.After two rounds of rain on Tuesday morning, there was standing water on the pitcher?s circle, as well as a small lake behind home plate.But Shrader?s team needed to play. The Demons had played just ...

I agree with one of Michael Jordan?s former teammates. But not the other.LeBron James is not a better basketball player than Michael Jordan.After LeBron?s Miami Heat knocked off the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, former Jordan teammate Scottie Pippen said that Jordan ?is probably the greatest scorer to play the game? but James ?may be the greatest player to ever play the game.?Balderdash....

I am a loyal Chicago Cubs fan, and I?m disappointed to see the team get off to a rough start. We are a little more than one quarter through the season and the Cubs sit at 18-23. Early in the season, they accomplished something no other team had ever done. The Cubs lost their first game of the year and won their second, making them 1-1. The Cubs more or less alternated wins and losses for the next three weeks. ...

When I was a sophomore in college in 2005, I had a roommate who was an exchange student. His name was Li Xin and he was from Zhangjiakou, China. Before coming to the United States, he had spent the first few years of his collegiate career in Singapore. Singapore is an island-nation south of Malaysia in southeast Asia.My roommate got a scholarship to study at a university in Singapore, but the scholarship had a ...

What is the greatest band of all time? There are many contenders, but one stands out from the rest: The Beatles.The Beatles hailed from Liverpool, England, and consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.There may be little sense in arguing over musical tastes. I have never heard of anyone learning to like a band after seeing a 17-step proof of that band?s greatness. Nevertheless, ...

Is it immoral to break the law? That may seem like a silly question, or a question with an obvious answer. I suggest it is neither. Contrary to popular opinion, I posit there is no moral presumption to obey the law.I am not asking, ?Why should someone obey the law?? There are reasons to obey the law that have nothing to do with morality. For instance, criticizing the government in North Korea will get you ...