Speakout: Color coding our babies
Few people stop to consider why Americans color code our babies. Why do we dress boys in blue and girls in pink? Why do we put blue head bands on the heads of boy babies and pink head bands on the heads of girl babies? The simple reason is that we desperately need to know the sex of a baby in order to know how to treat it.
Updated: 19 hours ago
Columnist David Shribman: New Hampshire warms up to Nikki Haley
HOOKSETT, N.H. — The sky is Windex blue, the breeze Charmin soft, the air apple-crisp warm. Anytime the temperature in late November is in the mid-30s up here, it’s regarded as a “bluebird day” — and a gift from the weather gods. Yet a Republican presidential candidate is shivering in a driveway while chatting with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, and moments later, microphone in hand inside the Oscar Barn wedding venue for a campaign event, she speaks of “this unbelievable cold.”
Updated: 19 hours ago
Columnist Terry Mattingly: At 50, ‘Exorcist’ still shocks, fuels debate
William Peter Blatty was pounding out the first pages of “The Exorcist” when his telephone rang — bringing the news that his mother had died.
Updated: 19 hours ago
Commentary: South Dakota's governor shouldn’t be the one to choose replacement legislators
It’s been enshrined in the state constitution since 1947 that the governor will appoint legislative replacements in the event of a death or resignation while in office.
Updated: 1 day ago
Columnist Gene Lyons: A cat’s life — there's no inner rich life to probe
Look, here’s the deal: Anybody who tries to tell you about your beloved cat’s rich inner life is trying to sell you something. Most of it’s nonsense, at best.
Updated: 1 day ago
Letters to the Editor published 11-27-23
Read what your neighbors are thinking — and writing — about.
Updated: 2 days ago
Columnist Carl Kline: Do we exist in a hierarchy or a community?
In the biblical creation story human beings are created last. God then instructs Adam and Eve to be stewards, to care for the rest of creation. How biblical people understand our human role in the world depends a lot on our understanding of one Hebrew word, sometimes rendered “dominate” or “rule” or “govern.” Personally, I prefer “steward.” We humans are to care for the earth and all living things.
Updated: 2 days ago
South Dakota editorial roundup: Crop insurance and climate change
Farmers are more directly reliant on — or at the mercy of — the vagaries of the weather than perhaps any other component in the Midwest economy. (However, many of those components rely on a strong farm economy to thrive.) Thus, farmers are on the front line of climate change and the impact it has on our lives.
Updated: 2 days ago
Columnist Slim Randles: Beagles and hot-air balloons — thoughts on animal training
The secret to training any animal is simply timing, says the former cowboy who was unable to teach his horse to jump a two-by-four. But that was long ago, of course, and today, the wisdom age gives us makes these training secrets available to those who will accept them.
Updated: 2 days ago
Columnist Byron York: Will stars align in bizarre GOP contest?
The political world spends a lot of time discussing former President Donald Trump’s lead over the Republican field in national polls — currently at 45.4%, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls. But, of course, the race will unfold as a series of state contests, beginning in Iowa on Jan. 15, New Hampshire on Jan. 23, Nevada on Feb. 8 and South Carolina on Feb. 24. By then, Republicans should have a pretty good idea who their 2024 presidential nominee will be.
Updated: 2 days ago