All in Columns
For two years, our nation has been combating the COVID-19 pandemic, which has tragically claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Families across eastern North Carolina have adapted their daily routines to combat this public health crisis, which has overwhelmingly targeted seniors and those with preexisting conditions and comorbidities. There is, however, another devastating reality that has failed to make headlines: Fentanyl is killing more young Americans than COVID-19.
I want to expand on a Column I wrote several years about age. Even with the Pandemic we have experienced the past two years, people are still living longer, Centenarians are actually the fastest growing age segment, with the number of 100-year-olds to hit 6 million by mid-century.
When I was still active in the classroom, one of my African American students approached me. He expressed concerns about Black History Month.
Valentine’s Day would not be the same without enjoying a delicious meal with your special Sweetheart. If you prefer annual sweethearts day at home, here are some great recipes tailored especially for two. These recipes will also keep you on track with your heart healthy eating plan!
Do you have any regrets? Are they about something you did, or about something someone did to you? Most of the presentations on this subject that I have heard in my Dale Carnegie Classes over the years, as I have mentioned previously, have come from people who felt they they had been the cause of another's hurt.
When Matt Young approached me about serving on the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association board, I felt a wave of trepidation wash over me. About a dozen years ago, I promised Sandra, my wife, that I would start getting off some of these boards. Every time she turned around, I was heading to a board meeting. She was not thrilled.
What’s better on a cold winter day than a warm bowl of soup? Soup can be nutritious, easy to prepare, and inexpensive.
Mamas cry when any of their children are in danger. In lite of all that is stirring in our city, I feel so paralyzed. What can I do? What could I do? What are we going to do? Picture this, it is the beginning of February, Black History Month.
All of us at times struggle with negative emotions, things we find difficult to understand. But we can better handle these negatives in this New Year of 2022 if we recognize that inspiration can come from them. For example, most of us are bothered by the way so many of our law enforcement people in various parts of our country are being treated today, from being humiliated and denied service at restaurants to being ambushed, wounded, and murdered.
Volunteering has myriad benefits. Volunteers learn new skills, discover new talents, meet new people, engage with their community, and have fun, which is especially important if you are a teen volunteer.
Do you think felons should lose their right to vote? If so, do you think they should be able to regain that right after getting out of prison or should they have to wait until they complete any probation or parole requirement that follows prison? Or do you think a felony conviction should forever block someone from participating in elections?
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how I discovered the Petersens Bluegrass Band. On their latest album titled “Live Sessions Vol. 4,” several songs touched me to the heart. The Petersens’ rendition of “The Thanksgiving Song” by Ben Rector was one.
The weaponization of fear has become the new normal, with both sides of a hidden war embracing a deadly virus as their flag. The left, the right, the conservatives, the progressives, QAnon and Antifa all have more in common than dissension.
Yes, there is surely less to choose from locally in the fresh vegetables department at Farmers Markets and Roadside Stands this time of year, but that does not mean there aren’t fresh seasonal vegetables options!
