For the second year, we're turning this week’s Perspectives segments over to Breja Fink's A.P. Language and Composition class at Beloit Memorial High School. Ah, college! The topic of stress for high school seniors. Although I am not a senior, college is pounded constantly into my head, like a hammer to a nail. “Why?” you ask. Four words: first generation college student. Being a first gen student has given me a perspective on education. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to school and get

Recently I watched Howard Hawks’ 1951 movie The Thing From Another World , about a flying saucer alien who landed in the Arctic. As it turned out, “the Thing” was not an animal but a vegetable: a super-powerful, walking, homicidal carrot. Soon enough, these carrots from outer space would take over planet Earth. We non-carrots wouldn’t have a chance. What does it mean when we realize that something in our midst is just totally different from ourselves: you know, we’re broccoli but they’re carrots

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan want to lead private lives. They are stepping away from their official duties as members of the royal family and are moving to Canada. They plan to become financially independent. It’s a bold move. The royal family has always been one of England’s favorite soap operas. Their weddings, births, deaths, and most of all, their indiscretions, are a source of endless fascination to the public and a surefire way to sell newspapers. Harry has reason to hate the press,

The next time someone tells you the rising level of income inequality in the U.S. is NOT a problem, consider this: Jeff Bezos, the Founder and CEO of Amazon, is 55 years old. His net worth is currently about $105 BILLION. He reportedly sells more than a million shares of the company each year. And, he’s easily earning a fortune on interest on the interest on the interest on the cash from shares he’s previously sold since taking the company public in 1997. How much money is this? A lot. Let’s say

Guilty pleasures -- we all have them. A sneaked candy bar at the grocery store, a fancy drink at the restaurant, a magazine subscription, or binge-watching the soap opera that drives away the family. Guilty pleasures provide us with momentary escapes from reality. Not that my reality is bad, it’s actually pretty good. So why do I need my guilty pleasures? Today’s society expects me to make informed and proper decisions at every turn. When I decide on a purchase, what recipe to cook, how to

I write this as the Senate takes up articles of impeachment. By the time you hear this it may be over. Whether the President is removed from office or not, this process, and the last three years, have brought a deep dark truth out of the shadows. What troubles me more than the president’s behavior is all of those who rationalize his behavior, those who say it doesn’t matter. That so many, in roles of power, are willing to cast aside reason, willing to turn their backs on morals, and are willing

This month, The New York Times reported on divergent history textbooks in California and Texas schools. The same publisher caters to each region’s views: California’s says that rulings on the Second Amendment allowed for gun regulations. The Texas book doesn’t. Consider the power of historical narratives in Spain. Sixteenth-century Charles V furthered the idea that God wanted a unified Spain. In 1939, Dictator Franco resuscitated this through textbooks, newsreels and other tactics. Following his

With all of the headlines vying for attention, the rising of Lake Michigan and the loss of the lakeshore is one I’m particularly disturbed to see. I’m from the Piedmont region of North Carolina, midway between the mountains and the coast. Like some who grow up amid such natural beauty and geographic diversity, I never truly appreciated these unearned windfalls that are North Carolina birthrights. So, almost two decades ago, I began my first academic job search, looking in places that offered

It continues unabated. The past 5 years were the hottest on record -- again. Australia is on fire and ice is melting at both poles. Meanwhile, despite having solar panels and buying carbon offsets my carbon footprint is still awful. I recently returned from a luxury cruise to Antarctica, a far cry from my usual Antarctic research expedition. Unlike the paying customers I was there to talk about a rapidly changing Antarctica driving rising sea level, a dramatic manifestation of the climate crisis

What’s your word for the year? Your dreams? How will you make them happen? It’s January. Many of us are plotting our year. Me? I get emotional hives thinking about this. Even “to do” lists make my pen itch. I leave no checkmarks. Weekly I write down goals from two years ago. I can plan my day, then be distracted by a friend wanting to talk, an interesting article or three on Facebook. Bruce might want to go to town. The weather can demand a response that I wasn’t planning like “Sun’s out you