Because of the current impeachment hearings, Richard Nixon’s name has come up a lot recently. His second term was cut short by the Watergate scandal and he became only the second president in history to be impeached. Nixon resigned in 1974 when he lost the support of Republicans in the Senate. Nixon’s crimes involved a systematic attempt to subvert the democratic process. Determined to win a second term in 1972, he authorized a burglary at Democratic Headquarters. But that was only one of his

The toes are tapping, and I am glad of it. Not one foot, but dozens of them scattered under the semicircle of chairs for the first middle school band concert of the year. Some are on the downbeat, some are on the up beat, but all, mostly, are in sync. And I am glad of it, not only for the happiness of these tapping toes, but because back in my long ago youth, toe tapping was strictly forbidden at a concert even though every ounce of our young souls wanted to do otherwise. For there was something

Perspectives author Elsa Glover occasionally recruits fellow teachers or students to take over her regular slot in the schedule and share their opinions with WNIJ listeners. Today, we hear from Kaneland High School Spanish teacher Dylan Donley. I’m an area Spanish teacher, a father of a two -year- old girl, and a lover of languages. Learning Spanish has been such a gift to me and I’ve decided that in spite of not being a native speaker I would still do my best to raise my daughter bilingually in

J im Cramer, former hedge fund manager and now television personality giving investment advice to millions said, “What’s important when you are in that hedge-fund mode is to not do anything remotely truthful because the truth is so against your view, that it’s important to create a new truth to develop a fiction.” Harvard Business School students are told, “Speak with conviction. Even if you believe something only 55 percent, say it as if you believe it 100 percent.” A survey of 500 top

With weather changes come wardrobe changes. Since I have a few coats for the season, I like wearing them all in a kind of rotation. This leads me to discover things that I left in their pockets. For instance, in one of them I found some foreign coins from a trip. I didn't want to misplace them, so I left them there. In another, a cough drop reminded me of a visit to Chicago in the middle of winter. I won't put it in my mouth, but it will remind me to keep them handy. A jacket had some tickets

Although it’s only mid-November, the weather’s taken quite the wintery turn. While we’re laying in supplies for our Thanksgiving dinners, we may find ourselves stocking up on other comfort foods, as well. There are scientific reasons we crave high calorie treats, especially this time of year. Comfort food sparks the production of dopamine and serotonin, two all-natural, “feel good” chemicals. Another reason has to do with evolution. Prehistoric ancestors didn’t mind the extra pounds that energy

Th ere are many things I don’t understand about our society. I often verbalize those annoyances to my family where I’m usually met with my daughter accusing me of being an “old man yelling at a cloud.” Be that as it may, my most recent aggravation involves people using the word “blessed” where I question whether it’s appropriate. It seems many people believe some invisible hand is at work making every little good thing happen to them. It happens often enough that I’m reminded of Inigo Montoya in

After Jesus said the law is summed up in “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself,” a hot shot preacher type piped up, “Who is my neighbor?” “There was a man beat up by robbers and left to die,” Jesus said. He went on to talk about how the hot shot preacher types walked on by. It was the outsider, the hated Samaritan who stopped and helped the man, putting him up at an inn with plenty of money for his care. Jesus told the hot shot,

Today is Veterans Day, one of two national holidays devoted to honoring our armed services. On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave what Lincoln termed "the last full measure of devotion." Today we pause as a nation to say, "Thank you for your service." But why observe Veterans Day on November 11? It used to be called "Armistice Day." In Europe it is often called " Remembrance Day." In 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice was declared, ending

The hard part of living is the dying. I’m not talking about me. I know life ends for us all. But lately the hard part of living is knowing -- and seeing -- others who are dying. The poet John Donne spelled it out for me when I was in high school. I’ve gone back to his words many times. He wrote: No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. He finishes saying: And therefore never send to