What is Christmas about? Simple: It is a celebration of a divine man who represents the best of humanity. It makes me wonder if he questions where our heads are for the other 364 days of the year. This has been a hard year for the nation. We inaugurated a divisive, controversial president. We questioned patriotism and the appropriate means of protests. We witnessed a swelling tide of racial intolerance. We were humbled by Mother Nature’s devastation in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida. And, our

Many years ago -- shortly before Christmas -- I learned that I was about to become unemployed. All non-essential purchases stopped, including the Christmas tree that would have gone in my living room. Christmas Eve arrived, and I headed outside into the snow while carrying a small backpack. Upon reaching a wooded area at the edge of town, I stopped near a thornapple tree and removed my pack. Inside it were natural items -- feathers, minerals, tree nuts and bird nests -- which I had been using

I have opinions. I think it is downright crazy to be a vegan. I think ear gauges are simply gross. I think it is dangerous and irresponsible to own a Pitbull or a Rottweiler. And I think homeschooling children is insane. Now, before I offend friends and family and listeners, let me add this caveat and quote The Dude: “Hey, that’s just like my opinion man.” We all have opinions. However, things go bad when one takes an opinion and tries to force it on everyone else. My opinions apply to me and

In downtown DeKalb, nestled snugly between Hardings Family Martial Arts and a decoration shop called My Favorite Things, sits the Hometown Sports Bar & Grill. Every Thursday and Saturday night, Hometown has karaoke at 10 p.m. I cannot participate in the honored Japanese tradition as often as I’d like; however, when I do, I perform as my charismatic alter ego, “Two-Shot Sinatra.” I love singing karaoke, but I love watching it even more. It’s a gold mine for armchair psychologists. Even when

When they say they love animals, most people mean they love domestic pets. In other words, they love animals they can own. I’ve always put myself on a higher plane than these pseudo animal lovers. I’ve never wanted to own a watered down, domestic lap warmer. My idea of animal loving is catching a glimpse of a wild creature in its habitat. I like to imagine that if I had a pet it would be a wild one: a fox maybe, or falcon. Which is why I was somewhat dismayed -- and not a little humbled --

With holiday shopping in full force, catalogs, commercials and Facebook ads suggest an endless stream of “perfect gifts” for everyone on our lists. How can that be? If you are like me, your list includes children, teens and adults from twenty-somethings to elderly parents. The pressure to find the right gift for each is high, and made even more challenging by trying to manage a holiday gift budget. Worry no more! I know what to buy for every single person on my list: a book. And not just any

The GOP has passed its tax bill, and the real winners in this major overhaul to our tax system might surprise you. The group that stands to gain the most is not middle-class taxpayers, not the so-called upper 1 percent, and not even the multinational corporations. The real benefits will go to robots. Let me explain. The Republican tax plan is based on the theory of trickle-down economics — the idea that cutting taxes at the very top spurs investment that eventually trickles down to workers in

I don’t know about you, but this holiday season, I’m struggling. I feel a dissonance in my soul as nostalgic Christmas carols compete with a daily diet of very troubling news. My heart is heavy with the political and social divisions in our country, the painful aftermath of the many natural disasters, the ever-recurring terrorism, famine and wars around the world. Sensing a deepening of hopelessness, a hymn came to mind, not connected to this Christmas season. It’s called, “Shepherd me, O God.”

The WNIJ Perspectives series provides a welcome platform for members of the community to weigh in on the topics of the day. Many of the Perspectives relate to our shared humanity, rather than being explicitly political. My first Perspective, in 2015, was a fact-laden but light-hearted rebuttal to Dan Libman’s assertion that the chicken came before the egg. Dan Klefstad dubbed this Perspectives pair the Poultry Slam, and WNIJ is considering making it a Thanksgiving Day tradition. But these days,

Driving through the rural Ogle County village of Forreston, it’s very noticeable that the ghostly downtown is void of people and businesses. Also noticeable are signs opposing a plan for a solar farm. One would think a dying small town would welcome the activity of constructing a solar farm and the extra taxes that come with such a development. It’s really obvious that not much grows in Forreston except a lot of corn and soybeans. There’s an article online about rural Woodland, Virginia, and the