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Trump stops race to save the Creation

May we talk about spiritual matters? “In the beginning,” the Bible opens, “God created the heavens and the earth.” Several lines down, God says, let humankind “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” We humans were given stewardship of earth, but global warming is remaking the world beneath us. We are the cause, but we still have the power to stop or at least greatly slow the desecration of what was placed in our ...

When a dire decision is the only option left

Dear Annie: I’ve had a dear friend for nearly a decade. He has been addicted to meth, heroin, alcohol — you name it. For years, I was the savior he ran to when everything fell apart. He’s married and has two young children. Before his youngest was born, he was a full-blown meth addict. I broke into his house multiple times after he overdosed while home alone with their first child, who was only 3. He cheated on his wife, got another drug-addicted woman pregnant (she later had an abortion), and his wife threatened to leave. I tried to impress upon him the severity of the ...

Antique porcelain makers and decorators weren’t always the same

One complication to vintage and antique china sets is the fact that makers and decorators weren’t always the same. Many porcelain manufacturers in Europe and the United States made blank dishes that were sent to other factories for decorating. Some sold the blanks as they were for hobbyists ...

A clean house, a scrubbed history and where America goes from here

I’ve had occasion lately to do a deep, thorough scouring of my room — the type where you uncover all kinds of forgotten nooks and crannies which hold untold treasures covered by the dust of time and cat hair. One of those treasures was found within a manila envelope in a drawer, buried underneath various papers, notebooks and the other detritus that makes up a writers’ desk. The envelope had been mailed to my mother years ago by her sister-in-law. Hiding within was a trove of genealogical information about my mom’s side of the family, which was something that I had never ...

From Gettysburg to Minneapolis: How the American Civil War continues to shape how we understand contemporary political conflicts and their dangers

The negative public reaction to Operation Metro Surge — the violent immigration dragnet in Minnesota – was “MAGA’s Gettysburg,” wrote New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie on Jan. 28. Bouie, of course, was comparing ICE’s setbacks to the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, the battle often credited with turning the tide of the American Civil War. Fresh off a string of victories, Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, believed his men were “invincible” and launched an invasion into the North. But Gen. George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac won ...

Balancing independence with newfound curiosity

Dear Annie: I need advice about a situation I never expected. I’m 37, single and mostly happy with my life. Then my new neighbor moved in. He’s charming and easy to talk to, and I realized I’m suddenly aware of every interaction, overthinking every glance or comment. He’s friendly and sociable, nothing overt, but I catch myself reading too much into casual gestures. I find myself planning my errands around seeing him, replaying conversations in my head, and feeling a strange mix of excitement and anxiety I haven’t felt in a long time. I’ve always been independent and ...