Columns

I have to brace myself for this, but when it comes to straight teeth and beautiful smiles, my granddaughter and I are bridging generations by wearing braces.

There’s no escaping it. Campaign ’24 is in full swing, and before long, your TV and computer screens will be dominated by commercials asking for your vote. That’s how politicians win elections these days. All that advertising is expensive, and a candidate better be prepared to shell out serious bucks if he’s serious about winning.

Following the diabolical October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, America found out just how far its colleges and universities have fallen when it comes to human compassion and understanding of the world at large.

Someone once said, “With age comes wisdom.”

People face unforeseen, unfortunate events all the time. Sometimes the unfortunate events are mistakes or accidents. Other times, Mother Nature or society creates situations where negative things happen for which people are financially responsible.

Halloween is upon us, which means you’d better be cautious about the costume you choose.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month is winding down in October, one of my closest friends, Shawmeen Henderson, is on the cusp of a very special anniversary. Shawmeen works as a program quality specialist at the Huckleberry House in Columbus, Ohio, a crisis center that helps troubled youth, and next year she will celebrate a decade of being cancer free.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if I keep eating apples every day, I’ll need a doctor because I am full of apples right up to my — you guessed it — Adam’s apple.

Had you told me when I was a teen that someday I’d be 72 years old, I’d have been very skeptical. Even in my teens, I knew enough about my family history to realize that while my maternal and paternal ancestors may have been known for a variety of things, one of those would certainly not have been longevity. Of my four grandparents, one died before I was born, another, before I was 2 and a third when I was 6. As for my parents, well, I’ve outlived both, my father by 14 and my mom by two years.

For the second time this year, Americans will be treated to the spectacle of watching the House of Representatives select a speaker. It isn’t always pretty, as January’s prolonged process demonstrated. However, the outcome is important because whoever ultimately emerges to lead the 435-member body will have a huge job on his or her hands. The House speaker is, after all, responsible for one-half of one-third of the federal government. (Or 1/6th for math purists.)