Monday, October 6 The United States is facing a very serious financial crisis. While we need both sides of the aisle to put politics aside and work together to craft a way forward, it is also important to examine how we came to be in this mess in the first place. If we are serious about a real and lasting fix to our economy, we must first be committed to separating facts and records from   Full Story

Monday, October 6 I've got a stack of grant proposals in process lying around my work space, all with near-term deadlines. Developing and writing a grant proposal is as stressful as planning a wedding can be. An outdoor wedding. With parking in a field that's prone to wet. One major difference has to do with frequency.   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 Bob Stannard The seeds are planted firmly in the ground, probably by a worker from a foreign country. They are nurtured, they grow and then the produce is harvested and prepared for shipping. Most likely the produce is preserved so that it can make the long journey from afar to the shelves of our supermarkets.   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 Dianne Lamb Fall is here and it's time to enjoy Brussels sprouts, the vegetable that has often gotten a bad rap from kids and adults! This vegetable looks like a small cabbage. In fact, Brussels sprouts are the same botanical family as cabbage (brassica oleracea). Although the name Brussels won't make one think these small heads originated in Belgium, it is believed   Full Story

Saturday, October 4 Paul Harsch In every cloud is a silver lining. The latest statistics show a "decline" in the rate of "decline" of home values and therein lies the silver lining. Though silver linings feel like meager solace it's important to remember at times like this that the sun is still shining brilliantly above the clouds.   Full Story

Friday, October 3 Michael Reagan Congress is running around in circles trying to figure out how to handle the hot potato the Bush Administration has handed them with its $700 billion bailout proposal, and how they can load it up with their own list of taxpayer-financed handouts. If left to their own devices they'll turn it into a giant cookie jar instead of taking the trouble to enact   Full Story

Friday, October 3 Brian McKenna Two things are for sure: Autumn is much more fun when Notre Dame is winning and the 13-hour drive from South Bend is significantly easier on the back of a victory. Jennifer and I were thinking about it last night, and this past weekend was the first game we've driven to in four tries when we've had a win.   Full Story

Friday, October 3 Joe Bushika The road that one travels through life is determined by the many choices we make, and the twists and turns that we follow are mostly decided by either good or bad choices. I have made my share of both, and fortunately I think that I have made more good ones than bad ones.   Full Story

Friday, October 3 Alden Graves A young Afghan named Dilawar had recently bought a taxi with which he planned to support his wife and small daughter. In 2002, he was stopped at a checkpoint and, when a device was found in the trunk of the car, he and his three passengers were turned over to the American forces at Bagram Air Base.   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 Telly Halkias The health of a pet is a delicate matter, a subject on everyone's mind in my household. Seven cats and three dogs will do it, and the subject gives me lots of writing fodder and reader response. I was reminded of it this past winter when I wrote an article on one of my Siberian huskies, Sophie, after she had suffered a leg injury which left her gimpy   Full Story

Thursday, October 2 Tom Purcell Of all the annoyances to come out of the financial crisis, this one takes the cake: French intellectuals are mocking us. According to the Los Angeles Times, finance officials, regular Joes and leftist intellectuals within Europe have condemned the perceived breakdown of America's capitalistic system.   Full Story

Wednesday, October 1 Charles Putney After Friday evening's presidential debate, voters have some pretty clear comparisons to help decide whether John McCain or Barack Obama should lead the nation for the coming four years. The two candidates are markedly different in style and in substance. It is also important, however, to explore what each candidate has done over his career.   Full Story

Wednesday, October 1 Tom Pinsonneault Here's Johnny!" was the line that announced to late night television viewers the opening monologue for Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" every weekday evening at 11:30. It resonated throughout the hotel lobby then spilled down the front steps of the hotel and out onto the Four Corners on warm evenings, while most of Bennington slept.   Full Story

Tuesday, September 30 For years, as a member of the House Banking Committee and now as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, I have heard the Bush administration tell us how "robust" our economy was and how strong the "fundamentals" were. That was until a few days ago. Now, we are being told that if Congress does not act immediately and approve the $700 billion Wall Street bailout   Full Story

Tuesday, September 30 George W. Bush recently stated, with an astonishing degree of self-effacement, that "there will be plenty of time for blame" for the current financial crisis in the United States. Bush is as enthusiastic about postponing blame as his pretender to the throne seems hesitant to debate it intelligently.   Full Story