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With sunnier days ahead, be aware of skin cancer risk

The warm sunshine of spring is a welcome change from the cold and brutal winds of winter in the Upper Midwest. However, with more time outside comes greater exposure to sunlight – a top risk factor for skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer among Americans with 5.4 million cases diagnosed annually, according to the American Cancer Society. In fact, an estimated one in five Americans will have skin cancer at some point during their lifetime. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, or non-melanoma skin cancer, accounts for the majority of cases, with 4.3 million annually. ...

Undermining value of civil servants

I am writing to share some of my experiences working with members of our nation’s Federal Civil Service during over twenty years of active duty in the U.S. Army. Every assignment at every installation where I served involved working with members of the Federal Civil Service. If we have been following the national news recently, some prominent voices in the news would have us believe our Federal Civil Service is full of persons enjoying paid vacations at home, rather than doing the remote work they were supposed to be doing. Some would have us believe the Federal Civil Service is full ...

A brief fling with spring fever

No nice weather ever goes unpunished in our neck of the woods. We had a fabulously clement March, with nearly no snow and temperatures that were generally agreed to be “not too bad.” We didn’t receive any snow during our state high school basketball tournaments. These events are usually guaranteed to deliver at least one major blizzard. Few complained about our open winter. An exception might be the folks who operate snow removal businesses. Some became so desperate that they began to look for people who suffer from severe dandruff. Because the weather was so pleasant, my ...

Second hip surgery spurs health care thoughts

Last week was truly a repeat experience for me, a true case of deja vu. I underwent my second hip replacement surgery in the past four years. I wrote my column last week on Tuesday, had surgery on Wednesday, and have recovered enough to produce new column for you this week. My second hip surgery is a long story. It dates back to 2023, when I had back pain after a routine walk up the Dakota Valley lookout trail at Camden State Park. I had to get out my walker from my 2021 surgery and use it for two weeks. Then it improved to the point that I could walk unassisted with only very minor ...

Beyond simple bad behavior

Many, if not most, children can be naughty and will misbehave. There are some children, however, who go beyond naughty. About six percent of children will show a consistent pattern of breaking rules, being overly aggressive, and generally show disregard or lack of caring for others. Their impaired pattern of disruptive behavior creates problems at home, at school, and possibly even in the community. Psychologists may classify their difficult-to-control behavior as being oppositional and defiant, or as a conduct disorder. The child may end up in the mental health system, special ...

Marriage bliss amid crisis

The writer Arthur Brooks recently penned a column about a dinner party he and his wife attended with several other long-married couples. After some requisite social niceties, the hostess posed a question that sparked an evening of fascinating discussion: have you ever had a major crisis in your marriage? Were you to ask that question of my wife and me, our answer would be, “Are you kidding? Take your pick!” The first crisis arrived forty-four years ago, on the night of our wedding. To set the stage, the connubial couple were decked out in some of the finest duds they would ever ...