Tag: Columns

Changing the Redskins nickname a difficult task

Did you know the Washington Redskins were originally the Boston Braves and, for a time in the 1930s, played their home games at Fenway Park?

That was when the team’s nickname was changed to the Redskins by their owners. It made sense in those much simpler times. For the sake of symmetry, it was the Boston Red Sox for baseball and Boston Redskins for football. In 1937, the team relocated to Washington and has since been known by their current moniker.

Today, a political and ideological push to get the NFL team’s latest owner, Dan Snyder, to change the nickname is in full force. Many groups, including the Mandan Hidatsa & Arikara Nation in North Dakota, find the nickname offensive, demeaning or racist.

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Dogs are more like us than we thought

Noodle, our 1 1/2-year-old schnoodle.

Not a day goes by where my fiancee, Sarah, doesn’t call our dog, Noodle, her “son.” I usually just shake my head and call him “buddy” like a normal person.

Like millions of others, Sarah shuns the idea of “owning” a pet. Instead, since we don’t have any children, she subscribes to the “pet parent” mindset and has embraced it, caring for Noodle like he was our actual son. He goes places with us many dogs wouldn’t and gets treated better than most people I know.

People who love and treat their dogs like kids may seem a little crazy at first glance — especially to a farm kid like me. But a recent scientific study has determined they may not be so crazy after all.

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The monument to America’s memory

Will Mount Rushmore near Keystone, S.D., be America’s greatest monument to history?

What will be America’s monument to history?

Every great civilization has left behind a monument denoting its time of power. Many of those monuments also give us a glimpse into their rise, dominance and eventual fall.

So, what will be the monument future civilizations look to when remembering America? Given that scientists imagine Earth will be around for a few billion more years, give or a take a hundred million or so, it’s a safe bet that the way things are going, America’s lifespan is a bit shorter than that.

One would imagine that more than a few monuments will survive to be relics in a thousand years. I’d put good money on Mount Rushmore being one. After all, it’s still a mountain.

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An eye-opening case of elder abuse

There is a type of abuse you don’t hear about much but is one psychologists believe has persisted for generations.

We often hear of spousal abuse and sexual abuse, while bullying has been the most recent hot-button issue. But rarely, if ever, do people think about elder abuse. Until recently, I was one of those people.

There is a family that is close to me and has been telling me about their ordeal involving their patriarch.

Their story began last summer when the man, whom I’ll call Grandpa, suffered a stroke. His prospects didn’t look good for what seemed like the longest time until he finally took a turn for the better.

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Dickinson’s little world hinges on the big picture

A look at the neighboring Halliburton and Baker Hughes campuses in north Dickinson.

Last week brought word of numerous brand-name businesses planning to open in Dickinson.

Franchisees of Famous Dave’s barbecue restaurants are making plans to come here — though they aren’t sure where or when — and Five Diamond properties says Petco, JoAnn Fabrics and Dollar Tree are among the retailers planning to lease space in its new development planned for west Dickinson. The Roers West Ridge development has Menards and hotels that are sure to draw other big-box stores. Who knows? Maybe someone will even bring in Target for those of you who can’t stand Walmart.

I say this all the time because I believe it will be true: At the rate we’re going, there is going to be an entirely new part of Dickinson off Interstate 94’s Exit 59 in a couple of years.

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