You’re at a stop light, and your phone rings. It’s your father. The light changes to green, and you accelerate. The next thing you know, you’re blind-sided by another driver. Unfortunately, this...

The word “free” has many connotations in our literary and cultural world. In either a political or social context, there remains to be found any word with more power to its name. But to a burgeoning...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caused quite a stir last week when word slipped out that the agency was considering, for the first time, making public-health recommendations concerning circumcision....

Activist government can help mold a downtown Typically, the public good is left up to the market to decide: How many groceries stores should there be in town? What varieties of vegetables should they...

When I was a young lad, I sat in the visitors’ gallery above the U.S. Senate and heard and watched — Sen. Edward Kennedy deliver an impassioned speech about health care. No — I misspeak. He didn’t...

My son was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 10 and colon cancer at 17. Today, he is a healthy college student, but we know when he graduates in a few years, it will be very difficult for him to find...

We have all heard the statistics. Premiums have doubled in nine years, growing three times faster than wages. A family in Iowa pays an extra $1,100 per year in premiums to support a broken system. If we...

A rift has been growing between the UI community and the rest of Iowa City. The reasons behind this schism include misconceptions some Iowa City residents have of students and apathy many students have...

All the attention Fry Fest is getting reminds me of a phone conversation with an alumnus years ago. I was working for the UI Foundation and was trying to extract a donation. He interrupted my pitch and...

UI position understandable, yet hypocritical I realize taking this position won’t win me fans among students. It’s just a harmless promotion, a souvenir, an opportunity to show your school spirit,...

Ah, Iowa and Illinois. Two great Midwestern “I” states that share more similarities than differences. Both are blanketed by a flat expanse of cornfields, combines, and rural roads, with the exception...

If you read the newspapers or watch the news, you will encounter a long list of accomplishments by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. One thing you’re less likely to hear, however, is that in his...