William Urban: A short history of Germany
By William Urban
Every Christmas I exchange books with a German friend. He is very good at picking interesting reads. This year’s was “Wie wir wurden, was wir sind” (How we became what we are), with the subtitle and the foreword promising that it would be a short history. Short is not something that German authors excel at, but Heinrich August Winker did his best. He also had a pleasing style, especially in the early chapters, which could be read by anyone who knows German. By the end the words became longer and the sentences more complex, reflecting the need to explain current issues in the language that politicians and journalists use today. (Germany is where modern scholarly style and jargon originated.)
Scott Reeder: Big donation comes at critical time
By Scott Reeder
At first, Olivia Hayse received an email from a stranger in Australia that claimed he wanted to donate more than $15,000 to her Springfield employer but first he needed their bank account and check routing numbers.
“We thought this is a scam for sure and just ignored it.
More emails came. And they ignored them too.
Hayse works for the James Project, a Springfield charity that helps foster children. And she couldn’t imagine why a couple they didn’t know, in a country on the other side of the planet would want to send them a big check.
Scott Reeder: Temper justice with a little mercy
By Scott Reeder
I once spent Valentine’s Day on Illinois’ death row.
This week I couldn’t help thinking about the strangest Valentine’s experience I’ve ever had. I spent February 14, 2000, in the death row visitor’s room at the Pontiac Correctional Center.
I was there to interview a mentally-ill death row inmate who had become lost in the system. His schizophrenia had incapacitated him to such a degree that he couldn’t assist with his appeals.
When making arrangements for the interview, I hadn’t thought about it being Valentine’s Day. The realization hit me when I walked through the prison gates and surveyed the visitor’s room.
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