Every year, we struggle to resist the temptation minute to minute to sugar ourselves. It begins with Halloween candy and proceeds to Thanksgiving dinner, exploding with holiday eating extravaganzas with the year’s tastiest foods. By the New Year, the scale shows our over-indulgence. It’s no coincidence that 12% of gym members join in January. Given … Continue reading Yummy or Yucky: from Halloween to Thanksgiving – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press These days, everyone I talk to sounds anxious, scared and miserable. My first reaction is sympathy and empathy, the way my mother taught me. My second reaction is relief, since misery loves company. And when I feeling a bit guilty for that, I say to myself, “How … Continue reading Armageddon gets personal – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press Our kids are in the COVID crosshairs. In July, 38,654 pediatric Covid cases were reported. Just a week later, that number increased 85 %. When today’s youth look back on this Covid era, I wonder what they’ll say. They might say that the delta variant might have … Continue reading Schools, Masks and Politics – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press If you’re the richest person on Earth, your next step might be to launch yourself into space. That’s what Jeff Bezos has done. I guess this planet is just too boring to invest in. Maybe that’s why his company, Amazon, paid an effective federal income tax rate … Continue reading Offshore billionaires launch into space – by Deborah Levine→
(Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press) Attempts to bring our diverse society together is nothing new. Controversies and road blocks surrounding the attempts aren’t new either. It may seem that way to some folks with furious debate over “structural racism”, but it’s the terminology that’s new, not the reality. Our language has struggled … Continue reading Words shape us for better or worse – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press There hasn’t been much noise from the climate change deniers this week despite data showing that there are 109 congressional representatives and 30 senators, who refuse to acknowledge the scientific evidence of human-caused climate change. That’s 25% of our federal elected officials including Tennessee’s Republican Senator Marsha … Continue reading Denial doesn’t make it rain – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press It was a newsworthy moment when tennis star Naomi Osaka announced that she wouldn’t participate in media interviews because of her battle with depression and anxiety. The fact that the World Tennis Association fined her $15,000 got even more press. But her withdrawal from the French Open … Continue reading Our Mental State is Depressing – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press I was surprised to see on 60 Minutes recently, a segment about the secret World War II military intelligence training camp at Fort Ritchie in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ritchie Boys, like 97 year-old Victor Brombert, had never been featured on prime time TV. The secrecy of … Continue reading In Memory: The Ritchie Boys – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press Our Tennessee state legislature has made it illegal for educators to say that systemic racism is an American phenomenon. Making sure to successfully intimidate teachers, they’ve threatened to withhold funds if the proper words in their estimation aren’t used. At the same time, Chattanooga’s Chamber of Commerce … Continue reading The Business of Equity – by Deborah Levine→
Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press The world has been fascinated by the arrival of the British culture wars on American shores with former Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Millions of people watched Oprah Winfrey interviewed them and the show was the highest-rated entertainment special since the February 2020 Oscars ceremony. While some … Continue reading Support those businesses that are using their voices on Georgia’s new voting law – by Deborah Levine→
