John Eggers

Isn't it interesting that if you wish to find out more about the brain, you have to use your brain to do it? If a person has a given amount of intelligence, is there a point where you can't learn any more about the brain? It's questions like these that my graduate students ask...

Communities agonize over building a new school and, rightfully, they should because it is a big decision. I recently had the occasion to write a letter to the editor of my hometown paper, the "Lake Region Life," in Waterville, Minn., about efforts there to build a new school. The...

Not only do kids say the darndest things, they also write the darndest things, especially to God. I received an email containing some letters written by kids to God. How would God respond to them? I just had to give it a try. Question: Dear God, If we come back as someone else,...

I know you have talked about this before but how do you get people to become a good person rather than a not so good person? How do you get people to aspire to be something rather than to give up on life? How do you make sure everyone has a chance to live a good life? You have...

The best show in town on the Fourth of July is the Debs parade. Here is why you need to take the time to see it. Reason No. 1: Everyone says, “You need to see the Debs parade.” Now when they say it, you can say, “I know. I’ve seen it and you are right. Everyone should see...

Simon is 2. Simone is 1. We celebrated their birthdays last Sunday on Father’s Day. As they say, a good time was had by all. We gave them cake and ice cream and a few toys. We wrapped the gifts in paper and they had no trouble trying to unwrap them. Not only do people like to...

Someone once said, “The greatest gift I ever had came from God; I call him Dad.” Whoever said that was a wise person. I wish I’d thought of it. Since God made all dads, the standards to be a dad are high. What do you think they might be? I have ten for your consideration. •...

I know of a summer activity that will do all of the following for you: A. Give you a deep sense of satisfaction. B. Raise your self-esteem. C. Help you appreciate the value of hard work. D. Give you a feeling of closure. E. Yes, it can even give kids a way to pay for their college...

How much do you know about the Seven Fires of the Ojibwe? Personally, I didn’t know anything about them. When White Earth Nation Chairwoman Erma Vizenor recently spoke about the Seven Anishinaabe-Ojibwe Indigenous Prophecies, which I read in the Anishinaabe Today, I was curious...

For Mother’s Day I gave my wife something that was a total surprise. I gave her a can of Spam. When was the last time you ate Spam? It’s been about 45 years since I used the metal key that originally came with the can and turned it to reveal a nice chuck of already cooked pink...

When the fish don’t bite, what do you do? You tell stories, of course. You’re going to laugh at my latest collection of jokes saved just for the fishing opener. A Good Blonde Joke: A man is sitting at a bar. He turns to the woman next to him and asks, “Do you wanna hear a good...

My dad was born in 1917 and just recently turned 97. He still lives in his own home and goes to church every Sunday. He receives meals on wheels, enjoys reading, visiting and doing word search puzzles. He made the trip to the deer camp last November. Other than his walking and hearing,...

How do you say “goodbye” in Ojibwe? Thanks to some dedicated people in town, we know how to say “hello” (Boozhoo), but how do you say goodbye? As you probably already know, there is no word for “goodbye” in Ojibwe. About the closest word would be, according to some friends...

Do you ever wonder what is the most important question you could ever ask? I have one to enter into the competition. The question is, “Do you love your neighbor?” That’s it, isn’t it? I mean that really is the most important question because the answer determines how well...