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Manic Monday: Of Bears, Buses, and Beltway Blunders
It’s just another Manic Monday, as The Bangles so perfectly sang, and today, the internet is buzzing louder than a coffee grinder at dawn. Between viral Starbucks hysteria, government shutdown drama, and promises of “free” everything in New York, you’d think it was a full moon. Let’s start with the latest caffeine craze. Starbucks has…
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Wednesday Wisdom: Tough Cities Rise Again — Youngstown’s New Chapter
“Tough times don’t last. Tough cities do.”Those words, painted boldly on the side of Penguin City Brewing in downtown Youngstown, aren’t just a mural. They’re a mantra, a reminder that even after decades of loss and hardship, resilience still runs through the veins of this Rust Belt city like molten steel once did. From Steel…
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It’s Still the Economy, Stupid: A Gen X Reflection on Cycles, Struggle, and Survival
In 1992, James Carville,Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist, coined a simple yet powerful phrase that would echo through the decades: “It’s the economy, stupid.” It was a blunt reminder that no matter how complicated the political noise gets, what matters most to the average American family is the cost of living, job security, and whether bills…
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Tuesday Tip: When Preparedness Meets Poverty — Surviving the SNAP Cuts with Wisdom from the Past
The irony isn’t lost on me. September was National Disaster Preparedness Month, a time meant to encourage households to stock up, have a plan, and stay ready. November is National Gratitude Month, a time when we’re reminded to give thanks and share abundance. But here we are in October, a bitter bridge between preparation and…
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Tuesday Tip: When Identity Becomes Religion and the Revival That Follows
I’m 51 years old, a Gen Xer who grew up believing in liberal ideals. For most of my life, I thought I understood what it meant to be a Democrat: fighting for fairness, standing up for the underdog, and pushing for progress. But over time, I began to see a shift. For me, the change…
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The Weight of the World and the Rest We Were Promised
In April 1999, I was one month away from college graduation when Columbine happened. My younger brother was still in high school, and watching teenagers his age running for their lives, or not making it out at all, was terrifying. Two years later, I stood in front of the TV with the rest of the…
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From Trauma Bond to Fractured Trust: A Nation’s Lament
I still remember September 12, 2001. The day after the towers fell, we were all glued to our televisions, hearts heavy, eyes swollen, minds trying to grasp the horror of what had just unfolded. It was trauma bonding on a national scale. For a fleeting moment, grief bound us together. Flags waved from porches. Strangers…
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Throwback Thursday: What Are Words For?
Last night, my husband played Words by Missing Persons, and it was a blast from the past. I honestly feel like I haven’t heard it in forever. But this time, instead of just bobbing my head to Dale Bozzio’s wild vocals and new wave synth, I actually listened to the lyrics. And it hit me—forty-plus…
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Throwback Thursday: From Cedar Point to Social Security—Gen X and the Retirement Time Bomb
The year was 1992. June. Just one day after I graduated high school, my father dropped me off at Cedar Point, Ohio’s crown jewel amusement park, to begin my first real job as a restroom attendant. Potty Patrol wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work. Minimum wage: $4.25/hour. My housing and food were deducted from…
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“Slow It Down: A Gen X Wake-Up Call in a World Spinning Out”
In a world where time speeds like a bullet train, sometimes you just want to jump off, especially when the destination feels like a sure derailment. I’m a Gen X woman. I was raised in a world where we were warned about stranger danger, but still roamed the neighborhood until the streetlights came on. We…
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Why Legacy Media Is Dying: The Power of Truth in Independent Journalism
In recent years, a seismic shift in public trust has rocked the media landscape. Legacy media, once the gold standard of information, is now struggling to remain relevant. The reason is simple: they’ve lost the trust of the people. Instead of presenting balanced narratives, they seem to thrive on division, wielding politics, religion, sexuality, and…
THE OUBAITORI EDIT 