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A Fortuitous Encounter With Al Michaels Feb. 06, 2019
During a recent NFL playoff game, veteran NBC sportscaster Al Michaels reported that an official's p... Read More
Do We Really Still Need Black History Month? Feb. 05, 2019
Every so often, even now, somebody asks why America needs a Black History Month, which kicks off tod... Read More
The Past Can Determine the Present, Future Feb. 04, 2019
In African culture, the griot, or storyteller, repeats the old stories and passes knowledge on to th... Read More
Frederick Douglass and Voting Rights Feb. 01, 2019
I have been reading — more accurately, listening to — David Blight's new biography, "Fre... Read More
The Deep Meaning of Groundhog Day Jan. 31, 2019
Saturday is Groundhog Day. It is the day when many eyes will turn to Gobbler's Knob, a wooded hill a... Read More
Campaigns Do Matter and Can Change History Jan. 26, 2019
In 1960, when John F. Kennedy was running for the White House against Richard Nixon, winning Democra... Read More
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Crippling Tax Proposal Jan. 25, 2019
When it comes to resolving issues surrounding income inequality, Democrats want it both ways. They s... Read More
Don't Be Judgy about 'Backflash' Jan. 23, 2019
Some random dispatches from the Word Front, including one from the War Front: Flashback to "Backflas... Read More
Legislature Can End Controversy Over Silent Sam Jan. 23, 2019
It's the 21st century in most of North Carolina, but the University of North Carolina system's Board... Read More
In the Annals of Tone-Deafness, These MLK Observances Deserve Special Note Jan. 23, 2019
Monday's federal holiday should have been about honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Ki... Read More
We Don't Like Anybody, Do We? Jan. 22, 2019
As the luminous Texas writer John Graves observed a few years back: "The Unco Guid and the Rigidly R... Read More
A Resolution for the Ages Jan. 21, 2019
Are you still looking for a resolution to keep in the new year, something more meaningful than visit... Read More
Day of Service -- Life of Service Jan. 17, 2019
This Monday, we will celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated when... Read More
Politics of Immigration Jan. 16, 2019
Here are a couple of easy immigration questions — answerable with a simple "yes" or "no" ̵... Read More
Illiteracy in the Old Jan. 16, 2019
Roughly 90 percent of Americans age 65 and older use prescription drugs, with an average 20 prescrip... Read More
What 'Caws'es Us To Say 'Crowbar'? Jan. 16, 2019
Q. What's the origin of "crowbar"? — Al Cohen, Newington, Connecticut A. A crow, a robin and a... Read More
This 'Calling Card' Hasn't Expired Jan. 09, 2019
When a TV weather forecaster described a November blast of cold air as "winter's calling card," I wo... Read More
The Massachusetts Curse Jan. 05, 2019
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts became the first 2020 Democratic White House challenger to an... Read More
Think Things Are Bad Now? They Were Lots Worse in 1919 Jan. 04, 2019
The hundredth anniversary of the Armistice that ended the fighting of World War I in Europe came and... Read More
Words That Go Bump in the Night Dec. 26, 2018
As a young graduate student, I once took a flight to Minneapolis that left LaGuardia Airport in New ... Read More
