Columns

You may not remember William Safire, but I lived in fear of him. He was a nationally syndicated columnist who wrote about other writers’ writing gaffes.

When you buy a piece of furniture at the store or online, it doesn’t always come put together. Thus, you might have that sometimes dreaded job of figuring out the sequence to assemble the furniture in order to enjoy it for its intended purpose. In most instances when a piece of furniture requires some assembly, the furniture will come with directions.

Music brought Kevin Kohler rehabilitation while he served an 18-year prison term.

As if current Supreme Court cases were not controversial enough, the justices have accepted an appeal by the Biden administration “seeking to block state bans on gender-affirming care for minors.” Notice that the media only declare something “controversial” when rulings go against the favored position of liberal elites.

The presidential election is less than five months away, and the Democratic National Convention that will officially nominate sitting President Biden is two months away.

I’m 78 this week, and I’m terrified about what might come down Thursday evening when the oldest candidates ever to compete in a presidential race debate each other.

The debate between President Biden and former president Donald Trump Thursday night on CNN ought to be more than rehearsed answers and soundbites we’ve heard before. Polls show Americans are alarmed over what many feel is the unraveling of our country when it comes to the economy, uncontrolled immigration, the weakening of once shared moral values, and an unraveling of what used to be known as cultural norms.

Our youngest was the ripe age of 9 when she tacked a brochure, which she had pulled off a display rack at our neighborhood pharmacy, to her bulletin board. It pictured a smiling white-haired couple beside a headline that read: “Retirement: The Golden Years.”

Although it has been a very long time since I sat behind one of the little desks in a classroom, like most of us, I still carry lots of memories from those days, including the subjects to which I gravitated and also those with which I did not.

Within the past week, I have been reading some interesting Chronicle of Higher Education articles that my campus dean sent regarding concerns about students’ lack of zeal for intellectual engagement in the classroom. We spent some time discussing this in my annual review, particularly how many professors now feel they are at a crossroads in reaching Gen Z, the current traditional generation of college students.