Archive By Section - Columns
Not a ‘quota woman’
Margaret Thatcher never cared much for feminists and other progressive equal-rights movements. Yet she deserves to be honored by those of us who do, whether we like the result of her politics or not.
Legacy
What do your waking hours mean to the spinning earth? Can you tilt the axis, change the seasons, speed up or slow down the day or night? Can you manipulate tides or winds or clouds or storms? Do you have a part to play in the saga that is your life? Do you have a vote in the outcome of your own legacy?
Go deep with Animal Planet’s ‘River Monsters’
Who said good TV can't be informative? If you haven't watched Animal Planet's "River Monsters," do yourself a favor and watch one the best TV shows ever in existence. It may not be for everyone -- my mom thinks I'm crazy for taking up space on our digital recorder for the show -- but it really is an excellent production. The show has just returned for a fifth season and I am so ...
No biology teacher
I have taught many subjects, for some of which I certainly did not have certification, such as speech, debate and mathematics. I have even been pressed into emergency teacher status for a special education class and the band. Each one of the preceding two could have a paper printed about the experience. However, the one I feared most and the one the students really wanted me to do was become ...
Why I can’t have nice things
Recently I have learned to really understand the phrase "this is why we can't have nice things" which I heard all through my childhood but never really understood the significance of. After spilling juice on tablecloths staining them for eternity or somehow managing to ruin the playground set in our backyard, I would always hear my mom -- in a very exasperated tone, I should add -- exclaim: "See! ...
Red carpet-bombing to save the girls
NEW YORK -- The striking juxtaposition of the preternaturally perfect Angelina Jolie, waifish and wispy in a ghostly gown, and the punchy Pakistani schoolgirl Malala, her face cruelly misshapen by the effects of a Taliban bullet to the head, captures the confluence of feminine power assembled here to "lean on" the world to save women and girls.
Plant Sex Ed
Do all plants have flowers? It is a timely topic in spring, with flowers abounding and air that is laden with pesky pollen. Like any good love story, plant sex has no paucity of details and drama. To make our investigation easier, we can divide plants into four groups. They all do it differently, in ways that make a lot of sexual sense depending on the respective environment.
Where Obama should listen to Rand Paul: legal pot
As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot.
Books offer real, alternate histories
Two books recently transported me to the past, one real, the other not. Both featured late President Richard Nixon, one prominently, the other not so much. They provided me with food for thought … of where we have been, where we are now and where we could be.
The Last Chronicle
I believe this to be the last entry in my insipid but genuine "chronicles of a college freshman". At least for now. In a way, I wish I could jot down a brief survival guide of sorts for other parents preparing to travel a similar road. But regrettably, we know that's not how it works. It's not a chapter in a spicy novel we can rush through but a scene in a play ...
The simple art of being polite
It's no secret that the hand-written note is going the way of the buggy whip and the adding machine.
Ode to iPod George
Remember how excited you were when the product of your dreams hit the market? I download a long- awaited new album release on iTunes this week and for whatever reason I was reminded of how thankful I am for mp3 players. Besides the fact that I've been waiting for this album for seven years, the artist is fairly indie; in pre-iTunes life I probably would have had to drive to every store in ...
A monument to reconciliation
CAMDEN S.C. -- It isn't often that one gets to hear both the strains of "Dixie" and an African drum concert in the same public square. Nor, usually, are statue unveilings the riveting stuff of storytelling.
Slow down you crazy child
A few weeks ago I shared with the community my frustration with the stoplights around town. Since then I have received lots of feedback from locals who share my sentiments as well. However, there is one particular email that has really stuck with me for the past couple of weeks. In this particular email, the sender agreed with my frustrations and feelings regarding being trapped within my vehicle while waiting for a change of ...
Articles by Section - Columns
A trifecta with little payout
WASHINGTON -- Folks, deep breath time. This is not the end of the Obama presidency. It's a bad stretch with an unfortunate confluence of unfortunate events. None of which will make the first paragraph -- not even the first page -- of the account of the Obama administration in the history books. Let's tick through the trifecta of scandals and what they tell ...
A short vocabulary lesson
This past weekend, I had the rare, but always enjoyable, visit from my grandparents. I don't know about you, but anytime I have the opportunity to spend time with them I learn something new; sometimes about myself, sometimes about life, but always it's something.
Landscape, architectural history professor visits Camden
Camden welcomed an extraordinary visitor and new friend last week: Nina Antonetti, an "urbanist." She's been teaching about cities at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., for the last 15 years.
Not such strange bedfellows
WASHINGTON -- Breaking news: Conservative organizations suddenly have found common cause with one of their favorite objects of contempt -- the benighted Mainstream Media.
Seniors reflect
I meet with a lot of groups and committees over the course of the year, and I think it's important for me to do so. One of my favorite groups is Student Cabinet, which is comprised of student government leaders from each of our high schools. We meet four times a year over lunch. What I love and value about students is that they don't hesitate to tell you what's ...
A matter of conscience:
In 1929, my family moved from Chesterfield County to a farm adjoining the farm of Donald Holland's parents in the Cassatt community. I was a year old at the time but before many years passed, Donald and I established a friendship lasting until Donald's passing in 2003.
When DOJ targets press, we all lose
To say I was stunned was putting it mildly. I was shocked to learn about the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to seize phone records belonging to the Associated Press (AP). The C-I does not belong to the AP; I have never written for the service. That doesn't negate my outrage at DOJ's actions.
Fredericksburg Township explored
Our grand city of Camden is a beautifully preserved town laid out in an 18th century plan devised by Joseph Kershaw. We are proud of our historic homes and buildings, carefully placed public parks, wide streets, and beautiful trees. So it is easy to forget that this was not the original plan for the "town" that was to develop in this area of South Carolina. The original plan was a part of the "Township ...
What was the IRS thinking?
Well, this is a fine mess.
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