Dr. John Witherspoon Corbett

As we prepare to celebrate KershawHealth's Centennial during the week of April 21, it is fitting to remember those people who made the hospital a reality here in Camden. We have celebrated the Baruch family's contributions, but there were those who moved quietly behind the scenes to make the hospital a reality. One such man was Dr. John Corbett. Recently, the Corbett family photograph album was donated to the Camden Archives and Museum. The ...

Visiting the Outer Banks on ‘island time’

You've probably heard the term "island time" -- the notion that in the Caribbean islands things don't operate so much on a schedule as on a whim.

The day after

WASHINGTON -- You know the feeling. You wake up filled with dread but, still groggy, you can't put your finger on the reason.

Beauty and the beast

WASHINGTON -- The recent kerfuffle over a secret recording of Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign strategy meeting, which focused on opposition research about a likely opponent, actress Ashley Judd, has divided observers into two groups.

‘In the darkest of times … turn on the light

With all the senseless and terrible things that have been occurring throughout our country, it's been difficult for me to keep my faith in humanity. I've always kept a quote from Oscar Wilde that reads "Everyone may not be good, but there is something good in everyone" close at hand. And I've also firmly believed in that… up until recently. Now I find it more difficult to believe that ...

Guns but no roses

WASHINGTON -- The biggest obstacle to the Obama administration's push for tighter gun control may be its own best argument: Newtown.

Working in the schools

Last summer, I was meeting with some members of the district staff to talk about the upcoming United Way campaign. Every year since I arrived, I have tried to do something a little "out there" to generate some fun and interest in the campaign. I have sung alma maters at high school football games, gotten a buzz cut, been slimed and soaked, and taken pies in the face. I think ...

FOX News case one to watch

Long-time readers can probably guess that I am not a fan of FOX News. Their entire idea of "fair and balanced" is ludicrous -- as would, admittedly, be such a claim from any of the cable news networks.

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?

To be P.C. or not P.C.

From the mailbag:

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.

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.

Are we willing to pay for increased public safety?

Kershaw County public safety is at a crossroads. The sheriff's office is greatly understaffed and deputies are compensated for their mandatory overtime work by an antiquated and grossly unfair payment system. The solicitor's office is working with half the staff it needs to properly prosecute the cases it receives every month and the jail is barely able to keep sufficient staff to meet state standards. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: ...

Benghazi redacted

Gatsby? What Gatsby?

Another view of Plan B

In "Getting it wrong about Plan B," Ruth Marcus ends her column by stating that the debate over the proposed Plan B policy "isn't about the government coming between parents and children or society condoning teen sex. It's about preventing teen pregnancy."

Are you (fill in the blank) enough?

WASHINGTON -- Enough with this "enough" business.

Reflecting on 100 years of success

KershawHealth recently completed a week of celebration commemorating the opening of the Camden Hospital in 1913 and a century of outstanding care. One of the things that struck me during those activities was the incredible amount of community support the hospital has always enjoyed, and the amazing things that strategic thinking and teamwork can accomplish.

What Sanford win says about S.C.

Somehow, the man who walked the Appalachian Trail all the way to Argentina to see his mistress got elected to Congress last Tuesday in a voting outcome that almost defies belief.