Archive By Section - Columns
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 ...
Keynesian economics and gridlock
WASHINGTON -- The item was too delicious to resist: New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, he of the don't-worry, be-happy approach to the federal deficit, had been forced to declare personal bankruptcy. Except, it wasn't true.
Four Months In
Marvelous things are happening in Camden and Kershaw County. Yes, sometimes, we take two steps forward, one step back, but as every airline pilot knows, if a strong headwind takes us off-course, we get back on track and head for our destination, which in this case is a happy, prosperous City.
Not quite on the high board yet
WASHINGTON -- Listening to the Supreme Court hear arguments in the same-sex marriage cases was like watching a novice diver inch to the edge of the high board for the first time.
‘Travels’ of a Historical Document
On June 9, 2012 at a Civil War show in Columbia, S.C., I browsed along from one dealer table to the next searching for Civil War relics in my fields of interest. As I examined the items on the table of the Broadfoot Publishing Company, with much excitement and anticipation I opened a folder labeled, "Immortal Six Hundred -- original manuscript." When I realized I was examining a Lieut. William E. Johnson Jr. ...
The civil right of marriage equality
Growing up the way I did, I couldn't help but to learn the fundamental truth that we are all human beings with the fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I've lived in too many places, and been counted as a minority enough times, not to realize that it's always wrong -- always -- to believe that anyone's claims to those fundamental rights are inferior to anyone else's. <p ...
The Duggars are adopting
Everybody has their own opinion about the infamous Duggar clan -- I love them. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar recently revealed that, after a miscarriage in 2011, they are contemplating adoption.
Of trains, convertibles and not making plans
Lost among the daily news hoopla of the Great Recession, the housing comeback, the stock market run and the decline of the euro has been a bit of economic news that most people would probably find surprising:
Articles by Section - Columns
Don’t shoot the messenger
I've always heard the phrase "don't shoot the messenger" throughout my life. I somewhat understood what it meant -- don't take your anger out on someone who is simply relaying unwanted information. It wasn't until I started my career as a reporter that I developed a deeper and more meaningful relationship with this quote. Being a journalist means that not only do I get to be the bearer of ...
Googling ourselves to death
WASHINGTON -- At a party a few years ago, a young reporter bounded over to my cluster of social nodders and, with the breathlessness of a born tweeter, chirped: "What's the new hot thing?!"
Statehouse ethics: just tell the truth
When I was a young boy growing up and my mother confronted me with something that I knew I had done wrong, I often stammered around, making excuses and trying to avoid fessing up. My mom's response was always the same: "Let's begin by just telling the truth."
Noted and passed
** A new Gallup poll indicates that Americans rank the performance of Congress at the lowest level since polling on the subject began. Only 10 percent of citizens say they have confidence in Congress, with no discernible difference among those who call themselves Democrats and those who say they're Republicans. Congress rates last on a list of 16 institutions, with the American military ranking first. The Gallup organization has been asking opinions of Congress ...
Crisis of faith in government
WASHINGTON -- It is reassuring that in the midst of so much government dysfunction, the IRS has resolved the question of when and whether to tax tanning beds under the Affordable Care Act. Do not be concerned about that giddiness you feel. You are not having a nervous breakdown but are suffering a symptom commonly associated with recognition that the absurd has become the accepted norm -- and that you are, in fact, alone. ...
KCSD has had a one terrific school year
The end of the school is a veritable kaleidoscope of activities and excitement, with happiness and even a little relief thrown in for good measure. For me, it's also a time to reflect on the school district's many accomplishments over the past year. To say the least, it's been one terrific year! This month, I wanted to review just a few of the many highlights of 2012-13:
Game of Thrones is good, but tough TV
Back in March 2012, I wrote about my newfound love of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. I mentioned -- almost as a side note -- the brilliant HBO television series based on the books (and named after the first novel) Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones is good, but tough TV
Back in March 2012, I wrote about my newfound love of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. I mentioned -- almost as a side note -- the brilliant HBO television series based on the books (and named after the first novel) Game of Thrones.
Welcome to the good life
Were talking coffee and burgers today, folks.
Secrecy scandal? Not so much
When is a scandal not really a scandal? Many are shocked to hear that the government, in its pursuit of terrorists as relentlessly as Wile E. Coyote chases the Road Runner, is massively snooping into our phone records and popular social networks without search warrants.
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