Archive By Section - Columns
Leading the way for liberty
In the late 1980s, the fight against global communism entered a crucial phrase. President Ronald Reagan publicly pressed Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Pope John Paul II and Lech Walesa gave Polish workers the courage to rise up against their communist masters. The Velvet Revolution sprang up in Czechoslovakia.
Vargas is why we need DREAM Act
While not as earth-shattering as the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I still remember the images of April 16, 2007.
Remember the Alamo!
Free at last; free at last; someone kicked an obnoxious bonehead out on her, ah, ear.
Failure is now fashionable
Nothing succeeds like success, but don't sell failure short. That's the sunny-side-up view of life that appears to be busting out all over the big-thinking world of the business and economics press these days. Bookstores, for example, offer new fail-friendly titles that all but invite you to fail. There's "Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success" by John C. Maxwell, "Fail Better," by Herter Studio, and "Fail Up: 20 Lessons ...
Crafting a moral budget
Can the federal government's spending spree last forever? Of course not. Even when economic growth is strong (hardly the case now, of course), it's foolish to keep spending more than we take in. Congress is going to have to make some serious cuts. Otherwise, we'll face a day of serious financial reckoning -- and sooner than we think.
Beware the summertime 'brain drain'
Ah, summer is finally here. Many people like to think of the summer months as a carefree and happy time when "kids can just be kids" -- a time when they imagine children escaping from the strict regimen of long school days and embracing the freedom of running around barefoot and exploring their neighborhoods. But if you ask me, all of that just sounds like an excerpt from "Tom Sawyer." In ...
Cooking tips from a non-cook
Through a set of circumstances that comes up about this time each year, I've been cooking for myself lately.
Life after Weinergate
Hope is still alive for former Rep. Anthony "the Twitter" Weiner. In today's America, failure is only the first step to your next success, even when your personality gives new meaning to the term "outgoing."
Our essential fathers
NEW YORK -- Sunday marked my 24th Father's Day as a columnist, my 26th since my son uttered "Dada," and my 16th since my own father joined the legions of Interesting People in the Hereafter.
McIlroy's legacy rests in Augusta
Rory McIlroy cemented his status as one of golf's future stars with his record-setting performance at last weekend's U.S. Open Championship.
Dump the 'drug war'
When David Simon, creator of HBO's late dramatic crime series "The Wire," heard through news media that Atty. Gen. Eric Holder wanted to see the series return for a sixth season, he offered the nation's top prosecutor a deal
Remembering the trains
"Down in the valley, the valley so low, for late in the evening hear the train blow." Who of the pre-World War II generation does not remember that old folk song or sang it? And who of that generation does not remember the plaintive wailing of a distant train whistle? Those are a few of the nostalgic memories most of my generation have as we look back on the bygone times when ...
What not to give your dad for Father's Day
Father's Day never fails to stress me out, and I'm not just saying that because I'm convinced that no one will care that my birthday is the very next day.
The excitement in their voices
You know one of the things I really like about horse racing? Tell you in a minute, after I confess that despite living in Camden for almost four decades, I don't know much about the equine world. I know it's fun going to the Carolina Cup. I know racing, especially steeplechasing, is dangerous. I know jockeys are darned good athletes, because standing up in those stirrups while a horse is galloping can't ...
Articles by Section - Columns
New York, New York!
I'm planning my first trip to New York in June and I am so excited!
On press freedoms, Obama races Nixon to bottom
Despite what you may hear from some of his more fevered critics, President Barack Obama's recent scandal-quakes don't appear to fall anywhere near the level of Richard Nixon's Watergate disaster. But by another Nixonian yardstick, trying to put a muzzle on press freedoms, Team Obama appears to have surged into the lead.
Moment of Nature - May 24, 2013
In countries around the world, the oak tree is the symbol of strength, fortitude and endurance. In the U.S., the oak was designated in 2004 as our national tree. Despite this status as a stalwart of the forest and city alike, oaks in our native and urban ecosystems face tremendous challenges from diseases, insect pests and human-caused disorders.
Life and death with the eagles
Last year about this time, I talked with you about how technology is bringing the magic of nature -- specifically, the majesty of American's symbol, the bald eagle – into our living rooms.
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.
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