Archive By Section - Columns
Camden in good company
At the recent National League of Cities conference, Leslie Wollack, program director for federal relations, placed Camden in "good company" with other cities nationwide when he noted the importance of local infrastructure. As Camden continues to operate with a balanced budget, I believe infrastructure is a primary focus.
Drafted into the Mommy Wars
Oops! Just as President Barack Obama's campaign was enjoying a big favorability advantage with women, a prominent female ally tripped over an old unwritten rule: Lay off your opponent's kinfolk.
A tradition that shouldn’t change at Augusta
What happened to all the camo shirts and beer helmets at the Masters this year? A guy named Bubba just won the thing, right?
Taming 'Taxmageddon'
Many Americans are breathing a sigh of relief as they finally managed to file their income-tax returns. No need to worry about taxes again for another year, right?
Whispering campaigns
WASHINGTON -- All it takes is one little twit. Or a tweet, as the case may be -- not that the two are mutually exclusive.
Another flawed silver bullet
A few weeks back, I was honored to be present to see the Baron DeKalb Elementary School Improvement Council receive the Dick and Tunky Riley School Improvement Council Award. What made it a particular privilege was the fact that former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Dick Riley was there to present the award. The opportunity to meet him was truly memorable for me.
Romney’s woman woes
Mitt Romney's trying to talk his way out of his gender gap, but, take it from me, women like guys who listen. My wife told me that.
A whispering campaign
We've come a long way from President Theodore Roosevelt's famous saying "Speak softly and carry a big stick." President Barack Obama's policy apparently is to whisper slyly and compromise our security.
Zimmerman’s arrest the right thing
I have held back on writing about the Trayvon Martin case in Sanford, Fla., a few miles north of Orlando. The fallout from 17-year-old Martin's death at the hands of George Zimmerman has been fraught with charges of police corruption; hand-wringing over Florida's self-defense law; and, of course, racial overtones.
Rediscovering entrepreneurship in all organizations
Everyone agrees that entrepreneurship is a good thing. But what exactly is entrepreneurship?
An old narrative that never dies
Hollywood's version of Harper Lee's brilliant novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" turns 50 this year, which offers President Barack Obama a rare opportunity. For once, he can venture, however cautiously, near the touchy topics of race and justice without risking too much of a political backlash.
Sad, but true, but changing
Earlier this week I said to my co-workers, "I don't know how people stay married for so long; I get tired of people after a few months." They laughed, I laughed; it's sad, but true.
Sensibilities of Griffin, Luck should ensure future success
"A bust; talented but extremely disappointing; annually and incredibly overweight" -- those aren't the words you want to hear when you've just paid a guy nearly $40 million to be your new quarterback.
The quirky English language
English varies greatly from state to state and location to location. It varies when talking with friends or when speaking before an audience. Some of it is almost unintelligible for the novice, such as Gullah. The Southern drawl differs from the Yankee vernacular. Rarely does the person speaking recognize the difference for himself. For example, the Australians told me how charming my accent was. When I returned the compliment, some other tourists from the north said, "You really told them off, having no idea I could have said the same to them. When traveling, I have been mistaken for English ...
Articles by Section - Columns
New kid on the block
Hey, y'all! I am Jim McGowan. I am the most recent addition to the award-winning staff of the Chronicle-Independent. I can only hope to live up to their high standards. It will not be easy. I will be the Localife editor and cover the education beat.
Op-Ed: Let parents give directly to public schools
A federal nutrition program that places new restrictions on snacks and beverages sold in schools also provides an opportunity for some fresh thinking about school fundraisers.
Rock of Ages
I remember once I was giving a presentation about important conservation properties in the Piedmont. I showed photos of the incredible rock formations on a particular property and happened to mention their age in an effort to describe their grandeur. Afterwards, I was confronted by an indignant man who told me that the age of rocks cannot be known. He accused me of making those figures up out of thin air. Surprised by his vociferous tone, I told him I was sorry to have upset him. While not a confrontational person, I am a teacher, and I began to politely ...
Me Inc. offers plenty of dividends
WASHINGTON -- "Checked the tax code," wrote a friend who's engaged to a woman from a low-tax country. "Unfortunately, marrying [my fiancee] does not entitle me to a tax inversion like the big U.S. companies are getting. Thanks for nothing, IRS."
The legend of Lloyd Seay
Their histories, accurate and complete, are lost to time and buried with them and those who knew them. I wish I knew more for their stories would read like a page-turning novel.
Star Trek ... in the news!
OK, OK, yes I'm talking Star Trek again, but hang on, this is really more about newspapers than Star Trek. All right, maybe 50-50.
Not lost, just seeing the sights
In 1964, the World's Fair was in New York City. I was 6 years old and went with my parents and older sister to the fair. New York City seemed like a different world to a little boy from Dexter, Mo., but it was all good. We rode on subway trains, we had cheeseburgers in a diner where the staff had funny accents and rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty. I saw a billboard that had the Marlboro man blowing smoke out of his mouth. We were living it up.
‘What is that?’
In the quest to answer the many questions I receive about trees, see below for part three in the continuing series.
51 days in a car with boys
If you have a serious case of wanderlust -- an insatiable desire to see new places and experience unique customs -- then you'll probably envy Alisa Johnson of Seattle, Wash.
Limousine liberalism’s good works
Is it hypocritical for a really, really rich person to object to rising inequality?
Page 1 of 1
Contents of this site are © Copyright 2014 Chronicle Independent All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of service
