'Alcopops' a high-risk potion

As we continue to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year this weekend, it is important to be sensible about our merry-making. In addition to the well-known dangers, there is a new one -- alcoholic energy drinks, otherwise known as "alcopops." These drinks have recently gained national attention after a rash of student hospitalizations in other states.

The public sector and my grandchildren

Jack is 6 1/2, and Frances Anne just turned 4. I will not burden you with tiresome anecdotes about how funny, quick and special they are. Just take my word for it: They are.

Dear Mr. Mulvaney...

Dec. 24, 2010 Congressman-elect Mick Mulvaney U. S. Capitol Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Mulvaney: Congratulations on your recent election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Unseating 14-term incumbent Rep. John Spratt was no mean feat, and you undoubtedly realize voters have sent you to Washington because they don't like what's happening there. They're ready for a change. In the days following the race, both Republican ...

Boehner's curious tears

History may well remember this political year for feminine jeers and manly tears.

Shopping tips for the men

It's that time of the year again. Dec. 24 -- the day when women are finally able to sit down with eggnog and a good book, and marvel at the pile of Christmas gifts they've placed under the tree. It's the day when kids begin their 24-hour stalk around the Christmas tree in anticipation of opening their gifts the next day. And the men? It's the day when husbands and ...

Embrace in-laws as your family

In the movies, in-laws are bad news. There's the mother-in-law, a nagging, screeching creature from Hell. There's the father-in-law, a glaring, disapproving statue. There's the brother-in-law, who is a showoff or a drunk. And the sister-in-law, who thinks you're a bum. You would never get involved with these people if not for your spouse, who, in the movies, starts looking a little funny, too. But that's the movies. I ...

Repealing DADT right thing to do

The Senate's repeal Saturday night of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy in the United States military, implemented under President Clinton in 1993 as a compromise between allowing men and women to serve openly and downright banning them from service, is much more of a milestone achievement from a symbolic standpoint rather than on-the-ground efficiency. But repeal's symbolism is striking, nonetheless. It symbolizes, simply, that our politicians are still capable of doing the ...

Wordplay

NEW YORK -- Words matter. Just ask Google, which now has arranged for anyone to search millions of books online and track how many times a particular word has been used through the ages, thus suggesting how much we think about (and, by inference, value) certain things. Or ask WikiLeaker Julian Assange, now free from prison and enjoying "mansion arrest," who gained notoriety as well as accolades for exposing the private words ...

Obama-Clinton's tag team show

When President Barack Obama turned over his news conference to President Clinton like a tag-team wrestler and left the room to attend a Christmas party -- leaving Clinton to take questions from reporters about Obama's tax-cut deal -- he gave the astonished chattering classes plenty to chatter about:

Sheheen is my Person of the Year

To so many people here in Kershaw County he is "Vincent."

School Christmas memories

For whatever reason, while I was doing yard work during the Thanksgiving weekend, I started thinking about my favorite Christmas memories from my own school days. (This probably qualifies as ancient history for most people.) The daydreaming made the raking and mulch-spreading a lot more pleasant.

Hooked on iPad Scrabble

WASHINGTON -- I could write more about the tax deal, but you're probably tired of hearing about it, and, to be honest, I've been too busy playing iPad Scrabble.

Holiday help is hard to find

Gift wrapping -- is it a man's or woman's job? That was the topic of an argument between my husband and me earlier this week, after John casually suggested that I begin wrapping the Christmas gifts for our family members. He then went on to talk about how he would hate for me to get bogged down with having to wrap all of the gifts at the last minute. Clearly, I thought, ...

War news remembered

Andy Denton was recently helping his mother Miriam move some furniture when they came across a bulletin from the First Baptist Church which was distributed on Father's Day in 1945. The bulletin was arranged in newsletter form and filled with information concerning events surrounding the end of the war and updates on many of your friends and neighbors who were serving in the military.

Living the spirit of Christmas

I have a number of favorite Christmas stories which I have told you over the years. This is one of my favorites; I related it to you long ago, but it is worth repeating as Christendom's most holy day approaches.

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.