Archive By Section - Columns
Turkey Bowl
The game was a beat-down of epic proportions. It was actually close at the beginning, both teams knotted at a touchdown, but the wheels of my team soon began to lose their grip from the proverbial axle. I would not say that the wheels "fell off" necessarily. This would imply that they simply came loose and rested in place. They actually flew off at quite an alarming rate and at last sight were still ...
Don't dumb down ... just grow up
Sometimes, it just pays to be dumb. That's what a 22-year-old anonymous young man -- let's call him Bob -- told a group of DJs on a morning radio show earlier this week, as he bemoaned the fact that he constantly had to "dumb down" when trying to date girls or when hanging out with friends. Girls don't like nerds, Bob said, and smart guys are always picked on by the more ...
How WikiLeaks can make us less free
It is symbolically appropriate that among other charges in Sweden WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is accused of having unprotected sex with two women in Stockholm. I don't know whether the world-famous Internet whistleblower is guilty or not, but the allegation certainly fits his reputation for world-class recklessness.
Ringing in the season
Ray Hazelwood still recalls the day in 1973 when his cherished class ring from The Citadel vanished.
America's reality show: gloom and doom
NEW YORK -- Pending catastrophe is not an easy notion to entertain, much less sustain. Americans moreover have a low tolerance for doom and gloom. We are the nation of optimism, after all. We elect leaders who promise hope and change. We are the shining city on a hill.
Hitchens confronts the Big C
Journalists and writers serve numerous purposes in society, one of which is to stimulate thought and make you reconsider some, or all, of your beliefs. A simple way to do this is by providing all sides of an issue, regardless of whether one side is vastly more popular or accepted as true.
A time to govern
WASHINGTON -- New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg could reel off a list of problems with the debt-reduction blueprint produced by the president's fiscal responsibility commission -- beginning with the fact that, as Gregg sees it, the plan doesn't do nearly enough to reduce the debt: By 2020, in the unlikely event that all the recommendations are enacted, the debt would still stand at an unhealthy share of gross domestic product, ...
So, let this be a toothy lesson to you
It was my own fault. I've never been a big fan of going to the dentist. I don't know too many people that are. That's no reflection on dentists themselves. I think they're great people. Unfortunately, I'm an oversensitive guy when it comes to pain and dental cleanings and other procedures are quite painful to me. So, I don't exactly ...
Security theater vs. real dangers
Great quotations aren't what they used to be. History is marked by signature lines like "We shall overcome" and "Give me liberty or give me death." To those, the age of YouTube adds, "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested."
Demise of the service station
If you're planning a road trip to New Jersey or Oregon, forget about stopping for a quick self-service gasoline stop. It's not legal there.
Path of least resistance
This past August, I embarked on a journey encompassing 140 miles in 13 days all on foot. Yes, on foot. There were not many close to me that could appreciate my aspirations for chasing this "outward boundish" type charge, and rightfully so. There were hurdles to get over before ever reporting for my chosen wilderness course. There was the burden of leaving my family for 16 days which would prove to be an emotional ...
Dancing with Palin in 2012?
She made it all the way to the finals -- farther than anyone expected -- with the help of votes pouring in from her vast, underestimated fan base, only to lose in the final vote tally to more experienced professionals.
Sending my regrets to William and Kate
First, let me start off by saying that there is no chance that I will ever wake up at the crack of dawn to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding next April.
Thought for tomorrow
When I was a younger man, I believed that progress was inevitable -- that the world would be better tomorrow and better still the day after. The thunder of war, the stench of concentration camps, the mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb are, however, not conducive to optimism. All our tomorrows for years to come will be clouded by the threat of a terrible holocaust.
Buck up for safety
Everyone have a pleasant Thanksgiving and safe travels? No underwear bombers? Good, glad to hear it. Now, say your thanks to the sleepless Transportation Security Administration administrator John Pistole and his agency.
Articles by Section - Columns
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.
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.
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