Reaching back into the past for observations on humanity and humor. A number of years ago during my years as an editor and weekly columnist for a newspaper that has since banned my opinions, I wrote a column with the heading: “Direct Routes Aren’t Always the Most Effective Ways to Travel.” You see, the “number of years” from the date of that commentary is approaching 28, and I was, at the time, past the midpoint of a [...] READ MORE
Once you get to the top, the only way to go is down. There’s really no need to sprint to the bottom. Baby Boomers in their sixties and seventies were taught by our parents and grandparents to work hard and be loyal. Loyalty is a two-way street, or so we were told, and employers supposedly recognized and respected this asset as exemplified by our hard work and willingness to go the extra mile. Our parents were better [...] READ MORE
Newspapers are struggling to survive. Do they have to sell out to stay in business? What’s the news across the nation? According to one highly informed source, the country is becoming an “expanding news desert.” It’s hard to believe when you can access breaking news any time of day, whether via cable news channels or internet websites. Not only can you get your news, but you can choose your kind of news, customized to fit your personal [...] READ MORE
The story of Grit, a newspaper that accentuated to positive, is a combination of triumph and tragedy. If you are around long enough, you might become part of history, something that was special to thousands — and, in my case, hundreds of thousands of people across the country. For me it was Grit— a nationally circulated weekly newspaper. I was hired as a reporter/writer there in the late summer of 1972. Note that it was Grit, not [...] READ MORE
Casualty list of America’s daily and weekly newspapers grows. What’s the news across the nation? According to one highly informed source, the country is becoming an “expanding news desert.” It’s hard to believe when you can access breaking news any time of day, whether via cable news channels or internet websites. Not only can you get your news, but you can choose your kind of news, customized to fit your personal needs, beliefs and desires. And, as [...] READ MORE
Forget that "more perfect union" our founders called for. It's us-versus-them from hereon in. To me it’s a little scary that everyone is so locked into political party regardless of what is right or wrong, true or false and moral or immoral. Where have all the nuances gone on what constitutes a Democrat or Republican? I think of myself as being a moderate, whether as a Democrat or Republican (and I’ve been both), but I don’t know [...] READ MORE
Insult comic or harmless clown? Donald Trump has become the Clown Prince of American Politics. I’m talking about the entire history of American politics. This is a jester who elicits few laughs and, like the modern breed of clowns, is more scary than humorous. He looms in some of our nightmares as something out of a Stephen King novel. For others, his brand of humor is a confirmation of pent-up animosity, fear, frustration and intolerance that allows [...] READ MORE
As is often the case with people of advanced age, with each departed birthday I find myself more frequently contemplating my mortality than when I was in my thirties, forties, fifties and even (gulp) sixties. When you have passed— make that surpassed— all of those milestone decades, you can’t help thinking about how much time you have left. …so go the days of our lives. Colorful and interesting people disguised in white hair and wrinkles have enriched [...] READ MORE
I know a little something about fake news. I manufactured a news article years ago in an April 1st issue of another newspaper and stirred up a storm of controversy. Anyone who read beyond the headline and the introductory paragraphs would recognize that it was not on the up and up. That’s on the up and up, as in factual and legitimate, and the article had become so outrageous by the final sentence, concluding, of course, with “April Fool!” [...] READ MORE
