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Columnists

BOB BROWN: When the Underdog Bites Has Rabies, and a Mean Owner

We have a strong human urge to identify with the “underdog.” There is nothing new about this tendency. The biblical story of David and Goliath, reported 3000 years ago,...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part II

Unfortunately, Trump’s present ceasefire as of October 9 is analogous to the armistice signed between...

ROBERT L. MARONIC: Is Phase Two Of Trump‘s Peace Plan In The Gaza Strip Doomed To Fail? – Part I

Phase one of Trump‘s twenty-point peace plan in the Gaza Strip, which began on October...

FRED FIRST: Approaching the Longest Night

Yes, you’re right—if you’ve even noticed—that this space has been neglected for some weeks now,...

A Life Well-Lived: Shirley Padgett Lester (1947-2025)

Shirley Padgett Lester of Vinton went to her heavenly reward October 4. Below is the...

The Oh So Many Joys Of Camping

Although Harry grew up camping with his buddies and the Boy Scouts, I had never spent the night outdoors before we were married....

It’s That Time Again . . . Commencement

There is probably no month that engenders more non-political speechifying than May.  Commencements are all over the place.  Even graduation from pre-K now...

Fine Art of Napping is Mostly Genetic

As time marches on, many people of my age (51) tend to revert to behavior first experienced in their childhood.  Although I have...

Ah, The Unholy Power of Pop Culture

According to the Social Security Administration, the top two baby names of 2009 were Jacob and Isabella.  And how traditional is that?  In...

Moving Beyond the Fortress by Tim Harvey

The common complaint about the news media is that the news is always bad.  Oil is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.  A...

Just a Taste of Ticino

South of the great Alpine passes in eastern Switzerland the feel is decidedly Italian. Emerging from the Gotthard tunnel, which lies under the...