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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 Danger of Online Education

by Hayden Hollingsworth Much has been written about higher education and its problems.  Financing has escalated to the point that only the very wealthy...

Pork Renderings

by Nick Thomas Despite its Northern name, the Boston Butt is a favorite cut of meat in the South.  It’s the best part of...

Who Fills Your Gas Tank? by Rev. Barkley Thompson

In high school, my friend Patrick drove an enormous 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88.  It was burgundy-red, and due to its size and color...

Go Now In Peace!

by Mary Jo Shannon After retiring, I spent much more time volunteering at church, and as the cliché goes, I benefitted more than those...

Notes From Home

by Lucky Garvin Sabrina seemed a bit preoccupied that morning. I watched for a while, then asked, “You seem to have something on your...

The Hazards of Spring Gardening

by Nick Thomas You have to wonder what God was thinking when He created poison ivy. Was He having a rough day, or was...