Columns

Laughter really is the best medicine

I missed it again. So did the rest of America. July 1’s unofficial International Joke Day came and went without fanfare. That’s regrettable, because we could all use a good belly laugh right now — which gave me an idea.

Straight shooters from the bayous

Louisiana’s French speakers were in serious demand during World War II, especially when interpreters were needed as GIs fought their way across France after D-Day. But south Louisiana’s French speakers were also wanted for their fighting ability and even their typing skills.

Three cheers for a baseball obsessed former first lady

The 2020 Major League Baseball season is, in a manner of speaking, underway. Fans who can overlook the cardboard cutouts that have replaced them in stadium seats, or tolerate the piped-in music and masked players will be fine.

Must we live with one foot in the grave?

“Shower the people you love with love/ Show them the way that you feel.” — James Taylor With all due respect to the five-time Grammy Award winner, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain and I’ve seen sunny days when I wished people would put their advice where the sun DON’T shine.

Ballplayers do a spit-take

For the virus-plagued season, Major League Baseball has come up with special rules that players will find even more challenging than a sharp slider in the dirt. No showering at the ballpark. No sunflower seeds. No high-fives. In all, the pandemic protocol runs 120 pages.

Perpetual anger no help amid pandemic

Good grief: Apparently, America has yet to move past the anger phase regarding COVID-19. In 1969, you see, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross described five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

The road across the prairie

There wasn’t much to see on the road stretching across the prairie from Opelousas to Lake Charles in the middle 1870s, if accounts from two travelers can be believed. Lake Charles was the seat of Calcasieu Parish; Opelousas was the St. Landry seat. Calcasieu had been part of St.

NFL player deserves the bench

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson isn’t the kind of person a father points to and says, “Son, I want you to grow up to be just like him!” While D-Jax has made some Philadelphia hearts melt and flutter with his pyrotechnics on the playing field, I can no longer “deal” with Jackson.

Amid pandemic, take pen in hand

I can’t recall the last time I wrote or received a handwritten letter — but it’s time to send such letters again. The reasons why the handwritten letter died are obvious: e-mail, text messaging and cellphones.

If COVID isn’t a national tragedy, what is?

“My fellow Americans, I am today ordering that Monday, August 3, shall be a national day of mourning. All of us should take time on that day to honor the memories of more than 134,000 souls taken by COVID-19. Flags will be lowered to half staff.” — Donald J. Trump, President.