Columns

Is Microsoft really turning 50 years old?

The world was changed forever on April 4, 1975. (Don’t get a swelled head if that happens to be your date of birth. I’m writing about a business/cultural milestone, not providing PR for any individual’s decades of leaving a carbon footprint. On the other hand, you really are rockin’ it for near-50.

Good habits and a lot of gold served Lastie well

When Lastie Dupre died at his home on Prairie Plaisance in 1886 at the age of 91 his obituary said he was “known far and wide as the wealthiest stock raiser in the Attakapas region” and a man “whose hospitality was commensurate with the large means at his disposal.”

Did Tonton invent ladies’ hats?

I’ve confessed before that I enjoy picking through old cookbooks, especially those about Louisiana cuisine. Part of the reason I like them is that they are filled with interesting recipes, but I also like them because they can tell us something about the place and time that they come from.

The world needs more children

It’s a growing concern that world leaders, economists and even Pope Francis have warned about: people aren’t having enough children. Across the globe, birth rates are plummeting below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, the minimum needed to maintain a stable population.

Will there be horses in heaven?

“When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.” — Winston Churchill As a lifelong resident of the geographic region that is the epicenter of the storied Tennessee Walking Horse industry (yes, it’s possible to be from a small town without being from the proverbial...

Restoring our Irish sense of humor

St. Patrick’s Day couldn’t come soon enough this year. Half the country is giddy as the Trump administration undoes our reckless spending and $2 trillion annual deficits, which have resulted in a frightening $37 trillion national debt.

Are you a fanatic or what?

I recently attended a memorial service for a longtime acquaintance who was renowned as one of those “if you cut him, he’d bleed University of Tennessee orange” enthusiasts.

Gayarre found the romance of our history

Charles Gayarre was an attorney by trade, a politician by choice, and a historian partly because he found the story of Louisiana replete with poetry. To my mind, that is especially true of south Louisiana. He is credited with writing the first complete history of Louisiana.

In Italy, Trump gets respect

I write this from my hotel room, a two-minute walk from the Colosseum. My trip to Rome has been planned for months, and I looked forward to it with anticipation since well before Christmas.

Must we all speak English in America?

Should America have one official language-English? The president says yes, and asserts that a single shared language “is the core of a unified, cohesive society that serves to streamline communication and empowers new citizens to achieve the American dream.” Who could argue with those goals?