Columns

Championing euthanasia is not a kindness

The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin embraced a philosophy that perfectly captures the official Catholic position on human value: the “consistent ethic of life,” more commonly known as the “seamless garment.

Did state budget forget insurance crisis?

On February 3rd the State Legislature ended its Special Session to address the state’s homeowner’s insurance crisis by directing only a “$45 million band-aid” to a Louisiana Insurance Incentive Program to lure more insurance companies back to Louisiana.

Still time to save us from daylight saving time

I dread the coming of Sunday, March 12. At 2 a.m. that morning our clocks will “spring forward.” That means that my yellow Labrador, Thurber, who wakes me at exactly 6 a.m. every morning, will begin waking me at exactly 5 a.m. every morning.

Does Saint Patrick’s Day have a future?

I am definitely a product of the great American melting pot, but on both sides of the family, a Scots-Irish ancestry is prominent. (Some distant cousin with too much time on his hands traced my mother’s maternal grandmother’s line back to 1557 in Ireland.

Canal built town named for … who?

Some people say the Andrew community just south of Indian Bayou in Vermilion Parish was named for Andrew Gamble, one of two brothers who settled in the area in the late 1800s. Others claims it was named for a young boy who just happened to be sitting in a card game when the name was chosen.

Muddling of gender distinctions

In the last few years, it has become common to see people put their pronouns in their email sign-offs, and to hear the phrase “gender fluid.” When I was growing up, “gender fluid” was something you were more likely to read about in a pornographic magazine than in polite conversation.

Is Louisiana obsessed with gambling?

Welcome to Louisiana. Where you will find the largest assortment of gambling options anywhere. It might be the gambling mecca of the world. So go ahead and pick your poison.

The history of U.S. bankruptcy

Today our federal government has $31.4 trillion of national debt recorded on its books, including $24.6T of Public Debt—which yields a Public Debt/GDP Ratio of 94%.

When moss was a money crop

For years, cypress timber was the big money maker in the Atchafalaya Basin for those who could invest in crews to cut the trees and the mills to saw them into lumber. But lesser folk made money from the Spanish moss that hung from those trees, some years a good bit of money.

Hey, ChatGPT, don’t quit your day job

It’s at once amazing and troublesome. I speak of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence application that was launched last November by OpenAI. In a matter of seconds, it can write apparently accurate articles or answer questions on a multitude of subjects.