Columns

Good parents are the key to good kids

My father did not have a happy childhood. I’ll spare you the details, but the reason he didn’t end up at Holmesburg Prison can be attributed to tough love from the priests at St.

Competency tests for all Louisiana public officials

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has announced her intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination. As part of her platform, she proposed that all candidates running for president who are over 75 years old take a mental competency test. My reaction?

Catholics under attack by the FBI!

Did you know that traditional Catholicism is under attack by the FBI for being extreme, and festering terrorism? That’s right! The FBI issued a memo warning of extremists who are infiltrating “radical – traditionalist Roman Catholic organizations known primarily for the love of the Latin Mass.

Have you taken your business elsewhere?

I just heard about a local business losing a major customer over a trivial misunderstanding. Most of us hate change and maintain loyalty to a brand or retailer through thick and thin. True, this veers into creepiness in extreme cases, such as refusing to outgrow your old pediatrician.

Did Coolidge eat his Rice-O-La?

When planter, politician and entrepreneur Henri Gueydan began to manufacture his Rice-O-La breakfast cereal in 1923, he also launched an advertising campaign that could have been the inspiration for the flamboyant Hadacol promotions decades later. The campaign might have been anticipated.

The mistruths of politics

There are no small number of accusations lately that — shocking as it may be — some of our politicians are lying to us. Some Republicans shouted the “L” word during President Biden’s State of the Union Address, when he said Republicans wanted to end Social Security and Medicare.

Journalism: can’t live with it, can’t live without it

I was saddened to hear of the death of Dr. Glenn Himebaugh, co-founder of the journalism department at my alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Although I hadn’t kept in touch with Dr.

When Mardi Gras collided with a blizzard

Big preparations had been afoot for weeks for Mardi Gras celebrations across south Louisiana in 1899. It was to be especially festive because Mardi Gras fell on Valentine’s Day that year. Nobody anticipated that what may have been the worst blizzard ever to hit the state would undo it all.

Yes, we Eagles fans are fanatics

Twenty-six years ago, members of a California-based cult named Heaven’s Gate committed suicide because they thought the comet Hale Bopp, which was passing close to earth in its 4,000 year orbit across the universe, was actually a space ship that would take them home to paradise.

Dealing with Alzheimer’s disease

I returned a message from my friend I’ve known for many years. He was calling to tell me goodbye. He told me he was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and didn’t know how his memory would hold up in the weeks to come. What do you say to a colleague in such a condition?