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May 24, 2009

Showering at work would have downside

Will a midday shower at work result in more creative, productive (and fresher smelling) employees?



May 23, 2009

Credit cards reap rewards of entrapment

People who pay their credit card bills every month feel aggrieved, because if the restructuring of the credit card industry goes through, they will mostly likely be required to pay annual fees. They say it’s unfair to punish the “good” people who pay every month. Now the responsible people will be punished while the irresponsible people will pay less.



May 21, 2009

Need persists for NAACP

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP and every once in awhile somebody questions the relevance of that great organization. Its name originated those many years ago when African Americans were referred to as Colored People and the organization aimed to level America’s economic opportunity and equal justice playing fields.



May 16, 2009

The ‘real’ deal

When Arlen Specter announced that he was leaving the Republican Party, it seemed first and foremost like an attempt at self-preservation. He didn’t think he could win the Republican primary in Pennsylvania because his party had moved too far to the right to elect him, so he became a Democrat. Simple. Or maybe not so simple.



May 14, 2009

What a pair

I anxiously awaited the comments and opinions of former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday morning on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” What he said ran the gamut – predictable, stubborn, unapologetic and non-forgiving. One of his emanations, though, if true, indicates that his boss and America’s former president was a liar.



May 10, 2009

It’s tough to disconnect

I should cut the cord, but I’m finding it difficult to do so.



May 09, 2009

The Great American Mothering Contest

Americans are so competitive!



May 07, 2009

Simpler things deserve closer look

Springtime is upon us and directs our imaginations and minds toward vacations.

Cinema plan stirs new hope

Developers seldom inspire public esteem perhaps because their purpose is principally to make money, which once was a socially acceptable objective in a free-market society but in recent decades has devolved into Hollywood caricature.



May 03, 2009

Catch the virus?

May 11-15 is National Etiquette Week, and this year’s theme, “Catch the Manners Virus!” was undoubtedly selected before the global outbreak of swine flu.



May 02, 2009

Finding light in dark world

A perennial has poked up its little shoot in the last week. This one is not in my yard. It is in my newspaper. Song lyrics are back in the news. A concerned parent raised the issue after hearing offensive music being played at a middle school dance (“Parent: Lewd songs played at school,” April 27). No matter what the school decides, there is no escaping toxic pop culture. It isn’t just song lyrics. It is the anorexic models on the television show “Project Runway.” It is clothing for girls that makes them look like hookers. It is a culture that celebrates money and fame over character. I could go on, and so could you.



April 30, 2009

Computer skills need stimulus

A couple of weeks ago I suggested that Virginia should take some of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package money to educate state youth. This week I’ll again urge Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and the state General Assembly to take its part of the stimulus package to also educate Virginians of all ages, especially those who aren’t using and don’t like computers.



April 26, 2009

Cloned goats in these uncertain times

In these uncertain economic times, can America afford to fall behind in the international goat-cloning race?



April 25, 2009

The call to adventure

There is no shortage of work to be done in this country.



April 23, 2009

Why not try regional approach?

About three months ago there was a discussion on the creation of a joint Augusta County and Staunton committee that would work to get economic cooperation between the county and city.



April 19, 2009

Thank you, Captain Obvious

The headline on the U.S. News & World Report story said this: “Having Children Adds Stress to Marriage.”



April 18, 2009

Noticing the world going by

I was walking across the Mary Baldwin College campus late one windy afternoon when I spotted a kite flying high above Cannon Hill. When I got closer, I saw a man I had never seen before holding its string. I stood for a while watching the soaring, multicolored kite, its fabric rattling in the stiff breeze. My curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to strike up a conversation with its flyer.



April 16, 2009

Minorities fail to dent TV news

I don’t know if other African Americans feel as I do about the anticipated changes we thought President Barack Obama’s election would bring, but I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed in the lack of diversity I thought his election would bring to television news reporting and shows.



April 12, 2009

God save the queen from us

First lady Michelle Obama, in her recent European visit, briefly touched Queen Elizabeth in what appeared to be a simple act of mutual affection, setting off a firestorm of controversy about whether or not it is an unspeakable breach of royal protocol to briefly touch Queen Elizabeth in what appears to be a simple act of mutual affection.



April 11, 2009

Remembering the dead

The day after my father died I went with my mother and my son to the for-profit cemetery where my father had purchased eight plots in the 1950s. Buried there are his parents; his sister, her husband and their child; my brother, who was stillborn; and now my father. Although my family had owned plots there for more than 50 years, this was the first time I had ever had any dealings with them. It was a rude awakening.



April 09, 2009

Here’s what change means

Ever since the Iowa Caucus, when Barack Obama began his march to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., he ran on the theme of “change.”



April 05, 2009

Step away from the comics

Here’s what I learned this week in my day job as a small-town newspaper editor: Never, ever, under any circumstances, ever — I repeat, ever — accidentally leave the comics out of the newspaper.

Remembering Hamilton’s greatness

Alexander Hamilton was, in my opinion, the founding father who contributed the most to the long-term development of the United States. Many will argue that George Washington or Thomas Jefferson contributed more. Although they contributed much toward American ideals and setting precedents for all presidents, Hamilton had a larger impact on the practical side of government.



April 04, 2009

Gray beasts clear gray mood

I was thrilled to learn elephants are now dwelling atop a former landfill in Waynesboro.  Yes, they are made of fiberglass, but they are life-size, and I can visit them throughout April.  I am superstitious.  I expect the city to have good fortune during the month.  Citizens of Waynesboro, now is the time to launch those projects you have been dreaming about!  The elephants are bringing favorable conditions our way. 



March 29, 2009

Monkey Action News Team returns

If there is one question I am asked more than, “How on God’s green Earth do you still have a newspaper column?” it is, “Why no recent monkey news?”



March 28, 2009

Resignation raises questions

Jake DeSantis, executive vice president of the American International Group’s financial products unit, quit his job.



March 22, 2009

It wasn’t our house, but was

Our house burned down.



March 21, 2009

Nothing sacred about capitalism

One Thursday morning in December seven people showed up for their jobs in Richmond just as they always did.



March 14, 2009

Losing Oscar

My hound Oscar is no more.



March 12, 2009

Unemployment bridges the gap

A recent career change has proved enlightening. A past opinion has been altered, another reaffirmed and an analogy discovered.

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