The way things look ...

rose madonna on bedroom dresser

brick pedestrian arch

cat on bed seen through doorway

basil plant in kitchen window

deer startled in cemetery

 

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Index of Articles (partial)

 

 

Language and the Law

 

Go Ahead and Shoot; You'll Be Doing Them a Favor (Trigger-happy linguistics)

 

 

Politics

 

Numbers Guys? Really? (Obama confounds the experts, namely Romney and Ryan)

 

Why Do They Call Them Parties? They're Not Any Fun. (My brother, My enemy)

 

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics Department (Ah, statistics: you’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know)

 

What Has Romney Learned?  (Reverting to type when the chips are down)

 

Oh Grow Up! (The practiced art of leaping to conclusions)

 

Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime? The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine (Reflexions on bi-partisanship and truth-telling)

 

 

Journalism/Media

 

Math Problem (Being a reporter means never having to say you're sorry)

 

But where are the snows of yesteryear? (Getting the story straight)

 

Having a Bad Hair Day? Try Bashing Some Republicans (Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but not their own set of facts)

 

 

The Economy

 

Are You Smarter Than a U.S. Congressman? (Cutting spending where it won’t hurt)

 

Small Business – the Job Creation Engine? (A realistic look at employment and job growth statistics)

 

The Skary Skelly '08 Halloween Album (Reflections on the financial meltdown)

 

 

American Scene

 

"If I could go back in time, I know somehow you’d still be mine"  (Summer of 1969: Moonwalk, Chappaquiddick, Manson and Woodstock all in 30 days)

 

Queen's Cup Steeplechase: A Little Jewel in Charlotte's Crown  (Steeplechase racing out in the field amid linen, candelabra, broad brimmed hats, plunging necklines and yards of searsucker)

 

Bridges to the Past (New construction and the dismantling of our pasts)

 

The Road East (Driving cross-country with a dog in your lap and your possessions on the roof for at least part of the way)

 

 

Popular Music

 

Who is He to Simon and Garfunkel? Or Simon and Garfunkel to Him?  (Not what you say, but the way that you say it.)

 

ROCK 'n ROLL’s (rather long) Magic Momen (The day the music met the violin.)

 

 

American History

 

Civil War, Cradle to Grave, All in One Day (Bull Run to Appomattox in under three hours.)

 

On This Day in History, Colonial Charlotte Stood Up for Liberty, Maybe (Musings on the Declaration of Independence and its origins, maybe)

 

Flags Stolen from Our Fathers, or the Spoils of War (War profiteering in Colonial times)

 

Spring Has Sprung (Joshua Tree: a nice place to visit but ….)

 

 

New Year’s Traditions

 

Happy New Year! But please! Not so loud. (Curing the hangover)

 

New Year's Day: Be It Firmly Resolved (New Year’s Resolutions)

 

Times Square New Year's Eve (100th anniversary of the Times Square ball drop)

 

Fast away the old year passes ... Hail the new, ye lads and lasses! (The origins of celebrating the New Year)

 

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet … (The singing of Auld Lang Syne)

 

 

The Holidays

 

The Tintinnabulation of the Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Etc.

 

The Nativity through the Ages in Art, Music and Literature

 

You're Dreaming of a White Christmas? What Are the Odds?

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas

 

Musings on the True Meaning of Christmas