When I go back and consider some of my opinions, even those as recent as five years ago, I scare myself. I hope we all do; it’s a good thing. We all know that as we age, we are supposed to …
I saw my first TED Talk last night; I know, where have I been? Well, when I sit down at night, I’m usually at my computer. If I watch television, it’s baseball, news or sheer “oatmeal” as I …
I had a recent, major revelation and thought, perhaps, we should discuss it: Death. Death is a mystery, a certainty, familiar yet unknown. People have been mystified by it and its curtain call since …
We’ve talked often about phases of life and about people’s “stuff.” I state up front that those of us who have been able to work, accomplish our goals, and have stuff are the lucky ones; we …
Many of us, these days, are feeling a comradeship with the dinosaurs after the meteor hit … like, it’s just a matter of time. Of course, we who do hope we’re wrong. Somehow, I’m sure the …
Our Herald readers never fail to thrill us. This past week we had some fabulous letters and columns. Okay, that’s not really a surprise, but we should acknowledge the articulate writing, the …
It was my intention, in keeping with the last few Chatterbox columns, to cover the Second Amendment this week. It gets thrown around, misused and misinterpreted too much. Now, with the hearings …
Again: As the mouse said when he approached the tall piece of cheese, “Best to start at the top.” Good advice, even from a mouse. It’s depressing but, if someone asked what the greatest …
No one wants to keep beating the same old drum. Still, to remain silent is the worst of any choices we have. Today, it’s more urgent than ever to get our leadership in check. We’re not being …
Much of this may sound like whining but, in truth, it is a critical synopsis of corporatism’s impact and control in our formerly near-democratic nation. The deterioration of core values in a …
Last week we talked about the national toll guns are taking on America. The crimes of mass shootings are random, immediate and unpredictable. Still, legislation would help. Today, we talk about …
Chatterbox often uses diversion to ignore the elephant in the room, but when the elephant started eating people, we’ve discussed the essentials. We’ve also discussed too much of America’s …
My favorite theater was The County Theater for decades, the only theater I went to. It showed off-beat films that ordinary theaters wouldn’t, independent films and new films. Famously, it routinely …
Labor Day and Memorial Day are two big summer holidays; one starts the official summer season and the other closes it out. Many people don’t know what Labor Day is about. It was claimed as a day …
At my house, there’s an expression about “the red sock.” We didn’t invent the phrase, but when we heard it used on a favorite television show decades ago, it stuck. The meaning of the red …
It’s spring and coming on June. Ah, the June wedding season. We all love weddings. We all love the idea of them: new love so optimistic and charming and being able to wish good things for that …
We’re often aware of empathy; that’s the emotion most of us feel on someone else’s behalf. Some news channels, recently, have been trying to tagline empathy as a negative trait. They …
Okay, I’ll admit it … I just finished my first binge watching of anything ever. As mentioned on March 31, I attempted “Downton Abbey” for …
It seems that when we pause to see the world in danger, anywhere, most of us feel at least a pinch guilty about any blessings or good fortune we may have.Helping in whatever way we can is good, and …
In many places, the world population suffers in ways that most of us, especially here in the U.S., couldn’t imagine. Often, through worldwide politics and pressure tactics, many of the …
