Columns

The sport of American football is a curious pastime. And even though there are moments within the game of balance and delicacy, for the most part it is a study in brutality. Some parents won’t allow their school aged children to play, fearing they’ll be hurt. Others literally force their young men to play whether they want to or not. A few girls have made their high school football teams, but not many, mostly football is a proving ground for American manhood.

Welcome to 2023! I’m changing things up a bit this year. In addition to the in-depth columns I’ve been doing, I’m going to start sharing some tech news and tips that affect or can be used by all of us. Additionally, the frequency of this column will change. Instead of weekly, it’ll generally be every other week so the next column after this should be out in the Jan. 26 Times-Gazette.

The remarkable drama played out on the floor of the House of Representatives this past week was captured by the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board under the headline, “The Price for Speaker McCarthy,” and then their summarizing sentences, “Mr. McCarthy may regret the high price he paid for the honor of being called Speaker. The country may regret it too.”

“Aren’t you the cutest dog?” I asked the chubby brindle pit bull mix walking down the sidewalk.

Are you religious? A lot of people say they are. They like to think they are. But are they really? If you believe in God, does that make you religious? Do you have to go to church regularly to qualify? I have entertained these questions for many, many years.

My family discovered a huge new room in our house last week.

Resolutions, particularly those associated with the new year, often become “bridges too far,” hopelessly unattainable. I gave up on personal New Year’s resolutions a long time ago because if failures were, as some wise man once said, steps towards success I’d be ridiculously healthy, wealthy and wise. What follows are not personal aspirations for 2023, but hopes for humanity, hopes that against all odds might just be attainable.

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine posted something written by a friend of his on Facebook. This is what she had to say: “I’ve been contemplating what I really miss in life. Why do I feel this empty space? I have not felt completely full in a very long time. I miss the outdoors… a good hike, fishing or camping. No radio, cellphone, TV, movies or internet. Just the birds, the river running… just the sound of crickets.

Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year’s. For some people this is the most magical part of the year. They count down the days. They begin decorating their homes the day after Thanksgiving, some even as early as the 1st of November. And yes, I know, some leave their decorations up all year long. But others, however, upon the onset of the holiday season take on a decided feeling of dread. Sadness.

Jane Kuhn stands outside Little Rock Central High School, where in 1957, the desegregation of the school drew worldwide attention.