This summer storm made way for blue skies ahead
"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." ? Haruki Murakami There is something infatuating about...
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Dallas, Baton Rouge, St. Paul and the elephant in the room
William "Clayton" Brumby speaks proudly about his family and how close they are. When he and his wife are not home-schooling their seven children, they join with them in other...
Making red-light camera intersections safer
My wife is a very good driver. I am not trying to butter her up. Not this week, anyway. In 40 years, Marianne has never had an accident while receiving...
On Independence Day, I feel a mystical sense of freedom
"The indescribable innocence of and beneficence of Nature — of sun and wind and rain, of summer and winter — such health, such cheer, they afford forever!" — from "Walden"...
Gun control is a no-brainer
If you leave a loaded assault rifle in the gorilla cage at the zoo, it's inevitable that one of the animals will pick it up. You also know the gorilla...
A father and an icon
Fathers come in different versions or models, rather like automobiles. Some are cool and smart and stylish, like Porsches and Lincolns. Others are athletic outdoorsy types, like Ford Explorers or...
How Ali transformed boxing, America and me
Cassius Clay was infuriating. Me and my high school buddies — Gus Kordick, Frank Oberle and Johnny Matthis — all wanted someone to knock him out. He was a braggart....
Zimmerman, Trump and the meaning of cowardice
Among the more bizarre recent news stories — and there has been no shortage — was the report that George Zimmerman had attempted to peddle online the gun which he...
A mother’s message from the grave
My wife, Marianne, met my mother at a family picnic. It was a kite-flying kind of day in May, and we had gathered at the lakeshore park in Whiting, Ind....
We love, and forgive you, Mom
I expect trouble for this column. But a freelancer must adhere to facts, regardless of the consequences. So here goes: Marianne does not get an A+ in motherhood. Marianne is...