I have way too often found many views on how and why events came into existence. This was the case as I tracked down the history behind Black Friday.   Some stores open their doors two …

I was in my fourth day of basic training at Fort Ord in California when the drill instructor (DI) and sergeant stood 2 inches from my face: “Private, where are your dog tags?” Hands …

On Nov. 3 it is once again to turn back our clocks. But why do we  subtract or add an hour to our monthly schedules?   Before 1966 some states played with time and others left it …

A mentor of mine died on Aug. 21 of this year and I miss his positive attitude, his warmheartedness, and his many words of wisdom. Last year as he and I were discussing Halloween Joop (Joe) told …

Welcome to this October’s yearly International Association of Dyslexia Awareness Month. There are many professional definitions that describe dyslexia, so depending on how it is defined, social …

Who of us do not know Pittsburgh Pirates’ Hall of Fame Robert Clemente or the civil rights leader Cesar Chavez? Those are only two of the long lists of  Hispanics who have added to our …

It was during my 12 years of attending Catholic schools that me and my fellow students were introduced to the church’s National Legion of Decency weekly movie rating newspaper. As a group, we …

As National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 8-14, it’s appropriate to review what Brian Buckwalter had to say through his informative article “Creating Space,” published in the …

What was happening in 1957? I was living in the Saint John’s District of Portland. I was into boy stuff, so except for high school plays the playhouse wasn’t on my to-do list. …

This is the final part of my three-article series. To recap, the first was about our flight to the other side of the world to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where my son Dane and his betrothed, Sindi, …

This is the second of a three-part series on my recent adventure to Zimbabwe with family: son Dane, his bride Sindi, and Dane’s mother, Elaine. So what springs to mind when you hear the …

It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”   Those words reinforced how important it is to adventure out.  My son …

July includes our country’s birthday, so let’s hitch a ride in a DeLorean and go back to the past to answer a question: Which bird would be elevated to one of the new nation’s …

June is African American Music Appreciation Month. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter created it to acknowledge African American contributions to music as a vital part of our nation’s cultural …

June is National Oceans Month, so let’s talk about our beautiful beaches. It was President James Polk (1795-1849) who used the term “from sea to sea,” which is now interpreted to …

May is set aside to think about mental health issues so let’s explore moral value conflicts and how those conflicts affect us and our relationships. A few of my sources include Jack …

As you enter into this column, keep in mind this is my adaptation of Will Rogers’ (1879-1935) expressed views. I’m not a well-founded witness because what I know comes from the …

In 1949, May was designated as Mental Health Month. I propose we use May to become aware of what is being called the Male Loneliness Syndrome. Remember those times when you felt loneliness? It …

Yes, I know we are quarter of our way into 2024, but it’s never too late to make more 2024 resolutions. After reading Kate Colvin’s “Seven Tips to Keep You Feeling Your …

Now that the 2024 legislative session in Olympia is in the history books, I can't but wonder how many might wonder what happened to Sen. John Lovick’s Senate Bill 6288? But before I answer …