Lusty, robust, flexible and changing. Our American English is ever changing. It is a lusty, robust, flexible and comprehensive communications tool. The printed words can whisper or shout. After more than four centuries, we can still understand the plays of … read more.

Bureaucrats have come up with a five-syllable word for lies: misinformation. It probably has been around for at least an aeon-and-a-half, but I first remember the term, and its evil twin cousin, disinformation, from the Watergate era. Watergate was the … read more.

It must go down as one of the most ... ah ... interesting business decisions in the history of community journalism. In 1931, during the depth of the Great Depression, S. Lloyd Frisbie moved to Bartow and, in partnership with … read more.

In New York, they lower a six-ton ball made of Waterford crystal to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. They do not, as is commonly reported, “drop” the ball. If they did, the city of New York would have … read more.

Few indeed are the American columnists, famous or obscure, who have not at one time or another wished that little Virginia had written to them instead of the New York Sun with her classic question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” … read more.

At first, I was going to write another ponderous tome on government and trying to keep it responsive to the interests of the electorate. It’s a dark and lonely job, as they say, but somebody’s got to do it. And … read more.

The holiday season will be packed with parties, so it’s a good idea to have detailed plans. Any party planner will tell you that the key to having the perfect party is to plan. Spend five or 10 minutes visualizing … read more.

When he heard explosions outside his home on the north rim of Pearl Harbor, 71 years ago this week, young Walter T. Oka’s first thought was: “The Army was mad at the Navy.” He rushed outside to see what was … read more.

A journalism professor at Florida State University was fond of telling his entry level students that you had to write a million words before you could consider yourself a writer. From time to time, I have tried to figure out … read more.

“If I had known how much fun grandchildren were, I would have had them first.” “Grandchildren are your reward for not killing your children.” “God couldn’t be everywhere at once, so he invented grandmothers.” “Grandchildren: like children, only with return … read more.