Columnists

Planned spontaneity

Sallie Satterthwaite's picture

Sometimes it pays not to have a plan when you leave town. Flexibility, spontaneity, surprises abound if you’re not locked into coordinating with someone else’s plans. Air travel is the essence of inflexibility, driving is almost the opposite.

My husband Dave is a chemical engineer by training and happy to have rules, dependable time tables, reliable schedules. To a degree, we are diametrical opposites. I’m less bound by the clock, and he’s learned not to count on an early getaway for a road trip. Read More»

Vote or shut up

David Epps's picture

I have done my civic duty. I have voted in Tuesday’s election even though it is not yet Tuesday. I will be on a plane much of Tuesday so, thanks to absentee balloting, I have done my small but necessary part in the democratic process. Read More»

Magic elixir of life

Rick Ryckeley's picture

I really never gave it much thought: Growing old, that is. Figured I didn’t have to. The way I saw it, I only had two options: Grow older or die.

If I died – well, I wouldn’t be worrying about getting older, now would I? And the longer I lived, the more obvious it became that I would eventually become old.

Since I didn’t die – a fact The Wife is very happy about – I’m faced with a conundrum: Why then are some people happy no matter how old they get and others are just downright miserable? What magic makes people happy and keeps them vibrant? Read More»

Government goes on a diet in UK; can we?

Cal Thomas's picture

Thirty-six years ago when he first ran for Congress, Lake Jackson, Texas obstetrician Ron Paul rented billboards depicting a seriously obese Uncle Sam with the caption: “Put Big Government on a Diet.”

Most Americans, with the possible exception of those addicted to government benefits, would probably be happy to return to the 1975 federal debt level of a paltry $84 billion. Today, the national debt is $13 trillion and rising. Read More»

The case for conservatism

Lance McMillian's picture

Conservatism recognizes the limits of human ability. Each of us is flawed in our own unique way. My shortcomings mean that I should not rule over you; your shortcomings mean that you should not rule over me. Still, some civil order is necessary to keep the peace. Left to our own devices, we would devour one another in a world without government. Read More»

Corps of Engineers issues bypass permit, so lawsuit will be filed

Dennis Chase's picture

This week the West Fayetteville Bypass issue has arrived at a significant turning point. Fayette County has obtained a permit under Clean Water Act (CWA) for the road project. Therefore, the West Fayetteville Bypass Coalition has initiated the first steps within the federal court system to stop the project as planned. Read More»

Our mail delivers happiness

Ronda Rich's picture

When I had the privilege of delivering a keynote address to the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) in Anchorage, Alaska, I spoke on the joy that comes in the form of a card or letter.

Oh, I’ve had my share of aggravations with packages that are lost, and once it took a first class letter six weeks to travel 40 miles, but the smiles have been more plentiful than the troubles. It is a wonderful thing that every American is given the right to receive mail delivered right to our door. Read More»

Strange encounter

Sallie Satterthwaite's picture

Mysterious stories, spooky as well as benign, often rise with the morning fogs, especially at this somewhat scary time of year. And they titillate those among us who consider ourselves above superstition.

Heaven help the gullible

I don’t think Sophie is gullible. She’s 51, happily married, loves to travel and entertain her friends to celebrate, well, even her own birthday.

I promised I would not give her real name nor that of the airline she flies for. Some people might not take her seriously. She is a senior international flight attendant for one of the major airlines. Read More»

Kelly gets fired

Michael Boylan's picture

Fayetteville resident Kelly Smith Beaty’s run on “The Apprentice” is over.

Fresh off of a week where Kelly looked like the star, she became Fortitude’s project manager in a task involving establishing 15-minute pedi-cab tours of somewhere in Manhattan. Now I don’t know if she was employing strategy (volunteer for project manager while your previous success may still be fresh in everyone's mind) or if she was urged by others to step up, but it backfired. The women were destroyed in the task by Octane (the men) who set up a chariot-themed pedi-cab tour around Trump Tower and Fifth Avenue. Read More»

Ancient principles of success

David Epps's picture

An ancient wise man once gave some advice to a young protégé that has value today. They are quite simple principles but, especially in today’s political and economic environment, seem refreshingly relevant. The four principles are:

1. Continue. That is, “Don’t quit — don’t give up.”

I was speaking to someone the other night about a mutual friend who had “thrown in the towel” on an important endeavor. My friend sadly remarked, “There are some things you learn in two-a-day summer football practices in the South that stay with you and one of these is that you just don’t quit.” Read More»