"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:40) ...more

July 9, 2008

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:40) ...more

July 9, 2008

It's safe to say things didn't go as Anthony Ferrara expected in the 2008 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Then again, Ferrara wasn't too disappointed in the final outcome. ...more

June 7, 2008

Some of us wear our patriotism on our sleeves. Or our lapels. Some stick it on the family car, in the shape of a yellow ribbon. It can be seen flying from the front porch or peeking out from under a sleeve, in an inky salute. ...more

May 26, 2008

In this time of an unpopular, protracted war, which is draining money from a struggling economy, the question of how to show patriotism is more complicated than ever. Some complain that the symbols we use to show loyalty to homeland have morphed into pro-war emblems. Stickers, flags, ribbons and pins carry new meaning, now that the war debate is politicized. Those who show them resent that the display is taken as a political stance. To them, it is still a deeply meaningful demonstration of their love of country — whether or not they love its politics. ...more

May 23, 2008

Dozens of parents gave up their leisurely Saturday to scrub and polish the school that is so much a part of their children's lives. ...more

May 7, 2008

Dear Abby: A friend was diagnosed with cancer. A single woman living alone, she rallied a group of co-workers, friends and neighbors to donate their time to help her with a variety of tasks. These included driving her back and forth to chemo and doctor appointments, fixing meals, cleaning her house (she has OCD and was superpicky about every detail, including cleaning the cat box), sleeping over to make sure she was OK (we had only a lumpy couch because she refused to set up a bed in one of her two vacant bedrooms!) and handling a variety of other tasks. ...more

January 27, 2008

So you really think $75 per month county combat pay for our warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan is a "wonderful gesture." Maybe you (and the commissioners) should rethink the idea. It is perhaps a noble thought but one that is very apt to get bogged down in bureaucratic red tape which will surely spoil the original purpose. For one thing, you say it will go only to those "on the front lines every day." Does that mean a wounded soldier evacuated to the rear for a week of medical treatment loses his stipend for that month? How would any soldier establish that he/she was on the front lines every day? Worse, in lands where suicide bombers and IEDs abound, where are the front lines? Someone driving a fuel truck to an isolated helicopter base may be in a lot more danger than someone patrolling a pacified neighborhood. ...more

December 30, 2007

A sharp rise in inflation has provoked fierce criticism of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - not only from his reformist opponents, but also from senior conservatives who helped bring him to power but now say he is mismanaging the economy. ...more

December 28, 2007

Schools are custodians of our children, so any precaution they take to keep our kids safe is a welcome gesture. Take for example new dismissal procedures at Park Elementary School. Starting next year, parents or guardians who pick up the school's students are required to have a card in the dashboard that has the names of the children they will be picking up. ...more

December 27, 2007