Sorry, folks, I don’t mean to be a Bah Humbug Negative Nellie at this allegedly most wonderful time of the year, but here’s my take on Christmas cards. I don’t send them. Haven’t for years. Never will again. Years ago, I looked it up (this was pre-Google so that’s what people did — they went […]

As news began to spread Sunday of Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power, Syrian exiles began rejoicing all over the world. On Augusta’s Sand Hill where Muslim families have been relocating in recent years, pickup trucks and cars gathered in a parking lot sporting rebel flags on the roof, with fist-waving young men chanting joyfully. A […]

Some years, families are blessed to initiate festive new Christmas traditions. Other years, the new tradition is a solemn acquiescence to “the new normal.” The Tyrees fall into the latter category this year. That’s because my mother passed away exactly two months before Christmas, having shared her wit and wisdom with the world for 97-and-a-half […]

Many years ago, I found myself in the middle of an international war. As tough as each side was, I was fortunate that the ammunition was not bullets. It was chickens. The U.S. was the major supplier of chickens to Europe, but the organization now called the EU or European Union wanted to promote its […]

Trade, tariffs and carbon pricing may not make for intriguing conversation around the holiday dinner table, but they are increasingly important topics as nations wrestle with reducing climate warming emissions. The next Trump administration — even without climate policy as a priority — could see tariffs based on foreign greenhouse gas emissions as a way […]

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games to win the World Series, their first Series win since 1918. While I was delighted for all us long-suffering Sox fans, I was most happy because my dear friend Clark Truesdell, who was battling cancer, would get to savor the victory. […]

We all have preferred approaches to washing pots and pans, tableware and utensils. However, our methods may waste resources and pollute the environment. Are there more sustainable but still effective options? Dish soaps and dishwashing detergents can have a pleasant smell and hardly seem threatening, but conventional brands can harm the environment in various ways. […]

I wrote this story many years ago, recently found it and have decided to rewrite it a bit and give it some more thought to see if over the years I’ve changed my thoughts on this subject. Spoiler alert: I haven’t. It started because something alarming caught my eye, a small piece in a now […]