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.

By early 2000, the once great tradition of outstanding local schools for Lake Wales’ citizens had reached a point of decline. It was at that time when concerned citizens, with the support of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce … 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.

It is a sign of America’s greatness that we celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day. Exactly why that is a sign of greatness, I am not sure, but I have no doubt that it is. According to a Web posting … read more.

Hang on folks; relief is just a month away. Yes, in one month it will be Election Day, and one day after that, it will all be over. Assuming no hanging chads, pregnant chads, or other structurally or cosmetically challenged … read more.

For many years, all judges in Florida were chosen by popular election, like other elected officials. There was always the concern that popularity was not necessarily compatible with being a good judge, though we generally had pretty good judges. Over … read more.

OK, I am not a member of the texting generation, and I do not know if Generation Text can decipher the caption of this column. Odds are they can. ——— For my generation, the cell phone is the modern miracle … read more.

It has been nearly eight years since Dad died, three months short of attaining the age of 90. He lived a rich, full life, married to the love of his life, Louise, and to a job as a journalist that … read more.