THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s just a guess when conversations about fruitcake headed south. But, if negative views of fruitcake began a few generations ago, malignment of the holiday dessert has run full bore since memory runneth not to the contrary. Disdain for fruitcake is stacking up. The many tentacles of naysayers are clutching the throats of folks
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury One thing we “geezers and geezerettes” have in common is that the lot of us have said something or done “bone-headed” things that disappointed our mothers. We’ve all participated in pranks that have gone south, causing our mothers to shake their heads in disbelief. Oh, how we’d like to apologize, but our moms–whose work was
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort, a veteran of 108 Christmases, has razor-sharp memories of long stretches of silence at various times of the day. And there were silent nights, too. Nowadays, he makes Herculean efforts to quieten things down on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This includes turning phones to off position, stilling pendulums on grandfather clocks
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Creative minds at Young and Rubicon—a recognized advertising agency in New York City— have introduced jingles, catch words (as well as “catch phrases”) and slogans that have withstood the test of time And there are few tests any tougher than time. Well, I committed a king-size “boo-boo” in a recent column that warrants review. I
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The late James Naismith, an accomplished educator/physician/minister/philosopher, also was an inventor. An 1891 collegian, he took seriously the assignment to “invent” an indoor game to replace “thumb-twiddling” on dreary, cold, snowy days when youngsters ventured outdoors only to fetch firewood. He came up with “basketball,” a game he proposed to be “gentlemanly competition important to
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Oh, that the inimitable Will Rogers were alive today. The need for his disarming smile and positive spirit helped Americans survive the Great Depression. He’d go a long way today in bringing people together as mounting challenges blot out our better acts and kinder nature. Even Will might not know where to start. An introductory
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury A dozen years before “Sir” was added to his name, Winston Churchill motivated Britons with his unforgettable “never give in” speech. It lifted spirits for freedom as World War II raged and frequently is quoted even now, 70 years later. His message was to “never give in, never give in, never, never, never–in nothing great
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Inept searches for humor–often with strong potential to be hurtful–have caused me to row my little fishing boat away from what formerly was a favorite news source, WFAA-TV (Dallas/Fort Worth). It was once a mighty ship in the raging waters generally called “mainstream media.” Call it overreaction–and it may well be–but I am weary of
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury There will be those who insist that I have received my just desserts. However, I choose to believe that I have been favored by unbelievably good fortune despite a fall from my church platform. Thankfully, heartbeats and breathing were restored countless times. This occurred during the October 24 Sunday morning traditional service at Burleson First
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Spirit Of Abilene 