THE 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
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury We spend hours at homecomings, reminiscing about bygone days. There were mutterings of how time flies at Howard Payne University’s annual gathering on October 1. The class of 1971, headed by Darrell Miles, wanted to honor HPU athletes, including basketball stars Russell Berry and Ray Hildebrand. (Paula Berry accompanied her husband Russell.) These were mostly 70-somethings.
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Alexander William Kinglake is a name snuggled deeply inside of all-knowing Google. He was a 19th century lawyer who gave up his legal practice to become an author, best known for a single proverb: “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” It is believed that Kinglake’s intent was to help
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