IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My intent was to write a tribute to a long-ago university chancellor. He handled problems with dignity and grace, typically responding with a twinkle in his eye, beaming countenance and droll wit. Were he still living, he would have chuckled at my misadventure in finding the definition of “droll.” Sure enough, it is a reference

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Show me someone who winces at the thought of hypodermic injections and chances are strong that such fears were birthed by some smart aleck kid who happens to be one or two school grades older. I’ve persuaded myself to “man up”–after all, it now seems that injections are a way of life until reaching the

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury What can be done when mere mortals are caught in the crossfire of “stuff-we-don’t-understand-at-all?”  And what if our understanding better “fits” bygone days when basic transportation centered on riding horses or depending on them to pull conveyances? There wasn’t an awful lot to understand when either horses or wagons failed us. Even then, there were

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The market for masks has changed dramatically during the past year. Until then, they were largely worn by health professionals, New Orleans Mardi Gras revelers, and, of course, robbers counting on ‘em to provide incognito status. That was then and this is now. Around the globe, rank and file wear them during all waking moments,

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Dallas Cowboy great Drew Pearson’s candle of hope was down to final flickers. Recently, though, the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognized the greatness of this National Football League star who was named “all-pro” three times. Old number “88”–who set numerous team records in the 1970s-1980s–was named  to the 2021 HOF class, unleashing tears from

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The clever and ever-so-simple message Julie Andrews conveyed in Mary Poppins—a classic if there ever was one–provided encouragement that thrilled a nation.  We often chose to believe the obvious–that “just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”–but it would have taken sugar fields much bigger than the “old cotton fields back home” to sweeten

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Folks who regularly lump alcoholic beverages into the cauldron labeled “witches’ brew” may still be shaking their heads, wondering why Anheuser-Busch didn’t get their famous Clydesdales in harness for Super Bowl LV. The brewery moguls say they’re skipping major SB ads for the first time in 37 years so funds can be diverted to further

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Norman V. Horner is a retired educator who doesn’t really care whether folks call him “Dr.” or not. His distinguished career–plus his 40 articles in professional journals and his leadership in scholarly organizations–suggest that he’s been worthy of his degree for a long time. A Brown County native, Horner earned A.A., B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury A Texas automobile driver was “tooling” down a rural highway on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Most motorists had already reached destinations, or maybe decided not to go. He felt alone, not another vehicle in sight on a long stretch of pavement. Suddenly, flashing lights in his rearview mirror were strong indicators that he wasn’t alone.