THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Too much is expected of us–we folks of a certain age–whether man or woman.  Society yawns as we strive to avoid violent foul-ups in the fast lane; we weep, choking on the dust of the younger set, some of whom are eager to push us toward side roads.  Sometimes, side roads can be found.

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Whoops! I almost used the age-old idiom about never saying never. First in print back in the 14 th century, it was featured in 2020 as background music for the popular movie, The Karate Kid. It is familiar to the masses, and that’s well and good for most of us. But not all.  Brian Janak, my

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury They are missed, these two men who didn’t try to make us love each other, but at the very least, made us tolerant of each other during their professional lives. Perhaps unknowingly, their gentle humor fostered tolerance. What they said was helpful–seldom painful–helping us to relax a bit, even when upended by life’s

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury On occasion, I’ve been in the presence of the rich and/or famous. Usually, though, I am lost among hundreds–maybe thousands–turning out for political rallies or tent shows. At one, I blathered excitedly upon winning a box of Cracker Jacks! (Better to remain silent and let others think you an idiot than to speak and

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Whether we bow in reverence to statistics or grow nauseous dealing with the barrage of numbers dealt with daily, most of us value “peace and goodwill” wherever we can find it. Foundational to both is Christian commitment for guidance on life’s highway.  The beginning of baseball brings conversations about statistics to the fore. Later

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Media–both print and electronic–have slathered us with minute details of Arlington’s Grand Prix. Surely their “slatherers” are either bent or broken for putting undue strain on us who are feigning interest when we’d sooner watch paint dry. After all, if we want to see cars zoom past–by day or by night–all we need do

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury One could could strip mental gears trying to come up with a more “fitting” name than hers. Pat Worrell laughs at the thought of many introductory variations over the decades. In recent years, many introductions have been reduced to three endearing words: “The hat lady.” A veteran educator who spent 33 years in both

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My Uncle Mort is committed to establishing a “Go Fund Me” campaign for postal workers of America, retroactive to whenever early voting began. He suggests joint beneficiaries–directing one-half of the proceeds to whichever “save the trees” group is standing tallest–and the other half to US mail carriers. Why, you may (or may not) ask?

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My Uncle Mort sometimes has “bats in his belfry.”  Fact is, he’s heard such second, third and fourth-hand opinions so many times that he’s begun research about these flying mammals.  Now, he swells with pride when he hears the description, believing that he and bats are both grossly misunderstood. The expression– first appearing in a