THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My aged Uncle Mort is bristling with disgust about the Dallas Cowboys. He cut his frustrations loose after the National Football League teams were trimmed to four, thus excluding Dallas. “If I have ulcers, they’re bleeding badly, but Maude thinks that whether or not I have ulcers, I’m doubtless a carrier,” he jokes. Anyways,

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Last week’s piece about misstatements on the radio–as well as other communication boondoggles–resulted in readers’ contributions of foul-ups they’ve either heard of or experienced. Revisiting the topic allows me to give due credit to one Rev. William Archibald Spooner, a 19th century English preacher. He often found himself in “verbal muddles,” typically transposing words, letters

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Time delay-–a feature that allows deletion of serious blunders–has not always been a “backstop” when there’s tongue entanglement on radio broadcasts. A classic, of course, was the announcer who said he “got his tang toungled up.” Perhaps the first nationally recognized blunder occurred in June 1921, when Harry Von Zell needed to make

 THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The suggestion that I dislike cats would be erroneous indeed, splashing down in the ever-growing sea of untruths. I prefer dogs. However, I have no desire to debate or defend. Indeed, I’d rather let sleeping cat lovers lie in their slumber. Unlike the late Al Capp–best known for his satirical comic strip Li’l Abner–I’d

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury As the old year ended, so did the lives of two one-of-a-kind icons, one in the world of sports and the other in theology. They died four days apart, 85-year-old John Madden in California, and almost 101-year-old Dr. John W. (Jack) MacGorman in Fort Worth. (Dr. MacGorman was born on the day after Christmas

 THE 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

 THE 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

THE 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

THE 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