THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Jiminy Cricket!  I never dreamed I’d be writing about an insect popularized by Pinocchio, or that this week’s piece may warrant bottom-of-the-barrel placement. I may have reached a new low, what with insects in the spotlight. Late author Carlo Lorenzini got by with it with his ever-popular fairy tale novel involving a wooden-figured boy whose nose

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury I have probably made this claim previously, but most friends know that my respect for redundancy has never been more than trivial. So, here I go again, certain that there finally are but two groups of people–those who have egos and admit it and those who likewise have ‘em and don’t admit it. I’m in

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Stephen Cox is not an imposing figure. Still, he has the countenance and features to be a Clark Kent look-alike, even if considerably smaller in stature. You remember Clark, right? He’s the guy who morphed quickly from his role as a reporter for a large metropolitan newspaper into Superman, the movie and comic book figure

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It was an absolute accident that likely couldn’t be duplicated, even with the most fastidious planning. My uncle Mort and three of his buddies playing dominoes at the general store in the thicket were caught up in the most bizarre circumstance that may forever alter the game. In the future, perhaps only wooden dominoes will

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort had never heard of “support parrots,” but admits that he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Seems like way too many of my friends are either sued or getting sued, but none of the squabbles involve birds,” he laughed. This was his jovial response upon reading recently that a New York City woman was awarded

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It was the slowest of hot, muggy days in the thicket. Mercury in the thermometer bulged and lodged in three-digit territory. Someone said he saw a dog chasing a rabbit, and both creatures were walking. The general store cash register had broken the silence twice before two geezers wandered in, and they weren’t there to

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s a line lifted from a short poem written by Robert Gray in 1868. “Ignorance is bliss when it is folly to be wise.” Ever fresh, it is an ongoing ponderance, like whether spearmint gum retains its flavor after overnight repose on the bedpost. My Uncle Mort–cocksure of much–seems ever ready to provide answers, sometimes

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Critics swear that the French successfully smeared “lipstick on a pig” for a big chunk of the 2024 Olympic Games. The French, though, are used to sloughing off jokes and insults. Someone said that if they can’t find an argument to join, they’ll start one. Further, on slow days, restaurant waitpersons resort to insulting each

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort’s contraptions and inventions usually are “far-fetched.” Finally, he’s come up with one that is “near-fetched.” And, it may be of considerable help to those among us who daily dread what used to be a thoughtless and effortless routine: putting on socks. Some of us have basically surrendered, choosing to go barefoot at home,