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West Virginia’s Huff played to win

Sam Huff died last week. If that name means nothing to you, then youëƵre not of a certain age.The son of a West Virginia coal miner, Huff was a bruising, All-American line backer at West Virginia University in the 1950s. He played professionally with the New York (football) Giants and the ...

Building Big Bird Back Better

Building Big Bird Back BetterI donëƵt have anything against Big Bird.HeëƵs fine as far as IëƵm concerned.But IëƵm 73 years old. IëƵve never quite been in that big fellowëƵs target audience.So, when that 8-foot 2-inch, anthropomorphic bird found himself in the crosshairs of a U.S. senator, ...

The Nazis (big) lied their way to top

Thomas Childers, a great writer that youëƵve probably never heard of, has composed a disturbing book, though how could it be otherwise?The book is about Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler.I highly recommend it. Give it as a Christmas present. ItëƵs not cheering, of course; itëƵs dismal reading. ...

The case against critical race fear-mongering

Beware of Obamacare!Those ëƵdeath panelsëƵ are brutal.Remember them?They were hatched out of thin air by Republicans, with hopes of thwarting President ObamaëƵs proposed health-care reform bill in 2009.It was the boogeyman the folks on the right used as shorthand for the predicted danger ...

WWII: the great coming together

On Veterans Day, Connellsville is the place to turn for the inspiration and the heartbreak of war. During the Big One ëƵ World War II ëƵ Connellsville modeled both.Of course, there was plenty of grousing during the war years, 1941-45, especially about conscription ëƵ the draft. But weëƵll ...

Our colorful language again!

IëƵm beside myself with ... Hey, wait!I canëƵt possibly be beside myself.ThatëƵs physiologically impossible.So is when you tell somebody to, ëƵwatch your mouth.ëƵTheyëƵre a couple of terms Americans use in our thriving arsenal of idioms.Stuff that canëƵt be taken literally.Back in June, ...