In July, sports fans were treated to the spectacle of Lance Armstrong racing to his fifth Tour de France victory. The event, improbably, brought widespread attention to the U.S. Postal Service, whose logo was plastered across Armstrong’s jersey. It remains to be seen whether Armstrong’s victory was worth the $40 million sponsorship fee Postal Service […]

CAMDEN, Maine – Let us stop to observe a few mileposts on the downward path to the utter degradation of political discourse in this country.A recent newspaper advertising campaign by “independent” groups supporting President Bush shows a closed courtroom door with the sign, “Catholics Need Not Apply,” hanging on it. The ad argues that William […]

NIZHNEVARTOVSK, Russia – If you want to learn anything about the new Russian democracy, you have to travel to Moscow and talk to the relevant people. There you will learn what seems obvious at first glance: that whatever form democracy takes in the former Soviet Union, it is not likely to bear much resemblance to […]

ALEXANDRA, Va. – The benefits of free trade are apparent to most Americans. We receive cheaper and better appliances, cars, and food while other nations love to watch Britney Spears and eat McDonald’s hamburgers.Unfortunately, many in Congress fail to realize that the U.S. military benefits from free trade in much the same way as the […]

I thought everyone knew not to try drying a wet, dead starfish in a microwave oven . . . This is a special time of year, as expressed so poetically in the lyrics to the haunting song “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess:Summertime, and the livin’ is easyFish are jumpin’And gettin’ lodged in the throats of […]

A team must earnestly contact candidates it doesn’t want or face possible fines. One of the summer’s oddest stories is that the National Football League has fined the Detroit Lions $200,000 for hiring a white coach. This is the work of the NFL “diversity” committee (three committees, actually – two inside the league and one […]

Difference between “such as” and “like” is subtle but worth preserving. Writers have their little crotchets. We wince at the split infinitive, we roll our eyes at cliches, we shun the galloping homophone. Today’s cosmic topic is the use of “like” when “such as” would be better.In Time magazine, baseball writer Bill Saporito provided two […]

Liberia has become the metaphor for American disdain for Africa. Before his recent trip to Africa, President Bush promised Americans that the United States would “help the people of Liberia find the path to peace.”Since then, he has stalled. Even at his news conference on July 30, he insisted that Liberian President Charles Taylor must […]

The following editorial appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday, Aug. 6: Two problems in the fight against terrorism in the air came into focus in recent days: It has to be done well. And it can’t be done on the cheap.Fifty thousand dollars might seem like chump change when it comes to money spent […]

Q Why do we call those small cylindrical candles “votive” candles? – F.C., Portland, Maine A: The adjective “votive” derives from the Latin noun “votum,” meaning “vow.” Though very much in vogue these days, “votive” candles go back almost a thousand years.When Charlemagne assumed the title of Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D., one of […]