So involved were they harvesting the world-famous sweet Vidalia onions fields of Georgia that scant attention was given to the numerous vans laden with INS officers encircling the workers. By the time they took notice and the yell “Migra” was heard followed by the stampede to get away, it was too late. The scene was […]

On Thursday, some children and their dads gathered at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where one fortunate fellow walked away with the Father of the Year award.He’ll throw out the first pitch today at the Royals Father’s Day game. The home team also is treating many other fathers and their children to the game against […]

Q Can you explain why a person who has a lot of clothes is called a “clotheshorse”? How about a “fashion plate”? A: Human beings have probably enjoyed showing off their clothes since they learned to wear them. It seems that many people adhere to the philosophy voiced by the character Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, […]

Sometime this month the Supreme Court will tell us whether the University of Michigan’s preferential admissions policies, known commonly as “affirmative action,” are permitted by the Constitution’s promise of equal protection under law. The basic principles at issue reach far beyond academic admissions, of course. Here’s a brief look at them, and a look too […]

The English language benefits from a multitude of long words and arcane words, but grammatically speaking, the most interesting words are the short and familiar ones – “so,” “as” and “it.”“So” is a lovely word. It functions as adverb, adjective, pronoun, conjunction and interjection. Writers would be lost without it.As a conjunction, “so” has stirred […]

Climbing Mt. Everest now falls in the realm of big business. There was some uninspiring news from Mount Everest last week.A Japanese man broke the record for the oldest climber to reach the peak. He was 70. Then a girl became the youngest climber. She was 15.Soon after came more uninspiring news:A Nepalese Sherpa broke […]

AUSTIN, Texas – “I said you were a man of peace. I want you to know I took immense crap for that.” George W. Bush, diplomat extraordinaire, to Ariel Sharon, The Washington Post, June 3, 2003.The effort to find peace in the Middle East is something on which all Americans can support the president, whether […]

Being recognized as victims brings media exposure and sympathy. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other lobbying groups are reporting a rising tide of anti- Muslim bigotry and a massive increase in anti-Arab crime in America. Obvious questions: What rising tide? What massive increase?Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, in an article he co-wrote, […]

What do Cinderella and bat spleens have in common? I have not a clue. It is time once again for Ask Mister Language Person, the column that provides you with the grammar, punctuation and vocabulary skills you need to verbally crush your opponents like seedless grapes under a hammer.Today’s first language question comes from author […]

WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending June 6. HOUSE Abortion Voting 282 for and 139 against, the House on June 4 passed a bill (HR 760) making it a federal crime for doctors to perform second- or third-trimester abortions in which they […]