Raymond Barranco: How do we bring about change?
I hope readers have been following my series of op-eds on ways to improve our political system. This is the final installment. For those who haven’t read the earlier pieces, here’s a brief summary.
Possumhaw: Of Cats and Dogs
At the age of 6 or 7 I was the only child at home.
Bobby Harrison: Democrats have found success in other states. Can they find it here against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith?
One variation of an old saying goes, “If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no work for tinkers,” and another goes, “If a frog had wings he wouldn’t bump his backside when he jumps.”
Thom Caraccio: Barnacle Bob’s last day at work
Several months after I left Warner Brothers working three months on the Sean Connery film “Just Cause,” I got a phone call from a friend who had been hired by the art department at Universal Studios in Orlando. He was assigned to the fairly new TV show “Seaquest.”
Slimantics: Wanted posters: LCSO’s missed opportunity
It does not seem that terribly long ago that an organization with a social media presence was something of a novelty. Today, we can scarcely think of any organization, public or private, that does not use these profiles to engage the public.
Slimantics: A canine solution for our troubled land
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about dogs and their influence on interpersonal relationships.
Raymond Barranco: Making people care again and no “wasted” votes
In the 20th Century, entrenched warfare was confined to the battlefield. In the 21st, it has moved into the political arena.
Possumhaw: The Cleaning Woman
Back in the 2000’s I wrote a few short stories published in short story books. Since I mentioned a few New Year’s Resolutions last week, I thought I’d share an excerpt about my friend Margaret.
Thom Caraccio: Blame the name game
Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Portugal, Morocco, Germany, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Malaysia, and Japan.
Ask Rufus: A jigsaw puzzle of Columbus history
I am frequently asked where I find the details of the stories in my column.
Slimantics: A bold new plan for keeping New Year’s resolutions
We are now one day into the new year, often referred to as 2026, and I suspect those among you who make New Year’s resolutions are feeling pretty smug and confident at this point. Not to rain on anybody’s parade, but 90% of those who make New Year’s resolutions don’t achieve their goals. Most resolutionaries are setting themselves up for failure.
Jiben Roy: Columnist on columnist
I have been writing columns in The Dispatch since 2013, while Birney Imes was at the helm. In fact, he helped and encouraged me in my column writing. I have written hundreds of columns and am still writing in my mother tongue, as I have since my college days.
Slimantics: Stop the press: The end of an era
For most readers, when the presses in the bowels of The Commercial Dispatch fell forever silent Tuesday evening, the moment passed without distinction or emotion.
Possumhaw: Nearing the New Year
The next two days will go by quickly. Tomorrow will be New Year’s Eve, bringing in an entirely new year full of who knows what? Our Christmas was nice and quiet, and I hope your Christmas was a good one as well. The day after Christmas we drove north to spend a brief bit of time with a lovely family member who now lives far away.
Thom Caraccio: New Year’s Eve in Babylon
This story actually belongs in my last column “The Rougher Side of Rock & Roll,” but I only had so much space to work with.
Ask Rufus: Alabama Public Television presents a ghost story at Christmas
Kathryn Tucker Windham (1918-2011) was the best ghost storyteller I have ever heard.
Raymond Barranco: Healthcare is broken. The fix isn’t ideological
In today’s politically polarized world, it can feel like there’s almost nothing Americans agree on. One major exception is healthcare—specifically, how terrible it is.
Possumhaw: Christmas then and now
All of us once were children full of wonder and joy with a heart that could hardly wait for Christmas. My family found our trees where the Boy Scouts and the Optimist club sold Christmas trees.
Ask Rufus: ‘The Night Before Christmas’
The poem “The Night Before Christmas” is an enduring American Christmas tradition, but few know its history or realize its impact on how we celebrate Christmas.
Slimantics: Familiarity breeds Christmas movie contempt
Cable and streaming services have pretty much ruined Christmas movies.
