Thursday, February 6, 2025
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Darn Wright

Were you born in the Year of the Snake?

Were you born under the Year of the Snake, as Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Anne Frank, J.K. Rowling were? The Chinese Lunar New Year, aka Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, …

A sound choice: Consider pros/cons of light rail

Around 7:30 a.m., as I was waiting on I-5 about a quarter mile south of Lynnwood, I was envious as I watched those many light rail riders flash by. After that experience, I spoke with a close …

Why do we collect things?

Did you make your New Year’s resolution? For those avid object collectors, I can only guess one of your important resolutions is to at least twice a month visit an estate sale, garage …

New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world

Christmas has come and gone. How about also thinking about how to celebrate New Year’s Eve? While you and your loved ones are planning, take time to discuss what others throughout our …

1972 in Manhattan for New Year’s Eve

It was New Year’s Eve in 1972, a temperate 54 degrees, on a clear, full-start Time Square’s night. Thanks to my brother Arnie and our 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter’s …

This holiday season, become an auxiliary elf

Santa’s full-time and auxiliary workers have increased substantially over the years. Most Santaologists know that too many of Santa’s holiday supporters have no clue about …

What's the origin story of Black Friday?

I have way too often found many views on how and why events came into existence. This was the case as I tracked down the history behind Black Friday.   Some stores open their doors two …

Did you wear dog tags?

I was in my fourth day of basic training at Fort Ord in California when the drill instructor (DI) and sergeant stood 2 inches from my face: “Private, where are your dog tags?” Hands …

Daylight saving: Using time as a tool

On Nov. 3 it is once again to turn back our clocks. But why do we  subtract or add an hour to our monthly schedules?   Before 1966 some states played with time and others left it …

A Dutch family is introduced to Halloween

A mentor of mine died on Aug. 21 of this year and I miss his positive attitude, his warmheartedness, and his many words of wisdom. Last year as he and I were discussing Halloween Joop (Joe) told …

Sharing a personal story

Welcome to this October’s yearly International Association of Dyslexia Awareness Month. There are many professional definitions that describe dyslexia, so depending on how it is defined, social …

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with examples

Who of us do not know Pittsburgh Pirates’ Hall of Fame Robert Clemente or the civil rights leader Cesar Chavez? Those are only two of the long lists of  Hispanics who have added to our …

Ban a book, and they will read it

It was during my 12 years of attending Catholic schools that me and my fellow students were introduced to the church’s National Legion of Decency weekly movie rating newspaper. As a group, we …

That nagging ‘why’ question

As National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 8-14, it’s appropriate to review what Brian Buckwalter had to say through his informative article “Creating Space,” published in the …

Thespian survivors: Driftwood Players enters its 66th season

What was happening in 1957? I was living in the Saint John’s District of Portland. I was into boy stuff, so except for high school plays the playhouse wasn’t on my to-do list. …

An African safari: Part 3, the wedding

This is the final part of my three-article series. To recap, the first was about our flight to the other side of the world to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where my son Dane and his betrothed, Sindi, …

An African safari, part 2

This is the second of a three-part series on my recent adventure to Zimbabwe with family: son Dane, his bride Sindi, and Dane’s mother, Elaine. So what springs to mind when you hear the …

My trip to Zimbabwe: First stop, Dubai

It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”   Those words reinforced how important it is to adventure out.  My son …

The time when the bald eagle triumphed over the turkey

July includes our country’s birthday, so let’s hitch a ride in a DeLorean and go back to the past to answer a question: Which bird would be elevated to one of the new nation’s …

Banjos capture the voices of our past

June is African American Music Appreciation Month. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter created it to acknowledge African American contributions to music as a vital part of our nation’s cultural …

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