Archive for ‘Opinion’

  • Small World: A short history of Gaza

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist It might be useful to review the history of Gaza before it is erased under Israeli assault. The first thing we need to know is that Samson, the ancient Israeli judge, lived there and performed heroic deeds. A haircut did him in, reducing him to servitude. In due course, his […]

  • Uppermost House: Catching the late show

    By S. Peter Lewis BN Columnist I’m no fawning entomologist. There, I said it. But if I was a bug-lover, I would have a huge crush on a certain regal mayfly that breeds in local waters named Hexagenia limbata, a gigantic (relatively speaking), pale, golden-yellow beauty, ephemeral, crepuscular (verging on nocturnal), and mysterious. And, I […]

  • Small World: The Middle East — a handy guide

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist Rarely have the arabesques of the Middle East been as twisting and tortured. One follows a line that bends, reverses and introduces new and seemingly unrelated elements. So bear with me as I try — perhaps too cynically — to trace the intersections and hidden objectives of the diverse players. […]

  • Dark side of the Sun: Hmmm, government buying more bullets

    By Mike Corrigan BN Columnist While I’m glad the post office won’t run out of ammo anytime soon (to eliminate rabid dogs; nonrabid dogs; big slobbery dogs; small yappy dogs), it mystifies me what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to do with all 46,000 of the 46,000 hollow-point rounds it ordered. A NOAA […]

  • Small World: Lidice and Its Like

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist Lidice was a town in German-occupied Czechoslovakia that not too many people will remember now. It was there early in World War II that partisans assassinated the local Nazi commander, Reinhard Heydrich. In revenge, the Nazis executed the community’s males: 173 men over the age of 15. In addition, 184 […]

  • Darkside of the Sun: O, the humanities!

    By Mike Corrigan BN Columnist What do Americans think about? Money, mostly, and how to get more. If you want to make money, then study money. Become a slave to money. Choose a field in one of money’s approved courses. Money wants you to become a consumer of products made more cheaply someplace else, and […]

  • Darkside of the Sun: On second thought, Reny’s may be open

    By Mike Corrigan BN Columnist It’s never too early to start shopping for Christmas, you know. But, you say, what do you get for the man who has everything? Whatever you get for me, thank you! You shouldn’t have. Really, I don’t need it. Because isn’t it obvious that the perfect gift for the man […]

  • Small World: Changes coming for America

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist More than 52,000 Hispanic children and another 39,000 women with children have crossed the U.S. border in the southeast. Coming mainly from Central America, they say they are driven out by dire poverty and criminal and police brutality. The estimate is that the number will reach 90,000 by the end […]

  • Uppermost House: The day that nothing happened

    By S. Peter Lewis BN Columnist “Hey!!! Let’s get together!!! I miss you!!!” I typed the words into an e-mail and then clicked the send button, and later in the day came into my inbox the message, “Tuesday could work for me” and that was that; my pal Charlie and I had a date. We’ve […]

  • Small World: Sitting around the peace table

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist The Middle East is a mess. We can all agree on that. But who’s to blame? Some will say fanatical religious leaders; others will castigate selfish special interests. Still others will point at the politicians, generals and security experts who wield such authority. For a change, let’s try to pin […]