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Sources: The Difference Between Confidential And Anonymous

I got anonymous “Concerned Citizen” messages when I was a reporter or editor. I usually tossed them into the trash bin. I did honor requests to keep someone’s name confidential, but I always knew who the person was before I acted on his or her supposed “information.” There are differences between “anonymous sources” and “confidential sources.” Along with most reporters and editors, I used confidential sources, sometimes in ways that made life better for a lot of people. These days, I leave that stuff to working journalists. Me, I’m a retiree who writes. But ...

Jacob Decides To Try And Bring Larry To A Counseling Session

Last article, we met Jacob, a first-time walk in. Private counseling practices generally are found to schedule clients. Never say never. Walk-ins are welcomed. However, Jacob was my first walk-in client. My brief indulgence into a post-lunch siesta was interrupted. Time allowed for this unplanned visit. Jacob had noticed my window ad while on a walk. He and his partner/husband, Larry, were staying at a local hotel. Larry declined to join Jacob in a walk. They were on a short trip to check out the local Comedy Center. Comedy was a special interest to Larry, an amateur stand-up comic at ...

An Act Of Optimism

My annual order of wildflower seeds arrived in the mail, and I’ve never been so eager to start something new — something beautiful and immune to the virus taking so much away. I love reading aloud the names of the flowers that, in theory, will thrive here in northeast Ohio. Purple and gray-headed coneflowers, and clasping ones, too. Scarlet flax and Shasta daisy. Purple prairie clover and black-eyed Susan. Ox-Eye sunflower and gayfeather. Prairie Aster, evening primrose and lavender hyssop. And cosmos, always cosmos, because they bloom into bountiful bouquets until the first ...

Fixing College Corruption

America’s colleges are rife with corruption. The financial squeeze resulting from COVID-19 offers opportunities for a bit of remediation. Let’s first let’s examine what might be the root of academic corruption, suggested by the title of a recent study, “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was done by Areo, an opinion and analysis digital magazine. By the way, Areo is short for Areopagitica, a speech delivered by John Milton in defense of free speech. Authors Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian say that something has gone ...

Coronavirus Blame Game Goes On

Editor’s Note: Mark Shields is off this week. The following column is by Veronique De Rugy. The coronavirus did apparently originate in China. Now President Donald Trump wants to punish that country for its role in letting the virus spread to the United States. This is just another poor excuse to push the same protectionist policies he has always favored. It’s also a way for him to deflect responsibility for the failures of his own administration and the many agencies that intrude daily into our lives. Trump’s administration is reportedly exploring the exact details of potential ...

Pandemic Makes End-Of-Life Care Harder

I just lost a dear elderly friend to cancer. Home hospice workers kept him comfortable. He spent his final weeks watching spring unfold in the outdoor Eden he had nurtured for decades. He died peacefully at night with me present. My friend’s death had little to do with COVID-19. One can say that he was spared the trauma of getting hit by that deadly virus in the jaws of a pandemic. He wasn’t among the tragic thousands who died at home without medical attention. Nor did he pass away alone in a hospital that wouldn’t let loved ones in for fear of spreading the virus. His nurses ...