I suppose fall is my favorite time of year. Way too hot in the summertime, particularly down here in Louisiana. And we don’t get much of a winter. Our family has had a home up in the North Carolina mountains for many years. It’s really a treat this time of year to go up and...Read More

Thursday, October 8th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  GOV. MIKE FOSTER LEFT AN INSURANCE LEGECY!  There is no place like Louisiana on this earth, and I think that when my days are over, I’ll find heaven to be no different from Louisiana ““ maybe a little bit cooler in the summer. Governor Mike Foster Governor Foster...Read More

Mike Foster was quite a guy. The Louisiana governor did not fit the mold of those who seek the state’s highest office. He was a multimillionaire from Franklin Louisiana, a small town located down in Cajun country. He loved to fish, and I had the opportunity to hang out at his camp with him on...Read More

I hope you have registered to vote in this important coming election. Everybody has an opinion about voting for the president and many other candidates. I’m a JibJab fan, and the message is clear below. Go Vote!Read More

Even us old folks enjoy good music, and like to get out of the dance floor and kick up our heels. Here’s a great cross-section of friends joining in to dance and sing “Roll Out the Barrel,” one of my favorites.Read More

It seems like everyone we know are going to vote in the coming presidential election by mail- in ballot. Some experts say as many as 50% of all votes cast will be done this way. But then the problems begin. It could take weeks, or even longer to count all these ballots.  And are not...Read More

Thursday, October 1st, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana VOTING IN PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Will elections ever be the same? From coast to coast, there is a great deal of controversy over mail in ballots as well as absentee voting.  According to some projections, as many as 50% of voters will cast mail in ballots. ...Read More

Hey you know what? I’m a product of the 50s. My high school days are some of the best memories of my life.  I went to high school in St. Louis Missouri, and the Ronnie Milsap video below pretty well sums up my great memories of the early part of my life. If you’re too...Read More

The President vetted a number of Court of Appeals judges in the process of filling a vacancy on the US Supreme Court created following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He announced from the beginning that his pick was going to be a woman. So naturally, the seven women on the fifth circuit Court...Read More

Thursday, September 24th, 20120 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  LOUISIANA IGNORED IN SUPREME COURT PICK! “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”                                                  -Edmund Burke Before the President made his choice this week for a new nominee to fill the vacancy on the United States...Read More

Special holidays like the Memorial Day always have, for good reason, a special acknowledgement of those military service men and women who have defended our country for so many years.  There are few veterans in congress today.  Most politicians reflect the comment of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who, when asked why he did to volunteer...Read More

Below is an excellent video on the perspective of millennials in our country today. There’s a great deal of talent, but also a sense of entitlement. Here is an excerpt of Simon Sinek, a commenter on today’s younger generation from an episode of Inside Quest. It is well worth a few minutes to review. And...Read More

OK, OK. I know The New York Times is not a popular publication down here in the deepest of the deep southern states. And boy did they get things riled up in a recent article on the editorial page saying that black athletes are being exploited at LSU. They went further to say that whenever...Read More

Thursday, September 17th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LSU FOOTBALL AND RACE RELATIONS! Ah, the wisdom found in the New York Times. America’s newspaper (at least according to them) seems to find a reason every week to denigrate the backwards homefolks that populate Louisiana. Certainly some debasement is justified, particularly when it comes to disparaging the state’s...Read More

It was 19 years ago this week. A horrific scene glued by TV watchers all over the world, as two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York City. So many lives lost, and so many questions still on answered.  This event dramatically changed our lives, and brought a whole new wave of security...Read More

Thursday, September 10th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana OUR LIVES WERE CHANGED BY 9/11  I have watched through a window a world that has fallen. W. H. Auden The date, 9/11, turned into the frantic dialing of 911 nineteen years ago. A surreal feeling of shock and helplessness enveloped all Americans as we watched that day’s...Read More

Louisiana has always lagged far behind other states in educational attainment. Now we just get some news from the state Board of Education. If your kids are going to learn virtually, they have to have access to the Internet.  So what’s new? This information has been obvious for a number of years. I wrote about...Read More

Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana ALL LOUISIANA KIDS HAVE A RIGHT TO INTERNET ACCESS!  Our illustrious state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in Louisiana has just released a startling report.  Over 25% of students, some 179,000 throughout the state, have no internet access.  Yet the vast majority of school districts teach a...Read More

I have always been fascinated by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. He was known to transmute vibrant colors and great detailing of his everyday observations onto the canvas. The poor artist died with little money and during his lifetime, he managed to sell only one painting. Often referred to as the ‘Mad Artist,’ van...Read More

To mask or not to mask? That is the question.  Here’s a fun parody of whether or not to mask based on the hit Broadway Musical Hamilton.  Checkout what side you are on.Read More

Another cleanup begins as Hurricane Laura devastates the Gulf coastline and moves up through Louisiana.  Fifteen years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc and tore into the soul of New Orleans and south Louisiana.  It was one of the most trying times in the state’s history.  I look back at my personal experience with...Read More

August 26th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Fifteen Years Ago Katrina Tried To Wash Us Away! As Louisiana begins the massive cleanup following Hurricane Laura, those of us living on the Gulf Coast remember the fear and concern that enveloped our region fifteen years ago this week. A lady named Katrina changed many of our lives....Read More

As I have written before on this website, I wish I were a really good dancer. Looking back over these 80 years, I just wish I had danced a lot more.There are so many really good dancers today.Take a look at the video below to see the cast of Ghee do some really creative dancing....Read More

It’s always a treat hanging out with my buddy Tony Bennett. He looks great for being 94 years old. (Oh alright! You caught me. The photo was taken at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in Las Vegas. We both look pretty good in wax, don’t we?)  Read More

Thursday, August 20th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LEGISLATURE STICKS IT TO LOUISIANA POLICYHOLDERS! Say what?  I’m sure I’m not hearing this right.  After spending millions of dollars in lobbying for so called tort reform, and promising that limiting policyholders’ legal rights will cause a major reduction in the cost of automobile insurance, the industry seems to be taking an...Read More

If you live in Louisiana, you were bombarded with assurances by the insurance industry that new laws limiting the rights of policyholders would show a dramatic drop in the cost of automobile insurance. 25% by the end of this year. But guess what? It looks like you policyholders really got conned.  Now the insurance lobbyists...Read More

Thursday, August 13th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana JESSE JAMES AND LOUISIANA!  With the pandemic keeping us more at home, TV binge watching has become the norm.  My family and I have viewed season after season of Chicago PD, NCIS New Orleans, even old re-runs of The Sopranos and Friends.  And old-time movies.  How many times...Read More

Are you getting tired of staying home and binge watching so much TV? All right, I know there’s a limited amount that you can do with a pandemic going on. And like you, I’ve watched any number of TV series and old movies. One of my favorites is about the outlaw Jesse James. You might...Read More

Sure, I pick up my iPhone regularly, and I am on social media a good bit. But how much is it affecting us? Social Media and technology can connect us, but it can also harm us. Take a look at today’s generation and their digital addiction. And see what did you think?Read More

Bourbon Street in the New Orleans French Quarter is still dead as a door nail.  Do you think it will ever come back?Read More

How about those little critters that seem to be taking over Louisiana and other coastal states? Nutria didn’t exist down here in deep South until the last 50 years. What to do? What to do? Are there any solutions?  Well, yes, if you want to be experimental. Did you know that these little varmints make...Read More

Here are some big news. We have a new podcast basis. My colleague Rannah Gray and I have started a podcast about the fascinating things one can find in our home state of Louisiana. And where to begin? Whether it is the food, the music, art, politics, you name it, Louisiana is often called the...Read More

Thursday, August 6th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana NUTRIA-IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER! Those little critters are taking over the state. With so many problems on Louisiana’s plate, add to the list what we can do about the onslaught and continuing invasion of nutria.  That’s right.  And we even have U.S. Senators from both parties in Washington...Read More

Do you like to dance? I sure do. OK, I’m not very good at it. But everyone likes to think they have a little rhythm, and get out on the dance floor from time to time. Actually, I was pretty good back in high school. That’s why I like the movie, Footloose so much. Here’s...Read More

Money, money, money goes the song from the Broadway show Cabaret. And this should be an issue in Louisiana comes to electing state judges.  Insurance lobbyists push through legislation in the recent session of the Louisiana Legislature that limits rulings of judges when it comes to automobile injury cases. But if money is the problem,...Read More

      Thursday, July 30th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND JUDGES! Is Louisiana a judicial hellhole where decisions by state judges are influenced by campaign contributions?  Apparently, the Louisiana legislature and business lobbying groups think so. In the recent legislative session, laws were passed taking away the authority of state judges to...Read More

What do you do when you’re in the middle of a pandemic, stuck at home, and bored to death? You read of course!  Book sales are at an all-time high throughout the country, as people have more free time. I write about the joy reading in this week’s column. And you’ll find some interesting facts...Read More

Friday, July 23rd, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana READING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES!  If you’re a book publisher like me, and want to sell a lot of books, there’s no better time than during a pandemic. Book sales have been high for months, particularly the big box stores like Walmart, Target, Costco, as well as bookstores nationwide....Read More

Chef Paul Prudhomme is a Louisiana national treasure. He put Louisiana on the map of culinary specialties to food buffs all over the world.  Chef Paul  died some years back, but his name and reputation has continued over the years at K Paul’s restaurant in New Orleans. Sadly, now it is closed for good. I...Read More

Friday, July 16th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE LOSS OF A CHEF PAUL AND HIS RESTAURANT! Cajun cuisine has always been unique, delightfully spicy, and thoroughly enjoyable for those that live or visit South Louisiana. But for many years, it was always a local thing. That all changed with the arrival of Chef Paul Prudhomme...Read More

We hear so much about social distancing today. You would think it’s a brand new idea, and obviously quite necessary as we fight this pandemic. Well keeping your distance is not all that new. Take a look at this great Buster Keaton movie from 1920 as they are social distancing way back then.Read More

The Louisiana legislature just passed new laws that are supposed to reduce auto insurance rates. 25% reduction says the insurance commissioner. And before the end of the year. Realistic? Of course not. There’s a lot more to reducing insurance rates in the Bayou State than clamping down on people’s right to sue. I take a...Read More

Thursday, July 9th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  HIGH AUTO INSURANCE RATES TO CONTINUE? Did you hear the news? The Louisiana legislature has passed new laws that will dramatically reduce your automobile insurance rates.  By 25% says the insurance commissioner. And by the end of the year. Wow! I can hardly wait to spend my savings....Read More

Are we supposed to be politically correct in everything we do? Some people think so. Well there are issues involving race, gays, transgenders, praying in public, and even who can or cannot bake a cake. Everything we do these days has a “politically correct” connotation attached to it. Have we gone to far in America,...Read More

Thursday, July 2nd, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana TOO MUCH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IN LOUISIANA! I don’t know about you, but I sure am confused about all this current debate over gender equity, gay rights, and transgenders, especially with new rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.  I keep reading in the newspaper about LGBT. I had to...Read More

As part of my pandemic defense, our family is up on the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Boone North Carolina for the summer. And look who I came across.  I’ve found a new hiking buddies. He’s lots of laughs.  And we are both keeping up common sense protections.Read More

Can any of us even remember life before the digital age? Things were so much simpler then. We were sitting down at family meals, spending lots of time reading, never looking down at iPhones, because they did not exist. Actually, one of the only benefits of the current pandemic is the fact that we have...Read More

We are living in uncertain times, with COVID-19, economic problems, and racial confrontations. But political life goes on, and both Democrats and Republicans are preparing for their national conventions. New Orleans was in the running for the Republican national convention up until a few weeks ago. In my new column, I talk about the last...Read More

June 26th, 2020 New Orleans, Louisiana A REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN NEW ORLEANS? Republicans just a few weeks ago were scouring major cities across the country to find a new location for their national convention, scheduled for mid-August. The GOP had originally planned to congregate in Charlotte North Carolina, but the governor set extremely strict standards...Read More

I’ve seen a number of Broadway shows in my life, but at the top of my list has always been Les Miserables. The music is wonderful, and it’s a compelling story about the French revolution. If you’ve never seen the show, I would urge you to do so. Below is a shopping center flash mob...Read More

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has stirred up a real hornet’s nest of controversy over standing for the national anthem. He didn’t make a big deal about it. He just said in his opinion you should stand. Boy the criticism sure rained down on him. So what do you think?  Is it unpatriotic to...Read More

June 18th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  WE ARE TOO BUSY FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM! New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has stirred u a national debate on standing when the national anthem is played at sporting events.  I’ve always looked on honoring the flag and standing for the national anthem as a basic premise that...Read More

I’m cooking up a storm with fresh vegetables up in the North Carolina mountains. It was 38° this morning when I got up to start cooking. Who knows, I might put out a new addition of the famous “Jim Brown’s World-Famous Squirrel Stew and other Country Recipes.” Stay tuned.Read More

All over the nation, there are a wave of protests over what many feel is the continuing glorification of many events in our nation’s past. How far should we as a country go in  obliterating  monuments, images, writings, motion pictures, and other symbols that often memorialize individuals whose past actions are today politically incorrect?  I...Read More

Friday, June 12th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana  REWRITING LOUISIANA’S HISTORY! It looks like it’s time to get out the soap powder in Louisiana and the rest of the nation. In protests all over the country, there is a growing call for the banishment of whatever tattered remnants are left from the aftermath of the Civil...Read More

Are you ready for this year’s Democratic and Republican national convention? Quite a change from years past. We’re not even sure at this stage whether the parties will even have a convention. I’ve had the opportunity of attending seven different national conventions, both democratic and Republican. Remember picking candidates in smoke-filled rooms? I do. I...Read More

Thursday, June 4th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana FIFTY-TWO YEARS OF POLITICAL CONVENTIONS!  Assuming in this strange day and age, we still have political conventions this year, no one at this stage is sure just how the process will work. The old process of picking national candidates in the proverbial smoke-filled room has gone by the...Read More

When it comes to operating the congress in the nation’s capitol, one would think that we were still in the horse and buggy days.  Members of congress spend half their time flying back and forth from their home districts to Washington, D.C.  And often it’s for routine matters and non-controversial committee hearings.  We can do...Read More

May 28th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana CONGRESS AND THE NEW TECHNOLOGY! House Democrats in congress can now vote and participate in committee hearings remotely.  It was a good move that should have been adopted years ago. Is it necessary for members of congress to spend most of their time in Washington?   In 2020, why can’t...Read More

This past weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we were to  pause and honor those who served and gave their lives for our nation. Relatives on both sides of my family served their country with honor and distinction. My Uncle had quite a navel military career.  In the final months of World War II, Commander Jack Gentry was...Read More

As terrible as the coronavirus is, life goes on, and there is a wave of comedy making fun of what we are going through in our daily lives.Here’s one of may parodies below:Read More

DOES LOUISIANA CARE ABOUT OLD PEOPLE? The Coronavirus has caused havoc in Louisiana and all over the U.S.  But the damage has been shouldered mostly by older people. So the question is-does Louisiana, and many other states, really care that much about our senior citizens?  I take a look at this troubling question in this...Read More

May 21st, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana DOES LOUISIANA CARE ABOUT OLD PEOPLE? The coronavirus epidemic has raised a troubling apprehension in Louisiana and in many other states across the country. There seems to be a devaluation of older citizens. I’m in that number of older folks, and there appears to be ample evidence that older...Read More

Check out below the Erie picture of looking down a deserted Bourbon Street in the downtown New Orleans French quarter. One of my very favorite restaurants is Galatoire’s, that you can see in the picture on the left. It’s hard to find a better meal anywhere in the world than you could get at Galatoire’s....Read More

THE NEW NORMAL IN OUR LIVES! I’ve just turned 80 years old, and who could have predicted what the world is going through now? Who could have ever imagined that our lives would so dramatically change by a virus that just a few months ago was dismissed by our leaders as a minor problem that really...Read More

I find a pleasant surprise now and then when older books that have been published by The Lisburn Press turn up. A friend of mine was checking out a flea market over theLafayette  area recently, and look what he found. My first book, printed back in 2005, is still making the rounds.  It’s not selling...Read More

Thursday, May 14h, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE NEW NORMAL IN OUR LIVES!  Who could have ever imagined that our lives would so dramatically change by a virus that just a few months ago was dismissed by our leaders as a minor problem that really would not affect our lives that much.  A little social...Read More