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

Below are some of my personal thoughts and observations as I reach a new milestone-turning 80 years old. I also write about my thoughts about the past, present and future in my new column now posted. You can read it by Clicking Here or by going to the Red Flashing Box above.Read More

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana THE CHALLENGES AND CHARMS OF GETTING OLDER! I woke up earlier this week, followed my normal routine of walking the dogs, picking up the morning papers, pouring my large glass of orange juice half filled with water to dilute the sugar, checked my emails, walked out on the...Read More

April 20th, 2020 Baton Rouge, Louisiana LIVING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES! I have suspended my weekly columns, that have appeared in over 80 newspapers in Louisiana, for the next few months, just to give this “old guy” a break. Before the virus hit us, my family and I had planned on spending a good bit of...Read More

Well, at least all you readers have plenty of time for this now.  So many goo books to read.  Check out many of our new publications at www.thelisburnpress.com, or click on The Lisburn Press link on the right side of this page.Read More

On our front door is a drawing by 9 year old grandniece Yvie Hunt, thanking all the service workers and responders who are helping us daily get through this difficult time. Yvie is saying in her drawing that even we have to be isolated, we are not alone.Read More

I’ve been a John Prine fan for many years. Always wanted to see him in person. He died yesterday, but just take a listen to his ode to going to heaven. My kind of wish and my kind of dude.Read More

Each year on April 1st, I make it a habit of posting a funny April fool’s joke. Not this year. Sad to say it’s not April fool but April Cruel. Let’s all pray we get through this month safe and healthy.Read More

Do I look bored at home or what? I asked wife Gladys what will be the highlight of our day. She said “Let’s change the sheets.”Read More

My book tour, like so many other events, has come to a temporary end. We’ve canceled all the book signings that were set for March April and early May.  Here’s hoping but this terrible virus will be contained, and we will get back to our normal way of life in the not too distant future....Read More

An enjoyable evening speaking recently to the Country Classics Book Club in Zachery, Louisiana. Lots of interest in “My Louisiana Odyssey.” From left, pictured are Ginger Hughes, Ginger Parker, yours truly, Beryl Beier-hostess, & Donna Kline, president of Country Classics book club.Read More

  The Portfolio Club of Zachary met on March 4, 2020 for an authentic French luncheon at Maison Lacour in Baton Rouge. The guest speaker was  Jim Brown who spoke about his publishing company, Lisburn Press,  and his latest book, “My Louisiana Odyssey: A Memoir.” In the book, the author shares his journey of initially “discovering” Louisiana,...Read More

The Brown book tour took a break over the past 10 days to celebrate Mardi Gras, then head back east. As you can see, heavy snow falling in the Blue Ridge mountains, up in Linville, North Carolina. I’ll be returning and back on the tour next week (March 3rd) and will speak and sign My...Read More

We took a break from our southern book tour to enjoy this year’s Mardi Gras.  It was a Big family Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans. Hope you had as much fun as we did.Read More

It’s crawfish season here in the Bayou State, and a regular stop for me as a travel throughout South Louisiana is Crawfish Town USA in Henderson, La. Even has-been politicians like me still have their name on a chair. I was there this week to sit in my own chair and eat lots of boiled...Read More

Book presentations continue all this week with the following stops: February 18th-Rotary Club of East Ascension-7:00 am February 18th-Opelousas Rotary Club-noon February 19th-Bunkie Rotary Club-noon February 20th-Kiwanis Club of Acadiana-noon Then we will take a break for Mardi Gras. Below are photos of stops at the Denham Springs Rotary, and a private bookclub presentation in...Read More

It was a fun-filled day in Ville Platte, La. recently when I spoke to the Rotary Club there and re-newed a number of old friendships. Evangeline Parish always gave me a good vote in my six statewide races for public office. Below I’m pictured signing books with my longtime friend Judge John Saunders sitting by....Read More

The book signings continue all over Louisiana. This coming week, I’ll be speaking to the Ville Platte Rotary Club, The Luling Rotary Club and the Roundtable Club in New Orleans. Guest at  the Hammond Rotary Club recently. A good turn out at the Northshore Kiwanis Club in Mandeville. With Rotary President Rebecca Jacob a the...Read More

Three long time friends getting together to visit at Mike Anderson’s restaurant in Gonzales this week. That’s former state senate president Mike O’Keefe on the left and Governor Edwin Edwards. We old guys are all hangin’ in there The Governor is 92 and Mike is 88. I’m the kid in the group.Read More

    January 31st-Rotary Club of Liviingston-noon February 4th-Lafayette Kiwanis Club-noon February 6th-Ponchatula Rotary Club-noon February 11th-Ville Platte Rotary Club-noon February 12th-Luling Rotary Club-noon February 13th-New Orleans Roundtable Club-7:00 pm February 15th-La. Political Hall of Fame-7:00 pm February 18th-Opelousas Rotary Club-noon February 19th-Bunkie Rotary Club-noon February 20th-Kiwanis Club of Acadiana-noon  Read More

It was treat renewing old friendships at the Alexandria Rotary Club this week. Central Louisiana was my home for many years. I not only swapped many stories, but also sold a good number of copies of “My Louisiana Odyssey.” I’m pictured here with Professor Robert Wright from LSU in Alexandria (left) and old friend Ed...Read More

A pleasant visit to Vidalia (just across the Mississippi River from Natchez, Mississippi) to speak to the Concordia Parish Library Association about my new book, “My Louisiana Odyssey.” A number of students pictured here from the Vidalia High School were in attendance to learn a little Louisiana history. This week’s speaking schedule is listed below:...Read More

Speaking this past Thursday to the Ferriday Rotary Club up in my old hometown. Attorney Joey Booth is incoming Rotary Club president.  His dad, Judge Leo Boothe is a longtime friend.  Leo Young on my right helped me get started in Ferriday some 50 years ago.  It was a treat to see old friends and...Read More

January 7th-Natchitoches Rotary Club-noon January 9th-East Baton Rouge Lions Club-noon January 14th-LaPlace Rotary Club-noon January 16th- Ferriday Rotary Club-noon January 16th- Vidalia Library Association-6:00 pm January 21st-Alexandria Rotary Club-noon January 22nd-Hammond Rotary Club-noon January 23rd-Northshore Kiwanis Club-noon-Covington January 28th-Gonzales Rotary Club-noon  Read More

A nice visit this past week with the Baton Rouge Lions Club to discuss my new book, “My Louisiana Odyssey.”  Club members had many Bayou State stories to share with me themselves. Maybe for a new book.  I’m pictured with club members John Fontenot and David Young.Read More

It was good to be in Natchitoches this past week visiting old friends and speaking about my book to the Natchitoches Rotary Club.  Former State Senator Don Kelly and I had a long visit, reminiscing about starting off in the legislature together back in the 1970s. I’m pictured below with Rotary members including long time...Read More

The new book, “My Louisiana Odyssey,” is being distributed all over the south. I’m pictured here in Boone, North Carolina at The Foggy Pine bookstore with owner Mary Ruthless, where my book is being distributed. Glad to see the interest in Louisiana by folks up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. More information about the book...Read More