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Columns

  • A dose of teardrop therapy

    I needed to reach for my box of Kleenex before starting this column. I promise this effort will not be the “‘bawl-o-rama’ of the ages,” but since I’m in a bit of a funk anyway, well, what better way to vent than to put things in writing?

    Many years ago, cousin Chris, who is about my age, chummed around with me when I visited in Santa Fe. Soon, an uncle drove up, and I ran to greet him. But before I got to the car, his terrier leaped up from the back seat and took a chunk out of my chest, right at the nipple.

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  • True and Truth for New Mexico

    There are two messages people outside of New Mexico hear about our state; a state I now consider my home and one I love: True and Truth.

    The New Mexico True tourism campaign does an exceptional job highlighting New Mexico’s culture and beauty.

    We are blessed to live in a place that is incredibly scenic and attractive to tourists and other visitors who happily spend time and money here then return home to tell their friends of their wonderful New Mexico Adventures.

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  • A father’s wisdom passed on to a son

    Sunday is Father’s Day. You would not be here today without your father. There is just something about fathers and the wisdom they hold.

    Several months back my daughter’s boyfriend, Wes, was out visiting and we were talking about parents’ impact on children. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a slip of paper that he has carried with him for almost 10 years. It was a handwritten note from his father.

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  • What I learned from my father

    When I walked into Joseph Baca’s office at KFUN, I was struck by a piece of furniture standing quietly in the corner. It was a squat blond console that I later learned housed a turntable.

    On the front was the original RCA logo. I told Joseph he’d be reading about his record player because my father was the inventor of it! Well, maybe that’s not exactly right, but Daddy was surely instrumental!

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  • Shalom —Salam —Peace

    Watching the bloodshed in Gaza unfold recently, like Bob Pearson (Optic May 27, 2018), I was appalled, especially as a member of the local Jewish community.

    Although I am not writing on behalf of the Las Vegas Jewish community, we had all shared the same sense of horror, despite how often we have seen violent conflict between Israel and the West Bank.  

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  • Adding value when you walk into a room

    Do you add value when you walk into a room?

    Think about this. When you enter a room do you add or subtract from what is happening in the room? When you leave the room what do you leave behind?
    This question can apply to countless interactions including with your family, those you work with, your faith family, organizations you belong to, and activities you participate in.

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  • Richie Cole helps launch Las Vegas ‘music ops’

    Get out your dancing shoes and your swing skirt. Richie Cole is heading back to Las Vegas. A year ago, he and his Alto Madness Band played to a sold-out crowd.

    As Bill Anderle testified, “There was a lilt in the audience. We were all transported into a joyful event which swept away the trials and tribulations of the last couple of months.”

    Local artist, photographer and sax player Bob Henssler was sure he’d heard Cole before. In the late 1960’s when Bob was in the Marines, he would head to the Boston USO when he was at liberty.

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  • A snapshot of D.C. while touring with family

    I’m not sure how Tuesday’s primary elections turned out because I’m writing this the weekend before, so why don’t I tell you about my recent vacation to the nation’s capital?

    OK, now that I’ve lost half my audience, I’ll write for the families out there, including my own, who tend to tolerate self-indulgence more than your average newspaper reader is willing to put up with.

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  • Ditching with impunity

    Maybe it’s my longing for moisture amid dire drought conditions for the long term. Maybe it’s simply that the smattering of tiny raindrops a few days ago made me yearn for the rainier seasons.

    But here it is: June, and that makes me wonder why Mother Nature failed to bring February bowers, April showers or May flowers.
    Even the March winds, virtually guaranteed each year,  let us down.

    We can store much of the recent moisture in a thimble. I admit, however, that Sunday’s rainfall was welcome.

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  • What is it that breaks your heart?

    By Rick Kraft

    What gets your emotions going? What is it that you can not look the other way from? What causes you to stop your world and feel passionate about?

    Humans are emotional animals. That is the way God made us. We ride up and down on a roller coaster of emotions in our daily lives.
    We may wake up in the morning happy that it is a weekend, stressed because of something at work, concerned about a family issue, angry because of a tragedy in national news, or disappointed over something bad that happened yesterday.

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