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“What do you get when you guzzle down sweets? Eating as much as an elephant eats. What are you at getting terribly fat? What do you think will come of that? I don’t like the look of it.” – sung by the Oompa Loompas in the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” As… Read more

“Are You Not Entertained?” – actor Russell Crowe as Maximus in the film “Gladiator” Getting to write about bills like Senate Bill 268 is the type of opportunity that makes my geeky little government-studying heart sing. The bill has a little bit of everything: elections, the role of government institutions versus the role of the… Read more

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – George Orwell from his novel “Animal Farm” I feel like it should be noted as a major accomplishment to write a column on government for more than two years without breaking out this old chestnut from Mr. Orwell. The bottlecap had to… Read more

What is this? It is a semi-regular – i.e., when I feel like writing something – assessment of Auburn athletics from a fan’s perspective. What makes me qualified to do this? I passed my ninth grade typing class and once got an autograph from reserve Auburn linebacker Kevis Burnam. So highly qualified. But truly I… Read more

“And that is why I am here, burdened with this unhappy task.” – actor Kenneth More as Lord Chamberlain in the film “The Slipper and the Rose” I usually get a good bit of satisfaction in writing these articles every week. I did not enjoy writing this week’s column, however. There is no way to… Read more

“When you’re strange, faces come out of the rain.” – from the song “People Are Strange” by The Doors You probably have not seen the low-budget horror film “The Babadook.” Neither have I. But, you might have seen the social media meme spawned from a scene in the movie where an exasperated mother screams, “Why… Read more

“What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is my own.” – Zoe, a character in James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” I try to focus most of my columns on Alabama government and politics because I believe you, beloved reader, are likely already inundated with articles involving our national government. So it takes quite a bit for… Read more

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.” – King Henry V in William Shakespeare’s play “Henry V” We are now a good two weeks into 2026, so let me ask you, beloved reader, how many times have you written 2025 on a check or other paperwork so far this year? It can be… Read more

“sun moon stars rain” – E.E. Cummings Welcome to 2026. We hit a few moments of turbulence, but we finally got all the wheels of the airplane that was 2025 down on the runway last week. Before we close the book on the previous year, let’s take a look at the highlights and lowlights of… Read more

“Is every kid in America sick this week?” – post by Twitter/X account @jimmygards  Y’all know my routine for this column by now. I try to start it with a quote by someone with at least a pinch of historical or modern distinction. Today’s quote comes from a random post by a Twitter/X user that… Read more