Walking the dogs can be a scary proposition

With as mild a winter as we have enjoyed to this point, it’s kind of hard to forget that it’s been cold in other parts of the country. And when one thinks of cold locales in the United States, one should immediately conjure up images of Alaska....

Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 9:42am

Is the end in sight for an American tradition?

Light a candle. Engage yourself in meditation or take to prayer. If you have a lucky rabbit’s foot, rub it now. This is one of those all-hands-on-deck situations, and it will take a collective effort to fend off the horrors that await.

...

Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 6:38am

Here's looking at another year of resolutions

Well, 2012, let’s take a look at you. I mean, yeah, there are those preconceptions concerning you being pretty much the last year we’ll ever see, thanks to the Mayans, but I have to say you’re looking pretty good to me.

Of course,...

Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 3:31am

Taking a look back at a very eventful year

As I started going back through the past year’s editions of the Coastal Point, I was floored by just how eventful a year it was. Now, to be fair, I’ve had a similar reaction nearly every year since we started this publication in February 2004....

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - 1:33pm

We often find our treasures in unexpected venues

It’s been said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.Texas Christian University professor Jeff Ferrell embodies that axiom.
Coastal Point

Ferrell has somewhat adopted the persona of a modern-day Robin Hood, as far as his...

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 7:44am

A tale of inspiration and positive mental attitude

Human beings are a fickle breed. We allow things on the outside to consistently interfere and influence the things on the inside. We run hot and cold, and our overall moods and dispositions often vary from moment to moment. Good things cause us...

Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 3:08am

Maryland falling into big-time athletics trappings

When I read the other day in The (Baltimore) Sun that a University of Maryland commission recently recommended that the school cut eight sports, I was a little sad.

Coastal Point

The sports in question — men’s tennis, men’s track...

Thursday, November 17, 2011 - 4:41am

It's the time of the season for ... what seaons?

My ever-graying beard and creaky joints partner perfectly with this new conversation-starter I’ve been using more and more frequently as of late: I remember back when ...

For the record, I hate it. It used to really raise my hackles...

Thursday, November 3, 2011 - 9:58am

A daring dog escape and a bill to remember

Those of you who regularly read my column (Hi, Mom!) know that I absolutely love my dogs, Guinness and Bailey.

Coastal Point
Guinness is an overly-playful mixture of shar-pei and boxer who loves nothing more in life than getting...

Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 10:21am

There’s another drug for parents to worry about

Gov. Jack Markell announced at a news conference last Friday that Delaware has banned “bath salts,” making them illegal in the state. The bath salts have been added to Delaware’s Schedule I of Controlled Substances, following a recommendation by...

Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - 4:27pm

Keep your heads up, Steelers fans. It’s not so bad

Dear Steelers fans,

If you recall, a certain challenge I had with a friend last year resulted in me writing an open letter to all of you after your team dismantled my beloved Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. It was no picnic to...

Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 4:31am

Irene claims the life of my rival, and I'm sad

I got the call on Sunday, at approximately the same time I was letting out a huge sigh of relief that the wrath of Hurricane Irene did little more than knock down a few branches at my house. It was our publisher, Susan Lyons, who called, and she...

Thursday, September 1, 2011 - 6:10am

Man’s best friend doesn’t have to be a talker

There’s an ongoing one-sided dialogue between myself and my dogs. The reason I say this is one-sided is because it’s, well, one-sided. My dogs can’t speak. Well, not English, anyway.

I get whining noises from them on a fairly...

Thursday, August 18, 2011 - 6:45am

National leadership failing constituents badly

Through selfless compromise and a keen eye toward the welfare of our citizenry, our national leaders reached a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling on Tuesday. This prevented our proud nation from going into default and showed once again that...

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 - 3:22pm

Community waring: Leviathan is back in town

He’s back.

There was no doubt I had dropped my guard, and was caught woefully unprepared when I first saw him. After more than two years of not seeing that bully’s face, I had gone under the assumption that my nemesis was no longer...

Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 2:35am

Verdict brings back memories of Simpson

Verdict brings back memories of Simpson

Floored.

Shocked.

Angry.

Frustrated.

Incredulous.

Those were just a few of the emotions running through my head when I first heard the verdict in the Casey...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 - 4:10pm

Exploring golf tournaments, water and...

So, I went to Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

Yeah, there was no Tiger Woods. And, yes, there was no real intrigue to the tournament at this time because Northern Ireland’s Rory...

Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 5:50am

Bullying is an old tradition, but getting worse

When I was a kid, there was a certain classmate who delighted in bullying me.

Now, to be fair, I only really got on his radar because I had a tendency to be a bit of a smart aleck on occasion, and he was one of my favorite targets....

Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 7:12am

Everyone gets a new lease on life--for now

I thought I was all set for doomsday. Huddled beneath my kitchen table with a helmet strapped tightly to my head and a flyswatter in my tightly-clenched fist, I kept a keen eye on the digital clock by my side.

5:57 p.m. — I...

Thursday, May 26, 2011 - 11:26am

Rough couple of weeks, could have been worse

It’s been a couple interesting weeks for me.

Coastal Point

I spent last week down in the Outer Banks, relaxing in 80-degree weather and basically recharging my mental and physical batteries for the coming dog days of summer. It was...

Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 11:22am

Freedom of speech can be a slippery slope

We’re big proponents of free speech around here.

The right to express ourselves freely and without governmental retribution allows us to share information with our readers that might not always be popular with elected officials, and the...

Thursday, April 28, 2011 - 6:25am

Yet another journey into the world's obstuse

Have you ever pulled into your driveway after a long day of work, opened the door and been hit with the smell of a steak grilling that just completely overtook your central nervous system and erased all other thoughts that might have been...

Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 6:21am

Our language just continues to morph

English is a mutt of a language.

It has long been a living, breathing organism that is a conglomeration of older languages and new terms, brought together to formulate a means of communication that is spoken, read and written by people...

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 4:51pm

It's the most wonderful time of the year

There are certainly a lot of great days that come around every year.

Of course, Christmas jumps to mind immediately as the top dog. There is the religious meaning, which brings legitimacy to its status as a significant day for many. It is...

Thursday, March 17, 2011 - 12:18pm