Categories
American Culture

Big Tense

The GOP has reduced itself from Big Tent of a few degrees of conservatism to a single BAM — By Any Means. Acting as host of the 2026 Labor Day picnic of Local 965 and the NWA Labor Council picnic on Sept. 7 — genially, I hope — I emceed the program that comprised stump […]

Categories
News, Spin

From Cage Match to Hot Wheels

State of This Union — President’s Message August and the University of Arkansas 2026-2027 term has begun. How did you spend your summer? I spent bits of mine wondering why I never got more excited about the nation’s 250th Independence Day compared to, say, last year’s 249th. It doesn’t seem to be just me. In […]

Categories
American Culture

Does a Rising Tide Level the Playing Field?

State of This Union — President’s Message One advantage leaders can have is anything they do or say seems important. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement and held a press event July 14 announcing that the “First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy’s Religious Liberty in the States index” found that Arkansas […]

Categories
Main Courses

Rat-a-tat Ratatouille

By this time in our three-decade-plus marriage I know too well what my spouse refuses to eat. Well, there’s no disguising okra. But I can expect the classic eggplant-dominating casserole ratatouille will find favor once and sometimes twice a summer. The key is precooking the eggplant separately — food journalist Mark Bittman says, “There are […]

Categories
Education, Coarsely

Why Us. And When?

An Editor’s Note “Why should (I) join Local 965/AEA/NEA?” That is one of the two top questions that other 965 leaders and I get when friends and strangers learn of our affiliation. The other question is more of a statement: “I didn’t know the UA had a labor union.” There has been an active workers […]

Categories
Condiments

Have a (Cheese) Ball

My mom often bought house-label food items to keep on budget, as the quality was close enough. One item she wouldn’t skimp on was Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, explaining other brands were “waxy.” I never understood that, different ones had about the same mouth feel to me, once I started buying my own groceries after […]