My husband Smith and I are appalled at the Wild Turkey signs. Certainly, the Rearks have the right to say anything they wish, but they should be aware of the very negative appeal to racism and violence their words inspire. ...more

September 12, 2009

Even at 50, the queen of pop just can't help but court controversy. As Madonna kicked off her "Sticky and Sweet" tour Saturday night in Wales, she took a none-too-subtle swipe at the presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. president. ...more

August 24, 2008

Thank you to Hernando County for paying attention. The e-mails were overwhelming the past week regarding the county's closing Animal Services on Saturdays and the suspension of the Spay/Neuter Rebate Program. ...more

July 27, 2008

In 1948, Harry Truman was re-elected president, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Israel became a nation, the long-playing record was invented, the game of Scrabble was introduced and Boston native John Scully was ordained to the Catholic priesthood. ...more

May 10, 2008

Mahatma Gandhi's grandson resigned from the peace institute he co-founded after condemnation of his comments that Israel and the Jews are the biggest players in a culture of violence that "is eventually going to destroy humanity." ...more

January 26, 2008

Like any good writer, Emily Garland wanted to find a unique theme when she agreed to speak at the West Pasco Historical Society's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. "I hope to come at it from a little different angle than just a litany of his life and what he accomplished," Garland said prior to stepping up before a standing room only gathering at the old schoolhouse in Sims Park last Saturday. ...more

January 19, 2008

Mahatma Gandhi did it to protest British rule in India. The Rev. Al Sharpton did it to take a stand against Navy bombing exercises in Puerto Rico. ...more

December 10, 2007

Regarding "Pakistan: An Uncertain Ally" (Nation/World, Nov.): Sam Rashid needs to be glad that he has been able to go to his native Pakistan every year up until a couple of years ago. I have not been able to go home to my native Kashmir since 1989. My wish to visit home may be nostalgic, but the rest of my family who lived in Kashmir for centuries were forced from their own land and had to live like refugees in their own country. Such has been the situation for two decades in Kashmir, where Kashmiri Muslim militants trained by Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Pakistan forced their Hindu neighbors to either leave or be killed. My father was shot by his Muslim friends on Aug. 24, 1990. ...more

November 8, 2007