Council Corner: Keys to a highly functional City Council
If you haven't cast your ballot yet, don't forget to take advantage of your opportunity to help shape the future of Ashland's political discourse. Having served as an elected volunteer for the past 14...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: Failure to launch
My, my, the incredulity of liberals of a certain age when confronted by the peculiar and persistent fact that the kids are still for Bernie.How could it be so? What possible logic is there for such an...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: Mein Trumpf
During the past couple of days, I have sat through hour upon hour of speeches at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, so that you, dear reader, didn't have to.I'm trying hard to blame this...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: No sense in Pence
With all the chitchat on the internet and elsewhere regarding the ghoulish hilarity of a possible Trump presidency, one of the ideas consistently making the rounds is the suggestion that Trump is too...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: Blinded by the white
A recent letter in the Tidings from Ashland resident James Adams gave me pause. Adams is irritated by the fact that OSF has stated in a recent open letter that racist incidents are "happening daily in...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: Citizen Kaine
With Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at the forefront of the silly season in 2016, it’s not at all surprising that there has not been much oxygen left in the room for their vice presidential picks....
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: The Manafort conundrum
Just when you thought the Donald Trump campaign couldn’t get any weirder, his campaign chairman, the opaque but charismatic Paul Manafort, has become embroiled in a political intrigue the likes of...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: Wilder at heart
If I were to tell you that Bertolt Brecht, that scion of 20th century epic theater, was a significant contributor to some of the best of Borscht Belt-style slapstick comedy during the latter part of...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: The problem with Saint Teresa
It’s tricky, even in this day and age, to go after a figure so universally revered and wholly worshiped as the newly sainted Mother Teresa of Calcutta.So beatific is she in the eyes of guilty...
View ArticleJeffrey Gillespie: A confederacy of deplorables
As far as gaffes go, Hillary Clinton and her "basket of deplorables" (when read within the context of her full statement) isn't nearly as bad as conservatives might have you think it is. Unfortunately...
View ArticleInner Peace: To whom do we pray?
Here are four possibilities: 1) There is no god, no spirit, just a mechanistic universe that is open to scientific thought. 2) There is a benevolent god who takes an interest in what we do and think....
View ArticleInner Peace: Quieting the mind produces peace
I recently completed a 21-day, guided meditation provided by Deepak Chopra and the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). As I opened my eyes on the last day, I felt empty, almost let down. I asked myself:...
View ArticleInner Peace: Eternal life exists in pure consiousness
The prospect of eternal life is a very attractive one. Especially when it is combined with the idea of living in a peaceful, blissful state with endless beauty and all the material items one could...
View ArticleInner Peace: Peace beckons from beyond the grave
Florida captured a part of my heart during childhood when, as a family, we would drive straight through from Kansas City to Wildwood, Florida, Mom's childhood home. Every summer we would venture that...
View ArticleChristians and Muslims join in peace making
Have you ever watched the DVD series "The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your Muslim Neighbor"? Well, thanks to Carol Custodio, participants of the Lunch & Learn committee were able to see this incredibly...
View ArticleInner Peace: It's not easy to keep peaceful in a political season
Politics! You’ve probably noticed lately that during this presidential election season we are cheering or jeering one candidate or the other. We choose sides and it may seem ridiculous but it looks...
View ArticleInner Peace: My core philosophy? I don't know
“There is no hole in the bottom of the universe out of which you can fall.” I am alive. Someday I will be dead. I am not going to speculate on what happens after I die. I don’t know.If there is a life...
View ArticleInner Peace: Trying to figure everything out? Surrender!
In growing up in our wonderful Western world, we are taught that when we have a problem or challenge to try and figure out a solution and take action to remedy the situation. Our society is built on...
View ArticleInner Peace: Celtic evensong a solace for the soul
Church is not the first place most people go to today to find inner peace. They might go to be inspired by the sermon, a personal witness, or outstanding musical performance, but I seldom hear people...
View ArticleOn Peace Day, Sept. 21, choose an ego-free day
The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on Sept. 21. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such...
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