IT STARTED innocently enough. While I was braving the cold to retrieve a Christmas package delivered to the front stoop, our next-door neighbor pulled into her driveway. "Hey, neighbor!" she called. "If you and your lovely wife don't have any plans

HAPPY New Year! In the grand tradition of new beginnings and clean slates, naturally I'm going to start off the new year by returning to a former subject: my article from last October about Business Auto Symbol 1. It seems my argument that Symbol 1

"Season's greetings, dear Santa!" I called loud and clear."You've agreed to an interview, at this busy time of year.And my editor says you've just one condition-not finery or purse,But only that we must talk solely in verse!" "Quite true, quite

'DRE-E-E-E-EAM...dream, dream, dream...." That old Everly Brothers song was drifting through my head, and I couldn't shake it. That the tune was making it difficult to focus on my student's question was appropriate, since it was her question that

DURING presidential election years, the great state of Iowa leaps to the headlines of every newspaper and the forefront of every political talk show. Iowa's election-season-opening caucuses and swing-state status lead politicians to make appearances

AH, SEPTEMBER! Fall will soon be in the air, and baseball's annual pennant races are in full swing. Ever wonder what the players are talking about when they gather at the pitcher's mound for a conference right in the middle of a big game? Let's

Ah, the wonders of the acronym! How dull or inconvenient our world would be if we had to forsake our fondness for (and the sheer practicality of) those little shortcuts of meaning. From those gracing all office conversation (FYI, ASAP, CYA) to those

Welcome to July, the heart of summer and home of Independence Day! But before you light up those illegal fireworks in the back yard, settle back with a glass of iced tea in your favorite hammock and dream with me about how much better our business