Sam Pollak
- Sam Pollak
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- Saturday, August 7, 2010
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American history shows we are far from infallible
As is so woefully frequent in columns that incorporate any number of quotations, one is reminded of what has been (probably erroneously) attributed to the oft-quoted Dr. Samuel Johnson. "Your manuscript," the renowned 18th century author, editor and critic is said to have opined to a writer, "is both good and original. But the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."
- Saturday, July 17, 2010
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Chewing on current events can be a sticky situation
This burning question has been puzzling philosophers, scientists, theologians and song lyricists for decades. Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?
- Sunday, June 27, 2010
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Grads: Some points to consider from the class of 1968
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of a New Jersey retirement community, an 88-year-old woman is filled with trepidation as she approaches her mailbox. It is the same daily dread she has felt since that June afternoon in 1968.
- Monday, June 7, 2010
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Strong friendships can survive tests of time and distance
They are your pals of long ago, with whom you shared some of the best years of your life. Maybe it was high school, or college or that first job working for that crazy boss you all made fun of behind his back.
- Friday, May 21, 2010
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An authority on the Constitution, Palin is not
I wish Sarah Palin _ among others who purport to be Constitutional scholars _ could have met Harry F. Wilhelm. She might have learned something, but then again, probably not.
- Saturday, April 24, 2010
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Being against it, whatever it is, isn't good enough
I don't know what they have to say, It makes no difference anyway _ Whatever it is, I'm against it! No matter what it is or who commenced it, I'm against it.
- Saturday, March 13, 2010
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It’s getting hard to find athletes kids can admire
Somewhere in America as you read this, there’s a kid trying to hit a rubber ball with a broomstick and pretending to be someone else. At least I hope the kid is doing that instead of playing a video game.
- Saturday, October 17, 2009
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What to do when nothing is good for your health
I’ve done some exhaustive research on the matter, and I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done other than to face the awful truth with a steely resolve.
- Saturday, July 25, 2009
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The birth of a notion for ignorance
"Education is dangerous," said Hermann Goering, Adolf Hitler's second-in-command and head of the Luftwaffe. "Every educated person is a future enemy."
- Saturday, April 25, 2009
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Torture is un-American as it gets
Didn't then-President George W. Bush say in a news conference on Nov. 7, 2005, "We do not torture"? Then why did we torture suspected terrorists _ some guilty and others innocent _ dozens and even hundreds of times?
- Saturday, January 10, 2009
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Amid errors, committing to credibility
Sometimes, we screw up. Sure, everybody does, but not as obviously as a newspaper.
- Saturday, November 8, 2008
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You can bet Sears will be controversial
The most frequent newspaper question I'm asked is why I ever asked Tom Sears to write a column in The Daily Star. Sears, a Hartwick College professor of accounting, regularly infuriates the more-liberal element of our readership with his ardent conservative prose.
- Saturday, September 27, 2008
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A phone call that probably could happen
"Hello? Senator?" "Yes, who is this?" "Well, for right now, just call me Mr. Smith. Look, Senator, I need to talk to you about a bailout."
- Saturday, August 16, 2008
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Moms, editors always knew what was best
The way it used to be, there were always two people who knew what was best for you. One was your mother. The other was the editor of whatever newspaper you happened to read.
- Saturday, June 14, 2008
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Being picky about offers is no vice
Hello? Who is this? Barack Obama? Hey, like you had to say "Obama." How many Baracks do you think I know? Me? Oh, nothing much, Just sitting here watching the Yankees game when you called.
- Saturday, May 24, 2008
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Gender war has winner in schools
A psychology professor named J. Philippe Rushton did a study in 2006 in which he came to the conclusion that men, by virtue of having larger brains, are smarter than women.
- Saturday, April 12, 2008
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Blood on those cold, dead hands
As president of the National Rifle Association, actor Charlton Heston was fond of stating that the only way gun-control advocates would take away his weapons would be "from my cold, dead hands."
- Saturday, February 9, 2008
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Seeing the errors of my ways
Hey, remember me? I'm the genius who predicted John Edwards would win the Democratic nomination. It says here that the Democratic Party nominee for president will be (kindly pause here for a drum roll) ... John Edwards.
- Thursday, September 27, 2007
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Paid obits’ best feature is comfort
"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain, upon learning that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal.
- Monday, August 6, 2007
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The public determines who’s good, bad in sports
Here’s a baseball trivia question almost guaranteed to get you beaten up in the barroom after you ask it. Who’s the only person to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, the New York Rangers hockey team and the New York Knicks basketball team?
