By Tom Poland In Sunday drives’ heyday, air conditioning was gaining momentum but you’d be hard pressed to find air-conditioned stores and homes in rural areas. Oh, you might see a window unit or two but central air was rare. Breezes blew back windows’ c

Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I was always accustomed to January being well below zero in regards to temperature. Growing up, January was a time of snowball fights and sled rides. Now that I live in South Carolina, those activities are no longer possib

By Thomas L. Knapp Why should it be up to the US Department of Justice, or this or that group of politicians or lobbyists, or some percentage of your state’s voters, whether or not you can place a bet on the outcome of a sporting event, a roll of the dic

By Richard Eckstrom, S.C. Comptroller It’s the central dividing line of American politics: the age-old debate between those who generally favor higher spending and taxes, and those on the other hand who believe it’s beneficial to let taxpayers keep more

With company pension plans becoming less prominent and shortfalls in Social Security more likely, planning for your retirement is now more important than ever. The fear of outliving one’s retirement savings is ever present as society is faced with longer

By Tom Poland Hollywood props, of all things, took me back to family roots in Georgia. I was bored, a rare malady, for which the cure is a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western (so named because Italians directed them). A scene in Pale Rider featured a famili

It is hard to believe that it is already 2019. Futhermore, it is even harder to believe that the year 1999 was 20 years ago. Here is a list of some of the events that took place in January 1999. January 1st, 1999, the Euro currency was first introduced. J

by Thomas L. Knapp Cryptocurrencies had a rough ride in 2018. As of January 7, 2018, the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap.com came to more than $800 billion, its highest point ever. As I write this on January 3

by Thomas L. Knapp In March, US president Donald Trump promised the American public that US troops would be leaving Syria “very soon.” Nine months later, he threw Washington’s political establishment into turmoil by finally ordering the withdrawal he’d p

As we embark on a new year, let’s recap some of the good and bad things that happened in 2018. January 1: Iceland ensures equal pay for men and women. Iceland became the first nation to make paying men more than women illegal. Passed on Women’s Day the ye

By Richard Eckstrom, S.C. Comptroller We can all afford to better ourselves in some way, and this time each year many us resolve to do so – whether it’s adopting a healthier lifestyle, working a little harder toward a goal, or learning a new skill. And f

By Tom Poland Christmas Day blesses us with good times with family and food, and, yes, it’s a day of giving, but how many gifts, among the many, do you remember? Not many I bet. Well, some gifts stand tall in memory. I’d think country boys remember thei

As we’re about to ring in the New Year, here are some facts about New Year’s Eve to explain some of your existing traditions, and maybe inspire you to try some new ones! 1. The song traditionally sung on New Year’s, “Auld Lang Syne,” means “times gone by”

By William M. Mingus III, Advertising Consultant, The News Journal Growing up in a Catholic household and going to through Catholic school, we always had some type of Advent Wreath. Advent Wreaths carry rich meaning and symbolism. Learning about the mea

by Thomas L. Knapp Unless you live under a rock (and probably even if you do), you’ve noticed the death of George Herbert Walker Bush, 41st President of the United States, on November 30 nearly a month ago, at age 94. You’ve probably also suffered throug