Dear Smiley: While attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, I was the associate pastor at a small church in Grand Prairie. Since the staff consisted of the pastor, a secretary and me, I often was referred to as the minister of music, minister of education, and/or minister of youth. The … Continue reading →

State Rep. Joel Robideaux sometimes leaves his seat on the front row of the Louisiana House chamber to sit in the galleries just to watch legislative proceedings. If you have a sense of how the game is played, politics is really fascinating theater, the Lafayette Republican said last week while watching two powerful committee chairmen verbally … Continue reading →

Oil City, home to just 1,000 souls, is in the middle of nowhere — Caddo Parish, to be precise — but life there is far from uneventful. As many as 25 wild hogs might show up at any time and start rooting around. It wouldn’t do much good … Continue reading →

Kids, here is important advice: If you can’t make a yo-yo do magnificent tricks, don’t worry. What? You don’t know what a yo-yo is. Well, sit down for five minutes and listen to someone who used to be a kid. When I was in grade school — that’s what … Continue reading →

One of the small intrigues of being a newspaperman is that I never know what’s going to show up in my mailbox. The other day, for example, I slit open an envelope and found three energy bars waiting inside, sent along by a publicist hoping to promote the latest in American nutrition. The snacks, I’m told, were … Continue reading →

If the issue of red snapper and the recreational fisherman has sparked something near anarchy across the five Gulf States, then the continued raid on the Louisiana Artificial Reef Fund is that same issue on the state level. The background here is that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration put enough pressure on the … Continue reading →

When McCormick, the spices and flavors company, sent ideas for dyeing eggs, it reminded me of how my mother-in-law would prepare Easter eggs with my children. She would use the old Cajun techniques she had learned from her mother and grandmother. She raised chickens so there were always plenty of both white … Continue reading →

LSU invaded Washington last week for the 2013 Breaux Symposium – named after retired U.S. Sen. John Breaux, D-La. — to help find a way toward “Making Congress Work: A Guide for Representatives, Senators and Citizens.” The event was put on by the LSU Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University and the … Continue reading →

No matter how hard everyone tries, seems there’s just no escaping having multiple events fall on the same night every now and then. Such was the case May 9 when Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, the Boy Scouts and Louisiana Public Broadcasting all held their major fundraisers. I … Continue reading →

When the Dalai Lama speaks at several events in New Orleans on May 16-18, many in the area will know the name, but not necessarily who the man is. A simple description is that the Dalai Lama is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. He is also the former head of state … Continue reading →

The Transformed by Grace program seeks to help those who have fallen victim to drug addiction and other destructive behaviors. “We don’t win them all by any means ... but we keep trying,” leader Billy King said of the faith-based support group which meets at 6:30 p.m. each Monday at Grace Works Church, 16131 La. 44, Prairieville. Continue reading →

Japanese Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu hurled the first ceremonial “first pitch” in 1908 in Koshien, Japan, a baseball tradition that has since honored 22 presidents. Unless the game is rained out, the ceremony always occurs. The “first pitch” also designates the completion of pregame festivities and … Continue reading →

Newspaper columnists don’t retire. We “leave the paper.” That makes retirement conform to our dramatic and romantic natures. This is my last column in the People section. I’m retiring Friday. Deciding to retire was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. It felt right. After 41 years at The Advocate, I awoke one morning and … Continue reading →

• After 41 years,  Ed Cullen retiring