Ronald E. Yates 
For writers and those who are struggling to be writers, there is no shortage of rules, guidelines, tenets, and imperatives all calculated to turn you into a bestselling author. They are often daunting and overwhelming and in some cases a bit terrifying. But mostly, they are unnecessary. Yes, I said …
Occasionally I reprint stories I wrote while working as a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Here is one I wrote from Bangkok, Thailand in 1985. It examines the attitudes some Asian countries have toward Western (read “American”) culture—specifically, its music, its films, and what some consider its promiscuous lifestyle. …
Robert Frost once said, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” He was right. All of us need a little humor now and then in a world where levity often seems in short supply. The other day, I received an email that contained the following “Signs of the …
A decade ago, when I was a professor and college dean at the University of Illinois, I picked up a book in the campus bookstore entitled: “Are We Rome?” Its message was compelling. In 262 pages, it suggested, with the persuasive and rational use of historical facts, that the United …
With “cancel culture” running amok in the United States and statues still under attack by those who insist on ascribing 21st-century values and standards to 18th and 19th-century historical figures, it was gratifying to see that Oxford’s Oriel College in the U.K., has resisted the mob’s demand to erase history …
I have posted frequently about the fraudulent Marxist scheme called Critical Race Theory and how it is being used to indoctrinate K-12 school children to view themselves and others, not on the basis of their character (as Martin Luther King once said) but by the color of their skin. Most …
As a someone whose primary tools are words, I am always interested in where these critical implements originated and how they continue to evolve. The study of grammar, language, vocabulary–otherwise known as etymology–has always fascinated me. For those who enjoy writing and reading, what follows should be an entertaining romp …
I hesitate to post this, but after reading through it a few times, I just can’t resist. We all know that the pun, or paronomasia, is often called the lowest form of humor. But as the American wit, Oscar Levant once said: “A pun is the lowest form of humor—when …
Hundreds, if not thousands, of authors of fiction and non-fiction books, were once journalists. I am one of them. I spent 28 years as a national and foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. I consider it the best training ground for my entry into writing Historical Fiction, which my Finding …
I began reading W. Somerset Maugham in the 1980s when I was covering Asia for the Chicago Tribune. Many of the places I worked and lived were the same places that Somerset Maugham set some of his books and short stories, so I felt it was my duty to get …