Stories by Brenda Looper

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Goin’ goblin Oh, how I would love to take credit for Oxford Languages' announcement of "goblin mode" as its Word of the Year. Alas, my pointing people to the site last week to vote for either "g... December 7, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Word of honor I really don't like getting political; I'm cranky enough on my own, but add politics as now practiced? Yeesh.But then Merriam-Webster has to go and make "gaslighting" its Word of the... November 30, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Give thanks Giving thanks all year-round has been my goal for a while now, though I'm not quite as diligent about it as I could be. Most of the time those thanks are between me and the people involved. This t... November 23, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Early call Not all of my votes in this past election did much good, but I can be proud of them since I did my research. I voted early, as did a friend who ended up having to be out of state unexpectedly on Elect... November 16, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: One year later "Remember, remember, the fifth of November."--nursery rhymeSaturday was a rough day for me. A year ago Saturday, the youngest of my three brothers became a covid statistic.The day was made a... November 9, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Release valve I can't pretend to understand the U.K. government. I can say, though, that its scandals seem to be more entertaining than ours (though maybe that's more because we don't live there). Some ... October 26, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: How evolved! I've long been a believer in evolution, biological and otherwise. Biological evolution is any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations; that could be a butterfly e... October 19, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Informed voters Those who know me well know I despise politics as practiced today, which is why I don't identify with any party. A lot of that is because we were spoiled for riches, politics-wise, when I was a ki... October 12, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Falling in love October has long been one of my favorite months, though lately it hasn't been so kind to my sinuses. Those of you with chronic sinusitis know exactly what I mean. Kleenex and Vicks get a lot of su... October 5, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: The art of opinion Though my experience in the opinion side of the newspaper only goes back 11 years, my love for one specific endeavor within has been decades-long.Through history classes in school (elementary, high sc... September 28, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Know difference More than half of my career has been spent on the news side of journalism, so I’m a bit of a zealot when it comes to the difference between facts and opinion.In college, professors like Dr. Joel... September 21, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: A herd of words One of the best things about online dictionaries is that they can be updated more often than the old print editions, and with expanded definitions since they're not limited by the space constraint... September 14, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Still cautious Sometimes it’s tough coming up with column topics, especially on a long holiday weekend when you’re thinking more about recreational marijuana for dogs that play the banjo … wait, n... September 7, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: A broken system I've never had much money. It's not that I haven't tried, but that I grew up pretty poor, and I happened to choose an occupation (local journalism) that traditionally doesn't pay a who... August 31, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Reality bites A text from a friend and former colleague, along with Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan's final column, got me to thinking.I know ... dangerous.The friend wondered, about an ad promoting... August 24, 2022

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Voted down price cap | An age of disconnect | It's not Darwin's fault Voted down price capIf you live in the state of Arkansas, more than likely you know someone who is diabetic or pre-diabetic. The estimate of Arkansans with diabetes is 360,000, or 14.8 percent of the ... August 24, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Finding joy in pain We all like to think that we would never take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but we're human. It happens. Uppance comes for all, and we get a little thrill when it's not us.Schadenfreu... August 17, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Grammar grouch Migraines are never fun. Some people have migraines far worse than mine, and all I can do is salute them and marvel at their ability to withstand them without threatening to disembowel everyone in the... August 10, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Lovely as a tree When I was a kid, there was a spot at the edge of our yard where I'd sometimes curl up and read a book. It was near one corner of the property, with a little opening between the Bridal Wreath spir... July 27, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Bullying, ‘politely’ When I was in college, I checked out and read virtually every behavioral science book the campus library had, especially those having to do with serial and mass killers. I wanted to understand what co... July 20, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Taking liberties Back when I was in the office on a regular basis, I would sometimes get calls from someone who called himself an old Republican redneck (though he refused to give an actual name; I suspect I know who ... July 13, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Freedom for all The past weekend has been one of a lot of thought. Unfortunately, some of those thoughts aren't exactly appropriate for a family newspaper.I love this country. But right now, this is not the count... July 6, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Always learning In talking to a friend Sunday evening after returning from my nephew's wedding, I noted how important it is to never stop learning. In that spirit, I learned quite a few things over the weekend.&b... June 29, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Code of silence My nephew is getting married this weekend (congratulations, Dalton and Amanda!) and I had a big dose of Vitamin C(harlie) last week, so I don't really feel much like carping. And no, Charlie, you&... June 22, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: No comment I had to remind myself last week not to read the comments on news sites, or as a friend calls it, "the bottom half of the Internet."But I just can't help myself sometimes, and then I&#39... June 15, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: It’s past time I was determined not to write about mass shootings in my column again, though I've spoken about them on Facebook and on my blog. It tends to stir up the trolls who generally offer the same insults... June 8, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: With attribution Occasionally I'll get a letter from a reader that needs to be answered in a column. Last week, I received this letter from Carolyn Johnson of Little Rock:According to the guidelines for having a l... June 1, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: To be reasonable My plan to early-vote Saturday never got off the ground, thanks to insomnia (you're welcome for not endangering you; I'm a very cranky driver when exhausted). Theoretically, then, this morning... May 25, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: A sad milestone As I was putting the finishing touches on the letter selection for Tuesday's page Monday morning, the "ding" from my iPad alerted me to a story from The Wall Street Journal, with the not... May 18, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: On nuance At different points in my life, I might have been called a Republican. At others, "Democrat" would have been a fair label, as would libertarian. However, I've never joined a party becaus... May 11, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Myth takes When I was in grade school, our library had a copy of illustrated Greek myths that I kept checked out for the better part of a school year simply because I loved the stories. I often think of that boo... May 4, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Facing the facts Last week I mentioned PEN America's Banned Book Index. I had forgotten, until I received an email the afternoon before that column was published, that I had participated last year in a survey of m... April 27, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Ban the bans I've spent a lot of time recently watching my friend Sarah's sweet and goofy cat Charlie. Charlie is quite insistent that I keep the bird feeders filled for his critter-watching time. I love t... April 20, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Capital offense Sometimes when you vent just a little, more comes out than you intend. So yeah, apparently I wasn't done talking about ways to irritate an editor (any editor).Even watching Charlie napping in the ... April 13, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Annoy ahoy! I was born on a Monday. It's been mostly downhill from there.I thought about that Monday afternoon as I realized I'd locked myself out of the house I'm checking on for a friend, while her ... April 6, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Offense taken Daylight Saving Time is not my friend.I have yet to wake up refreshed and cheerful; instead, I wake up (if you can call it that) exhausted and cranky. That means I take my crankiness out in my writing... March 30, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Culture clash A lot of my exercise is rolling my eyes. Partisan talking points are a huge source of that. As I posted recently on Facebook: "If y'all keep insisting on tying gas prices to the president, Ke... March 23, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Going off labels Too much has felt grim lately.We're still caught up in the pandemic, with nearly 11,000 deaths in Arkansas alone out of nearly 1 million in the U.S. and over 6 million worldwide. I remain convince... March 16, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Bully boy Words have always been a comfort to me, whether it's the loving affirmations or jokes of a parent, sibling or friend, or ink on a page.Over the weekend, words both inspired and comforted me in vie... March 9, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: No scurrying here After two and a half weeks off, it takes a while to get back in the swing of work.Things take a bit longer for me to do, like reading page proofs and editing, especially when I have to keep reminding ... March 2, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Phooey on facts! From the beginning, it seems, I've been a radical, pushing concepts that some readers aren't OK with. Dang me all to heck, along with the ideas of facts, context and the like. Sheer socialism!... February 23, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Letting go It's sometimes hard to let someone else take the wheel.That's why I haven't looked at the Voices page since signing out of work email and our editing system on Feb. 4. I'm only signed ... February 16, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Fightin' words Ever since the events of Jan. 6, 2021, this newspaper, like many others, as well as online comment boards has received a lot of commentary about that day.Much of it has tried to excuse the actions of ... February 9, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Isolate the hate As I prepare for surgery next week, I find myself counting my blessings. I have family I love, and friends and co-workers who are willing to go to bat for me, and some even to put their lives on hold ... February 2, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Arrest infection I spent my first semester of college as a political science major, primarily because my mom wanted me to become a lawyer. But that was never my dream, especially considering the cost of law school. It... January 26, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: On criticism Criticism is one of those things that comes with being part of the human race. The way we respond can define who we are.We're all at least a little thin-skinned at times; it can hurt when someone ... January 19, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Artificial selection Evolution isn't only a biological process. It happens with just about everything: technology, education, medicine ... and language.I see most linguistic evolution as wholly natural. Meanings may b... January 12, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Be gone with you! A little cold/sinusitis made my New Year's weekend a bit more subdued than usual (so practically asleep). For one thing, you can't add much pepper to the Hoppin' John because it doesn'... January 5, 2022

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Wish upon a year Longtime readers know I don't make New Year's resolutions. I make more than enough promises to myself that I don't keep already.I do, however, have hopes for a few things to happen in the ... December 29, 2021

OPINION | BRENDA LOOPER: Christmas present Editor's note: The original version of this column was published in December 2019, months after I'd lost my mom. Having just lost my brother and with the pandemic continuing, it seems appropri... December 22, 2021