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OPINION | KAREN MARTIN: A herd by any other name
While listening to "Morning Edition" on NPR while riding my bike the other day, I learned that a group of polar bears is known as a celebration. Also as an aur…
Stories by Karen Martin
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What’s hot to watch this summer
The heat is encouraging many of us to spend more time sheltering indoors than we do during the wintry months. So as long as we're hunkered down on a couch with…
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Subscriber ExclusiveIllustrating the ‘wicked problem’
As the T-shirted regulars straggle in to Melinda Tarver's cardio-kickboxing class on a recent Saturday morning, it's obvious the gym's air conditioning isn't w…
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Gimme shelter! for downtown dog park
Walking my dogs recently near the Firehouse Museum and Hostel in MacArthur Park Historic District, I ran into Anncha Briggs.
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Travelers’ benefits, risks of ‘skiplagging’
Summer air travel is in full swing, and people are getting ticket shock at what it costs to fly.
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Subscriber ExclusiveWhat’s in a name?
When I'd go back to visit my family in Cleveland after I moved to Little Rock in 1980, I would try to take my dad to restaurants that might expand his dining r…
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Subscriber ExclusiveAirline passengers include four-leggers
After a lengthy break from traveling (thanks to covid-19), I boarded a commercial flight a few weeks ago. I was delighted to notice that along with the usual p…
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Subscriber ExclusiveOPINION | KAREN MARTIN: Improving the image of hearing aids
There was a time when a stigma was attached to wearing eyeglasses--taunts of "four eyes" were considered a potent insult. But these days, eyeglasses seldom dra…
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Subscriber ExclusiveAI’s interactions with journalism
NEW YORK--"Everybody's a journal-ish now," says Joan Donovan. "Everybody's reporting, authoring, publishing. We need to educate high school and college student…
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Subscriber ExclusiveRecalculating life spans of our pets
Another cherished belief, originating in the 1950s, bites the dust: One dog year is the equivalent of seven human years.
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Subscriber ExclusiveOPINION | KAREN MARTIN: Cooking skills are going down the drain
I found a pamphlet on a seldom-dusted bookshelf at my house over the weekend. Its pale orange cardboardy cover announced it as "Wiki Wiki Kaukau: Quick cooking…
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Subscriber ExclusiveHome sweet home, at least for now
You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife ...
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Subscriber ExclusiveRunnin’ wild in the streets
Less than a mile from downtown Argenta, Rockwater Boulevard curves through a neighborhood of elegant houses, thoughtful landscaping, upscale multi-story apartm…
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Subscriber ExclusiveStaying home isn’t the only option
On a recent weekday late afternoon, it started to rain, hard, while I was walking the dogs. We hurried home; Savannah and Rikki got towel-dried and proceeded t…
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Subscriber ExclusiveA new definition of ‘cliff hanger’
Despite presenting as normal, I am a voyeur--I love to check out houses newly listed on the central Arkansas real-estate market.
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Subscriber ExclusiveWhy banning should be banned
There's a scene toward the end of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian crime drama "A Clockwork Orange" in which Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell), whose fondness fo…
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Subscriber ExclusiveOPINION | KAREN MARTIN: Two more for the road
A recent request in the Perspective section for stories about readers' first/best/worst cars continues to generate fascinating contributions. Here are a couple…
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Subscriber ExclusiveOPINION | KAREN MARTIN: Our car stories keep on rolling
I can't resist sharing more of the entertaining first-car/best car/worst car stories that readers have sent following my recent column on the topic. Among thos…
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Subscriber ExclusiveChronicling our legendary cars
What was your first car? I'm not interested in the sedate parental sedan that you used for your driving exam (in my case, a Chevrolet Bel Air). I'm curious abo…
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Subscriber ExclusiveAs times go by, cities evolve
Regarding the expression "Keep Fayetteville Funky"--it may be too late for that. Amid the old hippie vibe, there is evidence of sophistication-creep downtown.
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Subscriber ExclusiveWhy parking is such a problem
Why do drivers find it necessary to back their cars into perpendicular parking spots?
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Subscriber ExclusiveCommunications via a salty vocabulary
Sometimes those of us in the newspaper business call them "brights," those odd little features that poke through the daily miasma of news about politics, weath…
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Subscriber ExclusiveA well-taught skill survives the years
Muscle memory is a neurological process that allows you to remember certain motor skills and perform them without conscious effort.
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Subscriber ExclusiveIt sounds a lot worse than it is
One of the more unnerving things a dentist can say to a patient is "you need a root canal."
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Subscriber ExclusiveIt’s time to close the barn door
When I get restless, I clean out closets, mop floors, vacuum my car, re-arrange the garage, and sometimes find a part-time job.
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Paying the price for online returns
January is a time to redo, revise, recommit, and return things.
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Subscriber ExclusiveFemale film critics’ faves for 2023
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists--which consists of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and onli…
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Subscriber ExclusiveAn exhibition of intimidation
It's unnerving how quickly a pleasant afternoon can turn weird.
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Here’s what others are reading
Following up on book recommendations that appeared in this space on Dec. 17, here are more ideas from friends whose opinions on what to read are worth sharing:
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Subscriber ExclusiveWhat it takes to take away
I was lifting weights at the gym last week when I noticed the facility's petite trainer (who I refer to mentally as The Boss) working with a new client. She ta…
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Subscriber ExclusiveSCREENTIME | OPINION: Major movies still to come this year
There are still a couple of weekends to go in the year, with at least seven major movies opening.
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Subscriber ExclusiveReading between the lines
Got some time off over the next couple of weeks? (If so, you probably don't work for a newspaper). If you run out of holiday-themed chores and outings and even…
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SCREENTIME | OPINION
If you think about it, 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is a slasher film.
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A few words with Little Rock artist Laura Raborn
"Laura Raborn: Words Create Reality" opened Thursday and continues through Jan. 12 at UALR's School of Art and Design, Little Rock. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon…
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Subscriber ExclusiveHow to cope with holiday cheer
A recent commentary by Kansas City Magazine food editor Tyler Shane in The Washington Post at first seems mildly amusing. Then, with further consideration, it …
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SCREENTIME | OPINION: HBO movie about George Santos in the works
This just in: An HBO movie about the life and times of defrocked congressman George Santos is in the works.
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Subscriber ExclusiveCountry roads, take us home
There I was, listening to a three-man band of seasoned musicians play rock 'n' roll oldies on a small stage in a covered pavilion, when Savannah started tuggin…
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Getting sick isn’t an adventure
The last time I stepped on a plane for for fun was more than three years ago.
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SCREEN TIME | OPINION
If we make it through December ...
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A big-screen view of Bentonville
A recent invitation to a screening of a made-in-Bentonville film mentioned the event would take place at Skylight Cinema. “I didn’t know Bentonville had a movi…
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OPINION | SCREENTIME: Screener season has arrived
Screener season has started at our house.
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Subscriber ExclusiveHow to be the life of the party
An instructive episode of the animated streaming series "Bob's Burgers" features mom Linda spending an evening teaching her children Tina, Gene, and Louise pro…
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SCREENTIME | OPINION
Lots of movies opening theatrically this week, none of which we've seen.
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SCREENTIME/OPINION
We are immensely enjoying Brie Larson in "Lessons in Chemistry," which is now streaming on AppleTV. This week the Oscar winner (Best Actress 2016 for "The Room…
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A wise decision
Last week, the Federal Reserve did the right thing by leaving well enough alone, keeping the benchmark interest rate at about 5.4 percent. With the pressure th…
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SCREENTIME/OPINION
Elvis Presley famously met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959 when he was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. She was the daughter of an Army officer a…
