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My memories of the days following Sept. 11

Brenda J. Linert September 10, 2023

My son, who was 3 years old on Sept. 11, 2001, recently has been very engaged in the Netflix series “Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror.” The documentaries were released in 2021, and, as expected, trend in September. After watching an episode last week, he asked me if I remembered where I was that morning. Like most of us who were born before Sept. 11, 2001, I recall vividly where I was that morning when the world forever changed. I first heard the news reports of an airplane striking one of the Twin Towers on my car radio. At that point, I didn’t fathom a thought ...

There is so much to learn from AI flub

Brenda J. Linert September 3, 2023

“Is ‘AI’ good or bad? Depends on who you ask” was the headline on my April 16 column here. Right now, I suspect there are some Columbus newspaper readers not calling it “good.” Advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, continue, and new forms known as “Generative AI” are still picking up steam. Generative AI is a form of AI capable of generating text and other content in response to user prompts. It’s able to read, write and understand text-based data well. But as I stated in that April column, despite all the high-tech advances, robots still lack a very ...

Staffer has surreal role in bringing sci-fi to Warren

Brenda J. Linert August 27, 2023

“Surreal” is how Trumbull County Historical Society Executive Director Meghan Reed described the donation of some 500 science fiction movie props to her organization by Warren native John Zabrucky of Los Angeles. I had a similar reaction several months ago when our newspaper’s entertainment writer, Andy Gray, spelled out to me his involvement in helping to facilitate the donation. The props, which can be spotted in hundreds of Hollywood productions, soon will be on display in a Warren science fiction history museum for all the world to see. Entering retirement age, Zabrucky, a ...

I hope everyone is ready for some football

Brenda J. Linert August 20, 2023

By the time you read this, week one of high school football, incredibly, already will be in the books. High school football kicked off last week with several games to “preview” the season Thursday night, followed by the regular exciting Friday and Saturday night games under the lights, ...

There’s no room for boxing in baseball

Brenda J. Linert August 13, 2023

Other than TV news, sporting events generally are among the few things that blare from the living room TV screen in my home. I frequently comment to my husband about how lucky we are to have a common love of sports. If we didn’t, come game day (i.e., every day), things could get mighty uncomfortable in our home. Don’t get me wrong. Household comfort levels still become questionable this time of year. You see, I grew up in western Pennsylvania, a fan of the NFL team with a steel curtain defense. Hubby grew up in northeast Ohio, rooting for a team that, for reasons I’ll never ...

‘A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies’

Brenda J. Linert August 6, 2023

By the time you are reading this, I already will have returned (God willing) from a trip down South to visit dear friends with whom my husband and I get together about once a year. Together, there are six of us — three couples — who became friends decades ago. New technology — Facebook and group text messages — make it much easier to keep in touch these days, especially when we all live hundreds and hundreds of miles apart. That’s nice, but it’s still no comparison to getting together for what has become an annual reunion tradition. We all have been blessed with our health, ...