Author: PAUL BATURA
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Five cultural lies people accept as being true | Paul Batura
Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? Writing in an 1889 essay, the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde contested the latter. The article was titled, “The Decay of Lying: An Observation.” Known for his wit, charm, sarcasm, and vanity, he was being intentionally provocative when he declared, “Life imitates art far more than art…
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Why Biaggi’s failed and In-N-Out succeeds | Paul Batura
Although recent headlines might leave you with a different impression, more new restaurants open each year than old ones close – although in recent years, the margin seems to be narrowing. With over 1,600 eating establishments in Colorado Springs, there’s no shortage of choices and little chance of anyone with means going hungry. But some…
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The Air Force Academy is a bargain you can’t beat | Paul Batura
By now, you’ve likely already heard them: The United States Air Force Thunderbirds are in town to put their annual exclamation point on Thursday’s Air Force Academy graduation ceremony. Originally known as the “Stardusters” when they first took to the skies in 1953, the special demonstration squadron never ceases to amaze us. Flying upwards of…
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Remember the local soldiers who helped save the Union | Paul Batura
This Memorial Day weekend, Americans will be commemorating the nearly 1.4 million lives lost in wars and conflicts since the country’s founding 250 years ago. Over 6,000 Coloradans are among those killed in action, including some who died before we were even a state. Yet, if we’re not careful, we can grow numb to it…
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GUEST COLUMN: Why abortion radicals resort to vandalism
The recent defacement of a westside billboard celebrating the sanctity of preborn life, coupled with the vandalism at a nearby Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center operated by Life Network, begs the question: What are those perpetrating these crimes afraid of? Rich Bennett, who serves as president of Life Network, the local nonprofit operating the impacted facility that…
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Life advice for the graduating Class of 2026 | Paul Batura
It’s graduation season, which means commencement ceremonies will soon feature the wit and wisdom of celebrity speakers ranging from late-night comedian Conan O’Brien (Harvard), Henry Winkler, a.k.a. ‘The Fonz’ (Emerson College), and actor Hugh Jackman (Ball State). Even if you recall who addressed your graduation class, you likely can’t remember what they said unless you…
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Your neighbors are more important than you think | Paul J. Batura
Our longtime Mountain Shadows neighbor, Norma Jean Sanguinetti, passed away earlier this month, just a few weeks shy of her 88th birthday. “Mrs. Jean,” as our boys called her, died the way most of us would like to go – peacefully in her sleep. She had been happily visiting with friends, went to take a nap,…
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Ice cream is the way to the good life | Paul Batura
If the health of a city could be measured by the availability and variety of its ice cream, then Colorado Springs is thriving like few other locales. The opening last week of Josh & John’s first drive-thru shop at 870 West Garden of the Gods Road adds yet another option for enthusiasts of the frozen…
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Six things that are true about taxes | Paul Batura
Perhaps one surprising aspect of “Tax Day” being on April 15th is that it wasn’t eventually pushed to May or June 15th – or beyond. That’s because it used to be March 1st, was bumped to March 15th in 1918, and then April 15th in 1955. Procrastination and taxes seem to go hand in hand. Over twenty million…
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We should all take our own personal moonshots | Paul J. Batura
NASA’s Artemis II is scheduled to splashdown on Friday in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of San Diego. By the time its 10-day journey around the moon is complete, crew members are expected to have flown more than 685,000 miles. Calculated in Southwest Rapid Rewards points, the four astronauts will have each earned…