Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Richard Mason
Dancing in a cotton field Original
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. There is a song that came out of west Texas several decades ago. The refrain from an oilman is "All you need to really succeed in life is one good well." Since thousands of wells are drilled every year, one good well doesn't seem like much of a deal. A majority of those wells are producers. I've been involved in drilling hundreds of wells over my career, but have drilled only one good well. This is its story.
Landscaping and summer heat
Our driveway is about 100 yards from heavily traveled Calion Road in El Dorado. Over the past 20 years, we have steadily added azaleas and dogwood to both sides of the driveway. The hot, humid climate of south Arkansas allows azaleas to grow. If we have a hard freeze in the winter, we can put a sheet over them for protection. We have never had a problem with summer heat until this year. The high temperatures caused leaves on multiple pants to turn brown.
New Mexico deserves a salaried Legislature
As a longtime advocate at the New Mexico Legislature, I urge New Mexico voters to vote yes on Constitutional Amendment 4: legislative salaries. In my 22 years as a volunteer advocate, I have had ongoing interaction with New Mexico legislators and have come to appreciate that being a New Mexico legislator involves far more than participating in the 30-day and 60-day sessions. Here is what else it involves.
My journey to and through UA
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. After graduating from Norphlet High School, I entered the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and spent my freshman year enjoying college. I squeaked out a 2.0 grade point average, and worked the following summer at MacMillan Refinery to help pay expenses. I was anxious to start my sophomore year, but college life was about to change for me. It started with a phone call.
A to-do list for the Legislature Original
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. It's almost hold-your-breath-time again as the Arkansas Legislature prepares some 1,200 bills to drop in the hopper for next year's legislative session. In that raft of mostly worthless bills there are some that deserve to be passed that would improve our quality of life. A lot of these proposals should have RIP stamped on them.
Play the ball, not the opponent Original
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. When I think of tennis one name usually pops up. Folks my age in south Arkansas will recognize it immediately: Myron Schoffner. When we moved back to El Dorado in the mid-1970s, tennis was a national obsession. I had played for several years in Corpus Christi, Texas. I was a pretty decent player, and started playing on the local courts.
Follow the Aroma
Wah Gwaan's Jerk Chicken. Photo by Terelle Jerricks Wah Gwaan’s Jerk Chicken Is Worth the Stop By Richard Mason, Columnist “Wah Gwaan” is Jamaican “what’s happening”, the cheery greeting for all who enter the bright and fragrant restaurant at Sepulveda Street and Pacific Avenue. This new spot brings flavorful Jamaican cuisine to San Pedro.
Join the climate change battle Original
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. As the years slip by, it is easy to ignore climate changes and consider that they are simply fluctuations of a normal environment. You might think we should just put up with it. That's what we're doing. However, the ultimate outcome from that lack of action will come back to haunt us.
Join together against climate change
Becoming a supporter of Earth Day--Wednesday, April 22--is natural for me. I have always been a joiner of good causes. I look back to when I was 10 years old and my mother said, "Where's my vacuum cleaner?" I must have had a guilty look because she homed in on me like a hen on a June bug, thinking I might have something to do with it being missing. I confessed. "Uh, I thought you were throwing it away ...
El Dorado’s historic Calion Road
Calion Road once connected south Arkansas to the early French settlements on the Ouachita River originally called Scarborough's Landing, then later changed to Champagnolle, near what is today Calion.
Returning to your roots Original
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. One of the reasons Vertis and I decided to move back to Arkansas from Corpus Christi, Texas, years ago is the climate. It was a difficult choice because we had wonderful friends, a successful business environment. and were very active in our church there. In south Texas, spring means it's going to be warmer with more wind, and there's a need to keep an eye on the Gulf for storms.
Quality of life improvements
In mid-1987, my wife Vertis and I finished the groundwork to develop recent purchases of El Dorado's downtown real estate. Over several years we had acquired most of the property in the 100 block of Jefferson-Main Street, and had cleared the burned-out shell of an old department store. The space was being used as a parking lot. We were in Santa Fe, N.M., where our daughter was living at the time. Santa Fe has a great downtown, and we have copied several ideas that have been successful there.
New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Resolutions Well, do you make New Year's Resolutions? I think we all do, but most of the time we don't write them down. You get winded climbing a single flight of stairs, and your body tells you, "Workout! You are in terrible shape!" And then you read an article that says you don't need to do the 10,000 steps a day to get the workout you need, 4000 steps will get you a lot of the benefits. You nod. You have just made a resolution. Well, am I saying forget the formal New Year's bunch?
A to-do list for the Legislature | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. Although the Arkansas Legislature doesn't meet until January, now is the time to draft 2026 bills.
Why gasoline prices are rising
How did we get from single-digit pricing for a barrel of oil in the 1920s to triple digits? Oil sold...
ILCA open meeting 2025 at Notts County Sailing Club Original
ILCA open meeting 2025 at Notts County Sailing Club by Richard Mason & David Eberlin 14 Jul 19:09 BST A lovely warm and sunny day greeted 26 ILCA sailors at Notts County Sailing Club on 12th of July 2025. The wind was from a steady light south east breeze with occasional 14 mph gusts. Rebecca Ogden led the race team, and set a double beat with slightly different angles to allow for any wind swings, with reaches and runs providing an interesting course.
Restrain gerrymandering to improve democracy
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
A to-do list for the Legislature
It's almost "hold your breath time" again as our Legislature prepares some 1,200-plus bills to drop in the hopper. Most of them are just window dressing and should immediately have RIP stamped on them. I don't have the space to point out all the legislative miscues that take up most of the time in the Ledge, such as regulating who uses restrooms. We should have one restroom with locked stalls, like the Swiss do. Most of the bills filed will die in committees or be voted down.
Nev. Case Highlights Settlement Authority Dilemmas For Cos.
By Richard Mason (May 18, 2022, 11:05 AM EDT) -- Courts routinely order litigants to bring to a settlement conference or mediation a client representative upon whom the client has conferred full settlement authority.... Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence.
When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable
By Richard Mason (May 22, 2024, 5:41 PM EDT) -- Generally, oral settlement agreements are enforceable so long as the record reflects a meeting of the minds concerning an agreement that, in compliance with the statute of frauds, can be performed within one year.[1] In some jurisdictions, however, oral agreements reached in mediation are treated differently.... Law360 is on it, so you are, too.
When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable
By Richard Mason (May 22, 2024, 5:41 PM EDT) -- Generally, oral settlement agreements are enforceable so long as the record reflects a meeting of the minds concerning an agreement that, in compliance with the statute of frauds, can be performed within one year.[1] In some jurisdictions, however, oral agreements reached in mediation are treated differently.... A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence.
Dancing in a Cotton Field
It was the early summer of 1971 when we started drilling our north Mississippi well, and that next Saturday Vertis and I were having lunch at the Town Club in Corpus Christi. We were about halfway through lunch when the Club Manager came over and said, "There's a Marshall Forester on the phone, and he wants to speak to you." Marshall Forester was our Drilling Engineer on the north Mississippi well.
Dancing in a cotton field
It was the early summer of 1971 when we started drilling our north Mississippi well, and that next Saturday Vertis and I were having lunch at the Town Club in Corpus Christi.
The most wonderful time of the year
Christmas dominates all other holidays--it's a mix of joy and joy and joy. I can only think of one Christmas that didn't bring joy, when Vertis and I spent it in Libya without friends or family and only a shortwave radio to listen to the BBC.
Protecting incumbents: Another constitutional violation?
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
Home Office loses legal battle over removing British citizenship without notice
THE UK Home Office has lost the latest stage of a court battle about stripping people of British citizenship. A ruling at the Court of Appeal found that it was not lawful to remove people's nationality without proper notice being given, following a challenge from a woman who allegedly joined Isis in Syria.
Insurers Have Cause For Optimism In Labor Cost Rulings
Law360 (June 3, 2021, 10:52 AM EDT) -- On May 12, in Butler v. The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, the Supreme Court of South Carolina decided that — so long as the cost of labor is embedded in the replacement cost of property, as in the case of a damaged roof — it "makes no sense for an insurer to include depreciation for materials and not for embedded labor."[1] The Butler decision follows on the heels of the North Carolina Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Accardi v.
A Uniform Mediation Act Primer As States Continue Adoption
Law360 (March 30, 2021, 1:53 PM EDT) -- On March 25, the Georgia House passed Senate Bill 234, which amends Title 9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated relating to civil practice, thus substantially adopting the provisions of the Uniform Mediation Act. Upon the expected signing by Gov.
Obtaining General Jurisdiction Over Out-Of-State Insurers
Law360 (February 26, 2021, 4:30 PM EST) -- An insured bringing an action against an insurer may choose to commence the action in a state in which neither the insurer nor the insured resides. To do so, the insured will need to establish personal jurisdiction either on the basis of specific jurisdiction or general jurisdiction. When specific jurisdiction may be lacking, as is often the case when the policy was not issued in the forum state, general jurisdiction must be established.
Speak Freely Weekly Round-Up 20/08/2018
After a short hiatus, the Speak Freely weekly roundup is back with this week’s best articles from around the internet. Kai Weiß has been discussing how President Trump’s tax cuts show the importance of competition. How could the US spur greater competitiveness? Read the full argument at IREF! Meanwhile, Ryan Khurana explores how productivity has remained rather stagnant despite recent revolutions in the field of AI.
A More Pragmatic Approach to Britain's Drink Problem
It’s no news that we like a drink in Britain. Not only do we drink more than our European neighbours, but we binge to such an extent that it burdens the NHS to a point of considering drunk tanks as a solution to the rowdy drunks clogging up hospitals. It’s this binge-culture that’s led the Scottish government to impose a 50p minimum price-per-unit on all alcoholic drinks. The idea is that people will drink less if they lose access to bargain booze, which is simply not the case.
3 Stoic Lessons That Can Help Heal Our Toxic Political Culture | Richard Mason
Emotional. Tribal. Irrational. These are just three adjectives which could be applied to the political discourse of the 21st century. Both in the United States and Europe, discussions have reverted from constructive criticism and mutual understanding to name-calling, de-platforming, and retreats into echo chambers. None of this is particularly useful for a pluralistic society. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way.
More Knife control won't Remedy London's Crime Spike
Crime in Britain has been on the rise recently. London has overtaken New York City in murder rates, with increases in knife and gun crime becoming a major concern. In response, the UK government has launched the #KnifeFree campaign (which aims to dissuade young people from carrying knives), and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has stated that anyone caught carrying a knife “will feel the full force of the law”.
Low-Cost Options for Airborne Delivery of Contraband into North Korea
For a number of years, various activist groups in South Korea have used hydrogen balloons — and, more recently, hexacopter drones — to carry political, religious, and humanitarian materials across the border into North Korea. The balloon delivery techniques have evolved over time, and the activist groups are overtly interested in new technologies to pursue their goals.
Finding the Line between Free Speech and Hate Speech in Britain
In the United Kingdom, the right to free expression remains guaranteed for all citizens under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as well as by the British Human Rights Act. Legally, under these legislation, no British citizen may have his or her right to expression infringed upon except in cases whereby national security or morality is threatened, or in cases of libel, incitement of criminal activity, or other extenuating circumstances.
The Cost of Regulatory Divergence on the Pharmaceutical Market
IREF - Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal issues Fiscal competition and economic freedom https://en.irefeurope.org/1264 Since the introduction of the Pharmaceutical Tariff Elimination Agreement in the early 2000’s, the trade of pharmaceutical goods between the EU and US has been conducted mostly without the hindrance of tariff barriers.
Why 'Maximum Pressure' on North Korea Will Only Strengthen the Regime | Richard Mason
Last Friday, President Trump announced a new wave of sanctions against North Korea in an attempt to curtail the smuggling that goes on between the hermit state and its neighbours, China and Russia. This comes as part of Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ campaign, espoused by his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump to the South Korean President, whereby the administration hopes to coerce the DPRK into ceasing its nuclear programmes.
When a First-Timer’s Luxury Cruise Turns Into an SOS
IT’S A MYSTERIOUS TRUTH I’ve yet to fathom, but the fact is that a stranger’s opinion, delivered forcefully, often carries more weight with me than it should. The stranger in question was a man of a certain age, holding forth at a cocktail party in London on the pleasures of a world cruise. I was about to write a novel in which a character sails from Europe to Africa in the early years of the 20th century.
The NHS needs Reform, not Money
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) is viewed by many to be far more than just our humble health system; to millions it is the pride of Britain and envy of the world. Any indication that a government intends to restrict or reform the NHS is usually met with harsh criticism, and to criticise it seems to be akin to burning the Union Flag, plotting to destroy parliament, or talking on the tube. Yet every year the NHS seems to face another crisis.
A Post-Brexit Silicon Britain? Why Not!
We have had a lot of doom and gloom this year. London-based banks worrying us with talk of moving to Frankfurt, uncertainty on migration to and from the continent; for a while, it seemed as though Britain’s economic prospects post-Brexit were rather unattractive. Philip Hammond’s announcement about self-driving cars has certainly been a welcome change! The Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced the government’s plan to have self-driving cars on British roads by 2021.
Europe Is Flirting with a Disaster for Free Speech
Freedom of speech is undoubtedly one of the most important features of any democratic society. Without it, knowledge could not be shared, injustices could not be called out, and the marketplace of ideas would be reduced to a single, miserable stall. Yet the state seems to need constant reminding of the importance of free expression; to them, it always seems to take second place.
In North Korea, Black Markets Are Saving Lives
North Korea could, arguably, be considered the nation-state equivalent of a time-capsule; a society perpetually stuck in the cold-war era. For all the hermit state has been discussed, it is seldom (if ever) noted for progression, growth, or change of any sort. Black markets appeared all over the country, effectively feeding thousands of North Koreans. This makes it all the more surprising that North Korea may actually represent one of the most fascinating economic development stories.
Free the Farms, Feed the Poor
When informed that the already starving French had run out of bread, Marie Antoinette famously responded: “Then let them eat cake!” In this (likely fictitious) exchange, the Queen effectively personified the separation of the state aristocracy from the plight of the common man. Today, the state is equally as inept when it comes to feeding the poor. While everybody purchases and consumes food products, irrespective of economic or social standing, each does so in a different way.
Can the Apple Watch make an inroad into the running market? CARDS on the table,…
Can the Apple Watch make an inroad into the running market? CARDS on the table, I am not an Apple man. I admire their marketing, their packaging, and how... - Richard Mason - Google+
REVIEW: TomTom Runner Cardio
REVIEW: TomTom Runner Cardio - Update It has been a few months since I wrote my first review on TomTom's flagship GPS watch, the Runner Cardio, with its... - Richard Mason - Google+
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Richard
Contact Richard, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack