Here are my eight favorite columns from 2000 that weren't submitted for publication usually because, in a given week, another subject seemed more timely. For those reading newspapers which are just picking up this column, here's a good idea of the kind of stories, some serious and some tongue-in-cheek, that I try to share.

Witchcraft in Government ... in October, a federal lawsuit was brought by an Arkansas state employee alleging that his boss, chief deputy assessor Janet Ward, used witchcraft and other questionable methods to keep employees on line. In June, the state had settled out-of-court with another of Ward's employees. In that case, the worker contended that he was demoted because he refused to have sex with Ward at midnight under a full moon.

Death of Customer Service ... Rude behavior by sales and checkout staffs, endless telephone mazes, stores where check-out is the only service offered. Civility, compassion and respect seem to have disappeared from the consumer experience, in part because they've disappeared from the employment experience. Proper training and other good management practices can help...

New Economy ... On Dec. 12, General Motors announced that it was phasing out the Oldsmobile line because years of trying to position the famous brand name in the current market have failed. They also announced that 10 percent of their American workforce (5,000 people) would be laid off, so their stock prices actually went up thanks to our bizarre New Economy.

Changing Climate I ... On the same day in late July, asphalt roads were melting in the Balkans while snow was reported in northern England, suggesting an unprecedented split in European weather patterns. In December, respected scientists suggested that parts of southern Europe are becoming deserts.

Changing Climate II ... Climate change is the biggest ongoing story in the Eastern Hemisphere. Flooding damage has the British insurance industry teetering on the brink of collapse. Loss of polar ice cap shocks scientists. Ozone layer hole now affecting populated areas in Southern Hemisphere. Climate conference at Lyon and The Hague end without agreements, with many blaming US.

Make Them Stop ... Post-election pundits keep blabbing about the need to end partisan divides and for the country to heal itself, whatever that means. But only Washington and the ridiculous pundit media are divided in an endless partisan shouting match. The rest of the country started tuning the noise out a long time ago.

Learn or Lose ... Gore didn't lose the election in Florida, he lost it in Tennesse, Arkansas and other states that should have easily been in the Democratic column this year. Not only did he lose these states, he ran significantly behind other Democratic candidates.

Not Just an Act ... Even after he officially became President-elect, George Bush oversaw the execution of three more prisoners in Texas, giving him an American record of 40 executions in one calendar year. In 2000, 53 percent of the public executions in America were conducted in Texas and Florida, governed by the Bush brothers.