[tex-eplain] \doublecolumns-solution found..

[Karl Berry]

    if I uncomment the 
    \doublecolumns statement in the above macro and then eliminate it 
    from the main file the "Terms and Concepts" line disappears. 

Wow, how illogical :).  Given the definitions as you've presented them,
I can't imagine why it would make a difference to be inside the macro.

If you set \tracingall=1 and run it both ways, you could compare the log
files.  Obviously *something* is different.

TeX will see a space token after your \startcols{2}, but since you'll be
in vertical mode anyway, and \doublecolumns starts with \par, it
shouldn't matter.

Hmm.