We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
— Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Not many things better embody the spirit of the Christmas holiday than the following exchange between young Virginia O'Hanlon and The New York Sun, which first appeared in 1897:
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Chamber launches new Web site
The Blytheville/Gosnell Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a new Web site. The site is available by clicking here. If you're looking for general community information, it's a great resource to utilize.
A link to the site also appears on the right side of the opening page of this blog.
Check it out.
A link to the site also appears on the right side of the opening page of this blog.
Check it out.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
True Love out of control with gifts
Christmas is still a few days away, but already the gifts have been rolling in, courtesy of My True Love.
On the first day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Unfortunately, it had been made in China, and was coated with toxic lead paint. The product was quickly recalled.
On the second day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, the entire slate of candidates running for president. They were all there, Democrats, Republicans — and even a Libertarian mingling about. Well, as you can imagine, they made quite a racket, especially since anyone not named Hillary, Rudy, Mitt or Barack pretty much had to set his hair on fire to get noticed. I sent them all into the garage so I could get some sleep.
On the third day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, three whining celebutantes. Now, normally, this would be pretty cool. After all, what red-blooded male wouldn’t have some appreciation for three reasonably attractive young females showing up on his doorstep? But this was Britney, Lindsay and Paris, and quite frankly, they just scare me. I sent them into the garage with the candidates.
On the fourth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, four falling dollars. And I have to be honest. I really have no idea what a “falling dollar” is, or what that even means. All I know is that it sounds bad. Not much of a gift, if you ask me.
On the fifth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, five unfounded rumors. It was a nice thought, really. But I work at a newspaper office, and I guess My True Love didn’t realize that I'm already in supply of a steady stream of unfounded rumors.
On the sixth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a Google search of myself. It turned up 193 hits. Not too shabby.
On the seventh day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, Al Gore. He barged right in, waving his Nobel Prize around, complaining that it was too hot in my house, insisting that I was in danger of melting all my ice cubes. So I showed him to the garage. When he saw who was inside, he screamed and ran away. The celebutantes escaped in the melee, taking Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Hunter Duncan and Tom Tancredo with them. Nobody seemed to notice they were gone.
On the eighth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a single gallon of gasoline. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure she paid more for this gift than for all the others, combined. At least it sure seemed that way.
On the ninth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, an asterisk. She said my gift-giving had been tainted via use of performance-enhancing credit cards. “What’s the big deal?” I asked. “Everybody’s doing it.”
On the 10th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, one of those plush Christmas toys you see at Wal-Mart that play a holiday jingle whenever you push the button. I took it to the garage, to show it to the remaining candidates, but as soon as they saw it, each and everyone of them bolted out the door. I can't say that I blame them.
On the 11th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, an Internet message board where people were discussing assorted Blytheville-related topics. It sounded like a good idea, but it turned out to be complete garbage. I was disappointed.
On the 12th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, 12 mascot suggestions. Not only were they mostly lame, but a couple of them weren’t even identifiable.
Usually, My True Love* does a pretty good job of buying presents. But this year, she was way off the mark. Maybe next year I'll just ask for a gift card.
On the first day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Unfortunately, it had been made in China, and was coated with toxic lead paint. The product was quickly recalled.
On the second day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, the entire slate of candidates running for president. They were all there, Democrats, Republicans — and even a Libertarian mingling about. Well, as you can imagine, they made quite a racket, especially since anyone not named Hillary, Rudy, Mitt or Barack pretty much had to set his hair on fire to get noticed. I sent them all into the garage so I could get some sleep.
On the third day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, three whining celebutantes. Now, normally, this would be pretty cool. After all, what red-blooded male wouldn’t have some appreciation for three reasonably attractive young females showing up on his doorstep? But this was Britney, Lindsay and Paris, and quite frankly, they just scare me. I sent them into the garage with the candidates.
On the fourth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, four falling dollars. And I have to be honest. I really have no idea what a “falling dollar” is, or what that even means. All I know is that it sounds bad. Not much of a gift, if you ask me.
On the fifth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, five unfounded rumors. It was a nice thought, really. But I work at a newspaper office, and I guess My True Love didn’t realize that I'm already in supply of a steady stream of unfounded rumors.
On the sixth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a Google search of myself. It turned up 193 hits. Not too shabby.
On the seventh day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, Al Gore. He barged right in, waving his Nobel Prize around, complaining that it was too hot in my house, insisting that I was in danger of melting all my ice cubes. So I showed him to the garage. When he saw who was inside, he screamed and ran away. The celebutantes escaped in the melee, taking Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Hunter Duncan and Tom Tancredo with them. Nobody seemed to notice they were gone.
On the eighth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a single gallon of gasoline. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure she paid more for this gift than for all the others, combined. At least it sure seemed that way.
On the ninth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, an asterisk. She said my gift-giving had been tainted via use of performance-enhancing credit cards. “What’s the big deal?” I asked. “Everybody’s doing it.”
On the 10th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, one of those plush Christmas toys you see at Wal-Mart that play a holiday jingle whenever you push the button. I took it to the garage, to show it to the remaining candidates, but as soon as they saw it, each and everyone of them bolted out the door. I can't say that I blame them.
On the 11th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, an Internet message board where people were discussing assorted Blytheville-related topics. It sounded like a good idea, but it turned out to be complete garbage. I was disappointed.
On the 12th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, 12 mascot suggestions. Not only were they mostly lame, but a couple of them weren’t even identifiable.
Usually, My True Love* does a pretty good job of buying presents. But this year, she was way off the mark. Maybe next year I'll just ask for a gift card.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
So long, Milwaukee Tool
The news today that Milwaukee Electric Tool will close its doors by the end of next year is, of course, disappointing, and sad.
At least it's not a big surprise. Several months ago, the company announced that it might close the plant — a pretty sure sign of what was to come. And for years, there have been reports of the company cutting jobs, adding jobs, pulling out, coming back, only to pull out again.
But foreseen or not, it is disappointing. For one thing, there's the 350 or so employees who will be directly effected by the decision. And then there's the impact on the community — not only losing 350 jobs, but losing a company that had been a good corporate citizen in the community.
The consolation, if you're looking for one, is that Milwaukee Tool's move comes on the heels of several good things on the economic development front. PIZO announced plans several weeks ago to bring 45 high-paying jobs to the area. And other new plants, such as Atlas Tube and Roll Coater, have begun operations in the last year or so.
The whole affair offers yet another reminder of the importance for community economic developers to be ever-vigilant in their quest to being new jobs to the area. It's a fact of economic development life that plants come, and plants go. Communities that thrive are the ones that are able to replace the jobs that leave. The good news is that economic developers in Mississippi County — armed with the quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters several years ago — are apparently staying vigilant. There seems to be a steady stream of rumors and reports of companies that are looking at this area.
Today's announcement only strengthened our desire to reel another one of these prospects in soon.
At least it's not a big surprise. Several months ago, the company announced that it might close the plant — a pretty sure sign of what was to come. And for years, there have been reports of the company cutting jobs, adding jobs, pulling out, coming back, only to pull out again.
But foreseen or not, it is disappointing. For one thing, there's the 350 or so employees who will be directly effected by the decision. And then there's the impact on the community — not only losing 350 jobs, but losing a company that had been a good corporate citizen in the community.
The consolation, if you're looking for one, is that Milwaukee Tool's move comes on the heels of several good things on the economic development front. PIZO announced plans several weeks ago to bring 45 high-paying jobs to the area. And other new plants, such as Atlas Tube and Roll Coater, have begun operations in the last year or so.
The whole affair offers yet another reminder of the importance for community economic developers to be ever-vigilant in their quest to being new jobs to the area. It's a fact of economic development life that plants come, and plants go. Communities that thrive are the ones that are able to replace the jobs that leave. The good news is that economic developers in Mississippi County — armed with the quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters several years ago — are apparently staying vigilant. There seems to be a steady stream of rumors and reports of companies that are looking at this area.
Today's announcement only strengthened our desire to reel another one of these prospects in soon.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Hope for Red Rhinos
There may be hope for the Arkansas State Big Red Rhinos, after all.
As regular readers of The Talker know, I have advocated "Big Red Rhinos" as a new nickname for the ASU athletic teams, replacing the soon-to-be-retired "Indian" mascot. But when the university announced its top 12 finalists, alas, Big Red Rhinos was not among on the list, though true winners such as "Diamonds," "Express" and the ever-mystical "Ridge Runners" were included.
But the latest development is that ASU has hired a marketing firm to assist the school in the development of its new symbol. And officials from that firm have said that they may not confine themselves to the top 12 nicknames identified by the university. Furthermore, university officials say they are still open to new suggestions.
This is good news. There's still hope for the Rhinos. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The best and worst in holiday music
A week later, and I still have Christmas music on my mind.
It's hard to get away from it this time of year.
Having talked about different kinds of holiday classics last week, I thought I'd devote this column to the best and worst of the Yuletide music scene. Here's my picks:
— Best Christmas song (secular): "Sleigh Ride." A great upbeat tune, that's best performed as an instrumental, preferably with some kind of brass band. When sung, it has one of the best lines in any Christmas song: "These wonderful things are the things we'll remember all through our lives!"
— Best Christmas song (religious): "O Holy Night." When done right, it'll give you chills.
— Most overrated: "Silent Night." If done well, it's not bad. The problem is, it's rarely done well. Most often, it just drones on and on, especially when performed by marginal school choirs and community civic clubs. And everyone reveres it as something hallowed, that simply must be sung. It turns my stomach sometimes.
— Most underrated: "Still, Still, Still." Perhaps the most angelic tune of the season.
— Easiest to Sing Along To: "Jingle Bells." It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 95, you can sing this one well. (Civic clubs ought to stick to this fare.)
— Most Overplayed by Memphis Radio Stations: "Christmas in the Trailer Park." It's the modern-day equivalent to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Seriously, you write a song that mentions NASCAR or Hooters, and you can pretty much guarantee unlimited air time in Memphis. Sorry guys ... the song just isn't that funny.
— Most Overplayed by Local Radio Stations: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Granted, playing this recording even once constitutes "overplayed" in my book. I mean, if you're going to play a cheesy stereotypical Hispanic holiday song, at least play "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." Any song that contains the word "mamacita" should be avoided.
— Most Likely to Make Me Get Up and Dance: "Linus and Lucy," from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special. It's just piano and a little bit of percussion, but it still rocks. My 5-year-old son, Drew, and I love to shake our booties when we hear this one.
— Best New Version of a Christmas Classic: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings," by the Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin. I see this recording becoming the new standard for those traditional songs.
— Most Likely to be Parodied: "The 12 Days of Christmas." There's about a million versions of this song, and almost all are great. There's the McKenzie Brothers version, the Muppets version, the "12 Pains of Christmas version" and even a redneck version (which they no doubt love on Memphis radio). Someone ought to release an album consisting entirely of "12 Days of Christmas" versions.
— Most Likely to be Parodied by My Kids: "Joy to the World." The following are actual lyrics that emanated from the backseat of my car: "Joy to the world; my fish is dead; I flushed him down the toilet! Because he really stinked; because he really stinked; he really stunk so bad; he really stunk so bad; so I flushed him down the toilet."
— Most Likely to Get Stuck in My Head for Days: "Where are you Christmas" by Faith Hill. Don't get me wrong; I like the song. It's one of the best new holiday songs in recent memory. But once lodged in my cranium, it stays there forever, and that gets tiring. (Honorable mention: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Thank you, KQDD.)
— Best Christmas song (overall): "The Christmas Song," also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." No song better captures the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday season. It's been my favorite for years, and it still is.
It's hard to get away from it this time of year.
Having talked about different kinds of holiday classics last week, I thought I'd devote this column to the best and worst of the Yuletide music scene. Here's my picks:
— Best Christmas song (secular): "Sleigh Ride." A great upbeat tune, that's best performed as an instrumental, preferably with some kind of brass band. When sung, it has one of the best lines in any Christmas song: "These wonderful things are the things we'll remember all through our lives!"
— Best Christmas song (religious): "O Holy Night." When done right, it'll give you chills.
— Most overrated: "Silent Night." If done well, it's not bad. The problem is, it's rarely done well. Most often, it just drones on and on, especially when performed by marginal school choirs and community civic clubs. And everyone reveres it as something hallowed, that simply must be sung. It turns my stomach sometimes.
— Most underrated: "Still, Still, Still." Perhaps the most angelic tune of the season.
— Easiest to Sing Along To: "Jingle Bells." It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 95, you can sing this one well. (Civic clubs ought to stick to this fare.)
— Most Overplayed by Memphis Radio Stations: "Christmas in the Trailer Park." It's the modern-day equivalent to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Seriously, you write a song that mentions NASCAR or Hooters, and you can pretty much guarantee unlimited air time in Memphis. Sorry guys ... the song just isn't that funny.
— Most Overplayed by Local Radio Stations: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Granted, playing this recording even once constitutes "overplayed" in my book. I mean, if you're going to play a cheesy stereotypical Hispanic holiday song, at least play "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." Any song that contains the word "mamacita" should be avoided.
— Most Likely to Make Me Get Up and Dance: "Linus and Lucy," from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special. It's just piano and a little bit of percussion, but it still rocks. My 5-year-old son, Drew, and I love to shake our booties when we hear this one.
— Best New Version of a Christmas Classic: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings," by the Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin. I see this recording becoming the new standard for those traditional songs.
— Most Likely to be Parodied: "The 12 Days of Christmas." There's about a million versions of this song, and almost all are great. There's the McKenzie Brothers version, the Muppets version, the "12 Pains of Christmas version" and even a redneck version (which they no doubt love on Memphis radio). Someone ought to release an album consisting entirely of "12 Days of Christmas" versions.
— Most Likely to be Parodied by My Kids: "Joy to the World." The following are actual lyrics that emanated from the backseat of my car: "Joy to the world; my fish is dead; I flushed him down the toilet! Because he really stinked; because he really stinked; he really stunk so bad; he really stunk so bad; so I flushed him down the toilet."
— Most Likely to Get Stuck in My Head for Days: "Where are you Christmas" by Faith Hill. Don't get me wrong; I like the song. It's one of the best new holiday songs in recent memory. But once lodged in my cranium, it stays there forever, and that gets tiring. (Honorable mention: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Thank you, KQDD.)
— Best Christmas song (overall): "The Christmas Song," also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." No song better captures the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday season. It's been my favorite for years, and it still is.
Monday, December 10, 2007
History remembered
I got one of those "shame on you" letters in my e-mail over the weekend. These are the letters we get from time to time from folks who are extra-incensed over something they read in the newspaper ... or, in this case, something they didn't read. The subject line was "history forgotten":
One, the CN has actually featured Mr. Katz on several occasions in the past. Indeed, he does have an interesting story to tell. And we've told that story several times.
Second, we actually did note the significance of the date in the "This Day in History" feature on Page 6 of the newspaper. Admittedly, it was a pretty small item.
That said, I think the gentleman who sent the e-mail has a fair enough point. It would have been nice to have done something of greater significance to commemorate the "Day of Infamy" in Friday's newspaper.
But the challenge from this end is: what? How do we, as a newspaper, commemorate this part of history, without being completely redundant in the information we provide our readers?
Besides that, there is the question of what role a daily newspaper should play as a source for historical information. After all, there are numerous dates of historical significance throughout the year. Dec. 7 is Pearl Harbor day. June 6 is Normandy Day. May 8 is V-E Day. Aug. 15 is V-J Day. Aug. 6 is the day Hiroshima was bombed. And these are just WWII dates.
Consider the other dates of historical significance:
Sept. 17 marks the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. July 1-3 marks the Battle of Gettysburg. April 9 marks the anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant. April 14 is the date of Lincoln's assassination. Sept. 17 is the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted. April 19 marks the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the "Shot Heard Round the World." Dec. 17 is the date of the Wright Brothers' first flight. April 15 is when the Titanic sunk. July 21 is the day man first walked on the moon. July 4 is obviously Independence Day. The list goes on and on.
Obviously, the task of "remembering history" is a daunting one. And I doubt that any newspaper can adequately commemorate each date of historical significance, while simultaneously reporting the news of the day.
But still, we do have a role to play in marking history, and we try to do so. That's why we have the "Today in History" feature every day in the newspaper. Do some historical events warrant bigger and bolder coverage? Sure. Is Dec. 7 one of those days? That's a perfectly valid opinion.
The challenge before newspaper editors is making the decision of what dates to commemorate, when to mark history in a big, bold fashion, and how to do it in a creative manner. In the eyes of some, we no doubt came up short last Friday. But we continue to strive to meet the needs of our readers. And we certainly do our best to "remember history."
Shame on you. Today is Dec 7 and you did not even mention the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which started WWII. Plus, one of your town's long time residents, Larry Katz, is a veteran of that fateful attack and served throughout the rest of the war flying PBY patrol planes in the famous Black Cats squadron, VP22.A couple of points are worth noting.
One, the CN has actually featured Mr. Katz on several occasions in the past. Indeed, he does have an interesting story to tell. And we've told that story several times.
Second, we actually did note the significance of the date in the "This Day in History" feature on Page 6 of the newspaper. Admittedly, it was a pretty small item.
That said, I think the gentleman who sent the e-mail has a fair enough point. It would have been nice to have done something of greater significance to commemorate the "Day of Infamy" in Friday's newspaper.
But the challenge from this end is: what? How do we, as a newspaper, commemorate this part of history, without being completely redundant in the information we provide our readers?
Besides that, there is the question of what role a daily newspaper should play as a source for historical information. After all, there are numerous dates of historical significance throughout the year. Dec. 7 is Pearl Harbor day. June 6 is Normandy Day. May 8 is V-E Day. Aug. 15 is V-J Day. Aug. 6 is the day Hiroshima was bombed. And these are just WWII dates.
Consider the other dates of historical significance:
Sept. 17 marks the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. July 1-3 marks the Battle of Gettysburg. April 9 marks the anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant. April 14 is the date of Lincoln's assassination. Sept. 17 is the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted. April 19 marks the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the "Shot Heard Round the World." Dec. 17 is the date of the Wright Brothers' first flight. April 15 is when the Titanic sunk. July 21 is the day man first walked on the moon. July 4 is obviously Independence Day. The list goes on and on.
Obviously, the task of "remembering history" is a daunting one. And I doubt that any newspaper can adequately commemorate each date of historical significance, while simultaneously reporting the news of the day.
But still, we do have a role to play in marking history, and we try to do so. That's why we have the "Today in History" feature every day in the newspaper. Do some historical events warrant bigger and bolder coverage? Sure. Is Dec. 7 one of those days? That's a perfectly valid opinion.
The challenge before newspaper editors is making the decision of what dates to commemorate, when to mark history in a big, bold fashion, and how to do it in a creative manner. In the eyes of some, we no doubt came up short last Friday. But we continue to strive to meet the needs of our readers. And we certainly do our best to "remember history."
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Classic songs bring holiday to life
One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the music. Though there will come a day about Jan. 2 when I’m sick of it; for the time being, I can’t get enough.
And when you talk about Christmas music, you’ve got to start with the classics. But really, there are different kinds of classics, each with its own unique contribution to the sounds of the season.
First, there are the “standard classics.” And there are a ton of them. I’m talking about tunes like “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” Or “Frosty the Snowman” and “Away in a Manger.” Or “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hark, the Herald Angles Sing.” These are the songs we know by heart. Whether it’s a song at church, a sing-along in the car, or carolers on your doorstep, if someone starts up one of these tunes, anyone can join in and sing along.
And that’s what makes them great. They’re solid and never-changing, a constant part of every holiday season.
But one thing about these standard classics is that there is no definitive version of any of them. Sure, we all know “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells” by heart — they’ve been sung millions of times. But when we think about these songs, there is no specific version we think of.
And that leads us to the second kind of classic Christmas music — the “classic performance.” For some Christmas songs, there is a single version that we always think of when we think of the song. A great example is “White Christmas.” Though it’s been recorded by many, chances are, when you think of this song, you think of Bing Crosby’s version. Everything else is an imitation.
Or what about “The Little Drummer Boy.” When you think of this one, there's a pretty good chance you'll think about the version originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale. Today, if you don’t do this song with a boys choir, it just doesn’t sound right.
And there are others: Burl Ives and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Elvis and “Blue Christmas,” Nat King Cole and “The Christmas Song,” Judy Garland and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Each is a classic recording that has become the definitive version of each song. No one else will ever do it better.
The third kind of classic Christmas song is the “new classic.” Every year, many of the popular artists of the day release Christmas albums. Most of the songs are usually the old standards, but it’s also common for artists to release original Christmas songs that are brand new. Honestly, most of these are forgettable.
But every once in a while, a new song comes along that is good enough to stick around. Really, this is how many classic Christmas songs are born, like Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, or Bobby Helms' “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957. At the time they came out, those songs were brand new. But today, they are classics.
It’s hard to know what recent songs will become classics, but I have two nominations. The first is “All I want for Christmas is You,” recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994. I like it because it has an upbeat feel that effectively captures the fun (and occasionally romantic) feeling of the holiday season.
My other nomination is Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas,” released in 2000. Perhaps more than any other, this song conveys the struggles that many of us have from time to time to remember the magic of the season, while at the same time acknowledging the power of the Christmas spirit to ultimately triumph.
Classics or not, I enjoy listening to them, just as I do all Christmas music this time of year. I’m happy that I get several different holiday music stations via satellite TV, so I can always have holiday music playing around the house. I like to turn it on when I’m wrapping presents, folding laundry, or just sitting down for supper.
There's no denying that music is an integral part of the holiday season, and Christmas truly wouldn't be the same without it.
In case you don't know it, or if you just want an excuse to look at Faith Hill, here is the "Where Are You Christmas?" video:
And when you talk about Christmas music, you’ve got to start with the classics. But really, there are different kinds of classics, each with its own unique contribution to the sounds of the season.
First, there are the “standard classics.” And there are a ton of them. I’m talking about tunes like “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” Or “Frosty the Snowman” and “Away in a Manger.” Or “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hark, the Herald Angles Sing.” These are the songs we know by heart. Whether it’s a song at church, a sing-along in the car, or carolers on your doorstep, if someone starts up one of these tunes, anyone can join in and sing along.
And that’s what makes them great. They’re solid and never-changing, a constant part of every holiday season.
But one thing about these standard classics is that there is no definitive version of any of them. Sure, we all know “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells” by heart — they’ve been sung millions of times. But when we think about these songs, there is no specific version we think of.
And that leads us to the second kind of classic Christmas music — the “classic performance.” For some Christmas songs, there is a single version that we always think of when we think of the song. A great example is “White Christmas.” Though it’s been recorded by many, chances are, when you think of this song, you think of Bing Crosby’s version. Everything else is an imitation.
Or what about “The Little Drummer Boy.” When you think of this one, there's a pretty good chance you'll think about the version originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale. Today, if you don’t do this song with a boys choir, it just doesn’t sound right.
And there are others: Burl Ives and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Elvis and “Blue Christmas,” Nat King Cole and “The Christmas Song,” Judy Garland and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Each is a classic recording that has become the definitive version of each song. No one else will ever do it better.
The third kind of classic Christmas song is the “new classic.” Every year, many of the popular artists of the day release Christmas albums. Most of the songs are usually the old standards, but it’s also common for artists to release original Christmas songs that are brand new. Honestly, most of these are forgettable.
But every once in a while, a new song comes along that is good enough to stick around. Really, this is how many classic Christmas songs are born, like Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, or Bobby Helms' “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957. At the time they came out, those songs were brand new. But today, they are classics.
It’s hard to know what recent songs will become classics, but I have two nominations. The first is “All I want for Christmas is You,” recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994. I like it because it has an upbeat feel that effectively captures the fun (and occasionally romantic) feeling of the holiday season.
My other nomination is Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas,” released in 2000. Perhaps more than any other, this song conveys the struggles that many of us have from time to time to remember the magic of the season, while at the same time acknowledging the power of the Christmas spirit to ultimately triumph.
Classics or not, I enjoy listening to them, just as I do all Christmas music this time of year. I’m happy that I get several different holiday music stations via satellite TV, so I can always have holiday music playing around the house. I like to turn it on when I’m wrapping presents, folding laundry, or just sitting down for supper.
There's no denying that music is an integral part of the holiday season, and Christmas truly wouldn't be the same without it.
In case you don't know it, or if you just want an excuse to look at Faith Hill, here is the "Where Are You Christmas?" video:
Friday, November 30, 2007
I love a parade
Just got in from a fantastic experience over at the annual Christmas parade put on by the Blytheville/Gosnell Area Chamber of Commerce. What a great time. Seriously ... it's one of the events that makes you feel really good about your community.
The weather was perfect for a Christmas parade ... nice and chilly, but not too cold.
I viewed the parade this year from the Lights of the Delta's hay-wagon float (my wife, Jena, is affiliated with the Lights organization.) From that vantage point, the crowd size looked really nice. There were thick crowds from Broadway to one block past the railroad tracks, with the crowds thinning out after that.
I didn't get to see the floats as they motored by, but I saw quite a few in the staging area on West Main before the parade began. There were many nice entries, and it was good so see so many folks involved.
But my personal favorite was the Dancing Dora who was part of the Zaxby's entry. They had Elmo, Shrek and Spongebob, but it was Dora who stole the show, strutting her stuff all the way up Main Street. Honestly, if anyone has video, they need to put it up on YouTube. It would be a national sensation. All I was able to get was a few still pictures:
Overall, it was a great time. The kids had fun riding on the float and waving at people, and everyone there seemed to walk away a little bit more in the holiday spirit.
For more parade coverage, see Sunday's CN.
The weather was perfect for a Christmas parade ... nice and chilly, but not too cold.
I viewed the parade this year from the Lights of the Delta's hay-wagon float (my wife, Jena, is affiliated with the Lights organization.) From that vantage point, the crowd size looked really nice. There were thick crowds from Broadway to one block past the railroad tracks, with the crowds thinning out after that.
I didn't get to see the floats as they motored by, but I saw quite a few in the staging area on West Main before the parade began. There were many nice entries, and it was good so see so many folks involved.
But my personal favorite was the Dancing Dora who was part of the Zaxby's entry. They had Elmo, Shrek and Spongebob, but it was Dora who stole the show, strutting her stuff all the way up Main Street. Honestly, if anyone has video, they need to put it up on YouTube. It would be a national sensation. All I was able to get was a few still pictures:Overall, it was a great time. The kids had fun riding on the float and waving at people, and everyone there seemed to walk away a little bit more in the holiday spirit.
For more parade coverage, see Sunday's CN.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
An obligatory update
I've never claimed to be an expert on this whole blogosphere thing, but one thing that makes logical sense is that if you want to maintain any degree of readership, you've got to have updates. You've got to give something to the people. After all, I wouldn't want The Talker to become one of those Internet ghost towns, where you half expect to see a cyber-tumbleweed scroll across the screen.
Usually, I update at least once a week, with my column that runs Wednesday in the CN. However, I didn't write a column this week, for I have been busy catching up on work after traveling to Iowa — the land of the midnight corn — for the holiday weekend. It was a good trip, if you must know. Kind of a Thanksgiving-and-Christmas-all-rolled-into-one kind of thing. They even had snow on the ground, so the kids got to play around on Grandpa and Grandma's sled for a little while. A good time was had by all.
But now, it's back to the grind, and between Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, various holiday happenings, and doing the work that I'm actually paid to do, I'll try to keep the updates coming. I wouldn't want to disappoint all 11 of you who check this blog regularly. ;)
Usually, I update at least once a week, with my column that runs Wednesday in the CN. However, I didn't write a column this week, for I have been busy catching up on work after traveling to Iowa — the land of the midnight corn — for the holiday weekend. It was a good trip, if you must know. Kind of a Thanksgiving-and-Christmas-all-rolled-into-one kind of thing. They even had snow on the ground, so the kids got to play around on Grandpa and Grandma's sled for a little while. A good time was had by all.
But now, it's back to the grind, and between Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, various holiday happenings, and doing the work that I'm actually paid to do, I'll try to keep the updates coming. I wouldn't want to disappoint all 11 of you who check this blog regularly. ;)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Lights make memories ... then and now
Though it's not yet even Thanksgiving, I find myself already in the holiday spirit. Sure, like pretty much everyone else, I like to gripe about the onslaught of Christmas, which seems to come earlier every year. But I've decided to quit fighting it. After all, it is a pretty fun time of the year.
I have so many fond memories of the holiday season, from my youth, to my young adult days to the past few years. I think that's a big part of what Christmas is all about — making memories and remembering good times shared with family and friends.
One of my favorite childhood memories involves a small Iowa community known as Vinton. Now, Vinton, Iowa, isn't really too much to brag about. It's a small town of about 5,000 people located on Highway 218, about 20 miles from my hometown of Cedar Rapids. Yet every Christmas, my family would pack into the family station wagon for a trip to this little town.
The reason? Well, just north of Vinton was a farmer who apparently either had an overdose of the holiday spirit, or way too much time on his hands. Every year, he would decorate his property with thousands and thousands of Christmas lights. Every tree was full of lights, and the road along his land was lined with various Christmas displays. The displays included wooden and plastic figures, ranging from classic holiday icons like Santa, snowmen and elves, to the pop culture icons of the day like the Flintstones and the Smurfs. Some figures were animated — I remember a chimney — about 25 feet tall — where Santa would alternately appear out of the top and from the bottom. Some of the displays even played music, and I remember my sister and I hanging out the car window to hear it, though the temperature was probably in the teens or 20s.
Going to see the lights in Vinton was something my sister and I looked forward to doing every year. Some years, we would swing by on the way home from a trip to my grandparents. Other times, we would take a trip to Vinton for the sole purpose of seeing the lights. We would play holiday music in the car, and sing carols all the way.
The farm in Vinton was a popular spot, being regularly featured in area newspapers. One year, in fact, we waited more than an hour to drive past the lights, lining up with hundreds of other motorists. At the time, of course, that long wait was a pain in the rear. But looking back, it's a great story to tell — a great holiday memory.
And it was memories like these that made me happy a few years ago when Blytheville brought a spectacular holiday light display to the Arkansas Aeroplex as part of its Lights of the Delta. In the name of full disclosure, I should mention here that my wife, Jena, happens to be active with the current Lights of the Delta board. And for those who might view this column as nothing but a shameless attempt to get out of doing the dishes, you are wrong. The truth is, I've been a fan of the Lights of the Delta long before Jena got involved. (Though if this column does, in fact, get me out of doing the dishes; well, that's just gravy.)
The reason I'm a fan of Lights of the Delta is because it has helped me make memories for my own children. It's about more than seeing some pretty lights — although the lights are very pretty — it's about creating memories that will last a lifetime. Already, my kids have been talking about going to see the Lights. It's a ritual that they've come to know as part of the holiday season. During the recently completed soccer season, the kids got a kick out of seeing the frameworks for the displays as they were being put up at the Aeroplex. Eight-year-old Katie, is fact, has already begun lobbying for a stop at the concession stand for some hot chocolate when we make our trek through the display in a couple of weeks.
Visiting the Lights of the Delta is something Katie and her 5-year-old brother, Drew, will always remember. It will become a part of the fabric of their Christmas memories, just as trips to Vinton are a part of the fabric of the Christmas memories for me and my sister.
If you've never made a trip out to see the Lights of the Delta, make sure you do it this year. If you've been out before, make sure you do it again. Play some Christmas music along the way, and maybe even sing along with some carols. Stop at the concession stand midway through, and have a cup of hot chocolate and say hello to Santa Claus. You'll be glad you did, and you'll walk away with a great memory.
After all, making memories is what the holiday season is all about.
I have so many fond memories of the holiday season, from my youth, to my young adult days to the past few years. I think that's a big part of what Christmas is all about — making memories and remembering good times shared with family and friends.
One of my favorite childhood memories involves a small Iowa community known as Vinton. Now, Vinton, Iowa, isn't really too much to brag about. It's a small town of about 5,000 people located on Highway 218, about 20 miles from my hometown of Cedar Rapids. Yet every Christmas, my family would pack into the family station wagon for a trip to this little town.
The reason? Well, just north of Vinton was a farmer who apparently either had an overdose of the holiday spirit, or way too much time on his hands. Every year, he would decorate his property with thousands and thousands of Christmas lights. Every tree was full of lights, and the road along his land was lined with various Christmas displays. The displays included wooden and plastic figures, ranging from classic holiday icons like Santa, snowmen and elves, to the pop culture icons of the day like the Flintstones and the Smurfs. Some figures were animated — I remember a chimney — about 25 feet tall — where Santa would alternately appear out of the top and from the bottom. Some of the displays even played music, and I remember my sister and I hanging out the car window to hear it, though the temperature was probably in the teens or 20s.
Going to see the lights in Vinton was something my sister and I looked forward to doing every year. Some years, we would swing by on the way home from a trip to my grandparents. Other times, we would take a trip to Vinton for the sole purpose of seeing the lights. We would play holiday music in the car, and sing carols all the way.
The farm in Vinton was a popular spot, being regularly featured in area newspapers. One year, in fact, we waited more than an hour to drive past the lights, lining up with hundreds of other motorists. At the time, of course, that long wait was a pain in the rear. But looking back, it's a great story to tell — a great holiday memory.
And it was memories like these that made me happy a few years ago when Blytheville brought a spectacular holiday light display to the Arkansas Aeroplex as part of its Lights of the Delta. In the name of full disclosure, I should mention here that my wife, Jena, happens to be active with the current Lights of the Delta board. And for those who might view this column as nothing but a shameless attempt to get out of doing the dishes, you are wrong. The truth is, I've been a fan of the Lights of the Delta long before Jena got involved. (Though if this column does, in fact, get me out of doing the dishes; well, that's just gravy.)
The reason I'm a fan of Lights of the Delta is because it has helped me make memories for my own children. It's about more than seeing some pretty lights — although the lights are very pretty — it's about creating memories that will last a lifetime. Already, my kids have been talking about going to see the Lights. It's a ritual that they've come to know as part of the holiday season. During the recently completed soccer season, the kids got a kick out of seeing the frameworks for the displays as they were being put up at the Aeroplex. Eight-year-old Katie, is fact, has already begun lobbying for a stop at the concession stand for some hot chocolate when we make our trek through the display in a couple of weeks.
Visiting the Lights of the Delta is something Katie and her 5-year-old brother, Drew, will always remember. It will become a part of the fabric of their Christmas memories, just as trips to Vinton are a part of the fabric of the Christmas memories for me and my sister.
If you've never made a trip out to see the Lights of the Delta, make sure you do it this year. If you've been out before, make sure you do it again. Play some Christmas music along the way, and maybe even sing along with some carols. Stop at the concession stand midway through, and have a cup of hot chocolate and say hello to Santa Claus. You'll be glad you did, and you'll walk away with a great memory.
After all, making memories is what the holiday season is all about.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
And then there were 12
Arkansas State University's quest for a new mascot is apparently moving forward.
The university has named its 12 finalists to replace "Indians" as the school's nickname. Those finalists are: A’s, Black Wolves, Red Wolves, Diamonds, Express, Mallards, Mustangs, Red Dragons, Red Storm, Ridge Runners, Ridge Raiders and Thunderbirds.
First, I can't believe they dissed the "Big Red Rhinos." You may recall, in a previous post, Rhinos was identified as the favorite suggestion here at The Talker. And it would have been an awesome, glorious mascot, that other schools would envy for generations. (See depiction).
However, the Rhinos are apparently not to be. Sigh.
Well, moving forward, there are a few decent possibilities still on the board. Our current favorites are "Mallards" and "Red Dragons." Both are unique and would provide specific idenity to the ASU sports teams. Mallards would be especially good, as the name would connect with a popular regional recreational activity. And let's face it, outside of Oregon, there just aren't enough good duck mascots.
There's also some duds on the list, like "Express" and "Red Storm." Mascots should be tangible things, not abstract concepts.
And "Diamonds" and "A's" are just dumb. Period. Nobody wants to cheer for a precious gem or a letter of the alphabet.
"Red Wolves" isn't bad; it's a tangible thing, and an animal indigenous to the region. But it doesn't roll off the tongue. "ASU Red Wolves"? Just doesn't sound good.
And as for "Ridge Runners" and "Ridge Raiders," well, I just don't have a clue what those things are.
When ASU announced plans to change nickames, I had hoped they would find something better than "Indians," which I find quite bland and boring, to be honest. And looking at the finalists, there's a decent chance the univeristy might come through. I still think they're missing the boat on the Rhinos, though.
The university has named its 12 finalists to replace "Indians" as the school's nickname. Those finalists are: A’s, Black Wolves, Red Wolves, Diamonds, Express, Mallards, Mustangs, Red Dragons, Red Storm, Ridge Runners, Ridge Raiders and Thunderbirds.
First, I can't believe they dissed the "Big Red Rhinos." You may recall, in a previous post, Rhinos was identified as the favorite suggestion here at The Talker. And it would have been an awesome, glorious mascot, that other schools would envy for generations. (See depiction).
However, the Rhinos are apparently not to be. Sigh.
Well, moving forward, there are a few decent possibilities still on the board. Our current favorites are "Mallards" and "Red Dragons." Both are unique and would provide specific idenity to the ASU sports teams. Mallards would be especially good, as the name would connect with a popular regional recreational activity. And let's face it, outside of Oregon, there just aren't enough good duck mascots.
There's also some duds on the list, like "Express" and "Red Storm." Mascots should be tangible things, not abstract concepts.
And "Diamonds" and "A's" are just dumb. Period. Nobody wants to cheer for a precious gem or a letter of the alphabet.
"Red Wolves" isn't bad; it's a tangible thing, and an animal indigenous to the region. But it doesn't roll off the tongue. "ASU Red Wolves"? Just doesn't sound good.
And as for "Ridge Runners" and "Ridge Raiders," well, I just don't have a clue what those things are.
When ASU announced plans to change nickames, I had hoped they would find something better than "Indians," which I find quite bland and boring, to be honest. And looking at the finalists, there's a decent chance the univeristy might come through. I still think they're missing the boat on the Rhinos, though.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Measuring your standard of living
When it comes to standard of living, I generally think of my kids having more or less the same kind of upbringing that I had.
In most simple terms, we're middle class. We do well enough that we're able to have a few nice things, but we're not in a position to make lavish expenditures. We own modern technology, but not necessarily the latest technical gizmos. We can dress nicely, but our kids will soon learn that they will surely lag behind some of their friends when it comes to the latest styles. We can take some small trips, maybe save up to go Disney World once in a while, but we're not jetting off to Europe on a regular basis.
As the years go by, I hope my kids will learn — as I did — that there are things more important in life than possessions and material things. That's the general sense that I have.
But then, when I look back on my own youth, and think about the things we had back then, and then think about what we have now, the differences are rather striking.
Growing up, we had one television. It only got four channels, and if you wanted to change what you were watching or adjust the volume, you actually had to get up and walk across the room to do it. Today, we have three main TVs, each hooked up to satellite so we can scroll through about 100 channels. Each has its own remote control, so we don't even have to get off the couch if we don't want to. Besides that, we can now pause and rewind live TV, so we don't miss a second of our favorite shows. We actually also have a fourth television, a mini-unit we use only to watch DVDs.
Speaking of DVDs, we hadn't even heard of such things when I was growing up. In fact, for many years, we didn't even have a VCR. I remember when the VCRs first came out — we would actually rent the players right along with the tapes from the video store. When we finally did get our first VCR, it was a monstrosity compared to today's sleek models. Nowadays at our home, we have a VCR and a DVD player attached to two of our three main televisions, in addition to the afore mentioned mini-unit.
The home I grew up in had one telephone. It was a rotary-dial unit we rented from the telephone company, that plugged into the wall in the kitchen. We got an extra-long cord so that we would talk on the phone in another room. These days, we have two "land-line" phones in our house, and both are cordless. (Can you even buy non-cordless phones anymore?) Both are touch-tone units with programmable dialing and a built in answering machine. In addition, we also have two working cellular phones, in regular use.
We only had one car in my youth — a 1975 Pontiac station wagon, with wood-paneling on the side. My dad pledged to keep it until it reached 100,000 miles, which it finally did well after my sister and I had left for college. Our household today is home to two cars, both with more than 100,000 miles and climbing. But it terms of amenities, our cars today are really not much different than what I grew up with. Air conditioning, power locks, AM/FM radio have been a constant then and now. About the only difference is that our cars today have CD and cassette players, replacing the eight-track player we had in the old Pontiac.
So quite obviously, it terms of standard of living, my kids have a lot more than I did. But this is something that holds true for every subsequent generation. Just as my kids are growing up with mobile phones and MP3 players that I didn't have; I grew up with microwaves and color TV that my parents didn't dream of. Older generations grew up with cars and indoor plumbing that their parents didn't have. This is the mark of progress.
But standard of living is not only a comparison to those who come before or after you; it's also a comparison of those those live the same time as you. And in that sense, I think my previous assessment still holds true. My kids are more or less in the middle of the road when it comes to the amenities of their lives, just as I was.
And I think that's a pretty good way to live life. There will always be people with more or less than you have. And I think understanding that, and learning not to define yourself by it, is one of the keys to a happy life.
In most simple terms, we're middle class. We do well enough that we're able to have a few nice things, but we're not in a position to make lavish expenditures. We own modern technology, but not necessarily the latest technical gizmos. We can dress nicely, but our kids will soon learn that they will surely lag behind some of their friends when it comes to the latest styles. We can take some small trips, maybe save up to go Disney World once in a while, but we're not jetting off to Europe on a regular basis.
As the years go by, I hope my kids will learn — as I did — that there are things more important in life than possessions and material things. That's the general sense that I have.
But then, when I look back on my own youth, and think about the things we had back then, and then think about what we have now, the differences are rather striking.
Growing up, we had one television. It only got four channels, and if you wanted to change what you were watching or adjust the volume, you actually had to get up and walk across the room to do it. Today, we have three main TVs, each hooked up to satellite so we can scroll through about 100 channels. Each has its own remote control, so we don't even have to get off the couch if we don't want to. Besides that, we can now pause and rewind live TV, so we don't miss a second of our favorite shows. We actually also have a fourth television, a mini-unit we use only to watch DVDs.
Speaking of DVDs, we hadn't even heard of such things when I was growing up. In fact, for many years, we didn't even have a VCR. I remember when the VCRs first came out — we would actually rent the players right along with the tapes from the video store. When we finally did get our first VCR, it was a monstrosity compared to today's sleek models. Nowadays at our home, we have a VCR and a DVD player attached to two of our three main televisions, in addition to the afore mentioned mini-unit.
The home I grew up in had one telephone. It was a rotary-dial unit we rented from the telephone company, that plugged into the wall in the kitchen. We got an extra-long cord so that we would talk on the phone in another room. These days, we have two "land-line" phones in our house, and both are cordless. (Can you even buy non-cordless phones anymore?) Both are touch-tone units with programmable dialing and a built in answering machine. In addition, we also have two working cellular phones, in regular use.
We only had one car in my youth — a 1975 Pontiac station wagon, with wood-paneling on the side. My dad pledged to keep it until it reached 100,000 miles, which it finally did well after my sister and I had left for college. Our household today is home to two cars, both with more than 100,000 miles and climbing. But it terms of amenities, our cars today are really not much different than what I grew up with. Air conditioning, power locks, AM/FM radio have been a constant then and now. About the only difference is that our cars today have CD and cassette players, replacing the eight-track player we had in the old Pontiac.
So quite obviously, it terms of standard of living, my kids have a lot more than I did. But this is something that holds true for every subsequent generation. Just as my kids are growing up with mobile phones and MP3 players that I didn't have; I grew up with microwaves and color TV that my parents didn't dream of. Older generations grew up with cars and indoor plumbing that their parents didn't have. This is the mark of progress.
But standard of living is not only a comparison to those who come before or after you; it's also a comparison of those those live the same time as you. And in that sense, I think my previous assessment still holds true. My kids are more or less in the middle of the road when it comes to the amenities of their lives, just as I was.
And I think that's a pretty good way to live life. There will always be people with more or less than you have. And I think understanding that, and learning not to define yourself by it, is one of the keys to a happy life.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Pick your candidate
We've been on a political kick the last few days here at The Talker, and before we let national politics fade into the background for a while, we wanted to give readers a chance to find out for themselves who their ideal candidate is.
Clicking here will take you to a Web site that will help you out. The Web site presents a number of key issues, and visitors are asked to agree or disagree with each, and attach a level of importance to the answer. The Web site then automatically calculates which candidate best fits your views.
There's a whole slew of similar candidate-pickers out there on the Internet, and their true value is obviously pretty questionable. Nonetheless, it can be fun to see the outcome. You might be surprised at the results.
Clicking here will take you to a Web site that will help you out. The Web site presents a number of key issues, and visitors are asked to agree or disagree with each, and attach a level of importance to the answer. The Web site then automatically calculates which candidate best fits your views.
There's a whole slew of similar candidate-pickers out there on the Internet, and their true value is obviously pretty questionable. Nonetheless, it can be fun to see the outcome. You might be surprised at the results.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Meet the candidates
In yesterday's post, I railed against the national media for ignoring lower-tier candidates for president.
Of course, then, in a classic case of media hypocrisy, I did the exact same thing by neglecting to mention some of the individuals currently seeking the Oval Office.
So, to remedy this, I'm am providing here links to all the major party candidates who have filed with the FEC. Check them out.
Democrats
Joe Biden
Hillary Clinton
Chris Dodd
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Alan Keyes
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson
Of course, then, in a classic case of media hypocrisy, I did the exact same thing by neglecting to mention some of the individuals currently seeking the Oval Office.
So, to remedy this, I'm am providing here links to all the major party candidates who have filed with the FEC. Check them out.
Democrats
Joe Biden
Hillary Clinton
Chris Dodd
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Alan Keyes
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
National media ignoring candidates
According to a recent Associated Press news article, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul set a one-day GOP fundraising record Monday when he took in $4.2 million in donations.
And I know what most of you are thinking right now: "Who the heck is Ron Paul?"
Well, if you're interested, Ron Paul is a Texas congressman and one of nine candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president. If you haven't heard of him, don't be too surprised. The national media has kept its limelight clearly focused on the "rock star" candidates of the race.
Yet Paul appears to have struck a chord with a significant niche of the political spectrum. His fundraising bonanza was a result of an outpouring of Internet support during something called "Guy Fawkes Day." Paul is known for his constitutionalist, libertarian views, calling for a dramatically smaller federal government. He is the only GOP presidential candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
Paul's fundraising triumph sheds new light on the failures of the national media as it covers the presidential race. By focusing entirely on the front-runners, the national media is doing a disservice to the second- and third-tier candidates that may, after all, resonate with the American electorate. You get the feeling that there might be some well-qualified candidates that are simply being ignored.
On the Democratic side, a good example is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He seems to have the necessary qualifications. He has federal experience, having served in the Cabinet of former president Bill Clinton. He has experience as a chief executive, having served as governor of New Mexico since 2003. Besides that, as a Latino, he has the potential to connect with an ever-growing American demographic.
Yet Richardson is not taken seriously. Following a recent Democratic debate, for instance, commentator Chris Matthews interviewed Richardson. But did he ask about any of Richardson's views of positions? No. He asked about Hillary Clinton, and why Richardson defended her from political attacks.
On the Republican side, you'd think former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would be getting a closer look. Sure, we Arkansans, for better or worse, are well aware of him; but for the rest of the country, he's still a no-name. Besides having experience as a chief executive, Huckabee, a former preacher, has better Christian-right credentials than any of his better-known rivals. And his personal weight-loss story gives him an interesting narrative to share, especially at a time when obesity is a national public health issue.
And this isn't to say that Richardson, or Huckabee, or Paul would necessarily win my vote. I'm just saying that it's a shame that the American public is being denied opportunities to learn about them.
The national media covers the presidential campaign like a horse race, where the only competitors who get mentioned are those at the front of the pack. The press corps builds a fortress of hype around the favorites, making it virtually impossible for other challengers to break into the arena.
This is great for the political junkies — the guys who view presidential elections no differently than a pennant race or a Super Bowl chase. But for Americans interested in finding the best candidate to lead this country, it's not so great. When the national media creates and perpetuates a system that treats hype as the ultimate political attribute, it's no wonder so many Americans grow disenfranchised with the system.
So that's what made it rewarding to see Ron Paul hit the jackpot with this week's fundraiser. It showed that maybe there are a few folks out there who aren't buying into the rock star campaign promoted by the television networks. And it got Paul a few headlines along the way.
Maybe the national media will wake up and see that there are a few candidates out there who aren't named Hillary, Rudy, Barack, Mitt or Fred.
But don't count on it.
And I know what most of you are thinking right now: "Who the heck is Ron Paul?"
Well, if you're interested, Ron Paul is a Texas congressman and one of nine candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president. If you haven't heard of him, don't be too surprised. The national media has kept its limelight clearly focused on the "rock star" candidates of the race.
Yet Paul appears to have struck a chord with a significant niche of the political spectrum. His fundraising bonanza was a result of an outpouring of Internet support during something called "Guy Fawkes Day." Paul is known for his constitutionalist, libertarian views, calling for a dramatically smaller federal government. He is the only GOP presidential candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
Paul's fundraising triumph sheds new light on the failures of the national media as it covers the presidential race. By focusing entirely on the front-runners, the national media is doing a disservice to the second- and third-tier candidates that may, after all, resonate with the American electorate. You get the feeling that there might be some well-qualified candidates that are simply being ignored.
On the Democratic side, a good example is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He seems to have the necessary qualifications. He has federal experience, having served in the Cabinet of former president Bill Clinton. He has experience as a chief executive, having served as governor of New Mexico since 2003. Besides that, as a Latino, he has the potential to connect with an ever-growing American demographic.
Yet Richardson is not taken seriously. Following a recent Democratic debate, for instance, commentator Chris Matthews interviewed Richardson. But did he ask about any of Richardson's views of positions? No. He asked about Hillary Clinton, and why Richardson defended her from political attacks.
On the Republican side, you'd think former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would be getting a closer look. Sure, we Arkansans, for better or worse, are well aware of him; but for the rest of the country, he's still a no-name. Besides having experience as a chief executive, Huckabee, a former preacher, has better Christian-right credentials than any of his better-known rivals. And his personal weight-loss story gives him an interesting narrative to share, especially at a time when obesity is a national public health issue.
And this isn't to say that Richardson, or Huckabee, or Paul would necessarily win my vote. I'm just saying that it's a shame that the American public is being denied opportunities to learn about them.
The national media covers the presidential campaign like a horse race, where the only competitors who get mentioned are those at the front of the pack. The press corps builds a fortress of hype around the favorites, making it virtually impossible for other challengers to break into the arena.
This is great for the political junkies — the guys who view presidential elections no differently than a pennant race or a Super Bowl chase. But for Americans interested in finding the best candidate to lead this country, it's not so great. When the national media creates and perpetuates a system that treats hype as the ultimate political attribute, it's no wonder so many Americans grow disenfranchised with the system.
So that's what made it rewarding to see Ron Paul hit the jackpot with this week's fundraiser. It showed that maybe there are a few folks out there who aren't buying into the rock star campaign promoted by the television networks. And it got Paul a few headlines along the way.
Maybe the national media will wake up and see that there are a few candidates out there who aren't named Hillary, Rudy, Barack, Mitt or Fred.
But don't count on it.
Staph infection at BIS
Blytheville Superintendent Bruce Daniels has confirmed a report of a Blytheville Intermediate School student being treated for a staph infection. Rumors of a more widespread infection involving teachers are not accurate, according to Daniels.
For those who don't know, staph infection comes from a bacteria commonly behind minor skin infections that show up as pimples or boils. Those infections can usually be treated with medication. The best way to prevent an infection is with thorough and repeated hand-washing.
You can find about a million articles on staph infection on the Internet. Here is one of them.
To read more about what Blytheville Schools are doing, see today's CN.
For those who don't know, staph infection comes from a bacteria commonly behind minor skin infections that show up as pimples or boils. Those infections can usually be treated with medication. The best way to prevent an infection is with thorough and repeated hand-washing.
You can find about a million articles on staph infection on the Internet. Here is one of them.
To read more about what Blytheville Schools are doing, see today's CN.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Are we on?
A power outage knocked a good chunk of Blytheville into darkness shortly before noon today.
The apparent culprit was a tree that fell on a power line in the Hearn Street area. Early reports indicated that it would take a couple of hours to restore power; however, the lights were back on at the CN after about 20 minutes.
That said, we are told that Entergy crews will be taking several hours to clear the tree limbs from the power lines, and intermittent outages could continue into the afternoon.
If you can read this, congratulations ... your power is back on.
The apparent culprit was a tree that fell on a power line in the Hearn Street area. Early reports indicated that it would take a couple of hours to restore power; however, the lights were back on at the CN after about 20 minutes.
That said, we are told that Entergy crews will be taking several hours to clear the tree limbs from the power lines, and intermittent outages could continue into the afternoon.
If you can read this, congratulations ... your power is back on.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Go Rhinos!?!
Arkansas State Univerity officials say they have received more than 1,400 nickname suggestions.
Some of the suggesions include: Aggies, Armadillos, Big Red Rhinos, Black Leopards, Black Mallards, Black Paladins, Black Phantoms, Black Stallions, Boll Weevils, Buffaloes, Cardinals, Catfish, Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Coyotes, Delta Devils, Diamondbacks, Diamonds, Dixie Nights, Eagles, Engines, Fightin’ Farmers, Gorillas, Groundhogs, Moccasins, Naturals, Pine Cones, Red Dragons, Red Hawks, Red Runners, Red Wolves, Reds, Redwings, Ricemen, Silverbacks, Stallions, Tomahawks, Tornadoes, Zebras.
There's a lot of good options there. Here at The Talker, we're kind of fond of "Boll Weevils," "Zebras" and, best of all, "Big Red Rhinos." A nickname's got to have character, after all.
The university expects to pick a new nickname by next spring. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Some of the suggesions include: Aggies, Armadillos, Big Red Rhinos, Black Leopards, Black Mallards, Black Paladins, Black Phantoms, Black Stallions, Boll Weevils, Buffaloes, Cardinals, Catfish, Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Coyotes, Delta Devils, Diamondbacks, Diamonds, Dixie Nights, Eagles, Engines, Fightin’ Farmers, Gorillas, Groundhogs, Moccasins, Naturals, Pine Cones, Red Dragons, Red Hawks, Red Runners, Red Wolves, Reds, Redwings, Ricemen, Silverbacks, Stallions, Tomahawks, Tornadoes, Zebras.
There's a lot of good options there. Here at The Talker, we're kind of fond of "Boll Weevils," "Zebras" and, best of all, "Big Red Rhinos." A nickname's got to have character, after all.
The university expects to pick a new nickname by next spring. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Soccer season nearly over
If you're one of the folks around here who has trouble feeling good about where you live, I have a suggestion.
This Saturday morning, between 9 a.m. and noon, head out to the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. Drive around to the north of the baseball fields, via the appropriately named "Corner Kick Drive," and you will find a wide expanse filled with soccer fields.
This is the home of the Blytheville Area Soccer Association. Every Saturday for the last month and a half, the association has filled up its fields with local soccer players. It's a wonderful sight to behold. You have boys and girls of all ages and races, running around, having fun and getting exercise. There are big fields for the big kids, smaller fields for the smaller kids, and a tiny field for the tiny kids. And with the kids in their bright, shiny uniforms of red, blue, yellow and green, there's not a more sunny, upbeat sight to be found on a Saturday morning in the fall.
This has been my family's second season of playing soccer, and we think the world of the whole program.
As compared to some other youth sports, soccer is a great option for kids. As I've said before, with other sports, there is a whole range of skills that must be mastered in order to play with any level of success. There's throwing, catching, hitting and running, and a fault with any one of them results in a busted play. But in soccer, it's simple. You run and you kick. Anyone can do it.
Better yet, soccer offers kids non-stop action. In t-ball, for instance, kids spend 95 percent of their time waiting. Waiting to bat, waiting to run, waiting for the ball to roll their direction. This is not the case in soccer. In soccer, all players are always in motion. If activity is what you want for your kids, soccer is your sport.
(For that matter, as a parent/spectator, soccer is infinitely more exciting than t-ball. I'd just as soon watch the cotton grow behind my house than watch a t-ball game.)
As mentioned earlier, this was our family's second season of soccer. But new to us this year is that I agreed to serve as a coach. Coaching a youth sport is something every parent ought to do at least once, and with my own limited knowledge of sports like baseball and basketball, soccer seemed like the right niche for me.
I won't claim to be an expert on the sport by any stretch of the imagination; however, my elementary school up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was host to that city's English as a Second Language program, and as such, I attended grade school with dozens of kids who's families had recently emigrated from Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries. And as such, the sport they knew how to play was soccer. And so naturally, my school went soccer-crazy. At recess, we didn't play basketball or football; we played soccer.
So it was those elementary-school memories that I called upon as I became a soccer coach for the first time. I ended up coaching my son's 6-and-under team, which has proven to be quite the experience. I have six kids on my roster; four are kindergartners, and the other two will start school next year.
And though I may joke about our games being barely organized chaos, the truth is I've had a blast. I've loved working with my team, and I don't think you could find a better group of little soccer players anywhere. We called ourselves "The Spiders," and to Drew, Samantha, Aliya, Sierra, Grace and Ty, I say thank you for a great season, and for letting me be your coach.
And for that matter, I need to give props to my daughter's 10-and-under team — "The Bulldogs" — who I enjoyed cheering for all season. They exuded skill, teamwork and sportsmanship that should be a model for every team that plays. Here's to Katie, Alysen, Morgan, Alex, Bella, Haley, Chandler, Jasmine, Karina and coach John Barton.
Saturday will be the last game of the season. I would have thought that I'd be burned out by this point, eager for the games to end. But I'm not. The truth is I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday than watching kids happily kick a little white ball around a big green field.
So the season will end, but soccer will not. We'll still play in the back yard, and we might even catch a game or two on the television every now and then.
But most of all, we'll look forward to next year, another year playing a fantastic sport.
This Saturday morning, between 9 a.m. and noon, head out to the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. Drive around to the north of the baseball fields, via the appropriately named "Corner Kick Drive," and you will find a wide expanse filled with soccer fields.
This is the home of the Blytheville Area Soccer Association. Every Saturday for the last month and a half, the association has filled up its fields with local soccer players. It's a wonderful sight to behold. You have boys and girls of all ages and races, running around, having fun and getting exercise. There are big fields for the big kids, smaller fields for the smaller kids, and a tiny field for the tiny kids. And with the kids in their bright, shiny uniforms of red, blue, yellow and green, there's not a more sunny, upbeat sight to be found on a Saturday morning in the fall.
This has been my family's second season of playing soccer, and we think the world of the whole program.
As compared to some other youth sports, soccer is a great option for kids. As I've said before, with other sports, there is a whole range of skills that must be mastered in order to play with any level of success. There's throwing, catching, hitting and running, and a fault with any one of them results in a busted play. But in soccer, it's simple. You run and you kick. Anyone can do it.
Better yet, soccer offers kids non-stop action. In t-ball, for instance, kids spend 95 percent of their time waiting. Waiting to bat, waiting to run, waiting for the ball to roll their direction. This is not the case in soccer. In soccer, all players are always in motion. If activity is what you want for your kids, soccer is your sport.
(For that matter, as a parent/spectator, soccer is infinitely more exciting than t-ball. I'd just as soon watch the cotton grow behind my house than watch a t-ball game.)
As mentioned earlier, this was our family's second season of soccer. But new to us this year is that I agreed to serve as a coach. Coaching a youth sport is something every parent ought to do at least once, and with my own limited knowledge of sports like baseball and basketball, soccer seemed like the right niche for me.
I won't claim to be an expert on the sport by any stretch of the imagination; however, my elementary school up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was host to that city's English as a Second Language program, and as such, I attended grade school with dozens of kids who's families had recently emigrated from Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries. And as such, the sport they knew how to play was soccer. And so naturally, my school went soccer-crazy. At recess, we didn't play basketball or football; we played soccer.
So it was those elementary-school memories that I called upon as I became a soccer coach for the first time. I ended up coaching my son's 6-and-under team, which has proven to be quite the experience. I have six kids on my roster; four are kindergartners, and the other two will start school next year.
And though I may joke about our games being barely organized chaos, the truth is I've had a blast. I've loved working with my team, and I don't think you could find a better group of little soccer players anywhere. We called ourselves "The Spiders," and to Drew, Samantha, Aliya, Sierra, Grace and Ty, I say thank you for a great season, and for letting me be your coach.
And for that matter, I need to give props to my daughter's 10-and-under team — "The Bulldogs" — who I enjoyed cheering for all season. They exuded skill, teamwork and sportsmanship that should be a model for every team that plays. Here's to Katie, Alysen, Morgan, Alex, Bella, Haley, Chandler, Jasmine, Karina and coach John Barton.
Saturday will be the last game of the season. I would have thought that I'd be burned out by this point, eager for the games to end. But I'm not. The truth is I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday than watching kids happily kick a little white ball around a big green field.
So the season will end, but soccer will not. We'll still play in the back yard, and we might even catch a game or two on the television every now and then.
But most of all, we'll look forward to next year, another year playing a fantastic sport.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Happy Halloween!
On this beautiful Halloween-eve, a couple of notes:
• Trick-or-treating times for both the City of Blytheville and the City of Gosnell have been established for 5-8 p.m. The county has not established any specific trick-or-treating, so if you live outside the city limits, I guess you can trick-or-treat for as long as you want to.
• Blytheville is lucky enough to have TWO nice haunted houses in operation. "The Return to the Haunted Theater," which operates out of the Ritz Civic Center, is open Tuesday and Wednesday beginning a 7 p.m. both nights. Cost is $5, with proceeds benefitting the Arts Council of Mississippi County. "The Flightline of Fear" at the Arkansas Aeroplex will open its doors at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Cost is $5, with proceeds split between muscular dystrophy and the Red Cross.
• Several local churches are also planning holiday celebrations for Wednesday night.
However you choose to celebrate it, here's wishing you a great holiday.
• Trick-or-treating times for both the City of Blytheville and the City of Gosnell have been established for 5-8 p.m. The county has not established any specific trick-or-treating, so if you live outside the city limits, I guess you can trick-or-treat for as long as you want to.
• Blytheville is lucky enough to have TWO nice haunted houses in operation. "The Return to the Haunted Theater," which operates out of the Ritz Civic Center, is open Tuesday and Wednesday beginning a 7 p.m. both nights. Cost is $5, with proceeds benefitting the Arts Council of Mississippi County. "The Flightline of Fear" at the Arkansas Aeroplex will open its doors at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Cost is $5, with proceeds split between muscular dystrophy and the Red Cross.
• Several local churches are also planning holiday celebrations for Wednesday night.
However you choose to celebrate it, here's wishing you a great holiday.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The outing of Albus Dumbledore
By now, you've no doubt seen the news, probably the biggest news story in months, a revelation that will surely change your life.The news: Albus Dumbledore is gay.
And there's only one word I can think of to describe this earth-shattering, ground-breaking development: Yawn.
In case you don't know, Albus Dumbledore is the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional setting in the hugely popular "Harry Potter" books. Dumbledore's sexual orientation is never mentioned in the books, but author J.K. Rowling outed the fictional character during a public appearance Friday, in response to a question from the audience.
The reaction to the news will no doubt follow a well-trodden script.
From the Christian right, we'll hear the criticisms. No doubt the outing of Dumbledore will be just another opportunity for the book-burners of the world to declare the inherent evil of the "Potter" series, and clamor for the books to be removed from public schools and public libraries. They'll denounce the new-age political correctness that Rowling may or may not be promoting.
And on cue, we'll hear from the "progressives," of the world, who will trip over themselves in their race to praise Rowling for her "courage" and "bravery." They'll denounce anyone who criticizes the "Potter" books as closed-minded bigots, and canonize Rowling as an idol in the international crusade for "tolerance."
Quite frankly, this is a trite storyline, and I'm quite sick of it.
I've been a big fan of the "Potter" books, and I see no reason to change that. I'll keep the books on my shelves and watch the movies. The books are just what they are, and no new "revelation" made by the author after the fact is going to change what I think about them. So what if Dumbledore is gay? I couldn't care less than if Rowling suddenly revealed that Dean Thomas is left-handed or Luna Lovegood dyes her hair. It just doesn't matter. The books have been written. The story is over.
But therein lies what could be part of what fueled this latest news. After selling about a bajillion copies of the final "Potter" book — "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" — over the summer, the book has been making its way down the best-seller lists. And while it would be ludicrous to suggest Rowling needs to boost book sales, you have to wonder if the multi-millionaire author has missed being in the limelight. After all, with the release of "Hallows," the "Potter" series was supposedly concluded. There are no more stories to write. Could it be that Rowling isn't quite ready to put the series to bed, thus leading her to make dramatic, yet undisclosed until now, revelations about characters? It certainly served as a way for Rowling to get her name back in headlines, at least for a couple of weeks.
But no matter. Dumbledore is Rowling's brain-child, and she can do with him what she wants. And if the pop culture world wants to follow Rowling down this road of fabricated controversy, they're welcome to do so, insipid and boring as that road might be.
As for me, I'm staying out of it. I just want to read the books, watch the movies and enjoy them. You should be able to do such things without having to make a political statement.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sports blog launched
As we continue to grow in our latest Internet venture, the Courier News has added a third blog to our inventory. It's called From the Bleachers and is designed to be a forum for local sports fans. CN Managing Editor Mark Brasfield is moderating the blog. Link is to the right. Check it out.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Now these are some good cookies
My 5-year-old son, Drew, was disappointed a few weeks ago when we didn't go out for pizza.
Truth be known, though, it wasn't so much the regular pizza he was interested in. Instead, it was the chocolate-chip "dessert" pizza served by one of the local pizza establishments.
To console him, my wife, Jena, offered to bake him some chocolate-chip cookies at home soon, and Drew accepted this proposal as an suitable compromise.
Unfortunately, Drew is not the type of child to easily forget about such a deal. So pretty much every day for the last two weeks, he's asked his mom, "When are we going to make our cookies?" or "Can we make those cookies today?" So finally, Sunday afternoon, Jena sent me to the store to pick up the ingredients she needed. And then she and Drew, along with 8-year-old Katie, spent the afternoon baking cookies.
And I must say, they did a bang-up job. I've had many a chocolate-chip cookie in my day, made by both my wife and others, but these were some of the best I've ever had.
I don't think my wife would claim to be a gourmet chef, but she can bake up a tasty treat when she wants to, an ability no doubt inherited from her mother. Indeed, when birthdays come around at our house, the idea of a store-bought cake is scorned. At our house, the birthday cakes are baked in our very own oven.
The only downside to all this is that I'm generally not much of a dessert kind of guy. Sure, I like my birthday cakes and my chocolate-chip cookies every now and then, but I'm much more of a cheese-and-crackers aficionado than a pie-and-cobbler connoisseur.
I'm especially adverse to any fruit-based dessert. Whether it's cherry pie, or peach cobbler or apple crisp, I'm just not into it. This is particularly troublesome at civic club or community luncheons, where it seems that apple and peach cobbler are the only desserts local restaurants know how to serve. I end up skipping dessert almost every time.
I'm also not a fan of anything in the nut family. This includes everything from peanuts to almonds to pecans. I doubt you'll see me eat a slice of pecan pie in my lifetime; and I believe there should be a constitutional amendment banning the sprinkling of mixed nuts on cakes and ice creams.
When it comes to desserts, I prefer the basics, like chocolate, or perhaps white, cake. I can maybe stomach one slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but that's it. Though it's more of a breakfast food than a dessert, I can never get enough of my mother-in-law's cinnamon rolls. And if they're cooked just right, I always enjoy a good chocolate-chip cookie.
The batch Jena and the kids made was gone in about two days. This was in part a directive of my wife, who really didn't want the temptation of cookies sitting on the kitchen counter all week. I was happy to oblige, gobbling up about six Monday night. After sending a couple in the kids' lunch boxes and having one on the way out the door Tuesday morning, they were gone.
But now I'm ready for more.
So I'm thinking ... if I can just con Drew into thinking he's entitled to some more cookies, he'll surely start pestering his mom again. And then, it's only a matter of time before we'll have another batch. It all seems too easy ... (insert evil laugh here.)
Truth be known, though, it wasn't so much the regular pizza he was interested in. Instead, it was the chocolate-chip "dessert" pizza served by one of the local pizza establishments.
To console him, my wife, Jena, offered to bake him some chocolate-chip cookies at home soon, and Drew accepted this proposal as an suitable compromise.
Unfortunately, Drew is not the type of child to easily forget about such a deal. So pretty much every day for the last two weeks, he's asked his mom, "When are we going to make our cookies?" or "Can we make those cookies today?" So finally, Sunday afternoon, Jena sent me to the store to pick up the ingredients she needed. And then she and Drew, along with 8-year-old Katie, spent the afternoon baking cookies.
And I must say, they did a bang-up job. I've had many a chocolate-chip cookie in my day, made by both my wife and others, but these were some of the best I've ever had.
I don't think my wife would claim to be a gourmet chef, but she can bake up a tasty treat when she wants to, an ability no doubt inherited from her mother. Indeed, when birthdays come around at our house, the idea of a store-bought cake is scorned. At our house, the birthday cakes are baked in our very own oven.
The only downside to all this is that I'm generally not much of a dessert kind of guy. Sure, I like my birthday cakes and my chocolate-chip cookies every now and then, but I'm much more of a cheese-and-crackers aficionado than a pie-and-cobbler connoisseur.
I'm especially adverse to any fruit-based dessert. Whether it's cherry pie, or peach cobbler or apple crisp, I'm just not into it. This is particularly troublesome at civic club or community luncheons, where it seems that apple and peach cobbler are the only desserts local restaurants know how to serve. I end up skipping dessert almost every time.
I'm also not a fan of anything in the nut family. This includes everything from peanuts to almonds to pecans. I doubt you'll see me eat a slice of pecan pie in my lifetime; and I believe there should be a constitutional amendment banning the sprinkling of mixed nuts on cakes and ice creams.
When it comes to desserts, I prefer the basics, like chocolate, or perhaps white, cake. I can maybe stomach one slice of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but that's it. Though it's more of a breakfast food than a dessert, I can never get enough of my mother-in-law's cinnamon rolls. And if they're cooked just right, I always enjoy a good chocolate-chip cookie.
The batch Jena and the kids made was gone in about two days. This was in part a directive of my wife, who really didn't want the temptation of cookies sitting on the kitchen counter all week. I was happy to oblige, gobbling up about six Monday night. After sending a couple in the kids' lunch boxes and having one on the way out the door Tuesday morning, they were gone.
But now I'm ready for more.
So I'm thinking ... if I can just con Drew into thinking he's entitled to some more cookies, he'll surely start pestering his mom again. And then, it's only a matter of time before we'll have another batch. It all seems too easy ... (insert evil laugh here.)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Only one thing as dumb as baggy pants
Make no mistake: If you're one of those people out there wearing jeans three sizes too big, letting them hang down halfway across your bottom, showing the whole world what underwear you're wearing each day ... you look like a complete idiot.
But that idiocy is only matched by city councilmen is places like Atlanta, Pine Bluff and Hot Springs, who have introduced city ordinances outlawing the so-called baggy jeans.
You may have read about the baggy jean bans. Atlanta was the first city widely publicized for its attempts to outlaw this fashion faux pas.
Apparently emboldened by the Atlanta initiative, a Pine Bluff, Ark., city alderman proposed a similar ban for his city. That measure was dropped when it was determined that there wasn't enough support on the city council. Threats of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union may have had something to do with that.
Most recently, Hot Springs joined the fray. Just this week, the news broke that a councilman in that Arkansas city is pushing for a baggy-pants ban.
Now, while I've visited Atlanta, Pine Bluff and Hot Springs, I admit I can't speak intelligently about the specific challenges and struggles each city is facing. But I can reasonably presume that in the grand scheme of things, baggy pants just aren't among the top municipal problems.
I mean, these communities can't be all that different than Blytheville. Here at home, I expect our city councilmen to busy themselves which such issues as crime prevention, parks development, street improvements and economic development. Issues like that are more than enough to keep them busy for the next several decades or so.
And if the day ever comes that saggy, baggy pants rank among the biggest problems in our community; well, that would be a pretty happy day.
In other words, any city councilman wasting his time on a baggy pants ban clearly has his priorities out-of-whack
And besides that, there's the simple fact that you just can't outlaw stupidity.
Suppose you get a baggy pants ban passed. Fine. And suppose the ban somehow survives the inevitable legal challenge brought forth by the ACLU. Congratulations. But do you really think that's going to stop young people from "expressing their individuality" by the way they look and dress?
Heck no!
The baggy pants will just be replaced by something else. Whether it's marking every inch of their body with tattoos, or piercing themselves into oblivion, or wearing baseball caps inside-out, upside-down and backwards, young people will always come up with a new fashion phase that, to those of us with better judgment, looks stupid.
And no ordinance passed by a city council is going to magically make young people stop doing stupid things.
And aside from all that, this is America. As we all learned in elementary school, America is a free country. And the nature of living in a free society is that sometimes some of our members will engage in stupid behavior. But that's their right. After all, as poet John Ciardi once said, "The Constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself."
And, really, that's all these idiots with their baggy pants are doing. They're making fools of themselves. They look stupid, and one day they'll probably realize that. And until then, the best thing for the rest of us to do is just shake our heads, wonder where their parents are, and maybe point and laugh.
There's no need for a law. City leaders — whether they're in Atlanta, or Hot Springs, or even Blytheville — surely have much more important matters they could be pursuing.
But that idiocy is only matched by city councilmen is places like Atlanta, Pine Bluff and Hot Springs, who have introduced city ordinances outlawing the so-called baggy jeans.
You may have read about the baggy jean bans. Atlanta was the first city widely publicized for its attempts to outlaw this fashion faux pas.
Apparently emboldened by the Atlanta initiative, a Pine Bluff, Ark., city alderman proposed a similar ban for his city. That measure was dropped when it was determined that there wasn't enough support on the city council. Threats of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union may have had something to do with that.
Most recently, Hot Springs joined the fray. Just this week, the news broke that a councilman in that Arkansas city is pushing for a baggy-pants ban.
Now, while I've visited Atlanta, Pine Bluff and Hot Springs, I admit I can't speak intelligently about the specific challenges and struggles each city is facing. But I can reasonably presume that in the grand scheme of things, baggy pants just aren't among the top municipal problems.
I mean, these communities can't be all that different than Blytheville. Here at home, I expect our city councilmen to busy themselves which such issues as crime prevention, parks development, street improvements and economic development. Issues like that are more than enough to keep them busy for the next several decades or so.
And if the day ever comes that saggy, baggy pants rank among the biggest problems in our community; well, that would be a pretty happy day.
In other words, any city councilman wasting his time on a baggy pants ban clearly has his priorities out-of-whack
And besides that, there's the simple fact that you just can't outlaw stupidity.
Suppose you get a baggy pants ban passed. Fine. And suppose the ban somehow survives the inevitable legal challenge brought forth by the ACLU. Congratulations. But do you really think that's going to stop young people from "expressing their individuality" by the way they look and dress?
Heck no!
The baggy pants will just be replaced by something else. Whether it's marking every inch of their body with tattoos, or piercing themselves into oblivion, or wearing baseball caps inside-out, upside-down and backwards, young people will always come up with a new fashion phase that, to those of us with better judgment, looks stupid.
And no ordinance passed by a city council is going to magically make young people stop doing stupid things.
And aside from all that, this is America. As we all learned in elementary school, America is a free country. And the nature of living in a free society is that sometimes some of our members will engage in stupid behavior. But that's their right. After all, as poet John Ciardi once said, "The Constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself."
And, really, that's all these idiots with their baggy pants are doing. They're making fools of themselves. They look stupid, and one day they'll probably realize that. And until then, the best thing for the rest of us to do is just shake our heads, wonder where their parents are, and maybe point and laugh.
There's no need for a law. City leaders — whether they're in Atlanta, or Hot Springs, or even Blytheville — surely have much more important matters they could be pursuing.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A good news day
This was one of those days that Mississippi County Judge Steve McGuire would call "another beautiful day in Mississippi County."
And not just because some nice fall weather has finally seemed to arrive.
No, today's good news is that PIZO Operating Company, a joint venture of the Nucor Corporation and The Heritage Group, will bring 43 high-paying jobs to the Blytheville area. The company's 43 workers are expected to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year. Going online in late 2008, the new plant will process electric arc furnace dust from the Nucor Steel Arkansas and Nucor-Yamato steel plants, converting it into marketable products used primarily in the metals industry.
So, yes, it is another beautiful day in Mississippi County.
For the complete story, see Tuesday's edition of the Courier News.
And not just because some nice fall weather has finally seemed to arrive.
No, today's good news is that PIZO Operating Company, a joint venture of the Nucor Corporation and The Heritage Group, will bring 43 high-paying jobs to the Blytheville area. The company's 43 workers are expected to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year. Going online in late 2008, the new plant will process electric arc furnace dust from the Nucor Steel Arkansas and Nucor-Yamato steel plants, converting it into marketable products used primarily in the metals industry.
So, yes, it is another beautiful day in Mississippi County.
For the complete story, see Tuesday's edition of the Courier News.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Well, here we are
I'm not even sure I know what a "blog" is, yet here we are.
This blog, dubbed "The Fast Talker," is one of two blogs being started at the Courier News. The other is by columnist Tena Furnish (link can be found elsewhere on this page.) The idea is to bring some more dynamic content to the Internet offerings of the Courier News.
The nature of this blog will be a work in progress. I'll probably post my weekly column here, and maybe talk about the news of the day every now and then. And you'll no doubt hear a little about my kids from time to time. Hopefully, I'll write something worthy of a little feedback once in a while. After all, that's one of the whole points of having a blog, and I'm looking forward to exploring this new interactive medium.
But it can't be denied that this is uncartered territory for both myself, and this newspaper. I don't know where this project will lead us, but I'm looking forward to the journey, and I hope you'll come along for the ride.
This blog, dubbed "The Fast Talker," is one of two blogs being started at the Courier News. The other is by columnist Tena Furnish (link can be found elsewhere on this page.) The idea is to bring some more dynamic content to the Internet offerings of the Courier News.
The nature of this blog will be a work in progress. I'll probably post my weekly column here, and maybe talk about the news of the day every now and then. And you'll no doubt hear a little about my kids from time to time. Hopefully, I'll write something worthy of a little feedback once in a while. After all, that's one of the whole points of having a blog, and I'm looking forward to exploring this new interactive medium.
But it can't be denied that this is uncartered territory for both myself, and this newspaper. I don't know where this project will lead us, but I'm looking forward to the journey, and I hope you'll come along for the ride.
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