Mirror, mirror
Who do you see when you look in the mirror. The odds are, local columnist T.J. Ray writes, that you see a college kid in the mirror. We seem to think that we don’t age as much as our friends and neighbors because we don’t want to think about the passing of time affecting us. (April 7, 2011, Page 4)
Spattered Batter
For boys who love sports, two brass rings are eve in their dreams: their first home run and their first touchdown. Local columnist Jimmy Reed tells the story of his first home run, a roundtripper that ended a bit unusually. (March 29, 2011, Page 4)
Seasoned With Salt
Being politically correct, local columnist Jimmy Reed readily admits, is not one of his strong points. He goes to to point out that there are times when it’s just not reasonable and practical – when being direct is what’s called for in communication. (March 22, 2011, Page 4)
Whitewashing American history hurtful to all
Do you remember the epic TV presentation “Roots” from the late-1970s? Perhaps you’ve seen it since and felt its impact. Local columnist Deidra Jackson recalls when she saw the series and wonders about how we don’t seem to have many insightful, educational and entertaining things like that to teach history to the youth of today. With political correctness and other factors, she wonders if we’re not whitewashing our history, which does no one any real good. (March 3, 2011, Page 4)
Frugality Is Fun
In this materialistic, card-swipe age, frugality and thrift are often ignored. Local columnist Jimmy Reed points to his upbringing and his Mama’s mindset as he writes that America’s sub-motto should be: Frugality is fun. (March 1, 2011, Page 4)
Chitlins
Local columnist Jimmy Reed’s memories of reading Edgar Rice Burroughs’ work about human nature sparked other memories – of his constant companion and mentor Jaybird teaching him to enjoy eating chitlins. (February 22, 2011, Page 4)
Consider options for performing national anthem
It happens all too often – the national anthem is botched at a big-time, televised event. The most recent? The Super Bowl. Local columnist T.J. Ray says the song is too important to be messed with and suggests other options when it comes to having it performed on the big stage. (February 18, 2011, Page 4A)
Poker Face
Local columnist Jimmy Reed relates Mark Twain’s classic short story, “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” to tales he recently shared – with a poker face – with his students. (February 15, 2011, Page 4)
Love Is Life
Local columnist Jimmy Reed urges readers, particularly the gentlemen, to remember their sweeties on Valentine’s Day and to also remember the importance of love and telling those we love that we do. (February 8, 2011, Page 4A)
You may have some explaining to do
Have you ever typed in your name on your favorite Internet search engine? What did the results look like? How many of you are out there? Local columnist Deidra Jackson discovers that she’s a 42-year-old white female in prison or a top-scoring guard in college or a new bride – all at the same time. She takes a closer look at the possibilities and warns that you might well consider eliminating some of the content associated with your name. (February 3, 2011, Page 4)
