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Letters to the Editor
Ballot issues Dear Editor: I wish to comment on the upcoming elections in November. I see that there are efforts to get a couple of items on the ballot that I am very much against. One item is the legalization of medicinal marijuana, and the …
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Shrinking sodas is a start
Freedom is under attack! In the largest city of our giant country — the liberty to drink over 16 ounces of sugar syrup is in the crosshairs of the “gubmint.” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed (and will most likely implement) the nation’s first …
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Ode to our throwaway society
Who can fix my chair? My light, aluminum beach chair, with the wooden armrests, and canvas seat. My chair, that with a loud rip from its striped bottom, plopped me down on the sand in a rather undignified way one hot day last summer? Through …
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The dying art of cursive handwriting
I’m torn about it if you want to know the truth. I speak of the death of cursive handwriting, which I read about recently in the Atlantic Wire. As it goes, many American schools are phasing out lessons in cursive. There is a waning need …
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When the money is already spent
This single phrase is responsible for more bad decisions than almost any other. Once we’ve spent some money, we’re reluctant to back out. Whether it’s millions on an IT project or a hundred dollars for concert tickets, once we part with cash, we become invested …
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A ‘100-mph job’ doesn’t come without stress
“I’ve got to get one of those ‘Hundred Mile per Hour jobs!’, I say every morning as I funnel onto the Interstate 55 speedway and make my rush hour trek to Memphis. My day job barely inspires me to do the speed limit, so I …
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Ledge update
LITTLE ROCK — In the fiscal year that just ended, the state lottery raised $97.5 million for college scholarships for Arkansas students. The amount is a slight increase from the previous year, when the lottery raised $94.2 million. The lottery director estimates that $98.6 million …
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Exploring along the White River
When geologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft of New York explored the upper White River in 1818-19, just about everything went wrong. He had no frontier experience and his guide, Levi Pettibone, apparently knew very little about surviving in the wilderness. Schoolcraft, the guide and their packhorse …
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The Internet, mental illness and you
“Is The Web Driving Us Mad?,” asks a recent Newsweek cover story. According to the article, there is now a growing body of evidence that our fascination with the Internet, smartphones, video games and related technology has become a clinical ADDICTION. Our ever-present hobbies have …
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‘Like’ for Pitbull’s sake
I was on Facebook the other day and there’s a contest being held by Walmart to bring the rapper Pitbull to the Walmart store that gets the most “likes.” Pitbull will make a personal appearance at whichever store that receives the most. Yes! We’ve got …
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Civil War brings diseases 150 years ago
One hundred and fifty years ago, the summer of 1862 took its toll on soldiers in both armies. As camps became crowded disease became commonplace. As the drought continued, crops failed, soldiers got sick, and Arkansas citizens wore themselves out in a meager and in …
