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Dumbing down the American dream
Young Americans received unwelcome news this week when an April 23 AP report found 53.6 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 are jobless or underemployed, and there is little hope for improvement in the near future. This news is grim for young …
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The ‘crucial’ Hispanic vote, debunked
After reading dozens of mainstream media newspaper and national magazine stories about the so-called “crucial” Latino November vote, I have sadly concluded that my journalism colleagues either can’t do simple math or have decided to forego fundamental research. The stories are the same. If presumptive …
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Union troops commandeer supplies
On the outskirts of Batesville, Union troops were collecting supplies for their planned “Invasion of Batesville” May 12 and 13. The Union forces have a policy of trying to maintain good relations with the local citizens and businesses. It was reported that the Union troops …
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Walnut Ridge and the Beatles
Walnut Ridge, the largest city in Lawrence County, is on the road to becoming a major tourist destination thanks to the Beatles. The Fab Four landed at the Walnut Ridge Airport in September 1964, en route to a well-deserved break from their first U.S. Tour. …
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Discovery’s last flight
“Hello, Discovery, this is Mission Control. How are things going up there on your final mission, over?” “Surprisingly smooth, Mission Control. The least bumpy ride we’ve had in years, over.” “You got that right, Discovery. We’ve had our share of ups and downs since the …
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Mistakes when choosing a career
What did you want to be when you grew up? A dancer, fireman, rock star? Or maybe an astronaut? When I was 10 I told my mom I wanted to be a TV preacher. Then she informed me that I’d probably have to join a …
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The Normalization of Dystopia
Lily Tomlin used to say “I try to be cynical, but I can’t keep up.” Writers of dystopian sci-fi have the same trouble keeping ahead of actual reality. Forty years ago, Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, in the Illuminatus! trilogy, portrayed a near future …
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If Zimmerman’s head was bloody, charges shouldn’t have been filed
The chant during the OJ trial was, “if the glove don’t fit then vote to acquit.” In the Trayvon Martin killing the legal system should focus on the wounds of George Zimmerman. Now that the bloody photographs of the back of George Zimmerman’s head has …
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The paradox of mobility in America
We’re a species that has gotten around; we’ve migrated to every corner of the world. The spear tip of technology is how we can get somewhere else: the wheel, the sailboat, the rocket. In short: we’re movers. We are now as mobile as we’ve ever …
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Should older drivers be tested?
Some call it profiling. Some call it discrimination. Some call it stereotyping. Some call it “Grandma, you can’t keep ripping off my metropolitan phonebook in order to see over the steering wheel!” Whatever one’s gut reaction to the issue of older drivers, the aging of …
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Blame Congress for the GSA scandal
Who should we tar and feather for the scandalous spending spree at that General Services Administration “conference” in Nevada two years ago? Whose fault is it that a bunch of GSA bureaucrats wasted money on $44 breakfasts, a clown and a $75,000 bicycle-building exercise? Not …
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Mountain View: A community of arts, crafts and nostalgia
Mountain View still maintains the easy-going lifestyle that the back-to-nature advocates who moved there decades ago enjoyed. The Ozark Folk Center has contributed significantly to both the rhythm and the character of the charming Ozark Foothills community. And while this unique state park, devoted to …
