.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Today's Opinions

  • Bring back bartering

    My grandparents tuned in regularly to a radio segment called "The Swap Shop". For 15 minutes every day, people called in to offer something they had -for free or less than $20 or they called in to ask for items they needed.

    It was the old-fashioned bartering system upgraded to the modern 20th century. With little or no money, you could get the products or services you needed in exchange for something you could offer up.

    Click here to read more...
  • Make up your mind, already

    What's the deal with Brett Favre, anyway?

    Has he taken too many blows to the noggin? Is senility or early signs of Alzheimer's settling in?

    Back in March, he said he was retiring. Then a month later, he said he wants to still play. The Packers are ready to welcome him back, then he says he doesn't want to play.

    Now, he wants his release from the Packers.

    The Pack say no way. The last thing they need to see is Favre in an opposing NFC North team's uniform.

    They reason the least he can do is hold a clipboard and mentor Aaron Rodgers.

    Click here to read more...
  • Heard any good news lately?

    As I have interviewed interns and reporter candidates over the last few weeks, one resounding theme kept coming up when I tell them what I think is the best part of working for a small town paper: the interesting people you meet.

    Of course there are the obligatory meetings that must be covered, the birth announcements and wedding news that need to be shared, but by far, the best thing for any reporter is getting out and meeting people who have done things that you only dream or have been places you've only read about.

    Click here to read more...
  • Representative asks governor to reconsider

    While I have great respect for Gov. Crist and his continued commitment to preserving the environment, I feel that his intent to veto HB 7059 has been made without fully understanding the wide-reaching scope of this good environmental legislation. This legislation has many valuable components that seek to improve and strengthen the protection of our state's precious natural resources.

    Click here to read more...
  • Advice to live by

    I never thought my father and I had much in common despite my mother's ever-constant lament, "You're just like your daddy."

    Back then I scoffed at the idea.

    But then in 1993, my father died suddenly one week after his 62nd birthday and in the 15 years since, not a week has gone by that I don't somehow recall him, his words and his actions.

    He wasn't an affectionate man. He grew up in an era and place where children were begat to work. He didn't know much about tenderness or bonding. His way of showing love was through providing and sacrificing so his family was secure.

    Click here to read more...
  • On my soapbox

    My life is good. I have a job that supplies my needs. Children who love me. Friends who support me. A man who understands real partnership.

    Yes, indeed, my life is good and it takes a lot to get me riled.

    I've mellowed a lot in my old age.

    I once stressed about everything and now seldom stress about anything-though perhaps there are some things I should worry about.

    When considering relationships, I weigh the good they do/are against the bad and if there are more positive things, I cling.

    If they're negative, I cut my losses and move on.

    Click here to read more...
  • Here's to the graduates

    This is a big weekend for many young people in Levy County, as they leave high school and move on to the next phase of their lives.

    Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for most Levy County schools this weekend, a landmark day for a few hundred young adults who are ready to venture out into the world.

    This graduating class has been through a little more than many of us.

    Click here to read more...
  • Remember what Memorial Day is about

    Over the last decades, scores of men and women have fought and died in wars to preserve the ideals and beliefs we hold most dear. Many of the ones who paid the ultimate price for those ideals were youths barely in the bloom of adulthood. The crowded cemeteries bedecked with white crosses bear mute witness to their supreme sacrifice.

    Click here to read more...