Make Head Start a priority (05/10/08)
Dear Editor, I'm writing on Mother's Day in honor of all mothers to encourage everyone to insist that Congress make child care and Head Start top priorities for increased funding. Supporting the development of child care and Head Start programs benefits not only children, but parents and the community as well...

Bird migration in the Midwest (05/10/08)
Tuesday's Kansas City Star carried an intriguing article with the headline: "New Clues to Bird Migration Mystery." It now appears that birds have a molecule that can detect magnetic energy the way eyes detect light and ears detect sound. Scientists now believe that it helps explain how they migrate such long distances...

A Screw Loose Somewhere (05/10/08)
Humor was rare in the after action reports or letters of the Civil War or of any war for that matter because of the horrific nature of war itself. However, occasionally a little bit of humor work's it's way into a piece of correspondence and the title of this column is not a misstatement. ...

On being prepared for earthquakes (05/09/08)
On being prepared for earthquakes Dear Editor: Many people do not take seriously the probability -- not the possibility -- that there will be a major earthquake in Missouri. This is partly due to the fact that they know neither their Missouri history nor their seismological history...

The Stove and The Outhouse, Part 3 (05/09/08)
By Richard Carpenter Special to the Daily Mail My great adventure to Minnesota did not end with the humorous events regarding the wood stove in our cabin, or with an indoctrination to my first outhouse. There were more larger than life sights and memories yet to be experienced...

That's the way I remembered it (05/08/08)
Our memories are tricky things. Some remain in our minds, crystal clear for decades. Others get lost in some corner of our recollections and need a hefty boost before we can even get started on our thoughts. I have some instant memories that flash into my mind immediately when a certain word is said, or when another memory stimulus such as odor, sound, or taste occurs...

Edmonds was needed (05/07/08)
There are people who serve others in our society whom we never properly thank or to show them our appreciation. Instead of praising others and giving them encouragement there is a tendency to tear down or to talk down our leaders. A few weeks ago after the city election and the reorganization of the city council a picture was in the Nevada Daily Mail showing Bill Edmonds receiving a plaque as a matter of appreciation for his service as mayor. ...

SCV to hold triple observance (05/06/08)
Weather permitting, May 10 should be an enjoyable as well as a historically significant occasion for those who participate. And all interested folks are invited. The Col. John T. Coffee Camp No. 1934 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (incidentally, the largest camp in the state) has won an award for finding and marking more lost Confederate graves than any other camp. Compatriot Eldon Steward won a personal award for the same reason, having marked many of the graves singlehandedly...

The definition of motivation (05/03/08)
The Little Book of Olympic Inspiration is a collection of quotes and little know facts and stories of Olympic glory that offer encouragement and motivation. The following is titled "Determination:" If an Olympic medal was awarded for personal determination and ingenuity, It would have to go to Felix Carvajal, an athlete in the 1904 Games, Felix was a Cuban postman who decided that running his daily rounds had prepared him for the Olympic marathon race. ...

Thieving, Robbing and Murdering (05/03/08)
In the spring of 1863, Majored Charles W. Blair was the commanding officer at Fort Scott and he was vexed with a number of "Bushwhacker" problems. The bushwhackers and guerrillas from the "Land of Misery" (Union nickname for Missouri) were a constant and consistent deadly nuisance that was never eliminated along the entire Kansas / Missouri border throughout the entire Civil War. ...

The stove and the outhouse (05/02/08)
In last week's article I told the story of how my grandparents and their best friends took me and their friends grandson on a marvelous fishing vacation to Minnesota. This is the second part of that story. By Sunday afternoon, Iowa was left behind. We now entered the lake area of Minnesota. The scenery changed from the rolling hills of Iowa, and the land became much flatter. The single most noticeable and unusual sight for me were the trees...

Missouri's sensible approach to juvenile justice (05/01/08)
At younger and younger ages, children and teens in the juvenile justice systems of many states are condemned to long terms at large youth detention centers and adult prisons. They languish in cells surrounded by walls and razor wire. Often they are locked down for long periods of the day with no real opportunities for rehabilitation, treatment or education. ...

Thank goodness it's Monday! (05/01/08)
Weekends are looked forward to by most persons as a time to relax or do something entertaining. Another value of weekends is a chance to catch up on work you didn't get done during the week. Family visits also often happen over the weekend. I'm not sure what category I fit into. The last two weekends have been a mixture of work, pleasure, visiting, excitement and stress. I know each time I was glad to see Monday come with its routine...

Reducing fuel use increases jobs (05/01/08)
No wonder Americans are so hungry for change. We are being squeezed by record gas prices that are also driving up the costs of food and anything else that is transported to stores. Home energy bills are rising. Oil companies continue to reap record profits and get huge tax breaks from the U.S. government. We continue to rely on foreign countries for oil. The economy is tanking and people are losing their jobs...

Flowering trees add beauty to the landscape (04/30/08)
Occasionally, a reader will ask what I am going to write about this week. Many readers have no clue as to what I am going to write. It may come as a surprise to these readers that I might not know myself. The subject planned for this week has been postponed after I have seen many beautiful flowering trees in recent days and weeks...

What they're saying… (04/29/08)
Excerpts from recent editorials in Missouri newspapers. April 8 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on the Olympic torch's travels: The very first Olympic torch relay was conceived by Carl Diem, the organizer of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and staged by Joseph Goebbels, head of the Nazi propaganda machine for Adolf Hitler. Sadly, it went off without a hitch...

Where are we going, America? (04/26/08)
One of the topics of national interest that I miss hearing from the various current candidates for President, both Republican and Democratic, is the matter of national purpose and direction. Call it "mission statement," if you will. For the last decade or so, no United States institution worth its salt fails to have its carefully thought-out and articulated statement of purpose on the tip of its tongue...

What to do? What to do? (04/26/08)
Hi neighbors. When I see people looking confused these days, I figure they are thinking about one of two things. What they are supposed to do and who they can ask to find out. Whether they are wondering about who to vote for or what light bulbs to buy, inquiring people want to know who has the answers...

The Stove and The Outhouse (04/25/08)
If we are lucky, that elusive spring we have awaited for so long is now here. With spring, we all seek those outdoor pursuits after such a dreary winter and late spring. Just the thought of fishing again reminded me of an old story. I am guessing the year was either 1957 or 1958. My grandparents were planning a trip to Minnesota, to go fishing. Two of their very best friends Sam and Mary Jones, were also going on the trip...