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Columns

  • Shoe toss missed its mark in U.S.

    "Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never walked in that man's shoes."

    That was Elvis Presley's spin on the Indian proverb "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."

    So I'll take his advice and not judge journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi too harshly. He's the Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad recently. Bush was making a farewell tour of the country and working on a plan to end the war by 2010.

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  • An important, though unexciting task

    Each year at this time, the editorial department at the News-Journal sends out more than a dozen letters, all of them pretty much alike.

    Sounds kind of boring, huh?

    Well, it's an important part of our job.

    The letters are requests for notification of meetings and copies of information that our public officials are to consider at their meetings.

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  • A miraculous airport angel

    May 24, 2005, wasn't the typical wedding anniversary for my husband, Gerald Myers, and me. In fact, it was the worst because we met with an oncologist who described a treatment plan for Gerald's squamous cell nasopharyngeal carcinoma with which he had been diagnosed the week before. But after six months of rigorous treatment, Gerald beat his disease and began to recover.

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  • New year, same me

    I don't make New Year's resolutions. It's true I may have "made" one or two in the past for the sake of filling this column space, but, if I did, I had no intention of actually following through with them.

    I admire those who make New Year's resolutions and actually follow through with them. Those people are superheroes in my book.

    It's not that I haven't tried to better myself over the years. I have tried several times and each time, I ended up worse off.

    Case in point - my decision to lose weight.

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  • Something to smile about

    It's often the most difficult part of being a reporter - finagling someone into allowing me to photograph them.

    And I can understand the feeling of not wanting some stranger to take a photograph of me. After all, isn't one of the best parts of being a reporter that you are the one taking the photos and not in them?

    I read recently that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Indiana is changing its rules for driver's license photos, and people will no longer be allowed to smile when getting or renewing their licenses. They also won't be able to wear a hat, scarf or even glasses.

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  • An annual Christmas wish list

    The annual Christmas Wish List hasn't changed a whole lot from last year's. I'm not quite sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

    For those who might be unfamiliar with the "list," each year at Christmas I publish a tongue-in-cheek wish list for various individuals and groups in the community. It's gotten to be such a regular thing that it almost wouldn't seem like Christmas without it.

    So, here goes...

    Dear Santa,

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  • It’s time to do the research, no matter the color of our feathers

    Merger. I have always considered that to be a dirty word when it comes to our local schools.

    I am a proud graduate of Campbellsville High School myself ('82), and I also pay tuition for all three of our children to attend Campbellsville Schools.

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  • A karmic nightmare in progress

    I have always believed in karma - both good and bad.

    I know it may be a bit naive, but I honestly believe that when you do some selfless deed out of the pure goodness of your heart, whether it's large or small, something good will happen to you in return.

    That's not to say you should only do good deeds in anticipation of receiving something in return.

    Nevertheless, my karma has been a bit out of whack lately.

    I went to a movie theater a few weeks ago on a Friday night, and apparently, my karma was so off that it came back to haunt me.

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  • Mom having trouble with 'chill pill'

    I'm not sure that I'm going to make it. I'm really not.

    Our son has only had his driver's permit for four weeks and already I think I've worn a hole in the carpet on the passenger side floorboard where the emergency brake pedal should be. I believe there's also a permanent handprint in the door handle where I've gripped it so often.

    How do parents survive these six months before kids can drive alone? Should kids even be allowed to drive alone - ever?

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  • Auto bailout needs to be tough

    Bailout. I used to equate this with the penal system - as in bail someone out of jail.

    Lately, bailout has taken on a new meaning - as in bail out companies and businesses whose poor decisions put them in dire financial straits.

    First, the U.S. Congress bailed out the nation's financial markets to the tune of $700 billion.

    While this plan initially left me scratching my head, I began to see the wisdom after a few local experts put it into layman's terms for me.

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