Opinion

Journalism lesson: Avoiding the armpit pitfall

       Lots of people were probably thinking lots of things Friday night as the Vikettes prepared to play Marion.      “Is there something I fo...

Growing Old in Vinton

You know the smells in the air when you go to Cedar Rapids? Sometimes its bad, sometimes you smell Captain Crunch. I have the same relationship with old folks homes. This last Sunday, the girls...

The Christmas that was, for me, the most like Christmas

       When I look back on my own personal history of  Christmas, I can think of several years when the holiday had special meaning for me.      ...

All I want for Christmas is....

It's the most wonderful time of the year... Now to do the shopping to make it wonderful! :) I find myself asking, "What would you like?" and being asked, "What should I g...

Eleven-forty five and all is well

       At 11:45 each day, the Vinton Today computer magically sends out hundreds of messages, telling many of our readers what is happening in our town that day.  &...

Parody, satire and the patriotic mosquito poem

       One of my favorite humorous poems has always been an 100-year-old ditty called “The Mosquito Hunt.”      The poem, from a book of poetr...

The simple solution to speeding up last-minute holiday shopping

  Every once in a while, you get a glimpse of society that gives you at least a bit of a clue as to how America deteriorated from the Europe-saving, car-and airplane-inventing military and...

Approaching the 10th anniversary of 9/11 while forgetting all of its lessons

       I have begun making plans for what to write about in 2011. On that list, of course, is the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the event that changed modern American history, ...

The Shooting Somali Pirates Principle

     If Barbara Walters were a serious journalist – and to anyone who takes issue with my assertion that she is not, I have two words for you: Jersey Shore – she woul...

142, 2122, 50, 2, 1 all important numbers

I love figuring out how something works.  Today I was pleasantly surprised to see our inbox brimming over with news tidbits, and thought, "I wonder how many contributors we've had...