Mostly Cloudy ~ 62°F   River stage: 33.18 Rising Friday, November 20, 2009

Columnists Brian Blackwell Your Business >> Gary Rust Gary's Commentary >> Bob and Callie Clark Miller His and Hers >> Jon K. Rust >> Joe Sullivan River City Journal >> Sam Blackwell Letters From Home >>

Columns Chris Harris Christmas come early For any person who has ever looked around Cape Girardeau and proclaimed we have too many meeting centers or banquet halls, let me give you exhibit A: the inordinate number of craft fairs in town this weekend. Just as the city and area businesses have already strung up Christmas decorations and attempt to peer pressure us into the holiday spirit, one-time-only craft fairs will flood the city today, Saturday and Sunday to remind us of all the Christmas shopping we need to do... Joe Sullivan Spring fever When I was growing up, water was a big deal. We needed water to drink, cook, bathe, wash clothes and irrigate the garden. We needed water for livestock too. The creek that came down the valley on the other side of the garden was dry most of the time. It took a deluge before any water would run down the creek. The creek was not a source of water for us. Most of our rural neighbors relied on springs... Sam Blackwell Getting the news Nov. 19, 2009 Dear Leslie, Each week my Writing for the Mass Media class takes a current-events quiz, 10 questions about local, state and world events. Students who aim to become media writers begin by knowing what's going on in the world around them, I reason. Reading, watching and listening to how the news is reported also is a way of learning to do it yourself... Susan McClanahan Recipes fit for one of Missouri's first ladies The "Missouri 1821-1971 Sesquicentennial Cookbook, Updated and Republished for a New Generation of Missourians" by former Missouri first lady Betty Cooper Hearnes is now available and hot off the presses. This hardback book contains historical information about the writer's life growing up in Charleston, Mo., her family with her husband and their children and living in and restoring the governor's mansion in Jefferson City, Mo. ... Comparing pay I've been doing a little research lately on salary comparisons for one of the boards on which I serve. It's been an eye-opening exercise trying to justify or modify salaries when compared with those in a similar field with similar experience and responsibilities... Rob Hurtgen Don't let go of faith in times of despair Life has a way of roughing us up. Sometimes by the decisions we make, often by the decisions others have made. Sometimes we get roughed up by things beyond our control that dramatically affect the course of our lives, like a call from the doctor to come see him his office or being rear-ended on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon... Jeff Long Seeking to understand the unimaginable An Army psychiatrist, trained to treat men and women dealing with combat stress, allegedly shoots and kills a dozen people and wounds 30 others. Because of the deadline set for me by the Missourian, this column was written five days ago. Which is to say, by the time you read this, we may well know something about the motivation behind Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan's actions -- information not available when I hit "send" on my computer... President must choose carefully Sacramento Bee This month, the United States enters its ninth year of seemingly never-ending troop escalation in Afghanistan. In 2002, there were a mere 5,000 U.S. troops there. The number quadrupled in three years. When President Barack Obama came to office, some 37,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Afghanistan. He has steadily increased the U.S. presence -- to 68,000 today. And now, some in the U.S. military are recommending a U.S. presence of 100,000 troops... Answering questions about Afghanistan By Stanley Kober President Barack Obama is reviewing strategy for the war in Afghanistan -- a war which the President has declared a necessity. The administration hopes that it can drive a wedge between the Taliban, thereby reaching a deal with the group's more "moderate" elements. In doing so, the coalition forces can marginalize the radicals, with whom no negotiation is possible... Take on the drug companies Six years ago, when Congress was writing a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare, the name-brand pharmaceutical lobby was in Republican leaders' offices carving out subsidies and exemptions for itself. Today, the same special interest group is working hand-in-hand with the Democratic leadership to ensure its companies, some of the most profitable in the world, retain that title... Chris Harris Local talent scores big breaks It's exciting when someone you know gets a "big break." I put the term in quotations because it can be subjective -- to the person, his field and his friends. The two big breaks that have excited me recently go from music to modeling. A local face-rocking band got word earlier in the week that it will be performing Nov. ... Joe Sullivan Music magic Like many of you, I'm proud of what I do. I'm proud of my colleagues in the newsroom and throughout the newspaper organization who produce the Southeast Missourian. When we make mistakes, I'm proud of the way we make every effort to get it right. I'm proud of all the ways this newspaper, its owners and its employees are involved in their community. ... Sam Blackwell Keeping Sabbath Nov. 12, 2009 Dear Patty, Americans have difficulty doing nothing. That probably is a legacy from our ancestors, who wouldn't have settled North America so quickly if they'd embraced the idea of spending some time doing nothing. They had trees to fell, houses to build, corn to sow, cows to milk. Churches tried to get them to take Sunday off by scheduling services from morning to night. Going to church became too much like work. You might as well get something done... Mr. Obama: I'm calling you out The new era of government control over our lives and freedoms has begun. This week, it got personal, and I felt helpless. The doctor overseeing my health care advised me to get an H1N1 flu shot. I've been under a six-year treatment program for a chronic infection, plus I have heart and lung problems. ... Home, school OK, boys and girls, here's today's school lesson. Let's say you have a failing public school system. And by failing I mean miserable by any measurable gauge. So in search of a solution, you bring in a team of outside experts to analyze and assess your school system... Veterans Day: 90 years of honor, history Ninety years ago, on Nov. 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day with the following: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."... Paul Schnare Mower maintenance: Give your lawn mower a good tune-up, cleaning before parking it for winter With the onset of winter it is easy to park the lawn mower after the last cutting and give a sigh of relief. You don't have to think about the lawn mower until next spring. I'd like to suggest that you give that lawn mower just a little more attention yet this fall. Efforts now may save you a lot of time next spring... Susan McClanahan Gearing up for Christmas goodies I am really getting in the Christmas spirit and starting to pull things out at my house to get ready. I just purchased a new cookbook for the holiday. The "All-American Christmas Cookbook, Family Favorites from Every State" is a nice hardback book with a favorite Christmas recipe from every state. ... Thanks for helping with Neighborhood Connections picnic By Joan Jones "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," the phrase used by the late Mr. Rogers to open his TV show for years, described the day for Neighborhood Connections' fifth annual picnic on Oct. 24. The beautiful day brought out over 300 residents from the neighborhood surrounding Christ Episcopal Church at the corner of Themis and Fountain streets in the oldest neighborhood in Cape Girardeau... McCaskill supports increasing effectiveness of foreign aid By Ellen Dillon Last month, U.S. Sen Claire McCaskill cosponsored S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act. This bill is an important first step toward comprehensive foreign-aid reform. The legislation will help ensure that the United States is appropriately equipped to meet the foreign-policy challenges of the 21st century such as combating extreme poverty and global instability... Combat the winter doldrums The winter months can drag on. Holidays and utilities increase your expenses. Add that it's cold and flu season, and it's not uncommon to get the winter blahs. Before you go stircrazy for spring, prepare yourself with a few blah-busting tips. What frugal activities do you do during winter months?... Best electronic gadgets for the holiday shopping season No matter what electronic gadget consumers are looking for this holiday season, they'll find quality products at unusually low prices as retailers and manufacturers try to entice purchasing in this tough economy. "Consumer Reports" rated 448 electronics products including LCD and plasma TVs, Blu-ray players, laptops and desktop computers, point-and-shoot cameras, new music players and headphones. Highlights of CR's findings include:... Obama and the liberal paradigm By JOHN STEELE GORDON Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, recently explained the White House war on Fox News as an example of "speaking truth to power." Much of the American political world collapsed in laughter, pointing out that her boss was president of the United States, the most powerful man on earth. ... Gary Rust In 1981, Cape Girardeau voters approved a city charter. In 1993, they approved a charter amendment providing for candidates for the city council to run from wards in an effort to provide geographic representation. The predicted increase in ward candidates coming forward to represent their districts has not happened... Joe Sullivan Animal control When I was growing up on the farm on Killough Valley in the Ozarks over yonder, my life was organized by animals. Lulu, the milk cow, had to be milked every morning and every evening. In winter, hay had to be delivered to hungry cattle. Horses had to be tended...