By MIKE ROSIER/Publisher

Published on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 2:13pm |

• Opinion

I’m not a speed demon – I just like to get where I’m going in a timely manner.

Sometimes it’s because I’m running late, it’s true, but that’s not the point. I just don’t like to dilly and dally around on the highway.

And to be quite honest with you, if you were to make a listing of the Top 10 drivers with places to go and things to do there would be the UPS guy, the FedEx truck and then me. I had always been told that if you want to get down the road to get behind someone who has someplace to be and those delivery service guys and gals have never let me down – not once.

But on the opposite end of the discussion, if you happen to find yourself behind someone with a handicapped sticker in the window, prepare yourself for a long ride. Who is in a hurry to get to their next checkup?

By ANNE WAITS/Staff Writer

Published on Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 6:38am |

• Opinion

This is the last in our four-part series on the changing role of women in the home.

Throughout the series, we have shown statistics on the number of women working outside the home today as compared with those in the ‘50s and ‘60s; have talked about the answers obtained on my survey of 20 questions asked of women of various ages and backgrounds; and from time to time, have used quotes from experts and studies on the subject.

Today, we will deal with one of the most controversial aspects of the survey and perhaps the area where women have made the most progress: women going places on their own and being more independent these days. We will then summarize the results of the survey.

As many of us know, in the ‘50s and ‘60s women mostly went places with their husbands and families. A good many wives still did not drive automobiles. Also, women in places that are considered the norm today was often considered socially unacceptable back then.

By ANNE WAITS/Staff Writer

Published on Thursday, August 5, 2010 - 8:43am |

• Opinion

This week we will talk about child care and how finances are handled as pertains to “women’s roles” in the home.

As we mentioned earlier, in the 50s and 60s women primarily stayed home and took care of the home and children. The husband worked and made the living, and in many cases, controlled the finances. In 1995, 76 percent of women of working age worked outside the home, up from 50 percent in 1970 (faqs.org-gender roles). Today, that figure runs even higher, with some estimating as high as 90 percent. With the increased presence of women in the workplace, have old attitudes and behaviors changed?

An article entitled “Gender Roles” on faqs.org states, “Due to (accepted) gender roles, women—even if they work full-time outside the home—are still perceived as having the primary responsibility for taking care of home and family.

By ANNE WAITS/Staff Writer

Published on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 3:14am |

• Opinion

Last week I told about how I came up with the idea to write a series on the changing roles of women in the home and about my surveying 100 women of different races, from different walks of life and locations, in order to obtain much of the information I needed.

This week, we will talk about the cooking and housework aspects of “women’s roles” in the home and how they have changed, if any, along with the growing number of women working outside the home.

An article obtained from an Internet website called “Faqs.org” states that even though, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, white men (who once dominated the workplace) now account for about 45 percent of all workers and white women and women of color now make up 47 percent of the workplace, things have changed very little on the homefront.

By ANNE WAITS/Staff Writer

Published on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - 8:52am |

• Opinion

Some time back I thought about writing a series of articles on the changing roles of women in the home.

Following a spirited conversation I had with a friend (male, of course) and after reading the book, “Why Women Should Rule the World” by Dee Dee Myers, White House Press Secretary during the Clinton administration (which by the way was purchased for me by the same friend), I decided to do some research on my own as to just how much times have changed in this respect in the last 50 to 60 years.

My friend, who is from the old school, seemed to hold the traditional opinion that a woman’s place is in the home and that her primary role should be taking care of her husband and children. The man’s primary role should be making a living for the family. He, like many of us of the older generation can remember, with a twinge of nostalgia, coming home from school to our moms in the kitchen and fresh-baked cookies or apple pie on the table.

By PENNY L. HUNT/Faith Columnist

Published on Thursday, July 1, 2010 - 8:05am |

• Opinion

A cell phone photo and the message, “Come quick!  We’re by the two ponds!” had me out the door and on my way with a shoe box and pair of latex gloves in hand.  

I arrived to find our granddaughter, Lauren, providing shadow-shade for a baby mocking bird who was roasting on the blacktop. As I bent to inspect the bird, she explained, with a mix of pride and disgust, how she had brushed an ant from the bird’s eye. Things were not looking good.  

A Google search answered feeding questions but there was a definite dip in enthusiasm when mashed worms were placed on the menu. Grandpa saved the day when he reached deep within the refrigerator to produce a stash of meal worms normally reserved for blue birds.  To everyone’s delight (and relief), “Chipper” gobbled them whole.

By MIKE ROSIER/Publisher

Published on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 11:03am |

• Opinion

It was a week filled with pests.

At first it was the fruit flies – a swarm of them – that greeted me one day last week after someone left some peaches in a trash can in our restroom. They were everywhere. They were on the walls, in my face, in my ears and even in my coffee.

Now I know something of what afflicted the Egyptians all those years ago. It was horrible. I made my way across the square and picked up some fly traps and spray and went to work. Now, a week later and they still haven’t been eradicated completely.

But the flies had nothing on what was to come.

By JANE JENKINS HERLONG/Columnist

Published on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - 7:52am |

• Opinion

Remember THE line from the movie, Jerry McGuire?  

“You had me at hello.”  I think another movie should quote a more powerful line, “I am proud of my goodbye.”
 
The last time I saw a cousin of mine was at a family funeral.  He was standing behind the soloist and as the singer performed, it gave the impression he was singing.   I could not wait to tease him about how funny it looked. We laughed together and I hugged him goodbye.
 
Saturday I entered the Presbyterian Church and sat on the back row of a crowded sanctuary. It was surreal as I watched family members enter the church looking shocked and confused.  Only a month ago, I laughed and hugged my cousin, now I was attending his funeral.

By PENNY L. HUNT/Faith Columnist

Published on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 - 5:58am |

• Opinion

“Where are we going?”

Those were the words of Dr. Jack Shepherd (Matthew Fox) to his father at the conclusion of the six year television series, LOST, and they made me cry.  Why?  Because nothing, absolutely nothing could be sadder than someone not knowing what happens to them after death.

It is the same question a loving friend once asked me in a laundry room in Lubbock, Texas that led me to a relationship with Jesus, the Son of the One True Living God, and the blessed assurance of eternal life with Him after death.

When I heard this question I was feeling a little lost myself.

By JANE DYER/Candidate For Congress

Published on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 9:31am |

• Opinion

This nation needs to pull together. On this Memorial Day, we need to consider the power of teamwork represented by our military veterans’ efforts to keep us safe.

I learned this firsthand. I am veteran from a family of veterans. I served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. My husband, John, is highly decorated Vietnam War pilot. My stepson has served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an A10 pilot. My father served in World War II, as did an aunt and uncle. Another uncle served in Korea.