Opinions

Tyrades! By Danny Tyree

“What have you done for us lately?”

I don’t think the average American military veteran has the time or the temperament to spend 51 weeks a year asking such a question, but a reasonable person could hardly blame him if he did.
Veterans Day can be like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day — an occasion to heap praise upon individuals whom we spend the rest of the year ignoring, tolerating or circumventing. A week’s worth of bumper stickers, newspaper interviews, special discounts and grade school essays soon give way to the daily grind. [Full Story »] 

I received the following from a good friend this past week and find it very interesting. The new word and its definition are very appropriate in today’s society. [Full Story »] 

“Lose 20 pounds before Thanksgiving,” the magazine article proclaims, “while eating whatever you want and doing no strenuous exercise.” The key to the diet is grapefruit it seems. According to the esteemed doctor who wrote the article, there is a little-known miraculous ingredient in grapefruit that counteracts calories, but it is essential to eat one grapefruit every day before eating any thing else. I’m no doctor, but I suspect that a grapefruit a day will not keep the calories at bay all by itself. Eat your grapefruit and conscientiously follow a low-calorie diet, and that probably will work, but to lose 20 pounds between now and Thanksgiving, you’d better eat just a grapefruit a day and nothing else. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. [Full Story »] 

Many years ago, when I was an innocent lad of six years, the telephone company came along putting up wire so we country folks could have a telephone if we desired. Of course, my Mother put in for one and it was delivered and hooked up. In the process, the telephone workers left behind some wire like my brother and I had never seen. It had plastic on it and one could tie a knot in it with ease. It wasn’t like the only other wire we had ever seen up until that time…haywire. [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor and citizens,

At the beginning of October the Relay for Life committee and Appling Healthcare System decided to join forces and Paint the Town Pink to promote breast cancer awareness, to coincide with the Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October. We started by Mayor Steve Rigdon signing a proclamation proclaiming the month of October as “PAINT THE TOWN PINK” month. The pink bows began appearing around the courthouse and down the sidewalk lamp poles. Businesses also joined us by purchasing a bow or two for their business. We would like to say a special thank you to everyone who purchased a bow to help promote breast cancer awareness and giving individuals the opportunity to decide (early detection saves lives) and to go ahead and get those mammograms. [Full Story »] 

A couple of days ago I was out of town and needed some shampoo and some potato chips. I stopped by a chain pharmacy (I’m showing my age. I almost said drug store.) to make a quick purchase. When I went in, the young man at the counter yelled, “Welcome to RiteAid!” [Full Story »] 

For the last two weeks my dogs have been keeping me up way too much at night. They seemed to always start barking at something along about midnight and continue at intervals until around six. Then I discovered that a herd of deer had made the mistake of slipping into my yard every night to eat pears and acorns and this is what had the dogs upset. [Full Story »] 

(Editor’s note: The following is an article submitted by Pastor Lester Weldon regarding the Appling County Food Bank. The food bank is a tremendous asset to Appling County. Please support this worthy cause.)

By Lester Weldon, President Appling County Food Bank

While attending a pastor’s conference at Moody Bible in Chicago, a man on the street approached us asking for assistance. He felt that five would make a difference in getting food to eat and affect his life for the day. I am thinking of the Appling County Food Bank and what a difference ‘five’ would make. But the five is not in monetary terms, but one of our most valuable assets, “Time.” [Full Story »] 

If I sent out a survey to determine how many local folks have had a close personal encounter with the infamous Surrency ghost or any other ghost for that matter, I’d bet that the results would be quite interesting. I’ve never gone looking for this vaporous being myself, nor do I intend to, but students for the last twenty-six years have given me much information about it. [Full Story »] 

Lord have mercy but I am depressed. My land auction business is slow, hunting season just came in and no one invited me to a bird shoot, all the national news just repeats itself and generally it is all bad, Europe is melting down financially, Obama is going to save us all, and my hip is killing me. [Full Story »]