By Beth Gulley I really love a good holiday—it takes people off the streets and puts them safely in the shopping malls. I guess if we are talking about black Friday, “safely” is the wrong word. There is nothing like getting up at 3:00 a.m. to be trampled to death for a Nintendo Wii. In [...]
By Jeremy Gulley To the students of the 2010 American Literature class at Fort Scott Community College that ended Sept. 24 after meeting five straight Saturdays: During the last five weeks of class, we studied the music and life of Bob Dylan, we read On The Road, by Jack Kerouac, A River Runs Through It [...]
By Jeremy Gulley When my brother and I were kids, we loved riding in the car with my dad. He had two speeds, as-fast-as-this-thing-will-go and stop. On the highway, we would pretend we were in a car race, zooming past the other cars; picking them off one by one. We always won, because my dad [...]
The word “cool” is subjective; it can mean different things to different people. People use the word to refer to small things, such as rings that change color, and large things, such as 96 phonograph horns made from recycled newspaper and dryer lint mixed with shellac. But cool is the only word I can think [...]
I was admonished this week for using the word “butt” when referring to the section of humans that is used for sitting. “What word should I use instead?” I asked. I was told that I should use the more appropriate term, “bottom.” I thought about this for a minute. Since the part I am referring [...]
Families celebrate birthdays in many varied ways. Some have large parties and invite everyone they know. Some have small, intimate get-togethers with close friends and family. Kids seem to have the most elaborate and action packed birthdays. We all know the scene: twenty 11 year-olds running around the backyard, house, or some poor pizza place, [...]
Saturday was not my son’s birthday. It was, however, the night of his birthday party at my parent’s house. In a tradition that dates back to my childhood, our family gathers to eat and give gifts to the birthday boy or girl. It is a great way to celebrate, keep the family in touch, and [...]
Writing is a process of trial and error. There is a lot more bad writing in the world than good, that much is for sure. But even good writers have bad days. The trick is knowing what to keep and what to throw back. A major point of success or failure in writing a newspaper [...]