Daily Dunklin Democrat: Opinion

Remembering Mr. Leonard "Tee" Younger (11/20/09)
From all of the pastors, class leaders, and members; past and present, who were blessed to have known Mr. Leonard Younger during his earthly lifetime; we can all say without a doubt, that he was indeed special! Mr. Younger was truly a man of God. He was unwavering in his Christian beliefs and he really loved his church family. ...

MoVIP funding (11/19/09)
Missouri's revenue for the current fiscal year is far below budget projections, and the forecast for the next fiscal year shows the gap widening to well in excess of $1 billion. As a result, state funding is being held or withdrawn for many programs. In the process, funding for the second semester of this school year for the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program has been eliminated. This leaves hundreds of students in the lurch...

Thanksgiving dinner for two (11/18/09)
Cajun style Roast Venison Tenderloin was on the menu last week. Now finish this fine Cajun Thanksgiving Dinner with Giblet Mushroom Gravy, Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry Relish. These three dishes are simple but the Cajuns give it a different twist with their added ingredients...

Take on the drug companies (11/17/09)
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...

Time For Talk Schedule (11/15/09)
Monday, Nov.16 KHS Drama Department - "Dracula" Halloween may be over, but for the students at Kennett High School, the horror is about to begin as the KHS Drama Department presents "Dracula: The Vampire Play. The play consists of three acts and is slated for Friday and Saturday, Nov. ...

Ethanol expansion faces challenges (11/15/09)
The use of ethanol as fuel has been beneficial to corn producers but the expansion of ethanol production has been very controversial. The Environmental Working Group has been a major critic regarding ethanol production. Last year their website showed 404 headlines that were very negative toward ethanol. Some of the headlines are: Despite its huge flaws, ethanol is holy water in DC, and U.S. farmers plant largest area to corn in 63 years for ethanol use...

"The TREND Was N.Y.C.!" (11/15/09)
Was in Annette Lipsey Lynch's hospital room as she was telling me the name of her then new-born daughter. It was January, 1986. Annette had just been in an automobile accident (a fatal one, actually. Her late husband, who had been driving, was killed on site). She was injured and 9 months pregnant. The name Annette and Mick had chosen was, "Chelcie," spelled just so, and that name, and the baby herself, was all that Annette was hanging on to at the time. Terrible, horrible tragedy...

One Terry(i) too many in the Rotary Club (11/15/09)
Unintentional funny Last week I mentioned Terry Berry running off to Washington to straighten out the politics of the country. It was also noted that Terry found some time to do a little early Christmas shopping. One item in particular caught her eye, the Hope Diamond...

Best electronics for the holiday shopping season (11/14/09)
By the Editors of Consumer Reports 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:...

An example to follow... (11/13/09)
Today Leonard Younger moved from his home in Kennett to his home with God. There was a warm greeting by all of Leonard's friends that arrived before him and a special hug from Virgie. Men can be an example to follow because of their actions or they can just be examples. Leonard stood out in our community as a man that could always be counted on when something for the Church or Community needed done. Do you know of anyone that refused to buy a ticket for an event from Leonard... I never did!...

A word of thanks... (11/12/09)
Dear Mr. Hunt, I don't know how to begin thanking you and all your staff for all of the work that you did in bringing the Army Field Band to Kennett. I know that it would have been impossible for this event to have been the huge success that it was, without you and the Daily Dunklin Democrat. Mr. Astrachan and I know that you provided thousands of dollars worth of advertising which reached hundreds, if not thousands of people...

A memorable concert (11/12/09)
Editor of the DDD - The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers chorus gave a memorable concert that ended on a somber note Thursday, November 5, at the Kennett High School Gym. This outstanding musical event is indebted to two outstanding sponsors. Bud Hunt, Publisher of The Daily Dunklin Democrat, Deanna Coronado, Editor, George Anderson, Staff Writer, and Judy Holt, Ticket Distributor, all helped to cover the entire area with news of the concert...

Cajun style Roast Venison Tenderloin (11/11/09)
Wild game varies from region to region, even in the same country. Also, weather condition and local food supply for the game can affect the flavor and texture of the meat. All game has a wonderful and distinct taste, though properly dressing the meat in the field can be the key to fresh flavor...

Avoid that impulse buy this holiday season (11/10/09)
By the Editors of Consumer Reports Even the savviest shoppers fall off the wagon sometimes and buy items on impulse. According to a poll recently featured in ShopSmart, the shopping magazine from the publisher of Consumer Reports, 60 percent of women have bought something on a whim in the last year. With the average cost of their most recent impulse purchase at $108, falling off the wagon is not always cheap...

A newcomer's interest (11/08/09)
To the Editor: I am a relative newcomer to Kennet as well as Missouri. I take an active interest as to what is going on in our community as well as in issues at the state and national level that concern me. However, I have noticed that many of the people holding elected offices do not seem to care much about communicating with their constituents although I am sure they appreciate their votes. ...

A tribute with class and dignity (11/08/09)
All's well Last week the local Rotary Club got word that things will be improving quickly in the country. Rotarian Terry Berry journeyed to the nation's capitol last week with a pretty full agenda. We're not sure of all the things she said and did, but the local club is optimistic government will be squared away in a very short time...

The Answer Man (11/08/09)
Q: What does the word "ludicrous" mean? A: It means an obvious absurdity. Meriting laughter, or scorn. There are a number of things going on today that are entirely "ludicrous." Let's take the word "gentleman" for instance. A long time ago it meant a male member of the landed aristocracy -- one who didn't hit a lick at a snake when it came to work. For today's purposes it means a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety, or behavior...

Sweet or Sour (11/08/09)
The story I remember as a child was that my father talked my mother into eating a persimmon in September and because of that one taste, she won't eat them to this day. Sour (pucker your lips sour) is what a persimmon tastes like when it has not ripened. Pick one up from the ground that is soft to the touch and orange in color and you will bite into a sweet little fruit unlike anything you normally get from the store...

Use what you already have... (11/06/09)
Whether it's diluting dish soap to get the last drops or using free samples, I use up items I have on hand before purchasing something new. This is a way of life in our household. With prices climbing, I'm happy to share a few reader-submitted tips for using what you already have or are doing without...

Thanks, Dad (11/05/09)
I lost my father on September 17th, just 12 days shy of his 99th birthday. I've been thinking a lot lately about all the changes Dad witnessed in his long life. He started farming with mules and his grain auger was a scoop shovel. I think about that whenever I'm feeling like I've got it tough because the air conditioning is out in my tractor cab; that complaint did not garner me much sympathy from Dad...

Easy as Pumpkin Pie (11/04/09)
Let us look at another way to use spices this Thanksgiving Season to make a pie, an easy No Bake Pumpkin Pie with a press-in crumb crust. Requires only 15 minutes oven baking and has a creamy filling with a fresher, brighter pumpkin flavor than the old traditional pie...

Deer and driving (11/03/09)
Fewer daylight hours means more of us will be driving after dark. And this is the mating season for the plentiful deer in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. This combination means motorists needs to be on the lookout for deer darting onto highways...

The good, the ad and the ugly (11/01/09)
"Do you have NOPQ? If so, ask your doctor about Nopquease." I can't tell you how many times I've watched commercials for medicine on TV without ever figuring out what malady the medicine is supposed to cure. "Do you have shortness of breath? Loss of ear hair? Painful fingernails? Does your coffee smell like tea? You may be suffering from NOPQ. Ask your doctor about Nopquease, the only FDA-approved antidote for EFGHI, the medicine we were pushing last year...

Don't freeze out your car battery (11/01/09)
Modern electrical and fuel systems can start a car with minimal cranking, so you might not know that your battery needs replacing until it's too late. That's why Consumer Reports recommends having your car's battery tested annually by a qualified mechanic as part of regular maintenance, when it's 2 years old if you live in a warmer climate or 4 years old if you're in a colder climate. ...

War on Fox News diminishes the White House (11/01/09)
Presidents usually turn to their secretaries of state for foreign-policy advice. But Barack Obama must have been channeling Hillary Clinton when he decided to attack Fox News. It was Clinton, of course, who blamed her husband's troubles during Monica Madness on a "vast right-wing conspiracy." Now White House communications director Anita Dunn is accusing Fox of operating as "a wing of the Republican Party."...