Last week I told you about the George Workman's round of golf from a few weeks past when he recorded a hole-in-one. At that point I wasn't sure if this was George's first ace or not.

As it turns out aces are nothing new for George. According to a plaque attesting for such feats at the local golf course, George has at least one other hole-in-one. This particular ace was recorded in 1991. I do not know on which hole he recorded that shot.

Assuming there has been no other aces in between, we can only assume George's next hole-in-one will take place in 2025. I'll do my best to properly recognize that shot as well.

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Another golfer

Last week I ran across a lady who really wants to take up the golf. I could tell that because he was looking at a new set of clubs and a bag to carry them in. This particular set was trimmed out in pink, as was the bag.

She would have looked good going down the fairway or standing on the tee box with her pink clubs and bag. It's a pretty safe bet she would have been dressed out in a new golf outfit color-coordinated to match her clubs and bag.

It may never happen, though. She told her husband he should buy those clubs and bag for her.

"Baby, I'm not going to buy you those clubs until you learn to fish," David Earl Christian said to his wife, Becky.

She replied, "If I remember right I beat you the last time we went fishing."

David Earl was silent and kinda hung his head just a bit. I think we also know why Becky won't be getting any golf clubs anytime soon. If she beats him on the golf course and at the fishing hole poor David Earl will have to take up tiddlywinks or some such "sport."

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Media star

There is a very nice piece in a magazine called "Rural Missouri" published by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. The magazine has several feature stories from across the state with rural city datelines. The current issue has a story about the state's drug courts and it profiles the 35th Judicial District that includes Dunklin and Stoddard counties.

A photo of the Phillip Britt, drug court commissioner, standing in front of the Dunklin County Courthouse is prominently displayed in the article and is quoted extensively throughout. There is another story that goes along with that one (called a "sidebar" in the trade) that quotes several individuals who have been through the drug court system. Those individual chose to remain anonymous, but offer good insight into the system.

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War on trash

Mayor Roger Wheeler's war was launched with a pretty good deal of media coverage. Most of the feedback was positive, although a few grumbles, er, concerns have been expressed.

Few can question the need for more attention to be paid to the way we look, and it may very well be that a "war" is needed. And it may be that an over exuberant implementation -- a citation for a soda can in the yard -- launched the cleanup effort. And there is the, not insignificant, issue of city-owned property that also needs cleaning up.

However, I think it is important not to lose sight of the fact that we have a litter problem and no one, with a few exceptions, has been paying any attention to it. I think the mayor is on the right track and give him a pat on the back for bringing the issue to the table. We can now begin to address the implementation process but we can do that at the same time we're picking up the trash.

Having said that, the morning after the announced war a lid on one of my two trashcans blew away during an overnight spring shower -- despite my neighbor's best efforts. I just know the litter police are gonna get me before I can buy a new can with a lid.

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Media myth?

"During the 2000 election, with Bill Clinton as president, the economy was viewed through rose-colored glasses. According to polls, voters didn't realize that the country was in a recession. Although the economy started shrinking in July 2000, most Americans through the entire year thought that the economy was fine.

"But over the last half-year, the media and politicians have said we were in a recession even while the economy was still growing.

"A Nexis search on news stories during the three-month period from July 2000 through September 2000 using the keywords 'economy recession US' produces 1,388. By contrast, the same search over just the last month finds 3,166. Or, even more telling, take the three months from July through September last year, when the GDP was growing at a phenomenal 4.9 percent. The same type of Google search shows 2,475 news stories.

"Over 78 percent more negative news stories discussed a recession when the economy under a Republican was soaring than occurred under a Democrat when the economy was shrinking.

"A little perspective on the economy would be helpful. The average unemployment rate during President Clinton was 5.2 percent. The average under President George W. Bush is just slightly below 5.2. The current unemployment rate is4.8 percent, almost half a percentage point lower than these averages.

"The average inflation rate under Clinton was 2.6 percent, under Bush it is 2.7 percent. Indeed, one has to go back to the Kennedy administration to find a lower average rate. True the inflation rate over the last year has gone up to 4 percent, but that is still lower than the average inflation rate under all the presidents from Nixon through Bush's father.

"Gas prices are indeed up 33 percent over the last year, but to get an average of 4 percent means that lots of other prices must have stayed the same or gone down. On other fronts, seasonally adjusted civilian employment is 650,000 people greater than it was a year ago. Personal income grew at a strong half of one percent in just February.

"Despite all that, this last week, Barack Obama proclaimed 'As most experts know, our economy is in a recession.' Hillary Clinton made similar statements last fall. Yet, as any economist knows, a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth, and we haven't even had one single quarter of negative growth reported. The economy slowed down significantly during the end of last year, but that was after a sizzling annual GDP growth rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter.

"Housing has obviously been a big drag on the economy, but many other sectors of the economy, such as exports, have been doing well, some extremely well. For example, aerospace exports increased by over 13 percent last year.

"The media's focus on the negative side of everything surely helps explain people's pessimism. In a recent interview Fox's Neil Cavuto claimed this bias 'is all part of the media's plan to get a Democrat in the White House…'

"The news media have generated a lot of fear. Ben Stein has a point when he says 'The actual economic conditions are not that bad. I think if we have a recession, if we have a serious recession, a great deal will lie at the media's feet.' Hopefully a little perspective will enter the picture before even more harm is done…"

-John Lott, writing for Fox News, is the author of Freedomnomics and a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland.

Bud Hunt is the publisher of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.