Swine flu has created such a scare that folks are refusing to shake hands and some are walking around the street wearing those ghoulish looking masks. And it’s not even Halloween.
No question, swine flu can be deadly, but have you tried walking in a crosswalk anywhere in downtown Somerset? Life is full of hazardous situations. Is now; always has been.
National television is broadcasting incidents where students are being told not to “high five” or bump chests for athletic achievements or pure exuberance. Next thing we expect is that teen-agers will be forbidden to share food, or heaven forbid, lock lips! Maybe we won’t be allowed to kiss a pig. After all, it is swine flu. Didn’t those porkers cause it all?
Don’t misunderstand. Flu is raging and CAN be dangerous. We’re not making light of the situation or suggesting proper precautions not be taken. PLEASE get an appropriate flu shot when available, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, stay at home and see your doctor if you have flu-like symptoms, and wash your hands often.
But don’t let mass media hysteria catch you up in the flu hype. Please shake our hand if we extend it to you. We’re going to think you don’t like us if you refuse.
About being romantic, if your significant other wants a kiss, give her (or him) a tender buss right on the cheek. You can always swig some Listerine afterwards.
About that pig, well, that’s up to you. Pigs, by nature, have bad hygienic habits and are not too kissable, even in good times.
Some “I told you so” folks are saying if we had a bad case of swine flu we wouldn’t be so flippant about the situation. That’s probably true. However, the flu season will last for several months, even past Valentine’s Day.
You tell us how we’re going to handle that.
Opinion
Let’s don’t be silly about the swine flu
Opinion
- Opinion
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Why not charter schools?
The number of parents choosing to home school their children has risen by 50 percent in the last five years. I believe this is a direct indicator of the frustration parents have in the interference of the federal government in dictating what their children should be taught.
State Representative Brad Montell announced the pre-filing of legislation that, if passed, would establish a charter school initiative in Kentucky. (House Bill BR 117) Kentucky is one of only nine states in the nation that does not have charter schools, helping place Kentucky at number 37 out of 50 states in quality of education.
In charter schools, if educators are performing below standard, they can be terminated, not reassigned or given additional training. Most charter schools are non-union and non-tenured, so an educator knows he/she must perform to a high degree of excellence to retain employment. They can increase their chances of advancement through performance incentives. -
Opinon: Don't Penalize Players for Being Good
Sports are intrinsically amoral.
Not immoral, as in evil. Amoral, as in indifferent to right or wrong.
That is not to say that you can’t do something immoral — something that flies in the face of conventionally accepted ideas of good and bad behavior — while playing sports. Look at Ndamukong Suh, the Detroit Lions defensive tackle who’s expected to be suspended for a game or two for stomping, apparently on purpose, another player during a Thanksgiving game with the Green Bay Packers.
Most Kentucky basketball fans would recall Duke forward Christian Laettner’s infamous stomp on UK’s Aminu Timberlake during the 1992 NCAA College Basketball Tournament, and think he probably deserved a fate similar to Suh’s.
But in and of themselves, there’s nothing morally good or bad about throwing a ball, or kicking a ball, or hitting a puck with a stick, or anything of that nature.
There are only the rules of the game. Break the rules, and the game has a system built in to penalize you for it. -
Road goes back to property owner
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Fool me once...
When putting pen to paper (or fingers to keypad), it is so easy to fall into the trap of wanting to denigrate those with opposing views relating to political beliefs and social issues. I try hard to constantly remind myself that there are two sides to every argument, and each side can be as passionate about their viewpoint as the other. It is tempting to accuse someone of being an idiot if we passionately disagree with them. The term “idiot” is used to describe someone who is weak minded, of low IQ, or incapable of learning. Anyone who reaches the hallowed halls of Congress or the Whitehouse is definitely not an idiot, but they can be misguided. George W. Bush, Yale graduate with a Texas size ego, and Barak Obama, Harvard graduate with a Chicago thug style political background, are two such men. -
What does it maen?
/11. An instantly recognizable reference. One of those references to an event that all United States citizens of a certain age will always recognize. We will always ask, “what were you doing when you heard” and the question will be answered without a second's delay. It was an event that seared itself into our national psyche along with other societal tremors. 9/11 ushered in a new age for the United States and the decade since has brought systemic changes to our society, some for the better, some for the worse. 9/11 revealed in us a willingness to help others at great risk to our own lives and uncovered a fear that we may not be as safe as we thought we were. 9/11 has been used as both reason and excuse for a lot of things, many not very reasonable.
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The day of indelible memories
On a normal day, in my average, everyday, normal life, I would be hard pressed to tell you what I had for dinner the previous day. No, I’m not suffering from dementia or Alzheimer disease. The mind of the average person does not register routine activities as important enough to be a lasting memory. Not so on September 11, 2001. I would venture to say that the majority of the people in America have some indelible memories of what they were doing that day.
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Dana Allen
Dana Michele Allen, age 25, of Somerset, departed this life on Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Lexington, Ky.
- Ruth Morris Ruth Morris, 66, of Somerset, Ky., passed away Friday, April 16, 2010, at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset.
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Betty Lou Payne
Betty Lou Payne, 70, of Somerset, Ky. passed away on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at her home.
- Amidst the Tragedy
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