Several years ago I wrote book reviews for the local newspaper.  Tiring of this I was searching for new avenues when then publisher, Bud Hunt, suggested I start the Answer Man column. Doing the Answer Man column has been a pleasure for me. It’s been like a hobby where you take up painting, woodwork, fishing, or golfing...

Q: Is baseball a prissy game compared to yesterday? A: There is nothing harder to deal with than facts. Like most confrontations of strength,  it is preferable to have the high ground.  In 1969 hitters for the first time had the advantage of facing pitching  from a mound that had been reduced from 15 inches to 10 inches.  Why?  Why to encourage more hitting & homeruns.  Did it work?  Hitting from a reduced mound did indeed increase homerun production.    ...

Q:  What do we owe teachers in the modern world? A: We owe them the respect due to their profession; the recognition that they are involved in a tough job that requires good conduct & discipline from their students, and the necessity of giving those children a firm background in the ABCs to make their way through life...

Q:  What are some expressions no longer in use? A:  There are many of them.  Just hope we’re not , “ON A SLOW BOAT TO CHINA,   or , ON A LONG TRAIN TO NOWHERE.”   You would have to find a real old timer for some of these dead expressions.  For instance in the deep south a person sure of himself once might have said “ That’s true’” or “GRITS AINT GROCERIES”  If proven wrong he could have said “THAT’S A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR.”...

Q:  Is the Georgia law for voter identification a reversion to Jim Crow? A:  There is no logical comparison.       The other day on MSNB a nice looking young black man said that the Georgia law for voter identification was a reversion to Jim Crow segregation.  Although his younger look made it impossible for him to  have ever lived a day under  the degradation of Jim Crow, he said, “just take a look at history.”...

Q: Will the Kennett Library Book Review Group be doing monkeyshines on the night of Oct. 3, 2017? A: To the contrary, they will be doing Chimp Chatter. Like man, the monkey is a member of the primate family which includes gorillas, lemurs, and the chimpanzee. ...

Q:  Was it correct for the Orpheum Theater in Memphis to ban the movie Gone With The  Wind because it was considered racially insensitive? A:  A better question might be what was the “intent” of the book Margret Mitchel wrote about, and how it was portrayed in the movie...

Q: Which players make up an All-Time Cardinal Team? A: Although it changes from time to time the players stay about the same. The season is still going on, but at this time it looks like our Cardinals will be watching the play-offs and the World Series on their TV sets.  So...  lets return to some glory days.  Plus it’s always fun to make lists.    Back in the 80’s the St. Louis Post Dispatch listed their all-time Cardinal team.  Then we can make a shot as possible changes in 2017:...

Q:  Was Dunkirk a great movie? A:  It's up to the modern audience to decide what they want in a war movie.      Dunkirk the movie was in Kennett for several days.  It is unknown just how many people saw the film.  But what ever the case you have to applaud the Kennett theater people for showing an adult movie instead of so many animated films for the young.  One thing for sure is that the Kennett theater is very nice with comfortable seats, and plenty of leg room, and  amiable people up front.  ...

Q:  How many sources of information does the general public need? A:  Several if possible, and that public should be allowed to express their own. With its many enemies working night and day to destroy it, Fox News also threatens to implode from within.  If this happens we will be left with only one source of information and opinion.  Will this be good for our country?  History proves that having only one source of information can often lead to disaster. ...

Q: What are some social issues we are not likely to ever see again? A: Here just a few examples: On Dec. 18, 1953, a man named Carl Harl, and his wife, Bonnie Heady, sat literally side by side in the gas chamber. This unwholesome twosome had kidnapped a six year old, Bobby Greenlease, in Kansas City, then murdered and buried him on the same day. ...

Q: What is probably used far too often in our political & cultural discourse today? A: Exaggeration. Steve Patton had an interesting view in his column for last weekend's DDD. Trying to interpret his meaning correctly, it's not like he was suggesting a quid pro quo for the political parties. What he did seem to say was that Trump needed a favorable press, and the press needed Trump to make news. Makes sense. What both of them should temporize, however, is extreme exaggeration...

Q: What is the most overused word in the sports world today. A: The word “Unbelievable.” A baseball outfielder dives to snare a ball just before it hits the ground, and then does an acrobatic tumble. “Unbelievable!!!” Screams the announcer. A football receiver catches the ball with two defenders on his back.” Unbelievable!!!” again. ...

Q: What is one of the most difficult things you can attempt in this life?

Q: What is the Kennett Library Book Review Group badly in need of? A: Recruits. Going all the way back to the old library, the Library Book Review group has been around a long time. Loving the concept as much as we do, we want to see the book discussions thrive and grow...

Q: What is a controversial question? A: One where the answer is probably unanswerable The other day on the golf course a man truly advanced in age complained that he was tired of being the shortest hitter in a large group. At that time a well meaning person chastised him for not realizing how lucky he was to still be playing when most of his peers are either dead, impaired in some way, or in a nursing home...

Q: Are some books good enough to be read more than once? A: A definite yes. Tuesday night, October 27, Barbie Pemberton led the Library Book Review Group in a lively discussion of Kristin Hannah's book, "The Nightingale." This is a book about two courageous women who worked against the Nazis with the French Resistance. ...

Q: Is golf participation on the decline. A: Internet reports say that it is on decline. Taylor/Made Adidas, golf world's biggest maker of golf clubs and golf clothes, saw their sales drop 28% last year. They further lamented that more courses are closing now than new ones opening...

Let's say the year was 1959; that you are from Minnesota and you decide to drive along the Mississippi River to a final destination of Memphis, Tenn. You drive ever south into the hilly country of Missouri, past St. Louis, past Cape Girardeau until you leave any semblance of hills into a flatland where you can see for miles, and roads seldom curve. You have just entered Southeast Missouri that penetrates southward past what looks like the normal borders and is called "The Missouri Bootheel."...

Q: What is a centenarian? A: It is a person who has doggedly held on to live 100 years or more. There is a short AP story in the July 7, 2015 edition of the DDD about a centenarian who plans to enter the National Senior Games to be held in the Minneapolis area on July 15 of this year. Actually this fellow will be 102 years old in August. He plans to compete in the "100-plus age group."...

Q: Is dancing becoming a lost art? A: This remains a question because as a person gets older he or she is not out in the wide world as much as in the past. The omniscient, "They," say that small town newspapers may still have a future, but that big city papers are in serious trouble. "They" also say that hard bound books may soon become a thing of the past. Is couples dancing also on its way out?...

Q: What is one of the possible dangers of too long a cruel winter? A: The underuse of mind & body producing a mental atrophy. "They," (those people who seem to know everything,) say that if a person stays inside too long they could develop a condition called "agoraphobia," which means they are afraid to go outside again. This is hopefully an exaggeration, but this long cruel winter borders on such; and offers other morbid possibilities...

A fellow is having a near nightmare. He is driving on a two-lane highway following a Greyhound Bus that is splashing ice & snow onto his windshield. Right behind him is a little black car that is weaving in and out trying to pass. There are two anomalies going on here, and one causing considerable angst. ...

January 14, 2015 Charles Bloniarz, leaving scene of motor vehicle accident, to appear Aug. 12; Billie J. Borschnack, assault first degree, bench trial set for March 27; James R. Boykin, tampering with motor vehicle accident, pled guilty, suspended imposition of sentence, four years supervised probation;...

Q: Are women much more involved in world affairs today? A: The answer is an obvious yes. Hillary Clinton is certainly the leading Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential election. And Joni Ernst is emerging as a shining star for the Republican Party. These are but two examples of many powerful women who are emerging as leaders in our modern world...

If KHS is to have a great football season next year it will probably depend on two things: The luck of having an outstanding crop of athletes, and good coaching. This would be a far cry from documented incidents where some famous high schools have made their own luck by sometimes finding a job for a father in their town away from another town so that a talented son can play football for them. What ever you want to call this - including over-emphasis - it remains a form of recruiting...

During these days of protest, burning & looting, worries about the morass in the Middle East, illegals being pardoned by edict, and other problems diametrically dividing this nation, the tendency might be to wrap yourself in a cocoon, or straying no further than your front yard. Ironically, Yahoo Travel has chosen these hectic times to warn us about where we shouldn't vacation...

During these days of protest, burning & looting, worries about the morass in the Middle East, illegals being pardoned by edict, and other problems diametrically dividing this nation, the tendency might be to wrap yourself in a cocoon, or straying no further than your front yard. Ironically, Yahoo Travel has chosen these hectic times to warn us about where we shouldn't vacation...

There is probably nothing more sewed up than the domination of the same big boys in college football & basketball. With some schools staying constantly at the top, the established traditions for the top twenty five in the respective sports leads to recruiting advantage that makes them almost impenetrable. They simply reload with top players every year, leaving the mediocre for dozens of other schools that act mainly as cannon fodder when playing the big boys...

Q: Is air travel truly safer than driving a car? A: The statistics say yes, but there were some celebrities who might argue the issue. There is a lovely lady in Kennett who recently posted on facebook that her mother was a personal friend of Audie Murphy. ...

Q: Was there ever a bell in the old courthouse in Kennett? A: The answer will have to come from more informed people. There is a respected fellow in the city of Kennett who thinks that there was a bell in the old court house that disappeared when that courthouse burned down. ...

Q: What is meant by the word "purism?" A: The Oxford College Dictionary says it means "scrupulous or exaggerated observance of or insistence on traditional rules or structures." There are certain segments in today's society that feel all traditional values should be changed to meet their particular beliefs. They, in a sense, have become reverse "purists," this time the "purity" of change, or what appears to be change for change's sake...

Q: Are the Southeastern Conference football fans, announcers, and analysts, doing some serious horn tooting? A: There is enough trumpeting coming out of the SEC to embarrass the likes of Mohamed Ali in his heyday. They were good along time ago and now it is evident that the SEC has the best college football in the country; and their fans never miss a chance to tell you this, and chortle over the demise of former Midwestern powers such as the Big Ten...

Q: What is one of the few advantages of being old? A: We dress as we choose. One of the few advantages in being old is that we are no longer subject to the cultural mores in our attire. We must maintain hygiene, but no longer bother about being "cool."...

Q: Is the SEMO Little Theater Group slipping? A: Not in the least. In fact they seem to be getting better, and more ambitious. The Alvin Theater in New York City was renamed The Neil Simon Theater in 1983. This was in tribute to the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who once had the rare honor of having four productions showing on Broadway simultaneously...

True Story: A woman had just moved into a new town and was attending a church with which she was not familiar. The kindly minister was asking about the denominational background of herself, and her three children. When he got to the youngest boy he asked what church his father was raised in. The little boy answered, "My daddy is a golfist."...

In golf, you hit a little, dimpled ball, with sticks especially designed for this purpose. You hit from one designated point to another, where you deposit the ball in an equally designated cavity. You do this from 18 different geographical locations. ...

Most of us learned a long time ago that TV wrestling was as phony as a $50 Rolex. Theirs is almost a comic book act, with an outrageous cast of characters more bizarre than a "Star Wars" movie. The 6'8" or 7' tall basketball player, who can chew gum and tie his shoes at the same time, is certain to make a dunk shot, when he stands under the basket, uncontested. ...

Q: How do you start some good conversations? A: Just stir up some debatable issues. The congenial Kennett Library Book Review Group will meet at 7 o'clock on the night of July 29, 2014 to discuss Doris Kearns Goodwin's latest book The Bully Pulpit. This should be a lot of fun...

Q: Do you like to read different perspectives of history? A: History buffs be alert. You are about to get a real zinger!!! The Kennett Book Review Group will meet in August to discuss Charles Adam's book "When in the Course of HUMAN EVENTS. Adams has written several books, and is considered a scholar on the history of taxes...

Q: Are the Politically Correct people always serious? A: It may be an oxymoron, but sometimes they can be seriously/comical. Sometimes in the effort to set the world up as they like it the politically correct people have to cover up the truth. This is serious because covering up the truth in anything often comes back to bite, and may even hurt the very people or institutions they are duty bound to protect...

Q: How will the Kennett Golf Course do with new ratings? A: It will be a matter of curiosity because many changes have taken place in golf since the course was last rated. Kennett Country Club Pro, Jesse Coffman, said the other day that plans were being considered in September to have a USGA team come in to re-rate the golf course...

Q: What could be expected on a TV History Channel? A: Thousands of years of dynamic earth shaking history that has formed the world as we know it today. So what do we get on today's History Channel. Why none other than non-entity Swamp People, The Pickers, pawn brokers, near illiterate alligator and giant catfish catchers - a dismal morass of what can be called...

Q: What is a form N-400? A: It is an application form for legal immigration into our country. There are those of us who are described as common citizens, which means we don't know the answers to everything. Quoting from a column in the Daily Dunklin Democrat, Cokie & Steve Roberts say "Immigration reform will make our economy stronger and our country more secure." They go on to say "removing them is neither practical nor economically smart."...

Q: Can books have an influence on your state of mind? A: It has been proven to be so. At 7 PM on August 27, 2013, the Kennett Library Book Review Group will discuss Russell Bank's book, "Continental Drift." "Continental Drift" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It won the John Dos Passos award, and the American Academy for Arts and letters...

Q: How many products that were once well known are no longer with us? A: They still may be with us. The Daily Dunklin Democrat had an AP story the other day that said that a new company would now be putting Twinkies back on the market. This is a blessing for those of us who have an insatiable sweet tooth...

Q: What is a jinx? A: A person or thing that brings bad luck. Some well meaning person said the other day that the Cardinals were on their way to winning one hundred games this season. Doesn't he know that's putting a jinx on the Redbirds? Now they may go into a ten game losing streak...

Q: Who was George Beverly Shea? A: He was the consummate gospel singer. Last weekend's Daily Dunklin Democrat has a short editorial about the life and death of George Beverly Shea. No one could sing the great old church songs like he could. He would come out there during the Billy Graham crusades in a business looking suit, and wearing glasses as he became older. ...

Q: When will tattoo art receive complete legitimacy? A: When it is exhibited in the great art galleries like the Louvre in Paris. Tattoo art is gradually living down the seedy image it once had. Many young people today have tattoos that range from the subtle to as wild as the imagination can conjure...

Q: What is the toughest thing to face in Immigration Reform? A: Maybe it's just the plain fact that they won and we lost. Amnesty for illegal immigrants is not moving quite as fast as predicted, but will undoubtedly speed up if Democrats take over both sides of congress in the 2014 elections...

Q: Are movies better now than in the past? A: The American Film Institute did a study on this based on ballots sent to 1,500 figures, mostly from the film world. Criteria for judging included historical significance, critical recognition and awards, and popularity. They chose the top 100 movies of all time...

Q: What happened to the colorful men of golf. A: Business is business. Three time Major winner, Jimmy Demeret, once made a 15 on a hole. When asked how this could have happened Demeret said that he saved it being 16 by making a 30ft. putt for his last shot...

Q: What is the best way to survive the hospital experience? A: Try to keep your sense of humor. No one likes going to the hospital, in spite of the fact that sole purpose of the professionals there is to send you home in better health than when you arrived...

Q: What is meant by the word "confuse." A: Dictionary: "to become bewildered or perplexed." Considering the fact that syndicated columnists for the Daily Dunklin Democrat, Cokie & Steve Roberts, Donna Brazile, and Gene Lyons, all agree that the Republican Party has had it; that they consist of "grumpy old white men," people pathetically out of tune with modern progress, anachronistic relics of a failed past, and devoid of intellect; why then do they worry so much that these now powerless nin-com-poops can ruin our country?. ...

Q: What does the word "hypocrisy" mean? A: The dictionary says, the practice of claiming to have high standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform, pretense. Although we have absolutely no way of knowing for sure, the minimum guesstimate for illegal immigrants in this country is about eleven million - give or take a few million...

Q: Is there too much hype proceeding the Super Bowl? A: It is threatening to turn the Super Bowl into TV Wrestling. This year's Super Bowl was an exciting game. This comes as no surprise because football is a great game, and like all games there will be one-sided contests, mediocre ones, and some really super...

Q: What do a number of politicians have in common. A: Many of them are good dancers. In the movie version of the great Broadway hit "Chicago" the shifty lawyer, Billy Flynn's, defense of Roxy Hart is shattered by evidence proving that she is as guilty as sin...

Q: Who was "The Man?" A: Stan Musial. Stan Musial died last weekend, and with his passing may mean one of the last soft spoken sports heroes who did his talking by excelling on the field. No chest pounding, no braggadocio predictions, no threats, just a study in professional class...

Q: What is the definition of "Elsewhere?" A: It means "in, at, or to some other place or other places. Have you noticed that too many people today are more interested in elsewhere than in what is right in front of them? They can be visiting your home, or you in their own homes for that matter, and they sit around with a cell phone in their ear, or pecking away on various contraptions, always in communication with elsewhere...

Q: What happened to the Caruthersville swimming pool? A: Right now the answer is unknown. You can talk to Bootheel people all over the area as they reminisce about things that used to be, but are no longer. It is always a pleasant adventure. Many could probably tell you what happened to the Green Lantern in Kennett, or Mom's Club. or Guin's right outside of Hayti, or the old Club Zanza. But it would take someone just barely above the soil to know about a certain swimming pool in Caruthersville...

Q: What ever happened to Mr. Nice Guy? A: He seems to have disappeared out of a lot of novels. Someone once said that reading a Charles Dickens book was like watching a Clint Eastwood movie: Sooner or later good would prevail over evil, and the bad guys would get just what was coming to them. Dickens was not much of one to mess with Mr In-between...

Q: Are Republicans war mongers? A: Columnist, Donna Brazile, says they are. In her DDD column for 3-14-12, Donna Brazile, is in her usual form of dehumanizing Republicans, and praising the water-walking qualities of President Obama. This time she is accusing the Republicans of "sword-rattling" over the Iranian nuclear build-up. ...

Q: Who is "The Girl?" A: Lisbeth Salander. Some time back we discussed Stieg Larsson's excellent trilogy "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." "The Girl Who Played With Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." Now they have made a movie of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."...

Q: Should cameras be allowed during a Supreme Court Ruling? A: Some say it is essential to our understanding. In June of 2012 the Supreme Court will making a ruling on the constitutionality of the Obamacare Health Plan. Constitution expert, and syndicated columnist, Nat Henthoff, says cameras should be allowed in the court room as both sides make their cases. Henthoff says Americans should be informed as much as possible on all laws that will eventually have great effect on their lives...

Q: Was Dunklin County once a temporary home for refugees? A: Yes, during the great flood of 1937. There is a new book out written by David Welky entitled "The Thousand-Year Flood." Scores of books and documentaries have been written about 1927 when flood waters roared down the lower Mississippi scattering people from their homes, inundating farm lands, and causing Louisiana officials to flood certain parishes to save New Orleans...

Q: When does a series of remarkable circumstances produce an almost miracle? A: A good example might be to study the life of Helen Keller. There is a book in the new book section of the Kennett Library entitled "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller...

Q: What does prejudiced mean mean? A: Roughly, it is a perceived opinion or notion based on very few facts, or experience. There is a fellow living not too many miles out of Kennett - and probably an okay guy in most respects - who seemed to really enjoy the Kennett Country Club burning to the ground...

Q: Do we have an illegal immigration problem? A: Not according to Cokie & Steve Roberts. The Daily Dunklin Democrat has excellent syndicated columnists offering a reasonable cross section of political & cultural opinions. All of them also have a special agenda where they constantly return:...

Q: What is The Law of War? A: Confusing at the least. Most Americans today are highly concerned about the economic morass we are in, the illegal immigration problem, border drug wars, the right to live issue, or sexual peccadillo. In the meantime constitution expert, and syndicated columnist, Nat Henthoff, pounds relentlessly away on the illegality of President Obama's drone warfare and assassination by presidential approval. He says this is not what we are all about...

Q: Is there a need to proselytize for the game of baseball. A: Not really. It has done well on its own for many,many years. Professional football has taken over as the number one team sport in this country. And why not? It is truly a great game...

Q: What is a disaster? A: You may be able to witness one when Missouri plays Oklahoma in their September 24 football game. Mizzou fans can look forward to the September 24 clash between the Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners; that is if you like hurricanes, floods, and other disasters...

Q: Where did the largest maritime disaster in United States History take place? A: An educated guess would be about eighty five miles south of the old ferry landing at Cottonwood Point in the Bootheel. The month was April of 1865. The two year old steamboat Sultana was a few miles north of Memphis on the Mississippi moving along under the weight of twenty- four hundred souls, mostly made up of survivors from the horrors of the Confederate prison for Union soldiers at Cahaba, Alabama, or the even worse Andersonville in Georgia.. ...

Q: What kind of music do we hear very often, but probably don't identify as such? A: Ragtime The Friends of Music and The Music Club could undoubtedly do a better presentation than the following. Nevertheless, you don't have to be into it that much to know that from bebop to Beethoven; from Sousa to Sheryl Crow there have always been great musical sounds that have been with us for a long time...

Q: Are a number of words and expressions gradually disappearing from our language. A: There are some you very seldom hear anymore. We dinosaurs are admittedly symbolic survivors of the Chicxulub asteroid. We have little contact with modern dialogue other than what we hear from our grandchildren, some TV, and an occasional new movie. What we do realize, however, is that certain words and expressions long familiar to us are gradually disappearing ...

Q: Are women politicians less susceptible to sex scandals than men? A: We really can't be certain about this. Cokie & Steve Roberts, like most syndicated columnists, write in aphorisms, dead certainties. We have to assume it was Cokie talking to us in her last weekend's column for the D.D.D. when she asserted that congresswomen would be less inclined to be involved in sex scandals than their contemporaries in men...

Q: Will Rory Mcillroy become a big time super star? A: We can certainly hope so. It is always refreshing in any sport to have a hero who doesn't blow his own horn, doesn't pound his chest, doesn't make a ballistic demonstration when things go right, doesn't pout and shout obscenities around a TV camera when things go wrong, who appears to be having fun, who seems appreciative of how good life has been to him, and is involved in humanitarian work at a very young age...

For Sports Fans there are always those unanswerable questions that pop up... But it always fun to think them over. Q: Would TCU have beaten Auburn or Oregon? A: We might think we know, but we don't. TCU wasn't given the chance. A person would have to have omniscient powers to know for certain. These people are rare...

TIME FOR TALK SCHEDULE Jan. 24 - 28, 2011 NEW WAVE CABLE CHANNEL 2 @ 7 P.M. Mon. Jan. 17 DR. BRITT BURCHAM TALKS ABOUT RAT SNAKES The appearance of a black rat snake in his back yard elicits a firm lecture from Dr. Burcham extoling the virtues of this common inhabitant of all our back yards. ...

Q: When does something lack validity? A: When it doesn't jive with the facts. Gene Lyons & Donna Brazile are two syndicated columnists whose articles appear in every Wednesday's Daily Dunklin Democrat. More in particular Lyons, than Brazile, they are both convinced that conservatives only sources of information are Fox News and talk radio...

Q: What does the word "Consistency" mean? A: It means the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over a period of time. Congratulations to Steve Pellham on winning the Kennett Country Club Golf Championship for 2010!!! This may be the beginning of many such victories for Steve...

Q: What do the Daily Dunklin Democrat's syndicated columnists have in common? A: Lack of a sense of humor. Mike Royka was the legendary columnist for the Chicago Daily news, and later for the Chicago Tribune. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner whose acid comments could change the fortunes for many the politicos...

Q: Once again, ladies & gentlemen, what does the word "xenophobia" mean? A: It means an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. Syndicated columnists, Cokie & Steve Roberts, are at it again. Their favorite word for anyone who doesn't agree with them about everything regarding foreign relations is "xenophobic." They use this dandy word time and again...

Q: Are some sports announcers too young to be truly effective? A: Too many sports announcers have their heads buried in the sands of their own particular time. Sports announcers have a tendency to think the athletes of their time are the best ever. There were two young ESPN reporters the other day moaning the fact that Tiger Wood's poor performances of late could spell an end to golf popularity; that golf needed Tiger at dominant level...

Q: What does the word "Hypocrisy" mean. A: The practice of having moral standards or beliefs which one's own behavior does not conform, pretense. The Daily Dunklin Democrat had an AP story a few days back about a meeting of Southeastern Conference football coaches in Hoover, Alabama. (Birmingham area.)...

Q: What is the world's largest team sport. A: It's what we call soccer, but the rest of the world calls football. Brian Mitchell made an interesting observation in his D.D.D. column a few weeks ago when he identified himself as being about as much into soccer as watching paint dry, or grass grow. This probably speaks for most of us...

Q: Who is Andy Rooney? A: Andy Rooney is best known for his appearances on the TV show "60 Minutes." but he has also written several books. The Kennett Library Book Review Group will meet at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. The subject will be "any" book written by Andy Rooney...

Q: What is a B-25? A: Maybe the most renown airplane of World War II. There were some old timers who got a big thrill the other day as they watched an antiquated WWII bomber come into the Kennett Airport - its twin-engines making a terrible sound...

Q: Were sand greens in golf easier to putt? A: They were a bad putter's paradise. Last Sunday's "View From The Square" had a contribution from unofficial historian, Vivian Helton, about a golf match on the Kennett Golf Course. The match was played in 1936...

Q: What does the word "sanctuary" mean? A: One definition is "a place for refuge and protection." There are some aspects of baseball that are far beyond those of us who have just followed the game all of our lives. We have to leave that up to the insiders with a grass roots knowledge of the game...

Q: What is MOREnet? A: It is a Missouri Research and Education Network. It would be difficult to walk into any Missouri library and not see people actively engaged with the computers available there. They will be the young, and the older. They will not be programmed into Hoyle Card Games, or fast action videos. For the most part they will be in a working mode of Lifetime Education. They are using computers as another means to improve their lives...

Q: Are Social Security Funds being provided to illegal aliens unconstitutional? A: Although very few of us are Constitutional Lawyers, we are familiar with the maneuvers around this document to satisfy political and cultural agendas. In the January 28 edition of the Daily Dunklin Democrat, Mr. Ken Emfinger...

Q: What is our country's trade deficit? A: $364, billion The January 12, 2010 edition of the Daily Dunklin Democrat had an AP story about our country's trade deficit of $364,billion. It was on page 15. This is not to scold our local newspaper for minimizing such a deficit, because 24/7 television news only has this in a shadow below the pervasive health bill, which no one understands, illegal immigration, and various sex scandals...

Q: Are there certain myths about college sports that should be examined? A: Although a great many people prefer not to think about it, it continues to be a problem of concern. By the time this is read either Alabama or Texas will be National College Football Champions. ...

Q: Should all types of individuals be considered for military recruitment? A: History will tell you this is a terrible mistake. Last week the Daily Dunklin Democrat ran a story about Al Sharpton being in an almost battlefield zone of St. Louis where thugs and dope peddlers were taking over the neighborhood...

Q: Will Notre Dame get back to the top in the football world again? A: Notre Dame haters may be finding less and less reasons to hate them. Notre Dame has fired three coaches in just a handful of years. Now they are seeking a new one, and football fans are wondering if a different coach can bring them back to the status they once enjoyed...

Q: What is meant by the word "injustice?" A: Maybe one of the best answers is, "an act that inflicts undeserved hurt." Although the big store itself was only tangentially involved, events originating there could be called The Great Walmart Debacle. In the end there is only one true victim - the city of Kennett. This is an "injustice."...

Q: What does the word "inheritance" mean? A: In political terms it means that a new administration takes over the success - or mess - of the previous one. Gene Lyons is a syndicated columnist whose opinions appear every Wednesday in the Daily Dunklin Democrat...

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...

A: A Hidden Secret. For a long time the Panhandle Gulf Coast was considered Florida's Hidden Secret. This has changed drastically over the past few years. The white sands and blue/green waters has lured many people, including the "Snow Birds" from Canada who come down in the winter to swim in waters far too cold for the average southerner. Even people from the Bootheel have invested in property on the Gulf Coast, and live there at certain times of the year...

Q: How important is brand identification, and promotion? A: Identification is crucial to success. Sales promotions are based on "Where" & "When." We may wonder sometimes why a company with huge brand identification even bothers to advertise. But they do, and because they do, we can walk down any super market aisle and see their lion's share of counter facings. ...

A: The Kennett Golf Course is a fine place to start. Carlos would have been a star polo player. We sometimes wonder why he even bothers to leave his cart to hit a shot. One of these days he's going to make it. And when he does his many friends plan a gala celebration...

Q: What is the most controversial book ever written on U.S. soil? A: "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Jimmy Carter's ill thought out remarks about race have once again brought a continuing problem to the forefront. President Obama answered this with reason; and he himself is a living proof that we have made great strides in this direction over the last fifty years...

Q: Are tall tales going out of style? A: They may after reading these: "Two fellows - both of whom had been known to tilt a few - were gigging frogs one night along a shallow water bank. They were trying to cut back, so all they had brought along was a fifth of Old Crow, and an emergency pint. They had already polished off the fifth, and were nipping on the pint...

Q: What two words are taking the place of "and,ah," "and,er," and "duh?" A: "You Know" The two words "you know" are inundated into our speech today; and are harder to expunge from verbal communication than breaking the smoking habit, or resigning from a record club. They have replaced the need for "and,ers," "and,ahs," and "duhs."...