Keeping up with folks who get around

Travel news

When friends travel most of the time we don't hear from, or about, them until they return. It's a little easier in this age of cell phones and laptop computers, but we get away for a reason so contact on vacation is usually kept to a minimum. Staying in contact while traveling overseas can be especially difficult.

Sometimes though, news slips out.

The Gearys, Lanny and Lynne, have returned from a trip to Europe, celebrating Lynne's 30th anniversary, I think. They faced a little uncertainty just getting there with air travel shut down because of volcanic ash in the air.

Once we knew they were able to make the trip their friends figured we would have to wait and see the pictures before we had any news about the trip. Then over the weekend a news headline came out and the home folk knew right away Lanny was right where he said he was going to be.

The headline in USA Today read "Greece gets pledges for $145 billion in emergency loans." At that point we knew they had made it to Greece.

On a more somber note, subsequent headlines from Greece indicate things turned a little nasty with riots in the streets and confrontations between police and demonstrators. It sounds like the couple may have gotten out just in time.

Of course one wag suggested the riots started because Lanny's check bounced, but the rest of us knew that would not be the case.

Bush's fault

Seems like supporters of the current administration in Washington, D.C., can't help themselves when it comes to finding a scapegoat for anything that goes wrong or anything that may cast the administration in a bad light.

Take the would-be bomber in Times Square last week. Plenty was written about him criticizing former President George W. Bush. However it was a little more difficult to find any media source identifying this guy as a Muslim.

Same thing with the BP oil rig fire and subsequent spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Word has begun spreading that this can be laid at the feet of Haliburton (and former company CEO and former vice president Dick Cheney). And before any investigation can even begin two Democrats are already calling for Haliburton to appear before Congress to testify about the company's oil rig cement operations.

Who or what makes an elected politician an expert on everything from oil rig fires to Wall Street trading to global warming?

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On probation

Some folks just can't help themselves. A local restaurant has a regular group of folks that stop in for morning coffee and breakfast.

In an effort to provide a little entertainment for its customers this particular restaurant has a couple of television sets spread throughout the dining area. At this particular time of the morning at least one television is tuned to the Fox News Channel.

One member of this particular coffee klatch, obviously one who chooses to remain uninformed about news events in the world, took it upon himself to turn the television off. In fact, this fellow made a habit of turning the television off every morning.

Management of the restaurant began to notice that despite their best efforts the television would invariably end up being turned off. One patron, who shall remain unnamed to protect the guilty, approached the manager of this establishment and ratted out the culprit. (I don't think this guy will have to go into the witness protection program).

The manager caught the culprit red-handed, if you will, turning the television off. She approached the guilty party and told him something to the effect, "The owners of this restaurant purchased the televisions for their customers. They want those televisions on. Please do not turn them off."

This fellow, in addition to being uninformed about events in the world is also hard-headed. I'm told he turned the set off again the next day.

At that point the manager placed him on probation. It appears, given the legal brief I saw drawn up and signed, that this will stick.

The only time Tommy Striegel is allowed to touch the television set(s) at the local coffee stop he frequents in the mornings is to wipe the screen off to make it more clear for customers. Another infraction and Tommy will be picking his coffee up at the drive-thru and drinking it on the curb.

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Notes

We noticed some 15 applicants, via letters, have expressed an interest in Missouri's one remaining casino license. I thought it was necessary to clarify that none of them is from a group looking at the Varner River site.

I have a theory on why St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols is striking out more this year than he has in prior years. I think Pujols is trying to show everyone that he is still "The Man" after the team signed outfielder Matt Holiday to a record contract earlier this year.

The ironic part is that Holiday is struggling and there's no need for Pujols to try and do more. And since his contract is up at the end of the year, Pujols will collect big time when he signs a new contract himself.

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Election news

"Mrs. John M. Dlaton of Kennett was re-elected president of the Women's Democratic Club of Dunklin County at a meeting held last Thursday at the courthouse when Mrs. O.S. Harrison was chosen sectrtary and Mrs. Paul C. Jones, treasurer, of the county organization.

"Vice presidents, one from each of the townships in the county, were selected as follows:

Mrs. Jim Ellis, Cotton Hill.

Mrs. A.V. Rice, Freeborn.

Mrs. S. B. Galloway, Holcomb.

Mrs. John Williams, Independence.

Mrs. H.V. Sewell, Union.

Mrs. O.J. Cope, Clay.

Mrs. J.H. Lanier, Salem.

Mrs. Gus Hart, Buffalo."

Thanks to the DDD's unofficial, but much appreciated historian, Vivian Helton, for sharing this from the Friday, October 25, 1940 edition of The Twice-A-Week Dunklin Democrat.

Bud Hunt is publisher of the

Daily Dunklin Democrat, Daily Statesman, Delta News-Citizen, Missourian-News and

North Stoddard Countian.