By Dr. Jim Ferguson “Words are the tools we use to express our thoughts.” (I occasionally like to quote myself.) It’s probably good we can’t read each other’s minds, so we’re left with body language and our linguistic communication tools. I sit on an advisory board for the care of the aging, and was recently […]
By Rosie Moore I went to the Public Library recently to get some reading material. I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted so I hurriedly latched on to two books and hoped for the best. I was rewarded for my haphazardness because the books I picked gave me food for thought. “The Wonder […]
By Joe Rector July 4th is one of only a few days that has become a national holiday. We Americans know how to celebrate it with style. We spend bundles on explosives that fizz or whir or boom for a few minutes, and all we’re left with are aching ears, smoke-filled eyes, and empty pockets. […]
By Ralphine Major ralphine3@yahoo.com It was a simple gesture. As the words of “America the Beautiful” rang throughout the church, a lady in the balcony started waving her flag. Then another waved—and another. I watched as everyone in the church began waving their flags. It was a moving and humbling sight as hundreds of American […]
By Sally Absher Zaevion Dobson to Receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award ESPN reports that Zaevion Dobson will be awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS next month. Zaveion, a Fulton High School football player, was shot to death last December while shielding two girls from gunfire. Just 15 years old at […]
By Ray Hill The art of politics has changed dramatically over the years. The age of truly gifted speakers who could move the emotions of audiences, bringing them alternately to laughter or tears is long gone. Courthouse rallies and barbecues are already becoming things of the past, replaced by slick television advertisements, polling and focus […]
By Steve Williams I lost my dad on March 5. I think of him every day. My eyes already are full of tears as I try to write this first paragraph. He died peacefully at the Parkwest Hospital Senior Behavioral Health Center on a Saturday evening about 10:30. Dad had Alzheimer’s disease or a form […]
By Sally Absher Buzz Thomas Joins KCS as Interim Superintendent Appointed Interim Superintendent Buzz Thomas officially took the reins as Director of Knox County Schools on June 15. He’s not quite “flying solo” yet though – outgoing Superintendent Jim McIntyre will be hanging around until July 8, to work in an “advisory role” to Thomas. […]
By Sally Absher If Oklahoma is the “Sooner State” then Tennessee must be the “Later State.” At least, concerning passing legislation to end the use of the highly controversial “value added model” (VAM) in teacher evaluations. Brian Washington reports on Educationvotes.org that House Bill 2957, which was recently signed into law by Oklahoma Governor Mary […]
By Dr. Jim Ferguson At the beginning of the movie Gladiator, the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is on campaign battling barbarians in what is current day Vienna, Austria. To a Roman, someone not a Roman was a barbarian, just as Hebrews referred to someone not Jewish as a gentile. Marcus Aurelius was considered a good […]
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