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‘Drop the Rock’ to gain serenity and improve relationships

“Drop the Rock” is a short talk by the late speaker Sandy Beach. (Yes, his real name!) It is a favorite message of mine. You can click here to listen to it on YouTube, but to summarize, the story describes a person struggling to swim out to a boat where her friends were waiting. She was weighed down by a rock around her neck (her friends could see it, yet she could not). The friends kept yelling, “Drop the rock!” When she finally began to untangle the strings holding the rock around her neck, the load became lighter, and she could swim out to the boat and meet her friends. In ...

Barbour County ready for county fair, going back to school

The next time you hear from me, school will be back in session. The summer has flown by. School in Barbour County starts Aug. 14. I hope everyone has a good and safe year. Barbour County Youth Football and Cheer still has space open for cheerleaders in the 10–12 age group. Thanks to a generous anonymous donation, registration is now completely free for anyone in that age group who signs up between now and weigh-ins. At least three more cheerleaders are needed to form a team — let’s help make it happen! Philippi United Methodist Church is excited to welcome back and ...

Joining the woke brokers

Some fads end slowly, taking up to a generation to wane. Others are like lightning, bursting on the scene unexpectedly, destroying all in its path. This is what has happened in the Sydney Sweeney storm. An ad for American Eagle blue jeans and especially the reaction to it catapulted the 27-year-old actress to national fame and controversy. Move over Taylor Swift! In case you weren’t paying attention, the ad shows Sweeney reclining while zipping up a pair of jeans and flashing a little cleavage. What sparked the woke left’s attention and outrage was the ad copy which invoked a ...

Where are the heroes?

Following the tragic mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a New York City Police Department officer, we must confront a vital question: Where were the heroes? Reports indicate that the shooter walked from the curb to the entrance of 345 Park Avenue, a distance estimated at between 50 feet to 100 feet, with his assault rifle held out to his side. He approached the entrance during peak hours at 6:28 p.m., attracting the attention of numerous bystanders before entering the building and discharging his weapon. In the ...

Nixon, ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Apprentice’

Nostalgic much? Sometimes the movies, television shows and disgraced political figures leave an enduring mark on you. The Godfather, The Apprentice, and former President Richard Nixon all do that for me. Yet, I see them all coming back now. I can always find a comparison between my favorite movie of all-time,The Godfather, and almost anything else that occurs today. For example, President Donald Trump often makes “offers that people (universities) cannot refuse.” Isn’t that true, Columbia and Brown universities — and others? Or like Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Trump ...

President Trump’s tirades

Boy, can he get sore. Donald Trump’s tirades are sharp and rancorous. Because the Bureau of Labor Statistics adjusted an employment statistic to the low side, he fired the director for rigging the results. When the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, failed to lower interest rates, he was suddenly labeled a “moron.” Not to mention his accusation of “treason” against former President Barack Obama. Sometimes his actions are as comical as they are dangerous. When former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of the Federation Security Council, denounced ...