An acquaintance the other day had a complaint about local journalism. He noted that my newspaper’s competition covered a speech he saw at the local Political Animals Club (in Fayetteville it is open to the press). He disagreed with the speaker, a military official who defended U.S. Iraqi strategies, and wondered why the reporter did […]
The Fayetteville Public Library has hit another milestone: The shelving for DVD Recent Returns now is overwhelmingly packed while the DVD stacks have about one disc every other row. Normally, the regular rows show off so much of the handsome, stained woodgrain, and the to-be-shelved are just a little busy. Aggravating. Is it on purpose? […]
Professionals — as opposed to, what, amateurs — and professions, as opposed to, what, trades, already were on my mind when a Fayetteville High School English teacher decided to set the record straight in a carefully written op-ed piece that just appeared in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Milton Burke, the teacher, began by explaining the […]
Among the advice people my age and older got when we went to college was to avoid campus protests — “even though, son, you agree with them” — because someone might take your picture. When you go for your first job, someone may remember seeing you in the paper. Worse, in 20 years when you […]
Copyright 2006 Ben S. Pollock It has come to my attention that I am mostly unable to predict the future. Also, I am told, for the most part I cannot shape the future. (If you prefer, substitute “we” or “you” for the “I” because this really is not all about me. It’s never about me […]
This thought I swear just came to me, but it’s so good it cannot be original. To whom to attribute it? Anonymous gets the best ones, and this isn’t quite that so how about George Carlin? Why is it that the check always is in the mail, but bills never get lost?” -30-