Today's News

Every year this time it comes back like pollen. I guess since it happens every year, it shouldn't be a surprise. The surprise is that I actually hope that it will go away. I hate it. It's March Madness, that marathon of college basketball that seems to be on every television channel.

It's not that a lot of these channels are filled with thoughtful and mind-provoking programming anyway, but I don't want to see a bunch of boys sweating while running up and down a court to sink a ball in a net on nearly every channel.

At first glance, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appears to be a good idea. The bill states that it will modernize the nation’s infrastructure, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief and protect those in greatest need. OK, it sounds great. Bottom line: it’s supposed to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a profile in Facebook, which I check via my cell phone several times a day. It’s a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. It’s also one of the quickest ways to reach me.

If you’re not familiar with Facebook, it’s a social network on the Internet. You can sign up for free, and you can e-mail people, add photos, post notes and update your status frequently – your status is however you’re feeling or whatever you’re doing at any given moment.

In March of 1984 Iran accused Iraq of using chemical weapons. I remember thinking, "Who cares?" The only reason I’d ever heard of either place was because back in junior high Miss Velna Gray Paschall made us learn the major food crops of every nation in the world (rye, barley, oats, wheat and corn for both, in case you are interested). That same year, “Terms of Endearment” won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Again, I didn’t care. I was pulling for, “The Return of Billy Jack.” The Macintosh computer was introduced in 1984.