Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1398 - 1422 of 1893
The USDA’s Grain Stocks and Planting Intentions Report, which came out last Friday, was quite a shock to the market. After all the excessive rains the Midwest and corn belt experienced this spring, causing flooding and planting delays, the question was how many acres were lost. Well the answer, according to the report, was none. In fact acres were gained. Corn acres came in at 97.38 million vs. 97.28 million in the March 1st Stocks report. That represents the highest corn acreage since 1936. The market had been expecting a 2-...
You know, I’ve always thought of myself as a basically honest person. In fact, I like to think of myself as above average in that regard. When I find paper money on the street, I attempt to find its owner. Usually, when something is my fault, I confess. I don’t steal. I don’t lie, unless it doesn't matter. “Aha!” you say. “There she goes, down that slippery slope of making God-like decisions.” For who am I to decide what matters? But that’s a bit off track. The lies I’ve b...
Salads, desserts head this barbecue season menu Picnic and barbeque weather has finally arrived. Time for summer menu items. Broccoli salads of various varieties have gained in popularity over the last decade. This recipe for Broccoli Salad was attributed to Dorothy of Coulee Dam in the spring issue of the Sage Country Quilters Newsletter. It is an easy recipe using ingredients basic to the average pantry, but adapts well to substitutions. Broccoli Salad Salad: 2 bunches fresh broccoli, cut in bite size pieces (about 6 cups)...
To the Editor: The unidentified audience member in the May 30, 2013 edition of the Odessa Record is Greg Mundt, Spokane, WA, veteran of Viet Nam, honoring the veterans of WWI, WWII and Korea who are buried in the Bohemian Cemetery. Greg is a family friend of the Totusek, Wraspir, Ott, Iksic, Droz and Schaefer veterans. Thank you. Ruth Ott Droz Schaefer Spokane, WA...
To the Editor: The President and his family have decided to visit Africa. When asked the purpose of the trip the White House has, as of now, had no answer. He probably wants to see his birthplace. The Secret Service in charge of the President’s safety has spared no money. It has been estimated the trip will cost 100 million dollars. According to the Washington Post, “Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bulletproof glass to cover the wind...
To the Editor: I saw in The Odessa Record, Saturday, will be 2013 Alumni Banquet being held at the Community Center, June 15, 2013. Even though I was a graduate of Odessa High School in 1966, I never received any notice of this happening. I wish someone had notified me about this event. I would have loved to attend and seen the high school alumni. Who do I contact to let them know where they can contact me when this event comes up again? I’m sure there is a fee and how much is it? I enjoy getting The Odessa Record. It k...
Late in the last century scientists published reams of data about Earth's climate derived from ice cores taken from Greenland and Antarctic. By drilling down into the polar ice with hollow bits, workers were able to pull columns of ice up to the surface. The material brought to light in this way was very special for several reasons. First, the ice cores show annual layers going back in time. That means scientists can count backwards through time from the surface downward, a...
To the Editor: Many thousands of college graduates are looking for jobs so that they can start responsible lives supporting themselves. Many of these are faced with paying off their share of the trillion dollars that students have borrowed while they were pursuing that degree. Many have been assured that a sheepskin was all they needed. Using the excuse that this country faces a shortage of “skilled labor” our government allowed 65,000 non-U.S. citizens with advanced degrees to enter the U.S. workforce under the H-1B Vis...
How to get boys to read Reading a book for the summer is not high on most boys’ to-do lists for the summer, as most parents of boys can attest. How then to get a boy to read? One important way to do this is to capitalize on the boy’s interests. And since boys have plenty of time to pursue their interests during the summer, it is also a great time to connect to the things they like and want to do. If a boy likes baseball, find books on baseball for him to read. Include the sports page of the newspaper and sports mag...
"People cannot learn by having information pressed into their brains. Knowledge has to be sucked into the brain, not pushed in. First, one must create a state of mind that craves interest and wonder. "You can teach only by creating an urge to know." Victor Weisskopf (1908-2002) As this school year comes to a close, I look bakc upon my 42 years of teaching. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least. I began in what was then the largest high school in Georgia with 2,100 students, and I end in a rural eastern...
"Girls 4x100 Relay Sets New State Record!!" Was this the headline we saw? We have a track team that goes to state and places in the top 7 in all their events. We have a girls relay team that takes first in two events and breaks the state record for cryin-out-loud. We take 3rd in boys 100m & 200m (photo finishes on both by the way). A girls 100m and 200m dash that places 3rd and 4th (photo finish here too, I think), 5th on boys triple jump, 7th in girls long jump, 4th in girls triple jump. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? What...
I'm a little cranky today. I've never read the Divine Comedy, the epic poem written by Dante Aligieri. Having seen paintings inspired by the first section, usually called Dante's Inferno, I've never really wanted to. That hasn't stopped me from imagining Hell as I would have designed it. Never mind the seven deadly sins. I would have a place in Hell reserved for people who abuse those weaker than themselves, whether that be spouses, children, or animals. This would, I...
Buster Brown, my big mutt from the dog pound, is now 10 years old. Perhaps because he’s a senior citizen it took him a full week to learn how to operate the dog door I had installed last winter. He was used to going to the back door and barking to be let in or out. Once the dog door was there, I held it open, showing him the great outdoors, and encouraged him to go through it. I had to repeat this maneuver many times, patiently making happy noises when he ultimately would h...
The name “natural gas” might be a puzzle. After all, how could there be such a thing as unnatural gas? The reason we call natural gas what we do has to do with history. There was a day that people made burnable gas by heating coal. The gases that came off the coal were piped around cities where they did things like light street lamps and even power cook stoves in homes. Coal gas had its down side. For one thing, it often contained carbon monoxide. And it took energy to make th...
Calling all alumni! It's that time again, when Odessa's graduates come back to visit with family, old friends and former classmates. It is always a time of much laughter, clowning around and other high-jinks. We all get to act like we are 18 again. Just bring forth the memories and ignore what your eyes are telling you. Don't see the gray hair and the wrinkles. See the handsome boys and girls we used to be. The alumni association has done its work well again this year, thanks to Debbie (Frederick) Praetorius and her...
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 5/10/13: The USDA supply and demand report was not very kind to the market on Friday as prices basically lost all their gains from Thursday. The major factor was next year's corn ending stocks projected at over 2 billion bushels versus this year’s 759 million. The USDA did drop their projected yield down to 158 from 164 which was projected early on at their February outlook conference. Soybean stocks also see a large jump doubling next year's ending stocks...
This is my concern. All along the main street of town (First Avenue) there are handicapped-access curbs at each intersection. I am really glad they have them and use them, but it is hard to use them when there are people who park there and block them. I think it is real inconsiderate of people who do this. People, park further away from the handicapped access areas, even if it means you will have to walk a little farther. Carol Williams Odessa...
The framers of our constitution showed a great deal of wisdom! Certainly it was more than our state legislators showed when they were pressured into fully funding basic education without having a definition of basic education. That little omission has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. I do not remember the exact year that folly took place, but I know that special levies for maintenance and operation had to be increased. The state took more money from each district so the amount of the levies had to be raised. This w...
Some more interesting news you never hear in the media. This year Earth Day was on April 22. EarthDay is when the tree huggers and environmentalist wackos get together to celebrate mother earth. Ira Einhorn is the founder of Earth Day. Ira Einhorn “beat his ex-girlfriend, Holly Maddux , to death and then stored her body in a locked trunk in his apartment for more than a year – about 18 months – before she was discovered by the police. He fled to Europe and was convicted 25 years later for her murder in 2002 and is servi...
I'm fresh back from International Quilt Market in Portland. Well, I don't feel particularly fresh - I'm still tired, but you know what I mean. Talk about a fish out of water. Now, in all the years I lived in Portland, I did not feel particularly bumpkin-like. I knew I wasn't a sophisticate, by any means, but I could usually hold my own in a conversation. As soon as I walked in the door at the convention center, I knew I was in over my head. Two days later, I was drowning. In...
Modern veterinary science is a technically advanced field. Some animals receive not just x-rays, but sophisticated scans like MRIs. If you visit a large veterinary hospital you will find cats getting chemotherapy and dogs on the receiving end of complicated surgeries. Naturally, a lot of the training vet students receive is focused on the “hard science” parts of what they will do as practicing veterinarians. But there’s also a softer side to veterinary medicine, one that...
I tire of hearing some people say that our schools and universities are failing and not turning out enough science-savvy students. I guess if some pundits, politicians, and corporate leaders belt it out often enough and loud enough, people will believe it. I hope not. There is good evidence that this claim of failure is false: there is no evidence that American science education is failing, and no evidence that we face a shortage of qualified science and math professionals. American students are doing well in science and...
Byron Behne watches the grain markets for the Odessa Union Warehouse. 5/10/13: The USDA supply and demand report was not very kind to the market on Friday as prices basically lost all their gains from Thursday. The major factor was next year's corn ending stocks projected at over 2 billion bushels versus this year’s 759 million. The USDA did drop their projected yield down to 158 from 164 which was projected early on at their February outlook conference. Soybean stocks also see a large jump doubling next year's ending s...
I’ve decided I need a fight song. I was on my way home from town last night when the idea occurred to me. The first thing you need to know is that yesterday was the first day of my new program. (That’s right! I still haven’t given up on becoming healthier! Even though there are only 9 months until my 60th birthday, I’m giving it another try.) So I was ravenous. The first four days of this program involve two homemade shakes and a 2-cup bowl of soup, along with one crunchy...
The Friends of the Pool have engaged their children in efforts to keep the Odessa Aquatic Recreation Center afloat, so to speak. The kids who participated in the group's walk-a-thon know that their efforts help to keep the pool available to them over the summer. They get out and get pledges and then they walk or run around the track for most of an afternoon. They also have fun and win prizes, but at the same time they learn that community efforts can get things done. Their pool is important to them and to the entire...
