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Opinion
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Written by Brandon Steinert
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Wednesday, 28 July 2010 08:00 |
“Aaah, finally Saturday,” I said, verbalizing a sigh as I kicked back on the couch and turned on my Xbox 360. “Time for a little R and R.”
It had been a while since I had a day with nothing to do; granted I still went down to the farmers’ market for an interview for the weekly vendor feature. It has been a string of active weeks and Louisburg wasn’t taking a break.
Upon my return home, though, I faced a day of no obligations and no responsibilities.
That is, until my wife Leann learned of my spare time.
That day, I mowed the lawn and trimmed around the house, drove to the scary part of Kansas City for a good deal on a used tail light, replaced said tail light, cleaned the bathroom vent, fixed the toilet paper holder and put together a table.
There’s more, but, you get the picture.
I love her with all my heart and she’s the best thing ever to happen to me, but there’s something to be said for procrastination every now and then.
“I just like to get things done,” she tells me.
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Opinion
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Written by Jesse Trimble
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Wednesday, 21 July 2010 08:00 |
Everyone remembers his or her first vehicle. It’s a magical moment when you take that baby out onto the open road, roll the windows down, turn the music up and just drive. It brings a sense of freedom — one that, for some, may not last very long. 
With freedom comes responsibility, and when it comes to vehicles, knowledge has got to come quickly.
My first truck was my Papa Trimble’s 1994 GMC extended cab pickup. It was burgundy, and I added a CD player and glass packs before I entered high school. I loved that truck, and it served me very well. It was inevitable that I would hit a deer at some point while living in Kansas, but that truck was a tank.
I soon realized, however, that becoming the owner of a vehicle requires one gain as much knowledge as possible about it in order to take care of it. Although I had tried to get into an auto-mechanic course in high school, my journalism career path wouldn’t allow me to do so, being the editor of my school newspaper and yearbook my senior year. But I still wanted to know how these machines worked — inside and out.
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Opinion
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Written by Editorial Board
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Wednesday, 21 July 2010 08:00 |
When the time comes for balancing budgets, it can be easy to point fingers and blame entities, or even individuals, for raising taxes when the mill levy is on the rise.
However, it’s important to note the difference between a tax increase and an adjustment in the mill levy.
Yes, the mill levy determines the rate at which property taxes are levied, but it’s also based heavily on the value of the property, which has seen a decrease in value for two years straight.
With this combination, residents will likely cut a check for a similar amount to what was owed in the previous year.
What does change is the number that represents an entity’s annual budget. Due to decreased revenue from other sources, many cities, counties and school districts have had to cut services to the public.
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Opinion
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Written by Brandon Steinert
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Wednesday, 14 July 2010 08:00 |
It’s a debate that has only recently made its way to the mainstream, but it has done so violently. 
A few months ago, movie critic Roger Ebert wrote a lengthy column titled “Video Games Can Never Be Art,” which ran in The New York Times.
As a gamer, this topic is near and dear to my heart, and his article struck a chord with me. And, I’m not alone. More than 4,600 comments follow the lengthy block of text online, most of which were arguments dethroning Ebert and his philosophical statements about video games and art in general.
A colleague of mine recently expressed his feelings on the issue.
“I can think of several games right now that I would classify as high-class, top notch examples of artful games,” he said. “Halo, however, is not one of them.”
Halo, a game set in the future, is one of the original well-known, first-person action games that pitches the player in the middle of a struggle for the survival of humanity. The story line might not be original, but is told in a creative way.
I agree with his comment to a certain extent, but I would classify Halo as art.
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