Opinion

We have come far, but there’s more to do

By Tuffy Fields America went through a tumultuous time in its’ history during the 1960s. Civil rights went to the forefront of America’s interests and was right there with Viet Nam, the Kennedy assassinations and landing a man on the moon. It was a hard struggle and within Louisiana’s political landscape the ability for minority voting was enhanced with the …

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Good news, France and Louisiana

By Jim Brown My family and I are currently on an extended vacation to Paris and Provence in central France.  Relations with our country never have seemed better.  Our welcome was quite warm everywhere we traveled.  President Biden has developed a close and warm relationship with current French President Emmanuel Macron. And that’s good news for Louisiana.  It wasn’t too …

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Unexpected benefits in every note

Let’s play a game. I’ll list the benefits of a particular activity, and you try to guess which pursuit it is. Ready, set, go! Improved respiratory function. Increased aerobic exercise. Stress reduction. Enhanced mental alertness. Better posture and muscle tone. Boosted immune system. Maybe we’re talking about running? Or walking? Or yoga? Could be. But add to that list: Expanded …

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Two roads diverged: lessons learned

On the walks my husband and I take through Cook Park on the outskirts of Ruston, a diverging path often comes into view, and my mind wanders to Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.” This poem has been a favorite of mine for decades, and I find myself pondering its meaning time and time again. In “The Road Not …

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Wake Up to Reality

Occasionally we wake up to a reality that had only been supposition prior to this realization.  Many times we have a tendency to say that the problem is someone else’s issue; “better he than me”. Then one day like a bolt of lightening an epiphany takes place and suddenly reality strikes.  What had been supposition becomes life. We are experiencing …

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Teach them to fish

Thomas Fields “If you give a man a fish when he is hungry, he will return when he gets hungry again but if you teach him to fish he will feed himself.”  This is my interpretation of a saying that many say is derived from the Bible. In fact this is not a fact, though the principle can be derived …

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The unusual order in our daily chaos

Often, as I’m walking around the house, I see something that must be taken care of, must be fixed, must be straightened immediately. By that, I mean the placement of the salt and pepper shakers that are always present beside our cooktop. If they’re askew, then they must be put back into their proper spot forthwith. There can be dishes …

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Amid the fun, take a moment to reflect on what you’re celebrating

We are about to embark on another summer in the greatest country in the world. Smoke from charcoal smokers will fill the air as music drifts through the back yards, camp sites and homes across the country. Baseball games will be played and parents and grandparents will cheer on the children on the field of play. The holiday that officially …

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Road flap is exactly what it appears to be

By LUKE BRITT/Editor Dewayne Ramsey opened the May 2 meeting of the Union Parish Policy Jury Road Committee with a prayer that the jurors act as “good stewards” of the people’s business, but what followed was a reminder that not all prayer is answered as quickly or in the manner we would like.  For the better part of an hour …

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Chicken feet: All smoke and mirrors

Folks who grew up in the country like to tell tall tales. My church’s Sunday luncheon group proved that recently. The East Texans tried to outdo the North Louisianans – not to mention the Arkansans – regarding mud pies and hay lofts and torn britches and bare feet walking through fields of stickers and even chickens with their heads cut …

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