Opinion

Benton Senior Center offers activities five days a week

December 3, 2012

By David Ufford

Almost every time you turn on the TV, you see news of some medicine being recalled or having caused physical distress.
However, there is good news — a no-cost, no-risk way to improve your health: It's called laughter.
Humor and laughter have been proven to activate the immune system, and it increases the killer cells that attack viral infected cells and some types of cancer and tumors. One report says laughter seems to tell the immune system to “turn it up a notch."

Out of the Box: Appreciating the chaos

December 3, 2012

By Camille Nesler

So many times in life we tend to take the good things for granted. Our
family, children, friends, home…the list goes on and on. Certain
people become so much a part of us that we think they’ll always be
there when we need them. We don’t ever stop to think, “What would
happen if I lost all of this?”
We only think of what we had when it’s gone…and then it’s too late.
The truth is, we should never take anything for granted. Not a single
person and not a single day. Yes, everyone knows this. But sometimes,
we’re reminded in ways we’d rather not be.

HOLLENBECK: Even turkeys have something to be grateful for at Thanksgiving

November 26, 2012

For several years the Courier has included in its Thanksgiving edition comments from local residents telling what they are most thankful for in this season in which we emphasize our blessings.
This year the focus was on school children, who certainly shared some interesting thoughts. You expect them to say, "I'm thankful for my my mamma, my daddy, my dog, my cat, my grandma, my grandpa, my house ... "
On and on and so forth.
Kids can surprise you, though. One little boy's answer was a real zinger. He said he was thankful "for calendars."

Sense and Nonsense: Forget turkey tartare; cook that bird till it's piping hot through and through

November 21, 2012

By Lynda Hollenbeck

Holidays and catastrophes seem to walk hand in hand. When else does everything go as far awry as it does when you're in a hurry, behind with the meal and guests are about to stare you in the eye?
The other day we were sharing accounts of our Thanksgiving horror moments and I, of course, could not resist reviewing the crisis that occurred at our house a number of Thanksgivings ago.
The incident has appeared in this space before, but it just is hard to top, so here it goes one more time. (And maybe another later on. After all, it is my column.)