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Jim Bartholow
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Evan Bevins
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Jennifer Houtman
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Erin O'Neill
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Art Smith
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Jim Bartholow
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Can't drive 55 ... or 25 for that matter
Mon, August 25, 2008 @ 2:42PM
We had the unfortunate opportunity to drive out Pike Street shortly after noon last Wednesday. I had heard about the traffic out the Pike during the ongoing widening project, but I had never really run into much of a problem until this trip. I guess we had never tried to travel during this peak hour. I'll tell you this much: never again. A trip that normally takes 15 minutes from our house near Marietta Memorial Hospital took a full 45 minutes. I expected a little back up of traffic, but this started before the I-77 bridge! The traffic was a real pain, but what really got me was the attitude of some of the drivers we share the road with. Scores of drivers passed us on the right to get into the Wal-Mart lot. Leslie and I thought, "Wall-Mart must be really busy." Wrong!! Many of these drivers thought they could get around the bottleneck by cutting through the Wal-Mart and Lowe's lots and pull back onto Pike Street at County House Lane.
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Evan Bevins
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Summer Viewing (4 of 4)
Thu, July 31, 2008 @ 3:03PM
The blockbuster season is winding down, with most of the predicted hits having already arrived in theaters. But that doesn't mean there aren't good times to be had while we wait for the Oscar-bait movies of the fall and winter. Here are my recommendations on what to see each weekend in August: • Aug. 1 — “Swing Vote” Kevin Costner stars in this movie about the presidential election being decided by one man. And since there's an election coming up, the film is likely to generate plenty of conversation (at least, that's what the studio is probably hoping). It has the potential to be an interesting satire or an over-the-top message movie, but I'm hoping for the former. Alternative: “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” for those who haven't had enough special effects-laden epics (if such a thing is even possible). • Aug.
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Jennifer Houtman
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A dark and stormy night
Tue, September 2, 2008 @ 4:38PM
There's nothing I like better than a scary story. One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. I've read many of his earlier novels more than once. Unfortunately, the ones he's written recently read more like movie scripts, and they just aren't as scary as the thrillers I read years ago. I'm not alone in my love of scary stories and I've found there are as many people who like to write scary stories as like to read them. That's why when September rolls around, we gear up for our annual Scary Stories contest. Letters already have gone out to local schools, grades 1 through 8. Each year roughly 2,000 students submit their stories in our contest. We choose winners from each grade and publish a special Scary Stories section just before Halloween. Part of the project involves newsroom staffers fanning out over the county and beyond to present writing workshops to students.
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Erin O'Neill
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And the award goes to…
Tue, July 15, 2008 @ 7:16PM
A few weeks ago, some friends, my sister, my dad and I took our children to the movies after weeks of my daughter pleading to see “Kung Fu Panda.” (Thanks a lot McDonald's) Every day she would ask, “Are we going to Kung Fu Panda now?” And every day I would reply “In a few days.” Well the day finally came and the stars were in alignment. There was one seasoned professional in the group of toddlers and preschoolers but the other three children were newbies. I expected the worst and prepared for an all out battle. My sister and I drove separately in case one of us needed to make an emergency get-away; we bought popcorn and packed toys and explained that the lights would go out and it would be pretty loud. Much to my delight, the kids were perfectly well-behaved and really seemed to enjoy themselves. I had heard nightmare stories and read other blogs about screaming tots at the movies … and the people who hate them.
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Art Smith
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Site now offers social networking connection
Thu, August 28, 2008 @ 11:31AM
An explosive growth has occurred in the past few years in the use of social networking sites on the Web. Social networking sites are simply sites where people that know each other, or have similar interest, can gather and share ideas and other things. The two giants, Facebook and MySpace, have more members than most countries have people. Most social networking sites operate is the same basic way. You set up a page and then allow your “friends” to see it. You approve “friendships” before they are added to your page. Once added, they can view photos that you post, leave comments on your “wall” and view your current status. Once viewed as strictly an online tool for those under 25, social networking sites have become a great way for people of all ages to stay connected.
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