~ a column by Colleen O’Brien Mispronouncing words, using incorrect grammar, spelling everything wrong, wondering which word we’re supposed to use that sounds like two other words– this is life in the English language. That our language is, in general, fun to play with because it is complicated and rule-bound is the good part. Tackling problems and breaking the rules is…
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Northey recognizes Weights and Measures Week March 1-7
DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey on Monday highlighted the important work of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Weights and Measures Bureau as part of Weights and Measures week, which runs from March 1 to 7.
Read MoreOne “what-if” among many
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Have you ever wondered how brave you are? Would you become an insurgent if Greene County were under siege or occupied? I’ve played this what-if game since my sophomore year with Miss Price, history teacher at Jefferson High School. She instructed us in a semester of what she called “Russian Reading,” the name of which…
Read MoreTree Tracings
Greene County Genealogical Society ~by Valerie Ogren NOTE: MEETING CANCELED BASED ON WEATHER FORECAST. MEETING NOTICE: The next meeting will be Saturday, March 1, at 10 am in the basement of the Jefferson Public Library. Our guest will be Ron Gruber from Stuart. Ron is the new regional representative for the Iowa Genealogical Society (IGS) for Adair, Boone, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie…
Read MoreBe afraid. Or not.
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The news from some sources is bent on making us suspicious, judgmental and frightened of everything from ants to Zulus. I’ve always thought the world was getting better as we went along from century to century, but the 24/7 news cycle of this modern era cautions me to beware at all times of germs, gays,…
Read MoreAt Sierra Community Theatre: Monuments Men
The Monuments Men is showing now through Feb. 27 at the Sierra Community Theatre in Jefferson. The Monuments Men is based on a true story of a special task force ordered by President Roosevelt to rescue 10 centuries of artwork stolen by the Nazis and return it to the rightful owners. Comprised of museum directors, curators and art historians, the…
Read More~a column by Colleen O’Brien
A Hundred Years from Now a poem by David Shumate I’m sorry I won’t be around a hundred years from now. I’d like to see how it all turns out. What language most of you are speaking. What country is swaggering across the globe. I’m curious to know if your medicines cure what ails us now. And how intelligent your…
Read MoreAt SCT: “12 Years a Slave”
“12 Years a Slave,” which is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, is now showing at the Sierra Community Theatre in Jefferson. The movie is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man and professional musician in upstate New York, who is abducted and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War south. Northup (played by…
Read MoreThe Future and the Past
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I’m told by the “be here now” folks that I’m supposed to be living in the present. The meditators and the metaphysicalists claim this is the road to happiness on this plane. Being here now is problematic, however, because being here now means I have to keep thinking of now, which makes now very boring.…
Read MoreVampires at Sierra Community Theatre
“Vampire Academy” opens a two-week run Friday at the Sierra Community Theatre. Starring Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry and Danilla Kozlovsky, “Vampire Academy” tells the story of Rose Hathaway, half human and half vampire, who is guardian of the Moroi. The Moroi are mortal vampires living discreetly in the human world. Her legacy is to protect the Moroi from bloodthirsty, immortal…
Read MoreVisiting old friends
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I can remember reading the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam behind the couch in the living room when I was in grade school. I’m sure I missed a lot in the big scheme of things with this poetry, although the poems were easy reading– “a loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou, underneath the…
Read More“Frozen” sing-along and “The Book Thief” at Sierra Community Theatre
The Disney movie “Frozen,” which delighted Sierra Community Theatre audiences in January, is returning as a 2-D sing-along version for a weekend run, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Based on a story by Hans Christian Anderson, the story tells of a search for Princess Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios;…
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