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 Holabird AdvocateProviding all the news we see fit to print since 2002!Tuesday, April 30, 2013 New Record for Newsblog Circulation
It has been reported by the Holabird Advocate Circulation Department, that on Wednesday, April 24, our little Newsblog had 36 visitors, which is a post relaunch record! all of us here at the Holabird Advocate, while thrilled about the new record, have no idea why it happened. Sadly, it hasn't even approached the thirties since a week ago tomorrow. Just a hiccup. Oh well!
Freaky Weather in Kornfield County
All of us here at the Holabird Advocate never know what to expect from the outside weather. Winter was a little longer than usual, and there are reports that we may not have seen the last of the snow. Over the weekend we saw the Mercury rise to 86 degrees both Saturday and Sunday. It has cooled off somewhat, so maybe spring has arrived.
Let's all go to the Mattress by Jerry Hinkle
Friday night is the opening of the ACT production of "Once Upon a Mattress" at the Pepsi Cola Theatre. While I will miss opening night because of previous obligations, I do have a ticket for the May 5 matinee performance at 2 pm. I hope that all who can will pack the show. As a member of the ACT, I feel it's my duty to give the show a little plug here. I'll also buy a large popcorn and soda to everyone who tells me they read it here on the Front Page of the Holabird Advocate. Can't wait to see the show, but I kinda have to!
God be with you and do the best you can!
Thursday, April 25, 2013 Brittany Hinkle Honored Sometime yesterday our Publisher's niece, Brittany Hinkle became the first Hinkle to join the National Honors Society. While none of us here at the Holabird Advocate know the exact criteria for memberships in this Society, but we do know that she met or surpassed them, which really comes as no surprise to anyone who knows her. As you can see by the photos taken respectively by Kristi Hinkle and Mary Hinkle, she is both excited and proud to be a part of the group. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate are excited and proud as well! This is just the beginning! Ringing the Golden Bells by Jerry HinkleIn a little under 2 months time, my parents, Harold and Mary Hinkle will have been married for 50 years. Such an achievement is rare, and getting more rare with the passing of every day. My mother once said, " Having a long marriage is easy. All you have to do is get married young and never get divorced." I laughed when she said it, but she was being very serious. The kind of commitment to Christian marriage that not only she, but my father as well, have demonstrated should be celebrated. The question is: How do we celebrate this kind of achievement?
In a perfect world, My family and I would throw the biggest, fanciest party that Hyde County ever saw. We'd get together in whatever venue could hold all of my parents' family, friends and neighbors, we'd have all the cake ice cream and punch that one could drink, and the very best of it too. Maybe a program in the middle with singing, dancing, poetry, some long boring speeches from anyone willing to say a few words, and top it off singing "put on your old grey bonnet". We'd display 50 years worth of photos, the proclamation from the governor making June 23, 2013 Harold and Mary Hinkle Day, and maybe even a power point set to music from the 60's. Of course this would give us all a chance to keep up with people we haven't seen in years and tell the old stories, and hear some more old stories, and have a good old grand big time for everyone!
Yes, in a perfect world we could do that. But this is not a perfect world. June 23 is a Sunday, which would be almost nearly perfect for such an event, but weekends are my busy time at work. And such parties take planning preparation and work. Details like where to hold the event, who's gonna cook or cater, getting invitations ready and mailed, and figure out who to invite. I know, and you readers that know my mother know that if we did have a party the bulk of the work would be done by her, and that's not fair to her, because even though she wouldn't mind, and she would say so, I wouldn't feel right about it.
Besides that, parties are a hassle. I found that out when we threw my parents a silver anniversary open house back in 1988. I had my grandmothers to help out. my brothers were both out of town at the time, so it was up to me to organize it. If I left things up to my brothers for the golden anniversary, my sisters in law would be doing the bulk of the work, and that, to me, would be asking too much, even though I know they'd do it and willingly so.
The best solution I could come up with is a card shower. There is no fuss and bother, no party to show up for, no need to dress fine in summertime. But the best part is that my parents would be so happy to get cars and letters from the people they love marking this occasion. If we do end up doing that, we may even put out their e-mail address for those who don't want to slip a stamp to an envelop (It IS the 21st century after all). We gotta get with the times. Of course my brothers may have something to say about this, so we'll see what we can come up with. It's just a shame to see a wonderful occasion such as this slip by without some sort of observation. God be with you and do the best you can!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS Submitted by Connie HopkinsAt the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified. Yet it was Even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied... Each nail Was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails Were driven into His wrist. Not Into His palms as is commonly Portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that Extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew That when the nails were being hammered into the Wrist, that tendon would tear and Break, forcing Jesus to use His back Muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe. Both of His feet Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to Support Himself on the single nail that Impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could Not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His Back and using his legs just to continue to Breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the Suffering, the courage. Jesus endured this Reality for over 3 hours. Yes, Over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of Suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water >From his wounds. From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side... But do we remember the many wounds Made to his body. A hammer Driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped And a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. And... Before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and Beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The Crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp. Most men Would not have survived this torture. He had no more blood To bleed out, only water poured from His Wounds.The Human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His Members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His Chest.. All these without Mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his Face and threw stones (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His hands were nailed). Jesus had to endure this experience, So that you may have free access to God. So that your sins can be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Don't ignore this. JESUS CHRIST DIED..FOR YOU! For you, who now read this e-mail. Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc). He died for you! It is easy to e-mail jokes or silly photos, But when it comes to God, Sometimes we feel ashamed to forward a message about Him on To others. We are worried of what they may think. Accept the reality, the truth, that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD. God has special plans for YOU! Share this with all your friends... About what He went through to save you. Really think about it! May God bless you! Friday, April 19, 2013 Too Much Information?Valuable Info Submitted by Ken and Joan HansenIf you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.(Hardly seems worth it.) If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. (Now that's more like it!) The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out of the body to squirt blood 30 feet. (O.M.G.!) A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. (O.M.G.!!!) A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.) (I'm still not over the pig.) Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. (Don't try this at home;maybe at work.) The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. (Honey, I'm home . What the...?) The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field. (30 minutes. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?) The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds. (What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?) Some lions mate over 50 times a day. (I still can't believe that pig ..quality over quantity.) Butterflies taste with their feet. (Something I always wanted to know.) The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. (Hmmmmmm.......) Right-handed people live, an average, nine years longer than left-handed people. (If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?) Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. (Okay, so that would be a good thing.) A cat's urine glows under a black light. (I wonder how much the government paid to figure that out.) An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that.) Starfish have no brains. (I know some people like that, too.) Polar bears are left-handed. (If they switch, they'll live a lot longer) Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure. (What about that pig? Do the dolphins know about the pig) "The only problem with 'common sense' is that it is not all that common."-Charles Osgood Thursday, April 18, 2013 Winter Makes Comeback
It's snowing and blowing in Kornfield County, as Winter Storm Mordecai continues to make his way through the countryside. The weather man says we could be in for as much as 3 inches today and tonight up until 1 am tomorrow morning. The Sioux Falls area is actually getting the brunt of the storm. Meanwhile back at the Ponderosa, Mary Hinkle is looking for airplane tickets to Honolulu. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate have one question. Where is Spring?
DWU Names New President
It was just announced that Amy Novak, DWU’s current provost and executive vice president, was named the new president of Dakota Wesleyan University. Brad Pratt, chairman of the Board of Trustees, came to campus today and made the announcement following chapel services. Amy is the university’s 20th president, and first female president. Novak replaces Dr. Robert "Bob" Duffet who has held the job for about 13 years, which must be a record! Dr. Duffet has taken another position at a university out east in the Philadelphia neighborhood . All of us here at the Holabird Advocate wish everyone well in their new positions! Both Universities will well served!
The Answer My Friend is 42 by Jerry Hinkle
I go to movies about as often as grandma burnt her cookies, but I'd heard so many good things about it, that I walked on down to the Luxury Cinema to check it out. Right away, I caught that the movie was "Based on a true story" so I knew they'd get some facts wrong. Armed with that knowledge, I had so much more fun.
For me, Harrison Ford stole the show. I hope the members of the Academy were paying attention, but we won't know that until Oscar time! Ford deserves at least to be nominated for his role as Branch Rickey. It was also quite a change for me to root for the hero of a movie by not wanting him to fight. The film really does show, a somewhat, if you'll pardon the expression, white-washed version of Robinson's first year in MLB. One imagines that his experience was much worse in real life.
As previously mentioned, the film is based on real life events. I only caught 2 mistakes: a road-sign declaring "Interstate 44" despite the fact that the road system was not created until much later. Also, they had a Hank Williams song playing in the shower a full year before it was recorded! Bottom line, the movie was well worth the $8 admission! Any fan of Baseball, Harrison Ford, or both need to see it. I'm glad I did!
God be with you and do the best you can!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Winter Storm Mordecai Moves East
Kornfield County is in a Winter Storm advisory until Noon on Friday. At press time, it's cloudy and 35 degrees. Be that as it may, the weatherman tells us we could get an inch of snow today, and as much as two inches tonight. Snow is being reported in Hyde County at press time, and those who are driving are doing so very slowly. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate will be saying a prayer for all of those baby calves on the ground.
SS Finds "suspicious substance" in Obama Letter
It's been reported that the Secret Service found a suspicious substance that was found to be a toxin known as ricin in a letter to the President. Another such letter was found that was addressed to a Mississippi Senator that none of us here at the Holabird Advocate have ever heard of before. Hopefully whoever is doing this isn't going to make a habit out of it!
Putting the MAN in Manwich part 2 by Jerry Hinkle
Things have been slowing down at the Hut, which is bad for my bank account, but has given me a little more time to experiment in the kitchen. I picked up another can of Manwich sauce and a pound of ground beef at the County Fair Food Store to see how other people make Manwiches. As I suspected, the Ponderosa beef was leaner, but only slightly so. There was no difference in the taste however. I doubt that I will prepare Manwiches very much, because it's easier to just plop a burger on the George Foreman grill watch the magic happen. It might not be smart, or correct, but that's the way I see it!
God Be with you and do the best you can!
Monday, April 15, 2013 Explosions Interrupt Boston Marathon
A series of at least two explosions at the finish line of the Boston marathon. As it happens a few of our Publisher's friends are on the ground in Boston because they were watching DWU's own Thomas Madut run in that race. And it's been reported that Thomas was done running 2 hours before the blasts hit Beantown, finishing in 73rd place. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate are sure glad to hear that, because not everyone was so lucky, as the rapidly changing death toll reminds us.
Stace Nelson Running?
The ears of all of us here at the Holabird Advocate are burning, not because people are talking about us, but because they are talking about State Representative Stace Nelson. People to the left and right of Rep. Nelson keep speculating if he is going to run for US Senator as a spoiler for Mike Rounds, or for Governor as a spoiler for Dennis Daugaard, or will he be content with running for re-election as South Dakota's District 19 Representative.We must admit that we are curious as well. We have no doubt that, if elected, he would serve South Dakota, and it's voters very well in any elected position. As to whether or not he can be elected, that remains to be seen. The thing is, he's gotta run in order to get elected. For now, time is on his side, as he's got a whole year before he has to put the rubber to the road. One thing we do know for sure is that any race, primary or otherwise, with Rep. Nelson in it will be exciting to watch, and to vote in!
Mr. Rogers: Still TV's Best Babysitter by Jerry Hinkle
This morning, I heard a most interesting statistic on the radio. Something like 12.7 million people on the average watch "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" every day. That floored me! That show has been in reruns ever since he retired 12 years ago. Some of the first run shows out there would love to pull down those kind of ratings!
It just goes to show the quality that went into every episode. Mr. Rogers had the ability to convince 12.7 million children that they were an important part of his life, on child at a time, and even though he's dead now, his television neighborhood still thrives. The secret to this success is simple. His TV neighbors, all 12.7 million of them loved him, because he loved them. He told everyone of them that they made every day special just by being themselves. Nobody ever did that before, and sadly nobody else has done it since. And Mr. Rogers was real. He wasn't acting when he told his TV neighbor that he cared about them. His scandal free life and career clearly show that!
I did some digging and found out that Mr. Rogers had a wife and 2 kids outside of his work. Something I'd have never known otherwise. I'm glad to see that he did have a life outside of his work. Not everyone can do that, but then why should we! God be with you and do the best you can!
Sunday, April 14, 2013 Fusion has Brunch of FunThe usual Fusion Outreach service of FUMC here in Mitchell was followed by a brunch consisting of scrambled eggs, pancakes. link sausage, hash brown potatoes and fruit in the East Main Dining Room at DWU. The tables were set with linen table clothes and matching napkin's. One wonders if the students eat like that all the time, but none of us here at the Holabird Advocate are curious enough to go up there and find out!Male or Female Computer submitted by Ken and Joan HansenA SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlikeEnglish, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic; 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else; 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. (THIS GETS BETTER!) The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on; 2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves; 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.
The Women won.
Did you know? by Jerry Hinkle
Did you that the computer is acting up today? Did you know that the country roads on "The Walton's" and "The Dukes of Hazard" were on the same WB studio lot? Did you know that Hairball played the corn Palace last night? Did you Know that Clint Black is playing it tonight? Well, you do now. You may ask "who cares?" but you won't get an answer from me!
Friday, April 12, 2013 Happy Birthday Ed O' Neill by Jerry Hinkle
Today actor Ed O'Neill turns 67 years old. That name may not ring any bells, but he is primarily known for his portrayal of "Al Bundy" on the FOX sitcom, "Married With Children". His work before that has gone unnoticed, as has his work afterword for the most part. He is what those in show biz call typecast. For many actors, this is a bad thing, because they have a hard time getting work the project they work on goes south. No matter what he does in the future, he will always have "Al" hanging over his head. If Ed O'Neill saves someones life, wins an award, or even stumble onto something that cures cancer, the credit will go to Al Bundy, or at least the former alter ego will be mentioned at some point in the story.
Al Bundy was a great character. In a way you could say he still is, since he lives on in syndicated rerun heaven. He along with Carol O' Connor's Archie Bunker gave us someone to laugh at, and sometimes cheer for, and ultimately someone to look at and say "Glad that isn't me!" Just like O'Conner before him O'Neill created a laughable loser that touched people's hearts. While Archie was bigoted and argued politics with anyone who dared cross him, Al never took himself too seriously. He knew he was on the losing end, and took his lumps accordingly. How could anyone hate Al Bundy? We're too busy feeling sorry for him! The writers of the show created him, but it was Ed O'Neill's masterful acting that brought Al to life. And even if he never does anything else, that was enough. So Thanks, and as Bud would say "Happy birthday, big guy!" God be with you and do the best you can!
Thursday, April 11, 2013 Winter Storm Lemuel Arrives Late, Leaves Earlyby Jerry Hinkle
Winter Storm Lemuel blew into Mitchell early Tuesday Morning. Too late for Winter, but then weather system's can't read the calendar. It was rather inconvenient to discover that I was not able to get into the Library due to the weather, so I set up a temporary home office in the Corn Palace. I was not the only visitor, as a couple of out of town tourists stopped in to take a look around. They were concerned about "making time", or they would have stayed longer. They sure seemed like nice people. I hope they got to their destination safely.
I was just a tad nervous about the weather possibly preventing me from getting to work at the Hut Tuesday night, so at around 2:30pm I started scraping the ice from the windshield, the side windows, and the rear window of my car so that I could move the home office to my usual booth at the South McDonald's. After getting there, ordering a double cheeseburger meal, and setting up, I watched "100 Eyes on SD Politics". They promised a big announcement on the Facebook page, but I must have missed it because I was 15 minutes late. To top it off, they ended early because one of the panel members had an interview with Senator Johnson, so that was a kind of a big disappointment (I just now figured out that the interview may have been the big announcement). The big picture windows at the McDonald's gave me ample opportunity to see the blowing snow.
By 4pm the prediction was for nearly a foot of snow to fall and blow around. As 5:30 rolled around, I decided to head for the Hut. I was stuck in the parking lot of the McDonald's temporarily, but I managed to get on the road and make my way carefully to work. I pulled into the parking lot at 5:47, so I was able to relax a while before starting my 6pm shift. I knew that one of two things would happen:either I'd be done by 6:30 or I'd be swamped. As it turned out I was able to keep up, while at the same time making sure the kitchen was super clean before I left. After all I don't get paid to smoke cigarettes and drink beer, ya know!
As I left work at around 9:15, I thought I'd go to the Ramada and check on some things online. The TV in the lobby had Keloland on, so I glanced at that every once in a while. I had planned on leaving by 11 pm, but got way too involved in the Letterman interview with Lindsay Lohan. My heart really does go out to that young lady. So after all that drama and an almost funny comedian, I started for home, only to get stuck on the corner of 6th and Sanborn. I managed to dig my way out and get home by 11:54.
Wednesday morning, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't go anywhere that I couldn't walk. This proved to be difficult at times, but I did manage to get to the Library at around 11 am, but had to leave at 5pm because they were closing early due to weather. I walked to Taco Johns, stopping occasionally to catch my breath. Shortly after I entered, I met a lady from FUMC here in Mitchell who asked me why I was walking. I told her I didn't feel like digging out my car just yet. I stayed there until 7:50, when I got the feeling they were getting ready to close. I wanted to get home before it got too dark.
Which brings us to today. After a lot of digging, I freed my car from the snowbank that formed around it Tuesday night. according to the thermometer on my car it's 33 degrees outside. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. But there the best news I heard all day was that while I was sleeping the Winter Storm Warning was canceled, so Lemuel is gone! I thank God he never lost power here in Mitchell and hope that all of you who have lost power get it back before too awful long.
What's next? One of our readers seems to wants to name the next Winter Storm Mordecai. If we get another one (and we'd better not) We will name it that. I'd whole lot rather to a special report on Severe Thunderstorm Ann-Marie. In either case I hope everyone is OK. Those of us who survived this mess really have some stories to tell, and I hope they end as happy as this one.
God be with you and do the best you can!
Monday, April 08, 2013 Winter Storm Lemuel on the Way
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm watch for the Kornfield County area starting tonight and going until Wednesday at noon. It has been reported that we could get as much as 8-9 inches of snow! Shawn Cable apparently told my Sister in law that the Holabird metropolitan area is going to get anywhere from 10-16 inches of the white stuff. All you Readers with calves on the ground could be in for it!
The REST of the Story with apologies to Paul Harvey by Jerry Hinkle
Ever since I saw the Dodge Truck ad on the Super Bowl, I've heard both yeas and nays about it. Critics of the ad range from those who claim that the hardest work a farmer ever does is walking to the mailbox to pick up his government check, to those who claim the ad only tells half the story. First off, I can tell you that Farmers work very hard, and not just because they get a check from the government. Anyone who says otherwise never worked for my dad! As for the other critics, here is my attempt at telling-the Rest of the story:
After God made the farmer, he saw that it was not good for the farmer to be alone! He needed a helper, someone to open every gate, watch said gate and close it-so God made a farm wife
He saw that the farmer needed an extra pair of hand to milk cows, help pull a backward lamb, and pull his tractor out of the mud when he gets stuck-so God made a farm wife.
He saw that the farmer needed to have someone to fix proper food after a hard days work so he didn't sit on the sofa and eat cheese puff all the time and keep the living area as tidy as possible, to let a newborn calf cold and wet from snow come into her kitchen and then with a tear in her eye help throw it on the rock-pile when it dies-so God made a farm wife.
He saw that the Farmer needed someone to keep a flowerbed to brighten up the drab and dreary yard, and keep the kids busy enough so they don't get into trouble-so God made a farm wife.
God made a farmer and a farm wife to kick-start the Earth into existence. He didn't make a banker, a lawyer, or even a politician, because he knew that even with a wife, they couldn't make his creation all that he wanted it to be, but a farmer can-with a little help from the Mrs., and now you know the REST of the story. GOOD DAY!
God be with you and do the best you can!
Saturday, April 06, 2013 Publisher's Friend Discovers Newsblog
Last night, Holabird Advocate Publisher, Jerry Hinkle went to the Ramada to listen to the Flat Broke Band and engage in a little social media. After updating his status, one of his friends on Facebook commented that her friend is one of the members of that band. Then just as randomly she asks if he wrote about Dick Kniep, which as it happens he did. Someone sent this article to her because he's a relative. She saw his name, so she thought perhaps he wrote it. The tag line "God be with you and do the best you can" should have answered the question before it was asked, but that's OK, because now he knows for sure that what everyone here at the Holabird Advocate has been telling him for 11 years, "Be careful what you write because someone could be reading".
Corrections and Apologies by Jerry Hinkle
I discovered, just now, that I as Publisher may be courageous and dynamic, but as an editor, proofreader, and speller, I still have some work to do. It seems that Brendan Johnson's name was spelled "Brenden". This may not have been the first instance of such a gross misdeed, but I'll certainly be ever vigilant and watchful in the future, should the occasion arise that it becomes necessary to print his name on our front page ever again in the future. Unless I miss my guess, that could very well happen at least once more. In any case, I as Publisher, most profusely apologise to Mr. Johnson and his family for not taking the time to spell his first name properly!
By the way, just because his first name is misspelled it not a reason not to vote for Brendan Johnson in the Holabird Advocate Pollmaster General. Nobody has so far, but it's early yet! And as always God be with you and do the best you can! Friday, April 05, 2013 Roger Ebert-Dead at 70
All of us here at the Holabird Advocate were shocked and just a little saddened by word of the passing of Roger Ebert. Shocked because we had just heard on Wednesday night that his cancer came back. It didn't stay long now did it! Of course we are saddened by the way Ebert was delivered from the cancer, but at least he didn't suffer long!
Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, was part of the team of Siskel and Ebert. His partner, Gene Siskel, film critic for the Chicago Tribune, died in 1999. Our publisher remembers well the first time he saw them in action. It was the first time he saw "Sneak Previews" on PBS. Siskel loved every movie they reviewed that week, while Ebert hated them all. He told Siskel that he was too easy on these films, to which Siskel replied "And you, my friend are too hard". A TV show with 2 film critic talking about movies was real high-brow entertainment in Holabird back in 1977.
We'd like to think that they are back together in the heavenly theatre, where "Twilight) isn't playing (which, of course, is what makes the theatre heavenly), where Siskel welcomed Ebert saying "Come on up Roger, the balcony is open!"
Putting the Man in Manwich by Jerry Hinkle
Easter was particularly festive for my family and me. This year, I got quite a few items in my Easter basket, including two pounds of chicken, two pounds of turkey, four pounds of hamburger, eight rib steaks, and a can of Manwich.
Now, as the great musical philosopher, Hank Williams Jr. once pointed out, "It's hard to be a bachelor man", and that is true. At least rocking Randall Hank had "girls that can cook, girls that can clean and girls who can do everything in between". When I'm home I do most of my own cooking and cleaning. When i do cook, I keep it simple, and rely on my either my conventional oven or the microwave oven to do most of the cooking work for me.
However, on Wednesday night, I stepped out of the boat and into the water, leaving my comfort zone far behind, with the can of Manwich. I could have gone online for the microwave cooking instructions, but I was afraid that I might end up with ground beef that tasted like rubber. So I browned some ground beef in my skillet. As it happens this was Ponderosa beef, so I didn't have much grease to drain, then I added the sauce, stirring occasionally until it was boiling. The cooking instructions said to cook until the meat was 160 degrees, but I had no way to take the temperature. I must say that all things being equal, it came out alright. Yes, it was labor intensive, but nothing works up a man sized appetite like preparing your own vittles! I needed an appetite too! The label on the can said there was 7 servings. Since I was the only one there, I had to eat the whole mess myself, which I did.
The next time I go shopping for vittles, I just might pick up another can of Manwich and a pound of ground beef, just to see if I can do better. It's hard to improve the taste of beef that was raised hormone free on the Ponderosa, but I must admit that Manwich comes pretty close! God be with you and do the best you can!
Thursday, April 04, 2013 Facebook Says People are Talking
According to Facebook research, people are talking about the Holabird Advocate Facebook page. A total of 5 people to be exact, the highest since it's inception at the relaunch of our Newsblog. None of us here at the Holabird Advocate have any idea what they are saying, maybe we don't wanna know! Chances are they are talking about how much time our Publisher has not showed up for work in more than a week!Also according to FB the page is reaching 88 people! If that people start reading what we put on the Newsblog, we may have to be a little more careful of our online content!
Obama Cuts Own Pay
All of us here at the Holabird Advocate were just a tad shocked to hear that President Obama is returning 5% of his salary to the US Treasury. It seems even the Prez knows that he's not worth all the money we are paying him. Of course if we paid our government officails what they are worth, it still wouldn't erase the budget shortfall!
Feeling a Draft
There has been considerable media buzz about Drafting both Brenden Johnson and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to run as Democrats for the Senate seat vacated by Brenden's father, the undefeated Tim Johnson. Both candidates (if you could call them that) are seemingly thus far, at least publicly, demurring any run for the Senate. Perhaps the Pollmaster General can show us who should be running, and who should keep their day job!
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