People Make the Difference

WE SHOULD all remember that we are only as old as we feel. An old Army buddy of Bill Miller, a Missouri newspaper publisher, passed this essay on to him nearly 10 years ago. The original author is unknown.

If you are over 60 years old, you may qualify as being in the category of an old geezer, at least partially. We know many old geezers who really are young geezers!

Geezers — slang for old men — are easy to spot. See if you know any old geezers.

At sporting events, during the playing of the national anthem,

HOW MANY News-Review readers keep a daily weather diary or a complete written report of personal experiences? We might be surprised.

I’d guess some of the most valuable information in historical research has come from diaries written by early settlers and people of the past century. That was a belief of the late Elaine Reetz, a contributor of news items and a columnist for the Waushara Argus of Wautoma.

Reetz loved local history and writing

IT MAY BE a little early for cabin fever, that disease of the home-all-day type that is alleviated only a little bit by the knowledge the second wave of seed catalog mailings should begin anytime now.

But just in case it sets in, here are some of the symptoms so you will know it in time to get an antidote, as shared by Pearl Swiggum of the Crawford County Independent of Gays Mills. Her column Stump Ridge Forever ran for 46 years.

• Cabin fever is talking to the dog for 10 minutes, then waiting another 10 minutes for an answer.

• Watering the cactus

IF YOU ARE a romantic person by nature, you may be interested in reading a newspaper column written by Gary Slaatz, publisher of the Clark County Press of Neillsville, about 30 years ago.

The column was written the week of Valentine’s Day, and I think his wife, Jane, who served as editor of the paper, may have contributed. The topic is pertinent because tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

“In case anyone should want to get into the

GOOD TO KNOW: There are radical breakthroughs on the horizon for the world because explosive new technologies are being discovered to solve problems.

This optimistic economic news is important to all of us because America needs to create 15 million new jobs in the decade ahead to help keep the global economic engine running.

Peter Diamandis believes innovation is about to take off and predicts biotechnology is a field where we’re going to see the next $100 billion companies. Diamandis recently identified eight technologies ripe for major growth.

Diamandis is chairman and chief executive of the X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit focused on designing

YOU'VE PROBABLY heard the expression “Six degrees of separation” but do you know how it came about, or who came up with the theory? Well, shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tom Still gave an answer to those questions in a newspaper column. At the time, he was associate editor of the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison. Today, Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

He wrote: “Some 30 years ago (about 1970), American psychologist Stanley Milgram set out to prove our world is much smaller than we imagine.

“He recruited people in different states and sent each of them a package, together with

FOR YEARS, as a young man, columnist Sydney J. Harris said he could never understand the meaning of the old saw, “Nothing succeeds like success.” He went on to explain, “What it means, of course, is that success carries an impetus of its own, quite apart from the talent involved.”

Harris wrote in a column in 1982:

“There is a story, well attested to, that Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest and came in third. Also, that Heifetz, in the days of his fame, played

By Byron McNutt

WE MAY NEED an intervention in Washington. In the next two months, Congress and the White House will be faced with three major “cliff” issues and all indications point to contentious standoffs filled with rancor, acrimony and brinksmanship.

Americans want, and are looking for, leadership, but not getting it. A USA Today/Gallup Poll taken in

By Byron McNutt

WE ARE constantly reminded that there is a fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it. With that in mind, you might enjoy this story titled “The Haircut.” It wouldn’t be so funny if it wasn’t true.

The theme throughout this story is “blessed are those that can give without remembering, and take

By Byron McNutt

A REPORT IS circulating around town about a charity event held recently at an area casino. It was a big celebration and it was a very memorable event for at least two attendees.

This was a masked ball and the wife of one local bigwig went out to get costumes for herself and her husband. When it was time to go to the gala event, she came down with a doozy of a migraine that was the worst ever.

“You go alone, honey,” she said. “I’m going to turn in. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity to have fun with our friends.”