People are notorious for putting an apostrophe in the wrong place, or putting one where it isn't needed. It's obvious people are just taking a shot in the dark sometimes: "I think an apostrophe is needed somewhere here so I'll just stick it in."
About ten years ago when the Hancock girls basketball team made state, there was a headline on our radio station website that referred to the "Owl's." That's on the especially bad end of the spectrum. And yet we're proud of our educational system. I sent Deb an email about the oversight and it sort of got corrected, as the apostrophe was removed but there was still a space there. Online communications gets more user-friendly all the time - today you could adjust for an error easier, IMHO.
I once thought it would be a big deal to start a blog. I saw a book at the Alexandria mall bookstore: "Blogging for Dummies." It was thick. I didn't acquire it, and I found out eventually that the Google Blogger system takes your hand quite effectively, helping you get established with online writing with no sweat at all. Del Sarlette helped convince me it would be no big deal to start this pastime, so you can blame him (LOL). I ended up embarrassed about how easy it was.
My early adult life was marked by learning the unwieldy systems for journalism: manual typewriters, "waxers" and the infernal photographic darkroom which was the epitome of "Rube Goldberg." I have to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming now. The ease of the communications world is such, print-based communications is scaling back or at least radically adjusting. So, now there is no more mall bookstore in Alexandria! The mall itself nearly went up for a sheriff's sale recently. I read they got a temporary reprieve from that.
Is the Fergus Falls mall dead? There appears to be hand-wringing in Fergus Falls about losing businesses. Having driven around the city recently, I think it's quite bustling. I think it should be considered the envy of Morris. Two Burger Kings! Here in Morris, our McDonald's is basically closed for a chunk of the summer, and it appears Motel 200 (or whatever it's called) is shut down. The motel's parking lot looks empty from where I live. Was that a contract for deed situation? I remember when the bowling alley went through that. We are without two of our reasonably popular dining establishments for a chunk of the summer.
Is it true that the Thursday night talent shows at the park were a no-go this summer? Wasn't all that just held for Prairie Pioneer Days? Do our churches still occasionally use the Killoran stage at the park for a Sunday service? I personally haven't seen this lately and it's pretty hard to miss.
Why can't our youth get involved in something exciting musically in summer? It could be a marching band, however brief its season is, or something else. I have suggested a little brass band that could perform once a week at the Killoran stage. Wouldn't that be fun? Maybe hog dogs and pop could be served. Instead of this it seems our young people get absolutely obsessed with sports. Sports camps etc. I'm getting tired of this. I sometimes hear other people grumble about how kids have plunged into sports too much. I think it leaves behind a lot of kids who just aren't interested in it, and who have a hard time finding other avenues on a group basis. Is "winning games" what life is all about?
Got my school calendar in the mail the other day, and I see our school district is continuing to sponsor a football program. What a letdown. Football can never be made adequately "safe." We see advocates for the sport, those dinosaurs, talk about crap like protocols and heads-up tackling, terminology that just glosses over and puts a "spin" on football's problems, as if these problems can be solved.
Let's have soccer instead.
I am 63 years old and increasingly feel thankful about a couple things in my life that once might have been considered weaknesses or liabilities. One, I never played football. Thank the Lord. As a "scrub," I probably would have been asked to play on special teams, and that's the most dangerous part of football. Two, I have never engaged in dating behavior, so I'm not at risk of having my life ruined like so many of my male age contemporaries - Les Moonves at present - who are now being called out for past alleged sexual harassment. Whew! Thank the Lord again.
"Brians not Bombs." Usually my name is mis-typed as "Brain." When I got my first email address at the Morris newspaper, when the Internet was novel as all heck, it was set up so my email recipients saw "Brain" in the sender line. Thanks Nikki.
A final thought on Morris apathy or decay: If the Killoran stage was destined for absolutely negligible use, why did we allow it to be built?
We always expect Morris to slow down a little in summer. Still, I think we should be whistling past the graveyard a little about this. We just assume things will pick up in the fall. Well, you just never know. If Republicans take over our state government, it could put UMM (as a liberal arts institution) on the ropes, as with UW-Stevens Point in Wisconsin with Scott Walker as governor. Brrr, scary.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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