Quail in Arkansas
Monday’s editorial on quail carried the subtitle, “Just leave all this to Game and Fish,” but we at the ASU Delta STEM Education Center have another idea. We have submitted a grant request to the Arkansas Humanities Council to educate 20 school teachers on the history and culture of quail in Arkansas.
This grant request was prompted by Richard Mason, the former president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, who has agreed to serve as one of our Humanities Scholars. Another scholar is, to quote the editorial, “that old troublemaker” Rex Nelson; the third is Tom Dillard, writer of some 600 columns on Arkansas life.
Teachers will get 12 professional development hours and meet two full days in which we discuss the literature, the songs, the dogs, and the science. Then we will help them develop classroom programs using primary source documents and later evaluate their work. All the lesson plans will be made available to other teachers worldwide through the ASU Smart Portal.
We hope this is just the start, for we are in contact with quail scholars and researchers in Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma. So no, it’s not just a Game and Fish matter. The public, starting with children, need to know this history and the problems quail and other species face. If successful, we want to make this a state-wide and even regional-wide project. Don’t let the cry of Bob White go out of our lives.
MICHAEL B. DOUGAN CYNTHIA A. MILLER
Jonesboro
Paper delivery
Comment: In a recent letter published in Voices, a writer thanked their paper delivery person for good service and encouraged others to do likewise. My wife promptly clipped the letter and sent it to our carriers, a husband-and-wife team, with a personal note of thanks and a tip.
This morning we received a thank-you note from them saying how helpful it was. They went on to say that they were almost ready to quit after the snowstorm and sleet on a recent Saturday night. They received 37 complaints because the paper had not been delivered on time on Sunday morning. I don’t know where some of these complainers live, but my driveway and street were a complete sheet of ice. I was shocked at the inconsideration and outright disregard for their safety to expect the paper deliverers to be on the road in those conditions. I’ll bet they didn’t go out.
Give these people a break! They perform a great service for very little and deserve our gratitude. Hey, get a life!
RONALD BURKETT
Bella Vista
Stage of civilization
Historians tell us that during the latter part of the Greek civilization and the latter part of the Roman civilization, the majority of men were practicing homosexuals. If homosexuality were a matter of genetics, the majority of their male ancestors would have been homosexuals. They were of the same gene pool. Homosexuality became a part of their culture, just as it is becoming a part of our culture. Apparently, widespread homosexuality is characteristic of a civilization in its latter stages.
ROBERT BURNEY
Conway
About that sign
In response to Ed Parks’ question concerning if there will be a sign at the Pearly Gates, the answer is absolutely! It will read, “If you have not been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot enter!”
FRANK H. BRUCE
North Little Rock
Netflix and depression
This generation is addicted to its conveniences. One of many conveniences in today’s world is instant video streaming. Companies such as Netflix are extremely popular for the streaming service that they offer and has caused consumers to go on binge-watching sprees. But has this seemingly normal behavior been affecting more than meets the eye?
A recent survey done by the University of Texas at Austin showed that of the binge and non-binge viewers of these services, binge viewers were more likely to express feelings of depression. The university has yet to come to an accurate conclusion, but I have an idea about what would cause this reaction in the viewers.
While we are not seeking to be diagnosed with depression any time soon, we don’t realize that activities like binge watching can affect our moods. We are social creatures. Viewers isolate themselves for indefinite amounts of time in order to binge-watch. When the viewer decides to stop, he begins to feel the withdrawal from the outside world. Also, regular exercise has proven to drastically affect mood. Guess what you’re not getting sitting on that couch? Both lack of exercise and isolation have been proven to be main symptoms of depression.
To reduce the likelihood of these viewers being diagnosed with depression, these streaming services should make a change to their services. By limiting the amount consumers can watching in a short amount of time, this could greatly benefit their state of mind.
BAILEY OLDHAM
Cabot
The effect of words
As the country listened to Rudy Giuliani shoot his mouth off about President Obama not liking America, I wondered who pushed this senior citizen to say what he said.
The Bible says not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth defileth a man.
As we look at the world, America included, even God hates what he created. Man has destroyed the beauty of the world. There are things created by man, not God, like killing each other, raping kids, hatred, lying, drugs, and greed. There are those who would rather teach their kids how to shoot a gun than teach them the Lord’s Prayer. People can’t go to work in peace because their workplace is a battleground. Everyone’s trying to get ahead.
I would love to give a gun to John Mc Cain and Rudy Giuliani and put them on the front line to fight ISIS. They want to send everyone else’s kids to fight except their own. They do not even visit the wounded soldiers. Over 4,000 young people lost their lives in Iraq, and for what? There are kids with no mothers or fathers in good old America because of wars.
Rudy and John have forgotten that no one bows to them any more. Their days are numbered.
JULIA RANDLE
Jacksonville