Basic Biittner: A legend passes (08/26/08)
Aurelia lost a legend recently when Paul Jones left us at the age of 91. Paul graduated from Aurelia High School in 1934, then went on to college at Iowa State Teacher's College (now the University of Northern Iowa), where he played both offensive and defensive end for the Panther football team. ...

Basic Biittner: Calling it quits not easy at the top (08/19/08)
Three cheers for Brett Fav-ruh! Heretofore known simply as one of the greatest quarterbacks and inspirational team leaders in NFL history, "#4" has now managed to show another side as one of the greatest soap opera stars in NFL history as well - no small feat, considering his previous acting performance, when he played himself ten years ago in the hit movie "There's Something About Mary," was less than stellar...

Basic Biittner: Psychic sportswriters (08/12/08)
On July 31, Major League Baseball's trading deadline, many big trades occurred, including two deals involving "future Hall of Famers" Ken Griffey jr. and Manny Ramirez. During the same week, there were many stories on the sports pages concerning "future Hall of Famer" Brett Favre...

Basic Biittner: Thanks for the memories (08/11/08)
It was a bit sad around the Chronicle Times office last week. You see, the linchpin of our news room, Ken Ross, left the organization Friday, August 8th, to start a new chapter in his life. Ken, who has been a Cherokee resident since October of 1990, moved "back east," closer to his home town of Ft. Madison, to start his new job as editor of the Washington (Iowa) Evening Journal on Monday August 11...

BASIC BIITTNER - What's good for the Goose ... (07/28/08)
Last Sunday, July 27, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, inducted their latest class of new members. First and foremost of the new inductees was Rich "Goose" Gossage, the fireballing right handed pitcher with the memorable glowering stare, located just north of his Fu Manchu mustache. ...

BASIC BIITTNER: Proud to be an Iowan (07/23/08)
I had to be in Des Moines the other day for an appointment, so I took the time to visit an attraction which I had been wanting to see ever since it opened. The attraction of which I'm speaking is the Iowa Hall of Pride. The "baby" of former IHSAA Executive Director Bernie Saggau, the Hall of Pride stands as a monument to the students, teachers, parents, coaches, and administrators of Iowa's schools, with a fascinating array of interactive kiosks, games and videos telling the story of the spirit of Iowa, through the history of school and student accomplishments - not just in athletics, but in all scholastic and extracurricular activities.. ...

Basic Biittner : (One of) the Best Ever (06/30/08)
Whenever anyone embarks on an attempt to make a list of "the best (fill in the blank)," or to name a single person (or object) as "the best" at some endeavor or occupation, they quickly find themselves in no man's land, fearful that they have left someone out and might offend that person, his family, or "fans."...

BASIC BIITTNER : A 21st Century revival of a classic (06/23/08)
In 1954, a book was published entitled "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant" (a work of fiction, obviously) by Douglas Wallop (Wallop - how's that for the name of an author of a baseball book?). Anyway, the book was adapted into a Broadway musical by Wallop and George Abbott, and that musical, "Damn Yankees," was enough of a hit that it was then made into a movie...

Basic Biittner: Dear Old Dad (06/16/08)
Sunday June 15th was Father's Day, so I thought I'd share some of the favorite quotes I have found about fathers, fatherhood, being a father, etc. Though I had a father and still have a father-in-law, and am myself a father, father-in-law and grandfather, I don't claim to have actually written any of these quotes myself. All are appropriately attributed to their authors, when known...

Basic Biittner: Lakers v. Celtics? (05/27/08)
The NBA is now down to its version of the "Final Four," so I can finally start to get interested in the league - and this year, I may be more interested than I have been in recent years. If the Boston Celtics (my favorite team) beat the Detroit Pistons, and the L.A. Lakers (my second favorite team) beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, we will have the first match-up of the Lakers and Celtics for the title in quite a few years...

BASIC BIITTNER - A Changing World (05/21/08)
The news of the recent flood in Myanmar brought this response from me : "Where is Myanmar ? - never heard of it." This type of reaction has been real common for me in recent years, I have often been confronted with country and city names with which I was unfamiliar. ...

BASIC BIITTNER : By the Numbers (05/09/08)
I had the chance recently to peruse some interesting numbers, and thought I'd share them with you. The numbers I'm referring to are from the "BEDS Document," and are available on the Iowa High School Athletic Association web site, www.iahsaa.org. The BEDS document is prepared each year, and consists of the enrollment figures for Grades 9-11 in each of the 395 school districts in Iowa. ...

Basic Biittner: The Spirit of the Olympics (04/24/08)
Way back when, the nations of the world decided to unite every four years to celebrate goodwill, peace, tranquility and sportsmanship through athletic competition. And so, the Olympic Games were born...

BASIC BIITTNER: No Seniors? (04/21/08)
Well, the Final Fours are over, and Kansas and Tennessee are the champions of NCAA basketball for 2008. A job well done, and thanks to all the fine young athletes who entertained us over the past couple of weeks. A week or two ago, the All-American teams were named, and, on the Men's team, an interesting thing happened. ...

Basic Biittner: The Unbroken Circle (03/04/08)
From 1969-1971, Country legend Johnny Cash had a weekly ABC - TV show, which accomplished two objectives: 1) Exposing non-country music fans to country music and its artists; and 2) Exposing country fans to current non-country music and artists. Cash did this by booking an eclectic set of guests, all of whom were fans of his music. Cash, by the way, is a member of both the Country and Rock ad Roll Halls of Fame, so who better to merge the two genres?...

BASIC BIITTNER : Is anyone here telling the truth? (02/25/08)
Wednesday February 13, 2008 will go down in history as the date that Major League Baseball and one of its legendary players took another giant step in dragging their glorious sport even further into the muck and mire - a process which seems to have been going on for decades now. ...

Basic Biittner : Which 'Home State?' (02/18/08)
During news coverage of "Super Duper Tuesday" last week, a newscaster referred to Illinois as Senator Obama's "home state" and to New York as Senator Clinton's "home state." It led me to wonder - just what state should be designated someone's "home state?"...

Basic Biittner : E-mailing Bud(dy) (02/11/08)
Like many of the advancements in technology and communication, e-mail has its ups and downs. Just ask anyone who receives hundreds of "spam" e-mails every day, no matter how many spam blockers they may employ. That is the primary "down" of the e-mail world for me. ...

Basic Biittner : On a first - name basis (01/02/08)
Throughout the many political ads and news stories about would-be Presidential candidates, I have noticed that one of the candidates often seems to be called by her first name, rather than her surname. I have a couple of theories about why this is. Theory number one is that people don't want to refer to her as "Clinton" because of a recent president with the same surname. ...

BASIC BIITTNER : College success vs. pro success (12/18/07)
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was name last weekend, and for the first time a sophomore, Florida U's Tim Tebow, was the winner of the trophy, given annually to the nation's "Most Outstanding Player" for that season, as voted on by sportswriters across the nation. ...

Basic Biittner : The forgotten holiday (11/29/07)
I don't know about you, but over the last decade or so, retail merchants and advertisers seem to have boosted Hallowe'en - not even an "official" holiday - into a mega-holiday. What was once a kids' holiday, where mothers made their little ones a nice, simple costume to wear to school on October 31 and MAYBE to go to a few homes in the early evening has exploded into grown - up parties where the adults wear costumes, too, and every town seems to have a Haunted House. ...

Basic Biittner : NBA (11/19/07)
Way back when, I used to follow the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the elite players like Bob Cousy, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson. and (especially) Wilt Chamberlain were just as much my heroes as any of my favorite baseball players like "The Mick."...

Basic Biittner: The Hot Stove League (11/12/07)
Well, we finally have the baseball season behind us, finishing with yet another "Unofficial World Series," to use the late Frank Miller's term. This, of course, was the fourth consecutive unofficial World Series, and, though I must admit (I mean, I MUST admit - it really pains me) the arch rival Red Sox (aka the Bosox) were pretty darned impressive in sweeping the Cinderella Rockies in four games...

Basic Biittner: Who ARE these guys??? (10/23/07)
Though several people have assumed I lost interest in the baseball post season when a certain team from the Bronx took an early exit, I have, in fact, been following the League Championship Series in the American League and that other league. It was difficult initially, because I felt like Butch and Sundance in my favorite movie. Watching Colorado, Arizona, and Cleveland, I kept asking myself : “Who ARE these guys?”...

Basic Biittner: Celebrity IQ Test (10/08/07)
On a recent newscast it was reported that Michael Vick, former NFL Quarterback, has been arrested for possession of Marijuana. The same Michael Vick who is currently the subject of suspension from his employer, the NFL, as well as in trouble with the law for his involvement in dog fighting and gambling...

Basic Biittner: Reliving the Good Old Rock 'n Roll Days (09/20/07)
As most regular readers of this column - all 3 of you - know, I am a long-time Rock and Roll fan. I got "hooked" early, right near the start of the era, in 1956, when I purchased Elvis Presley's 45 rpm record (kids - ask your parents or grandparents what those were) titled "Too Much." It wasn't too much, though, it was just the beginning of 45s - and later LPs, 8-tracks, cassettes, and CDs (again, ask someone older if the first two terms are foreign to you)...

Basic Biittner: "Overqualified" for President? (09/11/07)
I cannot, and will not, endorse any Presidential candidate, nor will this newspaper. However, here's something to ponder. I normally tune out political ads, especially after the point where they seem to run continually. However, an ad which was an early arrival in the advertising for the 2008 Presidential election - which is still more than 14 months away, by the way- caught my eye as a truly clever bit...

Basic Biittner : Oxymoronically yours (09/04/07)
The dictionary defines an "oxymoron" as a "figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction." If the term is not a familiar one to you, and not understandable from the dictionary definition above, I'm sure you'll get the idea by the time you've finished reading this column...

Basic Biittner - Sorry... (NOT!) (08/29/07)
I'm usually not too crazy about admitting a mistake (like many of you, I would guess), however, I would like to GLADLY apologize here for a very public mistake I made right here in this column. In a May 10th column entitled "Feel My Pain...Please?" In that column, I was bemoaning the terrible season "my" Yankees were having and "crying in my beer." Although I didn't actually say the season was over, I'm sure my words conveyed that thought. ...

Basic Biittner: Democracy or oligarchy? (08/02/07)
First of all, let me state up front that I am not a political person. I was extremely interested in the American Presidency when I was in fifth grade - even had a collection of little plastic statues of all the presidents, and of course, enthralled my classmates with a "lecture" on the subject. To all of you who still live in the area, a very belated apology for that, and hope I didn't bore you TOO much...

Basic Biittner: Sports Network Kicks 'S' (07/17/07)
I, like millions of others, have really enjoyed watching the ESPN cable television channel for many years now, and certainly have not minded at all when they kept adding channels such as ESPN 2, ESPN Classic, and (my favorite) ESPN News. I'm starting to get a little concerned, though, about what exactly is considered a "sport," due to some of the programs which have been shown on ESPN lately...

Basic Biittner: I-Phone, U-Phone, we all ... (07/09/07)
On June 29, many people lined up outside of Apple stores (not the fruit, the gadget company) waiting to purchase the latest "wonder toy," called the i-phone. As I understand it, this gizmo is a combination telephone/radio/tv/computer/mp3 player/ipod/answering machine/washer/dryer/dvd player and recorder/cd player and recorder/vacuum cleaner/dishwasher/refrigerator/table setter/bed maker and garbage taker-outer which is "so small it makes the blackberry look obese," in the words of one 'tech' reviewer.. ...

Basic Biittner: Celebrate the Holiday (06/20/07)
June 14th, is one of the most important - but least celebrated - American holidays. In case you didn't know, or didn't remember, today is Flag Day. Flag Day (more formally, National Flag Day) is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the "flag of the United States, which happened on that date in 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress...

Basic Biittner : Thoughts on Motherhood (06/05/07)
I came across the following piece recently, and was going to save it for next year's Mother's Day. However, my daughter is a new mother (now one year, but that's still fairly new), and my own mother recently passed away. So, in honor of them, and in my mother's memory, I share it here with you readers...

Basic Biittner : Feel my pain � please? (05/15/07)
Regular readers of this column know of my life-long passion for a certain Major League Baseball team.It's a reasonable statement to say that, if you're a baseball fan, you most likely either love or hate "my" Yankees (aka The Bronx Bombers, Pinstripers, Murderer's Row, the Bronx Zoo, et. al). There isn't much middle ground...

Basic Biittner: May Day (04/30/07)
Tuesday is May Day, which made me wonder, do kids even do the "May basket thing" these days? I remember exchanging little baskets of candy,etc. with my classmates in my early elementary school days, and I even got a couple in high school - one especially nice one from a friend who was very artistic. ...

Basic Biittner: Great fiction, and that's a fact! (04/24/07)
I don't read a lot of fiction, sticking mostly to biographies and other sports or entertainment titles. When I do read fiction, however, I have tended to go "whole hog," finding an author whose work I like, and proceeding to read several books by that author. ...

Basic Biittner: Humor (04/17/07)
The recent flap concerning a remark made by long-time radio talk guy Don Imus on his show has been the "topic of the week" in the news recently - almost, but not quite - pushing the paternity of A.N. Smith's baby out of the spotlight. I used to be a regular listener to "The I-Man," but stopped because I lost my AM radio source. ...

Basic Biittner: Quit Pickin' on my man Barry (03/06/07)
A certain Associate Publisher here , who shall remain nameless (hint: his name rhymes with "small truck"), has been a leading basher of Barry Bonds (how's that for alliteration?) for several years now, calling him all kinds of names. He certainly has the right to do so, because 1) we live in a free country; and 2) it' s his paper.It is at the risk of losing my job, then, that I herein make this bold confession: I have been a Barry Bonds fan ever since he played at Arizona State University, and have remained so throughout his years as a Pittsburgh Pirate and San Francisco Giant. ...

Basic Biittner : Hall of Fame, part two (01/15/07)
In an earlier column, I dealt with the selection of the new Baseball Hall-of-Fame inductees, elected by the Baseball Writers of America. There were 17 names on the ballot this year - first-timers Cal Ripken jr., Tony Gwynn, and Mark McGwire, along wth such holdovers as Jim Rice, Goose Gossage, Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven...

Basic Biittner: Down memory lane, with no "three-second" call (01/02/07)
The Northwest All-Stars, whose team included four former Cherokee players, three former Marcus Eagles, and one Aurelia Atom, defeated the Metro All-Stars, 60-54, in a wonderful, "throw-back" six-on-six basketball game on Saturday night December 16, 2006...

Basic Biittner: 'Tis the season... (12/20/06)
Only five more shopping days until Christmas!!! (is that enough exclamation points?) I am saddened when I see society's ever-increasing emphasis on Christmas presents, and the long lines and battles at department stores over that year's "hot" Christmas toy - be it the Play Station 3, Tickle Me Elmo, Cabbage Patch Kids, good old Barbie, or "big kid toys" like CD and DVD players, HDTV, I-Pods, BMWs.....

Basic Biittner: Deck the Halls (12/04/06)
With Christmas coming this month, many people think about Halls, as in Deck the Halls...Me, I'm different (I know, not a news flash). Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas - not shopping, overeating, the emphasis on commercialism - but I do celebrate "the reason for the season," as they say, and enjoy family gatherings...

Basic Biittner: Time For a Change? (11/21/06)
One word (or is a hyphenate?) that certainly seems to be overused, mis-used, insincerely used, or just plain used and abused, is "bipartisan." I mean, there's been a lot of talk about the need for bipartisanship regarding this or that political issue ever since I can remember, and for the most part, that's been just what it is - talk...

Basic Biittner: Put your money on ... (11/06/06)
Well, another baseball season has come and gone, and the Junior Circuit was nice and let the Senior Circuit win one this year. I'm sure that Dick Point, Jerry Namanny, Jim Mohn, and all the other local Redbird fans are beside themselves with joy, after Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, David "Mighty Mite" Eckstein, and relief pitcher Loudon Wainwright IV (?) totally demolished the Detroit Pussycats in five games. ...

Basic Biittner: The Class of '68 (10/30/06)
I happen to be a member of the Class of 1968, in my case from Aurelia High School. 1968 is seen in today's light as one of the most memorable years ever, as far as news events go. Among the big news stories that year were an escalating war in Vietnam, President Johnson announcing that he would not be running for re-election, the assassination of Martin Luther King, police and crowd battles at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Robert Kennedy's assassination, and the election of Richard Nixon in November.. ...

Basic Biittner: No "off-season" anymore (10/26/06)
When I was a youngster - you know, two or three years ago - life seemed to follow the text found in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes - "to everything there is a season" - which, as all we Baby Boomers know, was set to music by Pete Seeger, and turned into a hit record by the Byrds. But I digress (as usual)...

Basic Biittner: Music and Book Review (10/24/06)
I recently finished the book "Dream Boogie," by noted rock and blues writer Peter Guralnick. Guralnick's previous works incude two bios about Elvis Presley, a book on the Memphis Blues scene, and a small book on the brief career of the mysterious Robert Johnson - whom some say is the "father of the Blues."...

Basic Biittner: Another "Unofficial" World Series (10/16/06)
The end of the Major League Baseball season is rapidly approaching - which is good, I guess, because there's hardly any room for it at this time of the year, what with junior highs, high schools, colleges, and professionals all deep into their football seasons. The NBA has started their pre-season games too, and the National Hockey League - I THINK- has started their regular season also- although I may be wrong about that. They , too , may still be in their pre-season mode...

Basic Biittner: Double negative is a no-no (10/04/06)
Back in the day, our high school English teacher, "Mrs. D," taught our eager young minds that the proper use of the English language did not include the use of the "double negative." (An example of a double being "He didn't say nothing." I have been observing the flagrant use of another kind of "double negative" recently - the constant negative campaigning being done by political candidates in their television and radio spots...

Basic Biittner :Things are looking up (09/22/06)
First of all, let me start by saying, as will become readily apparent as you read this column, that I am not an architect, nor a student of architecture. What I am, among other things, is a guy who walks around with his head down and doesn't look up as often as he should. I'm also a guy who doesn't always notice things- which you can probably correlate with the "head down" thing...

Basic Biittner: Truth in Advertising? (08/21/06)
I just heard a commercial on the radio which used the word "free" so many times I lost count. The "free" deal was something like this: Get THREE free cellphones with the purchase of any regularly - priced phone. So, for the price of a phone you get three FREE phones, too - and, oh yeah - it's all subject to agreeing to a two-year contract for services...

Basic Biittner : List (08/10/06)
Anyone who knows me knows that I love popular music. In an earlier column, I also mentioned that I love to make lists. My only lists of any importance to anyone else are the grocery list, the "what to take on vacation" list, and of course, the ever-popular "honey do list."...

Basic Biittner: What's in a name? (08/03/06)
The Cherokee Braves baseball team recently played in the State Tournament in Des Moines, held at the beautiful home of the Iowa Cubs minor league team, Principal Park. Principal Park was formerly known as Sec Taylor Stadium, named in honor of a long-time sports writer for the Des Moines Register...

Basic Biittner: A Good Time Was Had By All (07/27/06)
Four years ago, a group of people from Aurelia were sitting around talking, as people are wont to do - and there MAY have been some liquid refreshment involved, too - though I can't say that for a fact. The conversation took place at the former Francis Tap, though, so.....

Basic Biittner: Why no Hall of Fame for . . . (07/25/06)
My name is Dan, and I am a Hall of Fame addict. I have loved music and sports all my life, and love to see the "greats of the game" honored for their achievements. I have visited the baseball hall in Cooperstown, New York three times, and have also been to the basketball hall in Springfield, Massachusetts and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. ...

Basic Biittner: The circle of life . . . (07/17/06)
In the last month, I've been reminded again of the "Circle of Life" - "one comes in, another goes out." In my case, my wife and I became grandparents for the very first time, and we were both able to spend some time with our new granddaughter, even though she and her parents live halfway across the country. We certainly welcome this new stage in our lives...

Basic Biittner: Will "Who's He?" bring down baseball? (07/13/06)
If (and that's a big "if") something substantial is ever done to deal with the whole steroids/HGH/amphetamine mess that has plagued Major League Baseball, it may not be a superstar who deals the game its final blow. I find it ironic that the critical blow to "the National Pastime" may not have been dealt by a superstar, but rather by a player whose career is the very definition of "journeyman."...

Basic Biittner: Motown or Chicago? (06/05/06)
The great Motown Records' group, Martha and the Vandellas, released a hit record entitled "Dancing In the Street" in 1964, and it was remade in 1982 by Van Halen and then again in 1985 by David Bowie &Mick Jagger. A popular song, definitely, and a popular idea also. ...

Basic Biittner: Not the first time (05/31/06)
If National Guard troops are indeed sent to the Mexican border, it would not be the first time. The precipitating situation is certainly not the same as it is now, but the very first time that National Guard troops were called upon to assist in a federal matter also involved guarding the Mexican border, exactly 90 years ago, in 1916...

Basic Biittner:I've Got Your Number (05/15/06)
Reggie Bush, college football's most recent Heisman Trophy winner, was recently drafted by the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Most likely, he will soon be making more money than most of us will ever see. Mr. Young isn't happy, though. You see, he's worn the number 5 on his football jersey all through high school and college, and would like to wear it again in the NFL. ...

Basic Biittner: The (not so) good old days (05/01/06)
Aurelia native Eveline Will called me on Thursday to say that the recent cases of meningitis and mumps that have been in the news reminded her of a not-so-pleasant memory. Will was a young mother in the fall of 1952 when she was diagnosed with polio (also called infantile paralysis at that time). ...

Basic Biittner: 1978 revisted (continued) (04/24/06)
A few months ago, I wrote a column about the Aurelia Atoms' 24-2 State tournament basketball team of 1978, spotlighting Marcia (Winterhof) Klett and her three daughters, whom she has helped coach at Clay Central-Everly High School. I turn my attention now to Marcia's Atom teammates, and see what they've been up to since graduation...

Basic Biitner: One very special guy (04/10/06)
AURELIA - It was my privilege to be chosen to present a "lifetime achievement" plaque to a very special person on Tuesday night. The plaque cited Duane "Nobby" Buttenob for his "contributions to Aurelia Athletics." As I noted at the time of the presentation, listing all of "Nobby's" contributions on the plaque would have required a very large plaque - one too heavy for either he or me to carry. However, I do have a little more room in this space, so I'd like to elaborate more fully...

Basic Biitner: Never too old (03/23/06)
You know how sometimes it can seem like everything's "the same old , same old" in your life? Go to work, come home, watch TV, go to a ball game or movie, go to bed, get up, go to work.... Quite often, the "experts" advise trying something new to break up the routine. Well, in the spirit of "you're never too old to try something new", here's a brief rundown of the year 2006 in our household...

Basic Biitner: Puck (03/15/06)
A sports icon left us at the age of 45 yesterday. Kirby Puckett wasn't the greatest home run hitter in Minnesota Twins' history - Harmon Killebrew was. He was also not the greatest hitter - that honor would probably go to Rod Carew or Tony Oliva. Greatest outfielder? Close, but some may favor current Twin Torii Hunter. ...

Basic Biitner: Three TV acting greats pass away (03/06/06)
This was a rough week for baby boomers , as we lost three of the favorite actors from our youth. Don Knotts, who won five Emmys as the inimitable Barney Fife, Andy Taylor's deputy on the "Andy Griffith Show", and later played Mr. Furley, the second landlord of the "Three's Company" group, was the first to go. ...

Basic Biitner: An Unusual Trade (02/27/06)
As a lifelong sports fan, I am very familiar with player trades in all professional sports. In Major League Baseball, the "hot stove league" is the only thing that fuels our hunger for the National Pastime through the long Iowa winters. THIS winter, however, an entirely new type of trade has occurred which is unprecedented. It doesn't involve any players at all, but rather a respected broadcaster, the Olympics, the Ryder Cup golf tournament, and a cartoon rabbit...

Basic Biitner: Doctor Shows My Way (02/27/06)
My daughter once made the statement that she likes musicals, "except for the songs." I, of course, being the loving parent that I am, immediately jumped on this, and teased her unmercifully for this apparent paradox. In thinking recently about my favorite network TV shows, however, I realized that my three current favorites are all "medical" shows. The three - "Scrubs" , "House," and "Grey's Anatomy" , are all set in hospitals, and I really like them "except for the medical stuff."...

Basic Biitner: My Hometown (02/27/06)
"Small towns" have a few characteristics that some people don't like, or feel they wouldn't like. True, most small towns have no large shopping malls , or even strip malls. They have no movie theaters , or if they do, it might not be open every day of the week, or every month of the year. They don't have nightclubs or other "hot spots" for entertainment...

Basic Biitner: It's all in the family (02/06/06)
This is one of those "where are they now?" features , although there may be a lot of readers who have at least a general idea of what this person has been doing. Nevertheless I'm going to give a little update anyway. The Aurelia Atoms (yes, that really was their nickname) basketball team of Coach Daryl "Buzz" Curry had an awesome team in the late 1970s. ...

Basic Biittner: Former Resident's Thoughts On A "Fantastic" Super Bowl (01/31/06)
Super Bowl XL (that's 40 to us non-Romans) is set for Sunday, Feb. 5, to be played in the usual warm-weathersite - Detroit? (It's indoors, so it doesn't really matter to those actually attending the game). The opponents, Seattle and Pittsburgh, would probably not be the first choice of the honchos at ABC television, who are televising the big game this year, nor would it be what others in New York or Los Angeles would prefer...

Basic Biittner: New students at the Phillips Academy (01/16/06)
New students at the Phillips Academy The Phillips Academy was founded by the (dis) Honorable Lawrence Phillips of the University of Nebraska, several professional football teams (located in several cities in several countries), and innumerable courtrooms and jails...

Basic Biittner: Lisztomania and other stuff (01/09/06)
In 1975, British film director Ken Russell wrote and directed a "rock fantasy" about the 19th-century Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt (hey, this was the 70s - it probably seemed like a good idea to Russell at the time - though what condition he was in when he got this inspiration is subject to speculation!)...

Basic Biittner: Sometimes hype is NOT hype! (01/09/06)
Most of us read, see, and hear what people call "hype" each and every day. Somebody or something is the ABSOLUTE GREATEST thing since sliced bread! THE GAME OF THE CENTURY, THE GREATEST SINGER EVER, etc. The word "hype" is a shortened form of the word "hyperbole", which the dictionary defines as an exaggeration or overstatement, and usually, that's exactly what hype is...

Basic Biittner: What World Series? (10/19/05)
Isn't the fall season wonderful? Look at those beautiful colored leaves ... Gorgeous ! And how 'bout them Hawkeyes/Braves/Bulldogs/Cyclones/Eagles/Packers/Chiefs/Vikings (oops, scratch that last one- this is a family paper, after all!) Isn't football great?...

Basic Biittner: Voter turnout deplorable (09/26/05)
I was disappointed, but not surprised when I read what the voter turnout (to use he term loosely) was in Cherokee County for the September 13 School Board elections. The highest "turnout" was in the River Valley School District, where a rousing 16.25 percent of registered voters chose to exercise their privilege to help choose the people who will be responsible for making decisions that will affect the children of their communities for the next three years...

Basic Biittner: 'Joe Btfsplk' returns (09/12/05)
I think I am usually an optimistic person. I even have a sign on my desk which says "No Negativism". However � with the current Hurricane Katrina situation in New Orleans, I'm starting to feel a little like Joe Btfsplk (no, that's not a typo), he's the character from the old "Li'l Abner" comic strip who always had a rain cloud over his head...

Basi Biittner: Repeat after me, "I am not a Star Wars..." (06/08/05)
Well, guess what I did recently? Let's see, Sunday was a beautiful sunny day� hmmm. I know, I went to George Lucas' latest multi-billion dollar merchandising kickoff, the last installment of the Star Wars epic -- otherwise known as Part III: Revenge Of The Siths (or ROTS, to use an acronym --not a good acronym, by the way -- maybe George should've thought that title through a little more.)...

Basic Biittner: The Eagle has landed (05/16/05)
We received the sad, but not unexpected, news that my friend and brother-in-law, Dean "Eagle" Winterhof, had died peacefully. It had been a rough couple of weeks for everyone since Eagle was diagnosed with two strokes and lung cancer, which had spread to his brain...