The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
What Will 2005 Bring?
It is always fun to predict what the new year will bring. Some of us have that uncanny ability of knowing exactly what will happen!
The Rams will trade their entire defensive unit and the Bears will trade their entire offensive unit and they will both go undefeated next year!
Since Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has taken a lot of heat recently, President Bush will reward Senator Zell Miller for attacking the Democrats at the convention by appointing him Secretary of Offense to counteract the criticism!
Michael Moore will receive the huge Academy booby prize for producing the worst movie ever made!
The Chicago Cubs will be pictured on the box of a new cereal, Defeaties. They do not snap, crackle and pop, but they do flip, flap and flop.
Many of us will seek body, face or brain transplants this year. Since John Kerry already has several homes and private jets, he will get a skin head haircut (and become 5 inches shorter) and have a humility transplant and actually become the real down to earth sportsman and common man he wanted us to think he was during the campaign.
He may get to become a professional hunter!
Mrs. Kerry may go into the full time ministry (if mustard and ketchup have an off year)!
John Edwards will undergo smile reduction surgery or make GLEEM ads before he returns to dealing with health care providers and insurance companies in the courtroom.
Ron Artest and Mike Tyson will have a huge boxing match. There will be no ringside seats sold because that is where the fight will take place. All patrons will enter at their own risk!
The stock market will have another good year, the economy will continue to expand with many millions of new jobs and the Democrat will swear the tax cuts have nothing to do with it.
Hillary will continue to move toward the center with her political views in order to attract the largest possible following before the '08 election. Her husband, Bill, the greatest professional fence jumper of all time, will be glad to tell her how it is done.
For a year end bonus, Oprah will give everyone in the U.S. a new car and Dr. Phil will solve everyone's personal problems!
This may be the year I break Reef's world record for letter writing! Hopefully this is not the year when the man with the huge butterfly net and straight jacket comes to take me away.
When all of these things materialize in 2005, don't forget where you heard it. Have a good year.
Weyman George
Macomb
An Open Letter to the La Harpe Community
Support your community? Everybody talks about it, but how many people do it?
We now know that the "core" of our community (our school) does not. If the school doesn't, why should anybody care?
Look around folks! Reminisce! Remember the businesses that used to be in this town? Most of them are gone because of the desire to save a dollar by driving to another town or ordering off the Internet. It's called "false economy,' and it has really hurt our community.
Auto dealerships, lumberyards, hardware store, clothing store, drug store, and on and on. All gone.
The school tells us that these are tough times and they're having to operate with deficit spending. If the businesses were still here, the good tax base would still be here and the school wouldn't be in the trouble that it is.
But what is the school doing to help the problem? Absolutely nothing! Nothing positive anyway.
I recently found out that our school purchased a large number of new computers. Did they buy them locally? No. Did they even get pricing locally? Another big NO. Does this hurt another local business? Yes.
As it happens, it is my business that this is hurting. You might think that this is "sour grapes' talking, but it's not at all. This action was wrong. This decision was made by a couple of lower level "technical' people and signed off by a Superintendent that could care less about the community.
My business has competitive pricing and a superior product to what the school purchased. We should have been given a chance.
I've lived in this community for decades. I've raised my children here, sent them to school here. Now they live here and are sending their children to school here.
We all own homes and pay taxes that support our school. My business is headquartered and pays taxes here.
I've provided uncountable hours of free help and support to the school.
My son and myself wired the new addition for computers in our off time for free. And this is the thanks and support we get back from the school?
Luckily, not all of the schools in the area have the mindset of this one.
Some schools prefer to purchase quality systems locally at competitive prices.
Others will even look at the budgets and realize that they can save the district dollars by hiring our business for their support, rather than hiring technical staff. Well-managed schools do fine in tough times and then there's La Harpe. Sincerely,
Bob Lionberger
La Harpe
Mercedes Seats, People to People Ambassador
My name is Mercedes Seats. I live with my aunt and uncle, Larry and Jennette Pence. I am in 10th grade and attend La Harpe High School. I was recently interviewed and accepted to participate as a People to People Student Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland this summer.
This 20-day experience includes meeting with government officials, interaction with other students my age, educational activities and home stay with host families.
I am currently seeking financial sponsors to help me with tuition and I hope I can count on your support. In case you haven't heard of People to People, please allow me to share some history with you.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the organization in 1956. He believed that if people from different cultures could come together in peace and friendship, so eventually would countries.
To become a student ambassador, a student must be nominated by a school administrator, community representative, or a former alumni student ambassador. People to People Ambassadors are carefully interviewed and evaluated before their acceptance and I am honored to have been selected.
As an ambassador, I can earn high school and college credits because of the many educational elements in the program. Personally, I would like to embark on the venture into the world to experience new places and cultures and increase my understanding of the world.
As a young person, I am the future of this great nation, and I believe such knowledge and experience will help me become the best citizen I can be.
I need to raise $6,000 for the tuition. I am asking friends and families if they could help me meet my goal. Checks may be payable to the People to People Student Ambassador Program with my name on them. Your generous contribution would be appreciated and enable me to share in this wonderful opportunity.
I am planning an open house when I return to share my experience and all my pictures with everyone that makes a contribution. You may mail your contribution to: Mercedes Seats, RR # 1 Box 106, Lomax, Illinois 61454.