The Utter Side 
Travels with Newton
Cierra Martin, The Link
In 4th grade, Valentine’s day is considered a huge event. Many teachers encourage students in the class to share cards with one another, and young love is in the air as students ask one another to be “their Valentine.” This Valentine’s day, Ms. Hobdy and Ms. Broome’s 4th grade classes are taking a different approach to the holiday of love and have asked the Jackson County Animal Shelter to be their special valentine.
Both classes are collecting donations for the shelter and are bringing in items such as dog and cat food, old towels, blankets, Pine-Sol, bleach, leashes and cheap kitty litter. The 4th graders are extremely excited about their Valentine’s project, and in an effort to spread the word to the community, have made posters to hang up around town. The classes have also set up a collection bin at the Hurley Market and The Link’s newsroom. Newton, the Link’s faithful canine companion, is in the newsroom daily and has been on his very best behavior, not eating or playing with any of the donations.
The collection will end on Valentine’s day, and a representative from the shelter will be hosting a presentation for the kids during their Valentine’s party. Newton will also be in attendance to show his gratitude towards the student’s great contributions. After the presentation, both classes will present all of their total donations.
If you would like to donate any items to this “lovely cause,” visit our newsroom located on Joe Rubino Rd. in Hurley or the Hurley Market off of 614.
“Hey ref”
Randy Whitley, The Link
During my athletic career and after following sports over the past few years, I’ve seen many examples of poor sportsmanship between players, coaches and fans during competition. While this seems to have become a given part of professional sports, it’s sad to say it is also becoming increasingly common to see and hear such behavior from parents at youth and high school sporting events. Today’s culture encourages a winner/loser attitude and is so focused on competition that it adds fuel to the fire.
Last week, I attended the East Central vs. Gautier boys soccer game and was quite surprised to hear an adult EC fan shouting, “Hey ref, get off your knees…you’re blowing the game,” whenever something happened on the field that was not agreed with. In the heat of the moment, some parents overreact to a bad call and suddenly all attention is focused on the adult yelling instead of the young athletes that are participating in the event. Unfortunately, that’s what some folks may remember about the game. I am proud to be a graduate of East Central and that’s not how I want my school to be remembered. Someone should have stepped up. I should have stepped up.
For the most part, parents behave reasonably at youth sporting events, but it's the yelling, belittling and fit throwing by a few poor sports that seems to grab everyone's attention.I firmly believe that parents have good intentions and try to be supportive but sometime get lost in the heat of the battle and get too emotional. I believe parents are trying to do the right thing, but we all should think about what is being said and the impression we’re leaving on the team and our peers. What can we do as parents to promote good sportsmanship? Here are a few things to keep in mind when attending sporting events:
Be a good role model.
Good sportsmanship is a clear quality of good character.
Keep your own ego out of your children’s game.
Mind your own sideline behavior. Regardless of how bad the call, refrain from yelling or shouting profanities at the official.
Let the officials do their jobs, and you do yours, support and encourage your team to have fun and do their best.
Good sportsmanship is a team effort and it includes everyone, parents, coaches and players.
Travels with Newton
Newton makes his first public visits into Walmart and Lowes
Cherie Chesser, The Link
Sir Isaac Newton has been really busy this holiday season. His classes are going well and he will be taking his public access test in January. As part of his service dog training, he made his first visits to Walmart and Lowes last week. Except for trying to sniff the pumpkin pie, he did a fantastic job! The hardest part for him was that while he is working, people are not allowed to pet him. Newton loves EVERYBODY and couldn’t understand why I kept telling people “no” when they asked to say hi.
Newton recently got to visit Santa at M&M Bank in Hurley. We reminded Santa that the puppy dog stocking is hanging on the piano and that Newton wants a special bed from Bass Pro Shop this year.
Give all your pets some special love this week and tell them Newton said Merry Christmas! If you are interested in adopting a pet, read more about the Jackson County Animal Shelter’s Christmas specials on page 13 of this week’s issue of The Link.
Mississippi ranked as the fattest state for 5th straight year
December 1, 2010
Randy Whitley, The Link
According to CalorieLab, for 2010, “Mississippi has claimed the title of fattest state for the 5th straight year with 33.8% of adults in Mississippi being considered fat.” CalorieLab maintains the world’s largest and most up to date calorie and nutrition facts database. The rankings are based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now let’s talk turkey. On the average, a Thanksgiving meal varies from 2,000 to 5,000 calories and the average weight gain for an individual during the holiday season can run between 7-12 pounds. Thanksgiving is under our belt, no pun intended, and with Christmas around the corner, there is still time to set goals for having a healthy holiday. Following a few simple guidelines can help keep those unwanted pounds off, so here we go.
· Eat until you are satisfied, not till you are stuffed.
· Limit fried foods and sweets.
· Balance meals with fruits and vegetables.
· Develop a regular exercise program and stick with it.
Tradition and family gatherings may make it difficult to stick to these guidelines, but you can take some steps to develop good habits that will go a long way toward dropping a few pounds and meeting your fitness goals.
As a former fitness trainer, I never liked using the word diet because that means restricting calories. My philosophy is to develop a lifestyle change which includes healthy eating habits and cardiovascular exercise combined with a good weight training program. Burn the fat and build the lean muscle mass. Eat plenty, but broil, bake, grill or steam it. Eating several small meals throughout the day as opposed to one or two large meals helps keep your metabolism elevated making your body a more efficient fat burning machine.
Lastly, the benefits of healthy eating and cardiovascular training are very important, but weight training as a means to lose weight might often be overlooked. Some folks may think, well I don’t want to do weight training because I might end up looking like a body builder. Just put that thought to rest and remember that after the age of 30, the average person loses about one pound of lean muscle mass per year. The loss of lean muscle mass makes it easier to gain body fat, so it is important to use weight training to maintain or even build some muscle mass to keep your metabolism elevated.
So come on folks, get with a program. It’s your health and well-being that are at risk. Develop those good habits, share it with your friends and family and let’s move Mississippi to the top of the list as the healthiest state!
July 14, 2010
By Cherie Chesser
I am outraged by a new rule administered by the U.S. Coast Guard last week. The new rule bans the media and the public from coming within 65 feet of oil spill cleanup efforts without special permission. That means going no closer than 65 feet to oiled wildlife, booms, cleanup workers, etc. My question is this – just how on earth is the media supposed to reflect the truth if we can’t get close to it? The permission thing really gets me… If a member of the media has to have permission, or be escorted to a site – it gives an opportunity for the truth to be covered up.
The Link has covered the oil spill very little – because it’s covered so well by other media outlets. We try hard to cover the news that you CAN’T find elsewhere… but the fact remains that this disaster might very well be the end of life as we know it on the Coast and it’s the job of the media to let the public know what is going on. ALL of what is going on, not just the parts those in charge want you to see.
I talked to a Hurley business owner yesterday whose business has been devastated by this spill and might not ever recover. It’s getting really close to home and the fact that now I CAN’T grab my camera and go chronicle what’s going on really bothers me.
The Coast Guard is claiming this is for safety reasons – and I understand that limits have to be in place or it will quickly become a madhouse completely out of control – but this new move is an extreme and is stomping all over our first amendment rights.
I would love to know your thoughts. Do you think this new rule is fair or not? Also, do you think The Link should be covering more of the oil spill or do you like the fact that we are holding off and leaving that to the big guys? Please tell us your thoughts. Write to The Link by e-mailing news@vancleavelink.com or mailing to P.O. Box 5545, Vancleave, MS 39565.
June 16, 2010
By Randy Whitley
Are you offended by the public use of profanity? Comedians, musicians, and politicians have helped bring profanity to main street America. Why is it that a musician or comedian has to write material laced with profanity? Is it because of the lack of creativity or the lack of an education to come up with a more colorful word without using an expletive? Why is it necessary for adults in a public setting to carry on a conversation filled with profanity?
My intention is not to judge because I’m the first to admit that I slip occasionally, but typically not in a conversation that involves a public setting. I’ve had the opportunity to attend several athletic events from t-ball to high school baseball over the past few months. Sports are a big part of the East Central and Vancleave communities and the events should be a place where families can go for good clean fun without having to worry about what the children may hear. I’ve observed that folks tend to use profanity in normal conversation with no concern to who is around or who may hear. It’s not uncommon to hear the “F” bomb dropped by an adult at a little league ball game or to be walking the track at Lum Cumbest Park and hear shouts of profanity by teenagers at the basketball courts.
Using profanity is like smoking a cigarette. It doesn’t make you cool. It doesn’t make you popular, and it’s certainly shouldn’t be used in a public setting. The next time you are in a public setting be considerate of people around you. Words are powerful and what we say is truly a reflection of ourselves, our morals and our character.
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