When did people begin to host New Year parties? Ancient Egyptians celebrated New Year when the Nile River overflowed, usually in June. Then someone suggested, “If we change New Year to January, we won’t drown coming home from the party.” Early Romans named their celebration for Janus, a deity with two faces.

So here we go with New Year’s resolutions. You know, the ones that last about three days before reverting to old habits.

One of my favorite stories is “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. How many other tales feature a miser, four ghosts, tombstones, and a goose? Actually, before I read this story, I thought it was about somebody named Carol.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No bureaucracy in public service or private enterprise ever starts out as anything but a step towards fairness and excellence, even at WTAMU. Yet, time and power jointly contrive to pollute legitimate ordering principles. Under these conditions, bureaucracy produces neither equity nor excellence. P. J. O’Rourke quipped, “Government proposes, bureaucracy disposes. And the bureaucracy must dispose of government proposals by dumping them on us.”

A friend asked me if it was OK to delay sending holiday cards until late December. I asked two questions: (1) Will you send me a card? (2) Does it contain a gift certificate? Actually, I believe a late card is a great card.

It’s the season when many soon-to-be high school graduates are reflecting on a place to study. Believe some of what you read, a great deal of what you see and make sure the selection feels right. Be careful.

With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays drawing near and youngsters dismissed from school, now is the time to pick up takeand- make kits for the Young Scientists in your world. December’s kits featuring “Penny Spinners” are available here at Rhoads Memorial Library, courtesy of Felice Acker, local agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

While some dogs shed yearround, others shed seasonally during fall and spring months, in preparation for winter and summer weather. Although shedding is a natural process, there are ways to reduce shedding and keep loose hair to a minimum, which can improve your dog’s skin and coat health.

As social attitudes and perspectives, ebb and flow universities are impacted and, in some cases, become barometers for measuring change and even predicting it. Fitch Ratings – Chicago/New York in a Sept. 19 report predicts that enrollment trends will affect different universities in different ways.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? People have known about chickens for nearly 3000 years. Chicken drawings were even discovered on ancient pottery.