Columns

DEAR EDITORS: The East Carroll Council on Aging became a chartered organization in 1964. This organization provides services to all persons 60 years and older.

We are officially into the first week of November, which signifies many things. Deer season is in full swing, duck season is around the corner, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas. Farmers are wrapping up their field work, while everyone else… well, really I don’t know what everyone else is doing, but y’all are doing something I’m sure! For many of the men in our community you’ll notice, they start to look a little shaggy. This is because of “No-Shave-November,” an excuse to grow their facial hair out in the cold winter months. Some say it's for the weather, others say it's for camouflage in the woods. I am sure this practice has been going on since the dawn of time, however over the last twenty years, the month of November and the practice of “not shaving” during it has become synonymous with men’s health.

I had a Spanish tutor once in Argentina who had a peculiar way of teaching. We would meet outside of a cafe so that he could smoke and the more I struggled with something, the more cigarettes accumulated in the ashtray. I remember one afternoon a spirited back and forth over expressing fear.

Long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity, conflicts with co-workers or bosses. What causes you stress in the workplace? Symptoms of mental health problems associated with your job include a drop in work performance, depression, anxiety and sleeping difficulties.

Sunday after church I had nothing to do. My wife, Shelby, agreed with me, so she immediately set about finding something for us to accomplish.

DEAR EDITORS: Congratulations to Cassie Condrey for her byline article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Baton Rouge Advocate on October 4, 2024. Publication in these award-winning newspapers is a mark of outstanding journalism.

Sometimes, some laws, in my opinion, fly in the face of common sense and are detrimental to the people they are supposed to serve. Of course, sometimes it’s just things that annoy me.

To be fully transparent I must confess... I hate shots. And the thing I hate more than shots is taking medicine. But the thing I despise the most of all is actually being sick. Whew. I’m telling all my shady secrets today! Despite my aversion to shots, I take my flu shot every year, and I make sure my family, including our little ones, get their flu shots too.

(Using) My Voice By Cassie Condrey This might be the most Billy Coleman column I’ll ever write. I’ve been missing him lately.