Boehler Cruise

It has now been three years since the Boehler Cruise. It was a trip we will all remember forever. We were on the cruise ship "Fasination". We left Miami and headed to Key West. Key West was a great place to visit. The lifestyle was different but it was warm and no wind. We saw the mansion of where President Kennedy spent time and we saw where Ernest Hemingway lived.

The ship was great with lots of food and entertainment. One of my favorite places was the "casino".

We left Key West and cruised close to Cuba. We could see it from the ship. The water was pretty calm except for one time when it got stormy. We headed south to Cozumel where we visited this Mexican island for a few hours.

The picture above is this writer showing off a little and diving into the bay at Cozumel. I lost my breath a little but everything worked out.

The trip home was fast and we had a great time together as a family. We even all had yellow shirts part of the trip so we could find each other.

I hope family members will share their memories of the trip also. What was your most memorable times of the trip. Remember the "Dickie Do" award?

Short Talk

Jed Morris, a 2004 graduate of UNL, is playing baseball for the Oakland Athletics organization. He will be in the Michael Lewis' sequel "Underdogs" to the best seller book "Money Ball".

Trev Alberts was inducted into the Iowa High School Players Hall of Fame in 2005. Does anybody know where he is employed now?

Albert Pujois had his 24th homerun today.

Ricky Williams signed with the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday. He has been suspended from the Miami Dolphins for substance abuse.

Craig "Ironhead" Heyword died after a 7 1/2 year battle of a brain tumor.

Get ready for a couple of exciting weeks of Nebraska baseball with NU starting off with Manhattan on Friday.

Memorial Day

As this writer drove from the east towards Orleans, Nebraska today, he viewed the most beautiful and touching sight. Ahead of me app. 100 American flags were waving in the blowing winds. They surrounded the entire cemetary. He regrets he can't share a picture. When he drove into the cemetary he was reminded of the veterans that have fought for our freedom. Each veteran that had died had a small flag by his or her grave. He was told there was around a hundred small flags.

This writer forgets many times of the sacrifices that were made for us to have freedom. Many veterans gave their lives for us.

Pastor Bill Bills spoke before the crowd with a message that will remain with us. He reminded us that our service men and women gave up so much so that we can enjoy the many freedoms we have in the United States. He mentioned that because of their extreme sacrifices, "we have political freedom, economic freedom and mostly the freedom to worship."

Think about what we might endure each day if we didn't have these freedoms. We should never ever take them for granted. We must continue to thank those that made the sacrifices for us to have freedom. We must continue to fight for our freedom so that we never lose it. Ignoring a world that threatens our freedom will be a huge mistake. Thank you veterans!! Thank you for those that are living and thank you for those that lost their lives!!!

Nebraska/Missouri Game will be Homecoming in 2006

This year's Homecoming Week at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be Oct. 29 to Nov 4, ending with the Cornhusker's home football game vs Missouri at Memorial Stadium.

ASUN has asked for increased student participation. They have invited students to e-mail asun@unl.edu with a theme. The steering committee will vote on the top three themes and then the students will vote online for its choice by using Blackboard.The student who enters the winning theme will receive a $100 prize.

Huskers host regional starting Friday

The Nebraska baseball team was rewarded for an outstanding regular-season Monday morning when the Huskers were named the No. 6 national seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. NU, which was awarded a regional on Sunday, will open regional play at 1:05 p.m. on Friday, June 2 against the Manhattan Jaspers.

Joining the Huskers and the Jaspers for the Lincoln Regional are the Miami Hurricanes and first-time qualifier San Francisco. The Hurricanes and Dons will conclude Friday's action with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch.

The Lincoln Regional features a mix of experienced and inexperienced NCAA programs. The Huskers, who have advanced to the College World Series three times in the past five seasons, are making their sixth tournament appearance in the last seven years. Another experienced postseason team is four-time national champion Miami, who earned a bid for an NCAA-record 34th consecutive season.

The Jaspers are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1957, while San Francisco earned its first tournament bid in school history.

In 2005, the Nebraska and Miami locked up in Super Regional action in Lincoln, as the Huskers defeated the Hurricanes two games to none to advance to the 2005 College World Series.

Funk, Nebraska

Beautiful certificate from the Funk State Bank issued in 1909. This historic document was printed by Goes and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an eagle. This item has the signatures of the Company's President, S. C. Stewart and Cashier, L. A. Franzen and is over 97 years old.






Certificate Vignette


Funky Bank Advertisement 1915



FUNK, NEBRASKA

Population (year 2000): 204, Est. population in July 2004: 197 (-3.4% change) Males: 101 (49.5%), Females: 103 (50.5%)

Elevation: 2245 feet

Civil War veteran P. C. Funk came to Divide Township in Phelps County in 1877 and purchased 160 acres of land two miles north of the present town. By 1883 the Nebraska-Colorado Railroad, now the Burlington Northern, had extended its line as far west as Holdrege. Through the efforts of P. C. Funk, railroad officials were persuaded to establish the Funk townsite along the railroad between Axtell and holdrege.

The village was platted in May 1887 on land purchased from August Anderson for $2,500. A townsite committee consisted of J. S. Johnson, William Johnson, Frank Johnson, George Johnson, P. C. Funk, Alfred Johnson, Charles Skallberg, Swan M. Milner, and C. F. Franzen.

The first grain elevator and house were built by L. T. Brooking, who later became the town's first postmaster and editor of the newspaper, the Funk Enterprise. In 1910 the Fridhem Lutheran Church moved to Funk. The town survived three serious fires and faced difficult times during the drouth and depression of the 1930s. Irrigation came to the area in 1938 and improved the life of farmers and villagers.

---

funk n 1: a state of nervous depression; "he was in a funk" [syn: blue funk]

a. A state of cowardly fright; a panic. b. A state of severe depression.

That stupid cat is still after Michael!!

I bet Michael leaves his food alone from now on.

Surprising

There have been only 8 teams in major league history to have two ten or more game losing streaks. The 2006 Kansas City Royals have accomplished this before June 1st.

Michael Such, who is 6'3" and weighs 190 lbs, may be Nebraska's next punter. He will walk-on this fall from Allen High School in Texas. His punting average is 45 yards and he has been 1st or 2nd in a couple of punting clinics in hang time. This is in competition with over 300 other punters.

Did you know Hugh Hefner's mother was born in Holdrege, Nebraska?

Did you know this?
When Eliza Scuggs (1876-1908) was born in Orleans, Nebraska, she was severely disabled and never able to walk or care for herself. She wrote the first memoir written by an African American female. She had great religious faith and often preached and gave testimony in Nebraska black churches while held in the arms of her sister. Both her parents had been born into slavery, in North Carolina and in Alabama; and "Shadow and Sunshine" was a book that contains accounts of their lives in slavery, as well as other sketches of slave life, Eliza's account of her own life, and several poems and hymns on religious and temperance themes. A seminar on her brief life was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1901; and this book was reissued by the University of Nebraska Press and has been published in full online.

Did you know??

Major General Harry Schmidt commanded V Amphibious Corps. Schmidt was 59, a native of Holdrege, Nebraska, and a graduate of Nebraska State Normal College. He was commissioned in 1909 and in 1911 reported to Marine Barracks, Guam. Following a series of short tours in the Philippines and at state-side posts, he spent most of World War I on board ship. Interwar assignments included Quantico, Nicaragua, Headquarters Marine Corps, and China, where he served as Chief of Staff of the 2d Marine Brigade. Returning to Headquarters in 1938, Schmidt first served with the Paymaster's Department and then as assistant to the Commandant. In 1943, he assumed command of the 4th Marine Division which he led during the Roi Namur and Saipan Campaigns. Given the command of the V Amphibious Corps a year later, he led the unit during the assault and capture of Tinian and Iwo Jima. For his accomplishment during the campaigns, Schmidt received three Distinguished Service Medals. Ordered back to the United States following occupational duties in Japan, he assumed command of the Marine Training and Replacement Command, San Diego. General Schmidt died in 1968.

Michael Takes cat's food dish again

This picture was taken shortly after Michael grabbed the cat's leftover roast beef out of its food dish.

Harlan County Fair is end of July

Set your calendars for the Harlan County Fair. It is a time to visit many of your old friends and classmates.

One special event is having those"good ole hamburgers" at the Chamber of Commerce hamburger stand on the south side of the beautiful park.

In the picture, Lulu Peabody of New York City , New York has just enjoyed a few hamburgers. You will probably remember her name from her many Broadway plays.

Mom is Pulled Over!!!

Here, Mom is taking some kind of test with the Harlan County Sheriff's deputy.

All Connie Boehler said was " I thought she was going to Pinochle and Bridge Club every day. Now I just don't know."

Brad Hartzog named "Employee of the Day" by PMHC

Brad Hartzog has been working at PMHC the past several months. He draws the blood of patients as a living. His record of "sticks" while trying to draw blood with no results had hit 6,211 in a row until today. Today he finally filled the tube with the red stuff. Bubba Skallzeak was the patient. One nurse said she had never seen a vein that big which she reported was "at least an inch wide."

The picture above was taken of Brad right after he was successful. Brad was both surprised and ecstatic. He said "I just got lucky. I really didn't do anything different."

In July of 2005, it was reported that Brad had stuck one person 14 times and wasn't successful. His perservence has now paid off.

When this reporter asked Adminstrator Joyce Hein as to whether Brad would be put in the "Employee of the Month" pool, she walked away and said"Over my dead body." Rhonda Johnson in public relations said that they probably wouldn't be working on any type of celebration or recognition for Brad. She said Brad would receive a $1 gift certificate to Drs Quincy and McCormick.

Brad looked as happy at 8:00 tonight as he did in this picture. "What a day!!" the phlebotomist exclaimed. "I think I now have that incredible intuitive ability to draw blood. I was just awesome!"

Tomorrow the humble Brad Hartzog will get up and head to work as any other day and do another day of hard work. Our hats off to BRAD HARTZOG!!

Corey Shield of Holdrege WINS the Class B Golf Championship!!

Cool and calm Corey Shield of Holdrege won the Class B Championship with a 66 today at The Highlands in Lincoln. His final 36 hole total was 139 and he beat John Hurley from O'Neill by one stroke. Hurley ended with a 140.

Shield led most of the day by one or two strokes but Hurley's putts put in tie after the 16th hole today. Shield then birdied the 17th hole and Hurley sank a 10 foot putt for a par giving Shield the one stroke lead. On the 18th, Hurley had a big drive but ended in the rough. Both golfers were on the green in two with twenty foot putts. Neither sank their next shots but both parred and Shield ended the winner.

Hurley was going after his third straight title. He led by two strokes after the first day and shot a 69 on Wednesday. He will attend Texas A & M on a golf scholarship this fall.

Only three strokes out was Brandon Crick from McCook. He ended with a 142. EJ Hamilton and Nathan Jaeger tied for 4th with 149s.

This writer received a hole by hole report from Scott Boehler, the Gretna Golf Coach.

In the team race, the results were as follows:
1. Omaha Skutt Catholic 642
2. McCook 652
2. Omaha Gross Catholic 652
4. Sidney 654
5. O'Neill 658
6. Gretna 672
7. Omaha Roncalli Cath 675
8. Aurora 683
9. Ogallala 684
10. Mount Michael 692
11. Fairbury 703
11. York 703

Corey Shield from Holdrege takes early Class B golf lead

After nine holes, Corey Shield was the leader today in the Class B Golf Championship at Highlands in Lincoln. The winds were 40 mph plus but Shield come in with a 33 on the front nine. He was followed by Brandon Crick of McCook with a 34 and John Hurley of O'Neill with a 35. John Hurley, the heavy favorite, finished with a 71 at the end of the day to lead all golfers in the first round. Shield and Crick followed with 73's which were excellent scores on a tough course with the weather conditions far from favorable.

The rough at Highlands is up to 10 inches deep and there were many lost balls. Putts were difficult with the fast greens and the windy conditions. Shield missed putts on the last four holes which caused him to bogey out. This made his score even more impressive.

Omaha Scutt led the team standings with a 324. Sidney recorded a 327, followed by Omaha Gross Catholic 330, O'Neill 336, Aurora and McCook at 337, Mount Michael 342, Gretna 343, Omaha Roncalli 346, Ogallala 350, Fairbury 351 and York 358.

Gretna coached by Scott Boehler is making their first state appearance.

Collier signs another recruit

Barry Collier signed another recruit today. His name is Jay-R Stowbridge, a point guard from Sparkman High School in Alabama. He is a 6'1" point guard who had to by released by Murray State prior to Nebraska signing him.

Buffett and Gates go Back to School

NET 1 is televising the Buffet/Gates conference with the University of Nebraska students last year. The show is at 8 tonight!!

The Nebraska baseball team has lost 7 out of 9 games and the final three Big 12 series. They still aren't out of their slump. The Big 12 tournament is next.

Alex Gordon is batting .314 with 11 stolen bases, 8 HRs, 21 RBIs and 12 doubles. I hope he makes a stop in Omaha before he goes to KC. Speaking of KC, they are getting better but are still not winning. They lost today again to the Cardinals.

Nebraska State Track Meet

Kearney, who had won 11 years in a row and 2nd in 2005, was never a factory in the boy's Class A team title finishing in a tie for 5th. Noah Keller threw, from Kearney, threw the shot put over 62'.

Three athletes gave us some of the best performances in the history of Nebraska track. Sarah Lyons ended up with state or meet reoords in the 100, 200, and 400. She has given us some unbelieveables performances in the past four years. Aaron Brandt broke all-time and meet reoords in the 110 highs at 14.02 and 37.282 in the inter. hurdles. Lukas Hulett had the best 400 of all time this year with a 46.98.

In the Class D boy's race, Falls City tied Axtell with 52 points. Loomis was 4th with 33. Lance Thorell won the 110 highs and 300 inter. hurdles. He was 4th in the long jump. He was also a member of the 400 meter relay team that got 2nd. Other members were Aaron Kimberly, AJ Lindstrom and Corey Morton.

Loomis girls had two 6th place finishers with Kylie Gabriel in the shot put and the 1600 meter relay.

In Class B girls, Holdrege soph Jena Isaacson was 4th in the high hurdles. The Holdrege boys and girls had solid efforts but were competing in a solid Class B field this year.

Mallory Murdoch of Southern Valley was 2nd in the highs and 5th in the lows in the girls Class C events. She is a freshman.

Eddie Sutton resigns!!

Eddie Sutton announced his retirement today as head coach of the Oklahoma St. basketball coach

Taylor Tacha, a freshman, is a track sensation. She has a good chance of winning two events on Saturday for the Bertrand Vikings and maybe a third. This will keep their team near the top for the Class D girl's championship.

Aaron Brandt had a great high hurdle time today at 14.01. He looks like the real deal.

Axtell and Elwood look like they will battle for the Class D title with Loomis maybe coming in third. Eric Gustafson has a chance to win four events for Axtell.

Harlan County Reservoir and more..........

The pool elevation of the Harlan County Reservoir last Tuesday was 1929.64 feet above sea level, up .14 foot from last year. Normal pool elevation is 1946 feet above sea level.

The "King of Queens" will be back at mid-season with 11 episodes. Kevin James is making a movie with Adam Sandler. In the movie they pretend to be gay. Interesting.

The NU baseball team will be back as they either sweep or take 2 out of 3 with Oklahoma this weekend.

Tim Cassidy, who is the Head of Football Operations at NU, has a junior boy, Austin, who leads Class A in the pole vault and she place in both hurdle races. He is a fantastic QB at Lincoln Southwest also.

Tyler Bullocks, of Lincoln North Star, has signed with Denver University to play basketball.

State Meets

Over the next week there will be state track, golf and tennis meets in Nebraska.

TENNIS

Marcelle Stydom, the #1 singles player from Holdrege, won her first two matches 6-0 6-0 and 6-0 6-0. She was beaten in the quarterfinals in three sets in a tough battle. She is one of the best tennis players in Class B. Bronwyn Allmand took state ranked Meghan Klein three sets in #2 singles. The #1 doubles team of Caitlin Vandell and Rashelle Smith won their first match 6-1 6-3 but got beat by a tough Grand Island CC team 6-3 6-2 in the second round. Sadie Damrow and Krista Bergman got beat by a very tough Scottsbluff team in #2 doubles. Ray Ruybalid, the Holdrege tennis coach, is one of the best high school coaches in the state of Nebraska.

BOY'S GOLF

Corey Shield will represent Holdrege in the State Meet next week at Highlands Country Club in Lincoln. Corey finished 4th at the district meet with a 78. The favorite is John Hurley of O'Neill. Watch him when you can as he will be in the PGA in the next few years. The Gretna team, coached by Scott Boehler, will be making their first trip to state in Class B.

STATE TRACK

The Holdrege track teams have seven girls and five boys at state this year. We will follow them as they will score some points.

The State Track meet will feature some highly touted athletes this year. Randal Carter of Pappillion-LaVista has high jumped 7'1 1/4". Lukas Hulett of Bellevue East broke the all-time record for all classes in the 400 at districts running a 46.98. Aaron Brandt of Wahoo Neumann run the 110 highs in 13.8 which is the fourth all time in Nebraska. Seth Burney of Beatrice had the all-time best pole vault this year of 16'7". Luke Pinkelman of Cozad has the sixth best throw in the shot put this year in the nation.

On the girl's side, one of the main highlights is watching Sarah Lyons of Omaha Brownell-Talbot. She is the 4th best all-time in the 100, the best ever in the 200 and No.2 all-time in the 400. She is very fun to watch. Tara Korshoj(Millard West) No.4 all-time in the triple jump and Natalie Willer (Elkorn) No. 4 all-time in the pole vault are also key athletes to watch.

My favorite race, as of now, will be 110 highs and 300 hurdles in Class D. Junior Lance Thorell of Loomis has a very good chance to break the state record in these events. The high hurdle record is held by Ross Ridenour, also of Loomis. Thorell doesn't appear to have anybody to push him to get the overall gold medal but we will be watching to see if he can beat out Brandt of Wahoo Neuman and Niles Paul of Omaha North in a higher class. Nebraska football needs to start paying attention.

Omaha North and Kearney will have quite a race for the No. 1 boy's team in Class A. Watch Axtell and Loomis battle Saturday for the CLass D boy's meet.

Collier Names Assistant

It was announced today that Head Coach Barry Collier has named a new assistant coach to replace Scott Spinelli. He is Carlton "Silk" Owens. Collier said,

"We are excited to have Carlton join our team and we look forward to his contributions in many areas of our program," Collier said. "He has excellent credentials and comes to us with the highest of recommendations. We feel he will have a positive impact with us on the floor and in our recruiting efforts."

Owens spent the past five years in the AAU ranks. He also spent three years as an assistant under Tom Pender of the Texas Longhorns from 1996-1998.

He played his college ball for Rhode Island and was a start in the CBA. He is still the 7th highest scorer in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He left Rhode island as the all-time leading scorer and assist leader.

Breaking News

Jeff Souder and a friend were shot early Sunday and hospitalized. Souder was a recent football player on scholarship at Nebraska. He has transferred to UNO.

Nebraska got their second recruit for the 2007 football class. He is DeAndre West. West is a 6'1", 189 recruit from California. He will probably play corner or safety. He attends the Wilson College Prep school. His strengths are power and speed. His coach compares him to Jack Tatum who was a tremendous hitter for the Raiders.

Random thoughts and figures

O.C.

The O.C. is one of the best shows on TV but the rankings are dropping. We will find out Thursday as to whether the show will be on Fox's schedule. The Nielsen ratings have been dropping and they are rated 126th through April2. I wish they would put it on another night so it isn't up against so many heavyweights.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Help prevent or ease arthritis by eating sih, cutting back meat intake and taking fish oil and olive oil.

Osteoarthritis is helped by loss of weight. A 10% weight loss boosted knee joint function by 28%. Get antioxidants, try fish oil and take supplements also help this decease.

THE FASTEST
The four fastest players for the Nebraska football team are Scott Shanle, safety, Leon Jackson, running back, Tierre Green, safety, and Zachary Bowman, cornerback.

TOP SELLERS

Fiction
1. "Two Little Girls in Blue" by Mary Higgins Clark
2. "Promise Me" by Harlan Cohen
3. "Blue Shoes and Happiness" by Alexander McCall

Non-Fiction
1. "Marley & Me" by John Grogan
2. "Don't Make a Black Woman Take off Her Earrings" by Tyler Perry
3. "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman

"Da Vinci Code"

The Da Vinci Code movie opens this week. It is a movie to avoid. The book is fiction dressed up like fact and could lead many to believe things that are not true about Jesus and the Catholic Church. Go see something different.

The World is Flat
Get "The World is Flat" Just a great book that makes you think a LOT. If you want to know what is happening in the world with China, India, Mexico, Bin Laden, technology, politics, Iraq, the oil companies, it is a must read.

THE TASSEL

Performances include "Some Enchanted Evening" on June 29 and 30 AND "Annie Get Your Gun" on July 27 and July 28

Mom's Birthday
My mom will celebrate #75 on June 12th. The family will get together on June 11th. Talk to Barb Hartzog at 308-473-3208 as to how you can help.

HARLAN COUNTY VETERANS

Gary Wheeler of Alma has been raising money for the past year to erect a permanent memorial for all Harlan County residents who served in the armed forces. So far Wheeler has 263 of the 400 names and donations he believes he will need to begin construction. Wheeler earned a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam. Wilma Jones, a US Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII, is also helping.

Barbara Hartzog will discuss this at the Orleans Alumni banquest on Jun 10th. Gary Wheeler can be contacted at 706 Corps Road 22, Republican City, Ne. 68971.

WHY HEINEMAN WON?!

Harold Anderson's column today says that Heineman's veto of the in-state tuition rates for yong illegal immigrantss who graduated from Nebraska High Schools was a large part of this he says. Heineman is a polished politician and was at every ribbon-cutting didn't hurt he goes on to say.

This writer wishes Tom Osborne well and feels he will continue to contribute to the well-being of the State of Nebraska.

ROYALS
The KC Royals are 10-23. The Omaha Royals are 16-18. Wichita is 12-22. Alex Gordon now has 9 stolen bases.

"RV"

"RV" starring Robin Williams is a three out of five star movie. It is funny but predictable. It is worth seeing if you are in a crazy laughable mood. I attended with my daughter, Jessica, and we enjoyed watching other people laugh hysterically.

TV SHOWS END

"Malcolm in the Middle" and "The West Wing" ended their shows Sunday night. I have watched both of these shows at times and found both of them enjoyable. "Commander in Chief" will aire their final three shows in June. It is unknown if they will be renewed for this fall but it looks good for them.

Short Takes.........................

WHAT'S NEW?

Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops lost consciousness for a few moments but didn't lose his lunch during a ride with the Navy's Blue Angels flight team. He had an hourlong ride that started with a vertical climb to 7,000 feet.

Albert Pujois hit his 18th homer of the year on Wednesday night. Those Royals have won three in a row.

The Harlan County Reservoir was 1929.50 feet above sea level on Tuesday, up .18 foot from last week. Normal pool elevation is 1946.

75 years ago the Senior class of the Alma High school observed "sneak day" when they motored to Hastings and Grand Island, where the members of the class spent their time visiting places of interest.

Nebraska has scheduled Virginia Tech for football for 2008 and 2009.

The judges need to decide the winner of American Idol. With Chris out, this writer is done with the show for 2006. Watch the viewership drop over the next couple of weeks.

What do you think Tom Osborne will do now?

What is the movie you are most excited about seeing?

Wasn't "The Office" the best. Who will Pam get married to now?

Does Denny Crane have "Mad Cow"?

Give us your opinions!!!

Short Takes.................

HOLDREGE SOCCER

The Holdrege Soccer team qualified for the State Soccer Tournament this weekend in Omaha. They play at Lincoln Pius (8-4) at 5 p.m. on Friday at TanquilityPark, Omaha. The Dusters are 13-3 and beat Scottsbluff 6-3 to qualify for state. Maybe the Dusters will be rated now. By the way, Pius qualified as a wild card.

ROYALS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

The Royals continue to struggle after winning two games in a row. Their record is 7-21 and they are already 13 games back of the White Sox. Supporting the underdog has always been this writer's choice but this is starting to go too far. Even the lowly Cubs are 14-14. The best records in baseball are the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets with 21-9 records. Guess what? The worst plays the best again today as the Royals play at Chicago(White Sox). Mark Redman pitches for the Royals. The Royals have made a couple of roster moves as they sent down Teahen and brought Guiels to help their hitting. Joe Mays has also been asked to go to Omaha and has until today to decide. Alex Gordon had a quiet week and dropped to a .304 batting average at Wichita. He has 6 HR's and is 22nd in the league in batting average. In reviewing Wichita's pitching it doesn't look like they will provide much help for KC or even Omaha at this point of the year.

WILL FARRELL

"Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" debuts on August 4th which is easy to remember because it is my sister Barbie Junes birthday. Farrell is the star and with the combination of him and Nascar it can't help to be good. One of the highlights of this Will Farrell NASCAR comedy involves a scene in which the car is driven backward. Thinking that actually doing this might be unsafe, the production team built a car that had its body turned backward. The driver, who was lying down on the passenger side, drove around the track peering through the taillight. Huh!


"JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE"
Another comedy that opens July 28th. The actors in this film have names like Jesse (Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, Ashanti Douglas, and Sophia Bush. But comedy director Betty Thomas rarely used their given names, opting instead for nicknames like "Poopie", "Bippy", and "Boopie". Typical on-set instructions according to "USA Weekend" from the director might sound like, "OK, Bippy, put the jippy japing on the bippy!". Somehow the cast figured out what to do.

BESTSELLERS

Hardcover-Fiction
1. "Two Little Girls in Blue" by Mary Higgins Clark
2. "Blue Shoes and Happiness" by Alexander McCall Smith
3. "Oakdale Confidential" by Anonymous

Hardcover-Nonfiction/General
1. "Marley and Me" by John Grogan
2. "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings" by Tyler Perry
3. "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada De Laurentis

Trade Paperbacks
1. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
2. "Rachael Ray:Express Lane Meals" by Rachael Ray
3. " In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote.

This writer read the book "In Cold Blood" when I was app. 15 years old. It has resurfaced after the movie "Capote" came out.

60 MINUTES

John Daly will on 60 Minutes tonight to discuss his new book "John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough". Do you suppose the $50-60 million losses from gambling come up?

VOTE JANET BOEHLER!!!!!!

Vote Tuesday for Janet Boehler for Phelps County Clerk. She is the best person because she is the most qualified and experienced for the job. This writer believes also she has best leadership qualities. She has been active in Loomis and Holdrege in community service.

BEST HIGH SCHOOL GOLFER IN NEBRASKA

John Hurley may be the best high school golfer in Nebraska for the last several year. He hits a long ball. Last year in the state men's amateur he drove the first hole at the Omaha Country Club. This hole is 372 yards!!!!!!!!!! This was major concern when John broke his wrist in basketball this past year. Having breakfast with his father, Jack, a couple of weeks ago, he felt that John may be stronger than ever. Due to working with weights due to the injury, John may better than ever too. By the way, Jack likes his breakfast as much as somebody else I know. John is 6'4" and plans to attend Texas A & M next year.

MISCHA BARTON

Mischa Barton is a star on "The O.C." on the Fox Network. This series is on Thursday nights. This year she has a new movie coming out. It is "Decameron: Angels & Virgins".
To view her photo gallery and to see the link to "The O.C." website, click here.

/editions/2006/edition_05-07-2006/Brady">Mischa Barton<

HAROLD W. ANDERSON COLUMN

Doggonit
The writer reads this column twice every week. I don't always agree with him but he without a doubt instills thought. Today his column discussed speeches. One of the best speeches ever done has went unnoticed by many. This moving speech was delivered by George Graham Vest of Sweet Springs, Mo. Vest was later a U.S. Senator. Vest did this speech when,on behalf of his client, he sued his neighbor who had killed his dog.

"The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose.....The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.......He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in an encounter with the roughness of the world; He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains.......

"If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him.....And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master....there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."

Go get a kleenix.

NEWSLETTER

2006 BOYS AND GIRLS STATE TRACK MEET
State Track is around the corner. There is not many events that are as fun and exciting to watch as the Nebraska State Track meet. It is rated as one of the top high school meets in the United States.
The following is the current leaders for the Boys by event as of May 2:
Boys Track Leaders
The Boys B-C-D Leaders as of May 2 are:
B-C-D Leaders
Local teams Axtell and Loomis will be the Class D favorites along with Pawnee City. Loomis should win another title in 2006. Look over the times and decide for yourself. Lance Thorell should score a few points himself but he won't be alone as they do have quite a bit of depth.

GRETNA GOLF
The following is a story from the Gretna Newspaper. Looks like Gretna will challenge for the Class B title this year. They are coached by Scott Boehler. See the following story and then follow them the next couple of weeks and see how they do. By the way, the Holdrege Golf Team is pretty good too.
Gretna golf

MOVIES
The top movie last week was "RV" starring Cheryl Hines and Robin Williams. This movie is a broad family comedy that finds Robin Williams loading his family into an RV for a vacation that is really a work trip, knocking off the "National Lampoon Vacation" movies and "Lost in America" PG See it.

"United 93" was #2 last week. This movie is supposed to be very good if you can handle it. #3 was "Stick It". Missy Peregrym plays a rebellious former gymnast court ordered back to the gym run by Jeff Bridges in this teen competition drama from the writer of "Bring It On".

The top new movie this week is Mission Impossible III. Beings Tom Cruise is the star, I won't watch or write about it.

The top 10 rentals are as follows:
1. "Hostel"
2. "Fun With Dick and Jane"
3. "The Chronicles of Narnia"
4."King Kong"
5."Wolf Creek"
6."An Unfinished Life"
7."Brokeback Mountain"
8."Derailed"
9."Memoirs of a Geisha"
10."Walk The Line"

In music, the #1 album is "IV" by Godsmack followed by "Louder Now" by Taking Back Sunday. Whatever happened to people like Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin.

HERGERT TRIAL
Regent Hergert's trial starts next week. You can watch it Monday morning on NET2 or go to their webcast. Click on the following website to get the information to watch everything right on TV or your computer.
Hergert Trial

MARG HELGENBERGER
Marg Helgenberger, one of the stars of "CSI:Crime Scene Investigation," is comingto visit her hometown of North Bend on May 21.

A group of North Bend residents has organized a way for the community to honor her and the recognition she has brought North Bend through her success on TV and in films.

She is a 1977 graduate of North Bend. CSI is in its 6th season on CBS. She was also on "China Beach". She is presently working on a film called "Mr. Brooks" with Kevin Costner, William Hurt, and Demi Moore.

The program starts at 4 and is open to the public. The public may include this writer as he is a CSI fan and a Marg Helgenberger fan. Tickets are $15 and you can get them by sending a check to Helgenberger Event, General Delivery, North Bend, NE 68649.

SPELLING BEE
The National Spelling Bee is going to be on prime time TV next month. This year it will be on ABC on June 1st from 7 to 9. The winning words have been:
2001 succedaneum
2002 prospicience
2003 pococurante
2004 autochthonous
2005 appoggiatura

WHERE'S GEORGE?
Have you heard of the site where you can register the serial numbers of your paper money and then track where those bills have traveled? Bills are stamped "Where's George?" along with the instructions to go to www.wheresgeorge.com. The site was launched on Dec 23,1998. According to those keeping count at the Web site, they have tracked nearly 82 million bills. The service is free and fun.

MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoraion Day, used to be celebrated on May 30. In 1968,to create a three-day weekend, Congress changed the date of Memorial Day to the last Monday in May.

DA VINCI CODE

As this writer previously discussed, "The Da Vinci Code" is a fictional movie as was the book. Tom Hanks will star inthe movie and Ron Howard will direct. This movie will be huge in attendence and it is imperative that viewers remember that it is not tied to the Bible's teachings.

The following excerpts are from "Southern Nebraska Register" which is a publication of the Catholic Church.

"WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

The Da Vinci Code at the Plot's center refers to crytic messages that the artist supposedly incorporated into his work. Leonardo, as the story goes, was a member of an ancient secret society call the "Priory of Sion."

This group was dedicated to preserving the "truth" that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had designated her as the leader of his movement, which is about her appreciation of the "sacred feminine" in life. The "code" claims that the legendary "Holy Grail" is really Mary.

Magdalene, the bloodline of descendants she and Jesus produced and the "sacred feminine" that she represents.

"The Da Vinci Code" film dramatizes these claims in flashback form,gives them life and will probably prompt even more people to ask: Could the traditional Christian understanding of Jesus be false.

WAS JESUS TRULY DIVINE?

Both "The Da Vinci Code" novel and film assert that early Christians viewed Jesus as merely a "mortal teacher" and that it was only at the Council of Nicaea in 325, under pressure from the Emperor Constantine, that belief in Jesus' divinity became official Christian teaching.

This is simply not true. The Gospels and the letters of Paul, as well as writings and liturgies from the centuries preceding Nicaea, give ample evidence that Christian faith was based on belief that Jesus was the Son of God. They worshipped Jesus as Lord.

What Nicaea did was to correct the heresy of Arianism: the belief that Jesus was a highly exalted creature--but a creature nonetheless--who did not share in god's nature. We repeat the council's affirmation of Jesus' human and divine natures when we say the Nicene Creed:"God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God." This was not an innovation. It was simply a more precise articulation of the truth about Jesus we encounter in the Gospels.

IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE?

In "The Da Vinci Code", the scholar Leigh Teabing declares that at the time of Nicaea, there were "thousands" of texts documenting a very human life of Jesus. He says that there were 80 gospels in circulation. 80 gospels that give the story of the "original Christ" that COnstantine repressed and---if the story is to be beieved---personally had burned! The implication is that during the first three centuries of CHristanity, there were many accounts of Jesus' life, all equally reliable and that the selection of the canon----the books of the New Testament determined to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and to be used by the entire Church---was based on nothing but a desire for power.

This is not true. First, there were not thousands of such texts. There were certainly more than we contained in the Bible, but relatively few with any confirmed link to apostolic times.

Further, by the middle of the second century, Christian writers regularly cited the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as Paul's letters, as the most reliable sources of information about Jesus' life and the faith of the apostles. And, contrary to Brown's story, it wasn't under Constantine that the canon of Scripture was formally accepted. That happened at Church councils decades later, after a great deal of prayer and debate.

For his part, Brown launches his fictional account from texts that were produced by heretical groups in the late second through the fifth centuries as more reliable sources for this "original Christ."

But most scholars agree these texts have no value in understanding Jesus or apostolic Chritianity.

WAS JESUS MARRIED?

The story of "The Da Vinci Code" asserts that Jesus must have been married because that was the norm for Jewish men at the time, and he wouldn't have been taken seriously as a religous teacher if he had not been married.

The Gospels do not describe Jesus as being married. They describe and name his parents, other family members and even women Luke says accompanied him and the apostles:

"Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom the seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna and many others, who provided for them out of their means"(Lk 8:2-3)

The Gospels describe Jesus' interaction with the people of his hometown. If Jesus had been married, given the frequency with which other relations are mentioned, the marriage would have been mentioned as well. There would be no reason not to.

Secondly, being unmarried would have diminished Jesus' authority as a Jewish teacher. Certain Jewish prophets, Jeremiah among them, were unmarried. John the Baptist was unmarried, as was Paul: and, during the first century, an entire community of Jewish celibates, called Essenes, lived near the Dead Sea.

In other words, while being unmarried would have been unusual for a Jewish man, it would not be unheard of, especially for a man totally consumed by dedication to God."

More next week on the "Opus Dei" which was not founded until 1928 and Mary Magdalene.

ROYALS WIN!!!!! ROYALS WIN!!!!! ROYALS WIN!!!!!

The Royals won tonight 1-0 and end their 13 game losing streak on the road. Read here for details.

Royals game

Also check out my Royals link and go to Wichita Wranglers and order yourself an Alex Gordon t-shirt. May be a collectors item some day.

Short Takes

WR Todd Peterson got a scholarship today. The Cornhuskers play on ABC when they play USC. It will be a 7 pm game.

Toby Williams joined Turner Gill in Buffalo as defensive line coach. He played with Gill at NU and had a very successful NFL career with the Patriots and Packers. He is a brother to Jimmy Williams who is also coaching at Buffalo.

The Harlan County Dam was 1929.58' above sea level, up .08' from last week. Normal pool is 1946'. The lake is up app 3 feet from a year ago.

Did you know William Shatner was born in Montreal, Canada on March 22, 1931 and also attended college in Montreal. Shatner was James T. Kirk of "Star Trek" and the famous DENNY CRANE of Boston Legal. Maybe he got the mad cow disease in Canada. Maybe he is an illegal alien.

Simon is so awesome on American Idol. He just saws the truth and Randy and Paula act dumb praising a bad performance. I heard a couple of people don't like Simon. He just tells it like it is.

John Hanson knows Ag and should be elected in the 3rd district for the House seat.David Kramer is the best choice for the Senate. Ben Nelson will win it all again.

"The Office" moves to #1 this week over "Boston Legal" im this writer's opinion. Dwight said tonight that when he sees someone smile at him, he sees a chimpanze begging.

Pujois has 15 HR's this year. By the way, Bonds needs two more HR's to tie Babe Ruth's 714.

National Top Movie Rentals
1. "Fun With Dick and Jane"
2. "The Chronicles of Narnia"
3. "Wolf Creek"
4. "Brokeback Mountain" (Brad's favorite)
5. "King Kong"
6. "An Unfinished Life"
7. "Memoirs of a Geisha"
8. "Derailed"
9. "The Greatest Game Ever Played"
10. "Bad Santa"

I have no desire to watch Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible III". How about you?
Top show this last week was RV followed by United 93.

Eric Gustafson from Axtell is one of the best athletes in the area. He will attend UNK.

From "The World is Flat' book.
"The worrying news, though, was that the scores of American fourth graders were stagnant, neither improving nor declining in science or mathsince 1995. As a result, they slipped in the international rankings as other countries made gains. "Asian countries are setting the pace in advanced science and math," Ina Mullis, codirector of the International Study Center at Boston College, which manages the study, told the AP. "As one example, 44 percent of eighth-graders in Singapore scored at the most advanced level in math, as did 38 percent in Taiwan. Only 7 percent in the United States did"

We need to make note of this and discuss ways to improve NOW!

Short Takes

The Nascar race is in Richmond Saturday night. This is the best race in Nascar. It has speed and finesse. Here is the projected finish. 1) Harvick 2) Stewart 3) Matt Kenseth 4) Kyle Busch 5)Kurt Busch. A couple of longshots that will do pretty well are Joe Nemechek and Robbie Gordon.

Do you wonder what Keith Richards was doing in a palm tree? Boy does he look bad. He reminds me of my first girlfriend in Orleans.

Dwight in "The Office" should get some kind of award. He is unbelieveable. Did you see the show called "Dwight's Speech"? Last Thursday was a classic with the "Drug Test".

Won't it be something to see the Clippers beat the Lakers in the next round of the playoffs. Should be fun but I think the Clippers can take them.

Leon Jackson is back on the NU football team.

Aaron Marsden will play for the Lincoln Saltdogs this year. He is better than his performances the past couple of years. Look for him to play well and draw some nice crowds to Haymarket Park. Pete Rose Jr. who played for the Saltdogs a couple of years ago will spend time in prison for the distribution of steroids.

In May the "DaVinci Code" comes out at the movies starring Tom Hanks. There will be large counts at the theatres for this one. I just hope people remember it is highly fictional.

Senator John McCain is endorsing Tom Osborne. We saw him at the Phoenix Raceway last week. I guess our talk with him paid off. He did the worst "Gentlemen, start your engines I have ever seen."

60-65% of the math and science students who get their masters are recent immigrants to the US. Will we lose our "brains" if we keep them out? Where are the kids that live here in the US? Experts say they have lost their ambition. We need to change that as leaders in our communities.

Chadron State picks new basketball coach and Short Takes

Chadron State College picked up a prize today naming Brent Bargen as their new coach. He was previously an assistant at Long Beach State in California. Long Beach State led Division I in scoring last year with app 84 points per game. Bargen is a Nebraska native and comes from a basketball coaching family. Chadron will get a nice addition to their high school athletics as the new coach's daughter started as a freshman in volleyball at a high school in Long Beach State which has an enrollment of 5000 students. Bargen's oldest son plays football and basketball also. The youngest is a 5th grader.

Please view the website for more information at

Chadron State Basketball

Does anybody know where Aaron Brandt from Wahoo Neuman is going next year for college and what sports he plans to go out for? He was an excellent basketball player last winter and he leads all classes in the two hurdle races with exceptional times. Nebraska recruit Ricky Henry is headed to North Dakota State College of Science this fall. This is a JUCO and he wants to play for Nebraska when he gets his studies done. Leon Jackson may stay at Nebraska. After thinking about his decision, it appears he will remain a Cornhusker. One factor was that NU will not release Leon unless he transfers to a Division II school. The Henry and Jackson takes were off of the Rivals website. Fifteen college underclassman that opted for the draft did not get drafted. They include Marcus Vick of Virginia Tech and Charles Gordon of Kansas. The ACC drafted 51 players followed by the SEC with 37. The Big 12 was fifth with 29. Texas and Oklahoma had 6 each. Nebraska and Colorado had four players each drafted. Only 12 players were drafted from the North Division in the Big 12 with 8 of them from CU and NU. USC had the most players drafted of any college with 11. Remember to vote next Tuesday!!!!