Knowing Better

By Louis R. Avallone

Being informed today about current events is both easier, and more difficult, than perhaps at any time in our nation’s history. While our access to information from various sources is growing more expansive, we have increasingly less time available to give thoughtful consideration to any of it – not to mention discern fact from fiction. […]

Don’t Give Weeds a Fighting Chance

By Louis R. Avallone

­It’s often said that life is a fight for territory, and that once we stop fighting for what we want, what we don’t want will automatically take over. We need only to turn on the television, or pick-up a newspaper, or read comments on social media to realize exactly what we, as a country, have […]

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

By Louis R. Avallone

There are not many readers who would encourage smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs while pregnant. In fact, many people become angry – and sad – when they see reports on television, or read stories in the newspapers about women who abused alcohol, or ingested methamphetamines, for example, during their pregnancies, and their babies suffered, […]

Happiness to Blame

By Louis R. Avallone

So, what is it for you? What will make you happy? When you get that raise? When you finally finish the project you are working on? Maybe it’s when you get that promotion or retire? Or when you finally get moved into the new house? Maybe it will be when you lose the weight, or […]

Before It’s Too Late

By Louis R. Avallone

It is impossible to forget, that just four days before last Christmas, two (2) New York City police officers were ambushed, and murdered, in their parked patrol car in Brooklyn. The murderer attributed his motive to revenge, and his cowardly act came only days after Al Sharpton led protesters through the streets of New York […]

Call Me Mannerly, First

By Louis R. Avallone

Do you know that there are 50 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute? Or that there are 6,000 messages sent on Twitter every second? And that there are more than a billion people who are regularly sharing stories, links, photos and videos on Facebook? It reminds me of the Toby Keith song from […]

All In The Family

By Louis R. Avallone

He was well-intentioned enough, in his explanation, as this well-known member of our community called me Thursday evening before the vote to discuss the election. “We must pass this tax renewal for the Caddo Parish school system,” he urged, “to make a difference for the children and the future of our community,” he added, as […]

Join the Crowd

By Louis R. Avallone

If there was ever a good example of how an uninformed electorate got it completely wrong, it would be when Jesus and Barabbas stood before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and a large crowd of people. Despite Pontius Pilate looking for the facts to support the charges against Jesus, and asking the crowd for any […]

Stupid is as Stupid Does

By Louis R. Avallone – Sometimes we get so caught up in using labels that we miss the forest for the trees. Of course, labels help us organize our world, which is increasingly loud, confusing, and misleading. Folks often bite their tongue, or hold their comments back, afraid that they will be called a racist, […]

Beauty is Only Skin Deep

By Louis R. Avallone – By now, you’ve heard about the Caddo Parish School Board’s plan to close six schools, and open three new ones, and make improvements in various others using $108 million in bonds. The plan is branded by the CPSB as, “Reinvest in Caddo”. The plan has drawn both supporters and critics, […]