By Louis Avallone – So, there we were, at a local restaurant being seated. The music was loud and lively, the wait staff was busy, and every table filled the room with conversations of every kind. And as we unwrapped our silverware and paper napkins, we made a curious discovery: There was a person’s name, handwritten […]
By Louis Avallone – It’s ironic, isn’t it? The Democrats in Washington, on any day of the week, want to convince you that bigger government is better government. They want you to believe that it can provide better schools for our children, even though only 69 percent of U.S. teens now graduate from high school […]
By Louis Avallone – Wal-Mart says, “Save Money. Live Better.” Hallmark is “When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best.” Disneyworld is “the Happiest Place on Earth.” And of course, M & M’s “Melt in your Mouth, Not in Your Hands”. These are among the most memorable phrases, or mottos, used in advertising, and […]
By Louis Avallone – Ronald Reagan once said, “Governments have a tendency not to solve problems, only to rearrange them,” and the same could not be more true regarding the debate over the “Plan B” or “morning after” contraceptive. In fact, a U.S. District judge just ruled last month that the FDA must make “emergency […]
By Louis Avallone – In Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” habit number 5 is, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” The principle here is that by empathically listening to one another, we create an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving, whereby the other person then reciprocates […]
By Louis Avallone – Some people might say we have bigger fish to fry. Others might say first things first or that we’re making a mountain out of a molehill. But when you see that the Japanese people, for the first time, are now buying more adult diapers, than baby diapers, there’s cause for concern […]
By Louis Avallone – Thomas Jefferson once said, “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” And he should know about hard work. Jefferson was America’s first secretary of state, our second vice president, and our nation’s third president. He drafted our Declaration of […]
By Louis Avallone – One of Thomas Jefferson’s “Canons of Conduct” urges us to, “Always take things by their smooth handle.”His intended meaning in saying so was that there is both a respectful and thoughtful manner for us to deal with one another, despite the inherent – and expected – differences of opinion between us. […]
By Louis Avallone – Do you remember Charlie Brown’s teacher in the TV series, where the teacher made odd, unintelligible sounds whenever communicating with Charlie, Lucy, Linus or any of the other characters in the Peanut’s series? The teacher would be heard saying, “Wah wah woh wah wah wah wah,” and the children would respond […]
By Louis Avallone – With dozens of floats and marching bands, in Mardi Gras parades throughout Shreveport and Bossier City, there’s nearly 2 million beads – over $100,000 worth of beads, plastic drink cups, stuffed animals, and other trinkets – that get tossed to nearly 400,000 parade-goers during Mardi Gras season. For many, shouting out, […]