The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a l...
The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a...
"The Star-Spangled Banner," our National Anthem, celebrated its 210 th Anniversary on September 14, 2024. As I reflect on our National Anthem and its longevity, I feel compelled to share a few thoughts about its history and why continued reverence for the anthem is especially important to me and to our society. In recent years, some have begun to ask, "Why this anthem?" Moreover, I have noticed that many young people in Alabama do not fully know and understand the history of the anthem. The...
In 1982, several years before the internet was widely available to the public, the first e-commerce company—the Boston Computer Exchange—opened for business. The platform, which allowed computer geeks to buy and sell used parts, functioned like an old-school bulletin board: sellers would post their wares, and buyers would have to call to make a purchase and then pay via a bank or mailed check. As the internet developed and expanded, more folks became interested in the possibility of having ent...
New Biden administration rules have raised the maximum salary eligible for overtime pay and put in place a mechanism that ensures the salary threshold keeps pace with rising wages and prices. As of July 1, 2024, hourly workers making the equivalent of $43,888 a year are eligible for overtime pay, up from $35,568, which will increase to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. By 2027, the levels will be updated every three years to keep pace with worker salaries. Today, overtime pay entitles workers to 1.5...
Does AI actually help students learn? The Hechinger Report examines the results of a recent experiment in a high school which provided a cautionary tale. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Turkish high school students who had access to ChatGPT while doing practice math problems did worse on a math test compared with students who didn't have access to ChatGPT. Those with ChatGPT solved 48% more of the practice problems correctly, but they ultimately scored 17% worse on a...
October 24, 2024- MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has confirmed that a stray kitten approximately 4 to 6 weeks of age in Auburn has tested positive for rabies. Other kittens in the litter are also being tested for rabies. ADPH has been notified that there was another kitten, presumably of the same litter, that was not caught. The location of the case was in the area of Auburn off East Longleaf Drive within the city limits. ADPH is identifying all persons who may have...
October 24, 2024 - MONTGOMERY - The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) reminds anglers that the recreational harvest of greater amberjack in federal and Alabama state waters closes November 1, 2024. Anglers landing red snapper, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in Alabama are required to report their catch through Alabama's Snapper Check system. Red snapper season is currently open for 4-day weekends until the federal...
A shell of his former self, the 2024 Joe Biden and the Joe Biden of 2012 bear little resemblance. Nor is he the man of four years ago. Democratic officials, fearful of an electoral disaster losing not only the White House but both houses of Congress, took the “keys from the old man” in July due to his vast mental deterioration. Or did Biden slip as much as Democrats think? https://www.tobsal.com/post/no-reset-button-christopher-m-peeks *Biden’s Original Plan* Joe Biden fulfilled his dream in 20...
October 24, 2024 - Ever wonder why ensuring the survival of a small mollusk in a small creek in south Alabama is such a big deal? The main reason is those mussels are indicators of the quality of their environment, especially the water quality, which translates to the health of the entire ecosystem. That's why the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Monroe...
October 25,2024 - Week 8 of the Southeastern Conference was filled with disappointments. Alabama's playoff hopes hang by a thread after the Tide collapsed down the stretch and the dumpster fire that is Hugh Freeze's Auburn team continued a Missouri. Texas did not live up to their hype in Austin against Georgia. The Alabama Gazette panel (with some notable exceptions) predicted that Auburn would lose; but were burned by the Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas losses. The SEC games of the week were: Aubu...
A look back at President Trump's relationships with NATO, Russia, Ukraine, and the trade war with China. OANDA shares how these relationships affected the financial markets and what to expect from Trump in a second term. Donald Trump as Republican Nominee for U.S. President Donald Trump served as president of the United States from 2016–2020 and lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Midway through the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has locked up the Republican nomination for president after e...
Halloween is just around the corner. But did you know that October is also Bullying Prevention Month? Now is the perfect time to examine how bullying has evolved in schools. For example, this case of a boy being bullied about his Halloween costume highlights how easily an occasion that should be festive can turn into one of bullying. While data from the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, reports that bullying has gone down in recent years, it still has serious negative impacts on...
The average mortgage payment in the U.S. has risen sharply since 2020 for every generation except baby boomers, a clear side effect of still-elevated mortgage interest rates and home prices hovering near all-time highs. While longtime homeowners haven't seen much motion in their payments since 2020 thanks to fixed interest rates, newer (and oftentimes younger) homebuyers have borne the brunt of recent disruptions in the market. According to Experian data from the second quarter of 2024, millenni...
Fourteen states have taken up a challenge to significantly reduce the rate at which children miss a lot of school, responding to a recent call from a bipartisan coalition for states to prioritize school attendance, Chalkbeat reports. Some of the states making the pledge have had among the highest rates of chronic absenteeism in recent years, such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. Others signing on include: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island,...
It is hard to believe that we are already at week nine of the Southeastern Conference football season. We have another exciting week of games – games that will separate the contenders from the pretenders. Auburn is still looking for its first SEC win of the year. Alabama is at .500 in the conference and looking at possible playoff elimination this week. The SEC games of the week are Ole Miss at Oklahoma Arkansas at Mississippi State Missouri at Alabama Auburn at Kentucky Texas at Vanderbilt L...
October 25, 2024 – MONTGOMERY, AL – On Tuesday Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson has assigned the ongoing medical marijuana case to mediator Gene Reese. Reese is being tasked with sitting down with plaintiffs' attorneys and attorneys for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) and attempting to craft a workable resolution to this ongoing litigation. The AMCC is being sued by business entities that applied for medical marijuana licenses; but were not awarded a license by the AMC...
October 30, 2024: - America will elect its 47th President next week. At least 99% of the votes will be cast by American citizens. With millions of illegal immigrants having poured through our country’s southern border over the past four years, there will be some illegal ballots cast by non-citizens. The opening of the border by the Democratic administration was permitted to allow these illegal immigrants to vote Democratic. Fortunately, most of these illegal votes will be cast in California, b...
October 25, 2024 – WASHINGTON, D.C. the New York Times is reporting that Chinese government hackers tried to tap telephones used by former President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Senator JD Vance (R), and Trump's top campaign staffers. It has not been released on whether or not they were successful in breaching Trump and Vance's phone. The Times that they were successful in hacking the phones of at least two Trump campaign staffers. They also targeted U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (...
October 26, 2024 - WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This milestone is the result of five decades of collaborative conservation efforts between the Interior Department, federal and state partners, Tribes, the private sector and private landowners that have resulted in increasing populations of these remarkable birds...
A Tranquil Path to the Presidency October 26, 2024 - No candidate in American political history received a more tranquil path to Pennsylvania Avenue than Vice President Kamala Harris. Her, me, and those of you reading this have one thing in common. In the last two presidential elections, we got the same number of votes in the Democratic primaries: zero. Despite no mandate from the electorate, she is promoted by the party hierarchy. *The Unearned Advantage* https://www.tobsal....
As we approach the coming election, it is imperative for every Christian, along with our Jewish brethren, to take a principled stance. We are not simply casting a vote; we are making a statement about who we are, our values, and the future we desire for our children, grandchildren, and our nation. The upcoming election is not merely a political battle; it is a moral and spiritual struggle for the heart and soul of America. It is time for us to step forward in defense of the Judeo-Christian...
October 26, 2024 – bombs were falling on Tehran – Iran's capital – early morning on Saturday. The attacks, which Irael says are precision strikes on military targets – is in response to missile attacks on Israel by Iran. "In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran," said IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. Israel reports that it's...
We sang it recently in worship. It’s a beautiful song about the word of God. It was called “contemporary” years ago but now seen as mainstream. Our congregation sang it loud and proud. No one got upset about it, but I remembered a person who did. At the time, a number of years ago, the lyric writer, whose name was inscribed at the bottom of the page, had been in the news the week before. She had a very public separation from her husband, and reportedly was in love with someone else alrea...
October 26, 2024 – LEXINGTON, KY - the Auburn University football team defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 10 to 24 after trailing 10 to nothing in a game that was not really that close. Auburn has not been horrible this year. Arguably this is the most talented Auburn team that has taken the field in these last four years since the powers that be at Auburn inexplicably let go of Gus Malzahn. At points in every game these Auburn Tigers have played very good football – but they just have not done it...
