Columns/Opinions

Thu
04
Jun

"Caution needed for growth abroad" by: John Sample

Submitted by Baycity1 on
    After a week of nearly drowning, those of us in the Hill Country can at least be thankful that the drought has been put on hold for a while. 
   Experience tells you to enjoy while you can, even if the rain proves too much.  
   While the floods capture the news, we find our rivers just back to what they should have been.  
   Excess can be temporary at best.
   The stock market can be much the same sort of situation.  
   The first quarter GDP was in fact hampered by the weather and a union slowdown of the ports on the West Coast.  
   In fact, the first quarter was essentially a wash with a minor drop.  
Thu
04
Jun

"Blessings to unspoken heroes helping Texas flood victims" by: Rosario Resendez

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   It seems like we have been having a lot of bad weather lately.  
   For the longest I can remember, Texas always seems to be going through a drought.  
   This year all the flood waters seems to be unleashed on us. 
   It is scary to see how much damage water can do to houses and people’s property.  
   It is also scary to see all the animals that show up in different locations where they don’t belong.  
   I saw in an article that there was an alligator in a parking garage.  
   My biggest fear of course are the snakes that show up all over the place which is what I don’t like at all. 
   I see that a lot of people seem to try to make light of all the tragedy and get a laugh out of people.  
   I’ve seen pictures on Facebook showing a shark swimming by a truck on a highway supposedly in Houston.  
Thu
04
Jun

"Think of the Lord's faithfulness when doubt arises" by: Betsy Monico

Submitted by Baycity1 on
    The end of the school year is so close. My family is struggling!  
   It is hard to go to bed and it is even harder to get up. 
   We are ready for summer. We should already be in bed by now and one of my kids is standing here at the bar begging me to find him a needle and thread so he can repair “Donkey.”  
   An old donkey just reappeared from the good old Shrek days and it is in need of repair…so random!  
   He is worried about stuffing donkey with cotton balls to puff him back up, but does not have a clue where his backpack is for tomorrow or have his sack lunch packed.
   Life right now is just crazy.  
   Geez, I just heard him and now he is asking his Dad if he knows where a needle and thread is.  
   That has to be the funniest thing I have ever heard because my husband is a team player for sure, but he does not know where the sewing supplies are.  
Thu
28
May

"Sheriff: Holiday weekend 'terrible'" by: Mike Reddell

Submitted by Baycity1 on
 “Memorial Day weekend was terrible,” Sheriff Frank “Skipper” Osborne told commissioners court Tuesday.
   The three-day holiday was marred by the drowning of a Van Vleck man who tried to save children caught in a rip tide and a murder in Bay City Sunday.
   There were four near-drownings on Matagorda Beach on Saturday, followed by the same number Monday.
   Alarmed by near-drownings a week before on the beach, Osborne told how his deputies, LCRA police and state game wardens all were on patrol on the beach. 
   In many cases, the sheriff said officers urged swimmers to leave the treacherous waters where the rip tides were.
   “They just waved at us and wouldn’t get out of the water,” the sheriff said.
•••
   Before I wrote this column early Tuesday morning, I spent an hour online going through the barrage of weather reports to make sense of what has happened.
Thu
28
May

"Ignoring advice from 'Chicken littles'" by: John Sample

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   I am sitting at my desk and witnessing an unusual event for my neck of the woods in the Hill Country.
   The rain is coming down in buckets. The Guadalupe River is running finally at a rate that has filled up Canyon Lake and will send any Memorial weekend tubers to the shore to avoid being swept away. 
   Beyond putting a sizable dent into the drought, if not ending it, the Whooping Cranes main food source will have the amount of fresh water to multiply. I am speaking of blue crabs that the cranes dine on. 
   I have little idea of what this has to do with investing except that it is something so totally different from the last seven years that one has to take note.
Thu
28
May

"Put faith in God when expecting the worst" by: Betsy Monico

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   I had a few minutes one night this week and decided to leave the Sandlots and go for a run around the high school. 
   I pretended like I was Forest Gump and just took off running. 
   It was smooth sailing until I decided to cut through by the soccer fields. 
   It was muddy and uneven. I left like I was hiking and needed to trade in my running shoes for some off-road style hiking boots.  
   I slowed down to a cautious speed. I did not want fall. 
   I had a game to get to and the last thing I needed was to be covered in mud. 
   Ther were also soccer players working hard on the fields and I refused to have an embarrassing spill in front of them. I imagined it all in my head…it was not pretty!
   My adventure got even more exciting when I spotted a scruffy little black dog up in front of me. 
Thu
21
May

"Graduation: Then and Now" by: Jessica Shepard

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   As graduation looms on the horizon for the class of 2015, I’m starting to vaguely remember my own. 
   Those last few weeks were a mix of painful tests, last minute extra credit assignments and tons of preparation. 
   The only thing I really recall being excited about was how many half days and off days seemed to pile up at the end of the year. 
   I graduated from Bay City High School in May of 2006 – the 31, I think. 
   Nine years and so many months makes my memory a little fuzzy there. 
Thu
21
May

"Look for value in dividends" by: John Sample

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   While the economy is nothing to brag about, the market as measured by stock indexes are at all-time highs.  
   Investors might be worried, but the lack of alternatives seems to be the only answer this old investor can find.  
   One person would normally talk about precious metals, real estate or bonds. 
   While I am usually a value investor, the above mentioned threesome leave little reward. The equities market also provides me little value. 
   I am left with the belief that one should continue to look for return through dividends. 
Thu
21
May

"God comforts us by pouring his love through his people" by: Rosario Resendez

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Matthew 26:39 
   I’m used to being strong.  
   When times get hard I really try to stay strong and stay focused.  
   I’m not one that cries in front of others, I try to hold all my emotions together.  
   Growing up we are taught to be tough, strong women able to handle anything that comes our way.  
   Yet some of the battles that come our way are a bit hard even for the strongest soldiers. 
   I always hear from people that we should have faith and trust in the will of God,and this is true, but I think we forget that as humans we aren’t too fond of feeling pain.  
   Ever gotten to close to an open flame? It’s only natural that we move away.  
Thu
21
May

"Noah's lesson to us is giving all your trust to God" by: Betsy Monico

Submitted by Baycity1 on
   I have the greatest job at church. I get to hang out with the kids. 
   We call it “kid’s church” and we often make fun of the grown-ups who are in “big kid” church because we think we have way more fun.  
   I guess that if every church member found an area within the church that they could serve and love serving, we would never have to ask for volunteers or pass around a sign-up sheet to get help. 
   Today, I started off with a question.  
   I said, “We are going to talk about what it has been doing around here for the past few weeks. What do you think it is?” 
    I had a room full of kids who responded with RAIN. They knew it! 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Columns/Opinions