Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Authentication Cultural appropriation is a phenomenon that has been villified as the little brother of racism. It conjures mental images of ignorant fashion models strutting down the runway in exotic styles stolen from ethnic groups they’re not part of. Outrage over this contraversial issue is fueled by feelings of racial injustice. […]
Category: Culture
People and societies
Political Development and Government Power
The Importance of Political Development The success of a state is measured by three metrics; political development, social development, and economic development. Political development is a necessary basis for economic and social development because a state that is powerless to enact its will is powerless to benefit its people. Without a strong state presence upholding […]
How to Host a Large Event: Primer and Tools
Planning a Big Event Hosting a large event takes a lot of time, effort, and money. It is a daunting task and one that can fill a person with dread and anxiety. Still, if done right and with the proper planning, large events can turn in to huge fundraisers and create a lot of excitement […]
A New Look at Transportation
“If you ever plan to motor west; Travel my way, take the highway that is best; Get your kicks on Route sixty six..” Using a twelve-bar blues arrangement, this famous song by Bobby Troup epitomizes our love with the automobile. The war had just ended and suburbia became utopia. Growth and prosperity were the buzzwords […]
Servant Leadership: A Journey
While attending collage at the University of South Florida in Tampa, I spent a few years living in the Leadership House. As part of the Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership, to live there, you were required to attend seminars, take leadership courses, assist with non-profits, and participate in various activities throughout the year. Now at […]
Downtown Poteau Town Square (Pocket Park) Revitalization
In 1981, a series of devastating fires destroyed much of downtown Poteau. This left large gaping holes throughout downtown. While these were eventually filled in, such as with Dewey Plaza, others soon became blights on the downtown business appeal. Sadly, this is common in many towns. Either through fire, negligence, or structural damage, historic buildings […]
Pops on Route 66: The World’s Largest Soda Bottle
Pops, Route 66 Route 66 is alive and well in Oklahoma. Even though the famed highway is no longer in regular use, new attractions keep popping up. Most recently, Tulsa has completed a large project on the 11th Street Bridge dedicated to Route 66. Other attractions appear throughout the state, with most being highlighted by […]
An Interesting Look into the Future of Community Parks in Small Towns
Inherently, parks and recreational areas are sustainable. Other than keeping the grass to a manageable level, there is not a lot of maintenance. For the most part, parks tend to be a hands-off community amenity that require minimal maintenance… at least on the surface. When one delves deeper into the real cost of having a […]
Poteau Christmas from the Past
Poteau Christmas Traditions Like a scene out of an old time Christmas movie, downtown Poteau has always thrived during the holiday seasons. During the earliest days, from the late 1800’s through the 1910’s, the traditions were centered around family. People would gather in each others homes to sing traditional Christmas songs as well as popular […]
The Buggers are Biting: Best Tips for Mosquito Control
Mosquitoes are everywhere, and they’re nearly impossible to get rid of. (We are talking about the insect variety, not your pesky neighbors kids – we’ll save that for a different article) Even though they’re almost impossible to eradicate, there is still several things we can do to protect ourselves from itching in all the wrong […]