This column provides tips for buying beef to freeze, including that winter months from November to January typically have the lowest beef prices. It recommends buying from local reputable farmers and checking for USDA quality stamps. It also discusses aging meat properly and announces an upcoming meat selection workshop from extension specialists covering cuts, grades, and taste samples.

2. “The editorial page of
the paper should begin
where the rest of the
paper leaves off.”
Vermont C. Royster
Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer

3. The reader should find
ideas about the things
reported elsewhere in the
paper. The key word here
is ideas.

4. An editorial is an article that
states the newspaper’s ideas
on an issue presented as
opinion and without bylines
but the column has for it is a
personal idea of a writer.

5. They tell the readers something
that would not be discussed in a
straight news story.
They must be well-researched as
a news story.

6. Individual
Writer
Column I
Editorial
Board
Editorial We
OPINION-EDITORIAL
(OP-ED) PAGE

7. Editorials appear on the
newspaper’s opinion or
editorial page, which
includes editorials, columns,
opinion articles, reviews and
cartoons.

8. The editorial board is a
group of people, usually
the top editors, who
decide on a plan for each
editorial and opinion
articles that will appear in
a newspaper.

9. Where do editorial ideas or
opinions come from?
The daily lives of students in
the school and after school
Also from community – local,
national and international
issues

10. The newspaper is the voice of the
community.
The editorial is the voice of the
newspaper.
This voice can inform readers,
stimulate thinking, mold opinion
and occasionally move people to
action.

11. To be worthy of print space, the editorial
needs to tell the reader something that would
not be discussed in a straight news story.
However, the editorial must be researched
carefully and just as thoroughly as a news
story. The newspaper’s reputation is based
on the accuracy of the supporting material
found in an editorial.

12. 1.State the subject and your position
on the subject in the introduction.
2.Discuss opposing points of view.
3.Prove your position with
supporting details.
4.Draw a conclusion.
Writing an editorial

13. State the problem or situation.
State your position.
Give evidence to support your position.
State and refute the position of the
other side in the conclusion.
Offer possible solution/s to the
problem.

14. If the nation is to emerge stronger from the
current political crisis, it will require responsible
behavior from both sides of the political fence.
Responsible behavior does not involve
switching off House microphones while
opposition members are trying to argue their
case. And responsible behavior does not
involve throwing a tantrum and tossing
documents into the air, then stomping out of the
session hall when there is still room for
reasonable debate.
Irresponsible (Editorial)
The Philippine Star

15. Impeachment is a complicated process dominated by politics, with complex
rules rooted in law. This was done deliberately by those who allowed
impeachment to be enshrined in the nation’s laws so that the process is not
resorted to arbitrarily. If impeachment were as easy as making hot pan de sal,
Filipinos would be throwing out presidents, Supreme Court justices and
officials of constitutional bodies every year, whenever the mood hits them.
An impeachment battle is always bruising, and those who seek the ouster of an
impeachable official must come fully prepared for it. The burden of proof is on
the accuser, and the accuser must therefore present a strong case. An
impeachment case must be backed by something more than hearsay or the
belated recollection of an event by a resigned Cabinet member with a
propensity to cry in front of TV cameras.
It is not enough to pile every imaginable accusation into an impeachment
complaint, in hopes that just by reading the charge sheet on national TV, the
subject of the impeachment would be found guilty. Filipinos do tend to believe
the worst of each other, but that is not enough to warrant the ouster of an
impeachable official. There must be a verified impeachment complaint, the
complaint must have enough signatures so it can be sent to the Senate, or
failing in that, it must be endorsed by the plenary for trial. It is possible for a
complaint to be dismissed before it reaches the Senate; Chief Justice Hilario
Davide Jr. survived efforts to oust him through impeachment about two years
ago.

16. Whatever the outcome of the current effort to
unseat President Arroyo, the process must
be credible. This is largely the responsibility
of the majority bloc allied with the President
in the House of Representatives. At the same
time, the impeachment complaint must be
credible. This is the responsibility of the
opposition. So far both sides have been a
disappointment.

17. Tips for Column Writers
 Write the way you talk. But don't discard
good English usage and grammar by
being friendly and informal.
 Use a variety of material, not just one
subject.
 Write simply. Avoid technical or difficult
words, long sentences, long
paragraphs.

18.  Try to tell the story through the
experiences of local people.
 Don't weigh your column down with too
much detail. Try to stimulate interest in
a subject, but don't exhaust the subject.
 Remember the people you are talking to
and give them information that they
understand and that will benefit them.
Tips for Column Writers

19. Helpful hints Jamie Shanen (Area home economist, MU
Extension center)
If your bottom's bare, it's time to "beef up" your home freezer.
I'm talking about your freezer bottom. In fact, you should keep that freezer
at least one-third full to be economical.
Anyway, bare bottom or not, this is a good time to buy beef. Mason Good,
who operates Good Meat Storage and Packing, says prices are lowest on
beef in the winter, generally between November and January. Mason said
most of the county's farmers and cattle producers generally sell off their
stock in the fall, that means there's more beef available to drive prices
down.
While talking with Mason, Judith Ann Johnson, 335 Peabody Lane, came
over. Judy said she found what Mason said was true.
A few weeks ago she and her husband Tom decided to buy a side of beef.
After checking around and talking with some of the University food
scientists, they discovered mid-January was the best time for them to buy.
So they did.

20. I asked Harold Lamar about what to look for in beef. You may remember
Harold. He came over to Macon from the University last spring and talked about
pork and beef. Harold told me about a couple of good booklets you can get
from the MU Extension center here in Macon.
If you are going to buy a side, think about your family size and eating habits.
They may prefer steaks and ground instead of roasts. Out of a 300-pound side
you'll get 225 pounds The forequarter will give you about 118, while the
hindquarter will yield about 100.
Good quality is important too. Our local people have good reputations, but what
about elsewhere? Don't buy from people you don't know.
Your meat should have two USDA stamps. Check to see if there is a round one
for wholesomeness and a shield for quality inspections. Grading is optional with
the processor both Mason and Harold said.
A lot of people asked me about aging meat. Yesterday, Maude Grady, Oak
Ridge Retirement Center, asked about some meat that's been in her freezer
nine months. Aging helps meat develop flavor and become tender, but only ribs,
and loins of high-quality beef and lamb are aged. If Maude had purchased
"aged" meat, it is questionable whether she got her money's worth. After meat
has been frozen six months — it's already been aged enough.

21. New Publications
MP403, How to Buy Meat for Your Freezer, the 27-page booklet outlines
how to buy freezer meat. How to figure cost. How to tell quality. It covers
beef, pork and lamb.
Coming Events
The Macon Extension Homemakers will hold a special day-long
workshop on selecting meats Wednesday at the MU Extension center.
Marsha Winston, president, told me Ann Hertzler and William C.
Stringer, University nutritionists, will conduct the workshop.
They will cover meat coloring, grading, cuts and prices. You won't need
lunches because you'll get to taste samples of the different ways they
cook every cut of meat.
U.S. Government Printing Office: 1962 0-625500. Taken from material used in Making Personal
Columns Work for You. USDA, PA484.