PAGE 2 — WEST CRAVEN HIGHLIGHTS — MARCH 17, 1981!
Eastern
Echoes
By
Gail Roberson
Life Is Seldom Dull
County Has Received
$459,913 For Schools
Craven County has received
$459,913 from the state as part of
a 1987 General Assembly plan to
shore up public school buildings.
The money credited to Craven
County, which will accumulate
interest, was part of a $35 million
appropriation by the state to the
100 North Carolina counties on a
per-student basis.
Jones County has received
$52,836. and Pamlico County,
$67,762, according to General
Educators
From Page I
Assembly figures.
The money has been generated
by a 1 percent increase in corpo
rate income taxes.
Another $95.5 million has been
put into a hind that the General
Assembly created to help coun
ties with critical school building
needs. The Commission on Cri
tical School Facility Needs cur
rently is analyzing counties*
needs before distributing the
money.
The bill passed by the legisla
ture last July is expected to
generate $1.36 billion for public
schools over the next 10 years.
day school ad is co-chairman of
the children’s ministry, the fi
nance and building fund. She has
two children.
Mrs. Saunders received her
bachelor of science degree and
master’s degree from East Caroli
na University. She has been
teaching at Bangert in the first
and third grades for 14 years.
Mrs. Saunders individualizes in
struction to meet a student’s
needs and provides instructional
activities that promote creative
and independent learning. She
correlates and integrtes instruc
tion on all skill levels. Her open
and positive rapport with stu
dents, parents and teachers pro
vides a relaxed learning environ
ment without stress.
She is a pasy grade chairman
and a state (Insist in the Jaycee
Oustanding Young Educator
Program in 1980. She is a mem
ber of NCAE, NEA, International
Reading Association and Alpha
Delta Kappa International Soror
ity for Women Educators.
Mrs. Saunders is married to
Zoot Saunders and they have
two daughters, Erin and Abigail.
We Buy
Standing
Pine
and
Hardwood
Timber
A
WeyarhMUMr
919-633-7455
Allies Or Not?
Life is a wonder, and seldom is it dull. Somewhere along the
way, I always stumble upon something that evokes a, “Do
WHAT?” out of me. From my files, here are a few bits and
pieces I’ve been collecting:
Hardware disease. That’s what farmers call it. It seems that
cows have a habit of eating anything they come across while
grazing, and are particularly attracted to nails, staples, tacks
and wire. Therefore, many farmers make a calf swallow a
magnet. When the calf has reached maturity and is slaught
ered, the butcher removes the magnet, along with all the de
bris and scrap it has attracted, and then sells it.
As for sheep, they will not drink from running water. Hence
the line in the ’Twenty-third Psalm: “He leadeth me beside the
still waters."
The original name for the butterfly was, Flutterby.” Only
female mosquitoes bite, a cockroach will live several weeks
without its head, and a mole can dig a tunnel .’100 feet long in
one night. I can vouch for that one.
The Washington Monument sinks six inches every year, the
top of the tower on the Empire State Building was originally
intended as a mooring place for dirigibles, and castor oil is
used as a lubricant in jet planes. I knew there had to be some
use for that stuff better than what my mama insisted on doing
with it.
As for taxes, the great Roman poet, Vergil, once held a
funeral for a dead fly, complete with pallbearers and lengthy
eulogies. You see, in ancient Rome, cemetery land was not
taxable, and so, by burying a fly on the land surrounding his
pivate villa, the poet turned his home into a burial ground and
thus made it ... tax-exempt.
This next one is particularly timely, as I am building my
outdoor studio and was just, tonight, looking through my
fireplace file and studying the mantle ideas. At one time, peo
ple hung their coats (or mantles)over a fireplace in order to dry
them ... thus the term "mantle” exists today in the sense that
it does.
It costs more to buy a new car today than it cost Christopher
Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to and from
the New World. And, by the way, his hair was blond.
President Taft weighed 352 pounds, Woodrow Wilson’s wife
grazed sheep on the front lawn of the White House, and Presi
dent Ulysses S. Grant, while in office, was arrested for exceed
ing the Washington speed limit on his horse.
The average housewife walks ten miles a day around the
house while doing her chores and spends twenty-five hours a
year making beds.
The typical American spends a year of his life on the tele
phone, two out of five women dye their hair, and, in San
Salvador, drunk drivers are punished by death before a firing
.squad. ' '
In a ceremony witnessed by more than twenty people, a Los
Angeles secretary officially married a 50-pound rock. Moses
Alexander, age 93, married a woman who was 105 ... they
were both found dead in their bed the following morning.
And, this little “jewel” fluttered to the floor while I was
l>lacing my file back on the shelf. It seems a fitting closing to
the wonders of everyday life:
In 1970, an Arizona lawyer named Russel H. Tansic, filed a
$100,000 damage suit against God. The suit was filed on behalf
of Mr. Tansie’s secretary, Betty Penrose, who accused God of
negligence in His power over the weather when He allowed a
lightening bolt to strike her home. Ms. Penrose won the case
when the defendent failed to appear in court. Whether or not
she collected has not been recorded.
Most citizens consider the U.S. notion of democracy — gov
ernment of, by and for the people—as the most desirable form
of government. Key principles underlying that democratic
commitment in the United States are that the military is sub
ordinate to civilian authority and that elections are the legiti
mate way to resolve disagreements about political issues.
Traditions in Central America are quite different. Democra
cy in the North American sense is relatively rare, while milit
ary governments or other forms of dictatorial rule have been
commonplace. Elections have frequently been held, but are
often fraudulent or overturned by force if the results are dis
pleasing to powerful groups in society. Frustrated by this
historical legacy, some have argued that attending to prob
lems of poverty and injustice is more important than observa
tion of the niceties of electoral procedures. Others argue that
free and fair elections are the only way to guarantee that re
forms, once made, can endure.
Recent elections in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador,
while largely fair, either did not include serious opposition
groups of the left or did not raise crucial questions such as
violations of human rights by the military because many
feared that discussion of these violations would lead to a milit
ary coup. The Nicaraguan election of 1984, also procedurally a
fair election by Central American standards, excluded impor
tant candidates on the right. It is debatable whether elections
that exclude important groups or avoid difficult questions can
produce long-term solutions to the problems of Central
America.
The military has been a dominant force in most Central
American countries since independence. It still holds veto
power over the decisions of most of the civilian governments,
but in the 1980s has found it necessary to exercise influence
behind the scenes rather than to intervene directly by seizing
power.
’Traditionally, the United States and the military in Central
America viewed each other as natural allies in their strong
opposition to communism. More recently, assassinations, kid
nappings, and other massive violations of human rights by
Central American armed forces — and U.S. public reactions to
revelations about these violations — have caused both the
United States and military leaders to question this alliance.
Past U.S. tolerance of dictatorial governments that were
protective of U.S. interests has been replaced in certain cases
by an active policy of promoting democratic governments in
the region. But as in past experiences such as the Alliance for
Progress in the early 1960s — Kennedy’s bold political, econo
mic, and military response to Castro’s victory in Cuba — the
United States has found it much easier to create an efficient
and disciplined army than to bring about an honest and com
petitive political party system, an independent judiciary, or a
stable economy. As in El Salvador, the commitment to demo
cracy may be overshadowed by a perceived need to defeat a
guerrilla insurgency and is, in any event, an extremely costly
and long-term policy for the United States.
Whether the United States should actively promote govern
ment in the region that reflect our own democratic values or
take a direct role only when extreme governments clearly
threaten U.S. interests is a question that tb0 nexiPresideitLof i,
the United States will have to address. 's
Award Winners
Several West Craven High School students returned from a Fu
ture Homemaker of America competition held at Lenoir Commun
ity College v/ith awards. They were: Reva Clark, second place in
cake decorating; Erma Coward, second place in job application and
interview; Tony Fonville, third place in food semce; Parinda Cox,
third place In nutritious snacks and Felicia Williams, third place in
job application and job interview senior occupation. The following
students received certiHcates: Melody Wright, child development
display; Miguel Coward, food service; Daphne Roach, comparison
shopping: Denise Dudley, illustrated talks (senior); Michelle Wad-
dock, chapter program of work and 'Tyrone Moore, food service.
t988 PVEllan«Sc>vccs
vay
mxtceaaay.^'rw
AMERICAN
^^CANCER
f SOCIETY*
Want To Sell
Avon
and get $30.00 free makeup?
Call 244-0952
CRAVEN COUNH BUSINESS AND SERVICES
WMREN BROTHERS
HARDWARE
We Sell PVC Pipe-All Type
Flttlngs-Hardware-
6arden$eed & Fertilizer
SWCIAL 24 Ft. Miintinum
arEbiAL ,ggoo
Foot of the biidto-Voncoboro
244-1S4S
Braxton’s
Stop & Shop
* FriAh Snufo • miti WitdMt
* Frisli CkickoM * SrecoriM
* rrtMOi Atoosokort
* Al kMs of frsiM Footf
Orm MI-llMi Emy 0i|
* rdn 1 nasii Mks
Hwy. 17 N. VMieeboro 244*1421
244-1381
H. M. B.
Morris Plaza
Vanceboro
Complete Family
Insurance Coverage
The Rellablu Carporatkm
Drfinrr Cu*ior»et Sdru/drtion"*
Robinson Insuranco
Agency, Inc.
P.O. Box 177
Now Born, NC 28S40
633.1174
tMIUDDil tT.
mm enM. tm, issso
Tf LCMMMB M7-4SM
Q^out U^lamonJ^loxi
ROY L. WIGGINS
& SON
ELECTRICAL
CONTRACTOR
ReilUaoHai, Commerolol k loduitrtol
Wirteg
ServtoB and Repair
244-144S
NO Ueonao No. 11MS-U
AT. Coward OoMhueMoa Co.
•Rosldootiol eContmorclol
sMditions •Romoitolloi
e Docks •losuronco Jobs
Sub-Gontraet Specialitt
Office Home
7Se-00e3 244*0725
Totor 1 Son SaragR
Owner a Operator louts Toler
Custom Exboust ( Mufflors
Ridiotor - Troosrolssloo
t Motor Semico
Hwy 17, 3 miles North of
Vaneoboro
24 Hour Wroekor Sorvico .
244-1263
•«
VANCEBORO HARDWARE
P. 0. Box 620
Hwy 43 North
Vanceboro, NC 28586
J.D. Whitley (919)244-2444
West Craven
Highlights
Craven County’s
Family Weekly Newspaper
P.O. Box 487
Vanceboro. N.C. 2858G
(Main St. Across from Post Office)
Published Each Thursday
Ashley B. Fulrall, Jr.
Publisher
Mike Voss
Editor
Terri Jamieson
Advertising Manager
And sM
Staff Writer
Edith Hodges
Office Manager
Office Hours
Mon 8:30 am- 10:30 am
Thurs. & Fri. 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Telephone 244-0780 or 946-2144
IN-COUNTY RATES
Single Copy 25'
1 Year‘7.35
2 Years’11.55
3 Years’15.75
OUT-OF-COUNTY RATES
1 Year 18.40
2 Years 112.60
3 Years ■ 16.80
Above Includes N.C. Tax.
Payable in advance. Subscribers
desiring their Highlights termi
nated at expiration should notify
us of this intention, otherwise we
will consider it their wish to conti
nue to receive the paper and they
will be charged for it.
U.S.P.S. 412-110
Second Class Postage Paid
Vanceboro, N.C.
Member: N.C. Press Association