Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Dec. 25, 1980, edition 1 / Page 2
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Editorials UTS* 0/ ,. {tt,,k. Courageous Principal There will be no more candy bars or other sugary junk-food in the student store at Mitchell High School according to a report in the Mitchell Journal. Principal Darreli Ledford took the initiative of removing the tooth damaging goodies after meeting with the county's public health dental hygienist, the county school food service director and the head of the Mitchell County Nutritional Council. "It's our commitment at Mitchell High to do what is right for the student and den tal hygiene is definitely part of that com mitment," the principal said. In an effort to improve dental health and hygiene in the school and county, almost all sugary desserts were removed from the school's lunch menu and replaced with fruit and nutritional snack foods. The newspaper article said, "the students have responded very well." It took courage for Ledford to do what he did. Most young adults don't like to be told what to eat, and many principals would be hesitant to take candy bars out of their school stores for fear of losing profits which pay for services or equipment that the school might not have otherwise. Ledford said there has been "virtually no drop in business since the sugar foods were removed," and be has received no complaints. Ledford took what could have been a highly unpopular stand, especially in deal ing with a generation of youngsters who have overdosed on sugar since thay have been big enough to clutch a bottle of baby formula, and at a time when schools in some larger N.C. cities are toying with the idea of letting McDonald's cater their lun chrooms. It's encouraging to see a school ad ministrator do what he knows will benefit his students in the long run, and not bend to popular whims of the moment. His students will probably smile at him with shiney , health teeth in the future and thank him. '182 - Acre Cranny' Gov. Jim Hunt recently outlined plans for cashing in on an 'economic chance of a lifetime" by using the proposed $30 million microelectriconics Center of North Carolina to spread computer chip manufac turers to "every nook and cranny of the state.'' The governor wait to California last month to sell microelectronic industry of ficials on the idea of locating thier expan ding operations in the Tarheel State. The proposed new center at Research Triangle Park near three of the state's largest universities is an attractive piece of bait to an industry which does $8 billion in business annually. Some say that figure will go to $20 billion by 1965. Gov. Hunt said Friday, "We are not talking about doing something for business, we are talking about doing something for . people." By giving them jobs and improv ing the standard of living in North Carolina. The microelectronics industry is a relative ly high-paying industry which can possible be "a second Industrial Revolution.'' Our understanding of the microelec tronics industry is that it is a comparatively clean manufacturing process that would cause little polution and use very little water. Both traits would be well suited to Western North Carolina where we are con scious of protecting the natural resources and beauty of the mountains. We hope those in charge of promoting industrial development in Madison county will take advantage of getting in on the ground floor of this opportunity, and tell Gov. Hunt we have a 182-acre cranny that could use a computer chip plant in the near future. Minitorial Christmas is known as a time for giv ing, and most of us busy ourselves by giv ing presents and things to our friends, relatives and asgpci#?es. It's really the easiest ttifrg to dfc. ' It's- ?uch harder to give part of ourselves to another person; in time, in talent or in caring. But, which gift is more lasting, more meaningful, more satisfying? We'll let each one of you answer that for yourselves. Merry Christmas. Living and Growing Hitting Forty Can Be A Traumatic Point In Life By CARL MUMPOWEE, M.S.W. Tom is generally a quiet, con servative, and easy going fallow wbo's been the stable aort most of his life. He has a alee family , with 3 kids, a good wife, an attractive house, and a dog that doesn't mess up the carpet or bark at the nalgiitiiM i He's worked for the same company for IS years and Is known by his friends as ? good all around guy. Recently Tom began to do Strange things. He discarded Ms ties for open collars and gold msdalttons. His tassled ioaftri have been replaced by white tennis shoes, and his pants have gone from conser vative wool to denim blue. The other day Tom ran out and traded his family wagon for a I960 British two-seater sports car that "runs well every once in awhile." He's been Jumping out of bed every morning and doing all kinds of exercises and drinking ground soy beans and cactus Juice for breakfast. He's taken to pinching all of the office girls and recently had his wife's beautician give him a curly permanent, after she dyed all of the grey hairs blond. Tom's wife, kids, friends, boss, and dog think be has gone crazy. He hasn't ? he's Just hit forty. Forty, that magical age when our waistline begins to go, the wrinkles become more entrenched, and our ego takes a dive for the bottom. Some men take it in stride and keep on moving, (or others, it's a pretty traumatic point in life. Tom fits into this category. He's trying to regress to those happy younger years and stop the process of time. Unfor tunately for Tom, it can't be done. Tom figures that he's probably going to die of a heart attack in the next month or so, and that be might as well anyway, because he's probably finished as a nun. His SO inch waist has grown to match his age and his old military uniform fits everywhere except in the seat, shoulders, chest, and waist. Tom figures be is on the down hill side of life, with one foot in the grave, so he's going to make up for lost time. . Forget it, Tom, you're fighting a lost battle. If we live, we all hit forty and there is not too much that you can do to stop it. Sure, changes do oc cur as we get a little older, but look at some of the positive aspects. Usually the older we are, the wiser we are. Gray hair on the temples adds a touch of "sophistication" to oar appearance. You're no longer living off of 925 a week, and you don't have to worry about pimples or being too young to buy a beer. You've got a nice family, you've got a lot of good Mends, and you're sitting pretty. Relax, Tom, and eq)oy it. You've got it made, but I've got to admit I'm glad it's happened to you and not me ... Copy 4,; i >,Vf Deadline for submitting Memorials, Cards of Thanks, Personal Notes, Hospital Notes, Church News and Special An nouncements to The News Record will be 12:00 noon on Fridays. Here's hoping your holiday is as festive and f un filled as can be. . . enriched pvith a spirit of reverance and peace. . . enhanced by feelings of hope and bright promise. Much Love, ? Pop Story I 8 i Letters To The Editor It's Hard To 'Act' Christmas Dear Editor : Everyone says that what is wrong with Christmas is that it is "too commercial/' but that is not the trouble. What is wrong with Christmas is that it is "too spiritual" in the wrong way. The commercial aspect of Christmas can easily be ignored or rejected by anyone who wants to take this holiday seriously. But the "spiritual" aspect is harder to separate from the true message. The Three Wise Men, and the Star of Bethfehem. and the babe ip the manger and the mystery and the miracle ? all these make it tempting for us to forget what the whole story is about. And the whole story - the whole message of the whole messiahship ? can be summed up in two sentences from Jesus' own hps: "If anyone says 'I love God' and hates his brother, he is a liar." (I John 4:20) "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethern, you did it unto me." (Matthew 25:40.) This is what Christmas ? the mass of Christ ? must mean, if it is to mean anything. If it does not mean this to us, then when we worship is magic and superstition and idolatry. You cannot love God without loving (which is not to say liking) ever fellow creature He made; and ah act of contempt or rejection or injustice or neglect toward the least ? the lowest, the poorest, the weakest, the dumbest ? is an act against Him. If Christianity does not mean this, it means nothing. If this central fact is slurred or sermonized away, the whole structure of Christianity falls apart, and we are left with nothing but another primitive "magic" religion that may comfort us but is powerless to change us. / And it is not the impious, the pagans and unbelievers, who must be on guard against forgetting this message. It is the believers, the "spritiual" people who are pronp to mistake form for substance, prayers for performance, worshigtor prac tice. Christianity is not a "spiritual" religion, like some creeds of the East. It is an intensely "practical" religion, having its moral roots in the acute social conscience of Judaism. It was not designed to change the way men think or believe as much as to change the way they act. It is easy to think Christmas, and easy to believe Christmas; but it is hard ? sometimes intolerably hard ? to act Christmas. It is not our false commer cialism that prevents it, but our false spirituality. Not the clang of the cash gister, but the jingle of bells calling us to //sentimentality, and seduces us from the jf year-round ministry of brotherhood. Thank you. Sincerely, James H. Jones, Jr. P.O. Box 532 Clyde, N.C. A Different Perspective Dear Editor: % Since I Just received my first copy of your newspaper, I thought I would take a few minutes to comment on your publication and life in general from this side of the county, at least as I see it. You know, sometimes it takes a view from a different perspective to sort of put things if not in order, then at least in a more real light. My different perspective stems from the fact that I have only lived on Spring Creek for the last year moving here from San Francisco. Needless to say, things are a bit dif ferent here from Haight-Ashbury. First off, let's take a few shots at the News Record. Great paper. It's exactly what a county-wide paper needs to he. Em phasis on local attain and news, and not on things that are bet ter reported by the large publications. I did see tome things, however, that I found interesting when viewed from my perspective. I saw this picture of some guy who shot a white deer on Hot Springs Mountain in your paper. Wonderful little human in terest article about the guy having to prop the gon up with a stick. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for harvesting game on thfMbk. Paranoia reigns supreme. The people who have lived here most of their lives (henceforth called the "Insiders") think the people who have "Just" moved here (henceforth called the "Outsiders") are "trying to ram stuff down our throats." The Outsiders worry what kind of education their kids are getting by those "whose world-view consists of a quick ride from Thrust to Bluff." So they argue. And, work out power plays to keep the power in the PTA all in one faction's hands. Or, they think up ways to pull their kids out of school and redoce the student population to the point where the school would close. Gosss they don't think of compromise. If I? en> confused by all this, tot me add that I'm not at all. Living here Is truly a Joy and I enjoy the people very much. The way o f life around here is actually very easy "to unders tand. For example, when I first moved here I stopped off In Hot Springs on the way to the new Doum. I spied the ABC store in Hot Springs, so I pottsd up to buy some tear. I was told that thsy sold nobser tscausi Madtosn was a dry cowty. Ota. I go to an ABC store to buy some good ole ABC and they tell me they don't sail It because the coimty Is dry. Mads me glad I had read Catch n
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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