Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / June 21, 2000, edition 1 / Page 2
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: \ THE NE\VS-,IOl'RNAL Racford, N.C. .|unv2l.2(MMI Viewpoints Good mule for the letting It any of you grandparents are worried about the Supreme Court rul ing, not giving you the right to see your grandchildren, remember you have an ace in the hole. Tell the par ents of your grandch i Idren not to show up for the reading of the will, there won’t be anything there for them. I bet that will get their attention. 1 want all of you to understand that I have over the years had a great relationship with my mother-in-law. Unfortunately, as she approaches her 90th birthday, her recollection is not as sharp as it once was. Telling you the above is in defense of the story passed on to me by a dear friend. It seems this mother-in-law was giving her son-in-law a hard time. As she approached him in the garden gi\ ing him one more piece of advice, his old mule kicked her and sadly she lett this world. The mourners came to pay their respect. The ladies shook their heads up and down, the men shook their heads from side to side. One sad soul said, “Why are the women shak ing their heads up and down and the men from side to side?" A wise otd bird sitting near by, replied, “When the women shake their heads up and down, they are saying they are so sorry. When the men shake their heads from side to side, they are asking if they can borrow the mule." There are some things you just can't give away. Nobody wants one’s cold, neither do they want to assume one's debt. Sometimes it is hard to give a building away. From the latest report in The News-Journal, the city wants to give the county the Raeford Hotel. This grand old building has been passed from pillar to post, from owner to owner; none can make it work again. I am sure the county commis sioners would much rather have the city council members a good case of poison ivy, rather than the building. To put it in working order would deplete not only all of the county money, but require several fund rais ing events. The mayor is a good friend A View from the Country Kaz Autrv of mine — although we haven't seen eye to eye on all topics and 1 don't doubt liis sincerity in offering this solution to the county's space prob lems but in my opinion there has to be a better one. \s ith adequate parking. Besides, at the risk of upsetting some of my friends, the good folks of Raeford must remember there are two sides to this coin, we htive a great many people in the county who feel like some of the goodies should be shared with them. Recreation facili- ‘ies and library services are only two of the needs. After all, we all can't go to Raeford. Before someone decides in a letter to the editor that 1 have lost my marbles, 1 am well aware that a park has been started in Rockfish, which is for the enjoyment of the people in that area and there are some things in the works to provide library services to our county folks. However, in all fair ness it shouldn't have taken this long. Many citizens who love Raeford. once were country folks. To them I say gaze on this logic and see if it fits. It is taken from the book entitled “Grand father was a Preacher." “In a preachers' luncheon a preacher told them that he dreamed he had gone to heaven ;md looked and grandpa was not there. Ttiey laughed. Then it w as grandpa's time to reply, and he said, "You know, that's funny, Jim, I had a dream last night, tt'o. I dreamed 1 w ent to heaven and the U)rd gave me a piece of chalk and s;iid. Go over there and write down all your sins,’ and just at that time I met you leaving. I said. ‘Jim, what are you doing? Why are you going that way?’ And you said. ‘I’m going to get some- more chalk.’" Letters to Editor policy The News Journal welcomes Letters to the Editor and encourages readers to express their opinions. Letters must be signed and include an address and phone number. The street address and plume number will not be published, but are required so we may verify authenticity. The name of the writer and the town the wliter is from w ill be published at the end of the letter. We reserve the right to edit letters for grammar, its well as those that exceed .'^00 words. We will not publish letters that we consider to be in poor taste or slanderous. In some cases we may add an editor s note as a post script when we I'clieve aeorreclion. explanation or amplification is warranted. We may also, at our discretion, limit the number of times an individutil writer may submit ;i letter for publictition. llyju'ietecteioatdafell.. Letters to the Editor Church music director applauds Hoke County High’s program Dear l-ditor: Recently I had the opportunity of attending the annu:il band eoneerl at I loke County High School. M iss I .ind- say Orem, one of our fine y outh at the Raeford Presbyterian Church, inv ited me to attend. It was well worth my time to be present. ;ind ;i revelation ;is to the exciting things that ;ire happen ing in the Music Dep.irlmenl at I loke County High School. I want to ex press my sincere apprecitition to Mr. Al Strickland and his students lor the outstanding musical skills demon strated at this y ear's concert. I am the director of music :il the Raeford Pres byterian Church. Here are some of the c|ualilies and musical skills that I noticed being learned by the students. I appreeiale Ihe opportunity of passing this infor mation on to our eommunily. These young musicitins were well disciplined and demonstrated much dedication. I look note of the posture of the students. When possible the students watched their director for cues. This savs so much as for the kind of Iniining these students are getting. The intonation of the woodw ind section was way above average for most high school musicians. This is the section of the band that is most difficult to maintain proper pilch. The articulation of the brass sec tion was very well executed. The sound from the brass section was ex ceptionally clean and demonstrated much time spent in rehearsal. The percussion section played with enthusiasm, but were well trained in proper dynamics. In other words, they were not overwhelming but just right. I was impressed that the hand gave opportunity for a string player to be a part of the organization. This added a nice touch. The level of difficulty of music selected was most impressive. The students played their instruments with a very high level of competency and it was evident proper dynamics and rhythms are being taught. I was also impressed at the number of students who are taking advantage of the music program beingoffered at the high school. I can rememher in the past when I attended these concerts. There did not appear to be as much interest as in these days. I ;im very impressed with the leach- Beauty pageants and political conventions — relics of another time? Whav docs the Miss North Caro lina pageant have incommon with the upcoming political party conventions? Nothing. Or at least that is what I would have said until last Saturday. But when my daughter told me last Saturday how disappointed she was that the Miss North Carolina Pageant would not be on television, I first wondered why such a grown-up, serious law student would care. Then I started thinking. Our state's beauty contest (I know 1 am not supposed to call it that) used to be an event that brought many of us around the television sets for a common experience every year. We would admire and criticize and judge — picking our favorites, expressing our amazement at the talent and poise of some of the contestants, and the lack of such qualities in others. The contrived aspirations of some of the most attractive candidates sometimes brought out our laughter and some times our envy at their sincerity or their creativeness. We felt an exciting fearfulness for them upon the stage, where they were putting themselves up into the public eye, hoping for glory, but knowing there might be defeat and even ridi cule. In days gone by, the Miss America and Miss North Carolina pageants provided the most prominent route to “fame and success" for ambitious young women. And it gave many others a way to follow that pathway and identify w itii it. Today vast numbers of us watch Regis Philhin guide potential million aires. We are excited for the contestant and often imagine ourselves in their place. In that same way, the ptigeant contestants once drew us to the televi sion and perhaps sparked a secret long-shot hope that we, or someone in our family, could be there too. The pageants still open doors for successful contestants — and, of course, provide valuable training and experience for all participants. (I con fess cheerfully my delight in the win ner, Lorna McNeill, a rising senior at UNC-Pembroke, and 1 rejoice in the recognition her new title will bring to a university that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves.) But the bloom is off the beauty pageants. Even the winners sometimes feel compelled to explain their participation. You hear them saying pageant recognition is not at the center of their life's ambi tion. The JonBenet Ramsey model unfairly taints the entire enterprise. ^ One on One I). G. Maiiin Avoiding lightning strikes When a summer thunderstorm ap proaches and lightning begins to strike, most people heed the warning and seek shelter. But for many who work outdoors, including farmers and farm workers, there may be little time to find suitable shelter. The rule of thumb is to seek a low- lying areas because electricity is al ways looking for the fastest path to the ground. Water, metal, trees and even people can serve as a ready con ductor for this natural form of elec tricity. Hilltops, hillsides and build ings surrounded by flat fields, all lend to attract lightning. A stand of trees or a wooden rain shelter does not pro vide adequate protection according to farm safely experts. Get off tractors or other open metal vehicles. Avoid wire fences, clothes lines, metal pipes and rails. The idea is to keep low. A ditch could make a suitable refuge in case of emergency, but not if it is filled with water! Re member, water attracts lightning. Also, noteworthy is the fact that lightningcan strike several miles from its point of origin. Considering the S|x;ed with which a summer storm can travel, it's a good idea to seek shelter before a storm reaches overhead. What to do if struck First of all, people struck by light ning do not retain an “electriccharge," so it is not dangerous to provide assis tance. Even if a person appears life less, quick action may help to revive them. The American Red Cross sug gests using mouth-to-mouth resusci tation if a victim is not breathing. Also, administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) if both pulse and respiration are absent. Provide addi tional medical services as soon as possible. Even if a lightning-struck victim appears uninjured, he or she should be treated for shock. I.ook for burns around the fingers and toes and where metal objects such as jewelry or belt buckles are worn. The best overall advice is to keep abreast of weather conditions in your area, especially when planning out door activities. For further informa tion or personal protection from light ning and emergency response, con tact your local fire dept., EMS per sonnel or county extension service. Proof of our disengagement is that there are no longer enough potential television viewers to justify the broad cast of the Miss North Carolina pag eant. Part of the problem for the pag eants is that there are now so many oilier pathways to lame and success for talented women. As the doors have opened in business, politics, academic leadership, the pageant has passed from a place of real imixirtance to be merely a living relic in the social history of women. Like the debutante balls and the crowning of homecom ing queens, the pageant is no longer a retleetion of the way things are, but is reminder of the way things used to be. It just doesn't m;ike as much sense to glorify women’s feminine attrac tiveness when it is other trails that are- leading them to presidencies of uni versities, the chairmanships of large- business enterprises, and the net works of community leadership throughout out state and country. Later on last Saturday, I thought about all this again w hen I dropped by the Democrtilic Party's stale political cone ention. Just a few years ago, this activity would have lieen an all male- event. Women wouki have been there, of course, doing a lot of the work, but the men would have been in charge. The featured statewide candidates would have been men. Not so these days. A party chair- Writing Washington Phis information on national elected olTicials is printed as a cour tesy to our readers: U.S. Senate Sen. Jesse Helms 403 Dirksen Senate fJffice Build ing Washington. D.C. 2(I.S 10-3.301 (202) 224-().342 e-mail: jesse_helms(r/ helms.senate.gov Sen. John l-dwards 825 Hart Senate Office Building Washington. D.C. 20510-005 (202) 221 301 e-mail: senalorCo edwards.senate.gov iosh_stein(«‘edwards.senate.gov Eighth District Rep. Robin Hayes 130('annon House Office Build ing Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-3715 e-mail: www.house.gov/hayes (ricliard.hudson(o mail.hou.se.gov or robin.hayesfrr mail.house.gov) Richard Hudson, Director District Office 1-888-207-1311 (loll free) ing skills of Ms. Jenni Lazauskas, the present choral director of Hoke County High School. I had the opportunity to attend a rehearsal recently and was thankful with what is being accom plished in the area of choral music. Do your best as a parent, relative or friend, to encourage your student to join one of the fine choral organiza tions being offered. Also, make it a high priority to attend all concerts being presented during the school year. 1 want to take this opportunity to encourage all parents and students to take advantage of the wonderful mu sic program bei ng offered in our schrKil system. Hoke High School has a his tory of strong support for music and the arts. I hope it will continue for many years to come. Many people have made music a career because of the training they received through our Hoke County School System. I be lieve the Stateof North Carolina would do itself a valuable service to require every student be enrolled in a music class, chorus, band, orchestra or theory class. It has been proven over and over again that people who study music in high school, make the best SAT scores, and are far more harmo nious in their relationships with teach ers, parents, and friends. They dem onstrate discipline in dress, and are (See LETTERS, page 3A) woman ran the convention and prc-. sided with authority. A woman candi.- dale for lieutenant governor inspired the convention with her speaking— showing that she will a formidable contender this fall when she oppose the other party’s candidate, who is also an impressive woman. These women are attractive, and part of their attractiveness no doubt comes from the qualities of grace, good looks and talent that the beauty pageants cel ebrate. But much more of their appeal today rests on their ability to orga nize, lead, and recruit support, and on their success in securing and using power. All that said, let’s go back to my original question. What do the pag eants have in common with the up coming political conventions? The party conventions are going the way of beauty contests. 'Iliey, too, are becoming relics of a time gone by, of a time when those gatherings made important decisions and introduced us to our future lead ers. Historically, these events — like the beauty pageants — brought us together around our television sets to watch the drama of the selection pro cess, and to identify with the partici pants. But it won't be that way this year. The important decisions have all been made. Fewer and fewer of us will watch the acting out of scripts written by political staffs. With such declin ing viewership, the networks will back away. And the party conventions, like the Miss North Carolina Pageant, will fade away from our television com mon experience, leaving it to Regis Phibin and his colleagues to bring us together and give us compelling real life drama. The News-Journal Published every Wednesday by Dickson Press, Inc., Paul Dickson Pres. 119 W. El wood Avenue Raeford, North Carolina 28376 (910) 875-2121 Call for fax number PRINTED WITH SOYINK Home Page: http://ww w.dick.sonpress.com ^ e-mail: Njournal @) coastalnet.com llr^ Njournal@ aol.com Subscription Kates in Advance In Hoke County: $14 — one year $8 — six months Out of county: $17 — one year $9.50 — six months Out of state: $20 — one year $11 — six months Robert Dickson Publisher Ken MacDonald General Manager Pat Allen Wilson Editor Victoriana Summers Reporter Kristin Guthrie Reporter Henry L. Blue Production Supervisor Mantise Andrews PreSs Foreman Sum C. Morris Contributing Editor Tcena Jones Advertising Representative Composing Room Staff Robin Thompkins, Sandra Wiggins Postmaster: Send address changes to: P.O. Box 550 Raeford, N.C. 28376 Penodical Class Postage at Raeford, N.C. 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The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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June 21, 2000, edition 1
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