IN
OUR
OPINION
H
Little red head
just had to get |
in out of heat
I'd had
my eye on
his chubby
red cheeks
for several
days. Each
day the sun
was bright
and hot he
got redder
andredder.| = B
Finally, I Gary Stewart
couldn't - Editor
stand it any =
longer. I had to rescue him
and get him inside in the
cool air.
With a sharp knife I put
him out of his misery. And
into my tummy. Then
destroyed the evidence so
the wife would never know
what I'd done.
One of the things I look
forward to the most each
summer is that first, home-
grown, vine-ripe tomato
sandwich. But for some rea-
son, this year I had to wait
much longer than in the
past - perhaps because I
planted later than usual and
perhaps because the heavy
rains made a lot of them rot
before they got ripe (I'm not
complaining about the rain,
though, remembering last
year’s drought).
But, maybe the wait made
it that much better.
There’s not many things
in this world better than a
fresh juicy tomato, sliced
and placed between two
pieces of loaf bread and
smothered with mayonnaise
and black pepper. A little
sprinkling of sugar doesn’t
hurt either. Like the old
potato chip commercial
used to say, betcha can’t eat
just one.
If you could only find
those ice cold, six-ounce
Coca Colas in real bottles to
wash it down with it would
be perfect.
I guess I inherited my
love for tomato sandwiches
from my mother, because
since my earliest childhood
I can remember her always
looking forward to that first
ripe tomato. Back in those
days, when there wasn’t
that much pollution in the
air and people didn’t use
pesticides on their garden,
you thought nothing of
picking a tomato right off
the vine and eating it.
Today, I wouldn't even
think about it. I not only
have to wash my hands and
the tomato before I start
peeling it; but wash the
knife off several times dur-
ing the process.
Now, thank goodness, the
ripe tomatoes are coming
quite frequently and hardly
a day goes by that I can’t eat
one. When the garden goes
by the wayside, though, I'll
swear off them until next
year.
Those store-bought toma-
toes are just not the same.
A sgh a tn. edi staat wa een Sit AT A Ap a gl at re
ves
Z,
The ® Kings Mountain Herald
LOOKING BACK
=
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Editor: Gary Stewart ® 739-7496
LOOK BACK
The Kings Mountain 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars went undefeated to win the District 4 championship in Monroe in
1974. Team members are front row, left to right, Preston Short, Bryon White, Craig Bell, David Robinson, Ronnie
Wilson, Greg Huffstetler and Chris Barrett. Second row, David Scruggs, Jeff Steele, Mike Byers, Vincent Haynes, Tim
Whitaker, Scott Yarboro and Mike Mitchell. Back row, coach Max Bolin, coach Jimmy White, David Cobb, Danny Bolin,
coach Charles Wilson and coach Steve Wilson.
Distance between
here and China
getting smaller
The distance between Kings Mountain apdie Brymer
and China got smaller Saturday after- Staff Writer
noon. Film maker David Redmon’s
“Mardi Gras: Made in China” provided
the bridge.
Joey and I saw the film while taking in a documentary
matinee during the Cleveland County Arts Council's Real
to Reel Film Fest. Shortly before the films were shown, I
got a chance to talk with Redmon.
While shooting footage of Mardi Gras, the annual New
strands of plastic beads revelers wore around their necks.
Redmon knew women and sometimes men, usually under
the influence of alcohol, often exposed themselves for the
beads. Others were purchased i in stores along Bourbon
Street.
The young film maker recognized that a deeper story
lay beneath the alcohol, exhibitionism and cheap neck-
laces. Since by profession he teaches on globalization
issues, Redmon wasn’t surprised that the beads were pro-
duced somewhere besides America. Indeed, they come
from half way around the world, from China.
Being very brave, Redmon soon booked a flight to
China. He visited several factories asking permission to
film. One man finally granted it. Redmon wouldn't tell us
exactly what he said to be given entry, but I doubt the fac-
tory owner knew how the footage would be used.
Once inside the factory, Redmon interviews three young
Chinese women. One woman was particularly eager to
talk. Because the Chinese language is so unfamiliar to me,
I cannot remember her name.
I had heard for years about the sweatshops across Asia
where cheap and not so cheap trinkets, clothing and elec-
tronics equipment are made, mostly for the consumption
of the western world. After seeing this woman's face,
those workers stopped being a large group of underpaid
people.
Now they are individual women. I can still see the 19-
year-old woman's open, friendly face. She told Redmon
she made around 10 cents an hour.
I know that 10 cents an hour means more in China than
America but it’s still 10 cents an hour compared to our
$5.15 an hour minimum wage. The factory owner report-
ed making $2 million a year. I don’t know if hubris influ-
enced the man to stretch his salary or if the number is
See Andie, 5A
Orleans pre-Lent free for all, he was struck by the multiple
There are many
lessons that we
all have to learn
Jim Heffner
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
wastebasket unread.
© We get plenty of them at the newspaper office, and
¢ most of them are never read. We figure anybody who
© doesn’t have the guts to sign, deserves no response.
There have been many cases where people have lost
their jobs because someone with an axe to grind wrote
¢ an anonymous letter to the boss.
In most cases where people are fired Pecause of such a
letter, the person or organization says no weight was
given to the letter, but “an investigation was launched,”
and something turned up in a background check that
caused the punitive action. It doesn’t matter how old the
. information is or that the individual has been an exem-
© plary employee.
© What that means is that suspicions were aroused, and
¢ the employee was actually fired because of the letter.
© That is so unfair, it’s almost criminal.
I suspect that not very many people in the world have
. toed the line every minute of every day of their lives.
¢ Anyone who fires a person because of an anonymous
_ letter is just as cowardly, if not more so, than the letter
© writer.
¢ Watch your children — Everyone who is against the
© death penalty, please take note.
© Last week, an eleven-year-old girl was stalked and
| finally assaulted twice in a department store in S.
¢ Charleston, W. Va. The security camera pictures made all
. the national news shows.
¢ The man posed as a security guard, and led the young
¢ girl, at knife-point, to another part of the store and raped
© her. This didn’t seem to satisfy the pedophile, so he took
© her to another part of the store, and repeated the heinous
© act.
¢ I would have no trouble pulling the switch on this
© guy. I can’t help but wonder what makes a man a sub-
| human.
© All children must be watched closely, even in a public
¢ place.
Driving requires total concentration — The elderly
¢ gentleman who plowed into a crowd, killing 10 and
# injuring 45 should have been taken off the road long
ago. His family knew he was having problems keeping
See Jim, 5A
RAR
Guest Column
Anonymous letters should be tossed into a.m
Tornado did
damage in
KM in 1974
From the July 25, 1974
edition of the Kings
Mountain Mirror:
Contending he was fired
for “public relations rea-
sons,” Assistant Director of
the Kings Mountain
Redevelopment
Commission John Hall
attended the KMRC meet-
ing to find out “what the
real reasons were for my
dismissal.”
In their regular meeting
Tuesday morning, mem-
bers of the KMRC
approved a resolution ask-
ing the Department of
Housing and Urban
Development to extend the
budget for an additional
two years.
Many Kings Mountain
residents have asked what
the “coal cost adjustment”
line on their June utilities
bill meant. According to
z City Clerk Joe McDaniel
the coal cost adjustment
charge is the cost per kilo-
watt hour charged the city
by Duke Power Co.
Until the city board of
commissioners pass a reso-
lution calling for the elec-
tion to change the name of
. John H. Moss Reservoir to
Kings Mountain Lake, and
submit it to the city elec-
tion board in writing, no
action can be taken by the
election board.
Kings Mountain's 13-
year-old Babe Ruth all-
stars nipped Park Road of
Charlotte 3-2 Sunday to
win the District
Championship and
advance to the state finals
in Concord later this week.
Tim Whitaker tripled and
scored the winning run on
a fielder’s choice in the
{bottom of the sixth inning.
Kings Mountain High's
footballers open pre-season
practice Monday, August 5
in preparation for their
1974 opener August 30
against North Gaston.
Kings Mountain's
Mickey Powers and Ray
Adams of Fayetteville fired
a 6-under-par 138 Saturday
and Sunday to win the
Kings Mountain Country
Club Member-Guest Golf
Tournament.
A flash tornado did con-
siderable damage to boats
and a house trailer on the
Kings Mountain lake
Saturday evening. A
mobile home belonging to
Hazel Sexton was picked
up and totally demolished
i by the high wind. Tommy
Brooks and Red Johnson
and Johnson's two sons
were attempting to dock
their boat when the wind
hit the craft and tore it up.
SIDEWALK
SURVEY
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
THE HERALD
Should
city council
members “Four years. You get used “Four years. Give them “One year because in two “Stay with the two year “Stay at two years. If
to the same person.” long enough to get things years time they can disap- term.” things are not going good,
tw situated.” point a lot of people.” it can be corrected.”
Serve gon Trish Ledford Ronnie Franks j
four year Gastonia Steven Johnston Rusty Padget Kings Mountain James Anderson
Kings Mountain Kings Mountain Kings Mountain
terms? |
— I Zo
SS