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4A ♦ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2006 Mouston OPINION Daniel F. Evans President Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Group Marketing Don Moncrief Managing Editor Thanks, Michael Froehlich The Georgia National Fair keeps stack ing up awards and honors, includ ing some brand new ones from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. None of this comes as a surprise to Houston Countians, who remember the days, back in the late 1980 s, when the whole thing was still at the idea stage, and Perry’s native son, Rep. Larry Walker, was absolutely determined to see it become a reality. Then there was the competition to have the fair located in Perry, and Finally there was the excitement of seeing the build- ing begin, and attending the First fair. Since those early days, the staff of the Georgia National Fair and Agricenter have stayed true to its orig inal purpose - providing a great site for young people to show off their livestock and a way to boost Georgia talent. It has also grown steadily as a major tourist draw for the area, a time for outstand ing entertain ment and fun, and a year-round location for a wide array of events, from horse shows to trade fairs. It just keeps getting bigger and better, and it’s probably past time to single out the man at the helm - Executive Director Michael Froehlich - a soft-spoken man who loves his work and puts his whole heart into it, leading a first-rate team of professionals year round in an ongoing effort to make the Georgia National Fair a source of pride for the whole state. Michael Froehlich also takes an interest in the community around him, is a member of the Kiwanis Club and has served on the Airport Authority as well. He’d be the first to say that many more people are involved in making the fair a suc cess, but we still believe that having a man of Froehlich’s experience, professionalism and enthusiasm has been a key factor in the success of the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter. Letter to the Editor Where is the impact? The developer of a subvision has to employ a licensed engineer to design the project to meet the requirement of the municipality. We install all water and sewer lines, all underground, storm drainage. We furnish land and build retention ponds, we do all grading, curb and gutter pav ing. We even pay for all street light poles and fixtures. We give all this to the city or county then we pay to connect water and sewer to each house, plus building permits also. We pay other fees to the city, county and state. You might say what about the increased population, which requires more fire stations, more firefighters, more policemen and so on, OK, what about the increase tax income on a house and lot versus under developed land, which is multiplied many times over, plus increase in SPLOST tax from new comers. And I suspect there would be an increase in fran chise income from power companies, cable companies and telephone companies. Where would the impact be? On the home buyer. Pete Stokes, Houston County PS. - I've been building and developing in Houston County for over 55 years. Send your Letters to the Editor to: The Houston Daily Journal P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, Ga 31069 or Email: hhj@evansnewspapers.com Audrey Evans Vice President Marketing!Advertising Foy S. Evans Editor Emeritus Since those early days, the staff of the Georgia National Fair and Agricenter have stayed true to its original purpose - providing a great site for young people to show off their livestock and a way to boost Georgia talent. It has also grown steadily as a major tourist draw for the area, a time for outstanding entertainment and fun, and a year-round loca tion for a wide array of events, from horse shows to trade fairs. Turning procreation into self-actualization I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first? Let’s start with the good. The good news is that advances in reproductive science have afforded adults who long to be parents the opportunity to do so. The bad news is, well, that advances in reproductive sci ence have afforded adults who long to be parents the opportunity to do so. My wife and I know from experi ence how deep that longing can be, particularly when months and years pass without experiencing the joy and wonder of the arrival of a child. It was for us, as it is for tens of thousands of Americans, a profoundly difficult time. Reproductive science, though not ultimately “successful” for my wife and me, has blessed many people worldwide with pregnancies they would not have had in previous generations. That’s good. The bad news related to advances in reproductive technologies is that it is, in many cases, leading some to elevate the desires of adults over the needs of children. Consider these recent developments: - Advances in in-vitro fertilization, which were originally developed to help couples with infertility problems, are now being used to help single people have children with the help of anonymous donors. - Stem cell research has introduced the very real possibility that a cloned child could soon be born. - Scientists are even putting forth the possibility that procreation could soon be possible from the genes of only one person! - Scientists believe that one day soon it will be possible for same-sex couples , AW\ 1///AA / et the love of Christ fill 4^' ' A your world - Odd, opulent the true stuff of gift giving SOMEWHERE .IN THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING UNIVERSE - I’m spending the day at a mall, the holiest of holy hubs for all that is good and right and retail during the holidays. Of course, I’m also on my computer, the other nexus of gift giving in today's economy. And, aside from my day’s worth of wireless woes, I understand that much of this year’s profit margin rhymes with URL. The Web is also a better choice to find the extravagant, the tasteless and the downright goofy gift, my subject today. Still, a 15-inch screen and great graphics are hardly the stuff of holiday spirit. I prefer bricks, mortar and eye contact for Yuletide ambiance. Besides, the Wi-Fi hot spot from which I write is colder than Wenceslas’ driveway. And the only food court on a Web site is your kitchen. The early-morning mall traffic was primarily walkers, getting in their exercise and a little window shopping along the way. They are a friendly lot, too, prone to conversation in motion, a mobile chat room, ready to meet and greet and never break stride. The place broke out in a mild bus tle about noon, making it difficult to see where shoppers ended and din ers began. Throw in some Christmas music, tinselly glitter and wide-eyed kids outside the toy store, and I had a sudden urge to buy an. overpriced bau ble. Such is the Spirit of Xmas Present at the mall. If I’m looking for a motorized ice cream cone, however, boot me up and OPINION Randy Hicks Columnist Georgia Family Council to create a child from their own DNA. All of these advances seem, on the surface, to be making children a real ity for people who would not normally have that option. But at what cost? What effects are these “emerging fam ily structures” having on the children they create? All of these scenarios represent a conscious decision by one or more peo ple to deny a child either a mother or father. What is the problem with that? Even though loving single par ents want to give their children all they need emotionally, social science proves both a mother and father bring some thing special, unique and needed to the life of a child. One challenge all parents face (myself included) is to avoid reducing parent ing to a simple means of self-actualiza tion, whereby we seek to live out our own dreams and validate who we are through our children. Seeking to have a child at all costs, regardless of what’s in the best interest of that child, may prove to be harmful. The ends do not necessarily justify the means. The question is not whether children love the parents who raise them or vice versa. Rather, the questions are these: Are we putting children at risk by intentionally denying them either their mother or father (or both)? In George Ayoub Columnist Morris News Service log me on. That movable frozen feast is among a number of gifts I have found that will probably not show up on your list - or anyone else’s. The cone, an $8.99 ceramic affair that turns the ice cream, has some utility as well. A cold-and-tasty on the move means a more uniform eating pattern and fewer drips. I saw it at perpetualkid.com. I found no utility in L.L. Bean’s sl2 snowball maker. That’s right, a pair of plastic tongs with scoops on the ends, when squeezed, can indeed do what millions of kids have done for years with their hands - for free. Makes you wonder if schematic draw ings for the building of snowmen are available. After a little search, I found even better prices for the snowball maker, but why bother? You might need a silver-plated bobby’s whistle, however, in case your holidays turn into a bloody bore and all that. A couple toots from this shiny bad boy could turn a trainspotter into a mate. You can get one for $29 at Hammacher Schlemmer and Bob’s your uncle. God Save the Queen. Cheerio. Of course, one should check to see if the bobby’s whistle works in weight- ~fl Bh HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL such cases, are we making it more diffi cult for children to make sense of their identities? This latter question is more impor tant than one might think at first glance. For example, look at situations in which an anonymous donor has fathered multiple children in a com munity. None of the mothers know who the father really is outside of a donor number and a DNA profile. How do you explain to a child that they may have siblings running around by a person they don’t even know? Most children face enough problems with identity issues already. Many mothers in this situation have admitted that they honestly did not think their children would be adverse ly affected by their decision to use a sperm bank and be a single parent, but as the first generation of these children is coming into adolescence, we are see ing otherwise. Online affinity groups are being formed by “test tube” groups who don’t know who their fathers are. These young people often say they were denied the birthright of being raised by, or at least knowing about, their biological fathers. They say that this intentional denial profoundly shapes their quest to understand who they are. A recent report by the Institute for American Values documented the fol lowing results from studying some of these groups: “They Ithe children] ask how the state can aid and defend a practice that denies them their birthright to know and be raised by their own parents See HICKS, page *4 lessness, in case a friend pops for the Virgin Galactic Six-Person Charter to Space found in this year’s Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. That’s space, cowboy, as in 63 miles above the earth. Yes, $1,764,000 for the gig may sound expensive, but you do get four night’s lodging at a schmancy resort after the flight and a pair of astronaut wings. Payment Alert, Pal: If you plan to write a check for the charter, I’m guessing you’ll need two forms of ID. For the imminently promotable on your list, how about giving them a chance, a foot in the door, literally. The Foot in the Door is a stylish black or red pump designed to be used as a doorstop. Simply slip the $12.99 pointed toe under any door and you are in business - well, maybe we should say you are open for business. The least expensive gift on my odd and outlandish list is the Pro Thumb Wrestling Ring, a steal at $5.99. The ring has posts and ropes and measures 5 inches on each side. After wrestlers slip their thumbs between the two holes in opposite corners, they are ready to “thumble.” (Sorry!) Finally, what holiday gift exchange would be complete without the iPod Dock Toilet Paper Dispenser, which redefines the term “musical library?” Do you hear what I hear? It’s your music when you want it. Why respond to nature with the randomness of radio? Simply dock your iPod, crank up the built-in speakers and do your duty. Pricey at SIBO, the iPod Dock Toilet Paper Dispenser is a gift that can leave the giver looking good and the receiver sitting pretty.