Newspaper Page Text
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► WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Foy S. Evans
Vice President Editor Emeritus
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Northside shows the way;
Perry makes community proud
First to Northside coaches (players, fans and
everyone else in Big Blue country): Our congratu
lations. Making it to the Georgia Dome in back-to
back-to-back years is quite and accomplishment
but even that pales in comparison to the program
you have built.
It’s hard to know for sure, but since your first
trip to the Georgia Dome back in 1999 (and there
was a 12-1 year before that) we don’t believe
there’s been a better program in all of the state
(109-11 from 1999 until this past Friday) - maybe
even in the nation.
A lot has been made about the accomplishments
of our Warner Robins American Little Leaguers
- justifiably so - but the biggest winners (ranked
No. 9 in the latest Sports Illustrated may very well
reside at 926 Green Street in Warner Robins.
Now to Perry. There’s nothing we can say to
take away the sting of what happened to you
Friday. We’re sure since that time you’ve had a
multitude of pats on the back. All well deserved
but not what you want to hear is it?
The truth is, a trip to the Georgia Dome - a
state championship - was the ultimate goal you
had in mind. Anything less was unacceptable.
So, for people to tell you that you did good, that
you had a great year, is really nice but sounds too
much like “second place” doesn’t it?
That’s OK, we understand. You set the bar high.
That’s what we had hoped you would do.
Bus, at the same time, we would be remiss if
we didn’t point out have grateful we are to you
as a community. You see, Perry fans have seen
some bad football. In fact, since at least 1994
Panther fans have seen, some good but mostly
terrible, football. We have had to endure one los
ing season after another, in fact only two winning
seasons during that time - and one of those was
at 6-5.
That isn’t to imply Perry High School doesn’t
have a rich tradition. It just hasn’t been in foot
ball.
But since you, Head Coach Andy Scott - and
company - took over that has changed. You said
you wanted to build a program at Perry. Time
being a testament - you were 8-4 in 2005, 7-4 in
2006 and 9-4 this year, you have done just that.
Imagine the Perry of old. Fans, players, cheer
leaders, students preparing for the big Friday
night game. Only based on its history they did so
with this thought in mind: “Well, there’s a better
than 70 percent chance (that number is based on
actual figures) we’re going to lose.”
Imagine what that must have been like in terms
of school spirit.
Today, however, the fans, players, cheerlead
ers, students prepare with an air of excitement.
They go to a game believing - believing: “We’re
going to win!”
Now THAT is school spirit!
No, you didn’t make the Georgia Dome. It really
wasn’t fair. And based on how you played - turn
overs excluded - it REALLY wasn’t fair. But, as
no consolation, it wouldn’t have been fair if North
Hall had lost, either. This would have marked
their second-straight year of reaching the quar
terfinals only to fall short.
The thing we’re hoping you realize coaches and
staff is just how much you’ve meant to Perry High
School even without the Georgia Dome.
So, forgive us if we join the hordes trying to
console you today. We too say you did and are
doing a great job, but when we do, we’re not just
talking about one game.
j Letters to the editor
\ Pleased with library land purchase
I
I am very pleased that our county commissioners have
purchased a plot of land on Gunn Road for their new
i branch of the Centerville Library. This will triple the size of
| the current, cramped, heavily used facility (4,200 square
! feet versus 15,000 square feet) and vastly expand its
; offerings in a lovely new, cheerful facility, with the latest
I technology.
j< The price of the land sold by Eagle Springs LLC (Charles
[ McGlamary?) for less than three acres was $414,600
See LETTER, page yA
mm wmyags* iPiii mb* '%%% imsi
On Russian election, mope
Keeping an eye on interesting
events during the past few
days:
■ Russia held an election over the
past weekend. United States officials
asked for an investigation of irregular
voting. It was a Russian election. Not
the USA. We stick our necks into every
nation’s internal affairs and wonder
why our country is so disliked around
the world.
How would we react if Russia, or any
other country, demanded an investiga
tion of our elections?
■ I remember a few years ago when
the city of Warner Robins was required
by the federal government to begin
charging the same rates for county resi
dents as city residents paid for water
and sewer service.
I learned today that rule does not
apply everywhere. In Atlanta the city is
permitted to charge customers in unin
corporated areas higher prices.
■ It’s absurd that the state is spend
ing millions of dollars to provide a
defense for Brian Nichols, who gunned
down people in an Atlanta courtroom
and elsewhere.
Why can’t they get on with a simple
trial on a murder they can prove eas
ily?
■ Sudan continues to be a country
__ , - JMt Jh
- - -
Time for Christmas
Give your kids the gift that keeps on giving
By STEPHEN DANIELS
Georgia Family Council
It’s that time of year again, the
“season of giving.” And we know
what that means: crowded malls,
long lines, scarce parking and elusive
gifts for that hard-to-buy-for relative.
Unless you are one of those wise
souls who stockpiles bargains found
throughout the year (like my wife),
finding the perfect gift, or just being
able to find enough gifts for everyone
on the list can be a sacrifice of time,
effort and money.
Giving gifts, aside from being a part
of the holiday tradition, is an oppor
tunity to express love and gratitude
to our family and friends. There is an
inherent symbolism in the act of giving
something of value to someone deemed
worthy to receive it.
Whether the gift is big or small, at
some level it is a meaningful expres
sion because giving something away is
an act of sacrifice.
Most of us probably remember a
favorite toy we received at Christmas
- the one we’d longed for and were
ecstatic to receive. It probably brought
us months or maybe years of enjoy
ment, but the gift probably did not
have any long-term impact on our life.
However, there is something parents
can give their children, not just at
Christmas, but throughout their grow
ing up years that can have a positive
long-term impact on who they are. It
doesn’t require a trip to Toys R Us or
the Visa card, but it does require a lot
of sacrifice. It’s the gift of time.
For all of us time is a valuable com
“One rou e ran nut/ve a c/iff e/ e/u <*
Columnist MKf
foyevansl9@cox.net
“One of the absirdßies of
this Christmas season Is a
. call by some groups that
Santas slim down to prove
that they are on the good
health bandwagon.”
where mass murders are condemned
by civilized nations that do nothing but
complain.
How many millions of US dollars are
given to this government every year?
Why do we subsidize something we
abhor?
■ One of the absurdities of this
Christmas season is a call by some
modity. It’s one of the few things every
human being has an equal amount to
spend. How we do so is largely up to
us. And when it comes to kids, it’s a
parent’s most worthwhile investment.
If you think about it, most of us
have been influenced by the amount
and quality of time our parents spent
with us. Now that I’m a father, I have
thought back over my own childhood
and evaluated my experience through
the lens of a parent. It didn’t cross my
mind then, but looking back I realize
how much time my parents sacrificed
for me and my brothers.
Were there times when they passed
on opportunities to do what they want
ed to for our sake? You bet. Did it make
a positive difference in my life? You
bet.
Growing up, I was blissfully unaware
of the impact the time my family spent
together was having on my life. But I
can see looking back how it provided
me with a sense of security and iden
tity that has followed me into adult
hood.
Now I’m the one learning about the
challenges of parenting, including how
to manage the time I spend with my
kids. With three children ages five and
under it sometimes seems like my wife
and I are in perpetual survival mode
to keep up with nonstop demands that
come with raising children. And we’re
aware that those demands will evolve
as our children grow.
But one thing that will not change is
the ongoing need for us to give the gift
of time.
It often comes easy. My children
BELIEF
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
groups that Santas slim down to prove
that they are on the good health band
wagon.
This is as silly as the decision in one
community to dress Santa in grey.
■ It seems that methane as a fuel fad
may not last long. Critics now claim
that the cost to the economy in relation
to the savings on fuel is negative.
The cost of com is soaring because
it is being diverted from foods usage
to methanol. This is something we can
keep our eyes on.
■ There was news that scientists
are concerned about the harm that
radiation from CAT scans can cause.
That’s interesting. I’ve been exposed to
so much radiation in the past 10 days
that I could light up a home throughout
Christmas.
■ Doesn’t it disgust you when you go
into a store (electronics, especially) and
the salesperson has little or no knowl
edge of the product?
We’re seeing more and more of
untrained, unskilled sales people push
ing products they know nothing about.
How wonderful it is when you discover
that precious salesperson who knows
his product. It’s a pleasure to spend
your money with him.
This time of year there are just too
many order takers.
are energetic, inquisitive and creative
- a recipe for fun and excitement. But
there are also those times when it’s not
so easy - usually when I’m tired, busy,
or would just plain rather do what I
want to do.
That’s the moment when I have
to remind myself that time is a gift
that can reap long-term rewards for
my kids, and that there is sacrifice
involved.
It’s doesn’t take a genius to know
that children whose parents spend a
great deal of time with them are more
likely to thrive. After all, who is better
equipped to impart values and charac
ter into their lives than the people who
care for them the most, know them
best and are more invested in their
well-being.
Time together can make a difference.
A recent report from the National
Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse at Columbia University found a
correlation between time spent togeth
er as a family at the dinner table and
substance abuse. Teenagers who do not
eat dinner with their family on a regu
lar basis are more likely to abuse pre
scription and illegal drugs, use tobacco
and drink alcohol than teenagers who
do.
There is debate about whether it
is the quality or the quantity of time
parents spend with their children that
matters. I don’t think it’s an either/or
issue. Both are important because each
communicates love and worth to a
child and provides important opportu
nities for influence.
See DANIELS, page yA