Houston times-journal. (Perry, Ga.) 1994-1999, September 04, 1996, Image 4

Houston times-journal., September 04, 1996, Page Page 4A, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextViewpoints Our Views Big day here The day many Perryans have awaited for years is here. Sept. 8, members of the Houston County Board of Education will join U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn in dedicating the restored Perry Consolidated School as the Houston County Board of Education offices. Included in the building are two museum displays. One is about education in Houston County. The other includes memorabilia of Nunn’s which he will have on display at the building. Nunn, a member of the last graduating class from that building when it served as Perry High School, has been instrumental in helping restore the building. We hope an enthusiastic crowd will be present for the event which begins at 2 p.m. Poem about Perry P.A.L.s Editor: There once was a “sleepy little Burg”, Perry was its name. It was the coun ty’s best kept secret and the “Crossroads” was its fame. Since the popu lation was Letters to the Editor P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga.„ 31069 diverse, its - ' industry began to grow. But yet, the little people were not to be forgotten by this industrial show. In recent years “Project Agape Love” amassed some loyal residents Whose goal it was to bring a ray of hope and a bit of love to the local indigents. So they decided to start a food drive in the fall. And PAL is ever grateful to the borrowed building from y’all. Their efforts began to blossom from the generosity of the many Due to their caring for their neighbors-soon the col lected food good became plenty. Now times have come, and times have gone, and the need for this drive is still there. And soon PAL will be asking for your “extra gro ceries” as if, there are any to “spare.” We ask for an input, from each of the “haves” with a sincere wish That we will do our best to ensure it goes to those neediest, South of SR 96. We ask that you give corporately and that the stu dents show their competition This will ensure each of the needy will get some form of Christmas nutrition. We give to families-from a single person to a “foot ball team” of eleven. We don’t pass judgement on the recipients, we leave that to heaven. We sort the goods ‘til late in the night, so that each family gets their fair portion. If we are shy of foods and we have the funds, we are off to a store to settle the notion. Our annual goal is to collect as much food for the needy as possible, To fill over 400 boxes of groceries for more than 1200 people, it could seem impossible. But PAL has "Pulled-It-Off” each year, so far... But, we know its only because of your help That we can distribute the food, the way that we do. Without you we couldn't let out a yelp. This year we will again, have food boxes in the schools and about the town. We ask you to support the local merchants who sup port us without a frown. We hope to have our “corporate” sponsors and we really do appreciate their “pull.” They help make our shelves (they're borrowed too) look closer to being full. The schools pull their share. It's a delight to see the assistance the kids can add We see the goodness in our town, and we can feel it when it uplifts the sad. When you place a box of groceries in a trunk, and all you can see is blacktop and half of a jack, You realize the box is made up of more than just some cans, it is more than just a snack. It could be several days of food, it could be a much desired sleep, all through the night. We don’t have all the answers, not even a few, but we have seen some joy, doing what’s right. PAL could use your help, in several different ways. We need more than your groceries, we could use some of your days. If you feel a bit thankful for what you have, share a little of your life, and leam the happiness of helping a cause, it could (See LETTERS, Page SA) Houston limes-Journal P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga. 31069 (912)987-1823 •(912)988-1181 (fax) e mail jjedit@hom.net Bob Tribble President Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager John Smalley Advertising Sales News Emily Johnstone. Pauline Lewis, Rick Johnstone; Sports: Phil Clark; Classified Tour convinces me to vote yes’ for school bonds 1 am a stake holder in the Houston County school system (my almost three acres of land and a house make me a stake holder). The state of repair of the buildings, the need for addition al space, and the quality of education which our students are receiving cause me concern. That’s why I spent a half-dozen hours accompanying Houston County School Superintendent Tony Hinnant on a recent tour of many of our coun ty schools. At the 13 schools we visited, I saw conditions ranging from very good to very bad. Some of our students attend school in buildings which would be the envy of anyone who graduated 30 years or more ago air conditioning, carpet, all those things which we did n’t have. ~718 ~~ ~ %■, i -fT’ ' ♦. -■ : 7 v y'.-'*"';. What is the role of a \web browser ? Let’s say, for the moment, that you’ve made the great jump into cyber space. You bought the computer, with all the bells and whistles, and signed up with an Internet service provider. “What next?” you think as you stare at a neat stack of diskettes and a thin manual that is supposed to get you con nected. Well, once you get through the installation procedure (and they are becoming more painless every day), you will almost instantly be using the übiquitous window to the Internet or call it your personal cyber space craft-otherwise known as a Web browser. Briefly, since we’ve covered this territory, the World Wide Web is a pub lishing medium on the Internet. Practically anyone connected to the network can make a multimedia hyper text document available to the world through the Web. Others who wish to view the document use a Web browser to retrieve and display it. Think of the Web as an immense File cabinet, with millions of drawers, each with thousands of file folders (a bureaucrat’s dream!). Each of these Files is uniquely indexed to the whole, and you can instantly Find any file for retrieval if you know its unique loca tion (a librarian’s dream!). On the Web, these locations are called “Uniform Resource Locators” or URLs. You simply “point” your brows er “at” a URL that is, tell your browser to retrieve the File at that unique location and it dutifully goes off to complete the task, then displays the results for you. Your Web browser determines how files, also known as hypertext docu ments, or just Web sites, are displayed on your computer’s monitor. It also determines how other aspects of the Web site are processed, from anima tion, to sound, to video, to a fully inter active 3 dimensional tour of a Boeing Page 4A • Wed., Sept. 4,1996 Ads: Brandy Meeks Composition: Chad Lewis; Circulation and Photography: Eric Zellars; Bookkeeping: Jada Harris Our Policies Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page undci the label of Our Views reflect the position of the Houston Times-Journal Signed columns and letters on this page (and elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of this newspaper Signed letters to the editor are welcomed Please limit Idlers to KM) words and include addresses and a telephone number for verification purposes letters are not published with out verification. Letters should he sent to PO Drawer M , Perry. Ga 1 1069, or brought to the newspaper office at KO7 Carroll St., Perry Our liability for an emu will not exceed the cost ol space occupied by ihe emu. We cannol he responsible lor the return ol pictures or submitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is included Jj Johnson Editor There are problems, though. Light green is the color of many of the walls in Houston County schools. That’s because 18 years ago, a major painting project resulted in gallons of green paint being applied to these walls. Much of that green paint is still visible. At some schools, the education process has interruptions for students, teachers and administrators to dodge water pouring in from the ceiling dur ing rain storms. At Tucker Steve Bermon Internet connection 111 cockpit (really!). The Web site designer controls many of the aspects of how the site appears on your monitor, but, unlike newspapers and television, not all Web browsers display the same information the same way. This brings us to a very important point: it matters what Web browser you are using, and even what version of the particular Web browser you have installed. This is kind of like saying that you have to buy gas for 1996 model cars at different pumps from 1995 cars, but with the Internet, that’s the way it is. Fortunately, you can upgrade your browser software directly on the Internet, usually at no additional cost, unlike upgrading your automobile. There are many Web browsers available to Internet users, but the two major contenders today are Microsoft Internet Explorer (current released revision 2.0, soon to be 3.0), and Netscape Navigator (current revision 3.0, just released). Most Internet service providers give you one or the other of these two browsers. If you don’t get one of these from your ISP, ask for it, or Find a new ISP. We will not venture into the murky netherworld of actually reviewing these browsers feature for feature (this has be*en done in every major news magazine and countless times on the Internet, just check out ClNet Central at the URL http://www.cnet.com). It sufFices to say that the Web browser Houston limes-Journal Elementary, we found large plastic garbage cans in the middle of the lunchroom floor, catching a steady drip from the ceiling. The Board of Education has funds for repairs of that school. Other schools are not on the maintenance list. At Russell Elementary in Warner Robins, water stains on the ceiling are the rule rather than the exception. At Tabor Middle, in Warner Robins, we discovered damp ceiling tiles in the hall near the media center. There are schools with lighting problems. At Park wood Elementary, the interior classroom lighting is much less helpful than the light com ing in from outside windows. The problem is the glare which those win dows create. At Miller Hills and other elemen- R ; ] I i .I market is extremely competitive, and you will find many features you like in either MS Explorer or Netscape Navigator. To effectively use your Web brows er, you need accessories. Fortunately again, these accessories are generally free. On my browser, I have Macromedia Shockwave (http://www.macrome dia.com), Apple Quicktime and Quicktime VR (http://quicktime.apple.com), and Real Audio player (http://www.realau dio.com). Of course, to take full advantage of all these toys, you need a fast comput er, the faster the better. And lots of RAM memory, disk capacity, a groovy sound card, and speakers. All that free software will cost you a few bucks in the end. And about that 111 virtual tour, after you finish your software scav enger hunt and upgrade your comput er: find it at http://www.boeing.com/777-virtual tour.html. To contact me, send e-mail to steve@hom.net, or view Homenet’s Web page at http://www2.hom.net. (Steve Bermon is a resident of Houston County and owner of an internet service provider company in Warner Robins. ) Letters welcome The Houston Times-Journal wel comes letters to the editor from our readers.. First priority is given to letters from local writers and about local issues. Letters should be addressed to the editor at P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga„ 31069 Letters can be faxed to (912) 988-1181 or sent via e-mail to jjed it@hom.net. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number for verification purposes. Our Goal The Houston Tones-Joumat is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoin ing counties by Houston Publications Inc.. Perry, Ga. Our goal is to produce quality, prof itable, community-oriented newspapers that you. our readers, are proud of. We will reach this goal through hard work, teamwork, loyally and a strong dedication toward printing the truth. Member of Georgia Press Association and National Newspaper Association. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging Ihe freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of griev ances. Your right to read this newspaper is protected by the First Amendment to the United Slates Constitution. The Houston Times-Journal (IISPS 000471) is published weekly for $21.00 per year by Houston Publications Inc., 807 Carroll Street, Perry, Ga., 31069. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Houston Times-Journal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga. 31069. ISSN: 1075-1874. tary schools, principals face a maze of electrical boxes in their utility rooms because of the addition of electrical outlets and equipment to the 40-year old buildings. There isn’t time to place blame or point fingers in this case. That doesn’t resolve the problem. Money will help because money will buy paint, new wiring, concrete blocks to build new wings and buildings. Money, some $34.5 million, will help get our students out of most of the more than 200 portable class rooms which they occupy. There are portables at virtually every campus in the system except for the two new middle schools which opened last month. (See JOHNSON, Page 12) Fairgrounds update Michael Froehlich Director The Olympic spirit lives on The 1996 Olympic Torch Relay and the Atlanta Olympic Games are now history. However, the Olympic Spirit lives on in the events and entertainment at the 1996 Georgia National Fair. Bikes, skateboards and in-line skates were a part of the Olympic Games’ Closing Ceremonies. A simi lar “Extreme Game” type of sporting entertainment called Bikes, Boards and Blades will be performing on a daily basis at this year’s Fair. If you had the opportunity to visit the Agriculture 96 Pavilion in Centennial Park during the Olympic Games, you would have observed animatronic live stock (electronically animated life-like farm animals). The Poultry World Exhibit at this year’s Fair, sponsored by the Georgia Poultry Federation, will include animatronic chickens that were part of the Agriculture 96 Centennial Park Exhibit. A crowd favorite last year at the Fair was the International High Dive Show. This high-energy show will be returning this year and features divers who have competed at the internation al level. Our Fine Arts Program has been a participant in the Georgia State of the Arts Cultural Celebration for the past two Fairs. The Georgia Council for the Arts and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games sponsored this Cultural Olympiad program. Although the Games are over, this year’s Fine Arts Exhibition continues the “Spirit” and promises to be the best show ever. Fair patrons who attend this year’s Fair and have the opportunity to visit the Sydney (Australia) 2000 Olympic Games may see some similarities between the Georgia National Fairgrounds and the site of the Sydney Games. During the recent Olympics representatives from the Sydney Games Olympic Co-Ordination Authority toured the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter to gather ideas for their Olympic venues. Again, international flags will be flying overhead at the Fair representing visitors to our facility from more than 43 countries. As a site of the Olympic Torch Relay we will be flying the Olympic and Greek flags, as well. Competitive events and shows are an important part of the Fair. The first six Fairs have seen more than 82,000 Livestock, Horse, 4-H, FFA, FHA/HERO, Home and Fine Arts entries from thousands of Georgians. The “Spirit of Competition” will definitely be in the air at this year’s Georgia National Fair as thousands of Georgians exhibit, show and compete for the coveted Blue Ribbon. The Olympics may be gone for now, but the “Olympic Spirit” contin ues at the 1996 Georgia National Fair, Oct. 4-13. Come visit and remember the Fair starts in 30 days. (Michael Froehlich is director of the Georgia National Fairgrounds.)