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Viewpoints
Great place
A story on the front page of this newspa
per outlines how the Houston County com
munity has supported the Vance family dur
ing the illness and subsequent death of 10-
year-old Monica Allen.
Monica died of a dread disease. She suf
fered during her short years, yet she kept a
happy smile and a sweet attitude through it
all. She worried about those around her, and
cared deeply for her friends and family.
The Vance family has experienced the
love and support which a small community
can offer. The family has received hope and
encouragement from many who knew of
Monica’s problems. They have also rallied to
honor her memory since her death.
Students at Morningside Elementary,
where Monica attended school, have dedicat
ed a book in her honor to keep her memory
alive for future students.
All of this is part of a pattern which exists
among smaller communities, and in larger
communities which work at keeping their
familiarity. That attitude is that all persons
are important and contributing members.
Those communities rally around their own
and support them in time of need. They
applaud them in the good times and weep
with them in the tough times.
Watching Monica leave this world and
seeing how this community has rallied
around her and the Vance family is one more
sign of why we’re glad we picked this part of
the world to call home. We know you agree
with us that Houston County, despite prob
lems it may have with rapid growth, is a
wonderful community in which to live, a
community growing up but keeping its iden
tity.
Pray for David
J . * ~ - ■ * Cf, - fit
The telephone call which came into my office
about mid morning Tuesday brought back memo
ries of what happened in my own life just a few
months ago.
The caller
on the other
end of the
line identi
fied herself
and told me
she needed to
tell me some
important
Jj
Johnson
Editor
news. The message was that fellow newspaper edi
tor David Cranshaw had suffered a heart attack and
was undergoing treatment at Houston Medical
Center.
The flashback that call brought lasted through
most of the day. I have whispered many a prayer for
David during this day, and while I do not have any
additional information, I am hopeful that he will
pull through this situation OK.
Cranshaw is not only a fellow editor, he is also a
fellow layreader at All Saints Episcopal Church. He
and I have worked together on many occasions dur
ing services at All Saints. David is the consummate
reader. His many years of experience in the elec
tronic media have resulted in a voice with presence
and an ability to read in a voice which is under
stood easily by those listening.
David has been back in Houston County for sev
eral years after working elsewhere. He’s the most
traveled of all of us Houston County journalists.
The only currently operational print media outlet in
this county which he has not directly staffed is the
Robins Rev-Up. Recalling my days of work at The
Daily Sun, I know from experience David has
worked on that publication behind the scenes.
The Houston Home Journal, The Daily Sun, The
Buyer’s Guide, and now The Herald. David has
worked at and left his mark on each of them. I have
on two occasions sat in a desk he vacated. He’s a
hard act to follow.
I encourage readers to join me in prayer for
David, for his health and his ability to return to
work soon, and for his wonderful, supportive fam
ily. The Cranshaws so graciously open their home
every spring for members of All Saints to host May
Thyme, a fashion show, luncheon and arts and
crafts festival on the One Horse Farm lawn... They
are wonderful people, the kind we all wish were in
the majority.
Get well soon, my friend. I miss you in your reg
ular place.
Houston Times -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
Bryants advice worked then, still works today
One of the people I have admired
most in my life is the late great Paul
“Bear” Bryant. Coach Bryant set the
standards of Alabama football a few
years ago that coaches who have fol
lowed are still trying to reach.
Coach Bryant ruled out failure as an
option in his life as he made a mark for
himself as a football coach and a
leader. He was a coach who exerted
such an influence on his players that he
made them want to do better than they
thought they could. He was a winner
and would accept nothing less!
Coach Bryant wrote the following,
which is an organizational philosophy
of his. May I encourage you to read it
as his words could inspire you and
make your life better.
1. Always be totally loyal to the
institution for which you work. If you
don’t have the best interest of the orga
nization at heart or if you can’t be
loyal, you’re in the wrong place.
2. Always be totally loyal to your
staff. If you are, then they’ll be loyal
back. Remember honesty tpid loyalty
are two-way streets. If you are ever
I ""1
What we Americans like and don’t like
Since the early 1970’5, DD]g
Needham Worldwide, one of the
world’s largest advertising agencies,
has been surveying 4,000 heads of
American households to see just how
we view ourselves.
The data collected is used by mar
keting agents so that they know who
they are trying to sell their products to.
But the information is interesting just
to look at. The areas include how we
feel about topics ranging from abortion
to breakfast cereal.
Below, I have listed a few items
from the research which might interest
you. Keep in mind that this is how the
majority of Americans feel about cer
tain topics. But if you don’t agree with
them a.., don’t feel like an outcast
hey, even I don’t agree with all of
these.
First on most people’s mind is, of
course, abortion. Most people believe
that the topic splits our country down
the middle. But in fact, the overwhelm
ing majority of Americans approve of
abortion.
We don’t play cards anymore. We
wear seat belts, subscribe to cable,
approve of pollution standards. Living
together before marriage is acceptable
in our country. Homosexuality is
accepted as well.
We like the look of a large lamp in a
picture window. We long for the good
old days. Despite of our health-con
scious society, we would much rather
have fatty food than health food.
Almost one-half of us eat fatty, salty
snacks.
We like to cook outdoors, with gas
grills. Regular charcoal is out of style.
We only like eating cereal in the mom-
PAGE 4A
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Ads: Marie C. Felly; Composition: Chad Lewis; Circulation and Photography: Eric Zellars;
Bookkeeping: Pauia L. Zimmerman.
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under 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 letters to 300 words and include
addresses and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters are not published with
out verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M„ Perry, Ga. 31060. or brought to
the newspaper office at 807 Carroll St., Perry.
Our liability for an error will not exceed the cost of space occupied by the enur.
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stomped, return address envelope is included
Wed., Jan. 8,1997
From
Where I Sit
Bob Tribble
President
dishonest to members of your staff,
you’ll never regain their respect.
3. Don’t worry about winning per
sonality contests with your staff. You’d
better worry about being respected.
Anybody can be liked, a heck of a lot
fewer respected.
4. Be aware of yes men. Generally,
they are losers. Surround yourself with
winners. Never forget people win. Get
people who work for your organization
because it means something to them .
Most organizations get people who are
interested in drawing their paycheck
for their 40-hour week. Don’t forget,
those folks usually don’t work but
about 10 hours out of the 40 they are
paid for. To be the best if you want
to be the best get people who care
Chad
Lewis
Times-Journal
Staff Writer
In a real stroke of irony,
we don't mind messy
homes any more > but we
are absolutely paranoid of
unseen dirt and germs.
Disinfectants are extremely
important to us.
ing.
A growing number of us, particular
ly men, like sports cars. Men also pre
fer driving faster than they used to. An
increasing number of women are going
to museums, movies, libraries, and
concerts.
We love our microwaves and video
cassette recorders. We are watching
less television than we did five years
ago.
The study shows we feel that our
greatest achievements are still ahead. If
we had the chance to live our lives
again, we would do things differently.
About half of respondents said that
they we would try anything once.
We don’t like to shop, but when we
do, we shop with lists (women, more
than men). It only takes us 22 minutes
to shop for our week’s worth of gro
ceries (that includes time in the parking
lot). It used to take us 55 minutes 30
years ago.
Houston Times-Journal
about your institution, people who are
proud to be associated with your orga
nization. Get winning people.
5. Work hard. There is no substitute
for hard work. None. If you work hard,
the folks around you are going to work
harder. If you drag into work late, what
kind of impression is that going to
leave your fellow workers? If you
leave early, what kind of impression is
that going to leave?
6. Don’t tolerate lazy people. They
are losers. People who come to work
and watch clocks and pass off respon
sibilities will only drag you and your
organization down. I despise clock
watchers. They don’t want to be part of
a winning situation. They won’t roll up
their sleeves when you need them to. If
you have lazy people, get rid of them.
Remember, it is easy to develop the
bad habits of lazy people.
7. Have a plan, not only for a day,
but for the week and the month and the
year and 10 years from now.
Anticipate. Plan. Anticipate every sit
uation that could arise. Don’t think
second-by-second on what needs to be
di Kb
Another fact in the shopping area I
found interesting is that while we love
bargains, we don’t read price tags nor
do we read labels. Researchers believe
that it has a lot to do with simply not
having enough time.
Men spend a mere four minutes of
“quality time” with their children per
day. For the first time in recorded his
tory, researchers found that Americans
prefer cats to dogs.
We try to buy American items if we
can. We are buying more generic
brands. We are less loyal to brand
name products than we used to be.
One of my favorites is the fact that
our days follow steady, predictable
routines, but ironically, we aren’t any
good at scheduling. This may be the
reason why most Americans feel that
they are always behind.
We prefer traveling around the
United States instead of foreign coun
tries. Communism no longer scares us
like it once did. We like to drive the
same way to work each day.
Although we’re a mobile society,
we would much rather settle down and
form family roots. Even today, we still
prefer small towns over big cities and
even suburbs.
And finally, in a real stroke of irony,
we don’t mind messy homes any more,
but we are absolutely paranoid of
unseen dirt and germs. Disinfectants
are extremely important to us.
So there you have it, Americans in
the ‘9o’s. Yes, we’re a little quirky and
strange, but isn’t that what being an
American is all about?
(Chad Lewis is a member of the
Times-Journal staff.)
Our Goal
The Houston Times-Journal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoin
ing counties by Houston Publications Inc., Ferry, 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, loyalty and a strong dedication toward printing the truth.
Member of Geoigia Press Association and National Newspaper Association.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging (he 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
States Constitution.
The Houston Times-Journal (USPS 000471) la published weekly for $21.00 peryrear
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.
done. Have a plan. Follow the plan,
and you’ll be surprised how successful
you can be. Most people don’t plan.
That’s why it is easy to beat most
folks.
8. Set goals. High goals for you and
your organization. When your organi
zation has a goal to shoot for, you cre
ate teamwork, people working for a
common good. Teamwork is impera
tive. Don’t forget that. People who are
in it for their own good are individual
ists. They don’t share the same heart
beat that makes a team so great. A
great unit, whether it be football or
any organization, shares the same
heartbeat.
9. Learn from others. Ask questions.
Bea good listener. Get a pulse beat of
what is going on around you.
10. Last, never quit. It is the easiest
cop-out in the world. Set a goal and
don’t quit until you attain it. When you
do attain it, set another goal and don’t
quit until you reach it. Never quit.
(Bob Tribble is president of Houston
Publications Inc.)
Ricky
Wheeler
Houston County
Extension Service
Try something
different on lawn
this growing season
Are you looking for something a
little different to beautify your
lawn? Why not try using a ground
cover.
Look around your lawn for places
where the grass doesn’t grow well or
comers you have trouble getting that
riding lawn mower. Places such as
these are great to put in a ground
cover.
Ground covers are low growing
plants used in the landscape. They
can help unify landscapes by pro
viding masses of foliage in sun and
shade. Ground covers have many
practical uses.
Problem spots where the grass
will not grow because of too much
shade or soil erosion are perfect.
These low-growing plants become
attractive accents for areas not suit
ed for shrubs. They can also elimi
nate costly and time-consuming
maintenance such as mowing, edg
ing, and trimming. Ground covers
give unity to the landscape by tying
together all the elements of the yard.
It is important for ground covers
to be properly planted to help them
grow and spread rapidly. The soil
needs to be tilled eight to 10 inches
deep. Incorporate fertilizer, lime and
organic matter. Amounts recom
mended should be based on soil
tests which can be run through the
County Extension Office.
Spread a minimum of two to
three inches of organic matter on the
soil and incorporate it.
Proper maintenance of ground
covers ensures good growth, rapid
coverage, and an acceptable appear
ance of ground covers.
The first step is to apply a light
mulch to recently planted ground
covers. The next consideration is
timely and adequate watering. Then,
fertilizing periodically during the
first growing season helps encour
age plants to cover the ground
quickly.
Remember, complementing your
planting with ground cover requires
proper selection, planting and main
tenance.
Established ground covers will
improve the appearance of the land
scape while saving time and money.
For more detailed information
and a list of ground covers recom
mended to sun or shade, contact the
Houston County Extension Service
at 987-2028 or 542-2020.
(Ricky Wheeler is an agent with
the Houston County Extension
Service.)
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