Newspaper Page Text
JANUARY 14,2003
Fast-paced, fascinating Hong Kong
High on my wish list of places
to go was Hong Kong, and when
we got there several years ago, I
was not disappointed.
It’s a fascinating city, and I’m
sure those who have been there
will agree with me. You can read
about the highlights of the city
in any travel brochure, so I’ll
tell you, in this column and oth
ers, about some things visitors
might not notice that we found
make it exciting and unusual.
The first thing we noticed was
the cleanliness of the city. Not
what you would imagine of
Hong Kong, is it? It appears to
be a workfare project. The age
and sex of the workers seem to
make no difference. Each has a
cart holding large hand-woven
baskets, short straw brooms
and dust pans to pick up the lit
ter that is emptied into the bas
HPV epidemic plagues young people
QUESTION: We've all’
become aware of the AIDS epi
demic, but I recently heard that
a college friend of mine who
used to sleep around has been
diagnosed with something
called HPV I'm not exactly sure
what it is, but it sounded seri
ous. Are you familiar with this
nKPfIQP r
DR. DOBSON: Yes, I am ~
and I'm afraid it's very serious.
You've heard that HIV is deadly
because it leads to AIDS, but
the human papilloma virus
(HPV) causes far more deaths
among women in the U.S. each
year. Thousands of American
women die from it. It causes
genital warts, and in some
patients, leads to cancer of the
cervix. In fact, it is estimated
that 90 percent of cervical can
cer cases are caused by HPy
and the virus itself cannot be
eradicated once it is in the sys
tem.
A medical investigation of
this virus was conducted at the
University of California at
Berkeley in 1992. Averaging 21
years of age, all the young
women coming to the campus
health center for routine gyne
cological examinations for one
year were tested for HPV Would
you believe that 47 percent of
these female students were
found to carry this virus?
Every one of them will suffer
painful symptoms for the rest of
their lives, and some will die of
cervical and uterine cancer. The
most disturbing news is that
HPV can be transmitted while
the male is wearing a condom.
The virus lurks around the por
tion of the genitalia that is not
covered by the condom.
This is one of the reasons
some of us object strenuously to
the campaign to get young peo
ple to have "protected sex." It
gives them a false sense of secu
rity. There is no such thing as
safe sex when it occurs promis
cuously and outside the marital
Answers to Tuesday’s (12/31/02) Crossword Puzzle
GULF OF
tS] p
T N
rn r?
«ac;l
P N
E I
ROC]
P R AC)
b1 a l°B a
j_Y_ jj"BB~S HO R E dBBT R 1 SBA MA H L
11 E Apr H OUSE DMfT E S sßt ET_ A A
*±l±mtL±°±^mi}LTMWi±°"
Fa i mIBBBf adeßm e adow[
_T_Jj__E_ S CARL EFT LE T t|T R AAApBH
h u tße t A A ABBE 0 3BE J_ AAA
E L A Tmms R D E r] S■ B E GlBsT L I D
M A L E SBBD I N IWa R N EM I T A
Ms U bTBB'n 0 V aßg I A n|s a m
■ tlh E J u n[g l e b oTo k W o_A(m|
B A R|gD Q P E|A L
A B ule R T THBe" T N TUSH C) JL_L
~b e s sMM~n o dßblr e j_ d_ e_
E L T O W A -Mr 0 B E YJBT E_ A
■Bfw a r a nTd pea cle m o v_AMD[ n t
■ h o r a c e|bb a a aJBIBBE w TpHHI
F U r’lßße' C o|(BT U N E DBlAiiO
E N T E rMt H E t|T N DRUM sTT I C K
ACHOo|a I D AjG A S K E TM T O A
rlh|ylmleßr|o|o|mWßmeTelnleßslt|7
kets. We followed one worker
with full baskets into an alley
way where they were emptied
into a truck compactor. The
number of baskets was jotted
down as each was emptied and
the worker given a copy so I
assume they were paid by the
full basket. Certainly seems an
incentive to work, doesn’t it?
Having watched my dad climb
scaffolds during his years as a
brick mason, I was flabbergast
ed at the scaffolding made of
bamboo sticks, lashed together
with raffia. This was on build
ings 20 and more stories high.
Scary. It would never pass
OSHA.
Then there were the babies
and toddlers. Never heard one
cry in the time we were there.
They’re coddled and cuddled
and carried everywhere. Happy
relationship. Abstinence before
marriage is the only safe way to
go.
• • •
rilV ~
Dr. James Dobson
Focus On The Family
www.family.org
QUESTION: You obviously
have a great empathy for kids
who are in the junior-high years
especially those who are
rejected and ridiculed by their
peers. Have you always felt that
way about that age group,
which many adults don't like to
be around?
DR. DOBSON: My concern
for early adolescents dates back
to the years I spent teaching in
junior high school. I was only 25
years old at the time and I fell in
love with 250 science and math
students. The day I left to
accept other responsibilities I
fought back the tears. Some of
the kids were hurting badly, and
I developed a keen sensitivity to
their plight. Let me illustrate
how I saw them.
Years later, I was sitting in my
car at a fast-food restaurant,
eating a hamburger and french
fries. Then I happened to look
in the rearview mirror. There I
saw the most pitiful, scrawny,
dirty little kitten on a ledge
behind my car. I was so touched
by how hungry she looked that I
got out, tore off a piece of my
hamburger and tossed it to her.
But before this kitten could
reach it, a huge gray tomcat
sprang out of the bushes,
solution 20
H3T7T7T
y AZ.X li
T 99 7 34
A 2 / 3 7
tUlfe Pome
i •» ” : M <£:
HT m f% < ~.\.^3l
Irene Hamer
irenehamer@juno.com
little kids.
The pace of the city is as fast
as New York City. Bicycles,
small buses, big taxis, a few pri
vate cars. I had to ride one of
the double-decked red English
buses, on the upper deck, of
course. The driver has a
grabbed the morsel and gobbled
it down. I felt sorry for the kit
ten, who turned and ran back
into the shadows, still hungry
and frightened.
I was immediately reminded
of those kids I used to teach.
They were just as needy, just as
deprived, just as lost as that lit
tle kitten. It wasn't food that
they required; it was love and
attention and respect that they
needed, and they were desper
ate for it. And just when they
opened up and revealed the pain
inside, one of the more popular
kids would abuse and ridicule
them, sending them scurrying
back into the shadows, fright
ened and alone.
We, as adults, must never for
get the pain of trying to grow up
and of the competitive world in
which many adolescents live
today. Taking a moment to lis
ten, to care, and to direct such a
youngster may be the best
investment of a lifetime.
• • * •
Dr. Dobson is president of the
nonprofit organization Focus on
the Family, PO. Box 444,
Colorado Springs, CO. 80903; or
www.family.org. Questions and
answers are excerpted from
"The Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference Guide,"
published by Tyndale House.
COPYRIGHT 2003 JAMES
DOBSON INC.
DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVER
SAL PRESS SYNDICATE Dr.
Dobson is brought to you by
WCOP 99.9 FM. You can hear
Dr. Dobson Mon. - Fri. at
11:30 am, 8 pm, Sat. 8 pm
m 99.9 FM
All-You-Can-Eat
Shrimp - $9 9 7Catfish- s 8"
Friday & Saturday - spm -10 pm
gmtniiAr
-75 Exit 136 • 987-8877
Answers to Tuesday’s (1/7/03) Crossword Puzzle
ASIAN RIVERS
ST)
(gSffyj/H MA r j] R/R)
E E W L &4)
111 IMI iTf Br i
A N 0 D eWa MASSE DMA B eßr D A
_i_AA i AAAA T H e r eßc i _r AAAX
L A HjE L A lIkJB~E LITE
BHHKa I zß|b r a h|m aIo M I T s|
war nMBFo too l eMh e ro nM
j_j^_at_f^_i_nwc^ima^X r AAA G XAM
T I NS E l|| MP I s hßr o yBBV r s
T A Gil L I E N SJBBBbR E E TIBt R I 0
BBh7_e e TTIMBb R 0 o mMeJc hoe d
Is p i MgJe tout b uJtIBI u l
SH A M AJnIMr 0G E TJBMT J_"sißß|
p a n eJB~a l|e s~BBBBs ITX i nIBf d a
A R I Ms T eBcA B B I Els C H 0 0 L
|7 c[a n u s u|a l l y s h u t h E_R__U IP
Far E nMa T T A I n)H? AGS
Bt r i p eßltaTs s e lm i r mTaTBBB
FRET S BBd]o S~BBBBBBiA S E TBjs S T
AAA A H U E|W 1 T H C H 0 CO_LAII
I T eBo ff|ed I t I on|roles
clHiEHTioifßßFrTri MM
periscope to see what’s going on
up there and he didn’t seem real
happy when he saw me looking
down at him.
We rode the Kowloon ferry
every day. They’ve pretty much
got it figured out now, so even if
everyone stands on the same
side at the same time it doesn’t
dump the boat over like they
used to. It cost $1 HK, which
was 14 cents US, first class. We
rode second-class, which was 50
cents HK and meant we could
ride on the lower level where
we could see everything going
on around us. The harbor traf
fic is chaotic! No directions, no
buoys, no channel markers,
every boat is apparently free to
do its own thing consequent
ly the water is in constant
motion, choppy and lumpy.
Freighters, cruise ships, junks,
sampans and the big hydrofoil
and hovercraft ferries that ply
between Hong Kong and
Macao, a nearby gambling
island.
Among all these are the long,
narrow open boats that are pro
pelled by a scull on the stern
that also acts as a rudder and
propelled by very strong women
who all appear to be very old
but may just be worn out. They
sell their fruits and vegetables
to the boat people that live their
lives out on their fishing
trawlers.
As I said, a fascinating city
deserving of far more than the
short time we had.
Char-Broiled
Sizzling Steaks
-75 Exit 136 » 987-8877
Cash
* I
Journal
Classified
478-987-1823 or
478-329-9900
solution OD
H y Uj H
Fop love,
more money?
When you get to a certain age
- in my case 24 - you begin to
notice a curious phenomenon:
All of your friends are suddenly
getting married. According to
the 2000 U.S. census, the aver
age ages for men and women to
marry are 26.8 and 25.1,
respectively.
I’ve recently noticed that
along with the sudden occur
rence of weddings among my
peers, there comes a related
phenomenon - overspending on
weddings. According to the
knot.com, the average wedding
these days costs $20,000. Now
wouldn’t that money be better
spent on, say, a down payment
on a starter home?
Of course no overblown wed
ding would be complete with
out an engagement ring, so
let’s start at the very begin
ning. The idea of an engage
ment ring seems to be a slap in
the face to all young men of
marriageable age. Ever since
we were young, girls have been
brought up to believe that
romantic love is best demon
strated in the form of a dia
mond ring (at least one full
carat, maybe with baguettes
and a couple emerald-cut sap
phires thrown in for good
measure).
Just as a young man is estab
lishing himself, BAM! He falls
in love and is expected to fork
over at least a few thousand
dollars for an engagement ring
- or risk the wrath of his
fiancee. And not only is he
expected to shell out the cash,
he also must come up with a
fantastic and original proposal
idea which will make for a good
story and will rival the propos
als that all his fiancee’s friends
received.
I know couples in which the
woman has no engagement
ring that have been together
for decades and, conversely,
couples with huge diamonds
who have divorced after a mat
ter of months. The lesson is
that the size of the diamond is
not necessarily proportional to
the emotional commitment.
Now don’t get me wrong; I love
a big shiny diamond just as
much as the next girl, but how
do young women justify walk
ing around with thousands of
dollars’ worth of jewelry on
their left hand while they may
be living off ramen noodles?
Now comes the dress, the
tux, the photographer, the
cake, the florist, the caterer,
the venue, the invitations, the
china pattern, etc. We could be
here all day discussing the cost
of specific wedding “necessi
ties.” I guess the classic exam
ple of a waste of wedding
money would be the open bar.
How much are you really will
ing to spend to make sure that
all 200 of your “nearest and
dearest” get tipsy on cham
pagne and do the electric slide?
I’ve known people who’ve
spent upwards of $7,000 to
SB,OOO for an open bar at their
reception. That’s one heck of a
financial hangover for one
night of fun.
To finance these extreme
charges, people are resorting to
extreme measures. Recently, I
’'''''.'’'.■B •! I»Mill* S* ■ r>w* B n'j hI i M
Galleria Point • 953-3013 Jnß
Mon. - Sat. 10-6
; Let Us Show | 1
You The Light! j
Over 2000 Lighting Fixtures On Display ||\i T
Fans, Framed Prints, Lamps & Framed mrnm \\M
MSOmHERNHHgM
BUb INTERIORS & LIGHTING I
2508 Moody Road, Warner Robins, 5
m
B~ Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5:30 • Sal 10-2pmU33iJwß#
Luci JouHian
Staff Writer
ljoullian@evansnewspapers.com
heard about a couple actually
having their wedding financed
by corporate sponsors. The
sponsors, who provided about
$15,000 worth of supplies, put
their names on the wedding
invitations, reception tables,
etc. Wow, that’s romantic. I
wonder if you can get your
divorce sponsored too.
Of course, one good justifica
tion for a big wedding with'a lot
of guests is that you will proba
bly receive a lot of presents.
But if you stop and think about
it, how many candlestick hold
ers and picture frames can you
use in one lifetime? And with
the amount you spent on the
wedding, you could probably
have bought a ton of them.
And is it really worth all the
planning and headaches? Of
course, some women actually
enjoying coordinating caterers,
photographers and brides
maids. While working and
going to school full-time, I actu
ally had a friend tell me that
she was unbearably busy and
she would not have a free week
end for approximately the next
year. “I am planning a wedding
you know, Luci,” she said, in a
tone that conveyed total seri
ousness.
Now I don’t want to come off
as a cynical spinster-to-be who
would tell someone to give up
their dream of a grand wedding
in order to save a few dollars. If
you have the money go for it!
I just think that the idea of the
“perfect” wedding that we have
been sold is completely bunk.
To me, a wedding is something
that is to be shared between
two people and maybe their
families and closest friends.
Shouldn’t there be more of a
focus on pre-planning the mar
riage (i.e. counseling), rather
than the actual wedding itself?
Maybe the day of the huge,
overblown wedding is passing.
Many couples are regressing to
older times when weddings
were not so expensive, but
they’re adding a new twist, as
well. These variations include
eloping, spontaneous weddingß
and even “drive-thru” wed
dings. My grandmother actual
ly had a drive-thru wedding
back in the 19205.
I’ve already decided that if
my boyfriend and I decide to
elope, I will take the money
that my parents and I would
have spent on a wedding and
use it for a more worthwhile
cause. And that suits me just
fine. Of course, I don’t know
that it will necessarily be used
for a mortgage down payment
hey, I didn’t say anything
about overspending on the hon
eymoon.
PAGE 5A