OCR Text |
Show Comment Free Press Wednesday, May 29, 1991 - Page 2 It's a memorable Memorial Day week Editorial Pact is good move to better library service Several ofUtah Counties libraries have gotten together and done what many said couldn't be done come up with an agreement which will allow library patrons from one city to check out books from a library in another city. The agreement calls for a fee. But for the first time, a cardholder in Lehi can go to Pleasant Grove and check out a book, instead of settling for the lengthy wait that y usually accompanies an Likewise, BYUs Harold B. Lee Library is still considering whether it will participate in this coalition of community libraries. y The agreement with allows card privileges is a step forward for library service in Utah County. And those responsible -chiefly the Utah County Library Association are to be commended for continuing to find new ways to meet the needs of area residents. But the agreement still leaves out loan. the people who live where library The agreement is the result of service is not available - county resihard work by many area librarians, dents and the residents of Highland, and represents an act of trust by the Alpine and similar communities. These individuals still must pay participating libraries. It is a tough decision for many of our small librarfees to use town libraries to open themselves up and allow ies that are largely supported by outside patrons. property taxes. So while the new agreement is In fact, no everyone was willing to exUtah County's library in the of commendable, experience participate still face needs service the the challenge of making through panding library to all county available service Orem and as county. yet, library Santaquin, residents. have decided not to participate. inter-librar- m - inter-librar- non-reside- nt What's in a name? can give you confidence. To illustrate. A young boy was applying for a job. "What's your name?" asked the store manager. "Ford," replied the lad. "And your first name?" inquired the manager. "Henry." "Henry Ford, eh" said the manager with name." a smile. "That's a pretty The boy looked pleased. "Yes sir, it should be," he replied proudly. "I've been delivering groceries around town for two years well-know- n First of all, a close friend and relative, one I haven't seen for many years, paid me a visit Saturday. She's just as beautiful as she ever was, and even more beautiful in spirit. It was such a treat visiting with Bea. I loved her very much and now, I find that my love is still there, even after lo, these many years. Another delightful occasion was when Glen and Alta Wanlass walked up the street, knocked on my door, and gave me a bunch of lettuce, straight from their garden. They gave me the latest news about their family, and, of course, we talked about their kids. They told me that their daughter Lois, and her husband Glen Orgill, have sons serving missions in Portugal and San Antonio, Texas. Many ofyou knew Lois and Glen and what joys they are. Lois worked in Porter's Place for a while, and her smile and personality enhanced the Place as much as Porter's famous culinary delights. A few days later, Glen told me that Stan would probably be a guest on Channel Five's evening news. Wow! I watched and waited, end sure enough, there was Stan, at work on a sculpture of a race car he's doing. Stan looked distinguished and handsome as usual, and he expressed himself with his usual savoir faire. His proud mama and dad thought that maybe he'd looked better. I wondered why, for heaven's sake. Half the female hearts in Lehi twittered at the mention of his name 'way back in school days, and they are still beating faster, even now, at the very mention of his name. Saddam Hussein appears human. He sub-huma- n. When he withdrew from Kuwait City he ordered kerosene dumped into the city's water supply for no earthly military reason. When ho torched the oil field he did it with malice, systematically. A scorched-eartretreat can be militarily useful. Setting the biggest fire that ever was was not a "military act"; it was the mischief of a pathological psychopath. Dr. Henry W. Kendall, Nobel laureate in physics at MIT, and Dr. R. L. Garwin, a physics colleague, have been mobilizing our best scientific brains to see if there is not some better way to fight such fires. They found the challenge to be monumentally complex. For example, when I asked about the potential for extinguishing the fires with explosives, Kendall explained that these wells are infinitely more complex than a pip in a hole. Each may involve six to eight concentric pipes reaching different depths under varying pressures. Also, Saddam Hussein surrounded each difwell with an assortment of mines ferent makes, different depths. Some explode under pressure. Some you must - Stan has a persona all of his own, not only in Lehi, but throughout the United States. That's how famous his sculptures are becoming in the world of art. By the way, the lettuce was very tasty too. I attended Dorothy and Junius Gray's Golden Wedding reception, and met a lot of old friends from American Fork. When all of sudden I heard the melodious sound of a piano tinkling in the background. I glanced over to see who knew all those wonderful old classics. Sure enough, there Editor: It seems like the proponents of year round school are like a dog worrying a bone when it comes to their pet project. They couldn't get it into the Highland Elementary; they couldn't get it into Can- By TOM GRIFFITHS K now. So, what's in a name? The experts might say that a name can influence our lives, but I say many more things can affect our destinies than a name. As I write this bit of nonsense there is a thunderstorm going on outside. Priceless, n rain is falling. Thunder is echoing through our valley. One cannot escape having a feeling of gratitude. I must walk outside and feel the rain in my face. As to the thunder, when I was a young boy I was afraid of it. One time when there was a particularly bad thunder storm going on I went to my mother for comfort. "Mam," I said, "What is thunder, and why does it frighten me?" Her answer was not the least bit scientific, but I have thought about it many times. "My son," she said, "thunder is the method by which God talks to the wicked people. First comes the lightening from the heavens to show his power, then he speaks with a loud voice." She went to a cupboard and brought out the family bible. She turned to Psalms 18, and read: "The Lord thundered in the heavens, and the highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals offire. Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomforted them." "So, you see," she said, "if you are not wicked there is nothing to be afraid of when it thunders." The hills and trees are washed clean. The rain drops dripping from my trees look like tears of joy. Indeed the world is good even if you do have an odd name. God-give- Paul Harvey News 1991 Lm Angeles Time Syndicate pure-meanne- 0 By BETTY FOWLER pass over a certain number of times before they explode. scientists cams away with The e enhanced respect for such fire fighters as Houston's legendary Red Adair, but a mine field is a unique problem not usually met in that profession. Access to each well must somehow be cleared. Presently, the most promising technique involves an enormous'leafblower," a powerful machine capable of blasting a clean strip of desert 30 feet wide and a foot deep, detonating or tossing aside any and all explosives. And there is yet a more sinister problem. A burning well is a lesser ecological on-sit- factory. None of us should take these services for granted, if, once more we had to gather up our hoes, rakes, mowers and energy, to clean our lots of weeds, we'd all be clamoring for this wonderful job our parks people do for us. Thanks again. About Phebe. I can't talk about my friend quite yet. Well save that for next week. Maybe by that time all of you who are her best friends will call me and tell me why you loved this very special person; and why she meant so much to you. Youll have to help me on this one. school proponents intent on program approval and boys at at Meadow to the and needs increase our Year-roun- d h - back-breaki- yon Crest Elementary, so now they've looked around and said, "Ah, Meadow Elementary in Lehi! Charge!", leaving parents in this school trying to put out the firs of enthusiasm for a project that simply cannot be fl Lehi I thought she was wonderful then, and she hasn't changed a bit. Memorial Day is not a day I can ever take lightly. As we decorated the graves of loved ones in American Fork and Lehi Cemeteries, memories, regrets and promises are given each year. I'd like to thank those who are responsible for the care and maintenance of the cemetery. The place was beautiful again this year. All of us who can remember the labor of an annual weeding expedition in the cemetery, appreciate the efforts put forth by Tim Monson and his crew. Thanks so much for making these annual pilgrimages easier and more satis- home-grow- n validated. In all the information I have researched, I have not found one completely valid reason for making such a drastic change in the lifestyles of only a part of our community. The following area few of the items that must be considered:! .. school was first intro1. duced into our district to help alleviate overcrowding and to avoid the high costs of building and running a new school. As Meadow Elementary is not "overcrowded," we will be expected to go on a single track program where everybody will be going on and off at the same time. Our classroom size will not be diminished, and because we aren't saving money on a new building, we will not be saving Year-roun- d money. In fact, our costs will have to go up. It's unavoidable when you consider that the buses will run in June, July and August specifically for our children. Cafeteria staff will be needed, maintenance and janitorial services will be needed above the normal summertime requirements. We do have air conditioning, but the cost of running it will significantly budgetary as will the extra costs of administration and running the intersessions. Under the calendar being looked at for our school, if we take advantage of these intersessions, our children will only have about eight weeks away from school. Many of the children who would benefit the most from the intersessions are also the ones that need the time off, and sadly, I suspect that many of these same children will not take advantage of the intersessions. 2. We are being told that school improves test scores and student retention. In a report issued by the N.E.A after compiling 28 different studies of year round school, I quote: "Many proponents of the year round school take comfort in the fact that although the year round school generally does not have significant positive effects on achievement, it also doesn't register a negative effect." At the parents meeting held on May 15, one of the "star" witnesses, was Mr. Gardiner, principal, Whittier Elementary (Salt Lake City). He gave a great sales pitch but contrary to what (and others) would have us believe, not all their scores have gone up. Whittier has been on year round for four years. In 1988 their 4th grade tested at the 31st percentile. In 1989 the 5th grade (formerly the 4th grade) tested at the 26th percentile. In 1990 the 6th grade tested at the 22nd percentile. This does not show an improvement. I think a better comparison can be made if we look at the "Gender Specific, Means Percentile Ranks" that compare our girls boys girls Lehi Elementary. These two schools are much more comparable than any offered to us the night of the parents meeting. SocialSciencs Science Math Reading Language Girls Boys LehiMeadow LehUMeadow 55 36 40 45 47 53 36 43 42 46 55 45 48 48 37 49 39 35 25 31 year-roun- d If you study this chart, you will see that our girls compare well with Lehi Elementary. We show a drop in Language, but must consider that we have Spanish Im- -' mersion. Our boys do appear to have a problem, and yes, we definitely need to find ways to meet their needs and help them get on track. I do not believe in change for the sake of change. I do believe that if something is broken, we need to fix it. I have had children in the education system for 16 years and have come to realize that just because an educator says, "We must do this," it doesn't mean they are right. I love Meadow Elementary and the children in it. I do not believe that going to school will be of any great help to them. We must search for ways to help the children in need, but please, let's not push a program on them that simply isn't year-roun- d . proven. I, too, urge all parents to get involved in this issue. --Annette McClure has a right to opinion, no matter how foolish Everyone that makes me appear foolish, when you, I content form? The main idea was that I Editor: May I use the public forum to respond to a private correspondence? Sir: This letter is in direct response to your instructions that I not write another letter. You chose to write a private comment to me, and I don't blame you. I choose to express my opinion in public and that is my right. By making my thoughts public, I am forced to keep my words under control, and hopefully we won't be reduced to name-callin- g. For instance, in private I would probably say why am I only allowed one letter The biggest fire the world has seen is took her fingers offthe keyboard. She didn't even miss a beat She was doing the same thing 50 years ago when I moved from American Fork to Letter to the editor More than we think hrnuwina jk7 Well, folks, another expert has been heard from. He is Leslie Alan Dunkling, a former teacher and now one of the great experts on names. He makes this statement: "Our first names are not merely names, frequently they act as our ambassadors, representing us to the outside world. They are a part of our personality as others see us often as we see ourselves." I have always believed with Shakespeare who wrote, "What's in a name," but now I must change my thinking. For example, my father was a religious man. His oldest son he named after an Old Testament prophet. The next two he named after leading lights in the New Testament. I wonder what he was thinking of when he gave me a New Testament and an Old Testament name. My second name is Joseph, after he of the many colored coat. Then he gave me my first name, Thomas. What was my dear old dad thinking of when he gave me this name? For the Thomas of the New Testament was Known for one thing, a characteristic to doubt. I realize that first names in some instances can affect our lives. I have written about my boyhood friend whose parents named him Chumley. All of his life he was called Scrummy, and the name fitted his personality and physical appearance. I can't help but think that if his parents had given him some sexy or glamorous name it would not have changed old Scrummy. I once had an acquaintance with the name of Algernon. With a name like that you would expect to see a little gentleman, but Algernon was the meanest, toughest kid you ever saw. Now, was it the name his parents gave him that shaped his personality or was it because his father was a boxer and loved to visit the village pub and quaff the ale? There is a possibility that a first name sat Lydia Kirkpatrick at the piano. Afton and I were thrilled to see her. She looked as beautiful as ever. We waltzed over to the piano for a visit and while she greeted us and smiled. She never took her eyes off our faces, and never This has been a memorable week of my life. menace than a gushing well, which may create a lake of oil, dozens of square miles of oil up to four feet deep. When that lake of oil congeals under a skim of tar, explosive gases are trapped underneath with the potential to convert a disaster into a catastrophe. And nobody has ever before had to deal with minesweeping underneath a lake of oil. Several nations are competing with an assortment of tech niques for dealing with these problems, each hoping to win some lucrative contracts. There aire 15 teams now working in the burning fields, and The Union of Concerned Scientists as well as our federal government are presently most confident of the orthodox techniques em-- . fire fightployed by traditional ers, with some additions, will get the fires out. The subject of war reparations is on the back burner for now, but somewhere up the road ahead the responsibility for these fires and the astronomical costs of putting them out and their grave costs to the world environment Saddam Hussein should have to pay. It's a sorry audit of the "wages of sin" r if this reconstruction ends up more us than it costs him. costing oil-fie- ld post-wa- know, have written several? Instead, I will say that I have a right to my opinion, even if it is foolish, even as you have that right. I voted for some of those on the City Council, and I think that gives me the right to criticize them when I feel they are not representing me. Why do it in public? I want everyone to know where I stand. And, to be honest, I am hoping to encourage others to go public with their opinions. I have pondered your letter, trying to take it seriously, trying to determine what it was you don't approve of. Was it the Why no parking Editor: perceive the council to be ganging up on the mayor. The form I chose was humor, which has been Used for centuries, and is usually more concise than other forms. I'm sure you are not the only one in town who disagreed with me and I give you credit for letting me know where you stand, but instead of attackingmy ideas, you attacked me on a personal level. Tacky. Did I really embarrass the community? Or did I merely point out that others were doing so? , -- Nila Hughes at soccer field? I am a student at Lehi Jr. High. I'm angry about the no parking signs on the south side of the soccer fields. Where are you supposed to park if you can't park there? With two fields, that means four terns can play at once. Where are parents, players and coaches supposed to park? I for one am irritated. I have three broth ers who play there. It is very agitating driving around and parking a far distance away just to watch a game. I think they should take down the no parking signs. What are they for? If they're taken down then many of the citizens of Lehi will be satisfied. I think a lot of them will agree with me. -- Heather Sorensen important at graduation Prayer Editor: deserve. respect I'm a freshman at the Lehi Jr. today. In three years I will graduate. As a Mormon I feel that prayer is important to the graduates. When it is my turn, I hope we get the we The courts decision not to hold the praying back is the first step to achieving what we deserve. -- Andy Lind Policy on letters to the editor We welcome letters to the editor.' All letters should be typewritten and double spaced. Letters must also be signed, and must include the writer's name and telephone number. Please send letters to Editor, Newtah News Group, P.O. Box 7, American Fork, Utah, 84C03. To be effective, letters should be short and to the point We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of space or possible libel. |