The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 24, 1987 Page: 4 of 40
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Opinion
THE ALBANY NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1987, ALBANY, TEXAS 76430
PAGE 4-A
The Albany News
Since 1875
Oldest Journalistic venture west of the Brazos
Editor/Publisher
Donnie A Lucas
Managing Editor Melinda L. Lucas
Staff Reporter & Composition Carol Lackey
Composition Marilyn Thompson
Moran Correspondent
Office Assistant
Office Assistant
Audrey Brooks
Betty Law
Sunday Falkinburg
editorial
Theater clean-up
Local residents who have fond memories of
many fun afternoons and evenings in t he old Aztec
Theater will have the opportunity to help breathe
new life into the rundown old building this Satur
day.
A special clean up day has been set for Satur
day, September 26 beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the
Aztec. The local institution has sat vacant for
almost a decade, but now interest is being
generated to restore it for use as a community
auditorium.
Fandangle secretary Louann George has orga
nized the cleanup effort at the request of the
building's current owners.
Volunteers are needed to "get the place in
shape enough to tell what needs to be done to
restore it."
A new roof was recently placed on the building
to stop the deterioration process, but years of
neglect have taken a toll on the old Aztec.
If you indeed have enjoyable memories of time
spent at the movies while growing up, please con
sider giving a little of your time hack to the Aztec.
It is hoped that if the building can be restored it
will continue to serve the community as a public
auditorium. That is still just a dream at this point,
but with help from local citizens it can come true.
Media survey
In this week's edition of the News is a survey
for our readers to complete and send in.
Most people don't like to fill out surveys. And
we have found many readers don't like to cut up
their Albany News. But this is an important
survey and we are requesting your cooperation.
The survey seeks information about the adver
tising, reading and listening habits of the public. It
was sent out state wide to determine what the
public wants, and could have a big impact on the
nature of advertising contained in the News in the
future.
The names of those filling out one of the surveys
is necessary to verify the authenticity of returns.
The identity of each person will be protected.
The surveys are to he returned directly to the
address in the lower left hand corner. Bo not send
them to the Albany News.
The survey can be found on page 7 A of this
issue.
Please help us by taking a moment to fill it out
and return the form.
policy
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PO Box 278. Albany TX 76430
CORRECTIONS
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reputation or standing of any individual, firm
or corporation will be corrected when notifi-
cation in writing is given to the publisher
within 10 days after publication
RATES
SUBSCRIPTIONS Albany & Moran S14 00
including tax Texas addresses $16 00 in-
cluding tax. other I S addresses 818 00.
foreign addresses available upon application
ADVERTISING National rate 82 95 per
column inch Local rate 82 50
per column Inch Notices & classified ads UK
per word per insertion net 82 50 minimum
paid in advance
AFFILIATIONS
1987 MEMBER Texas Press Association
West Texas Press Association
ponderings
pat
By Pst Lidis Jones
My faithful Yorkshire Terrier, Mary
Margaret, an eleven year old maiden
dog, has had a very comfortable vaca
tion in Michigan.
Two years ago, when she was here
last, she fraternized with the
neighborhood dogs and wound up with
a bevy of die hard fleas. She graciously
gave me a few and the rented cottage
as well. I was mortified, and had to
work like a dog to rid all three of fleas
at the same time, before our departure.
It wasn't easy.
Annually, come summertime, fleas
and ticks are a problem for pet owners
everywhere.
We have done the powders, the
sprays, the soaps, dips, and special
shampoos. We have done every brand
of flea collars. Old Pepper, my late
cocker spaniel, had such an infestation,
he wore not only a collar around his
neck, but two, fastened together
around his waist (?) as a belt.
This year, when the first flea ap
peared on Mary Margaret, I was ready.
I had ordered some new items from a
pet catalog.
The simplest item I tried first. It was
a roll on; in looks, similar to that type
deodorant. It was a complete and utter
failure.
On to the next supposed solution to
MM's problem: a comb, whose teeth
were porous. Flea killer fluid was
poured (even a tiny funnel was includ
edl into an opening in the top of the
comb. When the fluid moistened the
comb's teeth, I was to comb it through
Mary's hair. Again, a failure.
My next endeavor was called a Flea
Bag. Made of heavy plastic, Mary
Margaret was, according to the
voluminous instructions, to be placed
inside the bag, except for her head. The
bag fastened with strips of velcro.
Three openings at strategic points
were for a flea spray (provided with
the bagl to be inserted and sprayed in
to the airtight bag.
Enough fleas took refuge on Mary's
head to reestablish their beachhead
later.
Through infected flea bites, Mary
Margaret developed two "hot spots," a
terrible, painful condition. She had to
go to the doctor and have a shot and
some medication.
One night about midnight, I was doc-
toring MM, and I decided I'd have an
easier job if her hair was shorter. I set
her on a newspaper, got my best
scissors, and proceeded to give the
first haircut I've given since I used to
cut Patti's bangs and botched up K.C.'s
hair when he was in junior high school.
Mary Margaret's coat was her
crowning glory, being eight or nine in
ches long in places. I cut it down to a
one inch length all over. I threw away
enough hair to build another dog.
Lo and behold, when the job was
completed, Mary looked like she did
when she was a puppy, just darling.
Was I pleased with myself.
But short hair did not cure the flea
menace; it simply made it easier to
treat.
Then my veterinarian, whose family
pets are Yorkies. recommended a new
collar for Mary Margaret. He said it
had worked for his dogs.
So now Mary Margaret, an old
fashioned girl, sports a high tech
devise that is working!
It is the latest weapon in the war
against fleas. Attached to an ordinary-
looking collar is a small black device
with a tiny battery. Its electronic in
nards emit a high intensity sound that
disrupts the sensory system of fleas.
Although you can't hear the sound,
and neither can your dog, it is a dif
ferent story for the fleas.
In other words, the noise is ear-
splitting to fleas, and they get out of
the area immediately.
I'm amazed; I didn't even know fleas
had ears.
And fingers crossed; it works. Mary
Margaret and I are both delighted.
Of course, it doesn't kill fleas. It just
makes them so uncomfortable, they
abandon ship.
Well, Mary's ok now, but if you see
me with a neat looking black collar,
with an electronic device attached, on
my neck, you'll know, the fleas that left
Mary have found me.
state capital highlights
By Lyodell Williams
State Treasurer Ann Richards, after
spending several weeks testing the
political waters, said last week she will
run for governor in 1990.
Richards, the first major party can
didate to declare a definite intention to
run, said her recent Texas travels con
vinced her she could win. "I just know
everything looks good to me. All I can
say to you is at this point, I feel really
positive about making the race," she
said.
Richards added that she would be
pleased to run on a Democratic ticket
with Comptroller Bob Bullock, who
recently announced for lieutenant
governor.
The treasurer said her immediate
political priority is the 1988 reelection
of Texas U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
Richards Party Divider
Meanwhile, Attorney General Jim
Mattox said if Richards runs against
him for governor in 1990, it will divide
the Texas Democratic Party.
"I just think it would be an expen
sive, divisive-type matter," Mattox
said. "You have a set group of people
that support people within the party,
and if you have two candidates trying
to get support, by definition it's
divisive."
Mattox, who has all but announced
for governor, said he thinks Richards
will change her mind about running. "I
doubt seriously if she's going to be a
candidate, when all is said and done,"
he said.
Anti-racing Group Formed
Opponents of legalizing horse and
dog race gambling last week launched
their campaign against the racing pro
posal on the Nov 3 Texas ballot by say-
ing the sports bring sharp increases in
animal cruelty.
"For every multimillion-dollar race
horse like Secretariat, who makes an
enormous amount of money for its
owner and is royally treated for the
rest of his life, there are thousands of
cheaper horses that endure a miser-
able existence and even die on the race
track.'' said Ann Koros.
Koros, of the Texas Humane Infor
mation Network, charged that racing
dogs also suffer abuse. "Very few
greyhounds live to the age of four,
since even dogs that race successfully
are destroyed to save feed costs when
they stop earning money." she said.
Koros spoke at a news conference
sponsored by Texans Who Care, a
coalition leading opposition to the
referendum that would legalize pari-
mutuel wagering in Texas.
Sue Cox, campaign director for the
group, said opponents will attack the
proposal on many fronts, including the
increase in crime she said accompanies
legalized gambling. The group hopes to
raise $500,000 for its campaign."
Nick Kralj. president of the Grey-
hound Racing Association of Texas,
said charges of animal cruelty are un-
founded. "It's a rather desperate tactic
by some people." Kralj said. "Animal
abuse is not going to happen in Texas
and it's not happening in Texas where
large numbers of greyhounds current-
ly are bred."
Other Highlights
•Former House Speaker Billy
Clayton urged the Texas Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority
to consider an Andrews County dis-
posal site and to abandon plans for one
in Hudspeth County.
•The Texas Association of Compen-
sation Consumers is gearing up to push
for changes in the worker's compensa-
tion system.
•Houston lawyer John Odom, who
served as legislative counsel to former
Gov. Mark White, says he is consider-
ing running for attorney general in
1990. but probably won't decide until
after the 1988 election.
Alcohol and You
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code
Q. Can o minor legally posses or consume an Alcoholic Beverage
when accompanied by a parent?
A. Yes
Q Can a minor be filed on for having Alcoholic Beverages in
his her vehicle?
A Yes
^Information pro 0*0 t> Utani Mot on D«u9%
TASK FORCE ON
DRUG & ALCOHOL ABUSE
h
MEDICARE
rr
art lawler
Martha Paul wore print sack
dresses. Lots of print and plenty of
sack, to be precise.
Women are supposed to have long,
slender legs, and curves are to be
restricted to designated areas. They
are expected to stay thin —even if it
takes Slender shakes, diuretics and
laxatives to accomplish it.
Martha's figure had gotten away
from her. She was big-boned, too. Real
ly. Just like the rest of the Pauls.
Martha's parents indulged her.
Nobody can argue that. Well-to-do girls
don't get hungry, except when they
starve themselves, and they seldom
starve themselves until they've been
instructed on how to dislike them
selves.
Martha's parents ignored all that.
They cared about each other, big
bones, or no. This was a family big on
love handles. The anorexic figure
couldn't stay in vogue forever, they
told her.
Nobody mentioned this to some of
Martha Paul's classmates, though.
Classmates whose smallness was
matched only by the smallness of their
vision.
Some were the queens and cheer-
leaders, and Martha tried to be a
member of their pep squad for a while.
After she ignored subtle hints to lose
weight, though, she was confronted.
They told her she was an embarrass-
ment to a rich tradition.
Real gems.
Martha did have a sense of humor.
Once she discovered she could put on a
huge furry costume and be the school's
mascot, it was a new ballgame. She
would lumber onto the field at halftime
as small, slender people in the stands
laughed at her somersaults. Nobody
wanted to look like Martha. But they
sure liked being around her.
She learned how to tell jokes to the
boys at the post-game dances while the
other girls danced. Yet, when the boys
wanted to hold girls, they always
looked over the series of look-alike Bar-
bies. Small, underweight and bushy-
haired girls who talked to each other
about hair and fat people and looked
miserable in a fashionable sort of way.
Oh, they smiled at the boys to offer
encouragement, but once the dancing
started they had little to say.
Sooner or later, the boys would drift
toward Martha and have a few laughs.
She always drove herself home, and
she always planned the next day to
keep her mind from settling on the size
issue. In time she was the school's most
active volunteer. You wanted some-
thing done, you talked to Martha and
she got it organized.
Sometimes late at night, she admit-
ted yielding to fantasy. She knew how
others saw her, but it had little to do
with the real Martha.
Her mind was as petite and seduc-
tive as her classmates' bodies. When
she closed her eyes she could see boys
looking at her with the traditional
cravings of youth. She wasn't really an
angel, but her social life sometimes
made her seem like one.
Given a choice in this society, Mar
tha, who is past 40 now, might still
prefer to be small and thin, and even
boring. Books have become her com
panions and diplomas have filled her
walls. She is as respected as anyone I
know and people genuinely care about
her. Still, nobody seems to see the
petite woman inside the large frame.
She's tried enough diets to write her
own book, but even when her weight is
down, the petite look is still a fan-
tasy — as are her gentlemen callers.
It's debatable who's had the more ex-
citing life, Martha, or the bubble heads
who snubbed her. It's less debatable
who's had the more interesting life.
Copyright Art Lawl«r
Anyorxt winking to addren ku, or ker com
menti to tku columnul «kould urite P. 0 Box
±31 Buffalo Gap. Tezat 79508
Community Calendar
SEPT. 24 Nutrition program meal - Youth Center, 11:30 am
Lions Club luncheon - Longhorn, 12 noon
Mental health clinic - Depot, 1 -4:30 pm
AJHS Cubs vs. Eastland - here, 5 pm
AHS |V Lions vs. Eastland - here, 7:30 pm
SEPT. 25 Community Action program - Depot, 10 am-3 pm
Chamber luncheon - Longhorn, 12 noon
Deadline for Albany Chest requests
AHS Lions vs. Eastland - there, 8 pm
SE PT. 26 Aztec Theatre clean-up - 8 am
Varsity volleyball tournament - DeLeon
Junior high volleyball tournament - Albany gym
SEPT. 28 Cattlemen's round-up - Railroad pen near Fandangle
grounds, 8 am
Duplicate bridge - Pioneer Bldg., 1:30 pm
junior high volleyball. Albany vs. Hamlin - there, 5 pm
Albany Chest directors meeting - Jones Co., 6 pm
Band Boosters meeting - Band Hall, 7:30 pm
SEPT. 29 Nutrition program meal - Youth Center, 11:30 am
Chapter luncheon meeting of American Cancer
Society - Longhorn, 12 noon
SEPT. 30 Nutrition program meal • Youth Center, 11:30 am
Kiwanis Club - Ft. Griffin Gen. Mdse.. 12 noon
OCT. 2 Homecoming pep rally - Nail Stadium, 3:15 pm
Homecoming reception - First Christian Church,
following game
HR>1 NMIONM BANK
Wmt« • 11 >k
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Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 24, 1987, newspaper, September 24, 1987; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth400933/m1/4/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.