Still Waters,
Bird’s-Eye
View, the
em space, Where They Stand,
By
the Numbers, How We Stack Up,
What’s
Up With That?
|
|
|
Editor’s
note:
Mike
Fak responds in this commentary to the Saturday, Nov.
3, commentary by Jan Schumacher in the Lincoln Courier.
The subject is the proposed industrial park.
This
industrial park proposal is backed by the Logan County EDC,
Main Street, Chamber of Commerce and just about every other
organization that seems to have any concern for growth and jobs
in the county.
The
Courier commentary came out opposed to the industrial park.
In
an uncharacteristic fashion, Lincoln Daily News is running
this rebuttal to bring balance to this subtle debate.
Most economic
indicators show that we are currently in a national
recession. The definition of recession is that our
economy shrinks back and no longer performs at previous or
expected levels. People lose their jobs, there is less money
available for spending, and people generally feel downcast about
economic issues.
Isn’t
this the best time to lead out and do something on a local
level to make economics improve? Recession will end when the
national spirit improves and people once again believe that progress
is possible.
-ed-
Is
it the right time for an industrial park?
A rebuttal
by Mike Fak
[NOV.
7, 2001] I
appreciate this opportunity to respond to Jan Schumacher’s article
in Saturday’s Lincoln Courier.
|
Schumacher,
as is her style, began her column with a quote from Joseph Epstein
and his assertions on the ambiguity of courage. Although she doesn’t
tie the quote into her article, I assume she is trying to tell us
that moving forward with industrial park plans is not necessarily a
courageous act. I could rebut Epstein’s thoughts with a few quotes
from Presidents Roosevelt and Truman about the virtues of being
progressive in adversity, but have always found column inches
available for an article too precious to waste on quotes from dead
people who never lived in Lincoln.
Schumacher
states that the country is in a recession and uses statistics
gleaned from Wall Street Journal articles as her source. The
statistics are of course valid. They are the same stats presented by
the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and every other major city
paper in the land. Since Schumacher stayed with information credited
to articles in the Journal, I will do the same.
She
has stated that most economic indicators have left little doubt that
American retail and industrial growth is in the dumper right now and
that we should place plans to build an industrial park on hold until
the Wall Street Journal tells us things are better and it would be
appropriate to proceed.
I
recall the Journal telling us all through the 1990s that things were
great, with record economic growth all over America. All over
America, it would appear, except in Logan County. We as an economic
community contracted during that decade, despite what the Wall
Street Journal told us. I believe placing faith in ourselves, our
community and our desire to grow are all conditions that can again
make us an exception to what is going on in the rest of the country.
For
years I have written articles and openly stated that this community
needed to build an industrial park before the economy went south.
Nothing ever happened. The effects of Sept. 11 and other factors
have produced a significant downturn in our gross national product,
but I believe it is not too late for Logan County to become a growth
community. In fact I believe the time has never been better.
A
recent survey conducted by MSNBC of the Fortune 500 companies showed
60 percent of them are rethinking their positions on where to locate
offices and plant facilities. It seems that corporate America is
starting to believe the fifth floor of a Peoria office building
might be a more attractive alternative than the 80th
floor of the Sears tower. Now I don’t expect this community to
garner the attention of one of these industrial giants, but there is
an old adage that where the big dogs go, the smaller dogs follow.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
MSNBC
also conducted a poll of residents of major cities throughout
America, and for the first time in decades, individual preferences
of where families intend to live in the future showed only Denver
and Los Angeles as having population growth in the next decade. I
have to wonder if perhaps, with the proper incentives, Logan County
could not become a new home to at least some of this urban-to-rural
exodus.
In
the past month I have enjoyed debating the validity of an industrial
park with those opposed. I have argued over the choice of the site
of such a park. I have debated the issue of how to fund such an
endeavor without increasing the burden to taxpayers. Until Saturday,
I had found no need to fend for the proposal because someone states
that the Wall Street Journal tells us it’s a bad idea to try and
grow right now.
America’s
business is contracting. I don’t need to read a specific newspaper
to realize that. Logan County was immune to the growth of the ’90s,
I believe that with effort and support we can also be immune to the
recession currently stagnating the American economy.
Presently
there are two types of corporations planning on building offices and
factories somewhere in America this very day. One of those types is
the business that is recession-proof at this time. The other is the
business that has enough faith in themselves and their product to go
forward when others would tell them to wait a while. Personally I
would welcome the opportunity to vie for either of these corporation
types to come to Logan County rather than somewhere else. An
industrial park will give us the most important tool to have a
chance to persuade these entities to make Lincoln their new home. A
sign in a cornfield saying "zoned commercial" won’t get
the job done. Telling them we are planning on having a site once the
Wall Street Journal tells us it’s a good idea won’t work either.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
|
Tell
a friend about
Lincoln Daily
News.com |
Our
staff offers more than 25 years of experience in the
automotive industry.
Greyhound
Lube At
the corner of Woodlawn and Business 55 No
Appointments Necessary |
Advertise
your
Garage
Sale in Lincolndailynews.com
--
It's FREE! --
Click
here |
|
|
Critics
of LDC don’t detail
alternatives honestly
By Mike
Fak
[NOV.
5, 2001] I
continue to find it remarkable that criticism of the Lincoln
Developmental Center continues to pour in from organizations with no
firsthand knowledge of our mental health center. Outside special
interest groups, guising themselves as not-for-profit agencies
dedicated to helping mentally infirmed individuals seem only to have
enough available time to collect donations and write criticizing
letters, without doing any specific nor knowledgeable research.
|
These
groups, who profess to speak for clients or their families who have
gone on record as not wanting to be represented by these
individuals, continue to praise the alternative of community living
centers without telling us that some such centers have a worse track
record of abuse and neglect in a month than Lincoln Developmental
Center has had in its complete history. Telling both sides of an
issue, of course, does not serve the intent of special interest
organizations.
The
ARC, a group from Maryland dedicated to closing state-run mental
institutions throughout the country, have been quick to send letters
to the editors but are not nearly so quick to send representatives
to our city to see for themselves what our community is all about.
Since
the ARC is interested in telling only their side of the issue, I
will tell you what they do not want you to hear.
In
the 1990s, the Washington, D.C. district closed the Forest Haven
Mental Health Institution. It was closed because the 1,100 residents
of the facility were treated with abuse and forced to live their
lives in disgusting conditions. The residents were moved into
privately owned community centers throughout the area, and according
to a series of eight articles by the Washington Post, these gifted
souls went from terrible living conditions to intolerable ones.
The
group homes, manned by untrained and poorly paid employees, gave
little importance to helping the homes’ residents. Stories of
neglect, filth and total lack of concern for the well being of the
residents are documented in these stories. ARC doesn’t write to us
about this problem in their own community. That would be
counterproductive to their principal goal, which is to close
state-run facilities. Isn’t it too bad their principle goal isn’t
to find out and then support what is best for the mentally infirmed
instead?
In
one such article it was also noted that the private companies
running these sorry slums charged taxpayers $20,000 a year
more per resident to house the handicapped individuals than it would
have cost to place them in swank suites in one of the area’s most
prestigious hotels. There’s a good example of private over
state-run, isn’t it. Ooops, but wait. Since this information doesn’t
subsidize the primary goal of the ARC, we need to leave this out of
the discussion. We do, that is, if you belong to ARC.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
In
the event you would like to read the entire series of articles,
e-mail me at mikefak@msn.com
and I will be glad to forward the bookmarks for these tales of
private sector greed at the expense of the handicapped. Perhaps
after you read these articles you can tell me where I missed seeing
the ARC stand up for the abused souls in these community homes. I
couldn’t seem to find it.
The
issue is simple. ARC is thinking LDC is as disgusting as Forrest
Haven was in their own area. They have never taken the time to see
that LDC is by no stretch of the imagination anywhere near the dump
their own institution was. They do not know how beautiful the
grounds of our facility are. They have never seen a supervisor
walking a half dozen blessed souls around the campus reveling in the
beauty of fall, as I have seen. They have never shared a cup of
coffee or a soda with one of the institution’s graduates as have
I. They have never talked to one of the area businessmen who have
hired LDC grads and been told how hard they work, with such joy in
their tasks. They never saw the three amigos, all LDC alums, walking
around the county fair laughing about their buddy about to become
married and thus officially being kicked out of the group. In
reality this group knows nothing about us. Their own area of the
country seems to have terrible problems with properly caring for
mentally handicapped citizens.
I
find it bizarre that they have the time to push their interests into
an area of the country they know nothing about. To the ARC, I
respectfully request you clean up the problems in your own back yard
first. Then come visit us. Then know the truth.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
|
Tell
a friend about
Lincoln Daily
News.com |
Our
staff offers more than 25 years of experience in the
automotive industry.
Greyhound
Lube At
the corner of Woodlawn and Business 55 No
Appointments Necessary |
Advertise
your
Garage
Sale in Lincolndailynews.com
--
It's FREE! --
Click
here |
|
|
Are
we more afraid to get
our feet wet or to dry up?
By Mike
Fak
[OCT.
31, 2001] One
of these days Logan County will have to jump into the economic
development waters. It needs to be sooner rather than later, because
the pond that American business plays in is drying up in a hurry.
|
A
decade ago, while the rest of the country was growing, we stayed the
same size. While communities moved forward, we stopped to complain
about the roses. While industrial parks, growth incentive packages
and new infrastructure popped up everywhere in America, Logan County
sat with "zoned commercial" signs in the middle of
cornfields, waiting for someone to beg for a chance to come to a
community not offering what all the others were.
The
economy isn’t as good as it was just a year ago. Talk of recession
is on the nightly news. Although immune to the growth of the 1990s,
we are not, it seems, immune to the problems an economy gone soft
can produce. There has been enough negative news about cutbacks and
closures in Lincoln to make even a strong stomach churn with concern
for the future.
There
is a proposal before the city and county to become partners in a
joint venture to create an industrial park on the northeast side of
Lincoln. Critics say we don’t have the $3 million it would take to
turn the 63 acres of farmland into an industrial belt. Perhaps we
don’t have the money because our tax rolls keep decreasing while
everyday expenses to run a city and a county do not. We actually do
have the funds available, but they are kept by both the city and
county in their rainy day funds, and neither body will acknowledge
the drizzle of an economy gone stagnant that has been falling on
this community for years.
I
have heard skeptics say that we can’t afford to spend that kind of
money on a hope of interest from outside corporations. These people
are the same ones who continually complain about high property
taxes.
And
should find solace in the fact that without some type of industry,
taxes will continue to escalate.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
An
industrial park is just like any other business except this one
would be owned by the county and the city. In other words, by us. As
in any new business, costs are incurred to build or remodel,
purchase inventory and equipment, pay for insurances and employee
programs. Every new business has its own particular costs before
opening its doors. Every new business understands it has to spend
this money in order to make money. We as the owners of an industrial
park have to think the same way.
The
funding to build an industrial park is not a cost or an expense. It
is an investment. The numbers presented so far bear out that, as
investments go, this one has the promise of an excellent return.
An
industrial park in Logan County is long overdue. I hope that the
city, county and all of us understand that if we don’t look at
this proposal as an opportunity to show faith in ourselves as an
attractive enough community to lure new industry, then we all might
as well be resigned to fewer and fewer of us paying more and more
taxes. This park proposal is a chance to begin to grow. The
alternative is to just do nothing again and sit on the town square
waiting for the tumbleweeds to start to roll down the empty streets.
They
are out there, just waiting for a few more economic ill winds to
blow them into town.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
|
|
A
place that most of us wish didn’t exist
LDC ,
an integral part of this
community, an integral part of our humanity
By Mike
Fak
[OCT.
24, 2001] I
wrote the following paragraph as part of an article I submitted to
the Lincoln Courier in the summer of 1999. The paragraph was the
lead to a story I wrote in support of LDC and its employees after a
sad and disparaging report had come out regarding the death of one
of the residents at the Lincoln Developmental Center.
|
The
buildings are huddled together, like a sprawling college campus on
the end of town. We drive by them almost every day, but we don’t
see them. We don’t see them because they are part of a place that
most of us wish didn’t exist. We ignore them or choose not to
ponder what they represent because the reality of what they are and
who lives and works in those buildings is more truth than most of us
can live with.
Two
years later, nothing about LDC or the people who work there causes
me to change a single word in that paragraph.
LDC
is under a great deal of fire these days. It is under fire for many
reasons that actually have nothing to do with the 700 employees who
walk the halls of the institution.
LDC
has been told that it has failed to correct administrative problems
in a timely fashion. The state, or no one else for that matter, asks
why a woman from the Department of Corrections was moved into the
chief position of administration at a home for mentally handicapped
individuals. She has been replaced, but no one has asked why this
administrator was actually promoted to another office after having
failed to handle the stated problems at LDC.
By
the way, the employees at the center knew she couldn’t do the job
and voted "no confidence" in her administration. But that
wouldn’t be of any significance, would it.
We
have heard that LDC is under scrutiny for not having enough staff to
handle the patient load at the center, but no one has asked the
state why their continued cutbacks in funding, which caused this
understaffing, was not remedied in a timely fashion.
We
hear press conferences by John Eckert, head of the Consortium of
Illinois Disability Advocates, saying that the center should be
closed down. No one asks the man if his consortium, which has a goal
of shutting down developmental institutions in Illinois, has a
truly objective view of the situation. No one has asked the man if
he has ever visited LDC and seen for himself the claims he makes in
front of a microphone. I can find no one who has ever seen him at
the center.
Eckert
has stated that the issue has nothing to do with jobs. An easy
statement for someone to make who earns a living disparaging LDC
and all the other developmental centers like it. I
have to ask Mr. Eckert if, in the event he got his wish and all of
Illinois no longer had these facilities, would he then be
out of a job. Or would he perhaps find some other cause to ensure
that he continues to earn a paycheck.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
Mr.
Eckert claims that his organization represents the patients of LDC,
but he has interviewed only those who agree with his position. He
has nothing to say or do with the parents group, which Tuesday had
their own press conference supporting the center and its employees.
Eckert,
of course, has his own agenda that he claims is for the benefit of
all the tenants of the center, but his actions and statements prove
otherwise. His organization is intent on closing state care
facilities, and with LDC on the ropes, he and his coalition are
circling over the beleaguered center like verbal vultures waiting
for the kill.
The
coalition states jobs are not the issue, but jobs in any community
always are an issue to be considered in an equation.
The
employees of LDC have not discovered the great "cash cow."
Working at that center is not some type of "died and gone to
heaven" employment. These employees are making a living doing
something that we and Mr. Eckert cannot do. That job is helping the
mentally impaired have an existence in this world. The idea that all
of them can have a coexistence with us is absurd. In the event Mr.
Eckert walks away from a press conference long enough to visit LDC,
he will find that a great many of the residents can never become our
next-door neighbors. Many of these blessed souls need care 24 hours
a day, seven days a week.
We
could close LDC. All we need is for Mr. Eckert to pledge to bring
these individuals into his home and neighborhood and to ensure, like
the LDC employees do, that they are taken care of.
I
find it disheartening that groups that profess their advocacy for
disabled Americans have ulterior motives. No one should have to live
in a home for developmentally disabled people. But the reality is,
that is where some of us belong. We need to care for these
individuals. We need to support the employees. Most of all we need
to look in an honest and compassionate way at what God has dealt
this world.
The
Lincoln Developmental Center is an integral part of this community.
More importantly, it is an integral part of our humanity. I don’t
need to hold a press conference to explain that.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
|
|
Bird’s-Eye
View
|
The feel of love… upside my head
By Colin
Bird
"Love
is an exploding cigar which we willingly smoke." — Groucho
Marx
[NOV.
1, 2001] Walking
along the city streets of Lincoln, there’s nothing greater than a
man and a woman, hand in hand, alone, with only the company of warm
smiles and fast-beating hearts to surround them. Nothing greater.
Unless of course the above-mentioned man isn’t me… in
which case: I hate them. And I hope "Captain Cupid"
switches over to a pellet gun and starts chasing ’em up and down
Woodlawn for at least eight hours.
|
Since
the conception of love back in the early 1950s, many men had known
no greater joy. Due to the fact that, that is when the remote
control was invented. But this resulted in the sparking of a pivotal
chain of events all of which lead back to the fact that men still
forget to buy flowers on anniversaries. What happened first was in
Webster’s Dictionary. People instantly removed the phrase
"Extreme Male Bliss" out from under the word "Super
Bowl" and over to a new word that was created by those
friendly, non-bitter ladies at the National Organization of Women.
That word was LOVE. Which, I should like to point out, stands for
"Losing One’s Vital Enjoyment." Thus expiring the chain
of events, along with those men’s ability to ever again watch
televised sports with their friends.
This
has not deterred me. I have found out through my time in Lincoln
that the relationship process here goes as follows: Man meets Woman;
Woman ignores Man; Man meets Emergency Backup Woman; Initial Woman
smacks Man upside Man’s head; Man falls in love with Initial
Woman. …It’s true. I actually know this couple. They are
extremely content now, currently living more happily than ever in
separate states.
So
I decided that road wasn’t for me. Instead, I myself have taken on
the role of Cupid, and here’s how it works. We’ll be dining out,
my date and I, at one of Lincoln’s fanciest eateries. Then
typically only a short while after I order our Happy Meals, she is
suddenly overcome with an unexpected epiphany: that there has not
been, nor will there ever be, any greater love in her life than that
of her former boyfriend or any future prospect she may have been
considering. Often prompting her to hail down a cab, right there in
the Playland, leaving me behind in a cloud of love-dust, wondering
if I spelled epiphany right.
But
now I’m faced with two problems, coinciding. The first being that
I have met someone in town that I, in the future, may consider being
left by. The second is that I’ve been repeatedly identified by
many highly paid therapists as being dense. A rare disorder, they
tell me, that only affects me when I’m thinking. Although
recently, I was more accurately diagnosed by a good friend of mine
from Springfield, Greg Hoffman, who is both my life insurance agent
and my banker (thus making him more than qualified to make fun of me
publicly), as having two forms of "Colin-itis."
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
The
first form is "Normal Colin-itis." This variation causes
me to (even though I am, by my own admission, in no way capable,
or even willing, to maintain a relationship that involves any more
depth than that of having random discussions on the vast, ethnical
differences between the smooth and the crunchy peanut butter)
think that every time I meet someone new, an enduring love is in the
air. The second form is "Acute Colin-itis." This is when,
30 seconds after basking in the air of newfound enduring love, I
happen upon somebody new, and for whatever reason, cannot for the
life of me recall a single thing about the previous,
potential-enduring-love person. …I have issues.
This
is not something I’m proud of. In fact, at times, I can downright
loathe it. Partly because as I grow older, I find myself enjoying
less and less the prospect of potentially eating my Happy Meals
alone.
Over
the past few months I have seen an elderly couple walking Lincoln’s
city streets, holding hands, redefining love. Perhaps you’ve seen
them as well. Beautiful, aren’t they? Yes. Except I think they’ve
been hired out by my mother, who has all but threatened me at
gunpoint to get married and provide for her the World’s Record for
number of grandchildren to spoil.
I
admire that couple. I took a picture of them the other day while
they were walking together at sunrise. It reminds me that this
prospective "someone special" I’ve stumbled upon…
well, just might be worth overcoming the fear I own. The fear of
following these feelings I’ve slowly been allowing myself to
experience. Is she the one? Is Lincoln where I’ll find her? Who
knows? But one thing is certain: Captain Cupid is apparently
packing.
[Colin
Bird]
|
|
|
[OCT.
25, 2001] It’s
getting cold again in Logan County. And not because it’s
fall and the air is expected to begin turning brisk and chilly
this time of year, but rather, I’d like to point out,
because Mother Nature hates me.
|
For
years I have been an avid runner. My favorite part of the day is
early dawn, when I wake up smelling the crisp morning air,
stretching out my tired body and then promptly going back to sleep
for another four and a half hours, laughing at anyone dumb enough to
actually
sacrifice sleep for exercise. So I’m a night runner. Or at least I
was, up until the hour of Nature’s evil turn. You see, the annual
Harvest of Talents is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 27.
…For
those of you readers who don’t know, this is a local festive event
where many talented people gather together to talk about how
talented they are. Plus there is Pie. Which is more than enough
reason for me to attend. Well, that, and the 5K run.
So
I’ve been in serious training mode for all of two days now (minus
the one day I missed due to a severe cramp infection from the
previous day’s training), in hopes of finishing the race before
either the 30-minute mark or before the paramedics begin
resuscitating me. Although training is not an easy process because,
as any serious athlete will tell you, there is an absolute ton of
movement involved. Something I successfully avoided until the third
grade, when my parents began recognizing my astute laziness
abilities and stopped bringing food to me, thus causing me to walk
to the fridge on my own. We’ve been best friends ever since, the
refrigerator and I. But now it’s time to stay focused. Not just on
food and all the glorious bliss it provides, but on getting ready to
run. And trying to overcome the wrath of Mother Nature, her ruthless
self, in the process. Let me explain…
As
I said earlier, Mother Nature hates me. And as part of her
abhorrence toward me, she has decided that I shall (1) Never Obtain
Peak Physical Performance; (2) Never Obtain Average Physical
Performance; (3) Never, Under No Circumstance Whatsoever, Survive
The Harvest Of Talents, Annual 5K Run. She is seeing to this by not
allowing me the opportunity to properly prepare. So far during my
long, two-day training regime, I have already been the target of
many vicious and pointed attacks.
First
off, I began running the other day when it started to hail. Mere
coincidence, you say? Well, that’s what I thought, until the hail
cloud began following me. It was like one of those little cartoon
clouds, chasing me down while I cried, fleeing it, similar to the
way a stray cat meandering down a random Lincoln sidewalk might flee
a charging bear. Only with more screaming.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
|
Before
that I was nearly tackled by a large crow. Running out on Airport
Road, just off Route 10, I saw it creeping toward me from the corner
of my eye. Actually, before I saw it, I heard it laughing. That’s
when I turned just in time to dodge the psychotic bird, who, I
believe, was packing.
Aside
from the attacks, it’s just getting downright cold at night.
Except on nights when I’m too busy to run. In which case, the
weather stays in or around the mid- to low 90s. Often even in
December. And when I am able to hit the streets after dark, I’m
forced to dress like a hypothermic Eskimo, wearing 14 layers of
clothing, which is almost thick enough to protect me from the killer
birds and death-crazed hail clouds.
So
I’ve seen no choice but to hire myself a stunt double. The process
is simple: He runs out a few feet in front of me, and after he goes
down, I take off sprinting home. But even at top speeds (and
using a special tactic I learned in a dream once where I was being
chased by a Giant Maniac Smurf — which is flailing my arms around
my head frantically) when I’m out in the middle of town, in
the wide open, it’s then that I’m most vulnerable to these
forces which have chosen to stop me.
So
I contacted the proprietor of Kickapoo Creek Park, Scott Walker, a
good friend of mine, and asked if I might perhaps use the park’s
facilities to practice running after they close down at night.
Scott, who is an active member in his church and an integrity-filled
family man who recently returned from a trip in which he went to
help out local missionaries, told me that if I wanted to run there
after closing time, that he — and this is a direct quote, I swear
— "Might not
shoot me."
So
now that I know my friends have been hired out by Mother Nature and
that all other odds seemed to be stacked against me, I might just
rethink entering this race. But then I’m reminded of all my hard
work thus far and my two days’ worth of dedication. And I’m
reminded of all that pie they’ll have there available for
purchase, and that’s when I ask myself, "Why am I so
worried?" The race begins at 8 a.m. I won’t even be up until
noon.
[Colin
Bird]
|
|
|
This
is the em
space, a staff writer’s section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and
elsewhere. Enjoy your visit.
—
Mary Krallmann
|
When all is said and done
With
Thanksgiving in the offing, it’s been smorgasbord time in the sports
world. Seasons overlapped in professional baseball, football and
basketball. College and high school volleyball seasons have been ending as
basketball gets under way. Swimming and wrestling are also on the
schedule, among other choices.
With all
this athletic activity comes competition, and that’s like a balancing
act on a tightrope. Winning feels good, but most teams don’t win all the
time, and then there’s the losing to deal with. It’s an issue for both
participants and spectators.
The
just-completed World Series gave us a unique taste of both sides. When
there are seven games and it repeatedly happens that final runs aren’t
on the board until the very end, everyone gets in on the thrills and the
disappointments.
Usually my
sports interest isn’t strong enough that the outcome of a game or even a
season makes a major difference to me. I generally look at scores without
much emotion. I might react more to the numbers in a temperature forecast.
Sometimes I’m apathetic simply for lack of understanding the tactics of
a particular sport.
On the other
hand, if I do decide that I’d like for one team or another to win, it’s
very trying, because obviously losses occur. Sometimes it feels too tense
for me if I get involved. I don’t want to be on the edge of concern over
and over about whether someone will catch a ball or hit a ball, whether it
will land fair or foul.
So I don’t
spend a lot of time watching sports competition.
It got to
the point that I hadn’t watched a complete game of anything for a while.
Then the Cub
fan in the family came to visit, so we had to see how the teams that
pulled ahead of the Cubs fared in the playoffs. I discovered it wasn’t
socially adequate in that situation to sit idly by as the innings passed.
Responses were expected, and I needed to pay enough attention to make
suitable comments.
With that
appetizer course behind me, I started in on the main menu of World Series
games. I’ll admit to skipping some completely. That saved time and
spared me some stress.
As the week
continued, a day that was special for unrelated reasons felt
uncharacteristically subdued because of game losses. Conversely, a date
with no particular significance otherwise turned out to be a favorite. My feelings
were mixed up. For a while, I didn’t want to look at Game 7 at all.
Along the
way I copied a few coping mechanisms I’ve observed on a family basis. I’m
assuming that it takes something special to follow the Cubs and that the
techniques themselves are worth following. For example, it’s acceptable
to check in on the game now and then. If the team is doing all right, you
can go on to something else for a while and check back later. If they’re
beyond help that day, that’s another valid reason to let them finish on
their own. Doing two things at once is also highly recommended. Engage in
a hobby while the game plays itself out.
Keeping
those methods in mind, I managed to get a few dishes washed and work on
letters while watching the World Series, especially by writing mainly
about the games in progress.
At one point
when I was worried about getting an important out, I noticed I was eating
as fast as I could while the pitcher deliberated. I had to remind myself
that at that rate the food would run out before the outs did.
All the
while, I thought the final result was what I wanted to know, one way or
the other. I could handle that. I didn’t want the uncertainty leading up
to it. I didn’t want to go through the ups and downs.
To my
surprise, the hoped-for conclusion was not the icing on the cake. My
reaction was not about who won or lost. It didn’t really matter to me
anymore. I stopped siding with one team or the other. I identified more
with individuals. I would have been reasonably happy with either winner
and sad with those that came up short.
When everything was said and
done, the process of intense competition — the part I didn’t want any
part of — proved to be the best part of all.
[Mary
Krallmann]
|
|
|
Where
They Stand
|
Where
They Stand is a commentary section addressing specific issues in the community. Informed individuals present their
position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The
material is posted unedited, in its entirety, as received. If you have further comment on the
issue, please send an e-mail message, complete with your name,
address and telephone number to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.
|
Local
teacher announces her candidacy for regional superintendent of
schools
By
Jean Anderson, candidate
[OCT.
31, 2001] My
name is Jean Anderson and I am announcing my intent to be a
Republican candidate for the office of Regional Superintendent of
Schools for Logan, Mason, and Menard counties.
|
I
am a graduate of Lincoln College and Sangamon State University (now
the University of Illinois, Springfield). I have a Master’s
Degree in Educational Administration and hold the Type 75
certificate, both requirements for the position of Regional
Superintendent. I am currently employed by Lincoln Elementary
District #27 Schools as the eighth grade Language Arts teacher at
The Lincoln Junior High School, a position I have held for the past
seventeen years. I also serve that school as its Discipline and
Attendance Officer.
A
member of the First United Methodist Church of Lincoln, I was its
organist for over 22 years and currently serve on the Board of
Trustees. I am chair of the Communications and Bargaining committees
and treasurer of the Lincoln Elementary Education Organization, and
also belong to the Illinois Education Association, the National
Education Association, and the Lincoln Junior High School
Parent-Teacher Organization.
The
daughter of Lincoln residents Paul E. and the late Helen Musa
Rankin, I have resided in Lincoln and Logan County for my entire
life. My husband of thirty-two years, Mike, is a Logan County
Highway Department employee. We are parents of Jonathan Anderson,
Director of Instrumental Studies at The Victoria College, Victoria,
Texas; and James Anderson, a kindergarten teacher at Mt. Pulaski
Grade School, Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. My sister, Susan Rohrer, and
her family also reside in Lincoln.
Although
I am a political novice, I believe I would be an effective Regional
Superintendent. For one, I am a strong written and oral
communicator, due to many years of teaching and music performance. I
have a working knowledge of school law and the many issues educators
currently face. Having spent seventeen years in the classroom, I am
very much aware of the concerns felt by today's teachers. I have
received formal training in negotiations, employer/employee team
building, and conflict resolution, and have served as chief
negotiator for our district's bargaining team. Our last three
contracts have been settled amicably, without mediation or
work-stoppage. In addition, I am organized and work well both
independently and in group situations.
[to top of second column in
this
section]
|
Teacher
recertification is an important new issue in the education field. I
am currently serving as a member of my district's Local Professional
Development Committee, a group responsible for overseeing and
assessing the state-required recertification requirements of our
teaching staff. I received training for this position through the
Springfield Regional Office of Education. Part of my duties as
Regional Superintendent will be to provide local training for the
teachers of Logan, Mason, and Menard counties, and assist them in
the recertification process. I also plan to work with local school
districts that want to become Providers, a designation that allows
them to bring on-site training for their staff rather than sending
them to another location for training or paying an outside group for
facilitating the process.
When
elected, my intention is to continue in the professional and
dedicated manner of our current Regional Superintendent George
Janet. Not only has his leadership been outstanding, the fact that
he is a resident of this county has been a definite advantage for
all Logan County citizens, and he has represented the Republican
party well. I believe that it is advantageous for this tradition to
continue. Therefore, I feel that my party affiliation, my residency
in this county, my strong ties with area schools and school
personnel, and my knowledge and dedication to current issues make me
a strong contender for the position of Regional Superintendent.
Sincerely,
Jean
Anderson
|
|
By
the Numbers
|
Population
estimates in Logan County
|
30,798 |
Total population,
1990 |
15,380 |
Rural population -
49.9%, 1990 |
15,418 |
Urban population -
50.1%, 1990 |
2,875 |
Projected births,
1990-1998 |
2,736 |
Projected deaths,
1990-1998 |
3,143 |
Persons below poverty
level - 11.8 % |
258 |
Average marriages per
year |
135 |
Average deaths per
year |
|
Alexis Asher
|
|
Logan
County high schools: 1960-2000 |
1962 |
Middletown
High School consolidated with New Holland |
1972 |
Atlanta
High School became part of Olympia School District |
1975 |
Elkhart
High School consolidated with Mount Pulaski |
1979 |
Latham
High School became Warrensburg-Latham |
1988 |
New Holland-Middletown
High School consolidated with Lincoln Community High School |
1989 |
San
Jose High School consolidated with Illini Central (Mason City) |
|