D2
The Fayette County Record, Friday, July 15, 2016
Letters to the Editor Is There a Link Between that little voice
ADHD and Screen Time?
Paint a New Mural
By MARGO JOHNSON
To the Editor:
The graffiti on the wall of
the Quilt Museum, though objectionable to many, could have
been worse than it was.
I have read that the problem
of graffiti has been a great concern to people in large cities.
Their answer to the problem has
been to allow the artist to make
beautiful murals on blank walls,
scenes that are appealing to the
public and beautify the city. One
city I heard about had a contest
to determine what would be
painted on a certain wall and
who would be allowed to do it.
The museum wall, to an artist, was as enticing as a blank
canvas or a sheet of white paper. An appropriate scene could
have complimented the Quilt
Museum mural. Another wall
in our downtown area that could
stand some beautification is the
west wall at Prause’s meat market. The presence of the flowers on the corner does much to
make the downtown area appealing. An appropriate scene
on the wall behind the flowers
could certainly add to the beauty
of the flowers.
The saying goes, “If life
gives you a lemon, make lemonade.” Perhaps the appropriate
“punishment” for the graffiti
artist would be to require him/
her to redo that wall with a scene
more appropriate. Thus making
lemonade, which most everyone
likes.
Linda Rawlinson
La Grange
Law Enforcement
Personnel Deserve
Our Thanks
To the Editor:
I write this letter to express
my appreciation and gratitude
for the men and women who
have committed themselves to
protecting our communities.
Many of us take for granted
the protection we are provided
by our policemen and deputies.
They make an incredible difference in our everyday lives. They
are our friends and neighbors
and they deserve our support. To
all law enforcement, thank you
for defending our communities
with your life today and always.
Please know that your sacrifice
and risk do not go unnoticed.
Additionally, thank you to
the families of law enforcement personnel. Your support
and encouragement are crucial
to the job your family member
performs. A special thanks to all
of the staff who support our law
enforcement officers, your role
is indeed a vital one.
Please join me in expressing
gratitude to all law enforcement
officers. When you see an officer in uniform, walk up to them
and thank them for making our
world a better place.
By: DR. KIMBER LOCKE
Phycologist -Tejas Health Care
It’s summer! And, with
school being out, many parents
are searching for ways to keep
their kids both happy and busy.
However, think twice before
you hand over that smart phone
or tablet!
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage
of children four to 17 years of
age who have been diagnosed
with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has
more than doubled since 1990.
That number is now at 11 percent, making it the most common childhood behavioral disorder. Meanwhile, the Kaiser
Family Foundation found that
school-age children spend an
average of nearly seven and a
half hours each day watching
and/or interacting with screens,
a 20 percent increase from just
five years ago.
The sharp rise in both
ADHD and screen time could
be more than mere coincidence,
and it’s important to try and understand how electronic gadgets may be affecting the developing minds of children. While
hyper-focusing on screens may
look like concentration, it is
very different than the type of
attention needed to succeed
in school and life. With video
games, it’s sustained attention with rewards; however, in
I’ve been preoccupied with the idea of playing lately, and as
I glanced out my office window this morning I saw my neighbor
playing with his granddaughter.
Actually, he watched as she played.
The toddler is old enough to walk, but barely, and amazingly,
she can hold a remote control that directs a battery powered car.
I’m mesmerized just watching the joy this young one derives in
running the car onto the grass, into a tree, around in circles, and
sometimes even going where she wants it to. She giggles, laughs,
and delights in her ability to control something.
And it is fun to see her playing.
Her granddad just stands back, letting her determine what she
wants to do next. She might pick the toy up. She might ‘toddle’ her
way toward the street (he immediately intercepts her), she might
head back to the house, or she might just sit down and ponder
things for a few seconds.
The choice is hers, and she seems to enjoy the freedom she
finds in making those decisions. She doesn’t have to think about it,
she just ‘does’ what comes naturally.
I wonder if I could borrow her for a bit. She could teach me to
play, show me how to let go of expectations, and she might even
know how to fix my computer.
You never know.
school and in life, being able to
sustain attention in the absence
of rewards is very important.
Increased screen-time appears to be creating far more
problems than we, as parents,
realize. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), excessive media use
can lead to not only attention
problems, but also to school
difficulties, sleep and eating
disorders, and obesity. Thus, it
may be wise to re-think the use
of screen-time for our kids and
consider setting firm limits on
how much should be allowed.
The AAP currently recommends no screen time for children under the age of two years,
and a maximum of two hours
per day of high-quality material
for older children. They also
recommend that parents create
“screen-free” zones at home by
making sure there are no televisions, computers, or video
games in children’s bedrooms
and by turning the TV off during mealtime. Additionally,
parents should be mindful of
their own media use, which can
negatively affect their children.
So, what can kids do to keep
busy when out of school? Outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and
imaginative free play are all important ways that children can
stay both happy and busy – and
without sacrificing their overall
well-being.
But Sir, It Wasn’t Me
By: FLORIAN KANA
It was around 1957 and I had
just acquired my driver’s license.
The only
vehicle I
could drive
around
on was a
turquoise
colored
1954
Chevy
pickup.
But
to
me at that
time, it was just as good as a Cadillac! I picked up my cousin –
1 ½ years younger than I – one
Friday evening and headed out
to Schulenburg. It just so happened that I met a pretty girl at
the annual Ammannsville picnic
a few weeks prior to that night.
I found out she lived right outside of Schulenburg on highway
77 north. I was thinking tonight
would be a good night to stop by
and get more acquainted. So we
stopped and after finding her at
home and not having much to
do I asked if I could visit for a
while. She said OK so my next
problem was to ditch my cousin,
Jimmy Joe, for a while.
So even though he had no
driver license, I gave him the
keys to the truck and told him
to go to town. In other words
“get lost” for an hour or 2! Well,
after about an hour I could hear
the truck coming to the horse-
Margaret Burton
La Grange
A Warning From Dubina
To the Editor:
I have a warning from Dubina, don’t budge an inch on
gun control or the country is lost
and the corrupt politicians will
force whatever they want down
our throats. Just think what that
USA would look like going
through another four or eight
years of what we have been put
through the last eight.
Sam Niesner
Dubina
State Capital Highlights
Continued from Page D1
Joining Texas in signing the
motion are the states of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Call for cuts is issued
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov.
Dan Patrick and House Speaker
Joe Straus on July 1 directed all
state agencies to cut their funding requests by 4 percent for the
2018-2019 biennial budget.
Straus, R-San Antonio, said,
“Due to the slowdown in parts
of our economy, some difficult
decisions will be required to
balance the next state budget
and the process of making those
decisions begins now.”
The House Appropriations
Committee is appointed by
Straus and its counterpart, the
Senate Finance Committee, is
appointed by Patrick. In late
August, the committees will
review appropriations requests
submitted by state agencies and
use that information in crafting
their respective versions of the
next state budget.
Tax allocations are set
Texas Comptroller Glenn
Hegar on July 7 announced his
office would send cities, counties, transit systems and special
purpose taxing districts $624
million in local sales tax allocations for July.
The allocations, based on
sales made in May by businesses that report tax monthly,
amount to 2.3 percent more
than the comptroller’s office
distributed in July 2015.
“The cities of Dallas, San
Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth
saw noticeable increases in sales
tax allocations,” Hegar said.
“Energy-centric cities such as
Houston and Midland continue
to see decreases in sales tax allocations.”
On July 5, Hegar said state
sales tax revenue in June totaled
$2.2 billion, down 0.8 percent
compared to June 2015. “Sales
tax revenue growth continues to
be hobbled by reduced spending in oil- and gas-related sectors. Despite the recent increase
in oil prices, spending is below
even the reduced levels seen a
year ago,” he added.
History: Helsinki
Continued from Page D1
The 800 at Helsinki was a
rematch of Whitfield and Wint.
They were third and first respectively with 250 meters to
go, when the defending champion shifted into high gear and
passed the challenger. “Marvelous Mal” crossed the finish line
with two yards to spare in exactly the same time he had run four
years earlier.
Two years later, Malvin
Whitfield was the first black
awarded the Sullivan Award as
the nation’s best amateur athlete.
Failing to qualify for his third
Olympics in 1956, he withdrew
from competition and spent several years in Africa teaching the
finer points of running to eager
young Kenyans and Ethiopians.
A speed demon from Graham collected the fourth gold
medal for Texas by running the
initial leg on the 4x100-meter
relay. First out of the starting
blocks in the 100-meter dash,
Dean Smith looked like a cinch
for a second gold but finished
14 inches behind the winner in
fourth place.
When his running days were
over, the University of Texas
track star earned his living as
a Hollywood stuntman. He appeared in hundreds of movies
and television shows and as
Robert Redford’s stunt double
in three films.
The fifth gold medal for
Texas came in a team sport.
Slaton’s Bill Lienhard, a college
player at Kansas, was a member
of the U.S. basketball squad that
won every game in Helsinki by
an average of 20 points.
The last gold medalist was
the smallest of the six -- little five-foot, four-inch Skippy
Browning from Dallas. A threetime state diving champion at
Highland Park, he collected four
consecutive NCAA trophies for
the University of Texas.
At Helsinki Brown left no
doubt as to who was the best
diver in the world. When he was
done, the Dallas Morning News
reported “the spectators, including the Duke of Edinburgh,
husband of Queen Elizabeth II,
cheered wildly.”
Clutching the shining symbol of his supremacy, Skippy
Browning said with a hint of
sadness, “I’m glad I won it because I don’t think I’ll ever see
another Olympics.” In March
1956, while training for the Melbourne Games, he was killed in
a plane crash.
Here is a fascinating tidbit of
trivia: If the Lone Star State had
still been an independent nation in 1952, the six gold medals won at Helsinki would have
tied Texas with France, Finland
and Australia for seventh place
among the 69 countries!
Bartee’s three books and
“Best of This Week in Texas History” column collections are
available for purchase at barteehaile.com.
Kids and technology – The
sharp rise in both ADHD and
screen time could be more than
mere coincidence,
ACROSS
47 “Hughes ___ Co.” was
start of TX Howard Jr.’s
riches
48 evironment agcy.
49 biased
52 an early band for TX Roy
Orbison: “____ Kings”
53 poetic “ever”
54 Harris, Asner, and exCowboy “Too Tall” Jones
55 dir. to Odessa from
Andrews (abbr.)
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Florian Kana, a life-long
Fayette County resident, writes
stories about growing up here.
You can contact him at ckana@
cvctx.com
Find us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/fcr.news
Your Local Newspaper, Twice Every Week
1 TX Zellweger’s
____ mater was UT
5 De ____, TX
6 TXism: “____ a
hand” (assist)
7 TX DL, e.g.
8 TXism: “___ some
gravel” (fell)
9 illegally seize a car
15 “if the ___ fits,
wear it”
16 what TX Roy
Orbison did for a
living (2 wds.)
19 raid on Waco compound on 4/19/93
left 76 of these
21 TXism for an old
man (2 wds.)
22 gymnast
27 cow and a calf
28 wrinkle remover
29 like better
30 TXism: “he ain’t got
a lick __ _____”
(dumb)
32 TX “Pretty Woman”
singer Roy (init.)
33 strategic out by a
Ranger or Astro
36 “frio” south of the
border
37 snorkeler’s flipper
38 in Hunt Co. on 69
39 “_ _______ of
minds” (agreement)
41 TXism: “Lord willing
and the creek don’t
____” (determined)
42 newspaper in
Junction, TX
45 “yin and ____”
46 Gulf shrimp catcher
shoe drive. I quickly said good
night and getting into the driver
seat I proceeded to head north on
highway 77. But I didn’t go but
about ½ mile when a bright red
light and siren came up upon me
from behind. I stopped the truck
and got out to meet a city constable who shined a bright light
into my face. He then proceeded
to loudly talk a blue streak of
vulgarity right into my face!
He cursed me up and down and
sideways! Seems he accused me
of running around town making
racket and speeding. All I could
do was to finally explain to him
that I was with my girlfriend and
maybe it was Jimmy, my passenger, who might be the culprit.
Well, he didn’t buy my story and
after all that hollering he did, he
just gave me a verbal warning
not to go through his town next
time unless it was at a fast idle.
After we were on our way home
again, I asked Jimmy, who was
sort of slumping down in his seat
as to just what did he do. He
said that he found out if he drove
pretty fast and cut the ignition
key off and put it on again the
engine would backfire real loud.
So I did that a few times. Needless to say that was the last time
I entrusted my vehicle to anyone.
Special to the Record 2
3
TEXAS
CROSSWORD
4
5
6
by Charley & Guy Orbison
7
Copyright 2016 by Orbison Bros.
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12
26
27
34
31
35
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36
42
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43
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44
45
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48
49
13 this Crisp plays for
Astro & Ranger foe,
Oakland A’s
14 community radio
FM in Dallas
15 most frightening
16 celebrated in TX:
“Fiesta Diez y ____
de Septiembre”
17 Hitler henchman
(one spelling)
18 TXism: “______
enough to float a
horseshoe” (coffee)
20 TXism: “out of the
woods”
22 Palestine HS star
RB, Adrian (init.)
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28
39
41
14
21
38
1 “Texas, Our
46
Texas! ___ hail
the mighty State!”
2 TX star actor
Tommy ___ Jones
3 newspaper in
Mineola, TX
4 TXism: “he has short
arms ___ ____
_______” (frugal)
8 TXism: “panting like
a lizard on _ ___
rock”
9 TXism: “___ ______
_____ an overhaul”
(bad memory)
10 TWU’s “Little Chapel
__ the Woods”
11 this Glidden invented
modern barbed wire
(init.)
12 TXism: “mad __
_ ___-____ cow”
13
17
30
DOWN
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20
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33
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16
15
50
51
P-1280-A
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23 this Coke was 35th
gov. of TX (init.)
24 “El Camino ____
de los Tejas”
25 TXism: “got a lot __
____ to shuck”
26 2011 film about a
murder in Carthage
28 “____ du Bois
State Park”
THIS FEATURE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Puzzle solution will appear in the Classified Pages of Tuesday’s newspaper.
31 in Jefferson Co.
on hwy. 90
34 Angels to Astros &
Rangers in AL West
35 state where TX “Big
Bopper” died (abbr.)
37 this gas station
chain is owned by
TX-based Alon USA
40 TX Byron Nelson
short putt: “___ in”
43 early internet
provider (abbr.)
44 small beards
50 concise statement
51 Rangers longtime
anncr., Eric (init.)