A Ld a WE The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, May 13,1992 5 WHERE WILL FUNDS FOR SLHOOL EXTRA-CURRKULAR ACTWITIES (OME FROM © STUDENTS [wa A kid can’t even eat dirt anymore By J. W. JOHNSON Earth Day—just two weeks ago. You would have had to have been living in a plastic soda bottle not to have at least heard of it. But what is Earth Day? As issues of collective impor- tance often are first raised by ex- trgzaists on either side of the politi- c@®;pectrum, Earth Day was first observed in 1970. The event was launched by radical, left-wing ac- tivists out to emasculate corporate America—the making of profit seen then by those extremists to be equally as sinful as spoiling the environment in the process. What Earth Day has evolved into some 20 years later is an observance which will not be marked by hundreds of millions of people in 140 different countries. The radicals are still out front lead- ing the charge; thankfully, those clgser to the middle of the spec- t have chosen to at least hear the’ message and act upon it. The message is: ahere is only one Mother Earth, a we, its caretakers, have not only raped the woman, but have attempted to poison her food and water with toxic wastes, strangle her with foul air, and sufficate her under mountains of garbage. ~ Toward the latter, it's marvel- ous to see municipal recycling programs underway. It wasn't marvelous to see several months ago at Christmas yet more ex- amples of gross excess in packag- ing, leading to more and more landfill problems. All cite just one example of per- sil experience. [| went doll shop- ping for my 6 year-old niece. It had to be a certain doll; Santa had received a specific request. | traveled far and wide in my. quest (and no, I'm not going to tell’ you the name of this doll; if its marketers want to tell you let them do so by advertising in this news- paper). Anyway....I finally found the doll Birthday Party 9 Blues? Billee the Clown » 675-0708 « Computerized Prescription Service » Russell Stover Candies » Greeting Cards * PA Lottery Ticket Newspapers Magazines 159 N. Memorial Hwy., Shavertown, PA 675-1191 in question. What [I also found there, and everywhere throughout the trip, was that the doll only took up about 20 percent of its packaging...you've all seen them: the fifteen inch doll in the yard and a half box. This is an obvious waste of energy to make the original pack- aging, in addition to providing that much more bulk for a landfill to bury. The marketing theory is that the bigger the box, the more likely it is to be seen and begged for by the child. On the other hand, it seems that corporate America has finally (and because it is not only socially conscious, but it will also become profitable) jumped on the environ- mental bandwagon. Almost daily we now see T.V. and magazine ads touting environmental awareness by this or that corporation. It would behoove those corporations to move beyond the public relations effort as it is now not only the radicals who are screaming about the envi- ronment, but the so-called silent majority are at least acknowledg- ing individual responsibility for environmental awarenss. Another personal experierce example: While serving in the mili- tary, I was a vehicle mechanic. Back in the 1960's we repaired the vehicle by repairing most of its components. Now mechanics don't know how to repair because most automotive components are made to be thrown away and replaced. Just where do we think all those used, unrepaired components go? Not that I agree with all the issues still being promoted by the extremists; for example, some see nuclear power as an enemy. ® NEW REPOSSESSED Agreed, nuclear power and its at- tendant toxic wastes are frighten- ing. But what are the alternatives in a society which values its indi- vidual liberties over its collective concerns. The world's supply of oil is limited and coal production will never be able to keep up with demand. Unless we go to collective housing (as opposed to single- family homes) on a large scale, the alternative energy sources of so- lar, wind, geo-thermal or tides are jsut not financially unfeasible unless approached collectively. For those who haven't been liv- ing in the aforementioned a plastic soda bottle, you also must have noticed that many politicians have run up the environmental flag of late. There are a few with long- standing beliefs, i.e., the liberal turned Libertarian, Jerry Brown; President Bush who is long on environmental rhetoric, and short on environmental action; and Bill Clinton who says what he thinks is necessary to say. How are we going to pay for taking the necessary action now that we've become environmen- tally aware? According to public information distributed by Con- gressman Joseph McDade, nearly $1 billion is spent by the military in northeast Pennsylvania alone, with $300 billion earmarked for the entire military budget this year. Perhaps now, as the world be- gins to see the folly of the military / industrial complex, we can begin to enjoy some peace dividends. And one of the first beneficiaries should be putting those dollars not spent on the military where our environmental mouths are, and should be., LOWEST PRICES YOU WILL EVER SEE! The economic view Knowledge will be power in 21st century By HOWARD J. GROSSMAN In a book which marks the end of the trilogy series prepared by Alvin Toffler, perhaps the most well known US futurist, the new power allies of wealth, knowledge, and violence are expressly inter- preted as being the dominant characteristics of the 21st cen- tury. In his other books, “Future Shock” and “The Third Wave” Toffler has correctly forecast the information explosion which has woven its impact web across the world. In his new book, he identifies changes in global and domestic power as shifting rapidly away from established centers. He notes that “only rarely does an entire globe- girdling system of power fly apart in this fashion. It is an even rare moment in history when all the rules of the power game change at once, and the very nature of power is revolutionized. Yet that is ex- actly what is happening today. Power, which to a large extent defines us as individuals and as nations, is itself being redefined.” One of the most riveting insights which he makes is that “the most important economic development of our lifetime has been the rise of a new system for creating wealth, based no longer on muscle but on mind...The spread of this new knowledge economy is, in fact, the explosive new force that has her- alded the advanced economies into bitter global’ competition, con- fronted the socialist nations with their hopeless obsolescence, forced many “developing nations” toscrap their traditional economic strate- gies, and has now profoundly dis- locating power relationships in both personal and public spheres.” To accent the powerful influence of knowledge, Toffler notes that “in- formation flowing from these tech- nologies will transform all our production and distribution sys- tems, creating vast power vacu- ums that completely new groups and institutions are already racing to fill.” Toffler believes the entire in- dustries are racing to position themselves for the future by build- ing their own special-purpose networks while others are racing to lay in place global multiple purpose networks that will carry message for anyone. He believes we are literally seeing the laying of the economy's infrastructures for the 21st century through the emergency of “several types or layers of electronic networks; pri- vate nets primarily designed for the employee ofa single firm; hook- ups between individual companies and their customers and/or ven- dors; and industry-wide networks. The newest industry is so called generic networks-common carri- ers-which are needed to connect these lower-level networks to one another and to transport messages for everyone else. In looking at the global perspec- tive, Toffler notes that the gap between nations which have often been viewed as north and south is really a gap which is informational and electronic; that is, between the slow and the fast. The winds of technology are rapidly overcoming | the traditional ways in which na- tions jump start new development opportunities. As an example he cites that it is not necessary to lay copper or even fiber optic cable across thousands of miles of jungle, ice or sand. Portable phones will communicate directly with the nearest overhead satellite which will pass the message along. Other advantages will similarly slash the huge cost of telecommunications, bringing them within reach of today's impoverished countries. Finally, Toffler provides a list of assumptions upon which Power- Shift springs. Some of the assump- tions noted include the following: -Conlflict is an inescapable so- cial fact. -Power struggles are not neces- sarily bad. | -Violence, which is chiefly used | to punish, is the least versatile source of power. Wealth is a far more flexible tool of power. Knowl- edge is the most versatile and basic. Knowledge is even more maldis- tributed than arms and wealth. If, indeed, knowledge is power, | then the power brokers of tomor- row at a local, county or regional scale will be those who control the assembly of information and can use it effectively in making deci- sions of importance which will influence many generations well into the new millennium. Library news There's a special book sale on at the library By NANCY KOZEMCHAK The display case at the Back Mountain Memorial Library is featuring a collection of Breyer Model Horses borrowed from Karen Appel of Dallas. Karen is 14 years old and in 9th grade at Dallas Senior High School. She has been collecting these horses for four years and now owns 71 horses. Needless to say, this girl loves horses, which is why she started collecting them. Most of her horses have been purchased through magazine articles and mail order catalogs. They can be bought lo- cally in some areas and also avail- able sometimes at flea markets. Karen also makes halters, bridles, saddles and tack and has her own business selling these. She sells these through mail order in catalogs. Her company name is Sugarhoof Ranch Tack Company and the name of the farm is Sugar- hoof Ranch. The display includes Appaloosas, Hunters, Percheron, Palomino and other kinds of horses. THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST SELECTIONS OF PIANOS, ORGANS, DIGITAL PIANOS EVER DISPLAYED IN THE WILKES-BARRE AREA! ALL MUST BE SOLD TO PRIVATE PARTIES, SCHOOLS OR CHURCHES The display will be at the library until June 3. The library will be conducting a special book sale from now on until the library auction, which begins July 9. The books in the basement store rooms will be sold for $1.00 a bag plus one free bag. Buy one, get one free. There are many good books there to choose from. The book booth at the auction is looking for children's books and cookbooks for the booth. These are; | good sellers and are often hard to come by. These books and any other materials for the auction may be brought into the library at any tme when we are open. The Book Club will meet on Monday, May 18 at 1:30 in the reference room at the library. The program will be “Show and Tell” special items brought by members for sharing. Members are urged to attend and guests are always wel- come. Refreshments will be served. The library has a 1989 edition of the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers for sale. This is a PLEAS DOWN PAYMENT [| Jet 337.1 14 4 DEALERS 23 volume set and included prod- ucts and services, company pro- files and a catalog file. We would like to sell the set for $50 which would be a bargain for the right person. New children’s books at the li- brary: “Little Mouse's Birthday Cake” by Thacher Hurd is a special story about learning that birth- days can be full of surprises. “Where’s/ Our Mama”? by Diane Goode tells what happens when two children become separated from their mother in a bustling Paris train station. The setting is elegant and stylish. Eric Carle's “Dragons, Dragons and Other Creatues That Never Were" is a celebration of mythol- ogy and legends from around the world. Playful centaurs, mysteri- ous garuda and others. “Dial-a-Croc” by Mike Dumble- ton and Ann James gives the read- ers the fun of an unusual business partnership that develops into a real friendship. An interesting story. e DEMOS ® RENTAL RETURNS
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