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Opinion

Monday, December 8, 1997

The Way I See It

It's time to make a change

Sometimes it seems that the only thing we can count on to
stay the same is that everything will change.

Change seems to be the basic building block of the modern
world. If something doesn't change every time it's used,
it's probably obsolete.

The biggest example of the emphasis on change now is the
Internet and every thing connected with it. If you pay any
attention to the Internet you probably are aware that
Microsoft and Netscape are in a battle to the death to be
the top browser on the Internet. For those of you who don't
care to keep up with Net things, a browser is the software
Net surfers use to view Websites. Microsoft and Netscape
keep coming up with more complicated and supposedly better
browsers so that one or the other can claim to be the best
browser on the Internet.

What the two companies (and others) are doing is putting out
new versions of software that are harder and harder to
understand and use. Unless you are one of the few who spend
all their time working with complicated software, these
products eventually become too complicated for the average
Joe to figure out.

To further complicate matters, those using the new software
create sites on the Internet that are too complicated to be
accessed unless you have the newest and coolest browser. So
in the mad battle to improve on what was originally billed
as a communication tool that would make everyone able to
communicate with anyone else in the world in a cheap and
easy manner, the Internet is rapidly becoming a tool for the
elite.

Internet sites are purposly designed to be complicated in
order to show the surfer that the site is important. If you
come to a site that doesn't have spinning, whirring special
effects with music playing in the background it must not be
an important site. Never mind what kind of information the
site offers.

But the Internet is only one of the most obvious examples of
the emphasis on change today. We see it in every thing from
cars to ink pens. Almost nothing stays the same from day to
day, much less from year to year.

I'm not saying that change is all bad. When I was a kid
change was exciting because it seemed that almost nothing
ever changed and when something did change it was unique.
Now change is expected, even demanded.

When things change too much they become unstable. Things
have to remain the same for a little while to build a sense
of stability. Maybe that is one thing that is wrong with
society now, nothing stays the same.

I think it's time for us to say, enough is enough. Change
needs to slow down and we can slow things down if we want
to.

Remember the New Coca Cola. People rejected it and said they
did not want to change. That stopped the new version dead in
its tracks.

If we all get tired of this rapidly changing world all we
have to do is ban together and say, "I'm not going to change
anymore! I won't have anything to do with anything that
changes more than once a year!"

Let's try it. Maybe we can change the way things are.

Editor's Note: Rick Smith is the City Editor of the Pecos Enterprise whose
column appears each Monday. He can be e-mailed at:
ricks@pecos.net.

Your View

Company offers tips on holiday drinking

To The Editor:
The holiday season is here with its share of parties, family
gatherings and lots of food and drinks. So, if your planning
to host or attend a holiday party, don't forget your friends
and neighbors who share the roads and highways.

Promoting responsible drinking and safe driving during the
holidays is everyone's responsibility. Here are some tips
for making your holiday party a safe event for everyone.

* Always serve food with alcoholic beverages. High-protein
foods like cheese and meat help moderate the effects of
alcohol.

* Make non-alcoholic beverages available to your guests.

* Serve each guest one drink at a time.

* Close the bar at least an hour before the party ends. As
an alternative, offer desserts and coffee to end the evening.

* Arrange safe rides home for all of your guests. Make sure
they have a designated driver, call them a cab or ask them
to spend the night.
Preventing drunk driving takes a team effort, and by
following these simple suggestions, we can all help our
community have a safe holiday season.

P.M. Dunagan
Vice-President
Rio Pecos Sales Company

Our View

Team play solves the loneliness problem

The Sept. 24, 1997, issue of USA Today gives us some
interesting data on the colleges that supply players to the
National Football League. This year when the season opened,
there were 1,587 players on the roster for the NFL. I could
not help but notice that Notre Dame was the No. 1 supplier
of players with 44 and Penn State was No. 3 with 36. That's
a total of 80.

Your arithmetic will show you that these two schools
provided slightly more than 5 percent of all of the players
in the NFL this year. With hundreds of schools participating
in football, it's incredible that two teams would supply
such a large percentage.

I mention this to point out that, so far as I know, Notre
Dame and Penn State are the only two teams in major college
football that do not put the names of the players on the
uniforms - just their number and the name of the school.

These schools believe that the defensive tackle and the
pulling guard are just as important to the team as any other
player on the team. They definitely think "team" because
they understand, as do all coaches, that individuals score
points, but teams win games. I mention these two schools
because there is a distinct possibility that that one little
difference gives them a competitive edge in the final
analysis.

But what about the players? Obviously, the players benefit
even more because the NFL coaches draft their players on
individual ability plus their reputation and performance as
team players.

I can't prove it, but chances are good that these "team
players" have kept in touch and maintained their
relationships with college teammates. Consequently, they
will not be alone when their football careers are over. See
you at the top!

"It is impossible for one man to rob or injure another
without at the same time rubbing and injuring himself more
than anybody else." - Emerson

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