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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-03-23, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017. PAGE 5. Other Views This weather isn't for the birds f this crazy weather we've been having lately (May -like in February, January -like in March) has been getting to you, please just don't say it's for the birds. I know some birds who would take exception to that statement. One would be the robin we saw huddled in the cold for most of one day last week in the middle of the snowy, frozen street outside our Blyth office. Its expression seemed to indicate it had had more than it could take and was hoping to be put out of its misery by being hit by a car. You could say the poor thing was paying the price for returning too early but I couldn't help wondering if it had really only intended to be in Tennessee or Kentucky about now but those gale -force southern winds earlier in the week had blown it all the way across Lake Erie into frozen Huron County. One thing's certain, that early bird did not get the worm because the ground was snow- covered and no sensible worm would be within a foot of the frozen surface. A sunny day or so later, when its plea for a quick end had not been answered by drivers who'd carefully swerved to miss it, the robin was desperate enough for nourishment that it was pecking at the frozen, rotten remains of last year's tiny crabapples from the flowering crab trees that line our street. Our robin was not alone in its misery. Last week we were feeding a large flock of red - winged blackbirds at out feeders at home — something that was doing wonders for the sale of bird feed but not so well for our bank account. The blackbirds had to shoulder their way in to the feeders because the birds we've been feeding all winter are far from ready to disperse to their summer habitat. In fact, though we usually have trouble attracting cardinals to our feeders from the nearby bush, in the last couple of weeks we've had four pairs. Either they had run out of whatever they had been eating in the bush or they had Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk become weary from the effort of finding their daily meals and decided it was worth degrading themselves to let humans watch them eat in exchange for having a little easier task filling up. And all this in a winter that generally has been pretty easy to live with here in the snow belt. In fact I'd guess we had more snow in one overnight two -foot snowfall back in November than we've had the rest of the winter. Snowmobilers had a few glorious weeks after that until the snow melted, then weeks of frustration (which led somebody to run their machine across the field behind our house last week on a mere three inches of snow). I'm sure those people who depend on snow removal for their winter income are also worried how they're going to pay their bills. This is two winters in a row when the people who celebrate or depend on winter weather have been disappointed so it seems a little churlish to complain about a little wintery weather in March before we even hit the first official day of spring — unless, of course, you're a migrating bird who depends on warmer weather to find food. Before we get drawn into the whole climate -change debate again, let me say that I know we've often had winter in March in the past. After all I was born in 1947, the year of the most infamous March blizzard of all when roads were blocked and even the trains couldn't get through (imagine — a time when we still had trains!). That year airplanes dropped yeast to bakeries in local towns so they could keep making bread for local residents. By last Sunday, seasonal temperatures had returned and the sun came out so the skiff of snow on the ground quickly melted and, instantly, spring seemed ahead of schedule again. One thing about the weather, it gives Canadians a handy topic of conversation in those small -talk moments when they first meet. In fact, it can come as a surprise that people in the rest of the world aren't the same way. I always remember a friend who spent a couple of years working on a Caribbean island who noticed people looked bewildered when he'd greet them with "Nice day isn't it?" To the locals, nice days were something they just took for granted. I wonder how they do break the ice in starting a conversation — but of course they never have to break the ice in those sunny climes. One thing for sure is that in recent years we've had a much wider variety of weather to comment on. So much of the extreme fluctuation seems to depend on the position of the jet stream. I don't know about you, but it seems to me I only started to notice the jet stream in recent years. Maybe it took satellite technology or weather radar to identify this high-altitude air flow that has so much to do with our surface weather. But the "polar vortex" a couple of years ago certainly educated us about the jet stream as it dipped lower across the eastern part of the continent and left millions of us shivering. Now, thanks to amazingly accurate weather forecasting, we can see where the jet stream is sitting and know we're either in for warm weather, or to get out the winter coat again. Too bad there can't be weather forecasts for robins so they could see that the jetstream is shifting southward and they'd know enough not to return to Ontario where they'll be starving in the cold and snow. `Safety features' or deadly technolo Lately I've been seeing many commercials on television for vehicles that come with so-called "safety features" that make up for drivers who aren't paying attention. The advancement of technology is something that can't be stymied but that doesn't mean that every technology created has a place in the world. For my two bits, I'd say that any vehicular feature that takes complete control away from the driver or encourages them to feel safe allowing themselves to be distracted should likely be put back on the shelf. Whether it's an "autonomous" braking system that stops you from hitting things in front of the vehicle or "lane departure alert" that makes it so you don't even have to pay attention to where your car is on the road, these technologies should be scrapped before they cause irreversible damage. Both these technologies would become self- fulfilling prophecies where they would train drivers to be less attentive, thus creating a need for them going forward. Like I said, I've talked about this before. At that point, I believe it was a system which automatically parallel parked for a driver, thus robbing them of the ability to perform such a manoeuver. At least, however, parallel parking isn't a necessary skill to drive safely. Teaching people that their car will automatically brake when they are approaching an object or that a buzzer will sound when they start to veer away from the safety of their lane builds in a level of technological dependancy that may not always Oa, Denny iiiiiitai Scott Denny's Den be met by the technology they are using. If someone is taught to drive in a car featuring these "safety features", what happens when they get a rental car or drive a friend's vehicle that doesn't have them? Learning the importance of being alert while driving is likely the most important part of learning how to drive. Knowing what each knob and button does or having to perform a three-point turn is secondary to making sure that drivers are paying attention to the road, their fellow drivers, pedestrians and anything else that might be on or near the road. Drivers should not, as shown in one commercial touting an autonomous braking technology, be imagining themselves on stage singing instead of keeping their eyes on the road. It reminds me of a joke that an automobile aficionado friend of mine told me. "What's the best way to stop your car from getting stolen? Buy a standard transmission since fewer and fewer people can use them." I said it was a joke, not a particularly funny one. My friend, however, has a point. Automatic transmissions were, at one point, a new technology and now many (if not the majority Y? of drivers) don't know how to operate a standard vehicle because of the relative simplicity provided by an automatic transmission. How long is it going to be before automatic parking modules, blind -spot sensors, autonomous braking programs and lane - departure alerts are so relied upon that people can't operate a vehicle without them? I hope it's not in my lifetime. I plan, as I hope other people starting families do, to teach my daughter to drive in the most simple vehicle possible. She can enjoy the bells and whistles and automatic features once she understands and can perform the feats those "safety features" make automatic for her. Autonomous braking, however, is a technology that I think should be forgotten altogether. Not only does it take control away from the driver, but, if there is some kind of glitch, it could cause a driver to come to a dead stop in the middle of a busy highway. While the rest of the drivers should be far enough back (and paying enough attention) to avoid a collision as a result of such a malfunction, there is no guarantee that they will be and the autonomous braking may prove to be as much a hazard as a safety feature. Driving, like many other things in life, should be performed and enjoyed in its simplest form: a careful driver behind a well- maintained vehicle. All these "safety features" do is create lazy drivers who won't know what to do when the autonomous features break down. A good man leaves us Jts always nice to see the community come together when someone important and beloved passes away. That happened in Blyth last week when family, friends, colleagues and community members said goodbye to former Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling. It was touching for those attending the March 16 funeral to see members of the fire department sitting together in uniform where the Blyth United Church choir usually sits. The firefighters were seated behind the altar table and behind Pastor Gary Clark mourning their former chief. Among the faces were former firefighters as well. In the seats with the general public were other firefighters from throughout Huron County like Marty Bedard from Huron East and Tom Phillips from Seaforth. Even Huron - Bruce MP Ben Lobb paid his respects. It's nice to know that when someone so accomplished and dedicated to his community passes away, that those he has worked alongside and helped along the way will honour him in his passing. Paul was a good man and people said as much at his funeral. They outlined his decades as a volunteer firefighter, many of them as chief, and his paid work both as a contractor and chief building official. In addition, Patrick Armstrong, founder of the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund, spoke highly of Paul as the first board member the organization ever had. Clark also detailed Paul's work with the Lions, the Masons and the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association. All of those things are important, especially when we're talking about someone who was so prolific in his community as Paul. But they are just points on a resume. Anyone who knew Paul knew that he had a great sense of humour, but that he didn't necessarily talk a lot. That was tough for me, because there were plenty of situations in which I needed to talk to Paul. He was the chief building official for Huron East, a municipality I cover, he was involved with the Threshers, with whom we do so much work and, of course, for so many years Paul was the go -to person when there was a fire or a collision in the area. So, with all these reasons to talk to Paul, it could be challenging for someone who thrives on quotes to talk to someone who wouldn't give you many. Paul was always more than willing to talk and he wouldn't delay in calling you back, but when you were on the phone with him, he just didn't have much to say. A man of few words we could call him. For me, I found him to be an inspiration. Paul was the reason that his son Jeff started the Fire Riders cycling team. Every year at the starting line of the Ride to Conquer Cancer, there is a guy who says of those suffering with cancer, "Our [cyclists'] sweat is nothing compared to their tears" and that became how I viewed what we did versus what Paul did. He was so proud of Jeff and his daughter Joanne, who volunteered as a crew member, and other members of his family who also participated in the process. He was proud of other members of the team like me and fellow firefighters and Blyth natives. He was our inspiration for the ride. We wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for him. And what we did really meant a lot to him, but he never thought we couldn't accomplish it. Paul inspired many in his years on earth from his wife Dianne to his children and grandchildren, his fellow firefighters and even just friends like me. That will be his legacy.