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The Citizen, 2017-10-05, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017. PAGE 5. Other Views We are so lucky we look ridiculous This coming weekend as Canadians mark Thanksgiving, no doubt many people will pause to think about the things they're thankful for, but from the point of view of the majority of people in the world, we can't even begin to grasp how blessed we are. The majority of Canadians have been so favoured for so long that we take for granted many privileges that people in other parts of the world can only dream of enjoying. Nearly every native-born Canadian alive today, for instance, has never experienced war threatening their homeland. Yes, Canadian soldiers have died in Korea and Afghanistan and peacekeeping missions, but it's now 72 years since Canada was in a war that, if we didn't win it, would have serious consequences here at home. Our country hasn't been invaded since the haphazard Fenian Raids by U.S.-based Irish separatists in the 1860s. Meanwhile in many corners of the world war is the norm as ethnic and religious tensions turn violent, leaving people unsafe in their homes and forcing them to make the heart- breaking decision to gather up what meager possessions they can carry and trudge hundreds of miles to the relative safety of a refugee camp. The other day someone who has travelled to many impoverished parts of the world on behalf of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank reminded me of the tremendous gift our system of free education has given Canadians. For nearly 200 years, beginning in the era of the one -room schoolhouse, we have had access to free education at elementary and secondary schools. But in many countries, even those that supposedly provide free schooling, barriers such as having to buy an approved school uniform and wear Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk proper shoes prevent poor children from getting an education. We cannot even measure the difference the free education we take for granted has had on our country. The intellectually -talented daughter or son of a single mother on welfare has the same opportunity to learn as the child of a millionaire, at least until the end of the high school. For the past 50 years, thanks to the government-sponsored student loan and grant programs, the doors to a university or community college education have also been opened to millions of young people who wouldn't have dreamed of a post -secondary education in early generations — or in the majority of countries in the world. Our education system has been the most significant factor in elevating a greater proportion of our population to relative wealth than at any time in history. And yet our prosperity must make us seem ridiculously self-centred to those in less - advantaged parts of the world if they have the ability to see our society through modern media. In a world where many are grateful for a roof over their heads, so many of us worry that our house isn't large enough — that we really must have a master suite with an ensuite bathroom because we shouldn't need to suffer the hardship of going down the hall to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. While many millions wonder where their next meal will come from, our greatest health issue is that we eat too much of the wrong kind of food and make ourselves overweight or just plain obese. Obsession with healthy eating, on the other hand — the kind of obsession that can only occur in a food -rich country — leads to fad diets and eating disorders like Bulimia. Hundreds of millions in the world depend on the power of their own muscles to plant and harvest their crops while we have the advantage of so many labour-saving devices that our biggest problem is getting enough exercise to keep us healthy. So we hop in the car and drive to the gym to tone our muscles. But such is the state of our prosperity that it must be the right, fashionable gym with the right kind of exercise equipment. For many that also includes having the properly fashionable clothing to wear for their yoga or exercise class or to jog. If they choose to bike, it should be a fashionably acceptable sort of machine In Third World countries people fear dying from diseases like tuberculosis that haven't been part of our world for generations. Meanwhile, though there are still plenty of frightening diseases for us to worry about, in general westerners are healthy enough to turn to worrying about appearances, such as billions spent on plastic surgery and the perfection of our smiles. Our very right to celebrate Thanksgiving in the religion of our choosing — or no religion at all — is a great gift we have living in this country. Yes, we have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. As we sit down to our holiday feast, let's take a moment to be thankful for more than just food and family — and let's learn to moderate our appetites going forward and not become addicts to consumerism. Take advantage of what we offer Despite our best efforts here in The Citizen's editorial department, events and stories sometimes slip between our fingers because no one reaches out to tell us about them. Other stories and events we find out about the day after — far too late to get to for photos and reactions to say nothing of writing about said events ahead of time in an attempt to get the word out and increase attendance. We try and cover a pretty big area, traditionally being the newspaper for Auburn, Belgrave, Bluevale, Blyth, Brussels, Cranbrook, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding areas, not just Blyth. Our sphere on influence, however, is expanding as we find readers in areas that we haven't traditionally covered. It puts us in a new situation: we don't necessarily know all the players in those surrounding communities so we might not know about all the important things that are happening there. Beyond that, our existing contacts for events and groups change all the time, and sometimes things may fall through the cracks. Take, for example, the fall colour tour at the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) that would have happened over the weekend had it not been cancelled. While we do cover the event every year, it wasn't something I had written down because traditionally someone reaches out to us about it. Before anyone at the MVCA thinks I'm in an accusatory mood, I'm not pointing figures at any particular group here. That said, the amount of times something important, interesting or worthwhile goes on in the community and we're not told about it or told after -the -fact is frustrating to say the least. While it would be great if everyone bought advertising space to say when they are having their fundraisers, their food drives and their events, for some groups, that's just not a reasonable thing to request. Some groups, such as charities, probably don't have the money to bank roll such announcements. Other groups think the newspaper isn't the best way to advertise, and are then frustrated when we don't know about their story or their involvement in an event. I understand why it happens— it's a lot easier to put together a short social media post than it is to reach out to the community through the newspaper, but I guarantee, especially in a place like Huron County, you're not going to get the same response. While I can't speak for Shawn (though I'm sure he feels the same), we didn't start, or continue to work at a community newspaper without knowing that a large part of our jobs would be telling people about these important events. We also take time to cover these events because it's important that people know where their donations go. That's why it's important for me to say I'm not complaining about the wait — I'm complaining that we offer this great way to get in touch with the community and everyone seems to overlook the community newspaper that reaches the farthest into North Huron. Reach out to us. We're never going to give a flat no to covering a genuine community event. The worst we may have to say is we can't get there for a photo and then encourage you to submit a photo to us as soon as possible. It's also important that when I say reach out, I don't mean send an e-mail and hope that it reaches us — it's not the most reliable way to communicate and I've had enough discussions with people about missing or otherwise waylaid e-mails to prove that. Call the office and, if we're not around, leave us a voicemail. We're here to tell your stories and let people know the exciting things that community groups and charities are doing. Without that kind of great news to share, The Citizen wouldn't be the newspaper it is today, so I urge you all — reach out to us. Don't let us find out on a Monday that a huge group of people visited a local landmark the week before. Don't expect us to somehow intuitively know the story you think needs to be told because, while I'm working on it, my psychic powers haven't kicked in yet. Maybe most importantly, don't get angry with us if you drop something in our lap mere hours before deadline and say, "Well someone told me I should tell you about this," because we just won't be able to do it justice with such a short timeframe. We're here to be a community asset — take advantage of what we're offering because we're still one of the best ways to get the word out, bar none. Normally I'm not one to talk about how great of a publication we have here, but we do hear that and it's high time that everyone started benefitting from the effort that the editorial department puts in. Let us know about your stories and events and we will let everyone else know. It's why we're here. An eventful year hat a difference a year can make. Thinking back to what was going on 365 days ago, it's hard to imagine that it's taken so little time to get to where we are today. Well, at least where I am today. The family and I just spent the weekend celebrating my niece Addyson's first birthday. Her actual birthday is Oct. 9 and, for scheduling reasons and a little event Jess and I have coming up in a few weeks, we had her party on Sept. 30 because it worked for everyone. She's one (not even, as discussed), she doesn't know the difference. Thinking about how big she is now, how she has her own personality, her own style and her own friends, got me thinking about what an eventful year it has been. Starting with the obvious, it was just under one year ago that Jess and I were awkwardly sleeping on chairs not exactly conducive to sleeping in hospital waiting rooms (see, they don't want you sleeping there, so that's why they do what they do with the chairs). We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and the next morning Addyson was born. We were able to visit extensively with Dana and Kevin and stay over into Thanksgiving Monday, almost staying long enough to welcome Dana home. We joked that even before she was born, Addyson has proven to be considerate of others and their schedules. If we rewind a few weeks, however, I was at the Toronto Football Club (TFC) game with my friend Chris when I told him I was planning on proposing to Jess. I had only told my eventual best man Brett (and, I suppose, my engagement ring guy) before Chris, so very few people were in the loop. Toronto played Philadelphia that night to a 1-1 draw. I think my news was more exciting than the action on the pitch. On Christmas Eve I proposed to Jess after speaking to her parents and carefully orchestrating the whole day, which ended with us attending a number of parties to celebrate, making for a beautiful engagement day (if that's even a thing). Soon enough 2017 began and it came at us fast and furious. We planned out crucial parts of the wedding, procuring a local venue and photographer and crafting a guest list. In about March, perhaps the busiest year The Citizen has ever seen began to pick up and it only intensified as we crept towards the Blyth Festival season in June, Blyth's 140th anniversary, East Wawanosh's 150th anniversary, the annual Thresher Reunion and a little event called the International Plowing Match in Walton. In there, somewhere, I went to Chicago for my bachelor party. Here at the office, Publisher Keith Roulston was pulled out of his semi -retirement cocoon and was back working just as much, if not more, than the rest of us. So, back to my first sentence — what a difference a year can make. Here I am, trying to keep up to a niece who can now walk (quickly), talk (somewhat) and do all of the cute things you always hear about like kiss, hug, smile and laugh. She even does this refreshing "ahhh" sound after she takes a drink. I taught her that and I'm sure it's destined to never be annoying. I was talking about proposing at a soccer match and now I'm weeks away from tying the knot. The Citizen crew and I have published hundreds of pages of news in the last 12 months and now Keith is set to retire after decades at the helm of this company, leaving it in Deb Sholdice's more -than -capable hands. What a difference a year can make.