The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2014-09-17, Page 54 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Seaforth "ion Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 RO. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK IWO phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAXWELL BICKFORD Advertising Rep. max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca WHITNEY SOUTH Multimedia Journalist seaforth.news@sunmedia.ca MARIE DAVID Sun Media Group Publisher Grey Bruce Huron Division 519-364-2001 or 519-372-4301 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT RO. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK 1 WO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canacra editorial Global ranking proves nation falling behind 0 n the crowded highway that's the global economy, there's both good news and bad for Canada as it jockeys with the world for open road. The good? Canada slipped only one notch in the latest rankings of the world's economies according to how competitive they are. The bad?? We're not gaining on our key competitors, most especially the United States, and our rear bumper is crowded with hungry countries trying to pass us. A problem for any country, that lack of accelera- tion is especially problematic for a tiny trading country like Canada that has no choice but to find new ways to get edges on nations whose engines are powered by much greater populations and economies of scale. In its latest survey, the World Economic Forum ranks Canada 15th in its Global Competitiveness Index, just behind Taiwan and just ahead of Qatar. Tiny Switzerland and Singapore occupy the top two spots, and the U.S. — even with its slow- motion recovery from the 2008 economic melt- down — rose two spots to No. 3. For years, governments have warned us our recovery is fragile — that even with a solid banking system and huge investments in infrastructure, factors that help our competitiveness, Canada can't rest on its laurels. Sure, we gave the world BlackBerry — but we need many more such hits, much more often. The rankings remind us of that. Competitiveness boils down to smarts and pro- ductivity, reflecting a range of factors such as edu- cation and training, use of available talent, public- private collaboration and technological innovation. Countries that fire on all cylinders — like Swit- zerland, with few of Canada's natural riches — inevitably finish on top, punching far above the weight of their economies and more prosperous for it. Northern European economies still dominate the index's Top 10, and the world's emerging mar- kets, like India and Brazil, are still comfortably way behind in our rear-view mirror. But China is on the move and nations we might think are no big threat, like New Zealand and Malaysia, are on our tail. There's only so much gas in our tank and so much power under our hood. How we use both, counts more. www.seaforthhuronexpositorcom Brains and beauty queens Having been the sole reporter at the Huron Expositor for a little over 10 months now, I can definitely say I've learned a lot. By moving from the city to rural Ontario, I've seen a lot of interesting new things and met a lot of wonder- ful new people. And though many may mock me for my fascination at even the small- est wonders - waddling baby ducks and noisy sheep still make me giggle - I'd like to think I look at things a lit- tle differently than most. But as much as I would like to believe I have an open mind, there are still some things about rural life that throw me for a little bit of a loop. After all, I never claimed to be per- fect, and preconcieved notions are sometimes hard to shake off. With that being said, I wanted to share a little story about something I learned this weekend. I'll start at the beginning. The Seaforth Fall Fair is obviously a big deal, something I learned pretty much as soon as I first set foot in the Expositor office last November. Though the fair had passed, I was still receiving more and more listings of winners, as well as comments and instructions for next year from help- ful residents. Heck, it's been going on now for 169 years. Anything with that kind of longevity in today's day and age deserves some respect. So as the fall season approached, I got ready to head out to the fair, unsure of what to expect. I was a lit- tle excited, and a little intimidated. I'm definitely not the foremost authority on anything farm related, but I headed into the event ready to learn and experience what it was all about. One thing I wasn't looking forward to covering however, was the Ambas- sador of the Fair competition. Yes, I had already met last year's winner Danika Klaver, and she obvi- ously a great girl, but I was still wary. As far as I was concerned, Column Whitney South Huron Expositor ambassdor was just another name for beauty queen, and that just isn't my thing. In the past I had experienced the Miss Oktoberfest pageant, and actu- ally written a somewhat scathing column denouncing it's archaic rule structure and lack of modern understanding. So needless to say, heading into Thursday night's festivities, I was a little negative. I think it takes a big person to admit when they've made a mistake. After all, nobody ever wants to be proven wrong. But after listening to the four girls get up on that stage and speak, I knew I was going to have to take that plunge. I admit it, I was wrong. Each of the girls were well-spoken, intellegent individuals; speaking on everything from the importance of community, to agricultural educa- tion and what it really means to be a country girl. Far more than a beauty pageant, the competition featured four gor- geous indivuduals with their own innovative ideas and personalities, as well as a true pride in the commu- nity they call home. Throughout the ceremony, Danika sparkled as a seasoned MC, grateful for her chance to represent Sea- forth's Fall Fair as their 2013-2014 ambassador. When all was said and done, I left the Agriplex that night with a smile, proud of the girls for not only what they represented, but also because they had changed this cynic's mind. seaforthhuronexpositor.com SEAFORTH HURON EXPOSITOR — HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-527-0240 • FAX: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositoncom