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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-06-24, Page 4No introduction required Have to use native ingenuity Condemns coverage Judging from a letter ,to the editor this week. Jack Malone of the Exeter saddle club has taken exception to a. story printed regarding problems between his club and the local RAP committee. Similar to many letter writers. Mr. Malone has done little but ramble on about the shortcomings of the news media, without getting down to any specifics on how his group has been unfairly dealt with in the article in question. It is therefore only natural to assume that the club has little defence of their ac- tions, choosing rather to direct their attack on the newspaper rather than on those who actually made the comments which com- prised the news story. For e Mr. Malone's edification, newspaper editors and reporters do not check all possible sources for items which Don't get bitten have been discussed at a public meeting. Time does not permit such actions. That does not suggest they are being irresponsible. Reporters must assume that the' information they garner at public meetings is accurate. Public officials quoted in this community have seldom dis- torted facts in the past and when that does occur, the news media has been able to provide the vehicle whereby the "other side" can have their comments aired as well, Had Mr. Malone presented this newspaper with the farts to defend the sad- dle club position. they would have been printed. Rural newspapers may have a reputa- tion for technically inferior writing, as he suggests, but with words of encouragement and direction such as those passed along by Mr. Malone. there's hope for us yet. "Let me get this straight— or a peace in Lebanon, or for a piece 2iLebanon?" twos= People who buy gadgets to protect themselves from mosquito bites, may find themselves being bitten — figuratively and literally. Research by university microbiology and parasitology departments in Canada and the United States have shown that elec- tronic mosquito repellers are of little value. They repudiated claims by the manufacturers that the devices could emit sounds which repel female mosquitoes, Seems that there's just no such thing as a sound which will deter those hungry females from completing their task of get- ting a daily supply of blood from human targets. The best protection is to wear protec- tive clothing• apply insect repellent or burn the inexpensive coils which release an in- secticide. As fear of encephalitis grows. con- sumers should heed the words of the ex- perts and obviously not those who would try to gain from marketing items which are lit- tle value. Winning some grief The basic structure of law on which our society is dependent for its very existence is something that should never be lightly tampered with— but there are times when it needs adjusting. Judges and lawyers are aware of this need for change, but often they find that the most advisable course is to permit some judgement or other to stand, in all its ridiculousness, until it is evident to all that alterations must be made. Such we suspect, may be the case in the recent decision that a boy who has recently become the beneficiary of a $100,000 lottery prize, can't touch the money. Judd Smoke's ticket was drawn in a recent lottery and his winnings were $100,000 tax-free dollars. His father is a self-employed contractor whose earnings are so minimal that he has applied for relief. But the courts have ruled that all he can use of his young son's wealth is a pittance for the boy's upkeep. The balance of the money must remain in trust and untouched until the lad is 18. When the family drove home after the last court hearing the boy was in quiet tears because he had hoped, at least, for a new bike. The theory behind the ruling is, of course, basically sound. This same law protects children from being exploited and impoverished i by grasping guardians who might have an opportunity to use trust funds for their own ends. However, it is ob- vious that an exception should be made in this case, where it is quite likely the father or some other adult bought the lottery ticket in the boy's name and where the needs of the family are plainly a matter of concern. Sometimes, it would seem, these wind- fall lottery prizes can bring more grief than joy.—Wingham Advance Times I'M TRYING to figure out some way to go and see my son in Paraguay this summer. Maybe my faithful readers can help, There's nothing whatever to stop me from just buying a plane ticket and going. Nothing whatever except that I can't af- ford it. There's a pile of miles between here and there. And the way my wife's been throwing money around lately — new carpeting, new wallpaper, new sewing machine — we'll be lucky if we get through the summer with enough left over to pay ad- mission to the Fall Fair. So. I'll just have to use my native in- genuity, which is also present in very tiny amounts. Why bother. you say. Why not let the kid come home for a visit? Well, his monthly income is probably around forty bucks, so he has the same problem I have. He's been there' over a year now, and for some reason, he doesn't get our letters, though we receive his. And he is my only son. And he must be lonely. He managed a long-distance call to his mother in February, on her birthday, from Argentina. But he just has no contact with home. and we can't phone him. Just as well, If we could. the old lady would probably be calling him every Sunday night, at about $30 a rattle, Besides, I love to travel. and I've never been to South America. His mother flatly won't go. She's afraid of being trampled by an elephant or squeezed by a boa constrictor or pinched on the bum by a South American sheik or something. Slowly, a plan is emerging. There are a few blank spots, but my itinerary is taking shape. I think I could rake up the price of a bus ticket to New York. From there it's a short hop to Bermuda. On that beautiful island lives a Faithful Reader. a subscriber to the Kincardine News, who has sent back word with a mutual acquaintance that she'd be' delighted to show me the island. She'd probably put us up and feed us for a day or two. Next • stop. Jamaica. My nephew has a house and servant there. I have fed that boy (of 26) his bottle and changed his diaper in years gone by. He owes me, Then a zig across the Carib- bean to Mexico City, where a friend of a friend lives. A bed and board and a couple of days among the Aztec ruins would be a nice change. After that, we hop to Guyana. first stop in South America. (It used to be Dutch Guiana). My brother worked there for a cou- ple of years and has influential friends in the capital. Paramaribo. I should be able to doss down with one of them for a couple of nights while I get acclimatized. It's the next stop that worries me. Once I get to Rio de Janeiro. I'm home free. I have an old girl friend there, Sylvia, She Was a knockout when I knew her in college, and we used to neck un- der the trees in Queen's Park un- til I was so weak I couldn't ha ve gone one round with Carmen Miranda. She might not CCNA .111 PJEIDON AWARD 1974 Pounding out weekly columns is not always the easiest of tasks, and obviously this one is more difficult than usual, because there just doesn't appear to be an easy starting point. Normally, a person assuming a new position would be able to use up his allotted space by in- troducing himself and telling the natives how happy he is' to be living among them. For rather. obvious reasons, t hat just won't work in this case because there's very little to he said along those lines. If you were expecting some refreshing new face and comments in this spot, we pass along only our sympathy • in the disappointment you're about to face in realizing you've seen and heard from this writer before. So, let's forego the for- malities and get down to the business at hand. We know readers will be following with considerable in- terest the report being submitted by Ron Bogart on his recent trip to Russia. Ile's just bubbling over with enthusiasm to tell some of the highlights of the jaunt, and because we've enjoyed chatting with Ron we can advise readers they'll find it most interesting. Residents who' may enjoy seeing some of his slides and movies Will possibly have the recognize the wreck confronting her. but all I'd have to do is say: "It's Beel. Yo chamo," and she'd throw open the door. She'd recognize immediately that Canadian pronunciation of "Eu t'amo" (I love you) which she taught me from the Portuguese. One big problem. Between Paramaribo, on the north coast of S.A., and Rio. down around the middle of the continent, lie.about 1,500 miles of jungle, mountains. jaguars (not the car) and can- nibals. Enough stuff to give any man the twitch. So here's your chance to help. gentle reader. If you happen to have an uncle or brother working in the tin mines of La Paz. high in the Andes. we could zig over there and let him put us up for the night. This would mean a jungle jump of only about 500 miles, a mere bagatelle, though the Andes are a bit dicey. From La Paz, in Bolivia. to Asuncion, Paraguay, is a mere half day's hop. Then it's just a day's ride by bus up into the Chaco (or Green Hell, as it is known) and it's a casual. "Hi. Hugh. Thought I'd drop down and say hello." I can just see his face. And hear his first remark, "Where's Mom?" As you can see, the trip would be a piece of cake, once we sorted out a few rough spots, like that jungle bit, On the way home. we could go around by Sao Paulo, where I know a couple of nurses, Or did 30 years ago. No problem. All it needs is a little eo- operation from my readers. If you know anyone who could put us up for the night in Peru or Chile or Buenos Aires, feel free to drop a line. We'll shack up with anyone, even missionaries. Oh. There's one other thing. You may have noticed that I've been using "we" all along, and that my wife isn't going. There's no paradox involved. I'm quite Certain that some Paithful Reader has a light air- craft, a pilot's license, and the summer off. Preferably male, though if the Women's Lib raises a stink, I'll take anybody. be perfectly willing to split the cost of the gas. No guarantees. of course, except lots of southern hospitality. and home by Christmas. d.v. opportunity to do so in the near future. Ron hopes to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by staging a public showing for which the admittance will go to the arena campaign fund. Rorv, of course, is chairman of the finance com- mitlee and no doubt will get a good reception for his project. + + + Judging from some of Ron's comments, we should all he thankful we ended up with Canada as our home, and with this in mind perhaps more residents of this community will take lime to participate in the Canada Week activities being planned by the local recreation department. While the agenda is scaled down somewhat from last year for budget reasons, there will be activities geared to every member of the family. Perhaps the most interesting is the "tall tales" competition. This could, turn out to be a most in- teresting and taught-filled event and hopefully everyone with a sense of humor will be digging into his repertoire to come up with an entry, + + + Sanitary sewers, we are told, are designed basically to remove a "mess" from the hack yard due to inadequate or over-taxed septic tanks, However, we've come to the conclusion that it solves very little, particularly in the early stages, because it merely removes the mess from the back yard to the front or side yard, albeit a different, type of mess. Our front yard, while it never would win any awards due to its constant battle with a dozen kids and as many bicycles, now ap- pears as a complete disaster area following excavation for a sewer hookup. "Just pour the water to it" our friendly plumber said as he surveyed the mile-high mounds of dirt left over after the ex- cavation was filled. Should have known better! It merely turned dirt into mud, and every mother knows what that does to a bunch of kids, They 25 YEARS AGO Exeter (England) city council will present a mayor's gavel to Exeter (Ontario) in honor of the latter's new town status. Hay township council author- ized a $200 grant toward the erection of Exeter Legion Hall. The first banquet for graduates of Exeter Public School was held ,in the gymtorium of the school sponsored by the Home and School Association. 20 YEARS AGO Mrs. Cornelius Verkerk, RR 1, Exeter, gave birth to twin boys Monday. The second one to arrive was the 1,000 baby born in South Huron Hospital and was the recipient of Many prizes given by local businesses. Fisherman Tom Penhale, Bob Fletcher and Alvin Willert came home from Chesley Lake with a nice catch of 15 pike and pickerel, J5 YEARS AGO Superintendent Alice Clay- pole and Board President Ray Morlock greeted area citizens who inspected the addition to South Huron Hospital following the opening. Sunday. Health wallowed around in it to their heart's delight and sure enough, the pile started to dwindle. However, the reason became unpleasantly obvious. The mud that was disappearing from the excavation was being tracked throughout the entire yard and into every nook and cranny of the house, The problem is one many local citizens will be facing in the next few weeks as all sewer con- nections are to be completed by November 1 of this year, although it may be questionable it' that target date can be met by sonic due to a scarcity of plumbers available to undertake the work. + + + A recent report from Chief Ted Day indicates that poor driving habits are becoming more of a problem with bicycle riders than those who drive motor vehicles. Because the former soon joins the ranks of the latter, that does not speak well for the future when the kids get behind the wheel of the fdmily auto. Last week, considerable consternation arose in our neigh- borhood when a young lad sitting on the handlebars of his older brother's bike got his foot caught bekteen the front forks. While neighbors had difficulty freeing the lad's. foot and feared there may be some serious in- jury, such was not- the case, fortunately. The youngster dried his tears and walked away from the scene unscathed, However, a couple of days later we visited London friends who had a boy with one short finger, the digit being cut after being caught in the front spokes of an exercise bike. It pointed out that the local lad involved in the hike incident was indeed fortunate and parents should obvipusly be reminding their offspring of the serious consequences that can result from unsafe bicycle riding prac (ices. Minister M. B. Dymond made the official opening. Bob Russell, member of the "Men of Accord" barbershop chorus sang with that group in the international competitions of the SPEBSQSA Inc. in Phil- adelphia last week. S. G. Rannie . who resigned as director of flensall United Church choir after serving for 15 years was honored Friday night during a presentation. 5 YEARS AGO Fire at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Mathers, Tuesday evening caused an estimated $10,000 to the house and $3,000 on the contents. Quick action by lifeguards at the local swimming pool saved the life of a 10-year-old Exeter tad Sunday afternoon, Michael Parsons, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doug Parsons, Exeter, was pulled unconscious from the pool after being spotted by Cheryl Sweet, Elizabeth Ann Snell, daughter of Mr, and Mrs. Russell Snell, graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Ilachelor of Mathematics in Computer 'Science. Henry B. Wright, a professor at Yale, who confesses to often dialogue with God tells of a time when he was distressed about a friend who had ended up on skid row. After a visit with this friend he felt God was telling him to send the man a gold watch with a certain inscription. He knew that God often spoke in strange ways, so he obeyed. His friend was so moved with his concern, and the inscription made Such an impact on him that he stopped drinking and returned to a useful life. Wright seeing the effect of his gift, decided to send the same kind of watch with the same inscription to another alcoholic friend. This man promptly sold the watch to buy liquor! You see, God's guidance is unique. There are no pat patterns or rules because every individual is different but God can touch people through us if we are sensitive to what he is saying to us. • Of course, skeptics like Gordon Sinclair and others, deny that God speaks to people today. But God is the same today as He was in Biblical times; He wants us to talk to Him and He wants to talk to us, Bruce Larson says God speaks to us in hundreds of ways: through our conscience, the Bible, through worship, meditation, events, and through people both friends and enemies. Our role is to be receptive and expectant and to believe God is speaking. The trouble is that most of us are so caught upin the thunderous whirlwind of our frustrated lives and activities we do not hear God when he speaks. "Be still and know that I am God," the Lord commanded Elijah.The Bible also says, "Wait on the Lord" and "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." There are also those of us who Sir: Objectivity is the basis of professional journalism. The trained reporter investigates an event, he does not interpret it. Factual coverage demands an examination of an issue and documentation of sources. Clearly, there will be more than one aspect of any argument, and the principles of news reporting dictate a hearing for all. It is the responsibility of a free press to present its public with a fair and accurate summary of news. In short, the reporter checks all possible sources, The article 'Saddle Club May Lose Out. For Grounds' (June 16) suggests the Exeter Independent News is either unaware of the basic rules of reporting, or chooses to ignore them. The astute reporter does not fail to background himself on a news situation, in this case the relationship of the Exeter RAP committee and the Exeter Saddle Club. He does not depend on one source for his information, nor does he distort fact with heresay and conjecture. It is this type of irresponsible and unintelligent coverage that earns rural newspapers a reputation for technically in- ferior writing, Unskilled reporters and incompetent editors, ignoring or ignorant of the 5 W's of journalism (who what where when and why) can at best produce a simulation of a newspaper. At worst, they can mistake facts, mislead readers and so misuse the power of their medium. feel that if God is going to speak to us it must be something "spiritual". Larson also points out that though God is a Spirit, He is not "spiritual" as many of us mistakenly understand the word. When God appeared to Peter in prison in the form of an angel, He said in essence, "Quick! Get up. Do up your belt and put your shoes on, Now wrap your cloak around you and follow me." After the angel led Peter out of prison he disappeared (Act 12;7,10). Nothing really very spiritual about those words but how practical and how simple and in a way that called Peter to concrete action. In the creation story Adam and God are in fellowship and dialogue until Adam sins. It is interesting to note that Adam is the one who hides from God. God does not withdraw in shock because of man's sin: rather He, in His redemptive love, asks the question, "Where are you?" God is still seeking us as He did Adam in all the hiding places we have devised. Mr. Larson suggests we might paraphrase God's question to Adam in questions such as: "Why are you so busy making money?" "Why are you in so many clubs and activities, or in so much church work?" "Why are you so mean to the people you love?" "Why do you have to pretend to be dif- ferent from what you are?" Although God knows the an- swers already, it behooves us to admit our motives are devious and our' activities are often a cover up. We must come out of our hiding places and stand naked before God so that a deep relationship based on God's healing love can be established. We are often reluctant to listen for God's guidance or insensitive to it, but if we are obedientsand keep listening as well as talking to Him he will guide us, God loves you and is speaking to you now! -The Exeter Saddle Club has been victimized by such misuse. A report .defending its position has been submitted to Mayor Bruce Shaw and Ruth Durand, chairman of RAP. Unfortunately, the public will not hear the "other side" of the story, unless the editor of the Independent News (the former and current editor of the Exeter Times-Advocate) reconsiders the obligations of a responsive and responsible newspaper. (C.Jack Malone) Director, Exeter Saddle Club. Learn the rules of boating safety with Red Cross. Always wear your PFD (Personal Flota- tion Device) when you go in a boat. It's fun to team to swim the Red Cross Water Safety way. When you swim, swim with a buddy, never alone. treferVinettabuocale SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND 0,W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited- LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor Bill Batten Assistant Editor -- Ross Haugh Advertising Manager A—Jim Beckett Plant Manager — Jim Scott CoMposition Manager Dave Worby Business Manager DIA Jongicirici Phone 235-1331 ...J.,W.arVAIMAIMEMA.M.WASIENMEMISVXMONERMECZOIMag:"':%:: Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each thursday Morning of Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30,1975 5,420 SULISCRIPtION RATES; Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $1 1,00 x.' are we fighting riaNtfit II 1St . 066 %Void ro.i014 "Cut down on your treading tepteittily rheum" • S Criticism poor defence Guidance is unique