HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1975-04-23, Page 2For most of the year, the song of the starlings is as
melodious as the squawk of an angry parrot, the
bleat of a sick goat, the squeak of a rusty hinge -
combined. Even a crow sounds downright musical in
comparison. He's called "The Common Starling" -
STURNUS VULGARIS - and vulgar he certainly is
with his dumpy appearance, his messy nesting
habits and his objectionable pushiness in competing
with more desirable species. You don't . really
EXPECT him to have a beautiful voice - it would be
quite incongruous. He sounds like he looks.
But then comes spring . . . And it might be said
that even the nightingale in all his glory was ever
heard to sing like the starling in spring! . . . Well,
that may be an overstatement, but the
transformation is really amazing. Suddenly he
becomes a singing star. With stunning virtuosity he
lilts up and down the scale, tossing off effortless trills
and cadenzas, entrancing the ear with his dazzling
repertoire.
"What bird is this?" you ask. "Is it the lark? the
bluebird? the sweet thrush?." . . . No. Believe it or
not, it's the STURNUS VULGARIS - the common
starling. For courting purposes only, he's mimicking.
the lovely songs of these birds - and he does, it to very
good effect. At least, it seems to have the desired
effect, judging by the alarming proliferation of this
species in North. America.
It's a welcome .change - but isn't it annoying to
think that all the time he was squawking and
squeaking, he could have done better? It makes you
think he just wasn't trying - until courting time came
along. And you just wait - as soon as that messy nest
is full of screeching little ones, he'll fly off to the
nearest treetop, throw back his head, open his yellow
beak and say "SQUAAA-AWK!" . . .And that will
be his song until next spring.
There would seem to be a ' lesson in there
somewhere.
(Contributed)
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russels Post
'WEDNESDA`i, APRIL 23, 1975
Serving Brussels and the surroundifig community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean. Bros.Publishers, Limited:
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor
• Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions (in advance)-Canada $6.00 a year, Others
$8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
*CNA
•VERIFIED 'c...cuLATioN
A lesson somewhere
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
CCNA
On
to MI
farm
syrup
wear
boots
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We a
pails.
Spring lambs
Amen
By Karl Schuessler
I think my government took a step backward
when it announced that Wintario lottery
scheme of theirs. But then, almost within
hours, it took a step forward. When it took on
another vice. Drinking. Only this time the
government wasn't pushing. It was trying to'
pull me away -- a little bit-- from the stuff.
My government wants to tell me; the lottery
is okay. But drinking has some nays. And over
the next three years my Ontario government is
going to spend two million dollars to tell me all
about it.
The government is going to show in,e the
dangers of drink in a reasonable antrhealth
oriented way. The health minister promised
no scare tactics or bully approach. Or absolute
prohibitions. Just plain common sense.
I didn't get a chance to brush off the man,
by saying this doesn't apply--to me.. I'm- no
alcoholic. For he told me I'm the guy his
government wants to reach. The casual •
drinker. The" social drinker. The average
consumer. The man--every man-- who makes
part of his life a glass of beer, a cocktail at
noon, a before dinner drink, a dinner drink, an
after dinner drink, a party drink. Maybe not
all in one day of course. But anyone who's no
stranger to those kinds of drinks.
He wants to talk to the guy who buys liquor
along with the groceries. Who makes drinking
part of the normals of life. He wants the
parents who sigh--in relief—that their
teenagers aren't on drugs, only liquor.
I could see why the minister didn't have,' to
be terrifying. The statistics in the recent
United Church Observer are. Alcohol is
implicated in 70% of one-vehicle traffic deaths
and 50%+ of two-vehicle traffic deaths. It's
involved in more than 50% of pedestrian
deaths from traffic accidents, 64% of
murders, 65% of all liver cirrhosis deaths,
39% of the rapes and 42%. of other sexual
offenses.
And I can't blame the alcoholic for all these
social and moral upheave's: For the social
costs of alcohol are closely related to society's
over-all consumption:
And that's been going up and up over the
years. In Canada we drink 30% more alcohol
than we did twenty five years ago. And we ilOt
only drink more, but More of us drink: That
number jumped from 60% of the population to
80%. We've made it up to number twelve
,from the top when it comes to the world's
drinkingest countries.
Of course drinking's been made "easier for
us. Alcohol is quite available -- very much'
available, even now to the eighteen year olds.
And liquor .is relatively cheap, even if the
price did go up not long ago. In one recent
round of inflation, food costs went up 16% and
booze only 21/2 %.
So booze may be a good buy, but your
health minister isn't telling you that. Neither
is he going to tout the income the Ontario
government makes off our drinking -- 300
million dollars a year.
Now that's great revenue. The government
wouldn't want to cut off that flow. But the
government knows something else too. It ,
knows it has to pay dear for its drinking
citizens. It knows that "normal" drinkers
don't have a different drinking pattern than
alcoholics. Alcoholics are simply an extension
of the drinking population.
France--one of the countries tha takes top
honours in drinking—spends over 40% of its
total health expenditures on alcohol related
diseases. Fifty percent of its hospital beds are
occupied by patients suffering from those
diseases.
My Ontario government doesn't want that
to look forward to. It can't afford that. No
wonder it's sending out a "warning.
But will' I listen? Will I let the warning
become as fine print as all those bewares on
the back of cigarette packages?
But my governinent's told me' . I've been
warned. It's over to me how: I can write and
own epitaph. Compliments of the Globe and
Mail editorial:
"Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust;
If the liquor don't getcha, the lottery
must!''