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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1976-08-11, Page 7BY-RITE JEWELLERS and (0 N (LOVELTY '\'‘) WHOLESALE Will Have a Display at THE BRUSSELS STOCKYARDS Friday, August 13 WHOL CES ESALE PRICES Shop.. Now and Save at Christmas ;Parker Plumbing & Heating 887-6079 L COUSINS — KAZUK Murray Cousins and Laurie Kazuk were married May 28, 1976 in Gethsemane United Church, London. They were attended by Murray Workman of Brussels, and Mary Anne McClenaghan of London. Bridesmaids were Miss Nancy Cousins and Mrs. Cathy Mulcahy, sisters of the groom. Tanya Kazuk was the flower girl. Guests were ushered by Randy Cousins, London and Jim Oldfield of Brussels. Murray is the son of Lawrie and Pieta Cousins of London, formerly of Brussels. Opening new doors kinto small business If you require financing to start, modernize or expand your business and are unable to obtain it elsewhere on reasonable terms and conditions or if you are interested in the FBDB management services of counselling and training or wish information on government programs available for your business, talk to our representative. FEDERAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK Financial assistance' Management counselling Management training Information on government programs for business Wayne Rounding one of our representatives will be at Wingham Motel, WINGHAM on the 3rd Tuesday of each month [August 17th] 1FOr prior Information call 271.5650 or ' write 1036 Oritario street; StrikifOrd THE BRUSSELS POST. AUGUST 114 1976 — Weddings Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley The Fat Cats Every so often I'm reminded of how very lucky Canadians are. We are not smarter than other people. Goodness knows, we are no more industrious. We are just luckier, because we happen tobe living in this country at this time. When you consider that we are just a drop in the bucket of the world's population; you can see just how blind lucky we are. Millions of people on earth today are literally starving to death. They will be dead, stone dead, in days, months, a year. Millions more are just above the starving line. They eke out a barren, blunted, hopeless existence, just one step away ftom the animal. These hordes are subject . to ell the other things that go with a minimal . existence, besides hunger: cold, disease, ignorance, fear and perhaps worst of all, helplessness. And we complain endlessly, we Canadians, about such horrors as inflation, postal strikes, taxes and all the other relatively piddling burdens we bear. We howl with outrage when butter jumps 15 cents a pound. Some of us nearly have a stroke when the price of beer and, liquor is raised. The very wealthy feel a deep, inner pain because they can retain only 55 per cent of their income. But what does it all amount to? The consumption of butter will go down for a few weeks, then rise to new highs. The consumption of alcoholic beverages will not even tremor, but go steadily upward. And the rich will become richer. Talk about fat cats, or buxon beavers,, and we're it. The Lucky Canadians. The envy 'of the world. Oh, yes, we have poor people, quite a few of [ them. But you would be hard put to it to• find anyone in Canada literally starving to death. Or freezing to death. Or dying because there is no medicine for disease. Truth is, the vast majority of Canadians eat too much, suffer from over-heating rather than cold and are much more likely to die from too much medicine than they are from disease. And even the poorest of our poor, with all the, buffers that welfare provides, are materially millionaires compared with the poor of many other countries. You, Mister, wheeling your Buick down the highway and beefing about the cost of gas, Ethel Correspondent Mrs. Cliff Bray Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Whitman and son John of North Bay and Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Henry and son Keith of London and Dr. L.A. — and Mrs. Wardlaw of oronto visited with Mr. and . Mrs. Douglas Wardlaw. Miss Kathy Bremner of London is spending some time at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bremner. IMr. and Mrs. Bill Steel and Doug of Guelph spent the week- end with Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bremner and family at their cottage at Amberley. Miss Ernscliffe of Musgrove and Miss Annie Henry of Wing- ham visited last week with Mr. and Mrs. Andrew' Bremner: Mr. and Mrs. Bill Bremner, Paul and Peter of Oakville spent a few days last week ' at the Bremner cottage. Mrs. Doug. JesS Sr. of Hamilton arid Mr. and Mrs. Doug Jess Jr. arid Son of North Bay, Mr, and Mrs. Roy Cleland of Atwood and daughter of Calgary and Mr, and Mrs. Bechthold of Stratford visited with Mrs. Percy Stephens Oft through the week. Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Dunn of Dundas and Mr. and Mrs. Jim 114mpson of Hamilton visited *Rh Mrs. Percy Stephenson on the weekend. might just as easily 'be pulling a rickshaw in Calcutta, wondering whether you could last until you 'were 30, so you could see your first grandson. And you, Ms., whirling about the mess the hairdresser made, or complaining about the cost of cleaning women, could be selling yourself in the back streets of Nairobi to keep body and soul together, if you'll pardon the expression. But you aren't, and I'm not, and we shouldn't forget it, mates. We were lucky. We live in Canada. Once in a while this hits me like a punch between the eyes. One of these times was on a recent holirlay weekend. We were spending a weekend with Grandad, in the country. I spent one of those lazy, thoroughly enjoyable times when there is nothing(to do and nothing to worry about: eating and drinking, playing cards, enjoying the fireplace, reading, watching television. The only fly in the ointment was • the constant decisions to be made. At breakfast, for example. Banana or fruit juice? Coffee or tea? Bacon and eggs or ham and eggs? Toast and jam or fresh bread and honey? Evenings were even worse. An hour [after dinner, I had to decide whether it was to be coffee and cake with ice cream or tea with butter tarts. Then there was the bedtime snack and more decisions. Butit was watching television that blew up the puffed-up dream that life was, after all, good and gracious, cosy and comfortable, warm and wonderful. There on the "news," with nothing to hide it, was the non-Canadian world. Children with the bloated bellies and stick-thin limbs of the starving. Other children, torn and bleeding and screaming with pain. Mothers howling their anguish because they had lost their children and couldn't find them. And everywhere, on that naked screen, people, suffering, terrified, running like rats, from nowhere to nowhere. Not much you and I can do, except feel horrified. It's all too far away. But at least we can stop bitching in our own backyard, and face the facts that we're not smarter, or harder-working, or better-looking. Just lucky. 0=I [ay y ne by ng Two ed ob he on ile he he NM* ce