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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-01-25, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007. Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Ken Warwick & Kelly Quesenberry The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels,Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $32.00/year ($30.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $92.00/year in U.S.A.and $175.00/year in other foreign countries.Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Jan. 25, 1950 The Brussels Town Hall received some much needed renovations thanks to very successful fundraising in the community. A new hardwood floor was put in place, as well as a completely new stage, replastered walls, and the removal of a narrow twisting staircase which had caused much concern a fire hazard. A test shaft being drilled on a property located in Hullett Twp. near Walton had been reported as being past the 1,000 foot mark. The shaft was being drilled in hopes of finding oil in the area, but no trace of oil had been found yet. Showings of oil were found around 1930 in the Clinton district, but oil in commercial quantities was not found. Drillers at the Walton site insisted that drillings would indeed continue, however, for another few weeks at least until they gave up and filled in the hole. The Allis-Chalmers Company developed one of the most ingenious machines known in past medical history. Patients who had experienced extensive kidney failure would usually expect to inevitably develop a fatal case of uremic poisoning. A new advance in medical science, however, gave new hope to those patients. The machine was an artificial kidney which pumped cleansed blood into the patient's bloodstream, removing any remaining poison from the patient's system. A 55-year-old patient came to hospital after suffering from poison build-up in his body for six days and after a three-hour treatment with the artificial kidney, and two weeks of observation, he was able to walk out of the hospital doors, saying that he felt “better than I have for years”. Another step forward in medical science was the testing of a new, sleeker and lighter contact lens, based on new research findings. A contact lens, weighing less than a postage stamp, had been developed to be placed only onto the cornea of the eye and not the white of the eye, making the lenses much more comfortable for wear and much more efficient and effective. Jan. 25, 1961 The Auburn area was shocked and saddened to hear of the deaths of a local man and his two sons in a car collision which took place near Newmarket, 30 miles north of Toronto. The 30-year-old Auburn native was in a vehicle with his wife and two sons when their car collided with a feed truck driven by a man from Belle Haven. The man and his sons all eventually died from their extensive injuries, while the woman was reported to be in stable condition, undergoing treatment for shock and multiple lacerations. The driver of the feed truck involved in the collision was charged by the OPP for criminal negligence. Former U.S. President Harry S. Truman was named Man of the Century by the National Israel Bond Organization at a dinner in his honour. He was presented with priceless artifacts from ancient Israel by Abraham Harman, the Israel Ambassador to the United States. Marine Col. John Glenn, one of the seven astronauts training for Project Mercury at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Task Group, was photographed suited up in a space suit, sealed in the capsule of the Mercury Procedure trainer. The trainer is used extensively for the training of the astronauts in the use of manual controls to keep the space capsule in proper altitude while in orbital flight. The U.S. Navy had equipped an HSS-1 anti-submarine helicopter with an atomic bomb, nicknamed Lulu. Its kill radius gives enemy submarines virtually no chance of escape, not to mention survival. Jan. 26, 1972 The Huron County Plowmen had agreed to co-operate with the local committee of Perth Plowman and hold the Huron Match on the first day of the International Plowing Match which was to be held in Perth at Sebringville. The decision was made during a director's meeting in Winthrop, with plans also made to hold a coaching day and plowing match in Huron the last week of August or the first week of September. Jan. 23, 1991 Peter MacDonald of Brussels and pairs figure skating partner Suzanne Killing of Tavistock became the 1991 Western Ontario Junior Dance Champions. After winning the sectionals, the pair were awarded the Bronze medal at the Ventral Canada Divisionals held in Burlington. This third place win qualified the pair to go on to compete at the Nationals, to be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. F.E. Madill's Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving presented an educational skit titled First Date Scene in order to make students more aware of the effects and consequences of impaired driving and how easy it is to get behind the wheel without realizing the danger you're putting yourself and others in. The first play of the 1991 season for the Blyth Festival was to be Cornflower Blue. Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was the Disney films The Rescuers Down Under and The Prince and the Pauper. Also playing was Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. THE EDITOR, With the flurry of media activity highlighting the dangers of “ghost riding” and “trunking”, I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the risk and consequences of dangerous driving. A quick look on the popular YouTube website reveals how prevalent ghost riding and trunking have become. The people in these videos may look like they’re having a great time, but make no mistake – they’re putting their lives and the lives of innocent people at risk. For parents who do not know what “ghost riding” is, it involves the driver and/or passengers leaving a vehicle and dancing outside (often on the hood or roof) while the driverless vehicle is still in motion. “Trunking” is a stunt where passengers ride in the trunks of cars. These dangerous practices have resulted in needless fatalities and injuries across North America during the past few years. In Ontario ghost riding or riding in the trunk of a car is illegal. Ghost riding can result in a charge under the Criminal Code and someone caught trunking face a fine between $60 and $500 on conviction. Drivers who transport passengers under the age of 16 in the trunk of a car can also be fined and have two demerit points applied to their records. These drivers may also be subject to a charge under the Criminal Code. To be clear, ghost riding and trunking are dangerous and illegal activities in Ontario. No punishment will help those who are killed or injured as a result of trunking or ghost riding. Let’s help Ontario’s young people to make the right choice and keep themselves safe. Ghost riding and trunking have no place on Ontario roads. Donna Cansfield, Minister of Transportation, Province of Ontario. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Today’s two solitudes When Canadian author Hugh MacLennan wrote decades ago about “two solitudes”, he meant the English and French in Quebec. Today the term applies equally to urban and rural Canada. A recent report from the Institute for Research on Public Policy suggested that rural voters have unfair clout in politics because there are often more voters in urban ridings than rural ridings. As a result, the report says, urban votes were worth 27 per cent less than urban votes in the 2001 election. The report suggests visible minorities are especially harmed by this situation because they are concentrated in urban areas and thus are under-represented in the legislature and parliament. Powerful urban voices like Toronto’s Globe and Mail have picked up on this to argue that “the systemic imbalances . . . have skewed the worth of everyone’s vote.” Despite calling itself a “national” newspaper, the Globe and Mail is ignorant of life outside of Canada’s major cities. Residents of the vast majority of Canada’s territory are, if you will, “invisible” minorities as far as the major media are concerned. While urban commentators claim rural residents have too much clout, issues that affect the daily lives of rural people are ignored by the urban-dominated media. In a world where media pressure changes the minds of governments, this lack of clout sorely hurts rural voters ability to get government to listen to their issues. There are also the realities of travel. The Huron-Bruce riding is small compared to many northern ridings but you could fit most of Toronto within its boundaries. One MP or MPP must attempt to cover an area similar in size to that of more than 20 Toronto representatives. If so-called “national” voices like the Globe and Mail actually looked beyond the suburbs and raised the issues of the whole country, perhaps rural areas could get away with less representation. As it is, the only thing that saves us from political oblivion is an electoral system that gives some balance to geography not just demography. — KR Something borrowed My, but Stephen Harper and his cabinet ministers have been busy lately, wrapping themselves in the green mantle of environmental action. Stung by criticism of its cavalier attitude toward the environment, the government has fired its environment minister and introduced a raft of new policies. Most, according to many observers, were rebranded versions of programs introduced by the previous government that the Tories had killed soon after they came to office a year ago. Action to improve the environment matters more than the reasons a government takes action. Still, it’s obvious that it’s political goals that matter for the government rather than a true belief in environmentalism. For voters, the difficulty is how to weigh this last minute conversion when it comes to election time. Does this mean Harper and his colleagues have recognized the error of their ways, or is this just a pragmatic move to get re-elected? And if the government isn’t really committed to environmental action, can they be trusted to continue if they win re-election? — KR & Letter to the editor