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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-04-29, Page 5\ \ Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29,1992. PAGE 5. TheShort England's barbaric pastime The average full-grown red fox (Vulpes vulpes) weighs less than 15 pounds and measures a little over four feet from wet black nose to the tip of his long fluffy tail. Terror-wise, the red fox is distinctly bad news for rabbits, squirrels, partridge, mice and moles - plus the odd domestic chicken if he can find one. But the fox is no threat to any human and he's certainly no match for a dog. Any dog. Even a Pekingese or a Pomeranian. Which makes you wonder why the British feel it's necessary, every year, to unleash 20,000 specially trained hunting dogs and 50,000 mounted horsemen with no other purpose than to scare up foxes, hunt them down and rip them to shreds. The fox hunt. “The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable” Oscar Wilde called it. There are more than 300 packs of hunting dogs in England. They take part in about 200 ‘hunts’ which run down and tear apart 8,000 to 13,000 foxes each year. Not all Britons approve, naturally. In fact, 80 per cent of them would like to relegate the sport to the same oblivion occupied by Environmentally yours Rhea Hamilton-Seeger and Klaus Seeger How to reduce I by re-using Last week, we discussed the recycling programs offered at the area landfill sites. So now that we have you sorting here are some other places that will re-use or help you reduce your waste. CLOTHING - If the clothing is clean and wearable there are several outlets that will accept them. a) 5 R's Brussels b) Salvation Army Thrift Store 288 Josephine St. Wingham 357-3757 c) Goodwill Thrift shops, London, will clean and repair clothing as part of their work shop/rehabilitation workshop programs. Keep in mind local church rummage sales. .Donated items help raise funds for the community work the church does. BOOKS - Used book shops like The Book Shop, Blyth 523-9141 will accept books as trade or credit against new books etc. or you could donate books to the annual Blyth Festival Book Sale 523-9300, held each May. USED TOYS - Any daycare may be able to use them or contact the clothing outlets listed above. BATTERIES - McKerlie-Millen, Exeter, 235-1040 and Goderich 524-2141, will take old batteries and offer a coupon redeemable on the purchase of merchandise at their locations. OIL - If you are handy and change the oil in your car then you will need to know where to send your old oil. Edwards Fuels, Goderich 524-8386 is a depot for waste oil. You can also build a sand filled box and empty your oil into that. Use this to clean and preserve your garden tools by inserting them into the box before putting away. bull-baiting, cock-fighting and witch­ burning. Back in February, a bill to abolish fox hunting was only narrowly defeated in the British Parliament. When you think about it, what kind of a Cro Magnon could possibly argue in favour of such a barbaric pastime? Who would actually choose to spend their weekends (and several thousand pounds) on the back of some huge horse while dressed in drag, crashing through trees and over fences, trying to run a 15-pound animal to death? Well, someone like Maxwell Rumney, certainly. He is master of the Trinity Foot Beagles, a group of hunt fanciers who have galumphed over the hills and dales of Cambridgeshire since 1862. “We simply are out here to watch the hounds work, for the thrill of the chase,” explains Rumney. Codswallop. Unhappily for fox hunters, technology has caught up with them. Last fall, an anti-hunting activist with a concealed video camera managed to infiltrate the Quom - the most blue-blooded of England's hunts. As a result we now know what really happens when the fox, exhausted, ‘goes to earth’. What happens - as the video camera showed - is that two-legged hunters dig the terrified animal out of its den, grab it by the scruff of its neck and throw it, alive, to the slavering hounds which rips it to pieces. “Only the huntsmen used to see what went TIRES - Some local landfill sites take them or your local dealer will take them for a charge. FURNITURE - If you can't sell what you have and yet the piece is still usable call the 5 R's. They will pick up. Another good place to consider is Friendship House or local homes that shelter battered women and their children. Often furniture and clothing is needed quickly to help a family get set up. PAINT - Keep your eyes peeled for local paint drives like the one organized by the Goderich Rotary Club. For more information about how they organized theirs or when they are having the next one call 524-8344. PLASTIC MARGARINE TUBS, BITS OF FABRIC, YARN, OLD CARDS - Take advantage of the nursery schools in the area as well as the kindergarten classes that go through quite a few of these items. Teachers usually have a list of supplies they would appreciate having. If you have yards of fabric or a bag of wool contact the local sewing club to donate to their sales. The Bluewater Needlework Club, Ina Fisher, Clinton 482-7809. MAGAZINES - It seems a shame to throw out all that beautiful paper and those helpful articles. Donate these to local nursing homes, waiting rooms where you can't find a decent magazine or to the kids for cutting out pictures to make those wonderful cards parents so love to get. FINE PAPERS - there is a recycling program for fine papers in the Huron County school system. Call the principal in your area for more information. METALS, COPPER TRIMMINGS, OLD STEEL - so often you clean out an old comer and come across a pile of metal and you realize it must have some value to someone. If you haven't enough to make a trip to the scrap metal dealer get together with some friends or neighbours to make a load and either divide the proceeds or make it a fundraising to buy trees for the local park. Dealers include John Zurbick, London 1-800-263-3294; Robson Scrap Metals Ltd. St. Marys 284-2800; James Wood, RR 4, on” said a spokesman. This time, all of Britain saw it as the film was run on national television. Within a week, more than 2,000 indignant citizens had joined the swelling ranks of the League Against Cruel Sports. LACS is just one group that's sprung up to try and bury the fox hunt once and for all. There's also a crew called the Hunt Saboteurs Association. They crash the hunts while they're in progress, laying false scents to throw off the hounds and blowing fake ‘Tally Ho's’ to confuse the hunters. Naturally the “squirearchy” is incensed. They see themselves as beset upon by Philistines and Bolsheviks. “They feel that we should get rid of tradition at the drop of a hat,” harrumphs Maxwell Rumney. Which reminds me of the great riposte by Winston Churchill. When he was secretary of the Navy, Churchill made a proposal which offended one of his Admiral advisors. “But sir,” said the Admiral, “your proposal goes against naval tradition.” “Naval tradition?” growled Churchill, “What is naval tradition? Rum, sodomy and the lash!” Maybe the Brits could swing a deal here. The fox hunters give up terrorizing small defenceless animals. In return, British Parliament enshrines the right of Mister Rumney and friends to indulge in unlimited booze, buggery and beating each other with whips. Seaforth 522-0335. LEAVES, GARDEN REFUSE - If you don't have a place to compost check with your municipality. Some areas do sponsor compost piles at their landfill sites. Another alternative is to find a gardener near by who would be willing to take your leaves. Better yet, get a group together to rent a leaf shredder and for a few nights in the fall shred your leaves and mulch your gardens. ______________O____________________ Letters Principal thanks volunteers THE EDITOR, The week of April 26 - May 2 has been designated National Volunteer Week. We at Brussels Public School wish to salute the special efforts made by many volunteer individuals and organizations in our community for their generous interest and assistance throughout the year. Our adult volunteer corps includes individuals working with single students and small groups as well as those who help prepare hot dogs, materials, supervise on field trips or conduct the monthly pediculosis head checks. In addition groups such as the Optimist, Legion, Leos, Lions, Curling Club and others have donated to the welfare of the school in very significant ways. Each contribution is important and impresses on the young people the fact that BPS is part of the community at large. The seeds of public spiritedness are planted in our youth to bear fruit in the future. continued on page 11 of it By Bonnie Gropp Music’s power can do good things For centuries it has been no secret that music has the power to do many things. It can soothe, enliven or inspire. In the 1960's music was the message. It was the flagship for the arrival of a new culture. It was the voice of a generation, a voice that cried for change and asked for reason. Music became an expression of a person's individuality, rights and freedoms. I know. You think I'm off on one of my flower child tangents again but seriously, growing up in that era, I have been left with a tremendous belief in the potent spell music can weave. Words like, "Give peace a chance" and "Power to the people", made us feel we had the power to make a difference. Well, I'm a little older now, less an idealist, more a realist, but I still hold some faith in the ability of music to do good things. Last week in London, England, a massive concert was held as a tribute to Freddy Mercury, the lead singer of the group "Queen", who died of AIDS a short-time ago. The idea of the concert was two-fold; to honour a gifted artist and to raise money for AIDS. Prior to his death the singer stipulated that the money was to go, not for research, but to help make the lives of those already afflicted with this horrendous disease more comfortable. The event sent both a poignant and frightening message. Poignant because it drew together an interesting assortment of people from the entertainment world to pay homage to a man who was publicly bi­ sexual, an incomparable musician and a colourful showperson. Poignant because while listening I couldn't help feeling that Freddy Mercury had lived to be a messenger. The lyrics to which he gave impassioned voice seem eerily prophetic in the aftermath of his death. He sings of overcoming obstacles despite pain. The show must go on I'll face it with a grin I'm never giving in... on with the show! Perhaps my daughter says it best. Queen's songs are "neat". Operatic in their intensity, the phrases are memorable, easily picked up as personal anthems. They give you a feeling of strength, the sense that you will survive. fhe sense I had watching his four-hour tribute was that of unity. For the first time in over two decades, I had a feeling of people united behind a cause, that we would all pull together. And we had better, because that is where the frightening part of this story comes in. We are all at risk. At the concert, singer George Michael said the conservative estimate for the year 2000 is that 40 million people on this planet will be infected with the HIV virus. "And if you think that they are all going to be homo-sexuals or drug addicts then you are lining up to be one of those numbers," he warned. As elder rocker Elton John duetted with aggressive metal man Axl Rose, as yesterday's superstars joined with today's and as a stadium crowded with youthful and nostalgic fans silenced when flamboyant showman David Bowie knelt on one knee to say The Lord's Prayer, the feeling of unity was solidified. Agreed, most parents would not normally designate people like Freddy Mercury and others in the same profession, as ideal role models. But the musicians involved in that tribute concert carried a message to a young generation, one I'm sure that was better understood than anything you or I could tell them. Queen has re-released one of its earlier songs to raise money for AIDS. Their Classic Queen album is number one in the U.S. More people are listening and when they hear the music they will think of a talented man, whose life ended too early because he lived dangerously.