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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-06-10, Page 4c 30Aq .seer, or smul .VAaeawaaw ,i43smo 3ht PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10,1992. Building bridges When the bus that was supposed to carry 60 members of the Japanese theatre company to Toronto was 90 minutes late on Sunday the visitors may have been nervous but many of their Huron County hosts were likely happy to have their new friends around a little longer. The appearance of the Furano theatre group (from the Japanese northern island of Hokkaido) was far more than just a chance to see powerful theatre from another land, it was a chance to show Huron county's hospitality and for Huron residents to learn a little about people from half way around the world. Dropping 60 people of another race, of another language, into a town of 1000 people, is bound to have an impact and the impression left by the visit may go on for some time. While the Furano actors will stay in hotels during their visits to Toronto and New York, in Blyth they were taken into dozens of homes from Brussels to Holmesville.The result was an enriching of the lives of both visitor and host. One host said he just wished he could speak Japanese because there were so many questions he'd like to have asked and even though they managed to communicate, there was so much more he could have learned. The impression left on young people will perhaps be the most long lasting. Students attended a performance Friday afternoon and were thrilled. Many brought their parents back to the evening performances. In a community where any face but white, any language but English, stands out like a sore thumb, it was an important lesson in understanding. The theatre too was stirring. People who were afraid the sur-titles and the Japanese language would make the play difficult to follow but few mentioned the difficulty when it was all over. It was a moving story, told in uniquely Japanese style but with overtones that touch base in any rural, resource-based community. It tells the story of a mining town abandoned when it became uneconomical and the search for "hope" buried by miners years earlier in a time capsule. The young people learn that the only "hope" they have is in themselves. The same lesson goes for international understanding. The only hope to tolerance and understanding begins in each of us. International exchanges like this one help that understanding grow.—KR Uphill battle for environment Those who want to see action on improvements to the environment got lessons last week in just how hard that would be. First, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the United States refused to sign a treaty to help preserve the diversity of plant and animal species and reward those countries that half the rain forest plants from which we have obtained so many of our miracle drugs. It was the financial end of the treaty the Americans apparently objected to. U.S. based drug companies have gotten used to taking the plants for nothing and turning them into a very valuable commodity. They didn't want to have to pay for the privilege. It's an ironic stand since the U.S. has been ready to use its clout to protect "intellectual property" rights of companies in extending patent protection. Canada knuckled under, for instance, to demands for longer patent protection for drugs introduced by international companies. Until the federal government gave in to U.S. demands, patent protection was shorter in Canada than south of the border and no-name manufacturers were able to get licence rights to reproduce the drugs, saving Canadian medical plans many millions a year. Now the U.S. wants to deny that kind of reward for the countries that have the unique resource that creates those drugs in the first place. Closer to home last week, Trade Minister Michael Wilson was griping that new legislation in Ontario to put a charge on beer cans was interfering with a settlement of the beer war with the U.S. The Americans had won a complaint with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) against Canadian provincial selling policies that were felt to discriminate against U.S. imports (Canada won a similar GATT complaint against U.S. policies). An agreement was being reached but, Mr. Wilson said, the new Ontario charge on beer cans was throwing a new curve into the situation. The Americans feel its discrimination since more U.S. than Canadian beer is sold in cans. Yet beer cans are an environmental problem the province must deal with. While beer bottles have a return deposit that brings a large portion of them back to the beer stores, cans tend to end up in ditches or in expensive blue box recycling programs. It’s clear though that big business in the U.S. sees environmental protection as a danger to profits. As long as it does, progress to protect the environment will be slow.—KR Final resting place / Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO June 12,1991 Firefighters from Blyth and Wingham were called to a bam fire at the residence of Leo Sanders, Lot 8, Cone. 6. Over 400 pigs, val­ ued at between $50-$60,000 were lost in the fire. Bordertown Cafe, a play com­ missioned and produced by the Blyth Festival in 1987, made its debut on the movie screen in Win­ nipeg. The comedy, written by Kelly Rebar, was scheduled for release across the country. The art gallery at Blyth Memorial Hall was officially renamed the Bainton Art Gallery in a ceremony attended by long-time supporters of the Festival Cenetta and Frank Bainton. THREE YEARS AGO June 7,1989 Brussels council decided not to issue licences for The Sea-Hut Coral, a north-end business, to operate a poolroom and arcade, after a large delegation of neigh­ bours appeared to complain about the noise from an unlicenced pool­ room and arcade already operating at the site. FIVE YEARS AGO June 10,1987 Hullet Township council approved the erection of street signs and the assigning of numbers to buildings and lots within the vil­ lage of Londesboro. Vivienne Stephens, of Blyth ended the most successful track and field season any Central Huron Secondary athlete has ever had when she took fourth and one fifth place finishes in the all-Ontario track and field championships in Hamilton. CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429,P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont.BRUSSELS, Ont.Publisher, Keith Roulston N0M1H0 NOG 1 HO Editor, Bonnie Gropp Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Sales Representatives, FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil and Merle Gunby The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. 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. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copywright. 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