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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-09-23, Page 5Arthur Black Factoids — virtually uncheckable I thought I'd drop a new word on you today. Actually, it's not brand new, but it is young. No more than a teenager. Spawned, as near as anyone can figure, in a festering slime bog within spitting distance of Washington's Capitol Hill, back in the mid- 70's. The word is factoid. It's so new that a lot of dictionaries don't yet list it. But if you find one that does, it'll say something like: fac-toid (fak'toid) n. something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact and accepted because of constant repetition. Yup, that's the factoid alright You hear all kinds of factoids in sports - you know the ones I mean. You're watching a duller-than-average Blue Jays game on TV. No score, bottom of the third, Kelly Gruber's at the plate. Suddenly the colour commentator murmurs “Y'know Don, it's interesting to realize that over his career, Gruber's got himself on base Letters MPP says forum an excellent idea THE EDITOR, Last Tuesday, I attended a forum for small business in Blyth. It was sponsored by the Central Huron Economic Development Committee and the Huron County Planning Department. The forum gave owners of small business an opportunity to learn about the programs which Ontario offered for small business. Members of the Ontario Development Corporation and the Ministry of Industry Trade and Technology plus federal agencies were at the forum. Norm Jamison, the Parliamentary Assistant for Small Business and I took part in a panel discussion on how government can help business. The questions showed that many of the programs are not widely known to small business and that there was some confusion because of the number of programs which Ontario and the federal government offer. Mr. Jamison stressed that this government wants to help small business and the Ontario Development Corporation has an office in Sarnia which is responsible for Huron. Its number is 1-800-265-1449. Concerns were expressed by business people about the budget. I had to stress again that this is the first government in Ontario to cut expenses. After decades of growing, this government is reducing the cost of government. The budget problem is that tax revenue is the lowest it's been in thirty some years. Cut-backs in expenditures cause some people to get upset. Everyone wants the government to spend less, yet no one is willing to take less. An example of this is the reaction to removing low cost over-the- counter drugs like sunscreen from the Ontario Drug Benefit Plan. The increase in Ontario Hydro rates was mentioned as an inhibiting factor for business. Hydro is in debt $36 billion. This 87.5 percent of the time, when facing a left­ handed pitcher chewing tobacco in the second half of the third inning ...” Scaremongers love to throw factoids around too. “Canadians” someone will intone ominously “drink enough beer each year to fill 312 Olympic swimming pools.” Or “If all the cigarettes smoked from 1979 to 1992 by North American females between the ages of 13 and 63 were laid end-to-end, they would reach from Vancouver to St. John’s and back to Trois Rivieres, Quebec.” The factoid has great appeal to Public Relations flacks, politicians and hog-lazy journalists. For one thing, it usually provides a colourful visual image (can't you just picture some bean counter from the Dominion Bureau of Statistics carefully laying out a trail of Rothman's from Vancouver to Newfoundland and half-way back again?). For another thing, the factoid is almost always original. What other idiot would waste his time converting cigarettes into kilometres or beer bottles into swimming pools? But the most delicious attribute of the factoid is that it is virtually uncheckable. You think anybody's going to sit down and verify Kelly Gruber's lifetime at-bats against chud-chewing left-handers? Or how many bottles of Molson's Ex it takes to fill 312 did not happen in the last two years, but is because of the unfettered growth over the preceding decades. The mega projects cost billions more than projected and Darlington has still not come on stream. In order to cut that debt the rates should be up 40 per cent but this government is trying to keep the lid on Hydro's rate increases. Problems with the Free Trade Deal were cited as a business problem. An example was the mobile home industry. In Canada the product is CSA approved; in the U.S. it's called HUB. The Americans will now allow CSA approved products into their country, yet the American approved HUB product comes into Canada. We want fair trade and this shows how the deal has worked against small companies. The forum was an excellent idea and hopefully it provided business with some ways on how the government can help them. Some of the problems which they encounter with government have arisen over many years. With the emphasis on small business development I hope that forums like these will help us work together. Paul Klopp M.P.P. Huron. THE EDITOR, Next year will be the 200th anniversary of Princeton, Oxford County, Ontario. A special Bicentennial celebration and Old Boys' Reunion is planned for July 2, 3, 4. To receive further information, forward your name and address as well as those of friends and relatives who would be interested in attending to Mrs. Donna Usher, Box 71, Princeton, Ont. N0J 1V0. Donna Usher. THE EDITOR, Fenelon Falls Secondary School is planning a reunion during the Victoria Day weekend, Friday, May 21, to Sunday, May 23, 1993. Our plans include a reunion and the official opening ceremonies for the new administrative, gym, classroom and library areas. We invite all former staff and students to help us celebrate over 100 years of education at F.F.S.S. For information, please contact Fenelon Falls Secondary School, P.O. Box 460, Fenelon Falls, ON K0M 1N0. (705) 887- 2018. Co-Chairs: Judy Atkinson Joan Perdue swimming pools? Not likely. But not impossible, either. Last year, a Pittsburgh public relations firm issued a press release claiming that the average American, in the course of a 73.5 year lifetime, spends seven full years in the bathroom. The blew York Times duly reported this ‘statistic’, as did the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and who knows how many lesser journals. Only one publication - Spy Magazine - said “Say, what?” and embarked on a little factoid-checking. The folks at Spy calculated that the average American would have to spend two hours and 20 minutes in the little room every day, seven days a week. Which is a tad ridiculous. Even for those of us who like to read in there. Ah, but that's the problem when you start tossing figures around as arguments. Many's the sailor who's drowned in a stream only six inches deep - on average. Eventually, statistics merely mystify and confuse. The wife of Senator Robert Taft once said ‘The only statistic I can remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end, they would be a lot more comfortable.” Or as Dorothy Parker once wryly observed at a Hollywood party: “If all the girls attending were laid end to end, I wouldn't be surprised.” THE EDITOR, So often letters to you are expressions of rage or discontent. We are delighted to give you a break and tell you about a truly sagacious decision that was made by the Goderich Lions Club this spring. At our proposal, they purchased a series of 12 video tapes of lectures given by Brian Swimme Ph.D., an atomic physicist and colleague of theologian Father Thomas Berry. The lecture series is called “Canticle to the Cosmos” and in it Swimme draws upon data and theories of contemporary science and the poetry of spiritual traditions and tells the story of the universe in language and images accessible to all. The videos poignantly portray that the contemporary race to save the ecology of our earth is rooted in ancient wisdom, history and spiritual traditions. It is likely that without a new embrace of these timeless values our environment may continue its drastic decline. In the proposal to the Lions Club, we volunteered to share the videos with the community by arranging to show them to anyone interested and then make them available through the Goderich Public Library. On Thursday, Sept. 24 in the Huron County Museum, we will show the first video, The Story of Our Time. Pauli Sommer, 519-529-3227 Jim Hollingworth, 519-529-9911 HAVE AN OPINION ? The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should be accompanied by a telephone number should we need to clarify any information. The Citizen reserves the ... • right to edit or not print letters. _ THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23,1992. PAGE 5. The Short of it By Bonnie Gropp Community spirit gets job done The scene was typically small town. Hordes of people gathered together for a picnic. Everyone knows everyone else and enjoys the time to chat and say hello while children play. Two weeks ago Brussels Public School held its second annual back-to-school community barbecue. The inspired idea was introduced last year by principal Dave Kemp, who thought it would be a good way to welcome students back, while at the same time give parents an opportunity to come see what's new and visit — something the people of small communities do so very well. But there's something else they do well, which those present at this year's event had the chance to witness first hand. The recent makeover of Brussels Public School's yard, accomplished through the efforts of local clubs and many individuals, is another shining example of the community spirit which abounds in our wonderful rural areas. Like the recent Brussels Fair and the Huron Thresher Reunion or the upcoming massive Belgrave Turkey Supper, to name only a few, the achievement would never have been done without the volunteer support that is such a prevalent force here. It was obvious improvements were needed. The school yard was tilted, sloping 12 feet across the width. The terrain was rough as well, making it dangerous for children to run or play games. Thanks to these (yes, I'm going to use an over-worked phrase I wish we could quit using) difficult economic times, there was no money available from the school board for the project. The Optimist Club, which had organized a soccer league a few years earlier, approached the school with the idea of constructing a soccer field. With minimal funds, they managed to complete the monumental task of levelling the centre part for a small field. This demonstrated what could be done prompting Lions club member, and teacher Jim Prior, to approach his club with the idea of completing the job. With the Optimists' approval and co­ operation the Lions took on the project, beginning the alteration late in June by levelling four acres of property. The result is first rate. Brussels Public School yard now boasts two large and one small soccer field complete with new posts, a new ball di­ amond, basketball standards and tether balls. Waiting for completion - should the rain ever stop - is an exercise track marked by 15 exercise stations. What makes the completion of this work even more impressive is most of it was accomplished by volunteer hours and donations. Since moving to an area predominantly comprised of small municipalities, I have been impressed more than a few times by the way the people of these communities give their all for them. There is a type of pride and ownership from which people in larger centres are segregated. From donations of machinery to the giving of precious free time, the community responded over­ whelmingly. For Jim Prior, who gave up a good deal of his own summer to the project, the feeling was of wonder for the people who were so willing to volunteer their time. Attending the barbecue, I was once again reminded of how fortunate we are to live in such a place, where community is important and its betterment is something the people take pride in doing themselves.