Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-07-07, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005. Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Heather Armstrong & Dianne Nonkes The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels. Ontario by Nottn Huron Publishing Company Inc Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $30 00/year ($28 04 > $1 96 GST) in Canada. $85 00/year in USA and $100/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 Canada The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1 HO email: norhuron@scsinternet.com We acknowledge tr>e financial support of the Government ot Canada through the Publications Assistance Program 'PAP) toward our mailing costs jXpcna (gwA Member of the Ontario Press Council We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright The cynicism of the well fed Perhaps the most striking thing about the Live 8 concerts that took place around the world was the cynicism among the Toronto-based national media about everything from the motives of the organizers, to the bands chosen to play, to the effect the concerts would have in helping the the cause of reducing starvation and world poverty. That very cynicism seems to point to the mam problem for those wanting to bring about change in the world: people in Canada, and Toronto in particular, are so far removed from worrying about where their next meal comes from that they can’t really understand the issue. In a way. Ontario farmers and starving children in Africa both suffer because of the blase attitude of smugly overfed urban Canadians who lake food for granted. It’s perhaps not surprising that the leadership for these concerts came from Irish rock singers. The Irish, as Globe and Mail columnist John Doyle pointed out Friday, grow up with the national memory of one million people who died in the potato famine of the 1840s, a famine that also resulted in another two million people fleeing on disease-infested ships to North America. But few North Americans have any connection with hunger, let alone starvation. We live tn a land with supermarket shelves brimming with incredible variety and quantity. The waste food from our stores, restaurants and family kitchens could probably feed thousands of people. So it’s easy to be cynical when rock stars decide to help save the world It s easy to look the other way when the Ontario countryside is shrivelling up because we have a political and market system that undervalues the role of the people who provide our food. But while media commentators amuse each other with clever put- downs of Bob Geldof, who organized the concerts, someone needs to pin the smart-alecs to the wall and ask them what they’ve done to help the world’s poor. Geldof was so incensed by pictures of starving children in Ethiopia in 1984 that he organized the first concerts that raised awareness and raised money. It’s hard to imagine how many people are alive today because of the $100 million he and other rock stars raised. The rock stars at least have tried to make a difference. Too many clever Canadians are ready to sit back, living comfortable lives, their biggest worry being the latest fad diet to lose the extra pounds gained from eating too much. Until food means more than a “taste experience", children will continue to starve in poor countries and food producers in Canada will continue to be treated as second-class citizens. — KR This is a service? Being a journalist can be a proud occupation, providing people with the information they need to make informed decisions and improve our society and our lives. On the other hand there’s the disgusting sight of media hordes waiting to pounce on Karla Holmolka like a pack of wolves on the fresh carcass of a deer. Given her part in the deaths of several young women more than a decade ago, it’s hard to have sympathy for Holmolka being pursued by salivating reporters and camera crews. Instead, the concern is more for the credibility of the media. Is this unseemly fox hunt really doing a service for viewers and readers or is it more about competition among media outlets to gain an edge over rivals? One of the realities of human nature is that when a group of people come together, they soon set up their own “society” with their own rules and rivalries. While reporters may fool themselves into believing they are serving the public, often these media frenzies are about winning the game with rivals from another network or another paper. Being two minutes ahead in having some sort of news coverage might not matter much to ihc viewers of a TV network, but it matters heaps to the people in the newsroom. Getting a better photo of someone like Holmolka may not sell more newspapers, but it strokes the egos of photographers and editors. This time, energy and resources could help Canadians by helping us he more informed about real problems, not what Karla wore. —KR PROVING ONCE MORE THE SAYING "INHERE THERE'S SMOKE, FRED IS COOKING." Looking Back Through the Years IMS . /a; — .... ,ers Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. .... ........ .......... ............... ................................. July 7, 1948 An East Wawanosh youth suffered severe head lacerations when he was suddenly, and viciously attacked by the family dog. The boy and dog had been together near the back step of the house when the dog, a collie, turned on him. The mother was near by and rescued him. The lad was taken for medical attention and received several stitches The dog, the report said, “was quickly disposed of.” The tragic death of a nine-year-old Cranbrook youth occurred on the weekend. The child had been swimming with his two younger brothers in a stream adjacent to the family farm. He had saved the younger brother from possible drowning then the boy had gone into deep water. Apparently he then got into trouble himself. His body was later found by neighbours. Phyllis McCool, a member of the Blyth Lions Boys and Girls Band, received word that she had passed her Royal Conservatory of Music Grade VIII singing examinations. Piano students making the grade were: Shirley Robertson, Marguerite Hall, Mary Morritt, Ronald D. Philp, Rose Beuermann, Mildred Cook, Ann Morritt, Lome Robert MacKenzie, Eileen Elliott, Rhea Hall, Loraine Hamilton, Kenneth McAllister, Evelyn MacTavish, Joanne Hodgins, Jim Hackett. Gwendolyn MacKay, Donald McDonald, Evelyn Cook. Janet McGregor, Jaige E. Phillips and Glenda McIlwain. Winners of the Anglican parish picnic races were Mary Nesbit, Jackie Powell, Alice Nesbit, Arlene Powell, Dorothy Bailey, Bob Brisco, Clarence Bailey, Ellen Daer, Lila Daer, Annie Nesbit, Pauline Pocock. Laura Mae Letherland, Marion Taylor, Lawrence Nesbit. David Nesbit. Paul Raithby^ and Bobby Daer. July 5, 1972 The weather co-operated as record * crowds gathered for Brussels Centennial. Competing in the beard-growing contest were Wm. H. King, Cal Krauter, Wayne Lowe, Graham Work, Hank TenPas, Jim McNeil, Allan Nichol, Bob Richmond, Harold Bride and J. L. McCutcheon. Wayne Lowe was declared King of the Beards. The Centennial queen was Julie Vallance, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Vallance. Runners-up were Gail Lake and Cathy Work. John Ainley of Evanston, Illinois, great-grandson of the village founder, was presented with a copy of the Huron County Atlas. The unveiling and dedication of the historical plaque took place on the library lawn. Water Scott, oldest native resident of Brussels did the honours. July 4, 1973 Valedictorians for Blyth Public School’s Grade 8 graduation were Philip Street and Sandy Marshall. Bill Elston, reeve of Morris Twp. had dined with the Queen at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto by special invitation. The mystery of the old mill at Benmiller was finally solved. At a public hearing in Carlow the Hearing Board of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment listened the presentation of representatives of Benmiller Estates and learned that the former woolen mill was to become a “rather rustic rural hotel dining lounge” which was to be “open to the public generally.” In the presentation, it was explained that there would be a dining room that would seat 40, a lounge for 60, eight bedrooms on the second floor and fourt suites on the •upper floor. Valedictorian at East Wawanosh’s Grade 8 gradutation was Doreen Taylor. July 2,1986 Two members of one of Toronto’s most inventive theatre companies were in Byth clowning around with senior members of the Festival’s children’s workshop. Blair S. Dickson was the new manager at the Brussels CIBC branch. Kindergarten graduates at Walton Public School were: Barbara Kenney, Craig Somerville, Trevor Newman. Kerry Blake, Carol Ann Gamble, Robert Kenney, Derek McClure, Erin Siemon, Loni Horst, Jason Badley, Brent Hazelgrove, Mathew Shortreed, Mark Beuerman, Kelly Boven, Chad Voggel, Melissa Pinkney, Stephanie MacDonald and David Henderson. July 8,1998 The Ontario Provincial Police offered Huron County council a county-wide contract with 84 officers and a price tag of $6.2 million. Local Madill scholars were Rebecca VanCamp, James Thomas, Adam Gamiss, Christopher Arm­ strong and Corey Newman. Valedictorians for local schools Grade 8 graduation classes were: Jenny Ritchie, Blyth; Nicole Mastnak, Brussels; Kristyn Gerth, East Wawanosh; Jill Speiran, Grey; Rosalyn Hartman, Hullett and Jeremy Hildebrand, Seaforth. With more than 1,500 hours invested by Sam Dougherty and other volunteers over the previous two years, Londesborough United Church had all new windows. Playing at Listowel’s Capitol Theatre was Lethal Weapon 4 with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. At the Park in Goderich it was Eddie Murphy in Dr. Dolittle.