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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-07-01, Page 44 ok .....�.:...�....o..►;• 411./.1.0.1.11..444.14..`= •{ �...;_.,n...+..+'-..--w.►'r".,rl"'+-.�- +ter^". #«�...w+r...i,�- ....s....+►..r.__--c.a+. y� i....w L` 1 Editorial i ti; 1 1 1 ! 1 1 HMI requires vi Ian A few milestones of dubious distinction were reached in the H1N1 flu virus story recently, a story that h td seemed to fade away from public scrutiny. But the virus is showing no signs of going away and the first two confirmed cases were ,reported in Huron County as the virus continues to spread, in the region. And after months of tracking and anticipation, the World Health Organization officially declared a .: pandemic on June 11. ° Y It represented a serious and landmark decision on the part of the WHO, which had warned that the sa virus was spreading 904sky in over 70 countri around the world.. r,9 ¢;s !' Many people are still wondering what all the fuss is about, considering the virus, contracted in its mildest form, rarely „requires hospitalization or , tithe off at tome. But that doesn't mean that the e danger isn't real and palpable. This seemingly ordinary flu, which has infected oyer 2,500 people in Ontario, an increase of over 10Ps per cent in a week, has also claimed many lives, in - eluding three in this province. The average age of , people contracting the flu is 21. r `#4, , 4�; It is easy to dismiss the pandemic proclamation as fear mongering but the flu may have real and damaging consequences for Canadians. Canada has an enviable record of vaccination for its young people, but each year up to 8,000 Canadi- ans die of seasonal flu and these are mostly elderly people with other health problems. 8o ordinary flu symptoms exact a toll on Canadians each year as people lose loved ones to the ordinary symptoms of - the flu virus in a country with an outstanding re- cord of health care. . .< �.os While this flu virus presents itself in. ordinary fashion, it does seem to be a typical virus. Those over the age of 50 seem to have some immunity in place while many younger people are falling victim to the virus and its symptoms. One in five people exposed to the flu are exhibiting symptoms. Exposure can be as innocent as touching • a surface where there are viruses from others and sooner or later, everyone will be -exposed to the virus through contact with other people. The flu virus and the pandemic declaration is not to be taken lightly or simply dismissed: since given - the attack rate of 20 per cent, more people in our area will become sick and many young people will develop symptoms. Everyone should think about the seriousness of this flu and be vigilant. Goderich Signal Star • ! ♦ 1 1 ': . , • 1 4 • .t . , , s ! •e . s • . 3 , 1f ,1 4 • 4, P f , turn two carefree into apuistiing sentence When the final school bell rang out from schools every- where last week, the sound filling students' ears was less shrill than it was glorious, sig- naling the dawn of a long and magnificent summer. Teens everywhere are now - settling into a lifestyle of lounging in the pool and loiter- ing by storefronts on a steady diet of conve- nience store slushies. It's a special time in a young person's life when those carefree days are shattered by the spirit -crushing realities of _impending adult- hood, which include the attainment of that in- evitable and frightful three -letter word: j -o -b. A summer job is enough to turn the plea- sures of a long, memorable two months into a punishing and, oppressive labour -sentence. -It can turn the potential for a golden -brown tan into calloused hands and blistered feet: Yes kids, as you'll come to unwillingly dis- cover, what adults call "responsibility" is truly a curse. • When I found myself faced with this predica- ment, my own dad was always quick to offer words of encouragement, paraphrasing Con- fucius that "If you choose a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life." Of course, this is not always easy when you're 15. For most teens applying for their first official summer job, their resume contains little more than a few hours of babysitting experience and a phone number. Fancying it up with a colourful title page or including the fact that they . have 300- friends Ron 44 Imre It's supposed to be ten degrees above normal today! on Facebook won't help,. So, Unfortunately for these brave youngsters, beggars can't be choosers. My first real job was in the corn detasselu.ig business. Each morning at 7 a.m. I was bused along with two dozen other teens to a remote cornfield where we walked through the rows removing the insidious pollen -producing tassel fromeach stalk. It was a rude awakening, coming home wearing blue . jeans that had turned brown from mud stains while nursing a -twitching eye from being poked by corn stalks all day, with a mysterious rash on my arms and neck. The next summer I - got a job at a fast food joint, burning apple pies in the oven and pro- ducing extra -long lines at the cash register due to my less than speedy service. In the following years, there were uneven sunburns from landscaping jobs and dust -- damaged lungs from steel factories. But by the time I was ready to go to college, I had earned enough money to pay the tuition fees. There were times I wasn't sure I'd survive those .grueling summers on the job and it makes me shudder to think about them as I write this now. And while I was never even mildly enthusi- astic about school, a few summers of drudgery were enough encouragement to get me back in class and keep me thinking of that Confucius quote I heard from my dad all those years ago. I normal to be above -\ normal, then it would be below normal, because It's July. it should be above normal. It's normal for it to be above normal. J —20 by David Lacey For the time of year. Ahh, then if it's below normal being normal would be above normal. 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