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Times-Advocate, 1988-12-07, Page 6Page 6 Times -Advocate, December 7, 1988 Times Tslablished 1871 Ad,ofAte tstahlished 1881 Amalgamated 1924 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM ISO Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519.235=1331 ROSS HAItCH Editor HARR1 Dt%RIE) (omposdian Manager PCNA 051 8f(AEi1 - Publisher .t Advertising Manager 0O's SMITH Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Need people with heart eople who volunteer their time •are what make the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Qntario work so well. Without volunteers the Foundation -would never be -able to accomplish as much as. it does in reducing premature death and disability -from heart attack and stroke. _ Ail' who do volunteer work do so for personal reasons. Somewhere, some- thing has touched the volunteer personal- . ly and has led him or -her to get involved. Most Ikkart and Stroke of Ontario volun- teers have a family member or know a , friend who has had a heart attack, heart surgery or a stroke. - Without a doubt this is because heart disease and stroke are Canada's number one killer. Many want. to help heat this terrible health threat by giving of them; selves during their spare time. • • The Heart and Stroke Foundation raises money to support research. The results .of that research have to be communicat- ed. It's particularly important for people to know that lifestyle changes can- hel-p- reduce death and disability. What we eat, whether we smoke, how we pay attention to -our blood pressure, how much exercise we get, all have an influence on heart attack and stroke. • How do people get that 'information? That's where ,volunteers •help. Volun- teers build_ awareness. Volunteers raise money. Volunteers save lives: Stop for a minute and think about what you would get out of volunteering with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of 'Ontario in. your community. • • - - In Huron County, volunteers are need - .ed to type letters, co-ordinate the sales of the heart Cook Book,`edit the newsletter, monitor newspaper clippings. work on the public relations committee. In Fehru- ary, canvassers are always needed. Follow the road to a new life and v(�l- unteer with the Ilcart and Stroke Foun- dation of Ontario. Any prospective volunteers in the cov- erage area of the T=A-in.Iluron can con- tact principal Bruce Shaw at South -I I.u- ron .District HIigh school and he. will -he pleased to put you in .touch with the right person or contact public._relations"chair- man Margaret McLeod at 357-1847. If you have any spare time, why not consider being. a volunteer for.the Onta= rio Heart and Stroke Foundation. There is lots of opportunity for you to serve right at home. • One never knows when a family mem- ber of friend may need _services of this kind. It would be nice if you were -in a position to help. By Ross Haugh is Santa really necessat We just barely squeaked through last year. I'm sure Alexander already had scrim's doubts about the exis- • tcncc of Santa Claus, but he was of-. raid to say anything - just in case there was one after all: This year he is convinced that Santa is .a myth. Last summer, . Duncan and Stephanie publicly de- clared that they, too, no longer be- lieved' in Santa. "O.K.", I told them, "no sweat - if you don't bc- lieve, he won't come, and that'll be that. 110l take hiS stuff somewhere else. • Naturally, the closer wc came to December, the more talk there was about the jolly old elf. Wisely, the twins have now decided that yes, there is a Santa Claus, and they will hang up their stockings as usual. They have already mailed their wish lists to the North Pole (postal code 11011 0110), although Alexander in- formed them that some guy at the post office gets all the letters and sends them back to the parents." 1 can sec the wheels turning in their busy little heads: "What have we got to lose by saying that we believe"? and "maybe Mom and Dad will give us iess if we say that Santa is a fraud." So they're being good little sports. All three of them sat on Santa's knee last Saturday at the mall. "Do you believe in Santa Claus, Dad:" Duncan asked me at supper last night. "I'm going to tell you af- ter your hath," i said, stalling for time to think of an appropriate an- swer to this fundamental question. "Well'?", he inquired when he was tucked in. "Well what?" i teased. "Do you or don't you. believe in Santa Claus?" '— And so I told him. i believe in Santa Claus as atr idea. As a myth, invented to make children happy. "i don't think," 1 said, "that the guy at the mall is Santa Claus, and [ don't imagine you could ever sec Santa because you cannot see ideas." "So how do we get thc presents?" "I'm glad you asked", 1 said, "because it shows that .you're using your head. It's alright to -believe in PETER'S POINT • by Peter lime' Rte wonderful ideas, but that 'doesn't mean wc have to stop thinking." "You and. Mom buy the presents, don't you?" "That's only part of it. Yes, at one point we actually go and buy them, but not until weave been in touch with Santa Claus the idea". "I don't know what you mean," Duncan said. "Just before Christmas, Mom and 1 sit together some evening, when you're sound asleep, and we talk about Santa. We remember how much we love you. We think about you, and about the things you like to do. And the, idea of Santa helps us to pick something for ,you, something we hope will make you happy. And do you know what? it usually works. We usually manage to find some special little things that you enjoy". "And sometimes big things", Duncan rcmerfit* ' °�—�• ..... "Yes, but what do you think is more' important, the size of a present or the idea that Mom and Dad have about it?" "1 can't help it," Duncan said, "but 1 always like the big presents the best". 1 kissed him good night, and he was asleep within minutes. 1 suppose, the Santa Claus fraiid is no problem when it's handled -properly. it's felativcly harmless whcn we know how to let our chil- dren down gently. But I'm wondering why we have to do it at all. Why (Io we deceive our kids to start with? Do we really need Santa Claus? Why do parents hide behind this grotesque figure? .'Couldn't we make thc children hap- py without this. phony intcrnledi-. ary? Isn't it time to discard the old fog- ey? We don't fool our kids about the stork anymore - we now know that children arc quite capable of under- standing where babies come from. Surety they could learn where presents come from. Could it he that the economy de- pends on Santa? That Christmas without Santa would he bad for business? Do manufacturers and im- porters and wholesalers and retailers and advertisers need all the hype and hoopla to survive? Would hundreds of thousands of jobs be lost without Santa and his team? • if that is the case, aren't we allow- ing our children to become pawns in a mercantile game that has noth- ing to do with Christmas - neither with the ancient Yuletide (the cele- bration of winter solstice) nor the birth of Christ? is Santa a symbol four anything but gratification and For my money, I'd like to sec the Santa cult downgraded and the value of Christmas as the festival of love and peace upgraded. A quiet advent time of anticipation in our homes instead of a never-ending series of noisy Santa Claus parades and shop- ping centre spectaculars. HAVE AN OPINION? The Times -Advocate 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 newspaper also reserves the right to edit letters. Letters can be dropped off at the Times Advocate Office or mailed to: Exeter Times Advocate Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S0 1 • Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited ape 1.JI1111111i!!tiffJiiiJlhtlhill!t hIN1ifil,Illtfili'tt Let's seal it up It's that- time of year again to send out Christmas cards and let- ters to relatives and friends some of whom the only contact with is at the holiday s ason. When sending out these mis- siles we would urge you to add a Christmas Seal or two to thc en- velope. Most arca residents have al- ready received their package of Christmas Seals from the Huron= Perth Lung Association and we would hope already forwarded a contribution. Each and every seal that ap- pears on mail and parcels means that the community is behind the Lung. Association - the communi- ty service it provides and the. hope given thousands that medi- cal researchers will make that all importanfbreai ugtr= aemt:or a new treatment that will prolong life or ease the pain. Christmas is a time whcn we focus on peace and goodwill. Our thoughts tum to the people who need help. Thc Lung Asso- ciation, through goodwill gene- ated at Christmas time, carries this spirit to each and everyone throughout the year. Thc Ontario Lung Association has set a quota of $4.5 million throughout ,the province and the target for Huron and Perth coun- ties is $65,000. Jane Muers, a secretary at the Lung Association office in Strat- ford told us this week that returns • arc coming in at a good clip and she expected _ the local quota would be surpassed as it is each year. The Iluron=Pcrth president Ste- phen Dibert added, " Many peo- ple have alreadyresponded, but if more people put their seals to work and send their donations, Ai, From the , editor's disk by (81 Ross Haugh t • we wilt be able to continue serv- ing those who.necd us." _ Make sure each seal that is dent to you gets to do the work it was intended to dei., Use your Christ- mas Scats on last minute gifts, iarcelsand payment envelopes. • And please send your donation today: - • If anyone has lost or misplaced the envelope to send donations which came with the seals, we can erase that problem. Donations may be sent 10 the Huron -Perth Lung Association, 386 Cambria Street in Stratford and the Postal Code is N5A 1 J4. Just remember- Lung disease is like having the wind knocked out of you every day. ** *.*. A press release from CFP Channel 10 -reveals quite an in- teresting 'lineup n-tcresting'lincup of .programs for the Christmas season and aimed at al l ages. 30 programs with a Christmas and holiday season theme, :we will pick out only a few which caught our fancy and probably the little boy in us. The special programining he- gins with A Very Special Christ -- pas Party on Sunday, December . 18 at 9 p.m.,Thc next evening at 7.30 p.m. and animated Candy Claus show will he presented. On Wednesday, December 21 at. 10 p.m. it's Christmas in Washington starring James Ste- wart and Saturday December 24 at 6.30 p.m., Peter Ustinovin a ' Search for Santa Claus takes \viewers to seven countries to race the origins of this red -suited f llow who has captured the love and imagination of children eve- -- rywhcrc. This is followed a hall hour sat Later Christmas Eve shows in- . elude The Other Wise Man and 'i'he Carols of Christmas. For the • late night owls. the midnight movie is A Pocketful of Miracles featuring Bette Davis and flcnn Ford. A total of .I0 -Christmas orjcnt- ed'programs will appear on. De- cember 25 starting at 7 a.m. and -concludin>'i at O p.m. when Jack Burghardt takes you through thc history of Christmas in London and introduces you tri some inter- cstirig people in the city. Carols, and finally lighting of the lights at Victoria Park, complete the walk through Christmas tradition in the As they have listed more than :Forest City. Smoke your rets ine es gy .like this. As we get used to more smoke-free environments, our immunities must fade. 1 stuck it out for an hour, got my coat and quietly left, defeat - cd. It doesn't seem fair the smok- ers have all the fun. oblivious to • what they do to the rest of us. - it has occurred to me that. w ith all the health risks. them can he only two reasons to start smok- ing: peer pressure and image - oriented advertising. We've all heard the one about tobacco be- ing relaxing, hut it's just -crap. All it relaxes are its own nicotine cravings. it saddens me to drive past a high school and sec teenagers getting a head start on poor health. .It mcans.it's just going to take longer to.sec this habit fade away. Some day, all the smokers. tired of having to stand outdoors in the cold to smoke, will quit so they can juin the socially accepta- ble people indoors. Tobacco will - have gone the way of thc spi- toon. We won't have to bring hack beheading after all. 7 As much as I oppose capital punishment, Sit Waiter Raleigh might have deserved his behead- ing. History notes King James i had Raleigh executed for failing to find gold in the New World. We all know the real reason. James was just getting a head start on anti-smoking legislation. In fact, James I issued the first known bfficial,condemnation of tobacco in 1604. When Bob Newhart was still doing stand-up comedy routines, one of his best acts saw the hu- mour in Raleigh's attcmpt to con- vince the court that setting fire to dried leaves and inhaling thc smoke would become the latest rage. i wish smoking was always a laughing matter. I used to think if anyone was dumb enough to smoke that was their business. if smoking wasn't illegal, then they had eve- ry right to light up. I don't know if i feel that way anymore. i grew up around smokers and it didn't bother me. However, they always told me if I was smart•i would never smoke likc them. it seemed like good ad- vice. Nowadays, there arc far fewer smokers around, and contact with their :smoke is increasingly old that thought... b7 Adrian.l-larte rare. Twenty-four people work at the TA, and only four of them smoke. - The other night i attended a Christmas party I had been look- ing forward to all week. After dinner, all the addicts lit up, and by the time the band started to play the room was thick with cigarette smoke well beyond the capacity of the ventilation sys- tem. Breathing became a chore, and. my eyes felt as if someone was spraying them with swimming pool chemicals. 1 remember thinking i never used to suffer ,.4