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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-09-11, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, September 11, 1985 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 imes INN dvoca Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager +CNA iciA BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $23.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' eServing South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited tor of 94. Melo, lbM abuFWAt. Man-made clouds Fortunately for the majority of residents and tourists in Grand Bend, the storm clouds which have been ap- pearing over the community in recent weeks have been man-made and therefore have not diminished the resort's reputation as a great summer holiday spot. Mother Nature has been much kinder in her treatment of the resort than some of those whose livelihoods would appear to depend on a more sunny disposition than they have presented. There may be some value for those involved in the internal struggle to get a few gnawing complaints off their backs, but little is gained in the long run unless those energies are put into more constructive vehicles to solve the problems which spawned the complaints. One veteran, observer of the Grand Bend scene, notes that last week's Chamber of Commerce session was similar to many others held in the resort where not one issue was resolv- ed after two hours of discussions, arguments, solutions and com- promises were kicked around. Laurie Mannell is quite correct in noting that "talk, arguments and finger pointing won't solve anything" and he probably could have gone one step further by suggesting that in many cases it results in moving backwards rather than moving ahead. It is not unusual that differences of opinion and goals are evident in Grand Bend. The same holds true in most communities where those involv- ed have few of the unique .problems associated with a tourist resort and its divergent mix of permanent and tran- sient visitors, businesses and residents. Mannell has provided a perfect example of how to successfully resolve issues by presenting, in writing, many suggestions for com- munity betterment for others to con- sider with the challenge to provide better ones if they have them. Similar to Rome, the future place of Grand Bend as a holiday resort will not be built in one day. While some long-range goals are needed to guide its direction, there should also be a move to tackle some of the interim goals relating to parking, beach maintenance and traffic control. A concerted effort on small goals, where action and not criticism is the aim, may show the intended benefac- tors that success is contingent upon cooperation. Then, unlike Rome, Grand Bend won't be destroyed by its internal struggles. A cookie monster's dream While many people hate to see summer slip away, for another year, there are those who con- sider fall to be a most colorful and enjoyable season. It would probably rank higher in the opi- nion polls if it wasn't a signal that winter was close at hand. Fall heralds the advent of many other things, not the least of which are fall fairs. If. you happen to be among those who have already studied this year's Exeter fair prize list, you'll notice that the writer's smiling countenance appears on page 76. Included thereon is the message to "Bake for Bill and Huron County Christmas Bureau". Over 300 fairs are expected to participate in this special promo- tion sponsored in part by Robin Hood Multifoods and each was asked to come up with a local celebrity to act as judge and towards whom local entries will be directed. Failing to find a suitable celebrity, a member of the ladies' division of the local fair ap- proached the writer to act in that capacity, and as soon as mention was made of the fact the prime requirement was to help judge cookies, there was no further need to embelish the task. Born with enough sweet teeth in my head to keep a local dentist fully supplied with new sails for his exploits on Lake Huron, there was no way I was about to turn down an opportunity to sample cookies from the area's finest cooks who compete annually at the Exeter fair. Although I couldn't have said it better myself, the public rela- tions staff at Robin Hood note that "the contest will be a terrific opportunity to bake for an ad- mired or respected personality whose hobbies, likes and interests are well known to local participants." Well, you can laugh all you like about that pretentious introduc- tion to the local fair's selection, but the fact remains that I get to taste all the baking and you just get to look at it and drool. * * * * * However, at least three visitors to the fair will get to share in the enjoyment of sampling some of the goodies as the top three en- tries in the "Celebrity Cookie Jar" division will be auctioned off and the proceeds from same will be donated to the other benefac- tor of the contest, the Christmas Batt'n Around ...with IllikThe Editor Bureau operated by the Huron Family and Children Services. There will be a number of items from winning entries in other divisions auctioned at the same time and for the same wor- thwhile cause. The logistics of the Celebrity Cookie Jar contest are just star- ting to sink in and they do add up to a most enjoyable morning. In fact, if the calculator is correct, the judging could last for most of the day. Contest rules call for cooks (males and females, of course) to submit up to five—yes, five -- different kinds of cookies and/or uniced squares, "presenting them in any. kind of attractive container as a gift for Bill Batten". Two of each type must be packaged separately for judging. If I read that correctly, that means the judge will have to sample up to 10 cookies or squares from each entrant. Now, if there were even only 10 entrants, that would be 100 cookies or squares. Obviously, more than 10 people will want to get in on the action, prestige and acclaim. Probably 100 would be a more realistic figure, given the fact the agricultural society stands to win $100 if the local fair is in the top 30 for the most en- tries across the province. Now you great (and not so great) cookie and squares bakers out there wouldn't want to see the hard-working agricultural socie- ty miss out on that 100 bucks, would you? Even if you fail to fall for that reverse psychology used to keep the editor happily munching on cookies throughout the day, let it also be known that the top entrant will have her/his recipe included in the prestigious Robin Hood Recipe Book for 1986. * * * * * * However, there is a dilemma for the "admired or respected personality" and that is in know- ing if he should build up to the task by eating as many cookies and squares as possible beforehand or go into it cold turkey. After some consideration (you wouldn't believe how short) it has been decided that one should ob- viously work gradually up to the chore to reach the appropriate peak of performance. So, if there are people out there who would also like to start hon- ing their cooking and baking skills to reach the same peak of performance, they can be assured that there is a welcome place for the goodies they may churn out in prepartion. One word of caution to all en- trants: the packaging counts for 40 percent of the total marks and it may take a little while for the "admired or respected personali- ty" to get accustomed to the idea that the packaging is no more than a necessary evil. "I'm writing a speech - What do we stand for this week?" Cultural wasteland Is your life a cultural wasteland? Do you do the same old things, talk to the same old people on the same old subjects all the time? Are you scared to take a risk, smile at someone you've never seen before, do something the neighbours will mutter about? Do you want a de- cent tombstone, not flashy, but dignified? Of course you do. You're a good Canadian. You believe in per- sonal decorum, censorship, the family as a unit, and capital punishment. On the other hand. Do you go for a swim at midnight, sing a song at dawn, smoke marijuana, drink fairly heavily, march . in protest parades, live in sin, abhor censorship and capital punish- ment, and contrive to do something that will offend friends and neighbours? Of course you do. You're a good Canadian. You believe in in- dividual liberty, acid rain, dirty movies and sexual irresponsibility. It doesn't matter which group you belong to, or whether you're somewhere in between, you all have much in common. You despise the government, but won't elect an alternative, since you despise it even more. You are caught by inflation and high interest rates, whether you are a sixty -year-old farmer try- ing to keep the place going, or a twenty -year-old punk trying to maintain habit. You are basically anti- American, though if you were asked why, you couldn't give an answer that was articulate. You feel frustrated, in this land of wood and water, not to mention nuclear power, because, if you are getting on in years, you see everything eroding around you, and if you are short in years, you see nothing but a stone wall bet- ween you and your aspirations. You wonder vaguely, if you're old enough, what became of the Canadian dream: "The twentieth century belongs to Canada." And if you read the papers and analyze the news, you realize that, while Canada still has a high standard of living, we are very low on the totem pole 'when it comes to production, strikes, economic stability, peace, hap- piness and goodwill toward men. If you're very young, you don't give a diddle. There's lots to eat, warm clothes, and the old man will kick in a decent allowance so you can feed the video machines with their war games. But if you're a young adult, just about ready to launch into "real" life, you're so bewildered about unemployment, and escalating university fees, and the increas- ing shadow of the computer, and the wealth of choice of a future Sugar & Spice Dispensed by Smiley (all lacking in security) that you can become so depressed you drop out; or dive into a stream, and fight against the current. This isn't a doom and gloom column, It's merely a look at our nation today. It is so rife with suspicion, fear of nothing much, anger over nothing much, that we are becoming paranoid. From the Prime Minister, throught the head of the Bank of Canada, right down to your local alderman, you have lost trust, and feel that the ship is heading for the reef with nobody at the helm. This is nonsense, of course. Canada has been going through this miasma ever since 1867, and before. Maybe the guy at the helm is blindfolded, and maybe we have scraped a few rocks, but the ship's bottom is still sound, and we haven't hit the big reef yet. If we do, we can always scramble into the boats, and become the new Boat People of North America. We've had the French- fi Y Canadian separatism thing with us for generations, John A. Mac- Donald almost put the country on the rocks, financially and politically, but he dared to take a chance, and had vision. We sur- vived a terrible depression, and came out smilling of roses (and the stench of our dead young men), in two world wars. Cheer up, you dour, gloomy Canucks. When you have to set- tle for one meal of ground wheat a day, and have to huddle around a charcoal brazier to keep warm, then you can whine, though few will listen, just as few of us listen to the people of the world who are doing just that, right now. o Forget about the Yanks..If you don't like their culture invading us, turn off your TV set and get out your Eskimo carvings. The Yanks won't invade us physical- ly. Unless they have to, and there's not much we could do about that. If you can't afford your mor- tgage increase, you were pro- bably over-extended in the first place. Get rid of that monster, with its swimming pool and rec. room and pitch a tent. Preferably in the local cemetery, to suit your mood. Pull in your belts. Dump that extra car, the boat and the cot- tage. If you look at it objective- ly, they're just a big pain in the arm anyway. Walk to work. Take a bus to the city instead of your gas -gobbler plus parking fees. Learn to do your own elementary plumbing and electric work at night school. Ladies. Get the knitting needles out and make lots of shawls, sweaters, scarves and wool socks. You did it for the troopA overseas. And godawful ichy and ill-fitting some of them were, but they kept us warm. Stop spoiling you children with allowances. Let them earn their own money through odd jobs, or do without. Let's stop grumbling, and get back to a spartan, rewarding life, where ideas are more important than physical comfort. After you, he said. Would flatly disagree I was listening to a talk show on the radio a few weeks ago. The topic was centred around whether Canadians were as pro- ud of their country as Ameri - cans seem to be. The announcer view was that Americans are far more convinced that their coun- try is the greatest in the world than we ever dreamed of being. I would flatly disagree. Just because Canadians don't go around beating on their chests and bragging about their country being the greatest doesn't mean tha4 they don't believe it to he so. Just because we don't insist on our children standing up each morning in the classrooms, Lac- ing the flag and reciting a mean- ingless pledge does not mean that we don't feel allegiance to our country and feel down deep !hal we rank as one of the best places in the world to live. If iyou would like some corn By the Way by Syd Fletcher pa risons though, Mr. Announcer I'll give you a few that you car put in your pipe and smoke for a while. Let's compare cities. Toronto versus Detroit sine(' these two are roughly the same in size 80d are the closest 10 this area. Cleanliness and beauty'' Detroit doesn't come even close to Toronto in these respects. ('rime rate'' Ask yourself which city you would rather have your wife or (laughter walk unat- tended down the main street as nightfall was approaching. Police in 1)etroi1 never 1I'ayel alone and haven't for years. Public transit'' Toronto has one of the best in the world. Those subway cars come along every five or six minutes and millions of people use them every day. In Detroit you wait for over an hour for a bus Next week 1'1) tell you moil'. about why Canada is right up there in the major leagues.