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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-06-04, Page 4Page 4 Tims+s- 1906 Fst k:t +1(3 P." A`\ Af4`-` imes - Published lads Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario; NOM 150 Second Gass Mail Registration Number 03116: , Phone 519.235.1331 A ,T- vocate ServilIJ South Huron, North Mlddksex North Lembtgn $ince 1873 Published byl. . EetlY-Publications united • LORNE EEDY Publisher jot BECKETT • Advertising Manager SILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year, U.S.A. $65.00 • C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Never please everyone The question of Sunday shopping will probably never be answered to ,the satisfaction of everyone. Given the public's need for access to certain retail items on Sunday, the main alternatives appear to be either throw all the laws out the window and allow retailers to make their own decision er enact legislation that would provide a clearer definition of what would be con- sidered "essential" services. The latter would have to be accompanied by stricter law enforcement and penalties that would eliminate any financial incen- tive to break the laws. As the Progressive Conservative task force on extended shopping hours recent- ly determined, there are many convinc- ing arguments on both sides of the issue, but the bottom line appears to be that ex- tending shopping hours will in no way bring any appreciable increase in retail sales volume, jobs or economic benefit to any segment of society. Those retailers now enjoying increased sales volume by staying open on Sunday are simply beneficiaries of a significant competitive edge over those who are closed. The laxity of the present rules- was perhaps'best exemplified by thesubmis siorr4 that it is possible to buy por- nographic magazines in one community on Sunday, while a nearby book store which sells Bibles is forced to be closed. The current laws also allow some municipalities to designate retail outlets as services for the tourist industry so they cart stay open, but there are many varied interpretations of that law that need closer scrutiny and better definition. While the task force supported the general principle that a common pause day should be maintained they fellshort of providing many plausible methods of achieving that goal; no doubt leaving some ammunition for the fight that will ensue when the government does tackle the issue. • Some local residents will recall that a couple of decades ago, Exeter service station operators met the need of the motoring public for Sunday service by drafting an agreement whereby each took a turn at staying open on Sunday and through the evening hours during the en- suing week. That obviously was at a time when there were other things more important to people than the jingling of cash registers. Ironically it also signalled the start of extended hours on a cooperative basis that has now mushroomed in.$R a fiercely, competitive battle on all fronts that can only ber equitably, solved by throwing out all the rules or making new ones that give no retailer -any advantage over his competitor, no matter how great or small that competition may be. Incredible indeed In advising.that her ministry has just recently provided grants of $1,607,692 to music, dance and theater groups across Ontario, Dr. Lily Munro said "that tells me the arts community is a going con- cern, one which needs a helping hand but not a crutch to support it." The organizations supported by the ministry of citizenship and culture are in - d d "going concerns". In fact, money f om the provincial treasury is going to send groups to Yugoslavia, . Banff, Greece, Texas, Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, British Cblum- bia,•England, Chinh, California, Mexico, Central and South America and Washington. At the same time, the ministry of tourism and recreation has announced it will spend untold millions of Ontario tax dollars in an attempt to attract tourists from most of those same places under the new "Ontario Incredible" slogan. Part of that advertising will focus on extolling the merits of Ontario's cultural activities. The problem is, of course, that most of those activities are heading abroad. The only real entertainment visitors to the province will enjoy is watching the tears from those who have .to stay at home because they didn't get included in the travel grants so generously made by Dr. Munro. There will be some cultural groups left in Ontario to entertain and they'll certainly be able to put their best foot forward. About $50,000 of Dr. Munro's giant gift will purchase new uniforms for a variety of groups. It remains to be seen whether that will enable them to sing or play better. Taxpayers who may question the government's gifts may find some of their answers- forthcoming when the World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre is published. Dr. Munro has given that publication a $215,341 donation. Ontario Incredible indeed! Don't underestimate last week I talked about an organization called CADA or Citizens Against Drug Abuse. This group launched an attack against Eva McMann. Eva became the object of their atten- tion when, despite her world-wide fame as a rock singer and ac- tress, she accepted an invitation from the students' council at her old high school to perform the songs from her album 'Per- sonae'. Indeed, she generously consented to sing free of charge and imposed two wise conditons: that only the school's graduating class attend the dance and the student council guarantee the strict enforcement of all school rules. The national press picked up the story which was read by CADA members who decided to listen to her album. To their sur- prise they found that the lyrics of the most popular song described with poetic rapture the physical s pleasure experienced by a girl 'high on cocaine'. CADA, believe ing that Canadian teenagers regarded Eva as a role model and ideal best friend, drew up a By the Way by Syd Fletcher plan to stifle her influence and sent it to all local branches. The princial and staff of Eva's old high school received letters from CADA parents threatening to keep their children at home until her appearance was cancelled4- It was cancelled. They went further. Ads were taken out in many community newspapers urging people to boycott businesses which sold Eva's records and videos, and to cancel subscriptions to newspapers and magazines which,published storiesalouther life and career. TV and radio sta- tions which carried her songs were picketed. Did it work? You bet it did. Teenagers in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. continued to idolize her but within a few short months teenagers in Canada had nearly forgotten her. Incidentially, Eva took it so seriously that she decided to sue CADA because she said they were taking away her artistic freedom of speech. The results of that court case will be an interesting one, but in the meantime never underestimate the power of parents working together in a common worthwhile cause. t Not The first Canadian industrialist to receive a jail term for his firm's polluting claims that such a sentence is a nightmare and something one would expect in Russia, but not Canada. Technically, Keith Alexander of Jetco Manufacturing was sentenced to the jail term for con- tempt of court, for ignoring repeated court orders to stop polluting. One can sympathize with the man town extent because it was indeed surprising that the jail term was handed down. Having been convicted on similar charges no less than 69 times since 1974, Alexander had every right to assume that the 70th time would merely have resulted in another fine. However, he made the mistake, of making public his attitude that the 07,960 in total .he had been fined=dobthose 68+otheri occur- rences was considered as part of his operating costs. Those costs also took a'substan- tial jump when ' Mr. Justice Robert Montgomery added a fine of $200,000 to Alexander's firm for dumping cyanide, nickel, copper and other illegal substances into a municipal sewer. Unfortunately, too many Cana- dians probably consider fines for polluting as part of the cost of do- ing business, without considering the ramifications of their acts. Obviously, courts also have been prone to keeping the penalties too low and thereby fail- ing to disuade polluters from con- tinuing their practices. In Alex- ander's case, the 69 convictions and fines were not enough to con- vince him to seek alternative methods of disposing of the chemicals from his electroplating company. The Toronto man suggests that. enough jails • if his appeal is unsuccessful and he does end up in jail, every other manufacturer in his industry in this nation should join him there, because they too dispose of their chemicals in the same manner. That other industries are not faultless will not come as any sur- prise to those who read the two Batt'n Around ...with The Editor comprehensive reports on the en- vironment released recently in Ottawa: They indicate; or perhaps reinforce,the knowledge, that Canada's natural environ- ment is in a mess. While most of us assume that means the heavily industrialized centres of the nation, that is just not so. The problems range throughout the nation and even touch polar bears, most of whom live in areas which it had been assumed were relatively free from man-made pollutants. Essentially, the reports pro- claim, Canadians are ruining their drinking water, destroying the land, poisoning the air, losing fish stocks, killing plant life and letting whole forests die. In short, we're slowly commit- ting suicide, although in the con- text of the time factor, the speed 'by which that end is being achiev- ed has been moving at an alarm- ing pace in the past half century. We now accomplish in a few hours what took days a few decades ago or weeks when our forefathers were cutting down trees to make room for smokestacks in the nation's for- mative years. Much of the damage is beyond repair. More damage will be done before any remeidal action will be taken. * * However, before youump on the bandwagon to demand tougher fines for polluters or sug- gest that' they should all be thrown in jail, consider the fact that there aren't enough jail cells in the country to hold all those responsible for pollution because the list basically encompasses the entire population. In fact motor vehicles, which most people drive, are the largest single source of air pollution in the nation; a probletn increased by the fact many fail to' get necessary tune-ups or burn lepd- ed fµe OurhOrn,c4; offices, industries and farms contain an ever- inceasing number of products that are damaging to the environ- ment and harmful to human health. Careless or inconsiderate use augments the poisonous com- pounds that release con- taminants into, the soil, air and water. While it is evident that th? government and the courts must get tougher with major polluters, it is also clear that everyone must become more aware of his/her responsbility to protect the environment. This is environment week in Canada and the motto "It's up to ALL of us" is one that should be seriously considered because it is abundantly clear that a conti- nuance of the present. . ractices employed by most .. s I e adds up to a mess that is quic ly turning into a disaster. Multitude of thumbs Assembly instructions always give me a nervous rash. I break out in a cold sweat, even before I open the package containing things I have to put together... I was born with a multitude of thumbs. And whatever side of the brain it is that solves mechanical problems, it's the other side that functions in my head. Way back in the golden days you went to a store, saw an arti- cle you liked, bought it, took it home and used it. But somebody figured out a way to make more money. Now instead of selling you an article, they sell you a bunch of parts and an instruction sheet written in Japanese and translated - in a fashion - into a variety of languages including a form in English. "Place the bolt with the slot through the base plate over the ring with the bracket, making sure that the clip under the fastener is inserted before the strap connecting the slide -pin to the rod -wheel is slipped through the loop around the holding- anchor." olding- anchor. " So when I bought the desk lamp, I asked the clerk: "Does it come assembled?" "Yes," he said, "all you have to do is to stick a couple of screws through some holes. A child could do it in five minutes." Past experience has taught me that what takes a child five minutes will take me an hour. It looked like a nice lamp, and I figured it was worth an hour's frustration. When I got home, I took the carton to my office and opened it. I reached in to get the lamp out. There was no lamp. What I had purchased instead was a collec- tion of rods, springs,- plastic fit- tings, a shade, a bag of nuts and bolts, oh yes, and a two-page in- struction sheet. I should have followed my im- pulse to drive bck to the store and dump the lot in the manager's lap. But an inner voice told me: "Come on, you can do it. Just PETER'S POINT • follow the instructions step by step. It's only a simple lamp, for Pete's sake." I had been led astray by that voice on previous occasions, and once again I fell into the trap. I went to the basement to get my tools. I spread the instructions out on the floor and sorted the compartments of my lamp kit. This particular cluster of parts had been made in Canada, so the instructions were in English and French only. There were seven diagrams and one blurred photograp of what the lamp was supposed to look like if anybody ever got it together. I tried. l even succeeded to a point, I managed to snap nylon push -pin A through aperture 13, and I was very proud of the way I connected swivel arm F to in- termediate tube H (as per diagram 3). My problem started when I couldn't get spring -holder J to hold spring K as I fiddled with U -bracket P that was sup- posed to slide easily over bar Q as per diagram 4. When easy sliding was out of the question, I applied couple of hammer blows. That's when spring -holder J flew all the way across the room, while spring K sprung into my face. In great pain I let go of twin - bar Q, articulating several ex- pletives that are definitely not fit for a community newspaper. I am still debating whether I should abandon my project and either return the mass of metal and plastic to the merchant of un- finished merchandise or turn the job over to seven year-old Alex- ander to see whether he could salvage anything. After all, he is doing remarkable things with Lego. Maybe the clerk was right: a child could do it in five minutes. In the meantime I am storing the embroyonic lamp in my closet, next to my unfinished tie rack and my incomplete exercy- cle. That way 1 dont have to ad- mit to anyone that I am unable to follow simple instructions; that I am a failure as an assembler. I have managed to work without a desk lamp all this time. I'll be able to fumble in the dark for another few years. Or maybe I'll buy me an old-fashioned candleholder and a supply of candles. Before they are replac- ed by candlemaking kits.