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Times-Advocate, 1986-07-30, Page 4Page 4 Times-Advocote, July 30, 1986 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgama ed 1924 Imes dvoca e Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 - LORNE LEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager CNA' BILL 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' A happy choice Numerous functions are already under way to mark the two hundredth an- niversary of the first Mennonite settle- ment in Ontario. Of course the Kitchener - Waterloo area is among those places which will pay special attention to the presence of the Mennonite people in their midst. However,' within more recent years many more centres in Western On- tario have seen increasing numbers of Mennonite residents. One of the reasons for the settlement of the Mennonite people in Ontario was the revolutionary war in the United States, when most of the brethren refus- ed to take up arms against Great Britain, from whom they had received cheap land in the eighteenth century. Following the American Revolution they turned to Canada, which was still a British colony. A group of Mennonite people in Lan- caster County, Pennsylvania, sent a young man by the name of Sam Bricker to Ontario with money to purchase a tract of land to which they could move. Sam made the purchase, buying what is today Waterloo Township, but soon found that the owner of the Beasley Tract, as it was known, did not have a clear title to that land - and the purchase price was lost. Returning to his home in the States, he found that his neighbors still .trusted him. They raised another 10,000 pounds and they brought the money, in silver coin, all the way to Canada. This time the deal was consumated legally and over the next couple of decades the Mennonite 'families began to settle Waterloo. Although most of the Mennonites re- tain the Old Order ways, the plain dress and horsepower travel and tilling, they have earned the respect of their neighbors in Ontario. They have con- tributed much to the stability of our society. We should be happy they chose our part of the world as their home. Wingham Advance Times Paying the price A new bill introduced last week by Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley, which will make polluters pay for their flagrant pollution tactics, is definitely a step in the right direction. Any step, for that matter is a good one. To wait much longerwould be disastrous. Bradley introduced the legislation which will hit polluters where it hurts -- in the pocketbook. The new proposed laws could send polluters to one year in jail and levy fines as high as $100,000. The legislation, which has been in the planning stages for at least three years, will boost the .present fine system as much as five times and will make the job of the court much easier in finding the in- dividuals guilty and forcing these rich, big -wig executives to pay instead of the company before them. As of now, the court has no power to imprison flagrant offenders. Under this bill, they will have that power. It's about time. • For too long major polluters have snubbed their collective noses at the government, whether it be federal or pro- vincial, and continued to pollute and con- taminate the environment. The situation was getting worse instead of better. Finally, after three long years in prepar- ing the proposed law, something concrete has been drawn up which will hopefully make for a better overall environment. Powerful and influential industries throughout the province, the country and the world have taken advantage of the tiny, wrist slapping `laws' which have at- tempted to keep the environment from dwindling away to nothing. The era of garnishing an extra buck by sidestepp- ing environmental regulations has gone. Mitchell Advocate Picked the right day There's an old joke told in the North West Territories about the newcomer colnplaining to an oldtinlrr about the hitter cold winter weather and asking when he could expect summer to arrive. "1 think it was on a Wednesday last year." the old timer quickly responded. While the tales about the hitter winters in Yellowknife are legend and slake you ('ol(1 just hearing about them. i found out by first han(1 experience that the boast about the summers being warns and dry are not just tourist en- ticement propaganda. 1)n one of the four days 1 spent visiting number one son. the ther- mometer hit a balmy 29 t yes. that's the new tangled system t and \'ello\vknile and environs en- joyed the warmest temperature recorded in Canada 00 that par- ticular (1.I\fro, As indicatr(i in a pre -departure epistle. the call of the north had been brewing for some time. and i was enjoyably surprised by what l found in the highly modern city that is capital of the vast reaches of this nation's last frontier While Scott indicated the \veather during my slay was the warme-t `he had seen in his st'- con(7 summer in Yellowknife. the record high has been a 103 that's the old tangled system , and even When trmprraturrs dip. visitors, can still take in all the outdoor sights because the rainfall is very sparce and only occasionally clic: tales the need for rain gear. Extreme \\'rather appeared to t join my holiday path, because I arrived in Edmonton along with the worst flood in history for many parts of Alberta as the nor- mally parched prairies were in- undated with rain and local Batt'n Around ...with IIIIIkThe Editor newspapers t 'd pictures of widespread prt., ' d farm produce destruct►t, t � But getting Yellowknife, the 'tern, 1 was as surprising as the weather. Rather than the barren picture I had conjured. the city is sur- rounded by crisp. clear lakes and rivers in the valleys among the many sizeable and rolling hills that are not unlike the not too far north of this province. The trees are more stunted, but color abounds as the sun dances on the many rock formations and the - vast array of lichens with which they are covered. The city itself rises on the various plateaus from the shores of Great Slave Lake and the modern architecture and high rise structures are probably not duplicated in any other communi- ty of its size in Canada. Of course, not many com- munities of that size in Canada have two producing gold mines 1 burrowing under it, not do they enjoy tapping the federal govern- ment treasury to the same extent either: The Prince of Wales northern heritage museum is just one ex- ample of the ultra modern facilities in the city and its design is not unlike that of the London 'art gallery, although the northern version is considerably more posh with its plush carpet and gigantic cedar beams and walls. The edifice is in sharp contrast to the displays it houses showing the primitive tools and equip- ment that were used by the natives and the explorers who opened up the vast reaches of Canada's arctic arctic. in true tourist fashion, I en- joyed dining on muskox, caribou steak and arctic char and all were found to he fit for a gourmet although fortunately the price tags wept‘ot in keeping with that designation. Darkness never did descend despite my bleary eyed attempts to outlast the daylight hours and walking home from downtown at midnight appeared little different than the walk up to eat at noon. Morning was signalled by the sun beaming its heat through the bedroom window anc1 the raucous antics of the ravens who appear never to sleep. This travelogue will he con- tinued in future columns and i can hardly wait to tell you next week how sheep manure controls the destiny of the world's finances. Bet you can't wait either, eh? "THE CUTWORM DOESN'T TAKE BEER BREAKS!" Not first choice Life is compromise. What I'd really like at this point in time is a European vacation. To drift from London to Paris, from Amsterdam to Rome. A little bit of theatre in the West End, a stroll along the Seine, a cruise on the canals, a bicycle ride along the Via Appia. A pastry shop in Vienna. An evening concert at the Tivoli. - Instead, we'll be going to the cottage with the kids. For one week. The things that go under the heading "vacaf ion" ! A week at the cottage with the kids is good exercise, good sur- vival training. But a vacation it ain't. At least not for me. Oh, the children will have a marvellous time. They'll be in and out of the water. They'll get their parents' undivided atten- tion, but only when they want it. They'll have campfires and boat rides and fishing and hiking. And they won't have a care in the world. The very best of times for them. But let me tell you how my days go at the cottage. 5:30 a.m. I wake up from the loons. My back hurst because the mattress is too soft. The com- bination of sunburn and sand bet- ween the sheets prevents me from going back to sleep. I toss and turn until the kids wake up at 6. 6:00 to 7:30 a.m. The children won't wear what is good for them. They refuse to believe that it is 10 degrees centigrade. Elizabeth tries to reason with them, I feel they should be allowed to freeze if they want to. Duncan drops his toothbusltr in the toilet bowl. i have to retrieve it. Stephanie is scalded by the shower. Alexander is going back to bed. Duncan can't find one of his sandals. Elizabeth discovers two large, dead ants in our bed. And it's all my fault. 8:00 a.m. Breakfast at the lodge. Elizabeth and Stephanie are there on time. I'm left behind with one boy minus one sandal and one boy still in bed. I bribe Alexander and allow Duncan to go barefoot, but end up carrying him. Duncan and Stephanie won't eat the cereal they ordered. Alex- ander calls them names that are on the list (for having your mouth washed out with soap). But I don't feel like going back to the cottage for that. My eggs are cold. 8:45 a.m. Alexander wants to go fishing, Duncan wants to go the bathroom, and Stephanie wants to go swimming. Elizabeth gets the job of going swimming with Stephanie. I get the job of taking Duncan to the bathroom first and then finding someone to go fishing with Alexander (1 refuse to go fishing)., 9:30 a.m. Alexander has gone fishing with his uncle and his cousins. Elizabeth and Stephanie are diving from the dock. Duncan is still looking for his sandal.,He and I are going to build a sand castle. 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Duncan is having a good time, half in the sand, half in the water. My back is killing me. I decide to lie in the lawn chair because the sun is coming out. I go into the cottage to get my book and my sun glasses. When I come back out, the sun is gone. Alexander is still away fishing. Elizabeth and Stephanie are diving from the dock 12:00 noon We're all on time for lunch. Alexander has caught a rock bass which he insists he is going to eat for supper. We'll see. Duncan spills his grape juice all over Elizabeth's white slacks. But he is sorry. Stephanie doesn't feel like eating lunch. Alexander calls both of them names that are not on the list, although Stephanie insists that they should be. Elizabeth thinks that people are watching tis. I tell our children to look at the kids two tables down and how well they are behaved. At that moment one of those kids has a temper tantrum. Elizabeth and I look at each other. Hap- piness is knowing that you are not alone. Other parents have pro- blems, too. I eat too many Nanaimo bars. 1:00 p.m. Alexander is off fishing again. Elizabeth and I want to play a game of table tan- nis, but Stephanie has to go to the bathroom and Duncan wants to play table tennis with us. Elizabeth takes Stephanie to the cottage and doesn't come back. I play table tennis with a boy whose smiling gratitude is the highlight of my day. 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Duncan and i find that Stephanie and Elizabeth have fallen asleep at the cottage. We get a rowboat and go looking for blue heron. We find gulls and swallows instead. I forget to put a hat on Duncan, and he gets a sunburn. Alexander is still fishing. I collect wood for a camp- fire. Duncan finds his sandal in the garbage bin. 5:30 p.m. Supper is hell. The two boys are so tired that they can hardly keep upright. Elizabeth and I have an argu- ment. Only Stephanie is reasonable. My steak is over- done. But once again I eat too much dessert. 8:30 p.m. I light the campfire and prepare to sing some camp fire songs with the kids and their cousins. But everybody is too busy roasting marshmallows. Alexander says "What happened to my rock bass?" I change the subject. 9:30 p.m. Taps. Another day gone. Only five more days till 1 can relax in the office. No reason for panic Recently a famous movie star by the name of Rock Hudson came forward and admitted that he had contracted the disease known as AIDS, also known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A few months later he died. New cases of the disease have been faithfully reported by the press with a corresponding panic Among those of the public who don't seem to realize some very pertinent facts about the illness. They ignore the •numbers in- volved: under 200 people in"this es)untry have died from 'thiV .disease. Another 300 suffer from it and will likely die. if a person is no( promistuqus the chances are a million to one that he/she will contract the disease, pro: bably even higher since it is only contracted by sexual contact. Let us now talk about the chances of being involved in a car accident, Each year, in rough figures, about,,4,000 or more Canadians die on our highways and roads, about half of that number, young people between the ages of 8 and 25. Each year By the Way hY Syd Fletcher to there area ut 200,000 peole seriously i fired from traffic accidents. About half -of ttiese accidents involve the deadly combination of drinking agdJ driving. It is a 'Tightening comment about our society that we seem to accept all of this bloodshed ( far more than ever were killed on battlefields during wartime) as a matter of course while AiDS, an easily avoidable disease, arouses such nonsensical hysteria. if you think i am exaggerating ask yourself when last you saw Some victims of an auto acciderf interviewed about their injuries and the pain they have suffered. Now ask yourself the same ques- tion about victilps of AIDS. In- teresting, eh?