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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-09-03, Page 4Poge 4 Times -Advocate, September 3, 1986 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgama ed 1924 imes dvocate 401 MN RAM Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NQM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 &AL Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications limited LORNE EEDY Publisher )IM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK )ONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Hiatus unwarranted The matter of drug use in this area has seldom reached any proportions to bring concerned public attention to it. In fact, much of the discussion was generated five or ten years ago has wan- ed in the possible belief that the problem was also decreasing. However, the seizures made in Huron County last week through the com- bined effort of 40 policemen shows that drug use is possibly as high as ever and. the lack of public attention has not been warranted. In fact, the seizure of cocaine and LSD in this area is alarming and should send some frightening shock waves through the community. More important- ly, of course, is that it should send out a signal that drug use is still with us and must be counteracted with renewed vigilance and diligence. Cocaine represents a new and dead- ly foe, although that is not to suggest that the other drugs are much less theatening. The ramifications of all drug abuse is well documented, but the stories related to cocaine are horrifying as attested to by the death this past year of two gifted athletes who died after what was believ- ed to be their first contact with the drug. While the recent police action resulted in 26 people being charged, the natural pattern of such situations sug- gests that there were probably others in- volved who escaped detection. Enforcement is obviously one stage in combatting drug use, but it must be ac- companied by the efforts. of parents, educators and all other members of the community to be effective in preventing »the tragedies that can occur. This area probably dropped its guard slightly in the past few years in that regard and obviously that was not war- ranted. Drug use is growing throughout this nation to worrisome proportions and this area is not an island unto itself that has escaped. • Let's get back into the war with renewed determination after the unwar- ranted hiatus! New challenges Millions of students and teachers marched back to school this week, some no doubt rather reluctantly after enjoy- ing the carefree days of summer. September is a time of renewal for students and teachers alike and it is an optimistic time when some of the goals of education should be explored, rather than waiting for the mid-term results which may diminish some of the en- thusiasm that is now evident in the classrooms. Just what do all those students -- from our youngest children on up to the mature men and women slugging it out in night school -- face when they complete their formal studies? What courses should they take to prepare themselves for the future, to make sure they'll qualify for a job? It's a question that has no easy answer because no one owns a high-speed crystal ball that can predict the direction which rapid change will take. What one can do, .however, is look at today's trends to see what generic skills will be in demand. For a start, most of the new jobs that are appearing in our North American economy today are coming from small businesses which did not exist just five years ago, when today's high school graduates were still in the primary grades. Not only that, more and more statistical studies are showing that the vast majority will have two or three careers in their working lifetime. That's 'not just two or three different jobs, but different careers, requiring constant training and retraining. In the United States, for instance, research has revealed that one in five Americans changes jobs every year and one in 10 shifts gears into an entirely new career. Indications are this trend, far from abating, is becoming more pronounced. What course do you teach to prepare a student . for something that -will be brand new when he .or she graduates? What do you teach to equip the students for wrenching changes five, 10 or 20 years down the road? The broad implications for educators and students alike are clear. Young peo- ple of all ages must learn how to lean/. Armed with fundamental literacy, they must be shown the rudiments and habits of learning so that their education does not stop with their schooling. More important is attitude. Students must have the flexibility of mind to ac- cept the need to upgrade their skills every few years. That is the kind of teaching needed today, the kind that passes on basic skills and encourages questing minds. From the ranks of these people will come the economic leaders of the future. As their habit of learning spreads through the culture, it will ensure a con- stant renewal of this most precious resource: people. Not bad decision Recently a friend and I were talking about the days when they used to have the Grade 13 Depart- ment of Education examinations in June. My friend felt that perhaps standards had slipped a little since then because at that time everybody tried the same test in each subject, province - wide, and everybody was equal- ly graded by teachers who did not know the students personally. Now each high school sets its own final examinations in the OAC's (equivalent of Grade 13 subjects). The final mark is determined partly by the last examination and partly by the work done throughout the year. To me this is a much fairer way of determining a student's capabilities. In the 'good old days' students and teachers were fully aware of the style in which past examina- tions had been set. If you were really in luck you had a teacher who had gone to Toronto to mark the last few years' tests and knew 4 not only what type of questions there were but exactly on what basis the tests were marked. All year you were drilled on writing test questions till you could prac- By the Way by Syd Fletcher tically write the exams in your sleep. Unfortunately not all people are able to write examinations without blind panic seeping into their hands and brains until nothing they write makes sense. This has no reflection on their in- telligence or knowledge of a sub- ject, just their ability to write tests. It seems logical to me that a teacher who has worked with a student for over a hundred hours is more capable of making a judgement about that person's ability to enter university than a teacher who has never met the student. Another poor thing about the old system was that because of the emphasis on tests, all else that could not be put onto a test - sheet was ignored. 111 give you an example. In all my high school years 1 was never given a formal essay to write. There just wasn't time for that kind of 'nonsense'. Imagine my shock when I hit university and was assigned three essays to do in the first two weeks of classes. Imagine my professors' shock when they read them! I didn't even know how to do a bibliography, something that even junior' high school kids can do now without any effort. Sometimes the Ministry of Education makes some odd rut. ings but deleting the Grade 13 ex- aminations was net a bad oneat all. "YOU'VE GONE THRU PROPER CHANNELS, DINT LIE ON YOUR APPLICATION „ , JUST WHAT ARE YOU UP TO,FELLA?" Need someg uidel ines Carrying on the theme of last week's column pertaining to the mammoth government handouts being given to the developers of new automobile manufacturing plants in Ontario and Quebec, there is an obvious need for the citizens of this country and their respective levels of government to assess the role of the latter in assisting private business. As indicated last week, there are benefits accrued from the use of tax dollars to lure major employers. That becomes even more evident this week in the op- timism being expressed throughout a wide area in southwestern Ontario over the - announced plan of one of the new auto plants being built in Ingersoll. The prospect is for 2,000 direct jobs in the new GM -Suzuki plant, - plus an additional 1,000 jobs in the spin-off effect that will be created through the auxiliary industries needed to supply the plant as well as the needs of the people who work there. An expenditure of $102 million on the part of the federal and pro- vincial government may appear small in terms of the annual benefit to the economy. However; the residents of eastern or northern Ontario may have some doubts about con- tributing their share of the pro- vincial subsidy of $45 million and certainly those outside On- tario may wonder why they are being asked to contribute $57 million in federal funds to a pro- ject from which they will receive few direct benefits. In fact, there are places in On- tario and across Canada where an infusion of employment oppor- tunities are needed more than in the Ingersoll area, although they unfortunately do not meet the site requirements of the auto maker. Sure everyone benefits in- directly from any infusion to the provincial and federal economy, but the big winners are the auto plant owners who obviously envi- sion sizeable profits on their por- tion of the investment as well as Batt'n Around ...with The Editor that being contributed by the taxpayers. * * * * The big question, and one which to date appears unanswered, is what type of business venture is allowed to dine at the public trough. Are there set guidelines or are the governments virtually flying by the seat of their pants making decisions based on their whims? The latter appears to be the case and fosters the argument that all private business ventures should be treated equally, regardless of size or location. -If businesses are all going to operate under the same tax guidelines, they should all get the same treatment when it comes to benefitting from tax dollars. One reason for extending the discussion on this subject was a note from the Canadian Federa- tion of Independent Business per- tainintg to a proposed grant from Ontario towards the erection of a supermall in Mississauga similar to the one I visited this past sum- mer in Edmonton. The zucchini "Would you like to take along a zucchini or two?" I don't know how many times I have been asked that question over the last two or three weeks. My guess is twelve times. When someone offers me something for nothing, I cannot say no. That would be against my nature. Also , 1 don't want to of- fend the kindhearted giver. I can't bring myself to say "No thanks, I already have eleven zucchinis that 1 don't know what to do with." The- trouble with zucchinis is that they grow like weeds. They are the dandelions of vegetables. They grow to enormous propor- tions and everybody grows too many of them. I've seen garage sales where half the merchandise consisted of zucchinis. I've seen signs in super- markets: "Zucchini Special! Buy one, get nine free." And I've seen strong men weep because they couldn't get rid of their zucchini crop. They break their backs growing them, preparing the soil, weeding and nurturing them, watering and fertilizing them, all' the while watching them grow to ridiculous proportions. What makes people grow zuc- chinis? Are they fascinated by the balloon -like shape? Does it in- flate their egos to see what enor- mous, puffed-up green things they can produce in their very own vegetable patch? As a non -zucchini grower I wouldn't know. I like zucchini as a vegetable - occasionally. I like zucchini bread - once in a while. But I don't like being on a zuc- chini diet between August 15 and' September 15 every year. That's why I'm writing this piece. f need your help. Please, write to me in care of this paper and tell me what 1 can do with three hundred kilograms of zuc- chinis that are lying in the garage, in the cellar, under my desk, in the broom closet, in the CFIB president John Bullock notes that the developers are seeking tax breaks and conces- sions to build their pleasure dome in the Toronto suburb and the talk is that the Ontario cabinet is look- ing at breaks worth between $60 and $100 million. The value of the tourism dollars that the mall could bring to the province may warrant some cabinet deliberation, but the fact is that the mall is a retail outlet for a few hundred stores and would undoubtedly take business away from many other retailers in the immediate area as well as those in a very extend- ed area in view of the fact the mall, if as successful as the Ed- monton version, would become a major tourist attraction in the province. There isn't any doubt that many area residents would be at- tracted to visit the mall, and while their main intent would be to sightsee and patronize some of the attractions, they would also be attracted to buy items from the stores in the mall. Obviously, it appears absurd that some of the taxes paid by other retailers in the province should be handed over to the owners of a mall so they can com- pete with those who have con- tributed to the assistance. In reality, there are few private ventures that don't have some form of competition in this pro- vince. When the government pro- vides grants to one and not the other, no matter how large or small they may be, it creates an unfair situation. It is not a new situation to be sure, but the rapid generosity be- ing shown by the various levels of government indicate it is time that the whole area be reviewed to remove the present inequities. explosion front hall and on top of my bookshelves. Just last night somebody ask- ed me again: "Would you like a zucchini or two?" I loaded up the trunk and the passenger seats in the car and still this person was begging me to take more. An en- tire wheelbarrow full was waiting PETER'S POINT • to be stashed away on the roof, under the hood, on the dashboard..; -We can't have visitors in the house for Al the zucchini. Every chair, every sofa has been turn- ed into a vegetable bin. The children find zucchinis in their beds and in the bathtub' Won't you do me a+big favour and tell me what to do? Elizabeth has a couple of good zucchini recipes, but we need drastic measures at this point. We've got our elves a major zucchini pro- blem, a zucchini disaster. We need help in the worst way. . Send me your national, provin- cial, territorial, regional, local and personal zucchini tips, please! How do you handle zuc- chini crisis •in Stonewall, Manitoba? What do folks in Hum- b91dt, Saskatchewan db when zucchinis take pver their homes? Do zucchinis grow in Geraldton, Ontario, in Strathmore, Alberta? Do 1 hear from problem solvers in Leamington, Ontario or in Lachute, Quebec?* I know you can cook the stuff and bake it into bread. But that isn't good enough. Weneed more than that. I need recipes for zuc- chini soup. For zucchini stew, zucchini fritters and zucchini dumplings. Why stop there? Does anybody know how to make zuc- chini wine or zucchini brandy? What about zucchini syrup and zucchini candy, zucchini icecream and zucchini jelly? Maybe we could all become self-sufficient on zucchini alone. If we find a way to utilize the skins of the green brutes, who knows what might happen? And we could hollow them out like pumpkins and use them for lamps, ornaments, containers and hats. Ours could become a zucchini culture. Why not? Is there anything that grows better in Canada? I doubt it. Not judging by the glut that's giving me headaches and claustrophobia every year around this time. I mean, I'm not crowded by cabbages or broccoli. Nobody forces their cauliflower or their cucumbers on me. I have never been bbthered by gigantic radishes on the stairway, and I have never twisted an ankle try- ing to climb over bloated turnips on my way to the bathroom. The most important thing to find out right now is how to keep the stuff from rotting away. If on- ly we could preserve all this hulk and nibble at it gradually over the next eleven months before another zucchini season is upon up! Can you freeze these things? Cover them up in sand? Wrap them up, in burlap like Egyptian mummies? Or how do YOU cope with the onslaught? Don't let me down. Write to me now! 1 know that millions of other people will benefit from your advice'. Everywhere you go these days. zucchinis are taking over. We must find a way. We cannot let all this lush, edible mass go to waste. I promise that the best and most original zucchini recipes will be published in future col- umns. But if I don't get help soon, I may never write again. How am I going to get to my typewriter.