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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-09-24, Page 4Page 4 Times-Advocoto, S,plombir 24, 1986 imes dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone S19-235.1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILI BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK jONGK1ND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Brings own challenge The accolades extended summer stu- dent employee Jamie Chaffe for his com- prehensive study on Exeter's need for a computer were obviously warranted. The scope and candid nature of the report should help council immensely in reaching a decision, although the fact that a reserve fund had already been established for such a purchase indicates members may look at the study more in terms of reinforcement for a preconceiv- ed idea than anything. However, this is the computer age, and as Chaffe's report clearly indicates, a system that is properly designed and utilized will be a worthwhile investment. About the only drawback to com- puters is that people often fail to consider the justification for some of the uses made of them. Society in general is swamped by a flood of paper and statistics flowing from the mechanical wizards; often without much considera- tion as. to the value of the . statistics or other output or the cost in producing them. The efficiency which can derive is often. offset by the lack of efficiency which is evident in assigning ques- tionable tasks to computers. Often the question becomes one of whether the computer can do a particular task, as op- Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lannbton Since 1873 • Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited • i 1 A COUPLE OF SEARS 1160. THEY LOVED HIS APPROACH - NOW THEY'D LOPE HIS DEPARTURE posed to the more important question of whether it needs to be asked to do it. • As the UWO student emphasized, the costs of office automation are never regained directly through efficiency, and so council must carefully consider what tasks will result in the greatest returns if and when a computer system purchase is seriously tackled. Council members need look no fur- ther than their own meetings to see where office automation is not always us- ed efficiently. While the staff use the pre- sent office equipment to provide members with comprehensive reports prior to their regular meetings; much of that efficiency is lost when chairmen then turn around and read the lengthy reports that members should have carefully and comprehensively studied on their own prior to the meeting. Th written reports at times appear to serve no other purpose than to allow members to update their public reading skills; yet it represents a sizeable invest- ment in time and paper. Word processors will turnout such reports even more efficiently and perhaps in more detail, but such efficien- cy is dubious unless it is accompanied by the realization that it adds to the homework that council members must undertake if it is to be truly worthwhile. Good debaters prevail Debating clubs were once a popular attraction in the area, providing an interesting and educational evening out in the pre -TV days. A topic was set for the debate, and four members were selected from the membership to present their opinions, with two taking the affirmative and two the negative. A panel of judges was normally established to declare the winner. it was not a requisite that members had to believe in their arguments; in fact, there were many occasions when a person had to argue - the affirmative despite the fact he/she really held views more consistent with the negative. The competitive nature of the event dictated that each debating team research the issue in an ef- fort to score winning points. Each team was aISO given an oppor- tunity for rebuttal of the other team's position and that, of course, favored those who were quick to seize upon any un- substantiated or questionable aspect of an opponent's presentation. While members were normal- ly quite convincing in their arguments and used all the tricks of the debating trade to beat down their optxments, the even- ings ended up'oversandwiches and coffee with all the hatchets being quickly buried. No doubt the topics prompted further debates in the houses of the various members in (he ensu- ing days and probably some of them resulted in changes in com- munity standards as the topics generally were quite tirinely and controversial. although on occa- sion a few fun topics were tossed in that enabled debaters to use their humor and wit to provide an evening of levity. Some debating teams made guest appearances in neighbor- • 4. ing communities and they were generally held before some large audiences. Not only was the issue of the topic at stake, but also some inter -community compet- i tion that drew rivalries consistent with some of the competition one now sees on the playing fields. Schools also had debating teams and no doubt the practice was partially responsible for the Batt'n Around ...with The Editor establishment of the Farm Forums which appeared in many area rural communities. Again a topic for discussion was pre- announced and members arrived with their views, both pro and con, in an effort to resolve some of the issues of the day. i have no plausible explanation as to why such debating pro- grams dropped in popularity and finally met their demise. Perhaps they were considered too old- fashioned by the subsequent generation although it is suspected that the decline may have stemmed more from the growth of apathy in our society. in general, we've turned over the task of dealing with current issues to a handful of people; the majority being more willing to be critics than participants in shap- ing their own destiny. People also find it less bother- some to be entertained or to enlist the services of a guest speaker than to become involved in debates. it can also be said that many people have virtually lost their • ability to debate effectively because it is something in which they have little practice. Unfor- tunately, it has also hampper�•ed their ability to listen effectiaely when other points of view are expressed. An important ability of a good debater is in not only having your position well researched, but in also giving full consideration to the anticipated opinions and facts which will be presented by your opponent so you are able to either downplay his points in your own presentation or rebuttal. Ali too often 1 have seen spokesmen for various groups left with the proverbial egg on their face because they failed to prepare themselves for some countering questions or opinions that should have been expected had they really considered the situation. In many instances they have lost good cases merely because they were stopped cold by a ques- tion they couldn't answer or an point they couldn't counteract. In short, they hadn't done their homework and were the losers because of their lack of foresight or insight into the other side of the issue. By the same token, there have been numerous debates won by people with very shaky arguments, who were able to take advantage of others who just didn't take the time to consider the issue fully and had to give way because of lack of foresight or insight into the other side of the issue. Debating, of course, is one of - the most common forms of com- munication, whether it be at nome, school, work or play, and it is unfortunate that too few hone the skills that can be so valuable. For many, it's a lost skill and they are usually at the mercy of those who have it. Mummies in Do you know what a duty briefer is? You know if you listen to CBC weather forecasts. "And now over to the duty briefer from Environment Canada...." I listen to the weather forecast very intently this time of year. It's because of the frost warnings. We live in a part of the Canadian Shield where the only guaranteed frost -free month is July. Why am I so concerned with a little bit of frost that may sneak in over- night? Bemuse of my flowers.• Why do I:' Iant flowers in the Canadian Shield, flowers that are'4 meant for the tropics?. Because I'm a masochist. Take the gentle geranium, for instance. It was never meant to bloom in Canada, for heaven's sake, it's native to southern Africa. But we pretend. So in the spring (which around here means the end of May) I resurrect my dried-up geranium plants that I store in the cellar for eight months of the year. I carry them up the stairs and deposit them where I think they may look decorative around the house. Then I prune them and stick them into the ground, hoping that they will develop new leaves. When the little new leaves form, I hope they won't be killed by frost. Sometimes they are. Then I replace the corpses with new gernanium plants bought for $2.25 at the garden centre. With a lot of watering and fer- tilzing and watching, these geraniums will bloom from mid June to mid September, let's say during the summer holidays. If the earwigs don't get them. It they're not destroyed by hail, pounding rain or human error. I also plant other flowers to brighten up the place: impatiens (native to the East Indies), dahlias (native to South America) and begonias (native to the tropics), and they all have their peculiar problems. But I cellar take a particular interest in geraniums because they are so showy, and they seem to make us forget for a few months of the year that we live in a country where frost is king. So when the duty briefer as much as hints at the possibility of frost, I arm myself with several editions of newspapers. That's why we subscribe to a big -city daily. I never read it. I find it con- fusing, irritating, and irrelevant. The real news I get from the local community paper which I read from stem to stern - including all the ads. But the big, -bulky daiy is good for many things. You can put it on the bathroom floor when the toilet tank perspires and leaks all over. You can stuff it into damp rubber boots. You can light fires with it in the firelace or on the beach.' The kids cover the table with it when they're painting or pasting. Elizabeth wraps apples in it. All of these practical uses are well worth the price of a subscription. But this time of the year I don't let anybody else use the daily paper. I collect it and pile it for emergency use. And then i listen to the duty briefer. When the weather report plus a glance at my thermometer tells me that the temperature might dip close to zero overnight, i spring into action. i cover my flowers with news from around the world and from across Canada. i spread the sports pages and the classfiieds, the busin?ss section and . the lifestyles section (the one that us- ed to be called women's section). As I fasten the ends of the papers with dirt so they don't fly away, I catch fragments of earth- shaking events that had not conte to my attention earlier. It's far easier on the nerves to learn about tragedies two weeks after they happened than to be con- fronted with them first-hand. And most of the political issues have • been, resolved ordet'gottren befoe I•read about themby the light Of 'the silvery moon, as I cover my geraniums. In the morning I collect the papers from the flower beds, crumple them up and stuff them into a garbage pail. Sometimes my operation cover-up proves to be necessary, sometimes not. At any rate, this year's crop of tropical splendor is still alive and well at this point - thanks to the duty briefer, the daily newspapers and my vigilance. Is it really worth the trouble? Is it right that in a climate made tor junipers and birches, maples and cedars we should fool around with dainty, delicate visitors from another world? Whom are we trying to kid? Do people in. southern Florida dump snow in their gardens to imitate Canada or Greenland? Instead of planting roses and geraniums, we should be cultivating hardy Canadian plants like fireweed and milkweed, goldenrod and spurge. Plants that aren't wiped out by the slightest touch of frost, that won't disappear until the first blizzards blankets us with snow. But as in other years. I've got to do it again. Any day now 111 get a pile of Mr-. Grocer hags, dig out my geraniums and carry them down into the cellar. For eight months any geraniums ' will he MUM inICS again. Make way to fair I found it interesting this year, that given the choice between go- ing to the London Fall Fair with its multitude of exciting rides and grandstand shows and the Forest Fall Fair with its three rickety rides that have changed very lit- tle over the years, that my fifteen year old opted for the local event. I shouldn't have been too sur- prised though since given the same option I would undoubted- ly choose the same. Not just because 1 play in the Excelsior Band on the grandstand for half an hour before the parade starts. and thus have one of the best seats in the house, but simply because in a small town the fair is something which pulls the whole community together once a year and gives it a unique flavour which big cities somehow lack. I sit on the bandstand watching the parade of fire engines, floats carrying tots from the nursery school, a huge tow truck from a local truck -hauling firm, the MINN Legion Pipe Band which has entertained crowds all over the world, and a string of antique cars carrying the local dignitaries. As the end of the C*? - By the Way by sya Fletcher by Syd Fletcher parade comes through the fair gates the crowd which has lined the main street pours into the grounds right after it. Every available parking spat for three blocks away from the grounds is filled and like magic the whole fair grounds itself is swirling with people. I think as many people come to the fair to be in an event as to watch what's going on. You see the lady next door up on stage with her new baby in the baby - judging contest and you applaud the only father with courage enough to take up his little girl along with fourteen mothers and their offspring. When you walk through the display building you notice another neightxnrr has won* a prize for her oil paintings. in the space of a hundred feet you are stopped at least half a dozen tines by people you haven't seen since last year at the same time. When you get hungry you know exactly where to get good food for the family: somebody wants the Junior Farmers' famous turkey Purgers and somebody else waits patiently until you get over to the United Church booth 'which always has honest -to -goodness home -baked pie. it's a good feeling being at a small town fair. •Take a day off each year and make your way to one. You'll find it's a habit you won't regret. -