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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-10-29, Page 4Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, October 29, 1906 Times Estabrshed 1673 Advocate Established 1661 Amalgams ed 1924 • Ames NIB dvocatelit Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0306. Phone 519.235.1331 &AL LORNE [WY 6111 BATTEN ROSS HAUGH Publisher Editor Assistant Editor JNA BECKETT Advertising Manager HARRY DEVRIES DICK JONGKINO Composition Manager Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year, U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Serving South Huron, North Middlesex North Lambton Since 1593 Published by J,W. Eedy Publications Umked Drastic change Women have always maintained the prerogative of changing their minds and perhaps in an exercise of equality, the male members of Exeter's planning ad- visory committee have followed that lead. In September, an application for a variance to permit an addition for a local business was turned down by the com- mittee. One of the major factors in that decision was a response from the Exeter fire department that the erection of the facility would greatly reduce the fire pro- tection in the area. The county planning department also termed the variance re- quested as "substantial" and the com- mittee subsequently denied the applica- tion, listing as their reasons the inade- quate fire protection access as well as their finding that the variance was not minor and not desirable for the ap- propriate development or use of the land/building and that the general intent of the official plan and zoning bylaw was not being maintained. A month later, the committee members unanimously approved an identical application after being advised that the fire department had no objec- tion. It was indicated that the orginial ob- jection in that regard had been due to a misinterpretation of the plans as submitted. That explains the change of position taken by the fire department. However, it fails to answer how the committee members could then agree that the variance was not minor or the development was desirable or that the in- tent of the official plan and zoning bylaw was being maintained. The only party not making any such drastic change from an original position on the matter was the county, planning department. Their opinion was that the variance still appeared "extreme". Oddly enough, the planning advisory committee compounded their apparent error in the original decision, by denying a request that the $150 application fee should be waived. That decision was subsequently over -ruled by council and the fee was not charged. While the situation has apparently been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties involved, with the possible excep- tion of the county planning department, it does beg some explanation from the committee or at least a review of their procedures. One plausible explanation is that the committee members have a prescribed check list for detailing their reasons on all decisions and perhaps they got caught merely filling in the blanks by listing reasons that had not been the basis for the original decision, Planning is not an exacting science, but seldom does the reasoning change as drastically in such a short period as it did in this case. Need concerted effort A suggestion by Councillor Gaylan Josephson that Exeter should consider mandatory rabies shots for dogs and cats is one that warrants consideration. However, it would appear to be a matter better served by coun- ty council enacting the applicable provincial legislation. Perth and Middlesex have already under- taken that step and Huron should follow that lead. Rabies is currently running at • a near epidemic level in many sections of Southwestern Ontario and obviously measures must be taken to bring the dreaded disease under control to the ex- tent possible. While few people have actual- ly encountered rabid animals, those who have will attest to the frightening aspects. The real danger, of course, is in the con- tact of young children who may not realize the ramifications of the situation and certainly it is imperative that parents give fre- quent warnings about the danger in approaching animals that may appear friendly to their offspring. Rabies represents a high monetary cost to the taxpayers of the province each year and that too should result in a concerted effort to bring the incidence down to previous levels. However, officials also have to look closely at the costs involved to pet owners if they hope to make any satisfactory inroads. 1n the past, even free clinics did not get' the desired results in some communities, so programs that require those same owners to foot the bill for the vaccina- tions will probably have even less success. In most cases, the conscien- tious pet owners not only ensure that their animals get the protec- tion, but they are also those who keep their pets under control and are therefore less likely to have them come in contact with wild animals or wandering domestic animals that are more prone to being victimized. If the attack on rabies is to be effective, the shots must be sub- sidized to encourage full par- ticipation and there must be measures taken to crack down on those who fail to abide by the regulations. • • * • • Actually, the writer can attest to the fact that carting off the family pets to a rabies clinic can Batt'n Around ...with The Editor ................... .... be an enjoyable respite front the drudgeries of life. It can be full of excitement and should not be mused from that standpoint alone. Yours truly had five dogs to get vaccinated last week. That can present a loading and unloading problem beyond comprehension under normal circumstances, but you can imagine the added headaches represented by the fact two of those canines were in heat and another in the aggrega- tion was fully intent on taking ad- vantage of the situation. Four were placed in the back of the pickup and one got a ride with the driver in the cab and things worked out well until the arrival at the clinic when it became evi- dent that the front seat passenger was intent ori clawing his way out to socialize with the other cats and dogs being hauled in by other people. Getting the tailgate open far enough to grab an unwilling can- didate, while at the same time at- tempting to block the planned escape route of three others is a test of one's dexterity and pa- tience. I came up short on both requirements and spent 10 minutes trying to coax one escapee back into confinement. One trip through a waiting room crowded with snarling pets and owners (more of the former than latter, fortunately) would be more than enough to try most people, and it doesn't get any easter on subsequent passes. However, most pet owners are congenial people and I expect had they all been on the Titanic, they would have taken their fate rather stoically and managed a forced smile to their last bubble of breath. It's' an experience you really shouldn't miss. If you haven't got your own pet, I know a fellow who has five he'd gladly give up before he has to return for next year's annual foray. • • • * • While taking dogs off to the vet inic� a �,�est, it pales con- sidPl` ably innthe challenge facing most rural residents who are re- quired to trap their collection of cats and get them into some suitable container for the trip. Statistics indicate that cats are more frequent victims of rabies then dogs, so it is a chore that must be undertaken. One lady at last week's clinic bore the trademarks on her hands of attempting the feat and she had only her cuddly, household pet. Imagine, if you can, the ordeal of trying to bag a half dozen barn cats who quickly revert to the ferocity of their jungle counterparts when they get cornered. No doubt most pet owners would cringe at the suggestion, but I came across a little note in an article recently that had a rather pointed, yet unsta% d, solu- tion to ensure that barn cats did not become a rabies menace for money -producing livestock on the farm. The terse item simply noted that rabies shots cost anywhere from $5 up, while a shotgun shell was only 751. "ACTUALL`I,TA LOOKING TOR A THIRD CRR— Y11 Win. RAN 1NTO OIIR f iRST CAR WITH THE 5E(D141) CAR ! " Incentives to lose I am not fat. I am perhaps moderately overweight. I let you judge for yourselves. Is a man five foot ten and a half who weighs 199 pounds fat? Of course not. Not even when you convert everything into centimeters and kilograms. It'sust that I might feel better if I lost about 10 per cent of my weight. I want to get this perfectly straight. I do not need to lose. I am not forced to go on a diet. I am not faced by any crisis. But on a completely voluntary basis I am prepared to shake off a few pounds. As Alexander pointed out to me recently, it's only my middle that is too big. And that is absolutely true. My fingers, for example, are as lean as they have ever been. Not a gram of fat on my hands. Or feet. My body must have decided a number of years ago that it would be prudent to store a few pounds of blubber around my lower rib cage, just in case of a food shortage or famine. But if my projections are ac- curate, the likelihood of that hap- pening in my lifetime is small. So if I can get the right kind of support, I'm going to dispose of this storage hump. In other words, I might be going on a diet. It all depends on a number of factors. To lose 20 pounds I need some very strong incentives. The prospect of living longer at a reduced weight should be a fac- tor, but I need something more tangible than life and death. Like money. If people would come for- ward and offer me so much a pound, that would be considered a strong motivational influence. At a hundred dollars a pound, for example, I'd be prepared to go on a crash diet immediately. At ten dollars a pound, I'd follow a sensible regime and cut out all desserts and gnacks the day after Christmas. At a buck a pound I'd stop taking sugar with my coffee starting in 1990. We all have our price, don't we? But maybe mpney isn't the answer to my problem because nobody is going to pay me anything. So I'm coming to you for sup- port and advice. Please, tell me why I should go on a diet, when I should start, what I should eat and not eat, what excerise I should do, and so on. It's especial- ly the "and so on" that I'm in- terested in. I know it all in theory. I have to trouble recognizing calories. They accumulate in all the foods I like. If I like it, it's full of calories. If it's safe, I don't like it. I love chocolate pudding, and I don't care for plain crackers. But are there some rich, tasty, absolutely yummy snack -type foods that you have discovered that have less than 50 calories per bite? Don't tell me about diet chocolate bars -they taste like formaldehyde. Are there some exercises I can do that don't require a great deal of time - which I haven't got? Is there a fast, painless way to lose weight without really trying? I would be forever grateful if you'd let me in on your secrets. But most of all, I need some kind of reward. Maybe a medal or a prize, a framed certificate or a letter of recognition. I imagine it must be a lot easier to stop smoking than to lose weight. All that smokers have to do is to stay away from the stuff that's bad for them. But I can't stop eating altegethet. The cold - turkey approach doesn't work with dieting. And don't tell me to read yet another book on losing weight. I've gone that route, and it doesn't work for me. Oh, it would be so nice to be slim. The back of my cupboard is full of shirts, sweaters, jackets and pants that I could wear if I really wanted to, but they are just a tiny little bit uncomfortale. They re not too small, mind you, it's just that they seem to have shrunk a bit. I guess the dry cleaners are to blame, and the lady who does my laundry. Now if Itcould lose those 20 pounds, I could wear these garments again, and nobodycouldtell how much they have shrunk. So it's not an emergency at all. I'm not fat. I'm not even portly or stout or corpulent, and certainly not plump. Robust maybe. Just slightly overweight around the middle perhaps. I'm going to sit back and see what happens. if I get a lot of en- couragement and advice, I may plunge right into my diet. If I don't, I'll leave things the way they are. Just one more question: does anyone know where they sell sports shirts slightly larger than extra -large or with buttons that don't pop -off at the slightest provocation? Binds us together As I watched a film clip recent- ly of the royal wedding between Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson I was reminded of my own contact with royalty quite a number of years ago, about thir- teen to be more exact. We lived in Ingersoll at the time. The Queen and Prince Philip were touring Southwestern Ontario. The royal train was go- ing to travel between London and Toronto and was supposed t0 slow down in Ingersoll. As I remember it the day was damp and drizzly. Our two year old was not quite convinced that she wanted to be out there along the track half an Flour before the event. By the time we had stood there for much longer than that, rain trickling down our necks, we were not so impressed with the situation either. Nevertheless, we stayed, and so did a couple of thousand other people six deep along the tracks. Some were even perched up on the top of buildings. Then somebody said that they could hear it coming and sure enough, the cross -walk gates went down and you could see a By the Way by Fletcher faint light m the distance. The train came up toward the town so fast that you thought it would never slow down, but it did and as the end of the train came along, very slowly now, we could see the Queen and Prince Philip standing on the deck at the very back. They waved and smiled. There was a steady building roar from the crowd, far noisier than you could have imagined. Many Canadian flags had ap- peared as if by magic and were being waved frantically. I have to admit that deiTaite be- ing cold and wet and very cynical not five minutes before that I got caught up in the drama of the situation. It isn't often that you get to see a real live queen in per- son, even if it was only for about a minute and a half. There was a .feeling of pride in the lady and what she represents that I am • sure Americans, limited as they are to mere elected officials, could not quite ever feet.. Perhaps that is why Canadians value the royal system so much. They like, that feeling of being part of an historic system that goes back through hundreds of years, that sense of part owner- ship of the British Com- monwealth that binds us together with people around the world.