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Times Advocate, 1989-08-02, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 2, 1989 Times Established 1871 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Esetfr, Ontario, NOM ISO Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone S19-235-1331 • ISes ROSS HAUGH Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager •CNA 11M BECKETT Publisher & Advertising Manager DON SMITH Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $27.00 Per year; U.S.A. $68.00 A nice. place - but The results of two recent polls give a solid answer to a ques- tion, one hears occasionally, "How would you like to live in the Unit- ed States and be an American?" The poll conducted by Maclean's maga- zine' reported only 15 percent of Canadi- ans thought it would be a good idea and a. survey by Radio 98 in London could hardly find anyone that would like to be an American. A nice place to. visit, but not to be a citi- zen. Most Canadians said the United States is a great place to visit, but we pre- fer to live north of the border. Our American friends may find these results a little confusing, given our close geographic and historic ties. We have a lot in common. We share their language, their ancestories, their music, their religion, their literature, their love for democracy and the greatest hockey player in the world. There may be 98 other reasons. The poll results are not surprising. These are the same sentiments shared by most Canadians for many years. If there was any.iiesire for unification, it would have happened a long time ago. Although, we share much in common with America, there are a few things about the place that weigh heavily against thoughts of union. The most important objection would be the great attachment most Americans have to firearms. They claim to need guns for safety sake. In Canada it's com- pletely opposite. We feel more security when we know that handguns are few and far between and are apparently less trigger-happy. The fierce attachment to guns in the United States is a complete mystery to most Canadians. Despite any debate on the issue, the re- ply of last resort from the gun lobbyist is: "If you want my gun, come and get it. You'll have to pry it from my cold; dead fingers." This ditty serves as a powerful symbol and is certainly a reminder of ways that we do fundamentally differ. Probably ways that we might not have yet thought of. It's difficult to understand their ideas on guns, given the high crime rate and a great number of senseless homicides in the United States. If anything good is to be said about this, it would be that it would be very difficult to conquer the country with many of the '270 million people armed to the teeth. It will stand forever. We have a great health care system in which only a fraction of the population is unprotected. The corresponding per- cenfig : of Americans is much higher and our premiums are much more reasona- ble. We seem to be a more caring country in that we accept being heavily taxed on most everything to help defray the costs of expensive programs such as universal health care. All things considered, we could do worse than have them as neighbours. Americans seem like the friends you will always cherish but with whom sharing an apartment might hinder the relationship. By Ross -Haugh Appliances, small, major, and dental Did you ever notice how many young people have perfect teeth? It's not because they chew more raw meat than you and I do. It's because their parents spend a bundle on dental appliances, such as braces, retainers and the like. Bad bites can be fixed, but not bad genes. Do you want to know the main ►iiyajie with these tooth - straightening gadgets? They're not genetic. Here's what hap- pens: Boy with perfect regulation bite meets girl with beaming, toothy smile. They get married and pro- ciated that word only with fridg es and stoves (major applianc- es), with toasters and"'electric kettles (small appliances). Well, I've been educated. I have learned all about dental applianc- es. The ones that cost more than the major ones. Agreement with jhe dentist. The appliance dealer, sorry, I mean the dentist made an agree- ment with Alex. The party of the first part would give up sucking his thumb, and the party of the second part would fit the party of the first part with a state-of- the-art corrective device. To be back in, soak it, clean it, and re- member to do all these things. Version 1 vanishes I'm not saying that it was de- liberate. Not like a boy losing a pair of gloves he hates. But it only took three days before the appliance vanished. A thousand dollars worth of Canadian tech- nology disappeared without a trace. At least. he consoled hs, the box was still there. The shiny -blue box that would have cost $5 to replace. Another fitting, another appli- ance, another contract. Another day older and deeper in debt. . Verslon 2 ends up imilumg y.. d...a__.. _. WeeyCS. 1► .t�a�t we knew where it ended l ri�"kT -' 'dam! i�1S...slla,L.Ihe. children wntiaf); ince.: book teeth. You'd be wrong. They'll be afflicted with the same overbite or buckteeth or crowded jaws that had been the curse of Their parents - before the parents had their own teeth fixed. Take Alexander, for instance If his mother hadn't wom braces for a few years, I wouldn't have married her. Elizabeth married me in spite of my ,crooked teeth because of my numerous other qualities. So our kids had the cards stacked against them, den- tally speaking. In addition, Alex (as he now prefers to be called) had a thumb -sucking problem. To make an expensive story short: he needed an "appliance." Until very recently I had asso- POINT • 1 financed by certain third parties also known as parents. 1 let you figure out who the winners and losers were in the deal. Alex had it figured out on the day he was fitted with the bothersome thing. Number one, he lost the comfort of his thumb. Number two, he was stuck with a piece of metal and plastic in his mouth. Number three, he had a lot of new re- sponsibilities: take it out for meals and put it in a box, put it Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited MY WIFE SAID ALL -11.1E VIOLENCE I WATCH ON TV. HAS A SAD INFLUENCE Ott Mt. SOI SOCKED HER` itOrrif9ir MilanPIATaO Plow profits Anyone who attended the 1988 -International Plowing Match has since realized it was one of the best ever held in the province. It was successful in many ways, but the financial aspects were not known officially until a recent special press conference was held at the Stratford Colli- seum to hand out donations from the. profits. All of Perth county will benefit as more than $194,000 was handed out to 32 different organi- zations around the county and hospitals and senior homes vi+ere the big winners. The Stratford General Hospital Foundation received the biggest amount of $60,000 to be used to purchase a blood pressure moni- tor and their CTA scan fund. The St. Marys and Listowel Memorial Hospitals each received $30,000. The Ritz Lutheran Villa in Mitchell received $7,500 as did other homes for the aged in the county such as Spruce Lodge, Maitland Terrace and Knollcrest Lodge. Closer to home, the Kirkton Agriculural Society received $250 along with three other fairs back located on the county bounda- ries. Local committee chairman Doug Aitcheson said, " We tried our best to spread the money around, and be at all fair as From the ,editor's disk by Ross Haugh IMO much as possible.- When all is said and.done, we have indeed made us all Perth County proud." - In total, the Intemational Match generated a revenue of $1,1111,092.58 with expenses at $916,964.300 leaving a net profit of $194,128.88. While the $194,000 profit sounds impressive and it certain- ly is; that's only part of the fi- nancial benefits gained by the county of Perth and its residents. Many Perth organizations and service clubs participated during the match with security, parking and their own independent fund raising projects. It's estimated that in excess of $100,000 was raised by these other groups. The Ontario Plowmen's Asso- ciation which sponsors and sup- ports the match each year in its different locations received $174,000. The 1988 match was blessed with excellent weather conditions which were largely responsible for the great attendance and sub- sequent profitable financial situa- tion. The OPA share of the profits this year should ensure success- ful matches for a number of years to come, even if bad weather does appear. The decision a couple of years ago to hold the match several weeks earlier seems to have helped with weather problems. We remember very well, the problems encountered in the mud at Seaforth and Lucan. It can happen again, so these extra fi- nances could come in handy. * * * * Pun of the Week: A true friend walks in when other friends are walking out. Going to the -dogs Brace yourself. I know this will come as quite a shock, but Don and I have been having an argument lately. About our dog. Astra is the daughter of a pro- miscuous Sheltie. She was given to us 15 years ago by a woman who lived at Vanastra. As Don had trained as a radio officer while the site was an active mili- tary base, and as the Air Force motto is` "Per ardua ad astra (through adversity to the stars', naming the newest member of ayrramity was easy. .... . At first, Astra did live up to her up. At the McNab 'I osrrts9 . -t amour >rm+p • .^ ..+..5 - municipal waste disposal site. known in the vernacular as the clump. It didn't get there direct- ly. It was first neatly wrapped in a paper napkin, left on a table in the school gym during lunch period, thrown in a garbage bin, and then trucked to the dump. Knowing the route it took made it a lot easier for all of us. And we now had two empty shiny - blue boxes. Version 3 has close calls I have personally fished ver- sion 3 out of P.J.'s garbage can (not all that pleasant since P.J.'s had a special on spaghetti and meat sauce that day), and re- trievedit from the grandparents' Please turn to page 5 ea- versity were synonomous. She chewed the' rugS, 'Inc furniture, the handle on the oven door, and the thumb out of my treasured black kid gloves. Her snapping made a friend speculate she was part wolf. However, she did grow up to be a good dog, loyal and protec- tive. She and our youngest son were inseparable. But time does not stand still. Our son is marric 1, and the father. of two young daughters. His family now has priority in his af- fections. Alttra, too has aged. She is obese. She is deaf`7-iet eyes are clouded with cataracts. Getting to her feet is obviously painful. She falls down the steps, and has to be boosted up. Most serious, Astra is losing control of her bladder. She wet the dining room carpet once too often, and is now confined to the Reynold's Rap Yvonne kitchen. A baby gate bars her * .t,n}ur,s'. and threatens to impale us every time we step over it. One day while sitting at the table reading, I heard a funny lapping sound. I looked up, and what I saw was pitiful. Astra had made a puddle on the floor, and was trying to lick it up. The, stricken, shamed look on her face spoke volumes. Now for the argument. Don knows the old dog's condition. He is aware she no longer enjoys life the way- she should. He hopes a heart attack will carry her away, but refuses to actively intervene. I counter that allowing Astra to gradually deteriorate before our eyes is cruel and inhumane. A few weeks ago, lethal drugs used for active euthenasia were reported stolen from a number of veterinary clinirc on has voiced the suspicion that I was responsible, and that if Astra is put down, he may De next. I wamed him not to start watering the rugs. Just in case. • * * * * If we resolve this disagree- ment, another looms on the hori- con. What kind of dog will we ,get to replace Astra? Don wants to pick one up at a humane society. And his choice would be a good-sized animal. I. tun#ntclltl.n fn tntrnrf in n;12i01.n,+ Frise. Shih Tzus are also very appealing little creatures. I'll even settle for a Cockapoo. The winner of either or both arguments will be divulged in a future column. * * * * The.T-A's dark room techni- cian is quite unsympathetic to the whole topic. A young friend re- cently told him her father put their family pet down because it was getting old and losing its hair. Just because the dark room technician will be retiring in a few years, and no longer needs a comb, is no reason to take things personally! .