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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-03-27, Page 4Pape 4 Times -Advocate, March 27, 1991 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord CCM& Second Class Mall Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA —"Minn 40 nese (85 km.) addressed to non litter carrier addresses 530.00 plus 52.10 G.ti.T. ovtlsds 40 miles (85 km.) or any litter oanier address 530.00 plus 530.00 postage (total 560.00) plus 54.20 03.T. Outside Canada 5811.00 • • Pinion "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley !Wished Each Wedaaeday Mom g at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1114 by J.W. EwbMoadoas Ltd. TeMphosie b a.t.T. Mt1OSZtOe11U i:1)1`I'OR1;lel. Time to develop other beaches he 'we'll have to wait and see' attitude in Grand Bend, has to come to an end. In just a few short months, thousands of tourists will flock to the very popular resort community as they have for dec- ades. However, things could be a little different. The owner of the main section of beach in Grand Bend can do whatever he wants with it, but it might be a good idea if the local merchants give him a call and see if they can work something out. Face it, the merchants' bread and butter depends on Gibbs. Council continues to peddle the fact that Gibbs' portion of the beach is a small percentage. On paper it is, but as far as a financial picture it's the entire beach. The north beach is hidden by the con- • dos. Who wants to walk a kilometer with their children, towels, suntan lo- tion, etc? Council also insists the south beach is a good place to be as well, just where is the south beach ? They have said it's on the south side of the Ausable River but unless you have a cottage in that area its use is restricted because there is no parking. The south beach could be developed. Instead of putting energy into worrying what Gibbs is or isn't going to do, think of the alternatives. However, developing the South Beach is bound to rile cottag- ers on the 'quiet' side of Grand Bend. Develop the south beach, there's wash- rooms in the Harbour building. Do what the public wants you to, stop negotiating and worrying about Gibbs and let him do what he wants with his beach. YOu 6ET TM fANGfRNO WITH UNEMPlOyMENT- MINE! F.G.G. i Come and fax with me! The 1970s were the decade when microwave ovens revolu- tionized our kitchens. In the 80s everybody with any sense at all bought a VCR and a video came- ra. Now fax is conquering not only the office, but the world. In the 90s faxing is fast becoming the favourite pastime around the globe. There is proof: offices with fax machines have happier employees than those without Offices without fax are far less efficient and productive. Fax is already beginning to in- vade the privacy of our homes. For the benefit of the half dozen readers who still don't know what a fax machine does: it cop- ies anything you want and rush- es it via the telephone wires to another fax machine anywhere on earth, where it can be read in- stantly. I've recently interviewed the famous fax specialist Dr. Jose- phine Ringer "Dr. Ringer, I understand there are people who fax in total secre- cy, with the curtains or vertical blinds drawn. They are afraid of the consequences, and they also believe that faxing is a deadly sin." "Please, call me Josephine," she said. "Yes, I think the sub- ject deserves open discussion. Faxing is a basic human need. We can only create a harmonious society if we fax freely, fre- quently, without fear and with- out taboos." "Do you think it would be O.K. for a woman to fax to a man, or should female faxers al- ways hold back, show some re- serve and wait for the male fax to come in?" I asked. "That is a thing of the past," she laughed. "Today, women can take the initiative, within certain limits, of course. But in general, our activity reports in-, dicate that women are success- ful senders as well as receiv- ers." "How many times -- I mean, PETER'S POINT e by Peter Hessel how often should we fax?" I in- quired cautiously. I knew it was a difficult and delicate question. She thought for a second. "Everyone to his or her abili- ty," she assured me. "How very wise," I said to myself. She added: "I would put it this way -- anything that is becom- ing routine will sooner or later lose its appeal. A quick fax in the morning or in the afternoon, or after a satisfying meal will help you build self-confidence." "But if two people, who only know each other as business ac- quaintances, are faxing too fre- quently or too intimately, isn't that going to affect their work- ing relationship and perhaps even their family life?" "Faxers must know how far they can go," Josephine said. "What I don't like, for example, is this constant aimless and hur- ried faxing -around. The noise alone is enough to drive you out of your mind. I prefer it when faxing is done with imagination. and in quiet surroundings." I told her that I had heard of people who fax only at night, and in total darkness. "Yes, and we have evidence that their error rate is very high. Their messages become garbled, or they reach people they don't know at all." "There are even public places for faxing now," I reminded her. "Don't you think that's terrible?" "No. Why? Faxing has clearly become a universal human urge. Our society must take that into account." "Some people are secretly fax- ing to themselves. Would you call that a form of perversion? Could it make you blind or give you a disease or something?" "Of course not. That's all su- perstition. It is definitely better than suppressing your faxing urge altogether." "So you think the faxing trend of the 90s cannot be stopped. Isn't there something immoral in all this?" "You know, even the Pope has condemned faxing. I think it is quite wrong to over -indulge, mind you. But as a general rule, you could say that an office with a fax machine is where you find happy, contented employees. Faxing is clearly good for you." "What if people are really get- ting sick and tired of faxing? If they develop fax fatigue?" "They should go and see a fax consultant." Spring weather, bats, •I actually heard a radio an- nouncer say on Saturday that "today's weather is windy, cloudy, and with some show- ers...but we hope to see a return to more spring-like weather to- morrow." Define "spring" again for me. •I was witness to one of the best live acting performances I've ever seen on Saturday night with My Children! My Africa at the Grand. During a lengthy and emotional soliloquy from actress Soo Garay a lone bat was circling above the stage and wheeling out into the theatre. The audience had a hard time keeping its composure. Never- theless, Garay was able to com- plete the scene and was congrat- ulated with a healthy round of applause. The bat, obviously disheart- ened, didn't return. •I have no sympathy for all those sad and troubled souls who, upon finding the stores closed on Sunday, had no alter- native but to go to the United States to get their fix of shop- ping - as seen on Toronto televi- sion. These people who boast of the wondrous cultural and di- verse entertainment available in large cities find there is nothing better to do on Sundays? Come on, get a life, people! Is our society so consumer - oriented that shopping is now the only viable form of enter- tainment? Perhaps in the spirit of Sunday closings we should close the border too. •The other day I got a chance to try out one of these new light bulbs: a compact fluorescent, more commonly known as the and bulbs Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte "Green bulb". Its 15 -watt, rating is claimed to match a 60 -watt in- candescent bulb in light output, but while operating with only a quarter the power it saves a claimed 90 kilowatt/hours per year and 40 kilos of coal - help- ing save our environment. A common misconception about these high-tech bulbs is they emit a greenish -coloured light. Even I wasn't prepared for the warm, pinkish, bright glow it offered. When concealed inside a shade, you might forget there is anything unusual about your lamp at all. Ay, there's the rub. I don't have any lamps with normal shades and this bulb wouldn't fit into most of them, but that's more my fault for buying eccen- tric and esoteric lighting fix- tures. Which brings us to the halo- gen question. I have two halo- gen lamps. They look very cool and high-tech, perfect for a bachelor's apartment, but one of them burned out last November and it took me until February to find a new bulb. Even though one stone in Exet- er sells a similar lamp with the same 20 -watt 12 -volt bulb, they refused to order one for me be- cause they come in boxes of 10 and didn't want nine extra bulbs; Fair enough. Another store tried in vain to order one from their catalogue, but was eventually told that their supply company doesn't actually stock that bulb in Canada, de- spite the catalogue picture. I finally had to pick one up in Toronto. It cost $15, about the same as the "Green bulb" after the Ontario Hydro rebate. So be wamed. Which brings us back to the compact fluorescent, which is readily available at Valu -Mart in Exeter. Despite its claimed energy and cost savings (it lasts up to 10 times longer than a normal bulb) I just can't see the average per- son outfitting an entire home with them at $20 a shot. I can, however, see them in use in fix- tures that are left on for hours at a time: the basement, the hall- way, the garage, the laundry room, the family room. This bulb may indeed be a glimpse of the future. If we are going to save our environment and resources, we may have to invest a little more just to get started. Letters to Editor Canada geese are back Dear Sir: I thought I would pass on a piece of news on the arrival of 1 n was sitting on my chair, on Saturday, March 16, 1991, when ud honks started. 1 went and looked out my balcony and saw a beautiful sight. The Canada Geese had final - 11+ started to ar- nve back! Since Saturday, I have counted the geese. My totals Court action has begun are: Saturday, 41 geese; Sunday, 33 geese; Monday, 17 geese; Tues- dayy, 54 geese. 'literals for letting me pass this bit of information to you. Sincerely, Debby Sprague eter Englehart high school reunion Dear Editor ' A11 former students of Englehart High School are invited to Come on Home" for the Englehart High School Reunion, August 1st through August 5, 1991. Are you planning your summer vacation, or weekend away in 1991? Make plata now to a on Home to EHS"II Don't ay...call or writs for more infor- mation today) 11) We'le looking forward to get- ting everyone to- gether can also help pout (You by spreading the word to any friends, or relatives, or by sending us their name and address). Please call or write for more infor- mation; to register or to receive the current E.H.S. Reunion newsletter. See you August 1-5, 1991! Shirley Colquhoim, Secretary, Englehart HO School Reunion Committee, P.O. Box 609, Englehart, Ontario. POJ 1 HO, (705) 544-7479 Dear Editor: Having exhausted every availa- ble political means' to have our views heard and considered, the Lethbridge RCMP Veterans' Court Challenge Committee have now brought a court action against the Government of Canada and the Commissioner of the RCMP. The action asks the Federal Court of Canada for a declaration that RCMP regulations permitting the Commissioner to exempt members from wearing the RCMP ypiform on the basis of their religious be- liefs, violates the Canadian Char- ter of Rights and Freedoms. Did you know that the religious symbols of some 88 percent Ca- nadians have been erased from all publicly funded institutions/ A few examples: no prayers, Gideon Bibles, Christmas concerts, etc. in schools; no religious symbols in ff doings t to honour our war dead; but - the RCMP who exer- cise tremendous le- gal powers, and is a publicly funded institution, can now wear specified religious symbols. Court action was commenced on Thursday,F eb�ry 28, 1991 in the Federal Court of Canada. We regret that a court action was necessary but our views on these issues must be heard. We, the "Defenders of RCMP Tradition" are continuing to solicit funds to support the Lethbridge RCMP Veterans' Court Challenge Committee. Your donations, small or large, from individuals or groups, are imperative for contin- ued court action! Please make your cheque or money order payable to: Leth- bridge RCMP Veterans' Court Challenge Committee and mail it to: Mr. Jack Grant (RCMP Re- tired), 2502 -12th Avenue S., Leth- bridge, Alberta, T1K OPS. Thank you. Sinca ely, G. Kantelbai for "Defenders of RCMP TTradidon"