HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-04-24, Page 6Page 6 Times -Advocate, April 24, 1991
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager: Don Smith
Composition Manager: Deb Lord
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pinion rl .. r. ci /. V n t� n n •. r i 0
Poetic justice
perhaps you heard one of the
earlier broadcasts in which
former provincial health min-
ister Evelyn Gigantes clearly spoke the
name in the legislature of a drug user
who was billing the Ontario Hospital
Plan for treatment he received in the
United States. Later broadcasts had his
name bleeped out.
One slip of the tongue and it was all
over for Gigantes, who resigned her
post on Friday for violating the new
Freedom of Information and Privacy
Act. Now the attorney general has an-
nounced that it will conduct an investi-
gation into the offense of releasing con-
fidential health information.
How woefully appropriate that one of
the very first victims of this new Act
should be a cabinet minister.
The Freedom of Information and Pri-
vacy Act is one particularly nasty piece
of legislation because it provides penal-
ties for those who release information
that should have been kept under
wraps, but there are no penalties for
those who fail to release information
which should have been made public.
So while the Act is an attempt at free-
ing up the chain of communication be-
tween the public and governments and
government agencies, it has actually
achieved the opposite effect.
Civil servants fearftil of facing the
kind of penalties which now face Gig -
antes will naturally rather prefer to
withhold sensitive information until
somebody else takes the responsibility
for releasing it. Secrecy will become
the order of the day.
This Act is an example of the growing
liberalization of our government servic-
es. The rights of the individual are be-
ing held above the rights of the state.
In some cases this can be an advantage,
but as Gigantes has discovered, even ,a
well-meaning investigation by a gov-
ernment ministry can result in disaster.
But this increased tendency to hold in-
dividual rights paramount is having a
negative effect on our society.
It is a common complaint that students
are so aware of their rights that teachers
no longer have enough authority in the
classroom.
Prison inmates often seem to have
more rights than the victims of their
crimes, even though they reside behind
bars - except when they're out on day
passes and are free to commit a few
more crimes.
We've seen the language rights of On-
tario's French-speaking minority elevat-
ed by the government so they seriously
threaten the chances of a unilingual per-
son ever being hired by the civil service.
And on a national level we've become
witness to the ethnic rights of certain
Canadians becoming able to overcome
some of the strongest traditions of our
national institutions - much to the cha-
grin of the average Canadian.
Philosophy and political science stu-
dents have always been aware that there
are very definite limits to the rights of
the individual. We are told that as those
rights are extended, they quickly overlap
those of others, paralizing society.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise to
find our Ontario government's health
ministry quickly paralized. Future
health ministers will be cut off frotn in-
formation about specific cases because
of a fear of violating patient privacy -
the ministry probably won't know very
much about health care at all, aside from
a few statistics that are compiled from
snipets of acceptable information.
So while Gigantes' resignation is a dis-
appointment to the new government, it
also serves as a disappointing reminder
of how the rights of individuals are tak-
ing over, even to the point of interfering
with government itself.
Revenge of the allnighter
Monday was a particularly bad
day. I don't really know why. It
started that way and it appeared
it was going to end that way.
Perhaps it had something to do
with the weekend's rotten weath-
er and the fact that 1 didn't get a
day off this week.
So around 9:30 Monday eve-
ning I get an idea on how to
make sure the day ends with a
bang. I'm going to stay up all
night.
There are practical reasons for
wanting to push the limits of en-
durance today. This week has a
three -section paper and Ray is
only in his second week of
newspaper layout. So well just
hold a continuous session right
through the night to get our-
selves a few extra hours of work
time to make Tuesday moming
a little easier. It sounds logical
enough and Ray agrees. We
also agree to keep notes of our
progress through the early hours
of Tuesday with a pocket tape
recorder, from which I am writ-
ing now.
10 p.m.: We give ourselves
one more hour of writing before
we head for the layout tables.
11:20 p.m.: Ray decides he
can't make it through the night
without sustenance, so he heads
out for pizza. He asks me what
I want on it and I reply "any-
thing except those little fish
things".
11:35 p.m.: A beeping noise
in the front office means the fax
machine has nun out of paper.
Midnight: We've got the pizza
and Ray decides he 9oesit't like
half of what is on it. It isn't as
Hold that
thought... ,
By
Adrian Harte
good as we hoped.
2:30 a.m. Half of one of Ray's
films is missing and we root
through the darkroom in search
of it, but to no luck. The scan-
ner is making strange noises, we
think it's from the Stephen Fire
Department.
3 a:m.: We come up with a
new game. the firs* one to iden-
tify a song on the radio within
the first few bars wins. There's
plenty of pizza left.
3:10 a.m.: We leave the office
to find out what's going on in
Crediton and discover a house
fire in full progress.
4 a.m.: Back at the office and
now we stink of smoke. We still
feel fairly awake.
5 a.m.: The rest of the staff
should be coming in in about
two hours, but the radio isn't
playing any songs we recognize
anymore.
5:07 a.m.: Ray's chanting
"Bring out your dead" - the lines
from a classic Monty Python
movie.
5:30 a.m.: We have a little de-
bate on how to spell "aweigh" as
in "anchors aweigh". After con-
sulting the dictionary I find out I
was right all along, but I now
know exactly what it means,
which is "hanging just clear of
the bottom". Which is about
how I feel at the moment.
'5:30 a.m.: Ray just said "re-
member the fire, that was hours
ago".
5:40 am.: Things are getting
eerie now. I just asked Ray to
guess the colours of hats people
are wearing in a black and white
photo - and he got them right!
620 a.m.: I microwaved a
slice of pizza and have figured
it's the olives I don't like. Ray
has just complained while I was
in the darkroom the radio played
a song called "Tm so tired".
6:40 a.m.: Fred came inafew
minutes ago and the sky's get-
ting a little brighter.
7:00 a.m.: The day staff are
coming in now and we've still
got quite a few pages to go be-
fore the paper's finished. Tm
headini for my first cup of cof-
fee of the day. 1 didn't drink one
all night. Now the day can be-
gin.
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
ra*Mebsd Eaoi Wsdweeday Mended M 424 Mob 2 ,.
Exeter, Ontario, NOM LSO by J.W. Eedy ttib_ea tees Ltd.
T.Npboes IA1,235-1331
e.a.T. Mt10S210646
Purity and Corn Flakes, Part 1
If our society is in deep trou-
ble, could one reason be that we
hav orgotten or put aside the
m righteousness and the pure
spirit of our ancestors? Modesty,
innocence, chastity, temperance
and other virtues came naturally
to 4rEyiouts generations. Right?
No, wrong! Our grandparents
and great-grandparents were just
as frivolous as we are, but they
listened to lofty and passionately
pious teacher/preachers, who'
struck the fear of God into them.
Like J.H. Kellogg, M.D.
What? You've never heard of
Dr. Kellogg? Let me enlighten
you. He was a surgeon at Battle
Creek, Michigan. He couldn't
have been overly busy in the op-
erating room, because he certain-
ly had lots of time to dabble in
other pursuits. A vegetarian, he
invented com flakes as a health
food, and he authored a number
of books, including "Man, the
Masterpiece", "The Ladies'
Guide", and "An Address on So-
cial Purity", which was pub-
lished in 1895, just under 100
years ago.
My,series of 100 -year old home
remedies last year was quite suc-
cessful (I've had lots of positive
comments and suggestions). So
I thought you might enjoy some
excerpts from Dr. Kellogg's
book, perhaps to read while
you're having a bowl of com
flakes. Don't let them get stuck
in your throat, though. Here's
Kellogg:
Root of all evils
"The foul cancer of moral rot-
tenness is protruding itself in all
its hideous deformity. It is the
monster of unchastity that rears
its vile head in every stratum of
society. Thousands arc going
down into the grave as a sacrifice
to their hidden vices. If I could
unfold to you one-tenth part of
the iniquity which is covered by
a garb of decent respectability in
every community, it would
seem to you that the days of So-
dom and Gomorrah had re-
turned; that ancient Pompeii and
Herculaneum had been resur-
rected from the lava and ashes
of retributive vesuvius; that per-
dition itself had vomited upon
the earth."
Are you still with me? That
just about sets the tone of what
is to follow. Are you enjoying
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Hensel
your com flakes already? Keep
munching and reading!
Influence of bad boys
"One bad boy may do more
harm in a community than can
be counteracted by clergymen,
Sabbath -school teachers, tract -
distributors, and other Christian
workers combined. An evil boy
is a pest compared with which
the cholera, small -pox, and
even the plague, are nothing.
The damage which would be
done by a terrific hurricane
sweeping with destructive force
through a thickly settled district,
is insignificant compared with
the evil work which may be ac-
complished by one vicious lad.
"A boy with a match box in a
powder magazine would be in
no greater danger than he is
when in the company of some
lads who attend our public
schools and play upon the
streets."
"A child whose mind has been
contaminated by evil communi-
cations may be rescued, but
cannot be fully restored to the
Letter to Editor
innocence which, when once
lost, is gone forever."
Influence of bad books
"A bad book is as bad as a bad
companion. The influence of bad
books in making bad boys and
men is little appreciated. It is not
onlythe w , tc bermes
o lily` e`, 1
t
this heading, fat evil literaitire
and a large proportion of the sen-
sational story books and novel
which are flooding the land.You
might better place a coal fire or a
live viper in your house, than to
allow yourself to read such a
book. It is an awful thing to al-
low the mind to be thus contami-
nated."
"I have met many cases of seri-
ous nervous disease in young la-
dies in which the real cause was
nothing more nor less than habit-
ual novel reading. The unhealthy
state of mind engendered reacted
upon the body in such a way as
to set up morbid processes, re-
sulting in serious disease. A
fashionable Malady, called neu-
rasthenia, owes its origin in
many cases of the nerve -
exhausting influence of novel
reading."
"From whatever source a book
may come, it should be carefully
examined before being placed in
the hands of a child old enough
to read and comprehend its
meaning. The reading of works
of fiction is one of the most per-
nicious habits to which a young
person can become devoted.
When the habit is fixed, it be-
comes as inveterate as the use of
liquor or opium. The reading of
fictitious literature destroys the
taste for sober, wholesome read-
ing....
Well, I hope I haven't spoiled
your taste for sober, wholesome
com flakes. Next month in this
mini series, watch for Dr. Kel-
logg's views on "Impurity in
Art" and"Unchaste Language."
Volunteer Week
Dear Editor.
Without the love, warmth, un-
derstanding and empathy of our
many volunteers at the Huron Day
Centre, Clinton, the success of
adult day care would not exist.
Tine entire staff of the Huron Day
Centre would like to say a big
thank you to all of our competent
volunteers who have given so gen-
erously of their time
the peat year. A total of 3500
hours of volunteer service was
given.
The Huron Day Centre offers vol-
unteers personal contact with peo-
ple
eaple as well as the opportunity to
kffn new skills or share the many
skills they
�eaal-
Oy vo til rheas
11
very capably
provide many ser-
vices to our partici-
pants such as pro-
viding
transportatioseio and from the ren-
; Ire, assisting with whirlpool baths,
t>
helping with crafts, games, and ex-
ercises, providing entertainment,
helping with meal preparations, as-
sisting with special activitiea *Leh
as bowling and water therapy and
last but not least, taking time out to
make someone feel special and
brighten their day.
Volunteering at the Huron Day
Centre is a great way to vow,
thank you volunteers, one and all.
Sincerei ,
Lois Fitzgerald
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