HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-07-24, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, July 24, 1991
Publisher Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager. Don Smith
Composition Manager: Deb Lord
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"Men are never so likely( '.
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
PwMisbsd East. Wednesday Mended at 424 Manu. st.,
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This too will be forgotten
et's take a serious look at the
newly formed Grand Bend
Residents Association and
some of their proposals.
First, the individuals who live in the
community and who are, part of this
group should be proud of taking a
stand. Their ideas to turn Grand Bend
into a more favorable place to live are
admirable and they should be com-
mended.
However, it seems as though the resi-
dents of Grand Bend have forgotten
that within the last couple of years, two
similar groups which were formed to
bring improvements to the village were
squashed.
Who remembers the attempt at form-
ing a BIA? How about Grand Bend
2000?
The first group wanted to improve the
business area and the second was a
much more complex process which, in
the long run, was going to cost the vil-
lage $25,000 simply for a study.
The Residents Association wants a
district health unit. The Lambton Board
of Health have said in the past they are
too .busy to come to Grand Bend and it
takes an emergency for them to come
and do an inspection.
Four bylaw enforcement officers
would never work simply because two
can't do the job now. It's not their fault,
but approaching a group of drunken
teenagers at 3 a.m. and handing them a
ticket is tough unless you've got a sup-
portive police officer beside you.
As far as having a full-time police
chief goes, what would he do in the win-
ter?
It is very community -spirited of citi-
zens in Grand Bend to form the Resi-
dence Association but a track record has
already shown, it too may be only a
memory in a couple of months.
Perhaps knowing this, more residents
of Grand Bend will not only make an
honest effort to get out and vote in the
November election, but consider run-
ning for office themselves.
F.G.G.
The Great .Canadian Poetry Contest
Who is eligibile to win?
All readers of the Peter's Point
column, including newspaper
staff (publishers, editors, report-
ers, typesetters. etc.)
First prize: $50.00 in cash
and a personally autographed
copy of my latest book: Father-
ing, Mothering and Kidding.
Third prize: $20.00 in cash
and a personally autographed
cop.of the book.
Fourth prize: no cash, but a
personally autographed copy of
the book.
Conditions:
Entries must be legibly writ-
ten or typed. Send or take them
to your local newspaper and•
mark them:„ Peter's Point Con-
test". They will be forwarded to
me. All poems or limericks
must be your own composition
(no stealing or borrowing al-
lowed). All entries must have
something to do with a "Peter's
Point" column. Any kind of
poem (rhyming or free verse)
will qualify for a prize. I'll be
the only judge and jury. but my
family will help me pick and
choose. Only one prize will be
awarded per person.
Children are allowed (and en-
couraged) to enter, but their
poetry must be their own, and
their age must be stated. All en-
tries should show the name and
full address of the author.
More emphasis will be placed
on originality, on humour or in-
sight, on imagination and
thought than on polish or stylis-
tic perfection. If you've never
sent in a poem to anyone, this is
your big chance.
Deadline:
All entries must be in my
hands on or before September
15, 1991. They should therefore
be at the newspaper office no
later than August 31.
What is a poem?
A poem is. a composition in
verse. Here is what Canada's
greatest humorist, Stephen Lea-
cock, had to say about poetry:
"A piece of writing is not
poetry just because it rhymes.
Nor is it poetry just because it
doesn't rhyme. Nor again does
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Helsel
a thing become poetical be-
cause it makes no sense as
prose, and it is quite unintelli-
gible to ordinary common
sense. Nor will any amount of
disturbance of the ordinary
rules of grammar, the freedom
called 'poetic license' make
poetry, any more than a liquor
license can make liquor. In oth-
er words both the old idea of
rhymed verse turned out to
measure, and the new idea of
free verse tumed out to grass,
are equality erroneous.”
Example of a rhyming
poem:
"But, but...", you say, "But,
but...."
But me no buts
The one thing that our poets
need
Is guts. L.A. McKay
Example oT free verse:
And me happiest
when I compose poems.
Love, power, the huzza of bat-
tle
are something, are much;
yet a poem includes them
like a pool
water and reflection
Irving Layton
What is a jimeeick?
A limerick is a humorous (or
nonsense) verse written in a
special metre (rhythm) as in the
following two examples (both
anonymous):
There was a a young lady of
Wilts,
Who walked up to Scotland
on stilts;
When they said it was shock-
ing
To show so much stocking,
She answered: "But what
about kilts?"
There was a young fellow of
Lyme,
Who lived with three wives at
a time.
When asked: "Why the third?"
He replied: "One's absurd,
And bigamy, Sir, is a crime".
Why a poetry contest?
The "Peter's Point' column has
an estimated half million read-
ers in Canada. I know there's
much talent out there. I've seen
sporadic examples of it in your
letters. I'd like to prove that Ca-
nadians are an imaginative,
poetic nation with a natural
sense of humour. If only 1 (one)
of a thousand reader sends in 1
poem each, I should get 500 en-
tries.
All prize-winning entries and
maybe some runners-up will be
published in all papers.subscrib-
ing to "Peter's Point".
Please, read the contest condi-
tions carefully to avoid misun-
derstandings.
This contest is not a joke. "It's
for real. The prize money isn't
big, but the honour for the suc-
cesstbl poets will be great. So
go ahead now, sharpen your
pencils. typewriters or word
processors, put your thinking
cap on, and get to work. You
have nothing to lose except a
40 -cent stamp.
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''YOU'VE GONE ThRU PROPER CHANNELS, DIDN'T LIE ON YOUR APPLICATION „ ,
JUST WHaT ARE YOU UP TD,FELLA?"
A weekend at the races
Friday afternoon brought the
call of my dreams. Former
Times Advocate reporter Tom
Creech was on the other end of
the line explaining he_had_anex
tra ticket to the Molson Indy,
and would I like to go. Trying
to remain calm, I said that yes, I
might be able to find the time on
Sunday.
Saturday, I already knew
would be spent at the Turtle
Races in Ailsa Craig. Therefore
I would be getting a unique
chance to compare different as-
pects of high speed competition
in Ontario all in one weekend.
Is it fair, you may well ask, to
dare to compare the hot and
sweaty atmosphere of the race
track to the glamour and ele-
gance of the turtle ring? Well,
Indy racing may have its flaws,
but I believe it can stand up to
the comparison.
For one thing, accessibility to
the turtle races was a little easi-
er. I did not have to get up at
4:30 a.m. and end up leaving my
car in the blistering heat of a
parking lot five blocks away
from the race courser
• Pre -race tension was evident
in Ailsa Craig. The junior team
owners were giving their turtles
the once over before handing
them over to race officials for
registration and storage in the
stables. Competitors eyed each
others rides, second guessing
their respective choices, saying
things like "1 dunno, man. It's
pretty hot today. 1 think my 15
centimeter turtle isn't going to
have enough response in this
heat," mused one competitor.
"Maybe, but then again you've
got to consider his longer
stride," replied his friend.
Some turtle racers wdre even
gambling that tiny six -
centimeter turtles were going to
come out of the starting gate
nearly flying and blow past
more mature entrants.
HAVE AN OPINION?
The Times Advocate welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should
be accompanied by a telephone number and address should we need to clarify any
'information. The newspaper also reserves the right to edit letters.
Letters can be dropped off at the Threes Advocate Office or mailed to:
Exeter Times Advocate
Box 850, Exeter, Ontario
NOM 186
Derr Editor
Your recent editorial "NDP
planning massive attack on private
business", reprinted from the St.
Marys Journal Argus , in your July
10th, 1991 edition serves no res-
tive purpose. Rather, it perpetuates
antagonism . between those who
must work together and build a
strong and healthy economy.
In the first New Democratic
Government speech from the
Throne, the government made a
commitment to improve labour -
management reladons in the prov-
ince.
rowince. For too long now. labour
management
relations have been
by _confrontation and
antagonism. This government
wants ��� anlhe � im
be-
tween
fair in order to enhance coopers -
The Indy pit crews did not
have as much choice. While
most kept an eye on the darken-
ing Toronto skies and wondered
.-if _ rain. tireswouldbe- needed; --
many were having fits over
Hold that
thought...
By
Adrian Harte
whether the engines would sur-
vive the heat.
One team, only an hour before
race time took the biggest gam-
ble of all and put away their top
car in favour of the backup car.
It paid off when theirs was one
of the 12 cars actually left to
cross the finish line.
Accessibility to the competi-
tors was good at both events.
Walking through the CNE gar-
age it was common to see fa-
mous . drivers like Bobby Rabat
and Emerson Fittipaldi brush
past you. In Ailsa Craig, a few
competitors could be identified
by the medallions they wore
around - their necks, but you
could easily be standing beside a
turtle owner and not know it.
Some may argue that Indy rac-
ing is more colourful than turtle
competition, but it was evident
some amphibian owners were
taking steps to dress up their
rides in bright colours with de-
cals proudly adorning the shells.
Indy racing is a little noisier,
you may point out, and there I
would have to agree. The blast
of a 700 horsepower engine
screaming by the start/finish line
is still a little louder than a turtle
crashing through the short grass
of the race circle. Ear plugs,
however, served to even the
score a smidge.
Letter to Editor
don and to make business more
profitable for everyone. It is far bet-
ter for employers and employees to
have a system based on partnership
and a shared commitment to devel-
oping workplace relations.
Yet, besides beim factually in-
correct, your editonal perpetuates
the antagonism that
this government
wants to help
eliminate.
The Labour Re-
ladons Act has not
been significantly
amended since
1975 and does need to be updated
to reflect changing times. Amend-
ments may. very well, be intro-
duced in the fall. The form that
these amendments take hu not yet
been decided. it is therefore, irre-
Now wriile all the Indy cars
managed to leave the starting
grid, only a dozen were left at
the race end, most falling prey
-to-broker-1-01U and failed en-
gines. The same could not be
said for the turtles. Many re-
fused to leave the starting gate.
I can only attribute this to higher
intelligence. What turtle would
want to leave the shade, Q4 the
starting tower to head .irtto.;thc
blistering sun?
Then again, what fool would
zip himself into a fireproof suit,
don a helmet and squeeze into a
tiny cockpit of an unaircondi-
tioned car for 103 laps? I'm sid-
ing with the turtles.
While we're on the subject of
fools, who would pay $1.75 for
a single can of pop? At least in
Ailsa Craig you could indulge in
a hot dog and a drink for that
price.
Yes, the chequered flag earned
the winning driver a purse of
$130,000, which compares fa-
vorably with the $125 won by
the top turtle - at least when you
subtract -the cost -of maintaining
an Indy car with the cost of
feeding a turtle.
Open wheeled racing simply
has to be more exiting than tur-
tles, you may insist. Not neces-
sarily. Michael Andretti lcd the
race from start to finish on Sun-
day, and both Tom and 1 agreed
it didn't make for the most enter-
taining two hours, especially
since all serious competitors
dropped out, one by one.
Commentary at both races was
equally lively. with turtle master
Stcvc McDonnell easily doing
as good a job as John Candy or
the guys from ESPN.
I don't regret attending the
Indy for one minute, but 1 figure
my chancesfef returning to the
Ailsa Craig event next year arc
better. Who knows, maybe even
Paul Newman will see the light
and sponsor a team in 1992.
•
sponsible journalism to indicate
that the amendments will take the
exact form as outlined in your edi-
torial.
Preliminary steps have been tak-
en to look at labour relations poli-
cy. A Labour Reform Committee,
made up of three external labour
representatives and three external
management representatives
pre-
pared a report in April, which fist-
ed several suggestions for reform.
Business and labour must work
together to ensure a healthy and
productive economy. Editorials'
such as the one that appeared in
you July -18th edition, do nothing
to foster the relationship that is
needed in this province.
Yours sincerely.
Irene Mathyssen
Middlesex