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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-08-21, Page 31COMM IIWITY Times -Advocate, August 21, 1991 Page 31 Base hit - Sports leader Jeremy Becker helps Candace Becker hit a homerun during Vacation Bible School at Dashwood's Lutheran church, Friday. k�9 Follow the leader When the news of Standard Trust's bankruptcy came out, many peo- ple found themselves overwhelmed by their unexpected loss. For most, u was the first time they had experienced injustice, and the panic of not knowing where their next meals coming from. We watched our television and saw the Kurds, as well as other refu- gees from Turkey and Iran, who were suffering appalling injustice, hardship and deprivation. Suddenly, we feel a connection! So we listen to government officials debate. Journalists give us cov- erage on what politicians from other nations can (or should) be doing to help end this suffering. What we don't hear about is the response made by those people of faith. Maybe that's because religious groups don't like to promote them- selves in times of need. They just get nght to work! The World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Conference of European Churches and the Lutheran World Federation have all come together to urge the United Nations to send peace -keeping forces into Tt : Talk -about pressure! But, we wouldn t call these people 'faithful' because if all they did was write letters. More practically, the World Council of Churches is working with international church agencies to provide basic necessities of life. Already this niorith, four cargo planes have been sent with supplies to southern Turkey. Additionally, the Canadian Council of Churches is appealing for relief personnel who will offer their individual time and talents in areas of camp management, health services and sanitation. We call them 'VOL S'. You're wondering why churches respond quickly and with such care. Jesus said it simply. His word? "Follow Me". That sounds simple, alright! Surely He said something about having a theological system which he would like us to investigate. Or, that he has certain theories that we are urged to think over. Perhaps it was an ethical system He wants us to discuss. Truth is - God talks plainly! "Follow Me" is the message and its when you take a look at how that's lived out that you realize faith means being called to 'service' - not to 'easel Everyday of our lives we are making choices. So, you're asking, "What do my life choices have to do with refugees? Can my life, in any way, affect what's happening halfway around the world? The answer is 'YES'. Our choices do affect others. Certainly, our choices in CanaAimpact on what happens in the Two -Thirds World. We canlehie cause or the cure of things like poverty, low life expec- tancy. How about things like civil war, and military dictatorship? Can the situation of the Kurdish people, in any way be a result of Canadian choices? For many years, Ottawa, our nation's capital, has been playing host to ARMAC. This is the world's second largest wholesale of military weaponry, topped only by that held in France. Along with the thousands and thousands of buyers who take in the show, we also attract a lot of business for the tourist trade. The dollars virtually flow. We don't often think about who is buying all of these guns, missiles and rockets. But we do know that in 1989, Suddam Hussein sent repre- sentatives to Ottawa to purchase weaponry that was that used in the Persian Golf War just a few months ago. • We have no reason to believe he won't be back in 1991 to replenish his stock! Now, it was pressure from churches and other good folk, that caused Ottawa to refuse to host this event again this year. But the business op- portunities are tempting, and so Carp, a small village just outside of Ot- tawa, ttawa, will take up the show in September of 1991. Carp is known for its superb agricultural fair. With only a few hun- dred residents in the village, Carp expects at least 3000 fair -goers each year. Agricultural Associations and 4-14 Clubs throughout Canada have tremendous power to influence Carp's decision. We can choose to make a difference. We can put a stop to the selling of arms, at least in our own country of Canada. Jesus said simply, "Fol- low Mel" Anne of Green Gables to feature live horse GRAND BEND - When Huron Country Playhouse Artistic Direc- tor, Tony Lloyd, decided he wanted to use a live horse in his production of Anne of Green Gables, the cast- ing call went out for a small horse with his own cart. After several phone calls, repre- sentatives from the Playhouse head- ed out to the stables at Versatile Printing in Corbett to meet Charlie, a miniature horse owned by Edna Herrington. Charlie, is a two years old and 32 1/2" high to the top of his withers . He is a seasoned per- former having performed at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto and at the Canadian Club in Strathroy to mention just a few of his credits. "Although,psing animals on stage is always unpredictable,we feel that Charlie will really add to our pro- duction" said Lloyd, who directs the show. As a safeguard, Kelly Young, granddaughter of the owner will be with the horse throughout his work- ing day. He went on to say that to the best of his knowledge, a live horse has never been used in the 25 years this play has been produced. Anne of Green Gables opens to- night at the Grand Bend Theatre. Off balance - Exeter Express catcher D'Arcy Martin made an off balance catch during the fourth inning of Sunday's OBA playoffgame against Owen Sound. Letter to Editor • A usa Craig throws down 'radish gauntlet' Mayor Fred Wuerth Council of the Town of Port Elgin Town of Port Elgin MunicipalOffice Box 550 Port Elgin, Ont. NOH 2C0 Dear Fred; Our reconnaissance patrol has reported your pumpkins are strong and healthy and enlarging with the sort of momentum generally asso- ciated with plants which have been growing since March or April on cliet heavily s ..le trteti We are not surprised, however, that a challenge has not yet been forthcoming from you. We recall too well your challenge of last September 17 which graciously al- lowed us 31 days in which to start growing a pumpkin to bring to the weigh-in. You did field an excellent s ci- men ... and you may recall we were suitably humble and abashed, having had 31 days in which to practice these alien pos- tures. We feel the glamor and hype over giant iwnpkins ha I Lely run its course over the two-year period in which our municipal challenges have been worn thread -bare by a media increasingly starved for "soft" or "human interest" news. We also have some concerns about the whereabouts of the mag- nificent giant you entered last year. Science has, after all, wrought mir- acles in the fields of fast -freeze, vegetable embalming and hypno- sis -induced deep sleep. In the interests of reviving flag- ging media interest in our mter- Pumpkins preferred Reeve Ron Shipway Corporation of the Village of Ailsa Craig P.O. Box 29 Ailsa Craig, Ontario NOM 1A0 Subject Pumpkinfest '91 and the radish gauntlet Dear Don: With reference to the radish challenge referreditith—yoitf7uly 20 letter, I am obliged to advise that our council in their combined wisdom feel that a switch to a rad- ish competition may detract from the "Pumpkin Capital of Ontario" image we have been diligently at- tempting to develop during the past few years. However, undaunted in my ef- forts to prove the agronomical su- periority of Bruce County in any vegetable category, I will person- ally accept your challenge as a side issue to the primary pumpkin competition. So bring on your most rotund radish, which will be no match for the gargantuan speci- men we are producing. You will be interested and hope- fully distressed to learn that this past weekend I lost a huge pumpkin that would no doubt have been a world I champion. The ` blossom end de - 111 veloped a split due to the rate of speed it was de- veloping. Seeds from the cadaver were already 3 x 1.7 an. Even at this early date tie young specimen was in the order of 200 Ib. and re- quired two men (myself and Vern) to move it to its early grave in my compost pile. Other adjacent speci- mens pale by comparison but with an abundance of T.L.C. I will try to develop them into competitiyelarm by October. One councillor has k pumpkin de- veloping quickly which may also be a highly competitive entry. We are, however, keeping the location a secret in order to avoid any undue stress on the specimen which could occur if the candidate became the prima donna of its patch. In summary, we are officially de- clining your radish challenge, but I will accept a side competition in the interests of maintaining our rep- utation. We will be entering pump- kins in the normal manner and in- vite you to do the same, as you see fit. You may also be interested to learn that I will not be running for Mayor in the November election. This may spell the demise of the wonderful competitions we have been experiencing over the past couple of years, which h$ been one of the truly rewarding experi- ences in which I have been in- volved as the Mayor of Port Elgin. Fondest regards, Fred Wuerth Mayor Klrkton beef Info night KIRKTON - The annual Beef In- formation Night will be held at the Klrkton-Woodham Community Centre on Monday, August 26. For $3.00 per person, everyone will be able to enjoy an informative pro- gram that begins at 8 p.m. Ross Daily, the host of "This Business of Farming", on CFPL- TV in London, will be the feature speaker. His talk promises to be lively with challenging thoughts for everyone to take home. Following Daily on the program. Kevin Grier, of the Ontario Minis- try of Agriculture and Food, will be speaking on the "Cattle Market Outlook". Grier plans to discuss the Ontario, Canadian and American market situations. The evening program will be wrapped up by Glenn Coultes, President of the Ontario Catdo- men's Association. Glenn will be providing an update on the current activities of the provincial Cattle- men's Association. The sponsoring Cattlemen's As- sociations in Huron, Perth and Middlesex Counties, and the Onta- rio Ministry of Agriculture and Food, invite everyone to attend this meeting. community challenge -- de- signed, you'll re- call to help raise funds for our recre- ation centre -- we believe this year's challenge ought to . be more innovative. Changing the nature of the competition would also spread the interest wider in the field of agronomy, providing focus on the hitherto ignored family of root crops. Accordingly, we throw down the radish gauntlet. On the same terms as our previ- ous competitions, we issue the rad- ish challenge based solely on weight, the foliage to be trimmed at a distance of no more than one inch (8 cm) from the top of the subterranean portion of the radish. When we weigh in the biggest radish, you and each of your coun- cil members will buy a $5 brick for Ailsa Craig's new recreation cen- tre, now under construction. Should our area experience a drought, plague or other pestilence and our entry does not outweigh yours; I and each member of my council will serve you and each member of your council, a Mid- dlesex County beef steak (cooked over charcoal to your individual preferences) and suitable accompa- nying dishes from this prime agri- cultural region, on the front steps of our municipal building at a time and date to be mutually agreed upon by our and members of your council. In the same spirit of good faith with which we accepted your chronologically cagey challenge of 1990, we believe you will accept the radish challenge of 1991. Warmest best wishes, Don Shipway Reeve, Ailsa Craig. MIMS foot in use 1 For more than 21 years, I was in- timately connected with an institute of higher learning. It was a bureau- cratic jungle. I was in charge of a journalism program. The chairperson of our division wanted a budget every year to which we had to adhere with no deviations. We had to fill out a requisition which, in turn, become a purchase order. The requisition had to be in quadruplicate. I kept one, myboss kept one and the ng rt- ment kept one. The fourth went to clerk in purchasing who spent many hours putting all the requisi- tions from all departments and divi- sions and programs in numerical order. At the end of every year, she threw them out. - I asked her once If anyone had ever asked her fora copy. She an- swered in the negative. Nobody wanted them. One year, the chairperson wanted to keep an ever tighter reign on ex- penses. He asked us to fill out a requisition for our requisition, de- tailing what we would then put on the requisition. Honest! Would I lie about such things to you? It is just one example of many bureaucratic bungles. It happens in many places where bureaucracies abound. Last week, I referred to a 55 -page report prepared by Larry Milligan and Freeman MacEwen for the Sci- ence Council of Canada. Both men are, or have been, con- nected to the University of Guelph. They sug that agricultural search in in Cada nerds a complete overhaul and they make their point with bold and strident words. More than $500 million a year is being spent on research but the ap- proach is narrow and controlled by like-minded clones. What is need- ed is an "attitudinal change" away from a disciplinary orientation to a systems approach that places sus - / tis oot minable agricul as the number one priority, they said. In other orris, rather than stick to one pro- fessor's pet idea, research should be done for farmers who need ideas now. The writers wanted to dissolve the confined departmental thinking indulged in by tenured faculty, "conceived in disciplinary settings, nurtured in academic wombs and weaned into cul de sacs by like- minded clones." Hey, I love it!! It is just what we need. Some fresh ideas for working farmers, not some specialized research along a narrow path that will get a few egg- heads some fleeting fame and pub- lication in an obscure journal. Milligan and McEwen want to see the system changed right from the beginning, a scrapping of the pis t method of allocating grants. They atinwant the existing committees to be augmented by farmers, mem- bers of the general public, social workers, labor representatives, pub- lic interest groups and the clergy. There is, they say, a growing de- ficiency in present research that re- lates to the social or human side of agriculture. Totally lacking are ho- listic studies on farming systems. There have been no studies on in- puits versus outputs of energy, only a handful of studies that relate crop rotations to soil structure and virtu- ally no studies that relate agricultu- ral practices to overall environmen- tal impact. What a breath of fresh air! But, given the entrenched ideas in high- er halls of learning and the narrow- minded, bureaucratic bungling of the past, do not hold your breath waiting for action on this wonder- ful little piece of literature. Its 55 pages are too close to tate truth. Likely, some paper -pusher will ask for a requisition for a req- uisition fora new pigeon hole in which to fik it.