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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-07-29, Page 4Pape 4 Times -Advocate, July 29, 1992 Publisher: Am Beckett Newa $dlter: Adrian Harte Meusger: Don Smith Oompeslllen Miller: Deb torn eew Publications Mail Registration Number 0686 re1IBSCRcpitfN RATE& . SDA WMtn-40 adios las Inn.) armed to niton totter ardor addresses 010.00 ides $2.104.$.T. orris*, 40 miles 165 fun.) or sny letter eanlertaddrees 030.00 plus 120.00 (total 50.00) +1.50 6.s.T. • Ostalda Ohlrisde 016.00 "Men are never so. likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley Published Each Wednesday Morning et 424 Main It., /Neter, Ontario, NOM 188 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1.51.9-239-11S1 O.S.T. In1o6216e06 Cottage owners need to look again tjsually it is easy to point a fin- ger at those who are polluting our world. f Those who have the most to lose from environmental regulations come to mind. Those who dismiss the findings of scientists and researchers as alarmist or inconclusive are often guilty of pro- tecting their chemical factories, or smoke stack industries. On a smaller level we also accuse big -money devel- opers for brushing aside environmental concerns when seeking approval for HEN! SUMMERS WHEN I WAs Youi1G, SUN'D SHINE 3---4 DAYS IN A Row. WEEKENDs Tho! problem by solving many small ones. The control of manure and cattle ac- cess to watercourses on farms is said to be well on its way to improvement. Farmers are quickly learning and devel oping new ways to handle such proh !ems. However, the same cannot be said 01 the cottage owner. If they bought their cottage recently, they probably took the word of the realtor that the septic tank worked fine. If they have owned the property a long time, they may never have giv But statistics show a shocking number of septic systems in cottage areas, arc faulty, inadequate, or not properly main- tained. Even if a cottage owner suspects all is not well below the back lawn, many likely choose to ignore the prob- lem, justifying it by assuming that their little cottage can't be adding all that much to the world's environmental cri sis. Of course, if all think that way, they, nothing will be solved and Grand Bend and other lakeshore beaches will contii+ ue to be closed each year when bacteria levels rise above 'the magic 200 fecal coliforms per 100 millilitres of water. .But hopefully more cottage owners will take time from their holiday week- ends to think twice about their septic system, will think about the provincial grants being offered under the CURB program, and will take the first step to making an improvement. The first step is the -hardest. new projects. Especially in cottage country. That which makes a great escape from the city - sand, lakes, rivers - also often makes for a poor place to put large numbers of people in cottages, condos, or trailers. Sandy soil isn't the best medium for filtering out septic tank wastes. Conse- quently, new regulations from the prov- ince are creating the Shoreline Manage - merit Plan being administered by our local conservation authority. We can expect limitations on development to be much stricter than they have been before. The recent closure of the local beach- = is yet.another symptom of the over- loading of our lake fronts. But the conservation authorities are also running another program for the , province. A program to Clean Up Ru- ral Beaches, announced last year, is aimed at cutting bacteria flow into the lake from farms and rural septic sys- tems. An approach to tackle the big A.D.H. z The romance of picnics Picnics are thc essence of summer, I'm told. People dream of picnics when the icy January winds howl around their houses. When they button up the hoods of their parkas and climb over snowbanks to get from one side of the mad to the other. Picnics have been romanti- cized in musicals and movies, by composers and painters, by poets and novelists. And yes, there once was an age of grand picnics, of dainty ladies in long flowery dresses with deep de- colletes, serving exquisite tid- bits from intricately woven wicker baskets. An age of bearded gentlemen in straw hats sitting peacefully in the grass, relaxing on neatly spread col- ourful blankets. The gentlemen were gracefully served by said dainty ladies. it was an age of pink-cheeked, meticulously -dressed, well-behaved- --ehildeen quietly dancing in the back- ground - always at a respectful distance - while their elders en- joyed the food and the pastoral scene. I guess it was inevitable that picnics had to be ruined along with everything else. The dainty ladies have become liberated women. They have traded their flowing gowns for no-nonsense Bermuda shorts, the decolletes for T-shirts, the tidbits for hot- dogs, the wicker baskets for plastic coolers. The straw Jests have become baseball caps, the blankets picnic tables, and these days nobody gets served by any- body. It's catch -as -catch -can. The children have noisily moved into the foreground, everything tastes of ketchup and relish, and everybody is far too Peter's Point • Peter Hessel busy to pay attention to what's left of the scenery - pastoral or otherwise. In short, picnics today arc chaos. They always take place either in blistering heat and drip- ping humidity or at the precise moment when mosquitoes and wasps are at the peek of their -outbreak. Picnics may begin-ton=—nie-will-each--nibble-vn--a-sand- der a perfectly blue, cloudless sky, but before anybody can say "pass the pickles, please", black thunderheads roll in, a minor tornado sweeps the paper nap- kins away and plays frisbee with the paper plates. So instead of enjoying a pleasant summer meal in the cool, clean, convenient kitchen, ewe transport our food to the her outdoors where fifty-seven spe- cies of insects fight over the but- ter and the salad dewing and the hard-boiled eggs. Preferably under a tree populated by flocks of birds with diarrhea. 1 have discovered another lay. governing picnics: When we ar- rive at a roadside picnic area, the place is always deserted. But be- fore we can open our hampers. the table to the left of us in occu pied by the Satan's Angels mo- torcycle gang, and the one to the right by the local chapter of the dog obedience training society. As soon as Duncan and Step anie sit down, they have to go to the bathroom. And unless out picnic takes place in our own backyard, the bathroom is usual ly so far away that by the time the kids finally return from it. they have to go again. And there is never enough of the right kind of food. Elizabeth may prepare huge piles of sand wiches, eggs, pork chops. cheese, pickles, fruit, and zuc chini bread. Plus two cookies per person. Duncan and Stepha wich, destroy two eggs, gorge themselves on pickles and fight over the cookies. And spill their drinks. And pick pieces of fossi lized chewing gun from under the picnic table! But we never learn. Without fail, when March comes around, Elizabeth will say: "I wish we could eat outside again. 1 can't stand being cooped up inside any longer..." And nobody seems to remem ber the mess, the flies, the mos- quito bites, the bother and frus- tration of picnic time. Nobody but me. Letters to Editor Thanks from Heart Foundation Dear Mr. Hartc: On behalf of representatives from the Heart and Stroke Fotmda- tion, the Canadian Cancer Society, Take -Heart Huron and the limn Country Health Unit, 1 would like to thank you for your excellent coverage of our proposed smoking bylaw. Since the introduction of a Dear Adrian: Many thanks from the Usbornc Sesquicentennial Committee for the excellent coverage your paper provided for our 150th celebration activities over the past seven months. As 1 have Teamed, it is difficult to Juggle news items and meet ec- smoking bylaw can be a sensitive issue, we appreciated the positive and certainly thought- provoking edito- rial that you I I wrote for the Jule 8 edition of thc Exeter Time. -Advocate. Thank you onomic conditions at the same time. You and your staff have attempted to ac commodatc our press releases and cover the special Once again. thank you for your help. We hope that the implemen- tation of a smoking bylaw in Exet- er will soon become a reality. We will keep you updated on any new progress. Yours truly Heather Hoover Heart Health Consultant Huron County Health Unit events as often as possible, and this has been most appreciated Thank you for your support Sincerer , Bev Prow Chairman, f(rcxnouon & Adver- tising Thank you to the TA Dear Jim Beckett: Many thanks w you and all your staff for the assistance and service provided during the prepara- uon—of the Usbome Sesquicenten- nial special edition. The friendliness of the girls in the front office who came to know nue ("go right on back"). Barb Cousin s tenacity in the face of tough economic limes and Barh Robertson's pa- tience in the dark- room were all very much appreciated. i Deb Lord's tech- nical expertise, helpful suggestions. and encouraging ccirnmentwere qualities which enabled this pubih cation to conic to completion. Without - her help. this novice would not have survived' It has been a pleasure to work with such a supportive group of in- dh vidual Tail wagging the dog Dear Editor. Walking daily on the neat streets of this lovely town, people stop to chat. and several themes seem general. Everybody is horrified by the terrible tales of rape, child molest- ing and murder. These really aw- ful people will never be "rehabili- tated". We should bring back the death penalty. At least these fiends wouldn't do it again! Take your pick of methods: thc noose, the electric chair, fatal injections. As long as we arc rid of such vermin Nobody seems to think of the innocent vic- tims, a child's life snuffed out in a ter- rible, terrible way. 111) 11 we had a national ,yg+eferendum, the death penalty would win, hands down. As to the too -rah -rah about the unification of Canada: if Quebec Sincerely, Bev Prow really want\ to go • let her go! They've whined long enough. Who won that great baste. in 1759" Not the Preach, but since then the tail has wagged the dog But before they go, they should assume their share of Use; national debt. and all Canadian defense project~ should be moved from Quebec 'lien let them howl . Yours truly, "(Abby", 1.M. Oibsun CommunitY-generous to Flowers of Hope Dear Editor: On behalf of the Association for Community Living, South Huron, would like to thank the entire community for their generous sup- port of our Flowers of Hope Cam - pa gn. Our target foe the 1992 campaign was Sl5,000, but coaari- butions have exceeded the mark, totalling S16,800. At a time of re- cession, financial o ons aj is .and high unemployment, it is both gratifying and heartwarming taste the level of support we received throughout the Conunimity. Our faithful captains and door- to-door canvassers , ail gave so willingly of their Wne, dad wore obviously well, ioeived by ..those who contributed. The areas cov- ered in 1992 included the Exeter and Grand Bend area, Healed! aad He- wn Park, Stanley. Stephen, Usbornae, Hay and Tucker - muds Townships, Dashwood, Cen- rtralia, Crediton and Zurich. plus and RR G Bad. $u c dedication and gametosity es -shown by our cum - muauy, volunteers can only serve inspiration to the board, altaff edeoes of our aaasociaun swi*wthe ort offlmoetogetherto society, who arc mentally challenged. Whether they arc served in our ggr�oouuip homes, the ARC Workshop, Main - street Janitors in Exeter, the SIL Living), or in community, day pro- grams, our clients will continue to benefit from your interest and sup- Port - The needs of the Flowers of Hope have blossomed into a re- newed ispuit of cooprration across our community. Long may 'hist spirit continue to grow, and mai thanks to all those who nude it possible. Roberta Winker President Community Living, South•lluru n