HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-08-19, Page 4Page 4
Times -Advocate August 19 1992
Publisher: Am Beckett
News Editor: Adnan Hann
Business Manager: Don Smith
Composition Simeon Deb Lord
Publioetbns MsH qentetretion Number 0186
ailLiCRIPTION RAILS_ ____
tt ]thin 40 tidies (tit km.) addressed
to wow tatter antler Nooses 130.00 ides $2.50 4.t.T.
Outside 40 soles (es km.) to luny tatter amts. sde...e
130.00 oleins *21.26 (notal 51.25) • 8.59 OAT.
Outside Canada 16L00
1111.311131111111111
Welcome to the world of NAFTA
From a distance, the creation
this year of one large Europe-
an trading block seems like an
ominous competitor in world markets.
Europe quickly beeamethe world's
largest open market. It seems like a
good idea to us over here, but at the
. same time we fear the North American
Free Trade Agreement.
- Of course. the British fear losing man-
: ufacturing jobs to the Spanish under
their open market system, just as we
fear losing our manufacturing base to
Mexico.
And we will lose it, make no mistake
: about that. We were going to lose it
anvwa\ . Now it will just a little quick-
: er that's all. Which gives us less time
to prepare for the Conservatives vision
of Canada's future. We are to become
• the intelligence of the continent -head
offices, design studios, research labs
and have all our wonderful products
• made for us in Mexico.
There are high technology industries
. in Canada. many of them well -
concealed and out of view of the consu
mer goods market. But the average Ca
nadian factory worker is going to have
a hard time understanding how we are
to found a nation on low -market novel-
ties like that CANADArm we see hang-
ing out a space shuttle every now and
then. Unless we can build them to do
dishes in the kitchen, it's hard to make a
living off them.
Our auto industry, while Ontario s
largest sector, is not our own. We as -
1 semble cars for the Americans or the
1 Japanese. Much of the design and en -
gineenng is done elsewhere.
As some have pointed out, it's hard to
believe we're going to re-train all those
Newfoundland cod fishermen wit)
gees in engineering, science, or market-
ing. How long will it take our education:
system to adjust to a Canada in which
no one can make a living running ma-
chines that assemble electronic devices.
stamp out plastic pats, or wire things tr•-
gether. Most of tho: e jobs are in Mexi-
co already and eventually the rest will
be.
Can Canada become a Switzerland`'
Do we have a technological heritage that
allows us to develop and make only the
finest quality products for those who car,
afford our higher labour costs?
Can we create those new traditions'.'
We'll have to. Not that we have much
choice. Already saddled with a free
trade arrangement with the United
States, we have to go whole hog ane;
stay with the game. U.S. competitors
would soon have been taking advantage
of duty free Mexican labour any wati
We can't be left out in the cold.
In the end, we might all be better off
Mexico will certainly benefit from more
jobs, better living conditions, and tighter
environmental controls. Canada will
just have to forge a new future, hopefu
ly not by stripping of natural resources
and selling them to those who will pro-
cess them and sell them back to us
Maybe we will end up better off in the
end, but try telling that to the thousands
who are going to see their plants close
and their jobs head south in the next fev<
years.
• AD.H
Readers asked to be judge
Last week, I presented my pa-
rental arguments against wear-
ing hats indoors, when saying
hello to people. etc. I challenged
Alexander to give me one good
reason tor keeping his hat on.
He tried to beat me at my own
game. He wrote a column and
dated me to publish it. So here it
is, with only a couple of corn -
mas changed
Alex's point
I'm not a knight in
armour
By Alex Hesse]
Have you ever wondered why
so many young people are wear -
mg hats? Have you ever worried
about it? Well, my Dad has.
At every meal, the first words
he utters are: "Alex and Duncan,
would you please take off your
Wonr'
So like good kids we take oxer
hat.: off. This is when the prob-
lem begins. 1 hate taking off my
bat. Sometimes I beg and plead,
but i am always forced to go
bare -headed.
The reason why 1 wear haus so
much is because I love them. 1
don't only mean love. i mean
LOVE. i love hats so iuuch that
I have not only one, but eleven.
My hat collection is impottant.to
mc, and I'm .proud of it. It;in-
cludes:
New York Yankee's (base-
ball). Dallas Cowboys. (foot-
ball), Detroit Tigers (baseball),
Atlanta Braves (baseball), Min-
nesota Vikings (football), Notre
Dante Fighting Irish (college
football), Detroit Tigers «2
(baseball), Michigan Wolvennes
(college basketball). Charlotte
hornets (college basketball), and
the Georgetown Hoyas (college
football)
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Besse)
Many people don't respect Ux
value and irreplaceable charac-
ter of the head garment. Maybe
one reason hat wearers never
want to remove their bats from
their heads is because of the val-
ue of the hats. They can cost
anywhere Iron $ 10.00 to
$40.00, but the most expensive
hat I have purchased is 331.00.
Another good sewn to wear a
hat is if you suffer from messy
hair. Hats neatly cover rooster
tails, bad bairwats, al)1Ior any-
thing else on your head you
might wish to hide.
Also people have been so
madly accessed ,to .{bis beret bo -
lama begause kw is a hat for
.every personality. -Fools .wear a
jesters bat. Adventurers wear a
safari bat. Sports fans like my-
self .wear baseball, football, bas-
ketball, or hockey bats.
Over ;the past few beaus, my
Uad has given me some strange
arguments, like "if you wear a
hat too much you will gruv.
bald. your head will start it
smell
And then there ate; some argt.
'Dents like: "it is polite to tans-
your hat off.. Here are the pet,
pie you are supposed to tail
your hat off for. Elderly Ladle.
and Gentlemen, someone of lie
portance, or basically whyutit
you are being introduced to
What i want to know is the
why is it so polite to go caples
Is it because back in die clues
days people were attracted t,
messy. dirty. smelly, sweat •
hair? 1 don't think so. If anyun-
has the real reason, I am open tt
suggestions.
My brother Duncan has Jug'
found out 1 was writing this eo.
unit. So he rani to Inc with ht
solution. Here it is: (he has bees
studying the Middle Ages in tit
grade 5 class last spring): in In
Middle Ages when men wit,
helmets, they had to take Weil
off .when meeting people, st
their face could be seers.
They also took their niter'
off indoors because the helmet
were obviously hot inside. The
tradition has continued on until
now. A tradition that I wish.wa,,
never maned. M y ,theory is whu l
we start wearing helmets with
masks, we should be able tt
leave our bats on indoors.
What can I say? Alex has en
en me not only one.good reasut
but several. i put it to yOu, ms
Headers. .Who is right? Who
wins? Should Alex and Duncan
bc,aUowed to wear their hats in
doors or not? You be the judge
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely,"
... Thomas Macauley
Pubnohed !.on W.deeri y Monolog et 424 M.Ie 3t.,
Exeter, onterto, NOM 1.8e by /M. leerr i ebee.!lens Ltd.
reNp ion.1aii4.236-1.sai
....T. 110,106210836
'How ao you manage to stay so calm with five of your kids home out of school all day?"
Pinching till it hurts
The unexamined life is not
worth living
Who said that" It's not that I
disagree with the sentinten:, it's
just some people take it to ex-
tremes.
1 went to a ume-management
seminar a couple of years ago.
Someone as disorganized as my-
self ought to pick up a few
pointers, 1 thought Instead of
finding new ways to arrange my
work habits. 1 found a seminar
leader obsessed with time the
way some people are obsessed
with dieting
This guy was actually telling
-me and the other hundred or so
people in the church hall that he
was having a hard time deciding
on whether to shave before or
alter showering. Shaving before
Meant the aftershave got washed
of'. Shaving after meant he had
tit waste precious seconds wip-
ing the steam oft the bathroom:
mirror
This, 1 suddenly reahzed. was
a man who nad gone beyond the
edge He did not appreciate the
true immune o' shavmg ese
meta, it is a daily ntual by which
surge alit' -sharp blade is runt
over the thruat and face, symbol -
t uil: Lle arc: its challenges
Snout() one escape cuts and die
.Ill urenient..-_ie mail as.lhen ex-
pected to splash raw pores with
a eoncocuun of alcohol and per-
fumes
Straviitl: is not about slicing
seconds off your day,
This type of obsession is also
evident in a newsletter that au
rived un my desk this week
T ile /'ennyPi ncher Preview is a
Canadian counterpart to an
American publication that be-
came famous on WS- An Amer-
ican family analyzed their lives
to save every penny. living so
frugally- they are now million-
aires.
Hold that
thought ...
By
Adrian Harte
The publishes and author of
this Canadian effort is Danny
.Desanko from Medicine Hat Al-
berta At age 26 he claims to
have penny -pinched his way to a
cool quarter million dollar nest
egg.
The newsletter promises sub-
scribers can discover all kinds of
ways to save money Some ex-
citing examples include weanng
two pairs of panty -hose with up-
posilc iegs an off alter they run
- I can't say for sure. but 1 ima-
guie this might not be enur+eiy
comfortable
We also team about buying
shoes from the Salvation Army
and having them repaired kir a
freewill of .lilt:. .WSI Of . new
shoes.
Now wan a minute. Certainly .
we car, breathe life into old
socks and shoes by darning up
Ute holes and mending the heels.
but I like new socks and new
shies. What tun is life if you
can't have new sock and new
shoes''
Letter to Editor
The newsletter also gives us a
precise breakdown in the hours
of work saved, dollars saved,
and time saved when taping mo-
vies on the VCR as opposed to
renting movies or going out to
the movies. No. going ID the
movies isn't cheap anymore, but
watching them on TV just isn't
the same. What would he a think
of dropping two days pay on
tickets to The Miserables'
Nc, this penny-pinching stuff
isn't for mc. I'm not saying i en-
joy wasting money, but I'm pret-
ty sure you always pay for what
you get Money is just that
thing we use to finance our lives
- which is probably why we ne-
er seem to have enough One
assumes tilt penny-pincher does
not fritter away those carefully
saved bucks on bungee lumping.
hang gliding lessons. a burger
and fnes at the drive-in, or what-
ever else might be frivolous and
tun
Penny pinching is son of like
the guy .who polishes his classic
hot rod every day 13y the unit
he's got it gust perfect. he • tui
afraid to drive it anymore
But alright, so it's not for me
Maybe a few Iteiptul hint. un
how to get more money out of
life are somethine you n. look -
ing for. .One has to admit a cxr
lain fascination fo' peopl( who
own their houses mortgage -tree
and who buy ears with east A
subscription to the Penni Pinch-
er Preview is $29 tui 12 month-
ly' issues 'I be address is 1638
28 St. S.E. Medicine Hat Alber
ta. They even have it tot -fru I
80) -66 -PENNY hotliee
Cottagers not only to blame
Lt:ar Sir.
1 take a eepuon to your editorial
cottage owners need to look
again" costumed ted in the July 29.
199: edition. The inkelliatiOn
t,unburied therein is supply nes
eurrect and i would like to point
uul a few mans to you.
You aloe that sandy soil is not
Me best medium for ['hoeing out
septic tank wastes. In point of fac t ,
sand is one of the best filters avail-
able and is used in every water frl-
uation plant to clarify our drinking
wafer. n a recent report sent to me
by the c:onsuking esigtneers on the
Grand Bend area sewage treatment
plant, it was stated that with re-
spect to sesek systems located in
sandy soils "no known studies,
have been conducted to date to de-
termine the Went of Catit urina-
tion, if any, from septic systems."
The problem with septic tanks is
riot a problem limited to the lake
shore. There are as manys or more
town and Arm houses with septic
tanks as okl or older then those be.
lungingto Guessers. 11 the prob-
lem lay solely with Jake front sep-
tic oinks that we would expect to
find their lake polluted all the
time. In fact, pollution chiefly aris-
pa Stier Main stumis when coriami •
are washed into the lake
rivers and municipal drains.
iously, the problem is a cum-
munity problem and is not the
fault of any one gawp
It is beyond elle low you can say
that fanners arc quickly leaning
and developing new ways to haadk
problems but the same cannot be
said of the collage owner. On what
doy uu base this bold assesion
tin the cuuuary, 1 would suggest
to you that cottager's are more con-
cerned about our lakes and astute]
areas than most people. The Feder-
ation of Ontario Cottagers is con
slantry involved with gov-
erntnent
10 unprovg ways
w unyrovc con
ditions through
out couagc country
including the con -
l)
trol Of coritarni-
11anLS from septi: systems and
boats. he cottages along die lake
Huron Shoreline have .asked to be
included in a study for the capan-
stivn of the Grand lived sewage
treetment facility. In 'un, Ary
own subdivision has ' ' ' 8,00:X1
trees on t acres o • ' in stet of -
fort to mac a poaitivc cphtribtttion
to this area.
The Curb prom,istavailabk to
all local rescdeuts, not just the cot -
lagers. This cpnfinns thatthe prob-
lem is not caused by uric gruup..4
Clearly, the spreading of liquid ma-
nure un systematicdly tile -drained
fields is a major close of dte prob-
lems we are having.
You are ggwtc right that it is las)
to point a finger but the tact is it is
much harder to pruperly assess die
responsibility. It is apparent to rue
that you did not attempt to do the
in your editcxial and that is unfur
Inflate because it only cxac.ubates
the perceived differenees beteese
aeasunal and year round resident.,
Yours very truly
John Buechler
Editors Nose Easperi5 we haw
spnktn with agree that while sand
dots filter particulate nuuter out of
ckan water, it fiOCI a pour job as a
filter mediwn for septa- liquids
Conuuninas.d lryruds flow too
quickly through sandy soil w allow
time for the bacteria to di'
hence the virtual ban on nein sab-
division developments on l alp Nes
rot's may shore High ruidall
only aggravates the float problems
While the couagers Mr. Buechler
is jierani with need to be ap-
plaifor their dons torpve
Their ,sewage systems. the a t is
many peopk build additions ,to
their cottages. iiia!! cur(' bath-
toarns. showers, dishwashers. and
jvcsaits. or liccidito !i vt there
yiw fond stadia giving a second
thought so their a4ndersiud or otU-
dalsd ,optic system The pollrr�ipn
prob4un.,they assturN, comes tram
someone else's k ckyard
44