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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-11-17, Page 4VIM:Mar: J►ntisspous t News Editor. Afton Harte binIiMis'NN11tll1.0lr: Don smith Deb SAM VimilikPomiskificipsorrOmmorrommisimissigiampos isvoidsominislukeellavaideltelhai40.0.111110) EDIT )10-, engineering costs the real issue r - onlay. evening Exeter council _allowed itself to.demonstrate an un- characteristic naivete. Before comrhit- ing themselves to spending some .$113,000 on -engineering studies for a .new sewage treatment system, they wanted to hear from:the Ministry:of En- vironment and Energy what:direction the project is likely to -take, -and ftin- creased use of 'the -present system might be allowed. That'siall very well and good, and -in facttmightinot be a -bad idea if it weren't so ridiculous. 'Me -notion that a ministry representa- iive•will come to.visit Exeter council tandgive_some.hard and fast answers :to a group::ofpeople who 'have no idea 'of what'exact numbers are involved is, well,:naive. Noministryliflicials worth their soft ' chairs withtlittle' wheels are going to -smake;anyskind?of statements about what r.maaexpect to pump its eewa®aiimto•vi+tithout clear .documenta- dion:of uture requirements, river flows, :prclm system abilities...in short, all ithetthings.that an engineering study is :cxpectedito come.up with. The -price, of.course, is $113,000. I yoz'; ee.Shaw is -Tight Uthenitte says Cart• dians'spend far, far too -much tax dollars on studies. And yes, this en- gineering study, like all projects that re- quire consultation from engineers, is go- ing to be very lucrative for those who come up with:all that documentationto set the ministry's minds attest. That's just the waythe system is setup. The province can't seriously be inter- estedtin,talking to -ander -informed mu- ,,nioipal:politicians who enteriain.vague notions:theremust be.a:better.way of do- ingthings. They`re:onlysoipg. calk to teujineers-who-haveiall the fat ts,tal1 the f gtitres,:and-yes,.a.study to back them 111p. So what's:Exeter-council really:up to? "Datheytintend to showarptheministry, prove thatitheprovincezloesn't-really know what it wants? ' Ittioesn't seem very likely. When all is said and done, it is govern- ment's role to set the standards for things like sewage treatment, and itiaio the engineers to find the best tugrestomeet those standards. This attempt to circumvent engineer- ing costs -by -attacking the -ministry rings alittle nollow. If council is really.con- cenethaboutthe4iigh .cost .of engineer- ing these :days,:hey, should say so direct- . ly• ?tDJI. Class disap.pointed with speaker "He took advantage of the audience to preach instead." Re: Fred Krnip(Dorcas international Aid/Haven evening at S.H.D.U.S. Fri., Nov. 5, 1993. Dear Sir: We were very disappointed that Mr. Knip did not speak about his work with Dorcas Aid International, as advertised. He took advantage of the audience to preach instead. We disagree with his views on ho- mosexuality, especially. The band,,Haven was preuy good. Sincerely, The Senior Class of Hensel! United Church, Junior Congregation, Karrie Consist, Tara Ingram, Dennis Noakes, Amy Wood, Jason Corbett. P.S. It would have been nice to k:row exactly what USC Dorcas Aid would put our "free will (#fering" to. Peter's Point By Peter Nesse! Yesterday I called another family council meeting. Teaching by playing, someajycators tell me, is supposed to be the most efiilpivc may. So 1 began with a puzzle. "What does it mean," I asked, "when there are bags, clean towels, or books at the bottom of the stairs?" Alex: "i don't iunow." Stephanie: "What are you getting at?" Duncan: "They're to go upstairs?" "They never go upstairs," I said: "They al- ways have to be taken upstairs. There is a dif- ference, Books and towels don't move by them- selves. They need someone to carry them. Your mother and 1 seem,tO be the only carriers arwmilliume. VasClIsialsal l a_ 08441 uss .with you.' "Yesi'th supported me, "all of you .went uptown the stair*umpteen times.to- day, and.dasatuff is still sitting on, the stairs, If Dad and 1 aren't taking them upstairs, they'll .1 still be glen is a month. "They're not that heavy." Alex armed. "So .why don't you pick them upke them where.they belxg?" "We forget," Duncan admitted. "I'm only using those bags and the other stuff at the bottom of the stairs as an example," I said. "There are other everyday little chores that need doing. This house benefits all of us, not just Mom and me. Which means, all of us should help to keep it nerila 1dif n." „I vac+attlt #,1tt4VP,oriti ll !'". home said. "Thank you, Stelssi.that was; tch appreciai- ed," I used positive-minforcentent (How to Par- ent, ampler X1I, pages 366-369). "But 1 had to tisk you three;lintes before you actually did it." Elizabeth's frustration showed. "Here is another puzzle," 1 tried. "Lets stay a piece of cookie cnunb is found lying on the family mom carpet. ,What should be done about " d it 4. "Men are never so Iikeiy to settle a -question nightly As when They discus it -freely." ... Thomas Macauley 1Mb$lehed Pooh Wednssdaylrletedng tit 424111$n st., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 2 6bby J.W. eedy Publieetto*s ltd. YeMpbdae'2.4i6 2354331 O.S.T. AR10521c83s The turn -the -tables acid test In a.popular television corn - vatbti etyed young ah=w llks up to a man, per haps older than he looks since he'sbeen colouring his hair. She gushes something flattering about the horse he's riding,:and says "haven't we:met:before? We were at riding camp togeth- er, weren't we?" With half a sneer, he shoots her flattery:down in an instant. '"I was your instructor," he chides. "Mr. Fitzhenry?" stnegasps, annazed hishairhasn't changed :at all in Jive years. ".Buffy Brown," he repli 's with an oh. so condescending smile. "Welconensfitzhenry Stables." You probably recognize the commercial, although in.my ver- sion I've swappedaltegenders. My version could never be broadcast. Television stations would be flooded with calls from indignant viewers com- plaining men in positions of au- thority should not be treating women,in this way. But of course, when women are portrayed as acting haughty and snooty to young men trying to pick them up. we find it amusing. It's a double standard; and-ia1-: ,..ways find the best way Launder- . a:double standard is to tarn the tables on it, by switch - ring the sides as I did above. Many people have been titter- ing all week about the court case in the States about the fel- low who had his penis cut off by his wife. lithe the first to ad- mit there is something in the sit- .uation that makes .us all want to joke about it. Wall makes us feel a little uncomfortable,.and so we try to find some humour init. However, turn the tables and try to imagine if the husband had mutilated hit. -wife by cutting off part of her anatomy. The court house would have been surrounded by placard - waving lynch mobs demanding his death. No one seems to feel that way about the wife, some- how. A double standard to be sure. Also last week, it was widely publicized that the Ontario gov- ernment had posted a job in .one of its departments, requesting only female or minority appli- cants. One of Queen's Park's mandarins went on record as astating that the government ;Mires many white tmply-trym fb`h� u "`'A bo in that panieular department :: This isn't a bad.thing in itsdlf, but one has to be careful howtk is applied. Put it to the test arid see if it passes. Let's try to ima gine a government depanment without one white male. All had retired or transferred out of the department. Could the gov- ernment, in all conscience, ap- prove an advertisement -asking . only for male or white appli- ,,,'. cants? Nota .chance. To anyone, that would be ob- vious discrimination. You can' base your hiring on not wanting +' anyone who isn't male or white ' Who would.want a job, know- ing that better qualified appli- cants were passed over because you had the.preferred gender or skin .colour? E, This all leads us to conclude . the government doesn't under-, i;' stand the first thing about dis- crimination. Preferential hiring practices, and -j uottas systems re forms of ¢crimination. If you can't Item the latVes am e the other person is being I treated unfairly, then you're jus perpetuating a double standard. � NA0NMIIiii am/!tisor problems should pick it up. Duncan: "We all should tell the person who dropped it to pick it up." Alex: "'Ibis is so dumb! I refuse to.answer such a stupid question." "Never mind answering the question, then, " I said. "I'11 tell you what's happening in reality. The person who dropped it never owns up. You'll spend lots of timc.and energy arguing. Either Mom or 1 pick it up." Silence. "It's not fair," 4tiAsktli complained, "tint lair at all." 1 said: "From now on, whoever sees the: cook- ie crumb, should pick it up, regardless of who dropped it. That's .ihe,principle l'm trying to es- tablish. Stephanie was becoming.agitated: ",So Alex can leave all the cookie crumbs lying:all over the carpet whenever he wants 10, and 1 should pick ahem up. You call that fair?" "Alex might pick up your crumbs," Duncan said. "We're not just talking about cookie crumbs:" Elizabeth said. "You track in dirt with your run- ning sbucs and leave it there for others to clean up." "You leave your homework on tine kitchen to bit! .and your snack wrappers on the courtier. Or you stuff them into the kitchen garbage can and don't ever notice that it's overflowing and should be emptied. Mom and lase not your ser vants!" —Phis is so dumb. 1 can't,staad it any more Alex salol. "M'e neither," Stephanie shouted. 1 made a motion, seconded by Elizabeth, that everybody in the house should do things that need doing - voluntarily. without having to br asked. The motion was carried 3:2. Well, that was the easy pan. 1 went back to the book. L nfotternent: see Claapter XVII, Log ical Consequences, see C1)pter XVIII. 1'11 keep you informed. Maybe you claves me sugges tions"?