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Times-Advocate, 1983-08-24, Page 4Page 4 11mes-Advocate, August 24, 1983 imes - Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 444 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKINP Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $21.00 Per year; U.S.A. $56.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Ai- Thrilling experience Among the good work undertaken by Lions Clubs, including the local group, is the exchange program con- ducted for youth around the world. An interview with the three local students who returned this week from youth exchange camps in three different parts of the world is ample evidence of the value of the program; There was an increased knowledge and awareness of other nations and people that makes the program extremely educational and uplifting in addition to the usual fun and sightseeing that accompanies such travels. Of no lesser merit is the deeper sense of pride each +CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD BLUE RIBBON AN, ARD of the students has in her own country and the realiza- tion of the esteem in which it is held by other young people around the world. Through their participation, the Lions have in- dicated support for the program, but if they should be questioning it, a brief chat with any of the three. should quickly reinforce its value. There may be one drawback. That gal they sent to France came home totally bilingual (she had a good start before, of course) so they may need an interpreter when they listen to the account of her adventure. That's a plus with which she is obviously thrilled. Not for classroom SHDHS math teacher Joanne Young has caused quite a stir in the media following her recent escapade with the New York legal system in which she refused to identify herself and embarked on a lengthy hunger strike during her jail stay on a charge of trespassing. There's no doubting the local teacher's sincerity in the anti-nuclear stance she has taken, nor understan- ding the deep beliefs of the dangers in view of the per- sonal tragedy she cites for her actions. While democracy guarantees an individual's right to hold and espouse varying beliefs it does dictate that the actions used to convey those beliefs be undertaken in a lawful manner and attempts to ensure that peo- ple in positions of trust and responsibility not take ad- vantage of those positions to influence those over whom they may exercise some control. Mrs. Young's use of her classroom at SHDHS to promote her personal anti-nuclear stance among students is questionable, particularly if time is taken from math classes to update students on her protest experience or the displays and verbal communication tend to suggest that the end justifies the means. • Mrs. Young must surely acknowledge that her refusal to cooperate with officials could jeopardize her effectiveness as a teacher if students followed that course of action in her or other classrooms. Her plan to circumvent the law by not returning to face trial in a N.Y. court is not an example that should be encourag- ed,among students either. While the teacher acknowledges that if her actions lead to a situation where she would have to choose bet- ween her cause and her career she would have to choose the former, her actions put school authorities into a delicate position that will require their monitoring. It is imperative that her students understand that members of this society do not have to choose between causes and careers, unless they are in direct conflict. Both are possible to accomplish if accepted methods are followed. Those who do not follow those accepted methods must suffer the. consequences. People who circumvent or break laws in the name of peace are surely among the contradictions in our democratic society. Saving that society from nuclear destruction is a worthwhile cause, but not if it self destructs through anarchy as a means to that end. It's a season Most of the body's decline takes place between the ages of 30 and 70, says• The Ontario Nursing Home News. After 70 the rate of decline slows. Individuals, however, differ enormously in the amount of decline. Some persons in their 70's score better functional values than do normal subjects in their 20s and 30s. One extreme case of high functional values was a woman, Dr. Stonecypher mentions from Kansas Ci - Opinions Although they're probably among the first to admit not being• water manage- ment specialists, a couple of area residents have come forth with some opi- nions as to the cause of recent water pollu- tion along Lake Huron shores. Grand Bend Councillor Dennis Snider curtly states that much of the problem stems from too much animal poop getting into the contributing rivers and streams which flow into Lake Huron. As a marina operator along the river at the resort village, Snider spends much of his time in water -related activities and has firsthand experience in seeing some of the debris which is heading on its way into the lake. While it may not he the major pollution factor. there is little doubt that animal manure is a contributing problem. While steps have been taken in recent years to improve the management practices of farmers in relation to animal pollution of streams and runoff from manure storage systems, there is still a long way to go in that area to ensure water quality is not adversely affected. The sight of a herd of cattle cooling their heels in a stream may be pictures- que, but when that scene is multiplied by the number of animals along rivers in the area, the problem does compound to dangerous proportions. Individuals and municipalities upstream also have contributed to the deterioration through careless or im- proper sewage discharge and ironically even those who depend on the lake for their livelihood or recreation are often guilty of dumping human waste into the waters which they incongruously expect to continue to provide benefits without repercltssions. ty, who was 113 years of age when she died. She died in jail. She had been arrested for stealing horses and for practising medicine without a license. Apparently the life she was accustomed to agreed with her because the autopsy found very few of the changes commonly associated with old age. Age is not a disease. It is a season. Wingham Advance -Times on pollution source Well, obviously, it just doesn't work that way! • • • * The other suggested cause of much of the Lake Huron pollution comes from an Exeter man who owns a cottage north of BATT'N AROUND with the editor Grand Bend. He cites the thousands of seagulls as a major problem. For fear of being inundated with com- plaints from bird lovers, he asked to re- main unidentified, but noted that each morning he looks out on the lake to see the 'water covered with gulls looking for their breakfast. He claims excrement from the gulls could contribute up to 50 percent of the bacteria which accumulates along ,the beaches. His definition of a seafull: "Just a rat with wings". While others will note that seagulls devour other forms of waste material in the water, there is no doubt that if so- meone with a poultry operation akin to the size of the Lake Huron seagull population dumped the waste directly into the water there would be an anguished cry of "foul" and immediate steps taken to eliminate the operation. If the experts do agree with our local resident's viewpoint, perhaps Grand Bend council could consider bringing the New York Yankees to the resort for a weekend to help reduce the gull population. • • * • While the water contamination has been seen mainly as a problem for bathers and tourist operators, there was ample evidence this week of an even greater number of people dependent upon Lake Huron water. A pipeline break from the water system created major problems for the entire ci- ty of London and the population between that centre and Port Blake which gets water from the Lake Huron system. Officials have been quick to point out that the water pollution does not create any concern for the quality of the product pumped from the lake due to the source being well off shore and the treatment that it gets before ending up in drinking glasses. There is, of course, a psychological im- pact and a fear that a mechanical or human error could cause untreated water to enter the system if the pollution con- tinued unabated and reached proportions to affect the presently safe intake source. Several private water systems along the lake which serve cottagers are not as well protected or treated and the current pollution levels are already of obvious concern. Commerical and recreational fishermen are also affected and one could go on to extend the list of people who should be joining the ranks of those con- sidering pollution sources and the remedial action that is dicated. While Grand Bend tourist operators may be suffering the initial consequences, they are by no means alone in the predica- ment and that should ensure quick action from those responsible for water quality in the lake and contributing streams. bc. UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE "Mind going to the hack of the line, Upshot? You've just been laid off!" Had a good summer? Next person, of either sex, who comes up to me and smiles: "Did you have a nice summer?" is going to get a punch in the gut. I haven't had a nice summer since I was 14 years old. And this was no exception, apart from the magnificent weather that burned my lawns to toast. ' So. Great summer days, one after another. Ideal beach weather. Lying on the sand, thinking of nothing. Turning into rare steak, which I do. Then a plunge intosomeof the on- ly clean water left in North America, aside from a patch where some idiot has washed his or her hair, or a patch of oil where some retard has swished too closr to the beach. Out. Nice, but definitely out, according to the doc- tor, who says I have per- forated ear -drum, and swimming is a no -no. Ever had a perforated ear -drum? It's my second. The first was in the air force, when I dived from 10,000 feet to 1,000 with a bad head cold. Symptoms? Sharp pain, almost total deafness in the ear, and a feeling as though it were full of water. Have you ever heard of someone giving himself a perforated ear -drum by swatting a horse -fly so hard that he bust his ear- drum and didn't even touch the fly which was almost finishing the chew- ing off of his right ear- lobe? Now you have. Nice summer? It's been swell, old friends. Two grandboys for two weeks. Paradise, right? Oh, they've improved. They hardly ever break anything any more, just for the fun of it. Now, they do it accidentally. "Oh, it broke; Bill." Somehow, they haven't Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley ;z: managed to completely disable any major ap- pliance in the house. But every little silver cloud has its lead lining. Each of them eats more that their Gran and I put together. When they're around, it's like being a short-order cook. After three bowls of cereal, topped with bananas or some other ex- otic fruit, I ask, inanely: "Anything else, boys?" Well, it turns out that they might be able to choke down a couple of fried eggs each, along with two pieces, each, of toast smothered in peanut but- ter and honey. Let's forget the orange juice and milk. It's only money, and you can't take it with you. And their life program has changed drastically. They used to be up, prowl- ing around, about 6 a.m.; hungry, when I felt like a sack of wet oats. Now, it's like digging a well. The other morning, I'd done my ablutions. Woke up the boys, who stared at me as though they'd been on dope for two weeks. Told them to get cracking. Went down and started their breakfast. Ten minutes later went back up and found them sound asleep. Made loud cheery noises about "getting. cracking". Only thing that cracked were the eggs I was getting for breakfast. Back up again, and haul- ed them, literally, out of bed. They slept -walked their way through dressing (and they can never find their shoes) and next thing I heard, while I was mak- ing their breakfast, was the TV on. This time, I didn't make cheery sounds. I bellowed. Down they came, swollen -eyed and sulky. It was only after two bowls of breakfast food that they became slighly human. From there on, it's Twen- ty Questions time. They: "I can't find my towel, Grandad. Where's my swimming suit, Bill? I've even looked under the bed and no shoes. Why do we have to get up so ear- ly? Which is Balind's lunch? Which is Nikov's lunch? Do we hafta eat an apple again today?. Why don't you just give us the money to buy our own pop for lunch? Will you untie my shoelaces?" Me: "It's on the clothesline. Swim in your underwear. Your shoes are right where you left them, in with the orange juice. You have to get up so early or you'll meet yourselves coming home. Who cares? Yes. Because you'd lose it. No, just pull them on somehow." By the time they've finished breakfast, and good old Bill, the butler, has packed their towels, swim suits, sweater and lunch in a shopping bag, they're almost human. By the time they get home from day camp, they're feisty little guys, bright, witty, ready to play games, even polite, which throws Gran and me into confusion. They help set the table and are ready to talk philosphy, economics, or about that bully in their class. By 9:30, bed -time, they've become the ultimate in diplomacy. They can stretch that out to 10:30 by a devious number of tricks too miscellaneous to mention, and maybe that's why they're such utter grogs in the morning. Yes, I've had a grand summer. Good neighbor seriously ill. Good col- league undergoing a triple heart pass. And deaf as a post in one ear. Eh? No longer disgrace Not so many years ago, it was considered to be a real disgrace to have to go on 'welfare'. Now it has become such a common thing that people seem to accept it as a matter of course. I think that one of the problems with our welfare system is that a person is almost better off ( finan- cially) to be accepting a handout from the govern- ment than he/she is to be working. People who are working hard at a minimum wage must be hard put to reason out for themselves why they should struggle out of bed each morning, maintain a car to get to work, and take the drudgery that might be demanded in such a job, when they could tell a sob -story to the local welfare organization and get about the same let's say it was four hun- number of dollars to stay dred dollars a month for home. the sake of argument, and I would suggest an alter- that a local restaurant will ✓ds,. .•sF Perspectives. By Syd Fletcher MISSAMSIVM native that would save the government (be it municipal, provinical or federal) a heap of money. Let's take a typical case where a young mother with two elementary- school age children is receiving "Mother's Allowance" so that she can be at home for them at lunch-time. I don't know what the amount is but pay about five hundred dollars a month to the girl to work there. Why not give the restaurant a 'rebate' (call it what you will) of about $150-200 a month to pass on to the girl so that she would have a better basic income than she could make on welfare? The net saving to the government is $200 or so, so everybody is ahead. Not only that, the girl has a feeling of self- respect and independence that she could not other- wise maintain when she is forced to ask for a handout. I'm sure that with this type of income supple- ment that we would have more money pumped into the economy in a far more useful way than spending two or three hundred million on a roof for a stadium in Toronto (as both your federal and pro- vincial governments are planning in the near future). Surely it is more important to help people get working than to sub- sidize private business in such an undertaking. You'd think that govern- ments in Canada would have learned their lesson after the tremendous cost of the Montreal Olympics.