Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-03-04, Page 4Page 4— CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1987 Tho Clinton Nouns -Record 1s published each Wednesday at P.O. Roy 39. Clinton, Ontario, Canada. PIM 1 L0. Tell 413-34.43. Subscription Rate: Canada -911.60 Sr. Cltlsen - 918.00 per year U.S.A. foreign 960.00 per year It Is registered as second class mall by the post office under the permit number 0117. The News -Record Incorporated In 1994 the:Moron News -Record, founded In 1111, and The Clinton News Era, founded le 1163. Total press runs 3,700. Clinton News -Record Incorporating 1 THE BLYTH STANDARD) � r ANNE NAREJKO - Editor FREDA McLEOD - Office Manager SHELLEY McPHEE HAIST - Reporter DAVID EMSLIE - Reporter JANICE GIBSON - Advertising LAUREL MITCHELL - Circulation/Classified GARY HAIST - General Manager CCNA C0„ MEMBER MEMBER BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Display advertising rata available on request. Ask for Rote Card No. 13 effective Oc- tober 1,1914. t Ready for an election? What language is this? Do the terms artsies, burnouts, bush pig, cid, cone heads, heavy metal, loo, mods, narc, preps, punk, rockers, tardy and trash metal mean anything to you? To me, burnout means a person who has abused their mind with drugs; cone heads is a term used for people with an oddly shaped head; heavy metal is a type of music and preps is short for preppies. Right? Well, I'm showing my age. The terms in the first paragraph do refer to people, but each is in a class of their own and high school students actually place their fellow students in one of'these categories, labelling them for the rest of their secon- dary education lifeu In my day, we had our labels for people, but somehow they didn't sound quite so mean. We called people burnouts, as they do today, but our other terms included "Turkey" or "Nerd" or even "Jerk!" Compared to terms like cone head, tard and pooch, the labels we used seem nice. While reading Monday's London Free Press about the students of today, the above mentioned terms grabbed my eyes and I couldn't resist increasing my vocabulary. According to the article, this generation has a whole new lingo. Did you know that the people who Fonzie once classified as nerds are now referred to as loos or dorks? However, this is not the first generation to change the terms for these people. In 1940 they were pinheads, in 1950 they There were some signs present indicating the voters of Ontario would be going to the polls before summer. There was talk around Queen's Park that Ontario Premier David Peterson was thinking of calling the election before summer after his two-year deal with the New Democrats ends in June. Recently the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario ran newspaper ads reminding Ontarians they must be Canadian citizens to vote in a general election. The ads, the officer claimed, were not an indication that an elec- tion was to be called. It is difficult to speculate on whether Peterson will take the chance, although the Liberal party would seem to enjoy a reasonably good chance of being re-elected. However, minority government has enjoyed relative success in the pro- vince over the years and Peterson's timing on the matter will be critical. The Liberals have been working with the New Democrats since the elec- tion two years ago, but Peterson may convince the public his party could be more effective with a clear mandate. The Peterson government has come under public scrutiny and criticism over charges of conflict of interest but the Liberals appear to be in the best shape of any party. With two years under his belt, Peterson may test the waters this spring. A fall election, at the latest, may be a good bet. (Goderich Signal -Star) Performance was great, but where were you? Dear Editor: May I take the f orum offered through your editorial page to publicly extend congratula- tions to the many parents and staff members who m<,de possible the music workshop held at CHSS last Friday. For the fifth year in a row, the devotion and vision of Rob Parr and Louise McGregor have created an outstanding music experience for our young people. There are no words to adequately describe the sensitivity with which the massed choir of 300 young voices presented Haydn's Missa Brevis at the public performance Friday evening. Yes - public performance. LQttQrs The regretable part of the whole ex- perience was the noticeable absence of public support for the event. We have wonderful, gifted, enthusiastic young people in our area - lets give them all the en- couragement and applause that they deserve. Group helps stutterers Dear Editor: Stuttering is a speech handicap that af- fects about one per cent of the population, with males three times more likely to he a stutterer than females. Despite extensive research, no definitive cause and therefore no cure has been found, but several hospitals and speech clinics do offer speech therapy which helps to alleviate this frustration impediment. There is now a charitable non-profit ('ana- Lynda Lentz. dian organization for stutterers and anyone else interested in the problem. This group, 'SPEAKEASY', was formed so that stut- terers would have a nation-wide network for mutual assistance, information and friendship. For more information about this self-help group please write to: Speakeasy, 95 Evergreen, Saint John, 11.8. E2N 1114. Yours Truly, Gordon Moore An event not easily forgotten The Huron County Board of Education financially contributed to the Choral Music night at Clinton's Central Huron Secondary School last Friday night and when I left I was more than impressed. For some who have never attended this event let me explain. Central Huron annual- ly hosts an event where they invite approx- imately five high schools to attend. Each high school takes a portion of the program and performs some of their favored numbers. That in inself is impressive but the real feature for the students is a profes- sional conductor is brought in for the full P.A. day and works with all the students to present a Mass Choir. It was spectacular' I'm sure it was a day none of the over 300 students will forget. It is a major event which requires much planning on the part of the vice-principal, Rob Parr, the parent - volunteer group, the secretarial staff, custo- dians, bus -drivers, numerous dedicated teachers even there on a Friday night) and the students themselves. That evening in the auditorium at Central Huron were many proud people; students, parents, teachers ( and some teachers -to -be from Althouse College )...and yes, in all humility, 1 was more than impressed, I too was proud. Sincerely ( Mrs. ) Sally Rathwell Save a cat - bang your car hood Dear Editor: As soon as the cold weather arrives, cats become more susceptible to a painful death or injury; being Iitterally "ripped to shreds" in the fan or fanbelt of a vehicle. During cold weather, cats tend to huddle around the engines of vehicles in a desperate attempt to keep warm. This un- fortunate, albeit understandable, habit leads to the deaths or injuries for numerous cats annually in Ontario. Cats tend to crawl up under the hood of parked vehicles. Once the owner returns to the vehicle and starts the engine the cat is unaware of the imminent danger until it is too late. These unfortunate accidents could be eliminated, or drastically reduced, if the' person driving the vehicle banged on the hood of the vehicle or honked the horn Orior to starting the engine. It the horn is used to edam r U19 Lam, eia u1 a Shat enough time is given to allow a cat to escape before turning on the engine. Do not make the mistake of beeping the horn and _then immediately tur- ning on the engine. Vehicles equipped with space heaters are more likely to attract cats seeking warmth. Alerting any cats Jerking under the hood of your vehicle should be done each time you start the engine. This way you will develop a habit of alerting cats and will be less likely to forget. While cats are less likely to crawl up under the hood of a vehicle in the warmer weather, being curious creatures they have beeit'known to do so. So, before starting your vehicle's engine, alert those felines wl eh might be seeking shelter under the• hood of your vehicle. Sincerely, N. Glenn Perrett, Humane Education Co-ordinator were eggheads and in the '60s they were squares. If you happen to have the misfortune of being called a loo or a dork, you are: a per- son who doesn't fit in with the main social group - short for loser. Artsies is a pretty good term, at least in my books. Secondary students say this is a class of people "usually enrolled in theatre or fine -arts courses." I wasn't too far out when I took a guess at what a burnout is. According to the 1987 ver- sion, burnouts are "students who regularly abuse alcohol or narcotics and show the lingering effects. Also known as burnies or brain dead." A bush pig is anything but a polite label. It is used to describe a "really fat" person. The term cid is used to describe LSD. Now the meaning of cone head makes no sense at all to me. When we called someone a cone head, they either had a strange shaped head or their hair style was a bit pointed. Not this year, a cone head is a per- son who enjoys working with computers. Mods are students who "adopt a style of dress and music popularized in England and during the '60s by rock groups...Mods are usually young men with short hair who wear raincoats with a Union Jack painted or sewn on the back and skinny ties." The term narc is an easy one. It means what it has always meant - an undercover officer looking for drugs and drug dealers. If I had to take a guess at what pooch meant, I would say an ugly person, and I'd be very, very wrong. In 1987, a pooch is a person who covers up for students who skip classes. (Don't ask me how they came up with that one! ) I'm sure we all know what a Prep is. This has to be one of the more common terms in this "language" and means a clean-cut stu- dent who tends to dress in expensive and trendy clothes. The word "punk" conjures up a few im- ages. First, I see a little kid bothering an older brother or sister and the older person says, "Get away from me, punk." Next I see a "Punk Rocker." Well, my second image would be closest to the real thing. A punk is a person with a Mohawk haircut that is dyed some strange color, wearing black. A rocker is a person who likes heavy metal music and this person could have long hair and wear a leather jacket. Those who don't fall into the "Rocker" group refer to these people as bangers or headbangers. A student interviewed by the London Free Press about the group called "tards" said, "The people you call tards now, you'll call boss in the future." Tards is an abbreviation for retarded and refers to people who are "keener on academic than social status." Thrash metal is also a term for music and is an offshoot of the heavy-metal variety. Now that I've finished my English lesson, I think I'll roam the streets and see how many loos, burnouts, cone heads and mods there are in town. Hopefully I won't get my terms mixed up and once again show my age. "MOVIES ARE BAD ENotJc . b BUT THE i1oR6T PART LOA: WJLf,ON TAXING THE PoPCORN ! „ NOW yitV(r A rose and a rumor i look forward to Bayfield Council with great anticipation. It had been two weeks since I had last spoken, to Reeve Dave Johnston, two weeks since I had written a column about his disallusionment with the press. "Under The Gun" had proven to be a popular column. Many readers told me that they thought the column was good and to the point. One Bayfield reader even referred to it as "spunky" i have yet to hear the reeve's reaction. I knew that Dave would not let the column go by without some comment, yet I was uncertain what his reaction would be. I an- ticipated that he would take the column in his stride. Dave had said his peace, I had said mine — and bygones would be bygones. The reeve was wearing a smile when I ar- rived at the Bayfield Council chambers on Monday night. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted 4bout the nasty weather. i was still waiting fbr his comments. The reeve left the room shortly before the meeting was to start and returned minutes later carrying a red rose in a vase. He strode into the room, as only Dave Johnston can, and set the rose on the press table. He was looking rather smug. A round of good hearted laughter came from the council members and the audience as Dave Johnston and I made our peace. i must say that the reeve caught me off guard. I was certain that he would have something to say to me, after all, Dave Johnston is rarely at a loss for words. It's the politician ill him I reckon. On this occa- sion however, he graciously presented me with a peace offering, then proceeded with the council business without any further words of retaliation. Along with the rose came a note from Dave. In part it read, "i read your article and thought you caught the mood and spirit very well. I have had several calls from ratepayers telling me how much they sup- port my speaking out against what they see as a press that has chosen to decide what the public should be told, rather than reporting the facts and letting the public draw their own conclusions based on all the facts." He further noted that there wefe no hard feelings between us, and that while we would not always' agree on issues, he hoped we would always be able to reasonably discuss our differences of opinion. And so, ends the public exchange of dif- ference between the reeve and I. He still stands behind his promise that any private interviews between himself and the press will be tape recorded from now on. 1 still stand behind my claim as a responsible and accurate reporter. The reeve will have to supply the tape recorder. With that issue settled, now it comes time to clarify a personal item that i became aware of this week—no, I am not pregnant. The rumor floated down Main Street Clin- ton to the newspaper office this week, "Me Pregnant?" I responded when the question was posed. "How do these rumors get started anyway?" I pondered'. My rumored condition has been the joke of the week around the office with the usual fat lady and prego wise cracks being aimed in my direction. Could it be that my figure bears a great resemblance to that of a pregnant woman'. Surely not. After all I am dieting with great conviction these days. Alright, so I did have a couple of chocolate chip cookies on the weekend, but I am truly making a gallant ef- fort to shed some 20 pounds before the sum- mer season. I've actually- lost 10 pounds already. and I'm feeling really good about that. Another 10 to go and i'll be treating myself to some new summer clothes. It seems like I've been battling the bulge all my life, and I now find that as i grow older, the weight is easier to put on, and, harder to take off. i can't diet like I used to. There was a year in high school that I lived on melba toast and celery sticks. In college a girl friend 'and i went on a diet that consisted of banana pop- sicles. i It's no wonder that i ended up with mono ). i've tried low carbohydrate diets, high fibre diets, Beverely Hills diets, Scarsdale diets Then came an extra 10 pounds after the birth of my baby last year. 1 still use my pregnancy as an excuse for my additional weight gain. I only hope that i am net doing that 15 years from now. I can envision the scene in my mind. i'11 be telling a store clerk, "i used to be able to fit into a size 10, but that was before I had my baby." • • And how old is your baby?" the pleasant woman will ask. "Uh, she's going on 16 now," I'll shep- pishly reply. I figure that if i try in earnest•now, there's still a chance for me and my figure. 1 want to be 40 and svelte. So listen here you rumor spreaders, I am not pregnant, and I'm trying real hard not tt, look like 1 am!