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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-01-21, Page 4PAGE 4 —GOM SIGNAL/11, WEDNESDAY,196 JANUARY 21,1 Sykes The ashtray resembles a miniature Mount St. Helens with a small peak visible through the mound of ash. The unstable ash, however, is sent wafting across the desk top each time the at- mosphere above my desk is disturbed by shuffling papers or a passerby. I am a smoker. And this is a time of crisis for everyone who puts their lips around a special mild on a regular basis. For this, nicotine breath, is National Nonsmoking Week. It is a week when non-smokers vociferously mrd on their pious and virtuous non-smoking ideals. In short, it's a week of all out offensive against smokers. And to be honest, I am beginning to feel ._iepr es .- s �n� Newspapers are mama vel iii. and pictures bomba rg the poor smoking king minority into submission. The tactics are pure coercion disguised as persuasion. SINCE #'48 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT It's all trickery. The non-smokers designed Weedless Wednesday as the focal point of the week. A soft sell approach to their devious methods. Altera% it isn't that taxing or demanding on one's dependance to, quit smoking for a single day. In fact, I have quit smoking for a day several times, there's nothing to it. The weedless wonders cling to . the philosophy that if they can get- smokers to quit for a single day the odds indicate a certain percentage will quit smoking for good. I would contend those are lofty ideals. And the clean(nonomokers) repeatedly degrade smoking to the point where it has a social stigma attached, to it Smokers are warned that members of the opposite Sex can't get .too worked up about kissing asto r.«,s1.*..- Deana _te ._obSeet?r l en . • - "gid retiOi t " ,e••_. , osiiiiiiit iskict' dela•--- detse fog. Admittedly there is some truth in the warning. But I also know of pon-ssnokers whose breath would melt the iceoff the driveway if you know what I mean. And the health hazards attributed to smoking, I must admit, . provide a for- midable ormidable argument in favor of non-smokers. I have no conclusive evidence to understand . the real effects of smoking but I suspect many vital organs are rebelling against my habit. Smoking hasn't -had-any noticeable effect, on my thinking apparatus, nor has it dulled my razoraharp wit or produced a hint n.,,1:e stain to deface this winsome smile. So far the anatomy has withstood the onslaught of the special milds. But 1 am most fearful that without cigarettes, my, weight would balloon to a titense 150 pounds and I would run great risk ite'f of n if -h =o i 0r.. `son thing. A great cop drat' eh? - • thesnasty things about habits ace -that they become so muclh.a part of one'slife that it is difficult to break the pattern and routine. _ This all leadsme to wondering who ac- tually sanctions these national weeks of whatever. There must be hundreds of them in a year. There are the standards Like Minor Hockey Week, Safe Driving Week and months set aside for March of Dimes, the., Heart Fund and other worthwhile causes. But it could soon lead to National Phan- ber's Week, National Assistant Checkout Bay Week or Save a Buffalo` Week. Such proclamations are getting a bit out of hand. I mean even the secretaries of the world have• their own day and related benefits. Even groundhogs get their due recognition on February 2. So in all fairness I insist there be a National Golununsie'Day. ColumnsiSts can betaken out for lunch, pampered;and given a little respect at least one day in the year. So llam free for lunch and open for offers. Founded In 111111 and published enure W0nndas of Oralsafah. ®arsarla. Cass n r of era ONO ami OWNA. Adver- tising rates ow request. Sultscriptions payable In crdsanre °17..141n Z'onocio. °S3:31A to U.S.A.. °33.tiS to all other court- ` toes. singie copies SI'. Display aMertlsing rates assailable on request. Neese ask for Rate Card No, le effective. licher I, * Me. Second class basil Registration Number sine. Advertising' 1s accepted on the corgi -Ilion that In the ---event of typographical- error. the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Itaw.; together with reasonable allowance for slgeeture. habil not be charged. for but the balance of the advertisement will hs paid for at the ap- pllwble rate. In'the avant of a typographical error advertising Soots or services at a wrong price, goods or serwke way rot be sold. AMrthlrg Is morels en offer to sell and .nav be wkhd,.wn et any tine. The Signal-SNr Is not responsible for the Miff or dunnage of unsolicited manuscripts. photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- BLUE RIBBON AW`a.ARD Second class mail registration number -0716 PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher. DONALD M. HUBICK Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES - Editor P.O. Box no. HUCIIINS ST. INDUSTRIA1. PARD GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR -EDITORIAL OFFICES=please.phone .(5105244331_ Welcome freedom The long and bitter ordeal of the American hostages carne to a euphoric conclusion Tuesday, marking the end of long, suffering captivity. The news was welcome relieftot families of „the. prisoners and all people of respectable nations who value the basic right of peace. • While Ronald Reagan was taking the official oath of the Presidency outside the White House, the former hostages were boarding two Algerian airliners for the long trip to Algiers. Citizen Jimmy Carter couldn't have asked for a more memorable cnnchision to his term of office, freedom for 52 Americans. An anxious America watched as the former hostages were flown to an American air base near Frankfurt, West Germany for medical tests and a few days rest before the journey home. It is a happy time but even the face of Carter offers evidence to the torment and anguish of the past 14 months. It reflects the mood and hopes of the entire free world. ° The price of freedom is incalculable but it didn't come cheap for Carter and the United States. Eight lives were-, lost in an aborted attempt to free the hostages in April, 1980. A clandestine rescue attempt led to a fiery grave for eightlf.rse atice men when a helicopter smashed into a cargo plane in the Iranian desert. Aside from the loss of life the United States lost much self esteem in the world community, playing into the !muds of the student captain and erratic government. The students who stormed the United States embassy in Tehran of November, 1979, were shouting slogans as the hostages were led to the two waiting Algerian airliners. It is obvious their seige had ended m the same chaotic chord that perpetrated their actions 14 months earlier. Their gains were negligible but they did manage to draw on the contempt of much of the world. Reagan enters the White House without the burden of the hostage situation and that seems cause for relief on both sides. The Iranians were obviously unwilling to deal with the tough man who labelled their actions as barbaric. ' The Iranians obviously expected a tougher deal from Reagan and hastily reached an --accord with Carter, a known element and perhaps a more flexible one. The hostages have undergone extreme psychological torment in the past 14 months and their re-entry into the civilized world will be irrurtdated with depression. - It is difficult to try and salvage winners and losers from the ordeal but on the bottom line the Iranians showed a direct contempt for civilized democracy and harmonious balance in the world community. D.S. No government aid Can the government introduce any meaningful legislation in aid of disabled persons? Justice Minister Jean Chretien doesn't think such legislation is feasible in a new constitutional package. He is being pushed in that direction but has refused to buckle under opposition demands. This year has been declared as International Year for Disabled Persons by the United Nations. It is the hope of the United Nations to raise consciousness about disabled persons and their struggle to lead normal lives and make significant contributions to society. ' The potential is definitely there but our society has difficulty, it seems, in relating to the disabled. Both the. New Democratic and Progressive Con- servative parties have petitioned the Justice Minister to protect the disable in the --new constitutional reform package. Chretien has refused to act on the request in testimony before Parliament's constitution,committee. Two MPs say they will introduce amendments to the constitution to protect the , rights of the disabled in Canada Chretien does a have a point in claiming it is difficult to define what exactly is a disabled person and is therefore hesitant to put nebulous wording into the reforms. But surely the government ,can offer someincentives and protection to a meaningful segment of Canadian society. D.S. Mah friends! And ewe are mah friends. Ah am standing here before you all today because ah feel it is mah sacred doo-ty to save you all from the EEE-vils of smoking. Smokin' cigarettes, smokin' cigars, smokin' pipe tobacco, and yes, eee-ven smokin' marijuana. Now mah friends! You may be shaking your heads in `disbelief and telling me that you only smoke a little filter tip cigarette once or twice a day. Well ah am telling you that your lungs do not compromise! Them little windbags are cryin' out for pure oxygen before they choke tah death from your scummy two smokes a day. But ah know for a fact you are not gonna listen to me bark these idle threats. You want some real evidence right? Well ahrm gonna give you some real life true accow•it:s about what smoking does to you. A few years back ah met a woman in mah travels. She was this poor 'old shrunken thing who looked to be 75 years of age. She Last stand. Photo by Cath Wooden DEAR REA BY SHIRLEY J. RELLER If you are a chronically -ill person in the city of London after May 1, 1981, your lot in life will be considerably improved. The Middleseit London district health unit is receiving $1.8 million additional dollars from the government to cover the cost of a chronic home care program Theprogram is designed, of course, to help ease the pressure on costly, active -treatment hospital beds. It surely is a program that would be ap- preciated_ in Huron County too. And _a quack check with the Huron Ce my Health Unit advises. -- that that such a program is entirely likely here in the near future. The London program will provide unlimited chronic home care to approved patients. The total cost of care is covered by the province under the scheme, which is generally open to patients in `stable condition' who require three professionalvisits a month. The; Middlesex -London medical officer of health, D'r. Doug Hutchison, says application for admission to the new home care program will be made through the family physician. In a chat with the supervisor of nurses for the Huron County Health Unit, Catherine Walsh, it was established once again that such a program is urgently needed in this area. It would enable chronically -ill patients to stay in their homes, and to have the professional nF a public health nilrec. a come up to nie ani said, Help me. Pleeze help me! You see what smoking cigarettes has done to me!" Well let me tell you. This woman was only 24 years of age, mah friends. That's all. Smoking aged her by seventy years, mah friends and let me tell you that's not all. This woman had unsightly facial hair all over her ' face and ah'm standing before you all today to tell you that woman looked that way because she smoked cigarettes! Although ah have never read any scient tific reports about it, ah have also had cause to meet a young man who had no eyebrows. This young man smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and after four years his eyebrows just fell right out overnight. Fell right out! You all better believe it. Ah have seen these things with mah own two eyes. This particular young manid to me, "Please tell everyone that mah eyebrows have fallen out because ah smoked too many cigaret- tes." And you know what else he told cue? He told me that he had only one, only one you hear me, functional nostril. Ah have signed affidavits in mah trailer here if you Want more proof, mah friends. Now how many of you out there are going to .throw down your cigarettes and stamp them into the ground? Come on! Let me here a bronchial cough from you! Well, ah'Il tell you all. That just ain't enough. Ah know that there's a lot more of you out there that smoke everything you can get your dirty grimy little paws on. Awright, Ah wasn't going to tell you this, but ah can see that ah haVe to. Ah once was a - smoker. Yes! Ah can admit it now even though mah heart is filled with shame. Ah was once a smoker of everything ah could breath down mah lungs, mah friends. But ah can say now that ah have not smoked since last Wednesday. Ah began to notice things about mahself that a h rightly attributed to smoking. Mah socks would not stay .up. Ah noticed that w.® 0 ERS physiotherapist, a registered nurse and even a doctor. These medical professionals would ,come right to their homes to provide treatment on a regular on-going basis. Although Miss Walsh said the criteria for the program has not been fully explained, it is ex- pected some limitations would be placed on the program. But it wil jbe much more flexible and much more expanded than IM present home care program for regular patients which is severely limited alto time and cost. One interesting aspect of the program is that it will _supply more lobs for tramed.•public health "nurses, physiotherapists and registered nurses as wellassupport services such as homemakers. That in itself is a mind-boggling event, especially asit relates to nurses. It wasn't very long ago that nurses graduating in this province had to go south of the border to get a job. There simply were no openings for nurses in Ontario. Now the situation has reversed itself. In a matter of two or three years,' we've wotked ourselves into.a dangerous shortage of trained nurses: In fact, nurses with experience should have plenty of job opportunities this year. Mary MacInnis is vice-president of nursing at London's Victoria Hospital. She said last week, "An experienced nurse can go anywhere and get , a job. A nurse can pick and choose." It is precisely at this time that we're adding chronic home care to our list of health services - mall eyes were uegiiuung to change color. And ah finally diagnosed changes in mah personality that can be called progressive paranoia. But mah friends, now that ah have quit that filthy habit mah life is getting back in order. If you look real close you can see that one of mah eyes is turning back to blue, while the other one is still that smokey grey,, Look here! Mall socks are not falling down today. And mah progressive paranoia has disappeared completely. Now ah want to here another bronchial cough from all you smokers out there that plan to save yourselves from the EEE-vils of inhaling the devil's weed! Well, that's better but that ain't enough yet. You there' Why did ah not hear your bronchial cough? Do you not believe mah words? Ah'm telling you the truth andayou dare stand there and doubt mah words? What have you got against me? Is is mah socks? You don't like main eyes, right...? • and the demand for nurses increases even more. Sounds to me hike a great time to be graduating from 'nursing school ..., and a tremendous op- portunity for nurses everywhere to move up a notch on the professional pay scale ladder. Another fairly new line of employment- that of the homemaker- should get a shot in the arm too. Huron County is fortunate to have a homemaker service in place, but, according to Catherine Walsh, it is working to capacity now. There's every indication that there will be a need to turn out more and more qualified homemakers'tolreep up with the demand that's bound_ to increase once a detente home care program begins. And I would suppose other opportunities would begin to emerge from all this. Community transportation services and community recreation services for chronic home care patients willlikely become vital. Meals -on -wheels services will need to be ex- panded. There will be lots and lots of chances for volunteers to get busy organizing and doing things for others. . If you're one of those lucky people with good health, enough money, to live comfortably' and time on your hands, why not give volunteer work someserious consideration. It's'a wonderful way to fill leisure time. You'll feel needed and useful while getting out of that boring rut Think it over. This community needs you. cath wooden L9 - 1 1