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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-03-11, Page 4PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1981 dave BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second class mail registration • number -0716 The slim figure turned limp and slowly folded into a neat heap onto the floor without a sound. _ The stark, sterile room whirled about with increasing velocity and faded .in and out of focus before slipping into darkness. Bottles, tubes, lights, stainless in- struments and masked faces leaped out of the menagerie before meshing into p garish blu r a rid ^for a moment the world was still. The wail of sirens was faintly audible over the din of slurred voices and clanging of stainless instruments on the table. The activity stopped and all eyes were rivetted on the motionless figure. Suddenly the air was filled with an aura of expectancy and a sense of urgency per- meated the room. Vital signs down, pulse faint and breathing shallow. Masked faces scurried about the room, ecasionally hovering for only a second or two, before disappearing into the darkness. SINCE 1 848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT founded In 1040 and published every Wednesday at Godvlch, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver- tising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance `17.50 In Canada, 'SS.M to U.S.A., 'JS.M to all dthar coun- tries. single copies M'. Display advertising rates available on request. Please ask for'Rate Card No. 10 affective Oc- tober 1,. 11M, Second class mall Registration Number 0710. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance for signature. will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the ap- plicable rate. in the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services of a wrong price. goods or services -niy`iiot7N said. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the lou or damage of unsolicifed.manuscrlpts. photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- poses. utposes. PUBLISHED BY:SIGNAL-STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER-President andPublisher DONALD M. Ht1BICK-Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor P.O.-BOX 220, .. _ -MUCKINS ST. • Gu GODERICH N7A 4B6 S\G INDUSTRIAL PARK LAt uelb werc 0011 %0.1 uU6 WWI increasing rapidity and the pace, of footsteps quickened. Everyone focused attention on the im- mediacy of the task and had a job to do. The severity of the problem unknown. The gowned and masked attendants moved about like robots while attending to the task in an efficacious manner. They had dealt with such cases many -tunes and the prognosis was blatantly obvious. The figure 11 now thrashed about spasmodically before being forcefully restrained. The senses were beginning to clear slowly and the marble floor felt soothingly cool under the glare of the hot lights. A gentle hand smoothed cold compresses over the forehead and cheeks, clearing perspiration beads from the pale face. Eyelids fluttered, carelessly to clear vision and the merry-go-round was slowly winding down,revolving ever so Slowly. The slurred, faint speech of the attendants became semi -coherent as the masks moved rythmically with the mechanics of speech. The urgency' had waned and imminent danger was averted. Nurses and doctors spoke secretively while assessing the case, forming a ring around the Patient. Directives were promptly issued. in stern tones and dutigs. were assumed without pretention. "Make room, make room. Try hand get him on a table and I want oxygen fast and mere cold cloths," a doctor sated flatly to the staff. "Loosen the clothing. He needs air and room. Check the vitals." "Things are returning to normal doctor. Pulse is picking up, blood pressure good." Eyelids were forced open by steady hands and a masked face peered into the patient's eyes. A hint of concern was etched on the wrinkled brow. The attending pysician pulled away and offered an instructive nod to the life-saving staff and without a word quick action was taken. • The lifeless figure was propped up on the table and a nurse instinctively clutched the head in one hand and began slapping the head from side to side, urging life to return. '- No response. —With- a sharp suddenness the patient gasped, coughed and sputtered to life. "He's coming around doctor, I think he's gaining consciousness now." "Alright. Just step aside and give me room. Mr. Sykes, snap out of it. Open your eyes. C'mon now Mr: Sykes wake up and have a look. Everything all right." "He's conscious now doctor," a nurse coffered in relief. "Welcome backto life Mr. Sykes you now have a baby boy.' Welcome to the world Bradley David. FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-83:31 - A decent budge This week Goderich town council solidified a budget for 1981 that will ask the taxpayer for an additional three per cent in the general municpal levy. On Monday council attadted all board and committee budgets andshatedrtover $200,000 from original estimates to make the budget an acceptable document. They seemed quite pleased, in most cases, with the final product. The slight increase means the taxpayers will fork out $46,000 more than last year in tax revenue. Over the past four years, Goderich town council limited the general municipal levy to an average of just under three per cent. The tax bills reflected a higher in- crease with the addition of the County and Board of Education levy. But Goderich ratepayers can't raise much of a fuss over the municipal levy unless they are willing to live with - severe restraint. Council has accomplished much with the limited increases by making maximum use of govern- ment programs, through prudent investment and with'the esta blishment of a reserve. Budgeting is an exercise in compromise and what is necessity to one is frivolous to another. Council corn - promised on several issues and expenditures and the result is a budget they are not afraid to present to the public. D.S. Star publisher honored This past weekend, Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. president and publisher, Robert G. Shrier, was the recipient of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association President's Award. The award is a most prestigious one in the Ontario newspaper industry and .given only inrecognition of dedicated service. Following the presentation of the award, OWNA president Bill Poirier said Shrier was a man who gave unselfishly of himself to the newspaper industry and the people who work in it. He expected nothing in return. He elevated the status of the community newspaper and returned to the industry as much as he had drawn from it. At the Signal -Star we knew those things all along. D.S. Marketing politics This business of politics, and the money and hype surrounding the campaign, can be compared to the pre Super Bowl buildup. The print and electronic media is inundated with daily doses of campaign speeches and those efforts are augmented by party advertising that began in earnest this week. The lives of Ontarians are now filled with politics. But for many politics is as sacred as religion and the understanding of both is limited. But it makes for good bar-roorn arguments. It is interesting to note, however, the sophisticated manner in which the political message is now being delivered. The door to door approach is giving way to a less personalized form of contact through the media. Admittedly saturation is a prime consideration, getting the message to as many people as possible. So politicians and their lofty policies, economic tures and personalities You can lead a reporter to a convention, and you can also make him drink. Or her. You guessed it gang, this baggy -eyed columnist has joined the world of the bourgeois and experienced her first big convention. Weird things happen to us small town reporter -types when set loose upon a large city for a few days at the expense of The Company. Hotel Toronto is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Men with fringe on their shoulders are always demanding to carry things for you, and perfect recep- tionists are always demanding to know your credit references. Upon encountering these people in the lobby area, our little group dealt with them in a high-class manner and let them have their way because we were too busy pinning on our labels that said, "Hi! I'm poor!" Oh well. You can take the reporter out of the town, but you can't take the town out of the reporter. Once settled in our room, which in- • are marketed like a bottle of ketchup or the -latest brand of dish detergent. That's the kind of marketing our society is geared to and the political parties have a product to . sell. Nearly $4 million will be spent on advertising in the next three weeks and it's all designed to sell the voter on the virtues of a candidate or party. Advertising money is just a small part of the costly election process. The bulk of that money will be aimed at urban ridings too, especially in the, case of the Liberals. • The urban vote is crucial in this election and battles will be waged in larger centres. Not that rural ridings similar to Huron-Brke and Huron -Middlesex will be ignored, but the outcome obviously hinges on a number of urban clustered ridings. So for three weeks, voters will be asked to buy policy` and candidates between breakfast cereals and the leading brand of dog food. D.S. cidentally was impossible to escape from in case of fire, we watched Gilligan's Island on TV while deciding where to begin every conscientious conventioneer's task of drinking. We ended up at a place that had a mechanical bull What was I to do? Opt out for the sake of comfy buns, or accept my duty with gusto and report back to you on the experience? Being the intrepid correspondent that I am, I chose the latter. Besides, if my sister can ride a bull, I can too. There was a great deal of pride at stake. Not to mention my life. But I climbed aboard and showed 'em. Twice. Funny what conventions can do to one's courage. Fun what mechanical bulls can do to one ability to sit down the next day. Funny what copious amounts of beer can cause one's head to feel like the following morning: However, a large convention breakfast was on the agenda and it was already paid for.1 had a sausage and eight 1 Contemplation By Cath Wooden D EAR. REA BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER The Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association convention was held in Toronto this past weekend and offered a sensational bit of news for every young person in the province. Newly elected president of the Association is David Wenger of Mount Forest. It was David Wenger who pushed for a special OWNA award in 1982 to honor deserving young citizens who will be feted at next year's convention. In his speech to OWNA members, David said all too often the media only recognizes the bad in the young generation. -- He feels it is time the outstanding achievements of the young are brought td the attention of adults in this province .... and who can argue with that. The full details of the program still are not clear to me, but I do know that the young people who will' be considered for the awards will have gone "the extra mile". Mention was made of kids who have overcome handicaps for instance. Perhaps a 'youngster who is in a wheelchair but still attends school on a regular basis and participates in school ac- tivities in a spedal Way. Or it could be a young person who has per- formed some heroic deed such as saving another human. being from drowning or pulling someone from a burning building. Honors could be heaped on a young citizen who contributes in some exceptional way to the a — ,cups of coffee. I was wondering why I was the lone conventioneer whose head felt like a basketball and somebody was dribbling it. But several aspirin and a quiet seminar did the trick and I was ready for lunch. Convention lunches and suppers are strange. It seems that you are sitting around a table for hours and hours and always in. between courses and toasting the queen and such My back was always to the head table where the action took place. I also did not win a door prize. I really wanted one of those plastic message things you put on your telephone. Everyone won Funny one btrfn e. had understood that drinking was the only compulsary activity at a convention, but I discovered that we had to go to hear a speaker. I wonder where they get speakers. Is there a company that rents them out or what? Anyway, we received a dynamic talk on D ERS community - maybe organizingg an event or spearheading a cause. You get the picture then: It isn't just the or- dinary young citizen who will be considered for the OWNA honors. The program involves only the unusual -the very exceptional. These kids will be nominated through the local community press by folks like you who are in a position p see and to know the achievements of the youngsters in your corner. This newspaper Will depend on you to seek them out ... and to tell the world about them. We will take it from there. I agree with David Wenger. This kind of thing will he have -a tremendous -positive backlash all across Ontario. The cream of our young people will be brought into the spotlight. They will have their moment of glory, their share of praise. And that's important. I'm pleased that this newspaper is a part of an Association that has taken this step. But I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that much of the success of this province - now and in the future -• belongs to the fellows and gals under, 21 who are just good solid people with well established goals and ideals. And there's never any way to adequately reward them for all the good they de by just being themselves. And after all, isn't it people like that who are always lumped in with the masses? Aren't they the ones who are continually getting lost in the shuffle? And isn't it really this group of the faithful who the latest corporate topic - stress. I am now aware that I suffer from it. I wasn't aware of it before the convention, but I am now. I now know that I bite my nails'and drink too much coffee because I do not go outside and run around in the rain naked. If I did that, then I would not feel the need to bite my nails. Stress is highly difficult to put one's finger on: I think I have the answer, however. Just eliminate coffee, fingernails, mechanical bulls, and beer, and nobody will know they are under stress. Following the tack, we analyzed each other and then we went to the big banquet. After we toasted the queen for the sixth time, they served us liver pate among other things. At the end of the dinner, I thought it very amusing the way there were little piles of liver pate on several hundred plates. I brought home a few mementos from the convention: a towel, an ashtray, a glass, and a hangover. • actually carry the ball for the greats as well as the deadbeats? But somehow I believe The Goderich Signal - Star does a better job than some memberssof the media of playing down the ugliness of the young generation and reinforcing the beauty. Time and time again this newspaper attempts to zero in on the achievements of people young and old. Whether it's a homerun at the ball diamond or a talent in the arts, this newspaper tries to give credit where credit is due to the young people of Goderich and area. Occasionally we get criticised for this.There are always those who want to know only the bad - who gets picked up by police, who smashed up the family car, who has a baby out of wedlock, who couldn't hold a job. Signal -Star chooses .to ignore as much of that as possible. When you get right down to it, those incidents are not news and they are not by any stretch of the imaginatiiin representative of the majority behaviour of today's youth. For•the most part, yoturg people are sensitive, warm-, caring, capable, contributing persons of whom everyone can be proud. So altlioughthe new honors program at OWNA is for the outstanding ... and there's a plate for that ... I'm asking you night here and nook to salute the average kid Who owing up in your neighborhood. Give him or her your support and your co- operation. Look for tire value in the youth and you won't be disappointed. cath wooden