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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-09-23, Page 40 PAGE4-GODERICBSIGNAL-STAR, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1981 dave sykes eNA tte:0°e ree *Is 4'C A BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second class mail registration number -0716 J I am quickly coming to the conclusion that children are as difficult to understand as women. The key to understanding women, I have deduced although my experience is limited, is not to try and understand them at all. The minute men try to pry into a woman's mind, is about the time they lose all understanding of the subject. The same theory, I maintain, can apply to children. If the child is of the female variety, it simply adds to the dilemna. I have the good fortune to live with both a woman and child. One being my wife and the,. other, Bradley, an offspring thereof. Considering my child is male, I was presumptuous enough to believe that our relationshipwas a solid bond between the men folk of the family. A kind of intangible understanding between dad and son. There was nothing in our relationship to indicate anything to the contrary. I crawl around on the floor amusing the little fellow, SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GO.DERICH & DISTRICT r founded 1n 1141 and published ever Y 4ednesdoy at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver- tising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance 97.50 In Canada. 95.00 to U.S.A., 95°00 to all other coun- tries, single copies 50'. Display advertising rates available on request. Meese aro for Rat* Card No. 10 effective Oc- tober 1, 1q0. Second class mail 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 an- plicable rate. In the event of o typographical error advertising goods or services ata wrong price. Foods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star 1s not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- poses- .•. PUBLISHED BY:SIGNAL-STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRiER-President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor • P.O. BOX 220, tee aet HUCKINS ST. GO INDUSTRIAL PARK 5GODERICt'I N7A 486 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 b we converse with each other making the, neatest noises with our mouths and noses, blow bubbles, contort our faces into ugly, but obviously funny shapes, play jumpy - jumpy, watch sports on television together, give the little gaffer horsey rides, throw him around, let him rip my nose, lips and other facial parts off during play sessions and... well, readers can judge that we generally have a darn good time: And on occasion, dad would allow the little guy to guck up mom's clean mirrors with his slobbery hands and he got the biggest kick out of reading the newspaper with yours truly. The paper, naturally, would be torn into shreds and the wee guy's hands turned black, which has prompted mom to place a ban on playing newspaper. Moms ,somewhere along the line, inherit a penchant for outlawing all the good things in life. But, as all the- above evidence would in- dicate, young Bradley seemed quite content with life and relied on his father for much of his entertainment and amusement. And, in all modesty, I would wager that my nasal sounds and facial contortions, are among the best produced by any dad. At least the response would substantiate that bold claim. Last week, however, mother and the little guy packed up all their necessary belongings and spent the week•at grandma's place. After a gruelling week at work, dad was to join them on the weekend. ° Following a week on my own there was a definite eagerness to return to the routine of frolick with the youngster and in his ab- sence, I had practiced some nifty new sounds and expressions. It's the Jeast dads can do. Imagine my excitement as•I speculated on the reception this expanded . repertoire would receive. Frivolity would abound.. But, to my amazement, as I appraoched young Bradley and dazzled him with some opening moves that would have most babies reeling In fits of laughter, he simply offered a solemn stare in return. Despite an unimpeded glimpse of this pleasing visage, his lower lip dropped to his chest, he began to wail and a tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. He didn't remember dear old dad As purported earlier; :l:%ti se bits, children can be as difficult to .derstand as women. This same alluring litt_e boy, who can turn his dad to jelly with a cute grin, had managed to deflate his father's ego. im- measureably with one negative reaction. A somewhat despondent dad had to resort to proven methods, familiar noises and actions, and the little guy was responding in anticipated fashion within minutes. I refuse to attemtp to understand women and children. Rafild-Otould.. stay The decision by Transport Canada to leave hundreds of miles of lakeshore unprotected during much of October should not sit well with most lakeshore communities. For several years, the Canadian Coast' Guard has been an integral pajrof the boating scene along Lake Huron,. ensuring that safe boating procedures are .followed, en- suring that those requiring assistance, get proper help. Those goals have been ably maintained by the crew of the Rapid, stationed in. Goderich. - The Rapid, however, has been decommissioned and will no longer service the needs of the Canadian Coast Guard and the boating public. At the end of the season the Rapid :was to leave for Prescott, homebase, andgo up to crown_ assets and possibly be sold to another federal department. Transport Canada has arbitrarily pulled the Rapid out of commission early and the crew has orders to be in Prescott by the middle of October. The orders mean the crew will pull out of Snug Harbor around October 7 in order to meet the Prescott arrival date. . That decision will leave the area from Sarnia to Tobermory virtually unprotected, although a boat in Tobermory can be used for backup. For the most part, pleasure craft are out of the water by October, but there are exceptions, some adventurous and daring `sailors. During the fall, however, fishing ventures both of a commercial and sport nature, increase dramatically. There will still be sufficient traffic on the lake to warrant the presence of the Coast Guard. If it, is simply a cost-cutting measure, it isa poor one. The Rapid's stay in Goderich has been drastically cut this year. The cutter did not arrive in harbor until June, a full month behind the schedule of 1980 and now it will leave a month earlier. The length of service is dwindling and. it could have drastic consequences during a time of year when the weather is uncooperative and as unpredictable as the lake.. Last year the Rapid was pressed into service October 18 to rescue a group of fishermen from the chilly waters at the mouth of Maitland River. The crew was alerted by personnel aboard the Algoway and within 15 minutes the fishermen were picked up: One died a few days later, but without the efforts of the coast guard, it would be easy to speculate that he would have died in the water. There is a great deal of commercial traffic on Lake Huron and the presence of the Coast Guard would be most welcome. The Rapid will be replaced by a -small, faster boat that is being constructed in preparation for its debut. The new ship will be 25 feet shorter and lighter while suited to the demands of rescue work. The crew will. -be cut in half next, year with ap- proximately five men required to run the rescue operation. If there is a definite and demonstrated need for the services of the coast guard along Lake Huron, then groups and citizens have to make their requests known. Con- servative MP, Murray Cardiff, said he would personally hate to see the Rapid leave early adding there could never be enough ships available for rescue operations: There can be no price tag on safety and the fickle waters of Lake Huron offer no guarantees on safe passage this time of year. D.S. The battle will begin There will finally be a Supreme Court ruling on the fate of the constitution, ending months of speculation. The nine justices will render the verdict, five months after eight provinces have .presented their arguments. Only the provinces of Orittirio and New Brunswick did not oppose the patriation of. the constitution. The patriation of the British North America Act would also include an amending formula and a new charter of rights. But the verdict of the Supreme Court will not be the end of the fight for a Canadian constitution. If approval is given to Trudeau's formula, the package • would be debated in Parliament when the House of Commons resumes sitting on October 14. But the con- stitution battle Ls far from over. Both the provinces and Trudeau, have vowed to fight the d cis ion if it is not favorable. All it means is a renewed battle between provincial and federal governments. D.S. • Fleeting beauty By Cath Wooden 41. EAR BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER REA For those of us who don't understand the ins and outs of economics, it was encouraging last week to see the interest rate dropping a bit and t'he Canadian dollar going up a little.. I'm probably like many other Canadians who watch those two indexes with rapt attention. But I admit I don't fully understand all the im- plications of their changing status. • I only know I feel better when the Canadian dollar is worth more in relation to the. American dollar .... and when the prime borrowing rate, goes down. And I do enjoy keeping an eye on stock market trends. I find you don't have to understand everything to be entertained and informed. The stock markets have been in a slump for a while,now, and investors are getting a bit edgy. What does all this mean? 1 don't have a clue, except that I get the distinct impression that it all indicates something is happening in Canada that could be the beginnings ofa turnaround. Some economists were even making some rather cautious but positive statements late last week. And we haven't heard many of those in the last month o r so. I get the feeling some of it has to do with the loud complaining of Canadian homeowners who say they are caught in a financial nightmare as ,they prepare to renegotiate the mortgages on their°homes. • The squeaky wheels always get the grease, I know, but in this casethe squeak was more like the scream of a jet engine. Ear splitting. Everyone's talking about it. And everyone's afraid. Peter Trueman is one of my favourite jour- nalistsof late. Peter says it like it is, but in my opinion, he toooften climbs to the negative side of the bandwagon. His vision for the positive seems a little clouded at times. In fact last week, Peter commented one of his listeners had actually challenged him on that very thing. He said one man suggested to him that instead of railing against the government because mortgage rates Were high and some folks were losing their large suburban homes, he might be pointing . to the truth that many Canadians who managed their money well during the • past few years are living in com- fortable homes with mortgages that are paid, near paid or entirely within reason. And Peter; reluctantly and a bit grudgingly, agreed. But he hastened to add that he himself is not unlike a good many Canadians who want the best that life can offer. Right now. Still, he did ask a pointed question ... the same one some of the fighting few°have been asking for a while now. Are the majority of Canadians expecting too much out of life in the Canada of today? A while back, Peter Trueman told his listeners he'd been abroad to parts of Asia. And whefi he returned, he admitted that with all its faults, Canada is still the best place in the world to live. It's true, too. We have a large country, a great country, - a wealthy country. We're a young country with a few identity problems and some historical squabbles to resolve, but essentially We're better off than most where it counts - plentiful resources and lots of space to grow. Life here cm► ue as good as we want to make it.. It will require more patience than most Canadians have developed to date. And it will demand a fewmore hardships and some more sacrifices than we're used to enduring. But for those who are willing to pay the price, limitless opportunity awaits. With some good old pioneer spirit and . some plain common sense, success for people of all ages and every walk of lifeis very possible and highly probable. Canada never was and still isn't a soft en- vironment. It's no place for those who need to be pampered with perennial sunlight and easy living. It has always taken guts and stamina to live in Canada ... and things aren't going to change fora long time yet. Canada is 'a place for those who like a really tough challenge ... not just an apprenticeship for a year or two in some preppy fraternal organization. . Canada is for people liwho thrive on contrast. Whether it's a biting east wind driving tons of snow ... or a babbling brook over sun -warmed pebbles ... true Canadians can adjust and accept what is in store. For a while now, Canadians have lost sight of what it means when we sing, "With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the true north, strong and free°" That's no picnic in the park but a passionate pledge to dig in,stand up and be counted. Just as soon as we stop whining and revert back to -the adventurous, vigorous stalwarts we need to be in this punishing but promising land, we'll find the keys to unlock all the riches that are ours for the taking as Canadian citizens. "Turn on the heat!" suggested a friend at lunchtime today. "'No way, Hozay!" I answered. "The heat doesn't go on until November 1 at the very soonest." Then I put on my third pair of socks. I like a lot of socks. They are cheaper than heating bills. It is now autumn. Fall. Why is it that this season is the only one with two names' By any name, I like this quarter of the annum. I cling to it like lint to a sweater. Perhaps it is the innate fear that the winter coming will be the biggie - the one that never ends. The one which will cause us all to grow a thick fur all over our bodies so that we can adapt to the finality of the frigidity. I wouldn't like that, I think not. That's the problem with autumn. We think of it as a transitory time, not a season unto itself. Poor autumn. It is left in a struggle to establish an identity for itself. No wonder it can't even decide on a name. And so, autumn forces us to pay attention to it. It stuffs goldenrod and ragweed up our noses and turns milkweed into exploding grenades. Autumn is hell for people with deviated septums. Ah, but it knows how to woe us too. The leaves, hitherto gone unnoticed since spring suddenly vie for their rightful place ih our sight lines. "Oooh," we exclaim. "Ahh." Then, without warning, they drop upon our grass. Autumn is hell for people with large. lawns. And the elements. Don't forget the elements. Everyday the weatherman delivers his pack of lies and everyday the elements jockey for position. The wind whips up and we put on the storm windows. The rains bear down and ruin the beans. The clouds .loom overhead and we cancel the horseback riding date on the weekend. And the sun comes nut on Monday afternoon when we're stuck at work. Autumn even graces us• with two festive days for•our very own, Thanksgiving and Halloween. One is for killing turkeys and eating them and the other is for eating candy full of additives and Red Dye No.2. It even gives us certain sports for the season. While some of us are still lingering in the days of summer baseball, or jumping into the winter game of hockey, football becomes dominant on every channel. Football is just like autumn. Rough. Growly. It makes you want to wear a helmet. Despite its rather gloomy image, autumn definitely makes an impact on our lives. No matter how we look at it, it is the beginning of the cycle. We never completely throw away thatfeeling Of 'starting over' that we had as kids beginning new grades at school every fall. It is the natural time of year for making resolutions. I don't make them on January 1. Thdt's a stupid time to make resolutions because itis already winter and nobody ever does anything productive in the winter. But the fall, that's another story. You can do all those things you wanted to do in the summer but it was too hot so you drank beer instead. In the fall, I always jog and exer- cise and stuff. And I always quit all my bad habits that have served to cloud my existence for the previous three seasons. The result of the whole business is that my mind gets sharp enough by the end of autumn to recognize how hard to deal with life really is, so I take up all my nasty vices again with a renewed vigor. And by Christmas, my body shape is acceptable enough to gorge myself on all that groovy food with gusto instead of guilt. And thus the cycle continues..,. T.'s nice to have that insight into the scheme of things. But it doesn't change anything. I'm not turning the heat on until November 1. And I'rn going to the Met tonight to buy more socks.