Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-12-15, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1982 DAVE SYKES Q 7-; It is difficult to speculate on whether son Bradley's recent surgery left more scars on the parents than the little guy. To be honest, the ordeal was distressing for both parties but the three of us are well into the recuperative stage now. Despite unwarranted pleas to the contrary, medical authorities have assured us that the Sykes family will survive. Bradley was scheduled foe eye surgery Monday, December 13 and in ' the weeks leading up to the operation, Mrs. Sykes and I were actively engaged in giving out preparatory and explanatory talks on the process. Of course, at 20 months of age, the little guy undoubtedly failed to grasp much of the second-hand knowledge we passed along. At that age, kids are not only trusting of their parents, they tend to believe the bulk of information they are fed. Bradley was no exception and he appeared somewhat bored as we regaled his mind with stories of doctors, nurses, hospitals and operations. His attitude was rather nonchalant as if to tell us that he had an understanding of the entire situation that belied his young age. Despite our meticulous understood that he didn't understand. preparation, we After admission to the hospital, the little guy took great delight in examining every room and corner of the hospital as if he was head of an' inspection team. Occassionally he would escape our custody and poke other kids through the bars of the cribs as they lay motionless, trying to get some deserved rest. His enthusiastic intrusipns did not always meet with enthusiastic responses. Like all other parents at the hospital, we played the game of trying to get the child to sleep before slipping away unobtrusively. It tends to gtiminate tearfift goodbyes as the child stands in the crib screaming. 5o all the parents wait and wait and wait and of course -children never go to sleep in hospitals. It's a rule of nature. 5b the scenario eventually develops to the point where parents have to leave the building and as they walk down the hall can hear their child screaming violently while issuing sobbing pleas for mom and dad. It tends to rip your heart out. Despite assurances from nurses'that your child would indeed settle down within minutes of your departure, parents know the score. Nurses are paid to lie and talk in comforting tones. With surgery scheduled for for the first thing in the morning, Mrs. Sykes wanted to be at the hospital before the little guy was wheeled away. On our arrival it was obvious he had been crying wg and mother was 1 t iaai�±w+� convinced to remove her son from this seemingly uncaring"place. Both mother and Bradley were ultimately convinced of the irrationality of their behaviour but it led Mrs. Sykes to remark that no-one could replace a mother's love. But the worst was yet to come. At 8.30 a.m. Bradley was called to meet his masked surgeon. They plopped his tiny frame onto an expansive bed and wheeled him down to surgery as he wailed and flopped about. All through the floor you could hear this frantic little voice yelling, "mom, dad" between screams. Mrs. Sykes was visibly shaken by the whole ordeal and suggested he would never forgive his parents for putting him through such a frightening ordeaL While his eye is still puffy and black and blue, the little guy seems willing to keep us o,l foe a while. Fol the time being anyway. BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1979 Second class. mad registration number -0716 SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT yeunded le UN and published every Wednesday et Ooded ,, Ontario. Mottsbsr of Me CCM* and OWN*. *drear- f teeing rotes on request, Subscriptions payable In advance °1L.55 In Canada, °Wee to U.S.A., * WM to tiffanies went- , tries, single copies Sec. Display advertising rates available on request. please ask for Rate Card No.!3 eNetilve Ot- t *ober 1, 1551. fiecond class mall Registration Number h1*. Advertising Is aewpted on Use condition that In the ✓ event of typographical error, the ahertising spew occupied by the erroneous Nem, tegather with remsenabfe s allowance for dgnsture, will not be elerrad for but that balance of Oho advartbantant will be psi/ for of the p. f /naafis rule. In the event of a typopaphkal error a/vertising goods or services at a wrong print, soadr w servlwe may not be sold. Advertising Is merely en offer to sell, and may he withdrawn at any tine. The Slptal-liter Is net ▪ responsible for the lose or damage of unsolklted manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reprodwan. per - 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, NUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 Who's been had? The Minister of Community and Social Services, Frank Drea, has accused Huron -Middlesex Liberal MPP, Jack Riddell of "being had" by his constituents. The comment came from Drea in the Legislature after Riddell had presented him with a petition on behalf of thousands of area residents protesting the closure of the Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped. Along with the petition, Riddell -presented about 700hand- written letters, most of which were addressed to Drea and Premier William Davis. While at least 235 of the letters were addressed to Drea, he suggested in the Legislature that more than half of them were written by the same person and that the member "had been had." Certainly the members of the union who conducted the letter -writing blitz Saturday, November 27 will rightfully admit that they wrote many of the letters. They were general letters written in protest of the ministry's decision to close the Bluewater Centre. However, while the letters may have been written by a few, they were all signed by concernced citizens, without provocation. The union only spared the people the time it takes to compose a letter of protest. Every letter presented to Drea was signed by a concerned and con- senting adult. The fact that many of the letters may have been authored by the same person is irrelevant. Drep's comment was not becoming of a minister but serves to reflect on the manner in which he announced the closure of six centres across the province. The only people "being had" ere the people affected by the closures in the catchment area. Heading in right direction There is probably a great deal of moaning and groaning among secondary school students following the an- nouncement by Ontario Education Minister Bette Stephenson that there will be more rigid criteria for high school graduates. The days when the student was permitted to select only those courses he or she preferred are over. Under the new plan 30 courses will be required for graduation and of these, 16 will be compulsory, up from the nine currently required. The compulsory courses will include five English, two math and science, plus geography; history, social sciences, physical and health education, arts, business or technological studies. Those who believe that our educational system has been inadequate in recent years, will agree with the choices of compulsory subjects. Under the recommendations of the Hall -Dennis report students were left to develop ac- cording to their own choices. The idea was to bring out the best and most original in the student -to permit the free human spirit to soar. Net result has been a mixture of brilliant and imaginative young adults and spottily educated misfits. The new program, with its high percentage of com- pulsory courses, will impose . quite a bit of unwelcome discipline -but a certain amount of drudgery and self- discipline are facts of life, as so many high school graduates have learned these past few years. The problem now will be to retrain teachers who, themselves, are products of those years of free choice. Many younger teachers may find it difficult to impose standards to which they have not been accustomed. One particular subject appears to be missing from the list of compulsory courses -and that is typing. That skill may be a part of the business course, but in this day and age it should be compulsory from day one -perhaps as early as elementary school. In years gone by typing was a necessary skill only to those who wanted a career in a business office, but that day is gone forever. The typewriter keyboard has become the basic means of access to computers of all kinds, as well as to many machines used in the fields of journalism and science, among many others. • Accurate and swift typing has become just as necessary as handwriting. Indeed, the latter subject has been so poorly taught that typing skills are necessary for many students to communicate intelligibly. It seems apparent that the past 20 years should have taught us that the concept of encouragement for the free and open mind should be retained, but the disciplines and basic working tools of knowledge cannot be cast by the wayside. i Wingham Advance Times) Renewal system will work. well Somewhere it must be written that when the govern- ment does 'something, it has to be confusing. Because of this belief, many people are finding the new plate -to - owner vehicle registration more difficult than it really is. In reality, the new system is quite simple and, believe it or not, logical. On December 1, when the 1983 licence renewal stickers goon sale, Ontario is introducing a new until your next birthday. If you are the current owner of a vehicle, you will retain your present plates and not be issued a new plate. If you sell your vehicle, remove the plates and keep therm for your next vehicle. An invitation to renew will be sent to you approximately 45 days before your renewal date. There will be space to r y-ste w4 ereby-th neee-plates•* of your vehicle will be registered to you, not to the vehicle. , Contrary to popular misconceptions, you will still have the two months grate that you -have always had, -giving _you until February 28 Unpick uenyour_1983xenewal sticker Unlike previous years, however, individual owners wiill not be paying for the period of January 1, 1983 until December, 3i 983;- wilt -pay =€or -tie montlis bet -ween January 1 and the next birthday after June 1, 1983. For example; if your birthday is in October you will pay $40 for10 months. If your birthday is in April, you will pay $64 for 16 months. A You will not have to pay again for a licence renewal sticker until a year from your next birthday. At that trine you will pay the annual fee of $48 for passenger cars. At the time of renewal, your licence sticker will be valid a ate -elianges; whicls-rnuse-betal-enrto-a-idceacc issuing office. Beginning June 1983, you will be denied renewal if you have an unpaid parking ticket or if you have given the ministry a cheque that has not been given bank clearance Via` O f.lnsu1 cTi lent funds. Your nivif to renew will also serve as a reminder -if -you -1 -ve-any-outstand1ngfines for which youmay be denied -renewal. Those fines must be paid at renewal time. There are many benefits to the new system. It should eliminate the long lineups at the local issuing office. The office will also be able to replace lost or stolen permits. Not only will the new system facilitate the collection of parking fines and other unpaid fees, it will eliminate parking tickets or summonses going to former owners. It will also provide a more accurate and up to date record of vehicle registration in the province. ' Happiness is... By Dave Sykes DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER A new old friend brought me a motto for my wall last week. It says: "If the Lord had wanted a permissive society, He would have given us the 10 suggestions." I couldn't help think about that motto as I reviewed the story about the • housewives in Rhode Island who were on strike. Their com- plaint? Not enough appreciation from their husbands. Maybe these girls had a legitimate beef. I don't know. It is true for some women that a steady diet of housework and babysitting can get pretty devastating. And all too often husbands tend to take these services for granted, thinking perhaps it is afterall the role of the female and she must be happy in it. But let's face it. When the first family was established in the Garden of Eden, the wife was destined to be a helper for her husband. It ap- peared from the very beginning the husband was to be master of the house with the wife sub- servient. (Sorry about that ladies. Not my rules but God's. ) And I've noticed that when people stray too far away from the intended plan, it causes all sorts of unnecessary heartache for everybody. The modern woman is a wonder woman when you get right down to it. She often maintains a whirlwind pace, sometimes juggling a fulltime and demanding career along with , complete charge of a bustling household. Is it any surprise then, there's a tendancy on the part of today's woman to take control of things which really are beyond her given authority? Because she needs to be highly efficient and well organized to handle her daily schedule, she sometimes attempts to make all the decisions for the family, leading husband and children around by the noses and meting out discipline to all who fail to comply with her regime. A far cry from Adam and Eve's domicile we talked about earlier eh? - There's another side to the coin too. As women become more assertive, men seem to supress their right to be master of the family. It could be it is simply easier to let the wife and mother take charge. Who needs the hassle of punishing the kids when the little woman gets such a kick out of it? And why rock the boat by vetoing her plans? Peace at any price. That's the safest course of action. But gradually problems crop up that rankle. One day maybe, wife realizes her husband has completely opted out of the responsibility she feels he has around the house. He doesn't seem to care what the kids do and he rarely helps her out in the evening. Or maybe husband suddenly looks at the situation and finds he's relinquished all his authority around the houise. He's miserable because his kids treat him like the nextdoor neighbor and his wife nags at him because he isn't more romantic. When you analyze it more closely though, you begin to see wife and husband have reversed their God-given roles - and this unnatural state of living cripples them from performing as they must to be happy. Few women admire a man who doesn't guide the family - the whole' family - in the meaningful decision making for that home. Few men want a wife who rules with, businesslike efficiency in every situation and fails to yield to his authority at least some of the time. Chances are if the Rhode Island sweeties began to encourage their men to behave like the heads of the household - and that would, of course, mean following their lead and maybe even obeying their decisions - the husbands would naturally be more attentine, more helpful, more involved and maybe, just maybe, more appreciative. I know some women are afraid that if they -lei hubby gettlie upper hand, he'll be a tyrant'. Most of us have known of such marriages where the wife lived in terror of her unreasonable husband who made ridiculous demands on her and the children. That kind of a life was not what was intended for Eve when she was fashioned from Adam's rib. Far from it. One writer has explained it this way: Woman was not taken from man's foot to be trampled by him or from his head to be ruled by him ... but from his side to be near him, from under his arm, to be protected by him and from close to his heart to be loved by him. That's the way it's supposed to be folks ... and it could be that way for most couples if they got a few simple rules straight. But when we get things out of whack - when we make our own regulations because we think the old ones are outdated - we're headed for trouble. As my motto indicates: If the Lord had thought we could order our own lives and be just as happy, He would have given us the 10 suggestions. Drea's remarks should not go unchallenged Dear Editor, I am enclosing an open let- ter to Mr. Frank Brea, M.L.A.,I hope you will be able to publish this as it is in response to some remarks he is reported to have made and had published last week in-ttire+0ndon i"'re Ftelpednweite tl'nuvn —`'`real° lei i ,� i1t await I do not feel his remarks what people wanted to say to your personal hand written should be allowed to go un- you, Bill Davis and the reply, or are secretaries challenged. UabhieT; and we luid-trope alright- for- you - and not -for keeping up with the demand. us? Mese TTcRS Dear Mr. Drea : A volunteer lady one day Wrote down what folks wanted to say There was so much to do She enlisted a crew That's not playing fair says Frank Drea. Yes, Mt. Drea, at least 20 Frank Drea told reporters "I feel only 66 letters are real." I wonder if he will personally Write each a reply, sign and seal. As a writer of one cif the 66 Mr. Drea studies letters with care And did one with another compare But the message they bore He chose to ignore And to meet face to face he won't dare. We are still waiting for "shame" your visit Mr. Drea. For every last name ----Ha vote. ► vote. "All union petitions," Drea gloats Are unworthy of our taking notes B his colleagues cry - 1 1 ,,• r The Huron County Hick, (Potothly Potter. .. Goderich. Thanks for parade Dear Editor, A I would like to take this op- portunity to express my sincere thanks to all those people who helped to make the Santa Claus Parade and Santa's Court a great suc- cess! A special thanks to all those people who worked so hard in preparing floats. This year We had over 50 en- tries which is the largest number to date. Thanks- to 'turn to page 5