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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-01-05, Page 4its G Meekly toil on this paper hes its desperate moments, like flow, for the moat .L r iyaleporting for iiyduty. a ; Perhaps may q :t„Plateraant somewhatand suggest that this correspondent doesn't particularly mind reportingfor duty, rather than enjoys. It:. has been purported that happiness is a state of Mind anti sincecareers, and jobs cenuumg Much of one's lite, happiness on , the job nah obviously makelife easier. Or conversely,.' a pergon disatisfi : , with his -tedious tell is for years 9f misery. Not Only does it help your attitude to love your job, but'It is also good for your health. No doubt we've all had jobs we've disliked and on, many occasions. you "probably lied about ilnesses, disease and symptoms to get J- - out of going to work. It happens to everyone at sometime. The problem is much more prevalent in• • the work nfore: y,b,,anaeoi migyht apct0,0On0 Canadians will not rep4rfor work Many o#',those "not re €or d y will have legitimate illnesses but til aIlleibritt will supply be si andtired pf their obs. • It's notUuncomurion for people 'lobe bored with their work but a study released.by the U,: ted Nations' International Labour Office suggests that boring work ,Can also be WSW severely damagingto your th, ..Membbee.rs of the work force involved in Stress tads exeoutives,.bu work, ,8t1 lated'to Product ern .19441r4tathran , fatfgge. ,abdoirnal disorders:; ._ eEg fid; kt aey.djseases and hate to have afl e R 'eme ° job Whi a stimulatie the problem, "workers with bo; g jobs also suffer from insecurity -a feeling yy; ° threatened by conditions beyo^ Control, simple, monotonous and refititive jobs were - berlf! naw, yic Theto pas .; o �iie' Ost. tediou ' will. mount until the body and; bre rime candidates for ,phis ca s f mi P • emotional- exhaustion. People working . executive positions, jobs which require. s tough depsion, making under pies ore ,. o fi a daily:`basis, are less 'likely to Sifter from boredom andthe:accompanyutg maladies.: Which would ::lead. , this agent to suspect unableto cope and i"line. ss isthe results Soon adayacross the count more typical work r ,,,. ry "than 300,400 people beg off work, but oftheinactuallyliaise'a'legitimatesickne .: Theprovinetal governiiie„nit, in a.:study�on.',. that physical and emotignal exhaustion are absenteeism; found, that people t lh, dul net looming large on the medical horizon. jobs are more likely to stay homefrom worri • R3 ' Of course,, abs, civflservants bu that' results in n des my Y view se aay pi, twee, It is. seldom tha this: 0(4140 41 writer f ... work. I manage, despite illness,, work: each day, buttbatis npt'tos I actually engage: once;inthe building,: Companies, have done ever, 9 : or r t0*0 a e son w . _. r en „alter.� more enjoyable.Mu,* isp1ay,,ed,,emPloyee take ,oxer cue bred 'and,;some ata offeel • incentives I just Auks:, naps at work, It semis relieve theboredom. . CNA. BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1979 Second class mail registration number -0716 SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH &-DISTRICT 4 founded In 1010 and published every Wednesday et tloderich. Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Ads/m.- rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance 90.N In Canada, °50.00 to N.S:A.. •SI.N to all other count- • tries. single copies SOc. Display advertising rotes available on request. Please ask for Pate Cord No.13 effective Or. ,ober 1. 19112. Second class mall Registration Number 0710. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that Inthe event of typographical' error. the advertising space Occupied by the erroneous Item. together with reasonably.'" allowance for signature. w111 not be charged for but shot balance of the advertisement will be paid for at therm- • pllcable rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at wrong price. await or services may, not be sold. Advertising 1s merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Stanal•StorIs not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts. photos,,or other materlals 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, HUCKINS-ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 A slowrecovery Peering into the twelve months which lie before us,. there are few indicators pointing toward great good cheer: Although the financial experts disagree on the precise levels of economic behaviour,' none of them are truly optimistic. In fact, most of them are not even sure that the current slump has hit bottom yet. Those who predict that good times will come bouncing back in the next few months are in a decided minority. It appears probable that economic recovery will be a slow process, spread over several years rather than a few ninths. In times such as these, residents of smaller com- munities like ours are fortunate by comparison with our neighbours in the big cities. We do, of course, have many people going through anxious times right now having lost jobs temporarily, or permanently, but the cost•of survival is considerably lower than in those areas where housing is desperately expensive. The depressing aspect of the whole situation lies m the knowledge that there is little or nothing we can do as in- dividuals to improve the economic climate. Big government has assumed such a, pervading role in our society that we have become helpless pawns and financial victims of unwise government investments. The more than $600 million which the Ontario government poured into a minority holding in an oil company "would have been better spent on projects which would create jobs or, for example, to reduce sales tax on the goods we must purchase. In a survey completed last week the Organization for,, Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) placed. Canada at the bottom of the list of 24 member countries, a pretty sad commentary on a nation which is blessed with natural wealth and a very small population to • make demands on those tremendous resources., The survey also predicts that Canada's gross national product, which is the most reliable barometer of the ' economic weather, would climb by only one and one quarter percent during 1983. The OECD says that Canada's unemployment figure will remain at about 13 per cent, one of the highest rates in the 24 countries sur- veyed. High levels of taxation, particularly those levied at the - point of sale, discourage retail sales of consumer goods, thus lowering demand for workers in the manufacturing sector. For this reason the funds normally made available for investment in new equipment and plant expansion have dried up. 'v There will, of course, be an eventual upturn. Cars and clothing do wear out. Families must be fed and housed, so the manufacture and sale of the necessities of life will have to return to normal somewhere down the road. The big question is: how far away is that turning point? The right to work A group of Roman Catholic Bishops rocked the Canadian business world this week after offering 'a somewhat scathing critique _ of the government's. economic policy. ,The report was prepared by a special eight -member bishops commission for social affairs and essentially the report attacks the government's handling of the recession. The report met with mixed reaction and was rebuked by Emmett Cardinal Carter. The business community also refused to buy the report and one business leader, while conceding the church had a right to make ,comment on the economy, suggested the bishops were treading on unfamiliar turf. The document, released at the end of 1982, was meant to spark some debate. The bishops have, in effect, con- demned the manner in which the government is handling the current recession, . and the report has since en- couraged much debate and conversation on the matter. The eight bishops on the Canadian Catholic Conference of bishops commission suggested the government fight unemployment before fighting inflation and criticized the government's wage restraint program as benefitting only the wealthy in Canada. The bishops claim that the government's six and five wage restraint program is not an equitable solution and that the program does not give the poor priority over the rich. The bishops believe that they have a responsibility to • express themselves on the matter saying the weaker citizens of Canada- the poor and unemployed -were getting a rough deal from the government,- In that light, one bishop said it was the responsibility of the church•to ex- press itself and ask that a more just society be con- structed. - The present system is more oriented towardsthe preservation of profit but the bishops say they are not, against profit as an incentive. Profits should not, however, have priority over the ' needs of working people, the bishops argued while claiming that meaningful employment is a basichuman right. Our system,however, isn't organized along those same lines. ' They raise an interesting point though, the thought that meaningful employment is a basic right. At one time owning a home was considered a basic Canadian right, but now, it is more of a luxury than a. right. Must we consider meaningful employment in the same categoi y. Despite criticism the bishops have defended their statements claiming that every Canadian has the right to have a job and share creative activity. We may have rights, but, they aren't being exercised fairly at the moment. If the bishops were attempting to solicit opinion and debate orturn attention to the jobless, then their document has done its job: . On the brisk of lunacy Any doubts that the nations of the world were not on the brink of lunacy have been dispelled by the release of a study on the world's military expenditures, says the Exeter Times -Advocate.. The report indicates that more than a million dollars a minute is being spent on arms. Thenuclear stockpile now - exceeds 50,000 weapons. Spending per soldier world wide, averages $19,300, but aT only $380 is spent per child for education. For every 100,000 people in the world -there are 556 soldiers and 85 doctors. In 32 countries governments spend more for military purposes than for education and health care combined. Nuclear missiles can go from Western Europe to Moscow in six minutes but the average rural housewife in Africa must walk several hours a day for the family's water Supply. Waiting By, Dave Sykes DEAR -READERS SHIRLEY KELLE=R If you are like most people I know,- you are experiencing some mixed feelings this., week. Glad the old year is history .... hoping the new year is better. Happy to get on with a new phase of your life ...., sorry that some good things are over. It's a tune of highs and lows ... and of course, predictions for the future. Fhea�an5n "°'` hispronoun= cements for 1983'. He say's Pierce Elliott Trudeau will finally 'retire during this year and become a world figure ...: and that his replacement will be tall, ,good looking and grey -headed, a John Turner type. This prophet claims Joe Clark will "be retired" this year ..:, and that President Ronald Reagan will die from an "explosion around the, head". wearing a mauve robe in or around his bathroom. He even issued a warning to Premier Bill Davis to be careful getting.to and from work dur' g the first three months of this new year. ' Here the economy is concerned, he feels 1983 s going to be a decent year in Canada:... and he isn't about to agree with the gloomy prediction some economists are making that a full-fledged depression is imminent, probably about 1985 or 1986. He also declines confirmation of a nuclear war in the foreseeable future ... although he does suggest that atmospheric changes are likely. When you get right down to it though, you discover thatnothing much has changed with the passingof the old year. The unresol�ied problems of the ast 12 months are still there ... and .the • solutions aren't any more readily available this year than last. It isn't surprising then at this time of year for - people to get the blues. haeme across a column recently that listed some of the ways the blues get a toe -hold. Here's a partial list: - ' - while heading to the washroom in the middle of . the night, you miss the doorway and hit the wall. - your doctor wants to take xrays and won't tell you why. - the weather forecast says the storm will con- tinue. • • - you pour a bowl of cereal, open the fridge and find you don't have any milk - you trip in a store, turn around, and fail to find a hole or bump. - you watch the news. - the largest bird you ° ever saw bakes a deposit on your windshield. - your favorite TV show is cancelled. The same column contained some advice about what you' do when you get depressed: - - you eat everything in sight. - you sigh every few minutes. - you go and spend money youdon't have. you watch a sad movie so you have a good excuse to cry. - you takea long walk in the storm. • .„ you listen to sornetine else'sproblems because your own don't so bad after that. • - you use words like dreadful and boring to describe your day: -you stare at the walls a lot. But most cases of the blues last only a few hours. Von start 'to feel better when: ° - you find a penny on the ground. . - you get a flower from someone anonymous: ' . - you make it through a Whole day withb'ut get- • ting a holeyour pantyhose. -.a child hugs you. — -.a friend that,moved away comes-0to visit ° - you make someone laugh. you smile more than you frown: - you have a, good checkup at the dentist." - - someone says "I love you". The object of all this is simply to-remind'•each ' of you'that you are normal if you have little touts of depression ... if you. are buoyant one moment and flat as a pancake the. next. That's all part -of - living, especially at this time of year when the „anticipation and excitement of the holidays is past and there's only several months of snow and,. ice to look forward to before the Easter break `. and Spring. ` Rut itcan be easier on you and all those you; meet if you keep a stiff upper. lip and' show .'a. positive ,attitude in most of life's day -today situations.� As itis written: Th will pass. Date of Jesus' birth is unknown says Barney Dear Editor, All the standard en- cycloas and reference works g that the date of Jesus' birthis unknown and that the churches borrowed the date of December 25 from the Romans, along with their customs and festivities. Here are some typicul comments: "The ec- clesiastical calendar retains numerous remnants of pre - Christian festivals - notably Christmas, which . blends elements including both the feast of the Saturnalia and the birthday of Mithra." (Encyclopedia Britannica) "It is usually held that the day (December 25) was chosen to correspond to Aram pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the 'rebirth of the sun'. (Encyclopedia Americana) "On this day (December 25), as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees Of Mithra celebrated the birth- day of the invincible sun." (New Catholic En- cyclopedia) Saturnalia was a, seven- day Roman festival running from December 17 to 24, held in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The festival was marked. by boisterous feasting, drinking, mer- rymaking, dancing, gift- giving and the decorating of homes with' evergreens. December 25, the birthday of Mithra the sun-god, original ly "the Babylonian god of light, became the climax of the week long celebrations. In dii effort to make con- verts of the pagans and to .win back those fallen over to Such worldly practices, the Roman Church, in the mid- dle of the fourth century, 'Christianized' Mithra's bir- thday and adopted the date r and customs, bolt designated „ it as a celebration of the birth Of Jesus Christ. Thus was born Christmas. Those who want its are welcome to _ it. - Sincerely yours,. C. P. Barney. Got an opinion Write a le t ter to :o the editor todacyl •