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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-12-26, Page 41 t'. PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26,1984 DAVE SYKES Each and e ery year about this time, col- umnists, politig.. hacks, magazine writers and daily and w kly scribes put their pens to work on the ann .1 New Year's piece. Oh they may babe.e on retrospectively, rehashing the more ne y events of the past year and their relevan to the Canadian way of life. Add a dash o clysis ancj the idea can . be strung out o er several paragrpahs. Or perhaps, those more cla'rvoyant in nature will take the events of a past year and convert them into stunningly accurate predictions for the new year. It's done with increasing regularity. But that's exactly the point being made here. Both, those retrospective pieces on the news of the past year and those dealing with speculative events, can be found in numbers in any fine publication. And need I bore you with an equally uninteresting list of resolution, outlining vague self-improvement policies for the coming year. Do you really care if I habitually miss the hamper with soiled isocks and underwear or that with great per- sonal sacrifice I will endeavor to put an end to annoying habits. We all have our tales of woe. Ostensibly, these year-end grey bits are more cerebral in nature and will, no doubt, provide a new and compelling perspective on life and the events that shape It. Anyone can make grandiose and'amazing- ly inaccurate predictions for the coming year. Public apologies make good material for future columns and tend to elevate the status of the writer in the eyes of the reader. It's so trendy to admit to making mistakes. Well not of that for me. This space is offer- ing, for the first time anywhere, genuine - simulated predictions for the year 1984. And I will boastfully lay claim to a 50 per cent ac- curacy rate. So here goes. I predict that in 1984: That two teams would again play for the World Series, regarded as the baseball chamPlonship of the world, and the team that does not come from a major city where cars are made, would lose. That an aging American politician would lose an election to a man old enough to be his father. , That an aging American politician old enough to be most people's grandfather would not lose the election to a man young enough to be his son. That a dismal excuse for an NHL hockey team in a major Ontario city would profuse- ly apologize te the public for mmquerading as a hockey team and refund all monies foolishly spent on tickets to games. That a team from a Canadian city would again win the Grey Cup. That the winner of the summer Liberal popularity contest would turn out to be the biggest fall loser. That Ed Broadbent would niake his 112th moral victory speech before a packed Oshawa assembly line. That a man with a voice deeper than Lorne Green's would make a genuine and sincere appeal to the Canadian public to pro- vide funds to seal his drafty home, high on a hill overlooking the nation's business. That Wayne Gretzky would againwin the Stanley Cup all by himself but magnanimously offer to share the prize with team-mates, whom he would lavish praise upon while donwplaying his own achievements. That a man named Bill would retire to spend more time with his children who are all grown up now and living elsewhere. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded in 1848 and published every Wednesday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Subacriptions payable in advance '20.95, (Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card number regeired) in Canada, '55. to U.S.A., '55. to all other countries, Single copies 50¢. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographicarerror, 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 bo paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertiaing goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertiaing is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. S H RI ER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES - Editor P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GOOERICH, ONT. N7A 4813 Member *CNA a Ps. Second class mail registration number 0716 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone (5191524-2514 New regulations sound Public awareness and education may be the answer to getting the message across to the masses that society frowns upon the drinking driver. It is becoming increasingly clear that the practice willnot be tolerated in the same manner. No one is particularly fond of regulations, government -imposed or otherwise. But, a re- cent move by Consumer and Commercial Relations Minister, OR. Robert Elgie to amend the regulations of the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario that would in effect curtail happy hours in bars and hotels, is a regulation we can live with. Basically, happy hours were specified periods of time when both beer and liquor were offered at discount prices. In some cases it was two for the price of one or a cut rate was offered on the second drink. •The .practice initiated a rather competitive situation in many places as bars, restaurants and hotels now had to compete in an area where price wars were seldom, if ever, heard of. For the consumer, it meant that, in some cases, twice as many drinks could be pur- chased for the same dollar. That offer would invariably lead consumers to purchase drinks in pairs and since the offer was usually only in effect for a few hours, drink more in less time. An amendment to the regulations will now put an end to the happy hour in Ontario and while the imposition of more government regulations is not pallatable in a democracy, the ban may have a noticable effect in preventing the loss of live and personal injury. Discounted drinks may not necessarily lead to increased consumpt4on, but it does ,iothing to discourage drinking before driving. During the holiday season, many municipal police forces and provincial detachments of the OPP will be conducting spot checks all over the province. Last year the OPP checked 127,000 drivers over the Christmas and New Year holiday and found one driver in every 100 to be impaired. Be careful over the New Year holiday and play it safe. Happy New Year to all The celebration of the beginning of a new year is something special. The start of a new calendar year often serves as the beginning of something new, dif- ferent and often, personal. Traditionally, New Year's has been a time for reflection, a time for a retrospective look on our lives over the past 12 months. And so it leads to personal resolutions aimed at self-improvement. To at least contemplate and do something positive about our personal lives is a step in the right direction. Take that step at New Year's and promise to do something of value for yourself this year. You'll like yourself better for it The Goderich Lions Club held their annual Christmas party for Queen Elizabeth School students last Thursday morning. Sitting on Santa's knee are Judy Horne and Shelly Lamont. Standing behind him, left to right, are Kevin deGraaf, Tina Hessels, Karen Woodall and Patricia Kelly. The Lions Club has been supporting the school with Christmas parties and milk for snack break every morning for the past 25 years. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) POSTSCRIPT JOANNE BUCHANAN er writing onlya handful of columns, I already find myself facing a dilemma which • most columnists find themselves facing at one time or another. I can't think of a single thing to write about! When I first agreed to produce a weekly column, I swore this would never happen to me. As my friends will tell you, I can talk non-stop on a variety of subjects. But talk- ing about things and writing about them are , two different matters. Part of the problem is that I just wrote my last column two short days ago. I usually need at least a week to fire up my brain and think of a topic. But because of the Christmasiiollday, we have to put the paper together early and that means Iess time than ever to become "inspired". The harder 1 try to think of a topic, the big- ger my mental block grows. It's like when you have insomnia. The more you think about not being able to go to sleep, the wider • awake yoti become. I complained to editor and veteran col- umn writer Dave Sykes about my problem. "I can't think of a thing to write about. 1 don't want to do this any more." He merely laughed. "Don't worry. It get's worse," he said in his consoling manner. "Just cone up with something to fill that space:" So, to make a long story short–which 1 think I've already failed to do—I have decid- ed to use this space to make my big an- nouncement. As of January 1, I will no longer be a part of the Goderich Signal -Star news team. However, I will still be wonting for the Signal -Star Publishing company. My new job will be as editor of Focus newsmagazine and its ,sister publication in Bruce County, Topic newsmagazine. Now I'm going to get all mushy and sen- timental and admit to you that I'm really going to miss the Goderich paper. After almost eight years of helping to produce it each week, I feel like it's a part of me. I started working here in 1977 as soon as I graduated from college. Learning the job turned out to be a "trial by fire". As many of you may recall, it .was the town's big ses- quicentennial year and Jeff and Dave and I had so many events to cover, that we were nearly run off our feet! In a few short weeks, I went from barely being able to load a camera to learning how aginable, from obituaries and weddings to hospital board and police commission. Eventually, it all came together though and I soon found my niche in feature writing. I particularly liked meeting and writing about interesting people in the community—and believe me, there is no shortage of interesting people here in little old Goderich! Now, with my` new job, I will be doing more of this feature writing, only on a larger scale. My territory will include all of Huron and Bruce Counties and I know I'm going to find still more fascinating people out there ( if you have any suggestions for stories I Might do, please don't hesitate to give me a call). While it is going to take some time and ad- justment to disassociate myself from the Goderich Signal -Star as I move all the way across the room to a different desk, I am looking forward to facing some new hallenges in 1985. to develop eight rolls of film in two canrsters_I at the same time. I took so many pictures Oh, and by the way, I'm still going to be that Jeff started calling me Cecil B. DeMille writing this column for the Goderich paper ( unfortunately it was t ickname 'Scoop' un '1 my replacement–whomever that may which eventually stuck). I had thought that writing would be my on- wit ly task but 1 soon learned that on a weekly fac newspaper, a reporter does a bit of agar everything—photography, darkroom work, Ha paste-up, public relations, copy editing and And writing on just about every subject im- drivj eels comfortable enough to take over a column of his or her own. So I may the dilemnn of what to write about in the near future. .But let's hope not. e a safe and happy New Year's Eve. member: If you drink, please don't We are leaving some good and bad things behind when we tear off the last daily pages in the 1984 calendar, but more depressing is the awareness that a great many old events, attitudes and situations will accompany us and continue to affront us tnroughout the year carrying a new number. Here are a few things I find personally in- creasingly more difficult to swallow. The top item is the cheap, self-serving, low- grade rhetoric of too many politicians on all levels. It reveals an amazing lack of truly realistic thinking and assessment. The peo- ple are no fools. Sooner or later we can suc- cessfully add two and two on our own. We live in an age of sophisticated satellites and highly developed computers. We are surrounded by fast and intense com- munication systems. Our homes and businesses are open to the benefits of moder ii techrrology. Only our politicians are Still far behind on the old trails of outdated backroom methods and silly attempts to sell us the idea that black is white. It is not good enough to complain about apathy. It is necessary for politics to leave the spirit of long gone decades and for politi- cians to become credible, interesting and relevant for the purposes of our modern thinking. The second item on list of objec- tionable phenorhena is the growing tenden- cy pf pressure groups to wish to determine what other individuals may or may not do, read or watch in their private lives. These noisily virtuous busybodies seem to be on a constant crusade of meddling in other peo- ple's private affairs instead of concen- trating on perfecting their own. While participation and interest in public institutions, projects and policies is healthy and constructive and ought to be encourag- ed, there is- n excuse• whatever for in- terference in private individuals' personal lives and choices of any kind. Not of a du'ectly personal i ture,.there are other newly established trends N)f restriction, suppression and control in the _l areas of free human relationships. The fran- tic desire to eliminate offensive discrimina- tion often creates new forms of reverse discrimination. The zealous efforts to remove outdated stereotypes frequently end in more rigid and ridiculous new ones. In- stead of levellbng with the public honestly and clearly, a number of agencies seem to be possessed of an urge to conceal the hard facts behind a screen of "doublespeak" fit--"— tered with euphemisms. This ant much more enters the new year on our heels,• cluttering our path. Many of us. keep our boxing gloves ready, in order to de- fend carelessly treated freedoms when they need a friend. If you find me a little melancholy today, it, is only because I have lost an old and gracious friend. After twenty six years of in- viting children and many adoring adults) into his castle, the Friendly Giant has taped his last episode. The drawbridge will not be lowered again and the chairs "to curl up in" remain empty. There was comfort and security in the rituals of Friendly's pals Rusty and Jerome who had no need to resort to the mindlessly friantfc banality of many ordinary children's shows. When the CBC ax `fell on th1� gentle, literary and friendly scene,. it become a symbol of what might be ahead? Mulroney versus the Friendly Giant? Putting these slightly awkward thoughts firmly behind me I am ready for the New Year, wishing every one of the readers con- tinued peace and renewed happiness in 1985. EELSA.HAYD A