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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-10-14, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1987 Sometimes it's easy to get tangled up m the web of life's complexities and to become preoccupied with the day-to-day struggle of making a living and coping. And while we are coping with those ' Herculean struggles that seem to punc- tuate our lives with increasing regularity, we tend to overlook the simplified version of things. Life is complicated, but it can be simplistically beautiful, rewarding and enriching. Thanksgiving is but a day that we tend to drag out each year to launder our altruistic feelings about life. That's just human nature. Sometimes it takes that specific designation for people to stop and think about their lot in life. It's not always easy to view the positive aspects of our existence but be- ing negative about our position is the easy way out. Being progressive is tough sledding when all those about you can find fault with everything. DAVE SYKES There are many things 1 am thankful for and enjoy about life in a small town. For example, I enjoy: The breathtaking view of a glorious sunset over Lake Huron on a still sum- mer evening. A languid walk along wide, tree -lined streets on a crisp autumn day. The view of Goderich from Highway 21 approaching from the North. The fluid and graceful flight of a seagull over the beach. The shimmering reflection of light from a freighter docked in the harbour at night. The tranquility of a walk along the boardwalk connecting the two beaches. Summer concerts in Lions Harobur Park. A walk around the Square with ice cream cone in hand. The fury of November winds whipping waves against the rocks near St. Christopher's Beach. The gong of the clock in the Courthouse building. Sunday morning bike rides with my son along deserted streets. The stately elegance of older, well -kept homes. The colourful history that is part of the heritage of the town and its people. Skipping rocks on the water. Walking up one of the paths leading from the top of the bank to the lakeshore. Knowing names and faces and exten- ding cordial greetings even to those you don't know.. Well -kept parks and resting places. The explosion of colour as the coun- tryside gives way to autumn. A tug boat bobbing on the choppy waters in and around the harbour. The beauty of the flowers planted by the town on The Square and at intersec- tions around town. The squeals of delight emanating from the Judith Gooderham pool and park area in the summer. The formal elegance of the town hall and library buildings. A Goderich Little Theatre production. Taking pictures at minor hockey or baseball games. Going to school productions where children get to display their talents and hard work. Showing off the town to relatives and friends. Driving to work in under five minutes. Trying to find'a vacant parking spot on The Square on Friday afternoons. Walking through the impressive ex- hibits displayed in the leafy retreat of Courthouse Park during the Art Festival. Trying to explain the rationale for' The Square to out-of-town visitors. A stroll through the Pioneer Museurn. Blowing, drifting snow in January and February. The annual Santa Claus Parade in November and fireworks display in July. 0 'mon THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 4B6 othe� 1aAtElT A6L POUND COMMUNITY NtINtVAPEA 1N r�Gder 1 C I Cy1� Y lCvulet an CIese 350045001 C C N A Betio Nov spef a CC^peuoon 1984 / SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded in 1848 and published every Wednesday at Gaderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA, Subscrip- tions payable in advance $23.00, [Senior Citizens $20.00 privilege card number required) in Canada, $60.00 to U.S.A., $60.00 to all other countries, Single copies 60c. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on re- quest. Please ask for Rate Card No. 18 effective October 1, 1987. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with the reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable .ate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or.services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising 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 reproduc- ing purposes. General Manager Editor Advertising Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER DAVE SYKES DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICEelleass-phone1519)524-2614 Second class mail registration Member: number 0716 CCNA VIAI IL. CIACUTATION Competitive spirit at the local level COMFORTING TO KNOW cliASN INGTonl FEEL -5 ACID RAIn) DAMAGE IS �iO MUCH BUNK There's nothing like a sporting event or even allegiance to a team to bring out the com- petitive spirit in people, friendly or otherwise. And that competitive spirit is evident at both the major league level, ( Tiger fans will offer evidence to the fact thane friendly rivalry between themselves and Blue Jay fans exists) and, of course, at the local level. Locally, when established teams in either fastball or slowpitch play each other, a certain rivalry or friendly competition will develop. In slowpitch, inview of the fact there are 24 teams, that type of rivalry really isn't evident until playoff time when divisions are created. The slowpitch season has concluded and a new champion, the Port Albert Bulldogs, was crowned. The win also stirred up a bit of controversy as the slowpitch weekly column in this paper dealt with an item relating to the final game of the championship series. Umpiring and scheduling problems, the columnist suggested, interfered with the final game. The incident raises several points and can serve to illustrate basic differences in editorial approach. A column is separate and distinct from basic coverage, in that it reflects the thoughts of the. columnist. Space is allotted to the league for regular reports and the author, as a colum- nist, injects his own personality into the piece, often commenting on the proceedings. As is the case with any column, which is not a mere factual account of a news event, the opinion expressed is that of the writer only. Whether or not people agree with the opinion, is another matter. The opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the newspaper. They (columns) simply act as a vehicle of expression and opinion. The newspaper's stand is reflected in editorials like this on the editorial page. The real point of contention in this issue, is that the article detailing the account of the Bulldog's championship victory dealt more with a league -related item than the actual spor- ting event itself, which was perfunctorily mentioned in the piece. Letters have been sent to the paper expressing strong opinions on the matter, but those letters were not signed. The Signal -Star, as mentioned several times in this space, does not run unsigned letters to the editor. People who wish to express opinions publicly, should have the conviction and take the responsibility to stand behind their statements. It is easy to express opinions without the fear of being identified. We have stated in the past that letters must be signed and contain the phone number of the author for verification. An author may use a psuedonym on the proviso the letter is signed and that the person's identity may be divulged to anyone who inquires. There was also mention of predictions, which were those of the columnist and, whether or not one agreed, stimulated some comment on the proceedings. The final point of the matter is that the Port Albert Bulldogs won the A Division champion- ship of the league. They are worthy and deserving champions and as the column suggested, they are an excellent team and full credit for the win. They are the first team to defeat Ideal (they' lost in the final last year)and will hold that distinction for evermore. That they are an excellent team deserving of the championship is a disposition that is heartily endorsed. Their victory is good for the league and it is good for them as a team. Friendly competition should be the cornerstone of recreational athletics. Let us not lose sight of that and keep things in proper perspective. D.S. Everyone has their own idea of what it is like to live the carefree existence of the modern day bachelor. The popular , image of a bachelor, compounded by a spate of books and movies, is one of a semi -alcoholic, sex fiend, given to pro- longed binges of overindulgence in both of the above mentioned commodities. Bachelors, as everyone knows, spend the majority of their time in bars, trying to "pick up," women. While the former may be true in many cases, the latter is patently ridiculous. Have you ever tried to "pick up," a woman? In the first place, even some of the smaller ones can be quite heavy. And if they struggle, as they often do if you attempt to throw one over your shoulder and tote her back to your cave without first making at least an attempt at polite conversation, it can be even more dif- ficult. The physical "pick-up" of a women is even trickier because, as everyone knows, no bachelor worth his salt can cook, hence, they are all undernourished. According to popular mythology, bachelors are absolutely incapable of performing simple housework. Their homes are considered clean if there is less than one week's worth of dishes on the counter and there are fewer than four beer bottles under the cushions of the liv- ing room sofa. This is not true either. They simply don't need to do any housework. Since bachelors are always in the bars trying to "pick up" women, they are never home to make a mess and their homes are always neat, but rather dusty. If you watch much television, you must know that most bachelors are between 35 and 45 -years -old, devestatingly hand- some, drive flashy sports cars and work as private detectives. Thomas Magnum, Mike Hammer and Dan Tonna are prime About 2,000 people attend second annual Auto Rama Motor Show 25 YEARS AGO October 18, 1962 The second annual Auto Rama Motor Show of the Goderich Automobile Dealer's Association, held in Memorial Arena Thursday and Friday, was an even greater success than the inaugural. show held last year. A total of 2125 people attended the ex- hibition of sparkling new 1963 models and shared in the awarding of 25 door prizes. Drawing considerable attention was an $8,000 Avanti sports car rated with a top speed of 176 miles per hour. Made in the U.S. the low -slung speedster is designed for the more affluent sports car enthusiast. Eight Goderich dealers showed their new models making a total of 45 cars on display. This was the time for prospective purchasers and the merely curious to open and close doors, squat on the rich and col- ourful upholstery, try the wheel and sam- ple all the other innovations that feature the '63 models. It was a bright and enter- taining show, a fertile field for daydreamers and comparing values. A long-standing complaint of merchants at the east end of Hamilton Street is being rectified by the PUC's installation of 500 feet of new storm sewer, from Victoria Street to St. Andrew's Street. The new sewer should relieve the flooding condi- tions that prevailed in the area each time there was a heavy rainfall. Trapped rain examples of this particular breed. In reality, guys this good looking, ex- citing and wealthy could only avoid being hog-tied and dragged to an altar if they had a highly communicable disease. Also, most young bachelor's db not drive sports, cars, but rather ancient four -cylinder junkyard refugees because of the insurance industry's practice of charging young, unmarried, males a king's ransom just to get on the road. Some of the popular perceptions about bachelorism do have basis in fact. Bachelor's do spend a great deal of time playing poker, drinking and watching televised sports. There are two reasons bachelors try to limit themselves to such sedentary ac- tivities as these. One, most of them have already strained their backs trying to "pick up" women in bars and secondly, because they can't go anywhere in the broken down old cars they are forced to LOOKING BACK waters frequently backed up to the en- trances of several of the Hamilton Street stores, causing inconvenience to customers and proprietors alike. Early this week, the PUC workmen moved in, assisted by the G.F. Elliott Construction Co., of Clinton, to tear up the roadway. 50 YEARS AGO October 20, 1962 At the first meeting of Victoria Home and School Club for the fall term in the Kindergarten room on Thursday night, the matter of protection for children crossing the highway was brought up once more by anxious mothers who claimed "many motorists seem to think the highway is a speedway, and ' a changed attitude is necessary if accidents are to be prevented." Principal Stonehouse, however, stated he had obtained a sympathetic hearing with the public works committee of the Town Council. It was reported to him that signs naming a speed limit in Goderich of 20 miles per hour would be placed on the roads entering Goderich. Work on the quarter -million -dollar from this angle Patrick Kaffir drive because they aren't yet married. Many people are under the impression that bachelor's spend a great deal of time attending parties, This may be true for a bridge proposed to span the river at the village of Bayfield will probably com- mence next spring, Jas. Ballantyne, MPP for Huron, told this paper during a brief visit to Goderich. Mr. Ballantyne stated that although tentatively, survey work is being conducted this fall, no actual work will be done this year. 70 YEARS AGO October 18, 1917 The canvassers for the British Red Cross fund have had a busy day, and this evening it is announced that the contribution total over $3,000 with probably enough more to come to make it $3,500. The Signal Star learns this evening that - political development in North Huron have taken a new turn. Instead of renominating Mr. Bowman as was intended, at the meeting at Wingham today, the Conser- vative convention adjourned after appoin- ting a committee to see if some arrange- ment could be made with the Liberals for a union candidate. What the outcome will be is impossible to say. At the regular meeting of the water and light commission on Thursday last, a resolution was passed at the request of the Ontario Municipal Electric Association, urging the Dominion Government to pro- hibit the export of electric power until an adequate supply is secured for the municipalities of Ontario. while, however, before long people stop inviting bachelors to their parties because they drink all the liquor, bother all the women and their cars break down in the driveway. Behavior like this can throw a damper on even the swankest of soirees. The truth is, after many years of leading the depraved and decadent lifestyle of the typical fun -loving bachelor, this party animal has decided to retire. As of next July, I will no longer be sending out invitations to all-night orgies in my home (stamps were getting expensive and no one ever showed up anyway). By then, I will be married and "settled down". This leads us into a whole other field of study. What exactly does it mean to be "settled down," and does it hurt? Stay tuned.