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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-07-11, Page 20Page 6—Crossroads—July 11, 1984 Shirley Whittington Snow upon the roof and envy inthe b/eers The young, exasperated by adults who wear leather, drive bikes, like Duran Duran, smoke dope, play space games and try to sneak into The Rocky Horror Picture Show disguised as drag queens have finally taken decisive action. They have invented some- thing which adults, are incap- able of imitating, unless they are double-jointed and married to chiropractors. It is called break -dancing. The only grown up people who can do anything remote- ly like break -dancing are Russian Cossack dancers who squat down wearing fur - hats, fold their arms and fling their legs out in front of .them at an alarming rate of ,. speed. Break -dancing used to happen at evangelical re- vival meetings, only then it was called holy rolling. Folks would get all fired up with the holy spirit, twitch and jerk around a bit, then fling themselves to the turf where they'd writhe in reli- gious ecstacy. Today if you do that on a street corner, people throw money at you. The K -Tel people have launched a do-it-yourself break -dance record, with in- - structions on how to spin on your head, or your shoulder shops. or whatever, and that distant thumping you hear at this Let Mr. Reagan dope his moment may well be your 12 pompadour up with lamp- ' year-old secretly practising black. Our new PM is as ele- in her bedroom. It is only a gant as a silver -headed matter of time before the walking stick and I can't whole population of Canada wait to see Nancy Reagan's — under thirty anyway — reaction when she comes will be break -dancing with a under the spell of Mr. T's sweet vengeance born of the baby blues and pearly locks. knowledge that no matter Mr. Turner isn't the only how hard Mum and Dad try, trend setter. Iona Campag- they will never be able to nolo, the willowy knockout master the latest fad. who leads the national Libel.: Well, so what? Those of us als, has a stylishly cut head over thirty — and beyond — of pewter hair that will in the are currently attracted; by a fullness of time attain the different vogue. A silver patina of a 1935 silver dollar. light is shining on the horizon for those of mature years. It is John Turner's -hair. Many Canadian Prime Ministers have left a mark if not on government, at least on fashion. Mr. St. Laurent's double-breasted pin-striped suit became a uniform for those respectable and wise. Mr. Pearson's polka-dot bow tie bespoke a jauntiness Canadians haven't really felt since. The debonaire Pierre endorsed san- oats and roses unconscious dais, Leath in the lapel. The tenor of John Turner's tenure may well be silver - haired dignity. Don't buy any shares in Lady Clairol, unless it's for that Silk 'n' Silver stuff. Nobody knows why John Turner's hair is white. It may be that the silver spoon in his mouth just kind of worked it way up through his scalp. Or perhaps the day Mr. Trudeau's Turnerless government decreed wage and price controls, the pre- sent PM's hair went all white at once, just like in a fairy tale. It, doesn't matter. That sil- ver thatch sets him apart and I think you'll soon be able to buy John Turner wigs at Creed's and other novelty We have already heaped praises upon the lovely silver head of our new Governor General. If you saw the Liberal leadership conventon on TV you must have seen the enig- matic shots of Mr. Trudeau looking lonely and wistful at odd moments throughout the proceedings. We all know Bennett Sells for Less Beunett Pontiac • Busch • GMC 810 - 10th St. HANOVER Open Mon. -Wed. 9.6p.m. Thurs.-Fri. 9 - 9 Sat. 9 - 5 P.m. 364-2140 Antique or Junque By James G. McCollam Member, Antique Appraisers Association. of America Q.: I would appreciate any information you can provide about my Mettlach plaque, No. 2625. I have checked sev- eral books but can find no in- formation' about it. ;‘! Your Mettlach plaque w made by Villeroy & Boch in Germany during the late 19th century. It current- ly is selling for $275 to $325. There is a matching beak- er, No. 2368-1093, selling in the $75 to $95 range. what lie was thinking: He was thinking the thoughts of a balding has-been watching the coronation of his hirsute successor. John Turner, the Glad Garbageman of Liberaldom has brought dead hair pig- mentation mechanisms into high fashion. See how that polished casque of silver y Q.: I have a small 7 -inch pitcher decorated with chry- santhemums on a brown lus- ter background. The enclus- ed mark is on the bottom. A.: This was made by Charles Volkmar Pottery in Greenpoint, N.Y., in the 1880s. It should be worth about $200. A ANDY'S FARM SUPPLIES RR 2, Gorrie 291-3382 Sells a complete line of hog & cow stabling, Makita handy tools, hard ware:;• welding supplies and much more. 48" electric steel.fence post 21. pc. 3/4" drive socket set Cow clips Cow mats in various. sizes. Eg. 48" x 72" x 7/8" (thick) $10o ea. $9500 ea. $250 ea. ,$6500 ea. HAVE TRUCK WILL TRAVEL catches the television lights? That head w1,11 never be mis- taken for one belonging to John Roberts, Don Johnston or John Munro. Turner is one with Lochinvar, Galahad, and Mery Griffin, And Eugene Whalen con- tinues to wear a cowboy hat, indoors oors and out. Is there, under that green Stetson, a silveyr lining? OUR VANISHING FARM POPULATION In the United States in the 1970s, cities such as New York, Philadelphis, and Cleveland were actually los- ing population, resulting from a population shift to - small towns and rural re-. gions. Many social scientists have been looking for a rural renaissance here too, as we often follow U.S. trends. According to census fi- gures, Canada is still becom- ing increasingly urbanized and our rural population is shrinking as a percentage off our overall population, while our farm population has de- clined drastically in both relative and absolute terms. Rural is defined as living "outside urban areas" and an area is classified as urban if it has "a population con- centration of 1,000 or more and a population density of 400 per square kilometer." In 1951, 37.1 per cent or a little over five million people lived in rural areas, 19.8 per cent or 2.8 million lived on farms, and 62.9 per cent of 8.8 million were urban dwell- ers. Ten years later, while our rural population grew by 346,000, it represented only 30.4 per cent of our total population. The number of people living on farms de- clined by 700,000 and was equal to 11.4 percent of our population. By 1971, our rural popula- tion was almost the same as twenty years earlier and equivalent to 23.9 per cent of our population, as Canada's population grew by more than 50 per cent. The actual number of farmers shrank by nearly one-third to 6.6 per cent of the total. It is somewhat surprising that according to the 1981 census, the number of people living in rural areas rose by nearly three quarters of a million; nevertheless the Q.: You told me that my antique icebox was worth several hundred dollars, but you -also had a very negative view about iceboxes as col- lectibles. What have you got against iceboxes? METTLACH PLAQUE ... Made by Villeroy & Boch in late 19th century A.: Iceboxes were mass- produced in factories less than 100 years ago. They, are ugly and serve no useful pur- pose today. An icebox made in 1910 and a colonial pine corner cup- board (1780) both sold for $650. I would much prefer the antique corner cupboard, which was meticulously hand crafted under adverse conditions. Wilson's Ladies' Wear Storewide Clearance Sale ends Saturday. Wilson's Ladies' Wear 185 Wallace Ave. N.291-3511 Listowel Mainstream Canada Retirement: The right to choose By W. Roger Worth, • c.; ,but neither should' they be percentage. of 24.3 :vas al The contentious retl '`forced to leave their jobs. most the same as in 1971. ment issue is back irr "tfie politics, of course, is`one of However, again the number news again. the few professions where of people living on farms fell The . question? Should ment cutoff precipitously to 1,040,000 or healthy individuals be allow- date.there Theis otherretireis small busi 4 3per cent of the total: ed to continue in their jobs ness, where people still . The movement off the beyond the age of 65, or bemaintain the freedom to population away'from farms forced to retire? work ar'65, is highlighted by looking at With 73 -year old President Memftebers of the 64,000 the ages of those who live in Ronald Reagan running , strong. Canadian Federation rural areas. In the last.iwen- again for the highest office in of -Independent Business, for ty years, the number of the United States (he'll be 77 example,, fully support such people over 60 years of age if he wins and. completes his a right. living in urban.areas has term) and a surprising num-In a vote among members, climbed from 7.5 per cent of her of Canadian politicians a full 77 per cent rejected the total population (8.8 per who are over 65, the issue be -lowering the government -cent in 1971) to 10.6 per cent comes fundamental. mandated retirement age. currently, but the number of If Reagan is. capable of The open-ended retire- people in the 60 and -over age running the most powerful ment principle also seems to 'category living in rural nation on earth, why can't be winning some support has nearly quad - healthy and capable indivi- from the courts. In at least areas s , as it rose from 3.3 per duals handle ordinary jobs two situations, courts have ruplcent in 1961 (6.3 per cent in after the mandatory retire- decided in favor of indivi-. 1971) to 11.6.per cent now. ment age? duals who wanted to work af- The increasing percentage Indeed, with many unions ter they were 65. of people over 60 in our total negotiating agreements that While the cases may be ap- population is, of course, are- ` force workers to retire at age pealed, this seems like a flection of our aging popula- 60, or even 55, we seem to be move in the proper direction. tion. However, the drastic swinging in the opposite di -Like politicians and indivi increase in the number of rection. duals operating smaller those over 60 living in rural We're not suggesting that firms, . ordinary Canadians . areas is a barometer of a Canadians should. be forced should have the right to fundamental and dramatic to work past retirement age, choose. change in our economy. Any- Any- one living in a farming area can testify to the small num- ber of farmers' children who are willing to become farm- ers, even when farms can be inherited. There is a net drift to ur- ban areas away from farms, although the number of people living in rural areas has stabilized. This reflects the new realities of Canada. Farming has become very unrewarding financially, x ; and many farmers have had to relinquish farming either Canada's Business by Bruce Whitestone part-time or completely. Farming is hard work and, w -le there are psychic re - w rds, few Canadians are prepared to undergo the privation involved in farm- ing for primarily intangible benefits. Clearly, many; like living outside urban areas if they do not have to work as farmers. The explanation of these tendencies lies in the pro- longed depression suffered by farmers. Real farm in- come last year was at the lowest point since the 1930s. Unless governments do something to reverse these trends, Canada will have to import most of the food it consumes. That,, on top of our chronic balance of pay- ments deficits, would cause many difficulties. „ Hence, it is, unfortunate that this problem is ignored by governments, notably in a wealthy province such as Ontario. In 1982, Ontario had a population of 8.8 million, yet .that provincial govern- ment's expenditures on agri- culture amounted to $330 million, a pitifully small amount. In the same year, Quebec had a population of 6.5 million, but its provincial government spent $468 mil- ' lion on agriculture. Although it is true that some will opt for farming as a "way of life", if we fail to tackle our farm depression, the number of Canadian farmers will continue to dwindle. We then would lose a vital ingredient in our economy. There, are more than 300 one -industry communities in Canada depending upon log- ging and wood processing. We buy -'VNe sell New and Used MOBILE HOMES L,„7,...,,,,, 10'- 12'- 14 widths in stock from $6,495 wOBILIFE • • RV CENTRE No. 8 Highway between Kitchener & Cambridge 1-519-653-5788 Since 1969 Jacques Cartier was the first European known to have wintered in what is now mainland Canada. In the fall of 1535 he harbored his three ships in a small natural haven near the Laurentian Iroquois town of Stadacoha, today's Quebec City. Ninety years later, three Jesuit missionaries, includ- ing Jean de Brebeuf, built a residence and a seminary for Indian children at the same location. This historic spot is now Cartier-Brebeuf National Historic Park, recalling for visitors the exploits of the courageous missionaries and the famous explorer. A full-size replica of Car - tier's flag -ship, the 23m long Grande Hermine, lies at an- chor at the mouth of the Lairet River in the park. A historic cross commemor- ates the contribution of the 'w. three Jesuits to our early ed- ucational and religious life. There is an interpretation centre with informative dis- plays about both Cartier and Brebeuf. Parks Canada, guides give tours and help make a visit to the park a re- laxing and enjoyable way to learn more about Canada's past, Cartier-Brebuef National Historic Park, on the bank of the Charles River three kilo- metres north of downtown Quebec City, is open to visit- ors year-round. For more information about Canada's national his- toric parks and sites, contact Parks Canada Information, 1141 Route de l'Eglise, Ste Foy, Quebec, GIV 4H5 or Parks Canada, Ottawa, KIA 1G2. 1 1 1 1 1 1OM MI MI III IN IN MI IIII MI MIN MI 111111M OM I MatIA; 444) 00 Off with this coupon any sealing of your driveway. FREE ESTIMATES Call Brian Gibson 338-2949 NOTICE We would like to notify our past and future customers we have moved. 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The Lodge offers: • Private Rooms - • Sem,Private Rooms • Ward Rooms • Health Care Staff on Duty 24 Hours • Nutritional Meals • TV Lounge • Craft & Games Room • Housekeeping & Laundry Service • Cable Hook-ups • Hairdressing & ,Barber Service • Subsidized Payment to Qualified Individuals Phone 323-4019 - Christine Tsotros 166 Egremont St., Mount Forest NOG 2L0