HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-11-01, Page 4Page
ffi
fy
r v
`.I
•
by Wenger 'kW, Ulm;
Burry Wenger, Publisher
Robert Murphy, Editor Audrey -Currie, Advertising Manager
P -
David. Wenger, President NOr1Z�an 111�[acI4eilnaf ,Sec Trea
Member,—Canacdan Community Newspaper ASSOC.
Ontario Commtulity%Iewspaper AssoC.
Subscriptions $21.00 per year
$23-00 beyond 40 -mile zone
Second Class Mail Registration No. 021
Six months $12.50.
Return postage guaranteed
Learning process is slow
An Associated Press release from Chicago says that many
Americans mistakenly believe that then circles the Earth, al-
though Copernicus proved the contrary nearly 500 years ago. A
recent poll also disclosed that many believe laser beams are sound
waves and atoms are smaller than electrons.
In the poll conducted by Northern Illinois University, 2,041
adults over 18 years of age responded to 75 questions orr basic
science.' Asked whether the Earth goes around the sun, or the sun
goes around the Earth, 21 per cent replied incorrectly. Seven per
cent said they didn't know.
Forty-five per cent correctly said it takes a year for the Earth to
orbit the sun, but 17 per cent said one day, two per cent said one
month and nine per cent didn't know. -
The results indicate that many Americans have little idea of what
presidential candidates are talking about when they list key issues
such as the strategic defence initiative, acid rain, the greenhouse
effect and the space race.
The question remains, are Canadians any better informed on
subjects so basic to this age of technology in which we live? The
question of language and mathematical illiteracy is one which is of
deep concern to Canadian, as well as American educators and
employers. Without these basic skills it would appear coming
generations are headed for some grim realities.
Whale of an understapding
After years of antagonism and reluctance sit
_
common bargaining table, the western countries and the Soviets
have found a common basis for co-operation - but it took three
stranded whales to really get international action.
The three ocean giants became prisoners in rapidly -forming Arc-
tic ice about three weeks ago and as Americans and Inuit did their
best to free the big beasts it became evident the battle would be
lost. A heavy-duty helicopter tried and failed to move an ice -
breaking barge to the site off the northern -most tip of Alaska. The
'copter tried breaking the ice with giant blocks of concrete, all to no
avail. Inuit workers tried to keep a channel open by means of chain
saws to make breathing holes for the mammals.
The Soviets, perhaps impelled by the new spirit of glasnost, final-
ly came to the rescue with two giant ice -breaking ships and finally
opened a channel to open water. One of the whales apparently in-
jured itself in attempts to break free, but the other two are now on
their way to Baja, California for the winter.
Because the plight of the whales had been so widely publicized
and also because there were no political overtones to the situation,
the Soviets seized the opportunity to score valuable points with a
world-wide audience. The people of Afghanistan should take note.
Help for our hospitals
A statement last week from provincial officials indicates that prof-
its from provincial lotteries may be diverted to assist hospitals
which are having difficulty balancing their budgets. However, fit-
ness and recreation people are opposed to the diversion because
lottery money has been promised to their favorite enterprises.
Probably they will not get too much sympathy. It seerns.only sen-
sible that the millions piling up in lottery profits should be used to
Maintain such
mis.
Lottery prof Dt
pro real and popular' establishments as public hospi-
un
to ai
most $500 Million annually. A recent
Ontario lottery was offering a top prize of some , $ 1 0million e -
cause unclaimed or never -won prizes had accumulateri,. '
Surely with money of that kind in the kitty, it is not unr.
tip use some fc r local -hospitals which have been- . asonable
Precedented losses.' • - - - experiencing ug
In recent weeks there have been grim accounts of patients beina
refused admittance to Tool* lto hospitals and sent Oh tri
tant points as Kleist*. ye n agree that provincial -Insistence on
.,,�Nye _. � anew on
:F
•
•
Mr.
urn gov
1964everinat James Street. -
toStratford. of _ Mail ` may a.
..�� of Kinloss.
Secretary
4 Cra or
aliudgft;-tigj'
Goderich, Canty Jud
Corporal J. W. McDowell,
formerly of Walkerton, has been
posted to the Wingham Ontario
Provincial police b detachment
The outside work on the building is
complete and it is expected the
interior will be finished so the clinic
can be in use about the first of next
month.
NOVEMBER 1974
Linda Ettinger, Susan Gros,
Laurarine Sanderson,. Brenda
Thornton, Kathy l+''ine, and Kathy
Machan, were presented with
provincial 4-H Club . honors at the
Gorrie area Achievement Day held
in Howick Central School.
A Brucefield man, John
Broadfoot, was elected president of
the Huron -Middlesex Liberal
Association. Charles Thomas of
Brussels is executive vice-president
and other vice-presidents are John
Rutherford of Lucknow and Bill
Keil, Wingham.
Local and county health officials
are trying to trace the starting point,
of four recently reported cases of
paratyphoid fever in Wingham. So
far the cases reported have all
shown up at Wingham and District
Hospital. The disease is not the
dreaded killer which raged
throughout the continent in years
gone by but is a much weaker
relative of the salmonella finally.
Joe Tiffin of Whitechurch received
gold honorary . life membership
gr d= fors-servingon the musicians'
s ec itive board for 1* consecutive
ears': Ken Ducharnie-of- Wingham
received a similar card.
,on : Rattan `ol' FortliriCh
r , to o . Biblesto the Gorr+
United, Church on behalf of hee
.ity andi . in memory of ttheirparents, the late Leonard .aoa.'
ng the f u
bri>n i 4 g h. l� to'
l0e�
of ` rs, ' a .serrved rig h the c
• fotr�ce for 7o ,e � e
,• S H •.vY y
also
f
l h . o a .i "�
n_.
6