HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1976-12-08, Page 4Page 4 -Citizens News, December 8, 1976
"I've found a way of not becoming upset every time I see the headlines —
I simply stay terrified all the time."
Th,es wise men
To start with—they were not kings. No-
body ever said they were. Through the
years we've glamorized them into kings,
dressed them in royal robes and even given
them names. But that's all pure myth.
They were just three .wise men who came
from the East and the whole story reads
like a Western movie—except that it's an
Eastern.
Can't you just see the three good guys
riding into town on their dusty camels?
They're dog-tired and dirty after their long,
hard ride, but they're still very impressive
looking—obviously brave men, tough and
determined. Straight out they said what
they've come for: "Where is he that is
born king of the Jews?"
That's laying it on the line! No asking
around first to find out whether it's healthy
for them to get mixed up in this affair.
King Herod isn't going to like this at all,
but they can't help that. They've been
searching for this child for a long time,
and now—"Where is he?" they ask.
But you notice they don't ask any quest-
-ioffs about who this child plight be, be-
cause they know... "he that is born king of
the Jews" they said boldly. Would any-
body like to step.up and argue that point?
Oh yes—it's true their faith is based on
certain signs and portents. They them-
selves say—"For we have seen his star in
the East and have come to worship him."
That's clear enough. These wise men who
study the heavens saw a new star—and
believed. And how, they believed! They've
followed that star all across the desert and
through the mountains until now, finally,
it comes to rest over this stable in Bethle-
hem.
So they go right in—and what do they do
when they see the child? ..."they fall down
and worship him." Just like that. No proof
of identity required. No questions asked.
They just fall down and worship their king.
They give hint their gifts of gold, frankin-
cense and myrrh and then, mission com-
pleted, our three Eastern heroes ride off into'
the sunset.
How about those Three Wise Men!
Those very, very wise men!
T,usl
One of the recurring themes today from
politicians of almost every stripe is that of
trust. The prime minister deplores the
cynicism of Canadians about government,
towards elected representatives as well as
appointed civil servants.
There must be more trust of govern-
ment. You must trust us, say the experts.
We know what's best for you.
And we believe the question of trust and
respect for the institutions of democracy
are essential to the survival of a free socie-
ty. However, that trust must be grounded
in morality and it must be mutual in its
very essence. Morality must have no dou-
ble standard and respect can have no
equivocation.
Let us examine briefly a couple of ex-
amples.
The scandals surrounding the Lockheed
corporation's attempts to sell aircraft have
reached in the deepest reaches of free
society. One of the last royal families in
Europe has been tainted with corruption
and a former prime minister of Japan is in
jail as a result of the exposure of
Lockheed's sales techniques.
Dear Sir,
Despite the prominence given
to the Conservation of Energy
by the news media recently,
very few people seem to take it
seriously.
It is time that we realized that
with the increasing costs and
diminishing reserves of all
forms of energy we must con-
tinue to practice and promote
the conservation theme.
For example, we should
check to see if our homes
require additional insulation
added Lo the ceilings and
whether additional caulking
All this was well known to Canadian of-
ficials who purchased a billion dollars
worth of aircraft from these admitted cor-
rupters. No one suggests that any Canadian
was bribed, but can we expect to respect in-
stitutions which have no apparent difficulty
in doing business with those who so easily
corrupted others.
Henry Kissinger in explaining American
foreign policy that so readily accepts the
governments of Brazil, Chile and Iran
while deriding the leftist regimes of other
nations, said that while he personally
abhorred the admitted torture tactics
employed in these countries that the U.S.
could not base policy on the morals of
others.
There is some kind of distinction in
these examples that misses the point.
There is a placid acceptance that anything
goes. that manipulation and double stan-
dards are acceptable, that the end always
justifies the means.
But, try to explain those subtle distinc-
tions to a child. No wonder the credibility
of government is low.
Your view
around the windows and door
frames will eliminate drafts
and help reduce our heating
costs. And what about hot
water? That convenience alone
represents about 30 percent of
the energy used in the home
today.
The important thing is that
there must be individual initia-
tive to conserve and the wise
use of electricity should be a
goal for all of us, We have
been told that with our present
rate of use, increasing at
seven percent per year in Ontar-
io, we will be facing shortages
in 1980. If we can reduce this
increase to six percent per year,
Ontario Hydro's load forecast-
ers believe that we can control
the problem.
A little thought towards elim-
inating wasteful useage of
electrical energy will not only
cost us less, but assure us of
continuing electrical power—a
service to which we are accus-
tomed.
Yours sincerely,
H.D. Hamilton, P. Eng.
1st Vice President
O.M.E.A.
by Cathy McKinley
We have reached the time of year when thoughts invari-
ably turn to weight—how much we have of it. We begin by
thinking of the extra ten pounds we put on over the festive
season last year and how difficult it was to remove in the
spring so we could squeeze into our bathing suits for the
summer. Some of us never did get rid of last year's extra
pounds, and that creates a serious problem. If we still have
last Christmas'extra pounds, where are we going to put
them on this Christmas?
It looks as though the only possible solution is to begin
dieting now, so perhaps by the time Christmas is here we
will have lost a few pounds. Then, when we put, them back
on, we will still be able to get into our clothes without split-
ting zippers and popping buttons. If, instead of heading to
the refrigerator when we are hungry, we head to the bed-
room and try on that beautiful dress we bought last summer,
the incentive might just be enough to keep us in some sem-
blance of shape. Anyway, here's hoping.
I read something the other day which might be of some
help to those trying to lose a little weight. Exercise done
in the cold air is better at using up fat than exercise done in
warm air. In other words, an hour of shovelling snow may do
you more good than two hours of exercises done in the house.
Every little bit helps you know. At least the weather is co-
operating and there is a lot of snow around to shovel.
The Exeter Santa Claus parade is on this weekend, and
I understand they need a little help. Apparently they do not
have an overabundance of floats and they need a band to
fill their parade out. Perhaps some of the Zurich business-
men would be interested in putting a float of some sort in
the parade as I have not heard any plans for a parade in
Zurich.
"Buy now, pay later. Use our Christmas coupons to buy
your Christmas presents and pay nothing until February."
"Buy for nothing down, no payments until January." It
seems as Christmas draws closer the number of ways to
throw your money away increases as well. Going in debt is
made so easy by so many large companies, you can buy
almost anything with no money down, instant credit and
financing and no payments until January. It is no wonder
so many people find their paychecks are spent before they
get them. It's difficult to see so many things you would like
to have and ignore the salesmen who urge you to go ahead,
buy it now. They don't dwell on the fact their easy credit
systems are going to cost you a lot of money in the long run.
It's so easy to get in over your head and so hard to get out
again. I think it is time someone in the business world
started bringing a few morals into the business and stopped
pretending it is so easy. Stores should make it very clear how
much an 'easy credit" plan is going to cost and not hide it
away in the fine print. Better yet, maybe we should start
teaching people at a high school or public school level that
there is no such thing as free, and if you can't afford to pay
cash, then in most cases you can't afford it period.
74acrocgrh Rqc27z
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
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Member:
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Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
Manager -.Betty O'Brien
News Editor- Cathy McKinley
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