The Times Advocate, 2006-08-09, Page 44
Exeter Times–Advocate
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
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Editorial Opinion
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TIMES ADVOCATE
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EDITORIAL
A message of peace
It just might be the most famous picture ever
taken, and you'd be hard pressed to find a pic-
ture that better articulates the horror and bru-
tality of war.
It's the photo of Vietnamese children running
down a road in agony and fear after a napalm
attack during the Vietnam War in 1972.
As you will read elsewhere in the Times -
Advocate, the nine-year-old girl running naked
in the photo, Kim Phuc, is bringing her message
of survival, peace and goodwill to the area this
weekend with a talk in Zurich. Phuc's is an
amazing story, one that local residents should
consider themselves lucky to have the chance to
hear. It isn't often a person whose story has
touched so many visits our region.
Now living in Canada, Phuc spends her time
telling her story, spreading her message of peace
and raising money for organizations that help
child victims of war, a noble cause.
At a time when Canadian deaths in
Afghanistan are becoming more frequent, fight-
ing between Israel and the Hezbollah continues
and the quagmire that is Iraq keeps getting
worse, Phuc's message is one truly worth hear-
ing.
We've been discovered
It seems big -name politicians have discovered
Huron County over the last couple of months.
This summer the area has seen visits by Premier
Dalton McGuinty, Health Minister George
Smitherman, Minister of Finance Greg Sorbara,
Minister of Sport and Intergovernmental Affairs
Michael Chong and provincial Progressive
Conservative leader John Tory.
That's quite a list of notables, particularly for a
part of the province that believes nobody in
Queen's Park knows Huron County exists.
Maybe that's changing. Maybe the powers that
be have heard the complaints that the rural
parts of this province have been ignored for too
long and deserve to be heard.
It remains to be seen if these visits will bear
any fruit, but meeting with local municipal politi-
cians and the average person on the street will
give politicians from Queen's Park a better idea
what issues are important to us and what strug-
gles we face.
And if it causes them to bring their cheque
books the next time they visit, that's even better.
About the Times -Advocate
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Are you prepared for another one?
It was Aug. 14, 2003, around lunch time and I was
working at Staples Business Depot in London — proba-
bly sorting the pens from the paper or something like
that.
Right away things went hectic; it wasn't often a
whole store lost its hydro.
We were all told to run to the exits, not knowing
what had happened — we were taking precautions
just in case someone decided to rob the store.
Needless to say that wasn't the case. Instead,
the blackout of August, 2003 affected not only
Staples, but millions of people in Ontario and
across the U.S.
This would become the largest blackout in
North American history.
The blackout, originating from Ohio, was
caused by a misuse of power and caught many
people off guard — including myself.
Although since I was working at the time, my
first thought was "alright, I get to go home!" I
didn't realize just how large this blackout really
was and how many people would be involved.
This piece of history should serve as a
reminder to all that anything can happen.
Educating ourselves in power consumption
and emergency preparedness should be a top priority
for everyone.
Many people vowed after this event to do both.
It's now almost three years later. The OPP, making it
a priority for them, have sent along a list of blackout
tips, helping the public get started.
• Assemble an emergency kit;
• Get plenty of water and ready to eat foods that do
not require refrigeration;
• Stock up on flashlights, a battery operated portable
radio and alkaline batteries;
• Money. Remember, bank machines will not operate
during a blackout nor will Interac payment machines
or cash registers;
• Do not use candles for lighting, as they are in the
top three causes of household fires;
• Turn off all but one light or a radio, so
you'll know when the power returns;
• Turn off or unplug home electronics and
computers to protect them from damage
when electricity returns, in case of power
surges;
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors
closed. A full modern freezer will stay frozen
for up to 48 hours and partially full freezers
for 24 hours, minus dairy products which
should be discarded after six hours;
• Do not ration water or juice. If you are
thirsty, your body needs it, especially if the
temperature is hot;
• Do not run a gas -powered generator in
closed areas such as a room or garage. For
short-term use, a safer, cheaper alternative is an
inverter with built-in battery;
More blackout tips are available at www.ontario-
tenants. ca
NINA
VAN
LIESHOUT
KICK THIS
AROUND
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