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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-12-20, Page 66 Times -Advocate Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 Have you noticed that stairs are getting steeper? Groceries are heavier. And, everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was dumfounded to discover how long our street had become! And, you know, people are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up they just keep repeating them- selves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they're red in the face! What do they think I am a lip reader? I also think they are much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I am. I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that she didn't even rec- ognize me. I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own refection well, REALLY NOW - even mirrors are not made the way they used to be! Another thing, everyone drives so fast these days! You're risking life and limb if you happen to pull onto the freeway in front of them. All I can say is their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror. Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else would they suddenly start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or 20? Do they think no one notices? The people who make bathroom scales are pulling the same prank. Do they think I actually "believe" the number I see on that dial? HA! I would never let myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they're fool- ing? I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's going on -- but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too: they've printed the phone books in such small type that no one could ever find a number in there! All I can do is pass along this warning: WE ARE UNDERATTACK! Subject: Educating Barbara Barbara Walters did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that the women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Ms. Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their hus- bands and are happy to maintain the old custom. Ms Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked "Why do you now seem happy with the old cus- tom that you once tried so desperately to change?" The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes and without hesitation said "Land mines." Moral of the story: Behind every man is a smart woman. Cowboy Boots; (Anyone who has ever dressed a child will love this) Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was help- ing one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough, they were. It was- n't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet. He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue, rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?", like she wanted to. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear 'em." Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said, "I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots." Beyond Grief: The journey from grief and loss to healing is a person- al one, but it can be shared also, particularly when a person is part of a nurturing community of faith and friends. As your senior correspondent to the Exeter Times Advocate I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and if possible take time to appreciate your family and friends. Update from South Huron mayor HURON — Huron County council's inaugural session was held Dec. 7, and Deb Shewfelt was chosen as the warden of Huron County for 2007. Deb is the mayor of the Town of Goderich and brings many years of experience to the position. The departments and staff of the county are the follow- ing: Larry Adams, CAO, administrator; David Carey, treasurer and deputy CAO; David Lew, manager of land ambulance operations; Richard Hulley, director of human resources; Don Pletch, county engineer; Barb Springall, homes administra- tor; Beth Ross, county librari- an and director of cultural services; Pat Hamilton, muse- um curator; Scott Tousaw, director of planning and development; David Overboe, social services administrator; and Penny Nelligan, director of the Health Unit. These departments report to three committees as fol- lows: Ken Oke SOUTH HURON MAYOR • Health, Ambulance and Social Services. The local committee member is myself. • Planning, Agriculture and Public Works and the local committee member is South Huron Coun. Jim Dietrich. • Cultural Services and Seniors, represented locally by South Huron Deputy Mayor George Robertson. These three committees meet once a month and report to county council. On a different note, we are approaching the Christmas season. Please consider your alcohol intake when you are driving. Driving while over the legal limit is dangerous, costly and against the law. You are not being fair to yourself and you are not being fair to others using the road. Please make our roads safe and free from alcohol. It is a time of joy for some and it is also a time of melancholy for others. During this holiday season extend your hand and be generous to those in need. From our house, Susan and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Principal's message YEARBOOKS ARE IN! EXETER — As you may know, we had some difficulty with the publication of the yearbook for the year before last, but the 2004-05 yearbook finally arrived several weeks ago, along with the "Inkspot" for 2005-06. Both books have now been distributed to students still attending South Huron, but we still have several set aside for students who ordered one or both of these books but have since graduated or left SHDHS. We have been attempting to contact these former students but have' not been successful in reaching all of them. If you ordered but did not receive either of these books, or know someone who did, please contact the school at your JEFF earliest convenience. REABU I have also been asked to advise PRINCIPAL' students that time is rapidly run- MESSAGE ning out for ordering the 2006-07 year- book. If you have not yet ordered one, please see Ms. Lori Black or Mr. Watson right away. Very few additional yearbooks will be ordered this year and this is your last opportunity to ensure you get one. Last week the students and staff of South Huron, with the support of the community, demonstrated once again the incredible generosity of the South Huron area through our involvement in the Huron County Christmas Bureau campaign. Each year we collect non-perishable food items, toys, clothing, cash and Canadian Tire money for the benefit of needy families in our area. This year we staged a friendly competition with Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton to see which school could raise the most insupport of this charity. Between the two schools, we raised over $15,000 in goods and cash, all of which will be used to make the Christmas season a happier time for many families in RN our own communities. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this cause, with special thanks to the staff and students who organized and ran the campaign at SHDHS. I am continually amazed by the energy and generosity of so many individuals in our school and in our community, and events like this real- ly help boost school spirit and a sense of community. Too often we focus on the negative behaviours we see around us, particularly those of our young people, and we overlook the positive actions and meaningful contributions of many people, young and old, in our com- munity. We are truly blessed to live in such great communities. On behalf of the students and staff of South Huron, I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. POLICE BRIEFS Keeping the grinch away By now everyone knows that the Christmas season is upon us and we are all expecting Santa Claus to arrive in his sleigh and come bounding down the chimney with presents. Unfortunately the Grinch may also arrive in a vehicle or on foot to ruin Christmas by stealing these presents. Here's what you can do to prevent the grinch from stealing Christmas. If you have information 011 anyone who is planning on spoiling Christmas for someone else then we want to hear from you. Our Crime Stoppers gift to you could be a cash reward of up to $2,000 if your information leads to an arrest and we will guarantee your anonymity. Why not make your Christmas that much brighter by helping us catch the Grinch before he steals Christmas. You could be singing the bars to "I'll be home for Christmas" while the Grinch could be spend- ing his time behind another set of bars. If you have any information about this or any other serious crimes call Crime Stoppers. If your information leads to an arrest, you may receive up to a $2,000 cash reward. You do not have to reveal your identity or appear in court. Crime Stoppers does not use Caller Display or Call Trace. Please call the OPP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 222-8477 (1 -800 -222 -TIPS) R.I.D.E. finds third impaired driver HURON — Huron OPP officers completing a R.I.D.E. during the night of Dec. 14 issued another 12 -hour suspension and located their third impaired driver. Officers were on North Line in Huron East when a vehicle was stopped for speeding. The driver had been drinking and as a result a roadside breath demand was issued. The driver regis- tered a warning and the 51 -year-old male resident of Huron East was issued a 12 -hour driving suspension. The second occurrence was Dec.15 when officers were completing a R.I.D.E. on Airport Line and Dashwood Road in South Huron. The dri- ver of the vehicle was stopped and officers detected the driver had consumed alcohol. The driver was issued a roadside demand and pro- viding a breath sample registered a "fail". The driver was arrested and transported to the Huron detachment, providing two breath sam- ples. The samples were analyzed and found to be greater then the legal limit of 80mgs of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. A 19 -year-old Central Huron man will attend Exeter Provincial Court Feb. 22, facing one count of driving a motor vehicle with more then 80mg of alcohol. He was issued a 90 day ADLS driving suspension. Celebrate the real meaning May Christ be in our midst this Christmas season. Let us all rejoice in Jesus the Christ Child who came into this world to save us shiners. Let us encourage one another with love and the Christmas spirit. Don't hide the real meaning of A �- Letters Christmas in the closet. Let us stand . tO the up for Christmas and not stand idle Editor and listen to some people who say it is not right to have Christmas trees and decorations or Christmas scenes out in public places. If these individuals don't cel- ebrate Christmas so be it, but please don't try to take away what Christmas means to us Christians. Let us continue to be there for the Christ Child's Birthday. Have a Blessed Christmas, EARL KEJ.J.FR, Exeter