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