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The Times Advocate, 2006-03-08, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, March 8, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 the many different maple products that are available. Some of these delicious creations may not be as well known, but they are sure to please! If you have never tried maple spread, it's high time. Available as maple caramel, butter and jelly, these spreads will please the entire family and are great as a snack or for dessert. Or how about granulated maple sugar? Somewhat similar to brown sugar, it makes a great addition to yogurt, fresh fruit, compotes and ice cream. Sprinkled on pies and cakes, it will also thrill your dinner guests. Of course, maple candies are always sure to be a hit. But maple products have gone beyond snacks and desserts. They have inspired elaborate creations that add a touch of sweetness to main dishes. Maple -flavored vinegar makes a delicious addition to salads, maple mustard brings out the flavor of meat, and maple pepper, which is a blend of grated maple sugar, sea salt and white pepper, makes delicious sea- soning for grilled meat, rice and vegetables. And while you are doing all that eating, don't forget to quench your thirst for maple. Maple -flavored teas and herbal teas are the perfect finish to any meal, plus they are excellent for the digestion and aid blood circulation. And on that sweet note, enjoy maple syrup season. LinesTo MakeYou Smile • My husband and I divorced over religious differ- ences. He thought he was God and I didn't. • I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it. • Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them. • I used to have a handle on life, but it broke. • Don't take life too seriously; no one gets out alive. • Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. • Earth is the insane asylum for the universe. • I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are missing. • Out of my mind. Back in five minutes. • Consciousness: That annoying time between naps. • Ever stop to think, and forget to start again? • Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it! • Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up. • Procrastinate Now! • I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That? • A hangover is the wrath of grapes. • A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance. • Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere! • He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead. • A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory. • Ham and eggs! Is a day's work for a chicken, a life time commitment for a pig? • The trouble with life is there's no background music. • I smile because I don't know what the hx0x0! is going on. What OlderWomen Want In a Man! Standards (age 22): 1. Handsome 2. Charming 3. Financially successful 4. A caring listener 5. Witty 6. In good shape 7. Dresses with style 8. Appreciates finer things 9. Full of thoughtful surprises 10. An imaginative, romantic lover Revised Standards (age 32): 1. Nice looking (prefer hair on his head) 2. Opens car doors, holds chairs 3. Has enough money for a nice dinner 4. Listens more than talks 5. Laughs at my jokes 6. Carries bags of groceries with ease 7. Owns at least one tie Impressed with Tory meeting This past Saturday, I attended a meeting/breakfast in Blyth hosted by the Huron - Bruce PC Association. John Tory, leader of Ontario's Progressive Conservative Party chaired a roundtable session with local business and political leaders. As stated in a previous press release by the Ontario PC Party, the purpose of this meeting was to dis- cuss, ".... the need for the province to develop an effective Rural Economic Strategy to help rural communities remain viable and relevant in the 21st century." I was impressed with the knowledgeable input provided to Mr. Tory at the meeting by Huron -Bruce municipal politicians, Huron Business Development Corporation board members and concerned residents. Huron -Bruce again has demonstrated that we lead the way in devel- oping new ideas and solutions to problems The key to this success is our ability to set our personalpolitical differences aside to develop solutions to problems for the benefit of all. Mr. Tory demonstrated his exceptional ability to not only be a good listener but to provide leadership and direction for rural Ontario when we truly need it. I would like to thank/congratulate the Huron -Bruce PC Association for demonstrating real leadership in our community by hosting the meeting and providing residents of Huron -Bruce, no matter what their political affiliation (if any), an opportunity to collectively shape the future of our great riding. In the best interests of Huron -Bruce, I would encourage our current MP and MPP to follow the lead of Mr. Tory and the Huron -Bruce PC Association. (WALLY) PETER FYDENCHUK Crediton 8. Appreciates a good home -cooked meal 9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries 10. Seeks romance at least once a week Re -revised Standards (age 42): 1. Not too ugly (bald head OK) 2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car 3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally 4. Nods head when I'm talking 5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes 6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture 7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach 8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids 9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down 10. Shaves most weekends Re -re -revised Standards (age 52): 1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed 2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public 3. Doesn't borrow money too often 4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting 5. Doesn't retell the same joke too many times 6. Is in good enough shape to get off couch on weekends 7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear 8. Appreciates a good TV dinner 9. Remembers my name on occasion 10. Shaves some weekends Re -re -re -revised (age 62): 1. Doesn't scare small children 2. Remembers where bathroom is 3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep 4. Only snores lightly when asleep 5. Remembers why he's laughing! 6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself 7. Usually wears clothes 8. Likes soft foods 9. Remembers where he left his teeth 10. Remembers that it's the weekend Re -re -re -re -revised (age 72): 1. Breathing 2. Doesn't miss the toilet Return our services Mrs. Bell is absolutely right in her criticism of the council's move to deprive its citizens of the bi-annual large garbage pickup. The removal of garbage large or small is a service the community needs just as much as it needs clean water and a constant supply of electricity. It is an unassailable fact that we live in a consumer society which by its very nature generates waste both large and small. Worn out, old and replacement items must be disposed of in an orderly manner if for no other reasons than environmental concerns, hygiene and public safety. In general, most citizens would agree that the council of - our municipality does a pretty good job for us, but in the case of large garbage pickup, their decision to cancel the service has them absolving themselves of the responsibility for ensuring that our basic needs are met. Using the argu- ment that the system is being abused as an excuse for removing the service is demeaning to us all. Of course there is abuse. It is part of life in our society and we have to deal with it. Just because a few selfish and unscrupulous people don't play by the rules, it does not mean that council can take its bat and ball and go home because it doesn't like the play. The game of managing the municipality is bigger than that and we citizens expect a more enlightened and professional approach to solving problems than our council has displayed on this issue. Indeed, council's decision really is contemptuous of the needs of the people it is there to serve. The problem of large garbage pickup is a perfectly manageable one if it is addressed properly. You identify the tasks, plan the actions necessary to accom- plish those tasks and then execute them in accordance with a well structured plan. Disaster lurks when you fail to plan for then you have an event that quickly gets out of hand which appears to have been the case with the last large garbage pick- up. What on earth did council expect in terms of the volume of garbage to be dis- posed of with just one pickup? Reducing the pickup cycle from two to a single event per year didn't mean there would be any less garbage to dispose of. Common sense alone would have told you this would be the case. The fact is, you didn't plan the project properly and there was more work for you to do than you anticipated and so inherited an unsightly mess. However, instead of addressing the problem for correction at the next pickup, you cried and declared that we citizens were putting out too much garbage for you to handle. Then you decided in your infinite wisdom to add insult to injury by punishing us all as though we were naughty chil- dren by taking the service away altogether. What poor judgment and arrogance you display. You have no right to treat us this way. Even the ostrich when it buries its head in the sand to avoid facing a problem eventually emerges to fmd the prob- lem is still there. Councilors, for goodness sake, take charge of this large garbage pickup situation once and for all. Have your (our) employees plan the events properly instead of complaining about the work they have to do and return the twice -a -year pick up. While you are about it, bring the garden waste disposal site back, too. Police the programs with authority and purpose. Punish the transgressors, not all of us, you have the means, but don't, don't, treat us with contempt by taking away necessary services using pathetically lame excuses to do so. Understand, gentlemen, we citi- zens of the municipality want the large garbage pickup service. It is important to us, so please act responsibly and make it so. RON HELM Exeter Letters to the Editor Supporting farmers As president of the Huron Tourism Association, a group with a membership of near- ly 200 businesses across the county, I am writing to publicly demonstrate our support of local farmers, who have recently received media attention after closing snowmobile trails that run across their properties in an attempt to highlight economic hardships with current government programs. Co-operation between snowmobile clubs and farmers has created hundreds of kilo- metres of trails across a network of farmers' fields for the enjoyment of snowmobilers and ATVers during the winter months. It has brought tourists to the area, many of whom eat at local restaurants, stay at motels and bed and breakfasts, buy gas at local gas stations and generally help our economy. However, we understand how high levels of frustration have led many crop farmers to close the trails in an attempt to pressure the federal and provincial governments to provide adequate risk management programs and higher levels of income support programs for Canadian farmers, at least to bring them up to par with U.S. counter- parts with whom they must compete in open markets We realize the past number of years have been among the worst for farmers, marked by the BSE crisis and dropping commodity prices. And 2006 expects more of the same. We all rely on farmers for the food we put on our tables. We must support farmers if we want to enjoy the long-term viability of our Canadian food supply sector. I urge each of us to support our local farmers, and make your opinion known by contacting any of the following politicians: MPP Carol Mitchell, provincial Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky, MP Paul Steckle and Federal Agriculture and Agriculture Food Canada Minister Chuck Strahl RALPH LAVIOLETTEN, President, Huron Tourism Association