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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1986-05-21, Page 2tu Huron . xpomtor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 incorporating Brussels Post 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning ED BYRSKI, General Manager HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pat Armes, Bessie Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Quicheleer, Anne Huff, Joanne Jewlit, Dianne McGrath, Lois MaLlwaIn, Bob McMillan, Cathy Malady and Patrick Raffle. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada, $20.00 a year, in advance Outside Canada $60.00 a year, In advance Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH. ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY. MAY 21, 1666 Second class mall registration Number 0896 O cn Government in disgrace What do shady business dealings, misappropriated expense accounts, scandalous cover-ups, pornography and questionable election practices all have in common? Your first guess is wrong. These misdeeds are not 'gathered from a "things to do today," list of some Mafia crime boss. Actually this list of naughty pastimes Is a true-to-life agenda of the activities of some highly -placed members of the current Progressive Conservative Canadian government. Over the past eight months, five members of Brian Mulroney's cabinet have been forced to resign their portfolios In disgrace. Hardly a commendable record for a group that promised "openness and honesty in government," while campaigning for election such a short time ago. Transport Minister Suzanne Blals-Grenler was forced out over public disapproval of costly European excursions, which though billed to the taxpayers, had little connection with government business. Fisheries Minister John Fraser had no choice but to resign after attempting to dish rancid tuna onto the plates of the Canadian public. Defence Minister Robert Coates could hardly expect to retain the respect of the troops after getting caught at a West German peep show while on an official tour of NATO countries in Europe. And now, Industry Minister Sinclair Stevens has discovered the consequences of attempting to skirt the government's conflict of Interest guidelines. Only Communications Minister Marcel Masse has been cleared of allegations and returned to his post after undergoing an RCMP investigation into alleged election overspending in his riding. While It is unfair to tar all Tory MPs with the same brush as these fallen ministers, someone within the party must take the blame for such irresponsible people reaching positions of trust. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the man who should be reeling after the damaging revelations about the people he has chosen to help him govern, has publicly shrugged off the damage as "disappointments." Outrages would be more like It. Mulroney chose these people, they are presumably his friends. If they can not be trusted, can he? The previous Liberal government, much mocked by today's Conservatives, may not have been paragons of virtue themselves — they had their scandals too. But, at least they did not average better than one resignation -in -disgrace every two months. — P.R. OPINION Country style taking over [FEOM THIS ANGLE I by Patrick Raftie The heart of rock and roll may indeed be "still beatin' " as Huey Lewis and The News suggest in one of the better songs of that ' genre to be released in recent years, but unfortunately as Mr. Lewis also alludes to, "the old boy maybe barely breathin' " The fears of Mr. Lewis and his press club compatriots may be well-founded, but not for the reasons you might suspect. The demise of rock music after only four decades of life may come about not because of pressure from parent groups wanting lyrics censored, or even because of the diminishing quality of songs being put out.bytoday's instant artists, No, the death blow to the likes of The Rollin Stones may come at the hands of a revitalized country music industry. It's not that Kenny Rogers is planning an assassination attempt on Mick Jagger or anything -- it's just that some of the more youthful members of the populace seem to have taken an actual liking to the twangy country and western sound. Iattended a traditional May Two -Four beer bash type party over the long weekend and even though most of the guests were several years younger than this long -in -the -tooth reporter, I expected the musical entertain- ment to beat least recognizable. It wasn't. It was an outdoor party andthe music was being blasted out of the usual high-tech car stereos, complete with equalizers and ampli- fiers and all the traditional gadgetry best suited to playing high-voltage rock and roll. Instead however, the sounds emanating from these boom boxes all had a nasal twang and a southern accent that would have had Jim Morrison and Jimmy Ilendrlx spinning in their graves. I inquired of the host if perhaps his father had volunteered to act as disc jockey for the evening and he hadn't the heart to turn him down, To my surprise he informed me that this crowd who were mostly around 20 -years -old actuary preferred this odd form of music. However, he graciously offered to try and find me some ' `headbanger" stuff, if I was willing to go listen to it in the back 40, and kept it down so as not to disturb the livestock. Since the back 40 was a long way from the beer cooler 1 decided to decline this offer and examine up -close this worrisome trend in popular music. It appears the cause of the new-found interest in Nashville came about because of the appearance of a flock of what was best described as "New W ave;' country singers, W hat we were getting here was not Johnny Cash or (God forbid) Ernie King and the Ranch Boys, but some more revolutionary artists who have managed to combine the country sound with the outrageous lyrics for which rock music is both famous and criticized. I felt h little better having discovered today's youth still like their music a little on the rebellious side, but I wasn't ready to convert. I searched all the tape boxes in the cars hoping to find a copy of "Momas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys," hoping to send out a subliminal message to halt this madness, but no one had one. As the evening wore on, and the beer cooler emptied, a strange thing began to happen. I think I was almost starting to get the beat. On several occasions I looked down to discover my toes tapping of their own accord, while my ears continued to reject these foreign sounds. Others seemed similar- ly affected and several mere exuberant airtypesb even tookiimepto the musics, Maybir air e air banjo. things weren't so different after all. Call it what you want, if it's got a good beat and puts you in a good mood, the name doesn't matter. Like the song says "It's still rock and roll to me," Free press a must During recent years, the media have taken a terrible beating. Every time a politician finds the need for someoneor something to blame for his or her mistakes we find the media are the culprits. The people who provide the public with the news of the day often do make mi .lakes. Some news people are obviously too brash and even cruel in their treatment of sensitive events. However, consider for a moment how important a free and open press is to modern society. The recent nuclear accident in the Ukraine provides a startling example of what can happen when reporters are not allowed access to a crisis situation. First reports of the melt down in Russia included the conjecture that as many as two thousand residents of the area had been killed, and that thousands more would probably die within the next few months. These early reports indicated that not one, but two reactors were burning. Since that time we are hearing reports that the casualty list was exaggerated. Soviet officials reported that very few people had actually been killed and that only 100 to 200 people were injured. We still don't know the truth, which is probably somewhere between the Soviet figures and the guess work of the foreign press. What has become increasingly clear is that the total absence of reporters left the rest of the world In Ignorance of the actual extent of the threat which had been posed, not only for the residents of the Ukraine, but possibly for vast areas of the earth's surface far removed from the immediate site of the disaster. Without a free press those same politicians who blame us so frequently for every misadventure in which they become involved, would be free to get away without public knowledge of their responsibility for whatever goes wrong. Sure, there are times when publicity can be embarrassing, even shocking, but a free press is still a very necessary part of our tree society. (Goderich Signal -Star) Rules have changed Curious kids, visit friendly cops By Patrick Reftis . y ,nut., Gay `.i'o erators misunderstood I think it is 'time to cleiir, up some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding a CORNUCOPIA certain occupation. Service station operators v have a reputation that Is somewhere between that of an insurance salesman and a politician. We know that. After hours of by Dave Broome exhaustive and 1 might add, dangerous research I will now attempt to crush to smithereens the foul allegations that dog this most misunderstood group of people. Service station ' operators are not nice fellas. Well now, ; sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. They are real nice when gas Is, say, S2 a litre and they are down right pleasant when your car breaks down in their lot. They are not nice when you purchase gas across the street, race away without paying or threaten them with a large club. Service station operators always wear dirty clothes. Iles, lies, lies. Only when they are working. In fact, some guys f know actually like to shower after work and get ail dressed up. Some wear neat stacks, some wear nice yuppie shirts. some wear shorts and some, tee hee,probably weprnothing atoll. But that is none of my business. Service station operators have no sense of humor, Wrong. Sometimes, when you're not . looking, theyllet the air out of your tires. Yes, it is true. This is a fact. I know. And, if they feel really happy, they might kick your lights out. Literally. But their favorite prank is to wait mail the lingua of rats for get is gone and then eme, I have evidence that this happens Nice guys finish last! That sporting axiom has been discredited by many, but now a University of Western Ontario professor has come up with a theory that may indicate why fans support the "bad •guys" in such attraction -a as wrestling. Jim Freedman suggests that professionai wrestling is as much a parody of democracy as it is a series of hat ,merincks and half-nelsons. Wrestlers act out in the ring what many of their fans believe are the "phoney promises of liberal democracy." In life, hard work and clean living are not always rewarded with promotions and acceptance, &Mt though that's what a liberal democracy is supposed to be about. In practice, however, it's more likely the "good guy" who winds up face first on the mat. •. ... _ h came to know wrestiinb and its fans though a` two-year p..., t'se q . liberal Freedman, who 9 stint as a ring announcer, claims the sport 1s a- severe critique of I , democracy as practiced, not as ideologized." T �hat'saratherstin In Iindictment ofthe system.butitMay beclo'serto 9 9 the truth'th'an most would care to admit. There's a certain strength and dedlcatlon needed to snake it to' the top, but just as many get there using brutal tactics, whether it be in athletic endeavours or the many others humans pursue. unto others before The newversio`n;ofthe golden rule appears tobe' "do they do it to you.^.'` (Exeter Times -Acct VOCate) Service station operators lead wild night lives. No. No. No. The legend that these mild mannered, dedicated public servants are lecherous bar prowlers by night is, simply, false. Why'? Because everyone would know and you know how rumors spread in small towns, right! 'Then no-one would buy gas from them, would they? In truth most service station operators stay home at night and read the wall street journal and popular mechan- ics, echanics, Ela. hat Service station operators drink Black. Lobel beer and straight vodka. Now, this is only partially correct- They do drink Black Label beer but never straight vodka. They put mix in it. Sometimes they mix it with orange juice, sometimes with 7 -up and I've heard, will even mix it with Black Label beer. So there. Service station operators are the toady liekspittle, puppets of greedy, rapacious oil companies that are conspiring in a heinous worldwide conspiracy of economic terror ism. This, unfortunately is very true. As a matter of fact, f asked a local service station operator why he had not lowered his gas prices when others had. He said, "Dave, we haven't done it because we are the toady, lickspittle puppets of greedy, rapacious oil 1 companies that are conspiring in a heinous world-wide conspiracy of economic terror- ism." errorism." Now. if that isn't proof they are victims as well as us, I don't know what is. Service station operators are real jacks. Through my own personal observations, ican only say that this is half right. One service station operator I know likes, get this, hunting and fishing. Yes. fishing. And yet another chap enjoys, egad, jogging. Jog- ging? Some may even be fond of hockey or broomball, or baseball, or darts or weighttift- 'rng, and, possibiy, knitt ng. One shouldn't speculate too much on such things. After alL What ane does during ene's spare time might be illegal, right? So there,now you know the truth about service staion operators. If you ever meet one Ma bar, buy him a Black label ora vodka or both. Hewitt probably be very happy if you even mix them for him, Then the next time you pull into his lot he probably won't let the air out of your tires or kick your lights out. But, remember, if he is not smiling when he comes out of the shop, you should maybe, hustle off to another gas station, When you do that it kind of makes them mad. But it's fun, Ha, hat Blood, sweat and tears paid o I received a bit of a jolt Friday - I was diagnosed as "physically fit" Finally I received the written affirmation that all the blood, sweat and tears E') of rec cntnronths had indeed paid oft, and I was supposedly in good, physical condition. As a person who has been plagued all her lifewith a numberof aches and pains brought onMainly because of my self-imposed i m through sports,the appraisal it all almost worthwhie. I mean one's goal is always to "get in shape" but who really thinks they'll get there. The' good news", as I. guess it's called, Was en unexpected part of my Friday. It all began as part of the research net ess'ail for a story 1 was. approached to dof Athos Appraisal. Whetf it was surges er teat myself I was willing, bat somewhat hesitant at the same time. I knew I wasn't in the worst shape rd everbeen fn, but I knew I wasn't in the best shape either. Arid I tvasn t sure I Wanted someone else to make The discovery if it was the latter ofthe two situations. I mean, tame on, there's dust no p 'Ott a stomach assin off the eictrarolls around the , 'gpe're as part of the normal body mak p f taiiangabout the human hodyrhere' - not the planer~ Saturn. N , , =IOW glad ibraved the ordeal. It Wast t tabbed.. in fact the test, if it can be called a test, did me alo`tbf good. It taughtifie quite bit abed rnyself'and helped me dismiss some of the misainceptions I had about, being physically fit. I was brought to the realization that being in shape doesn't necessarily mean having to;. function with a thuscle-taut form, a fat level. of zero, arida working weight several pounds lighter than my existing weight., That doesn't Mean though that all that ,jiggles is golden ._.but....that leaves me something to work on. f SWEATOCKS Wby Heather Mellwraith There is still a long way to go beforelattain my goal of physical fitness bet right new i feel like a kid who bas just received a good report card, due that she's not afraid to take home. But in my case it's not morn and dad who need to see the report, but instead little brother - you know, the kind of little brother with the big brotherly Concerns A jock, a student bent on pursuing a career in physical fitness, his increasing knowledge of the human body, bas Went dm -ft to my side fora couple of years now The smallest in my family I`ve been destined to he the "frail ., t one", and thus the one Piaui ose to 'AIWA e every tune lie saw' me. To him I'v'e displayed early signs of osteoporosis and rnah rintiuii and live each day on the verge of lapsing into a state of anorexia. And despite my protestations to the contrary, and despite the fact 1've put 071 10 pounds thatl'd like to Oa disappear, I can't seem to,'convince him Fm not a poor, little waif. �� According foray ` test Pm lust the'fight weight for the size of trier and have, a good distribution of fat, on my body (that hardly sounds complimentary, maybe I should have saidihave just the right amount of fat) I have a -lot of muscle, particularly in my biceps, so' thy lirotherbetter quit pestering me about my "health" or PIi have to physically demon- strate.how illy muscles work when put tithe test!` 'Scored well on the aerobic fitness test and Was able to complete a good' number of sit ups and push ups in the muscular strength and muscular end urine portion of the test - surprise; surprise. Where f famed to perform well was in the grip teat, and there, I not only did poorly, but I failed td even perform well enough to get a rating Talk about a weakness. In the flexibility test I did alright, but that area too could definitely use some improvement. Otherwise I can see what are now stiff and sometimes inoperable body parts becoming inure add' turning me into an o!d woman befomy tune. re In all seriousness though Ifound my fitness appraisal a beneficial aid to my own plan for a�tevement'of physical fitness. It not only pointed but the areas I was weakest, but it gave me some idea of where my strengths lay as well, It also showed rale just what I could sensibly Made in the way of exercise, Cvitllottit hang myself( It actually **Mined aiy belief in exercise, i etause finally 1 saw that there are fruits from the labor .._ The only thing, Tin having difficulty awl! nowiacomingto,grips with the recoriiraenda- tion thatmaintain my present level of exercise. That retornmendation came after Td seriously considered cutting down sty activites, f i mean how long can one person try lbsqreezeinasfewasthree sportsactivites a day?) Maintain? What a thought. ButIsuppose ` should give it awhirl. After'all, what's!;it they say about wound body, sound mind? tett! face it, My mindcould be little sounder- dr so rue been told•.