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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-11-09, Page 2©p irti o n Sl kP. 1106Pg 10,rti'!off ttf). P4f►►nf4"Ch! /Of ,ncarllgr ting r iSSib .atit lountlKI ld F?letn s "b xtlt x ONT� IiIY A 8h rtbr):PubfitiOet ' Mtmb ri3inaadIanCommunhtyN.wspapltr 'OA ioc Qtarlo;.dot luniit tiftltlpapsi ttoclaflon,.and.; Auditpur esetbeasjatlfln A rhember:o? U,e.O1itarl9p/est Couno)1 s suke rlptlorjlratee elnada $18 fs p'Ypar (in edvf nce) Outelde0anedn$5i5 any.r;(lnadvance) .0.•SIngIf;?Copitsl?S,0'clni'tauch,.. ItEARORTFr ONTARIO. WEDN,F.EDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1983 secendeniee Argil registration Number oo$ e}` .,*rd A . gitt t ste for recreation sd, Close t • 50 'people gYii ,yP ,their Saturday off for, you, latit, weak.' VUhat'•h even more impreesive Is that. everyone of thein seediedto,feeI the,saprlifice was worth 1!' fih : occasion Was.SeaffirthRq first recreation conte encd: a'meetilg of all 'the •comni'btiity's clubs; fintered groups;: sports; churches and schools, which was organized by the town's recreation committee. The event was planned for months: Recreation. director Bryan Peter and his bosses on the committee had `thought about everything, from the day's goal—working co-operatively .f orrecreation in Seaforthto how to keep discussion on topic and -Omitting the pies to go with the delicibus lunch. The day was a movingand fascinating experience. Although there were probably as many questions raised as were answered, the cross section of people. who attended gained long ar)d short term from the experience. A kids' sport that's chronically short of -money and a service club with funds to give away made connections. . Sure Seaforth's a small town, but discussion ,Saturday showed how important it is that we keep in touch and never ever assume.that.everyone knows what we need but chooses• to ignore Us, Putting people in touch with each other.• dould have been the theme at Saturday's conference. It was super tasee the light that recognition of a common problem brings, .the generosity with which assorted groups shared ideas and solutions. By identifying the big needs., .for volunteers, for communication and for co -Operation to end duRlicatio ...the conference. performed a long lasting service for Seaforth and area. By providing a structure that let people who don't ordinarily get together bouncq ideas off each other informally the conference will promote change, help end stagnation': So where does that leave you, the Seaforthite who enjoys some activities and groups but isn't a mover or shaker in anything? Well, for a start, you might thank the person from your group for giving up a Saturday. Then, ask questions and listen to his or her report of what was accomplished. Give your input but be positive. "We've never done, it that, way" .is not an acceptable reason for refusing to try something,M3w. And that attitude was refreshingly absent at Saturday's conference. If you' re one of the unlucky minority whose group wasn't represented at the conference, despite, the rec committee's advance Mailings and •urgings, you might want to aslemby pottel# ldtto#oftert epr,,e eft your• •sport, club or whatever at the second.recreat)on.conferenceihat:everyone, who attended this one wants. Seaforth, to paraphrase Legion sports chairman Jim Watson, moved ahead several years in one day of sharing. - S.W. • Remembrance is hope This Friday, we'll take time to remember the men and women who died during the two world wars and the Korean War.,We'll each wear a small red poppy to represent the flood spilled on battlefields and both veterans and their families will relive wartime experiences in their minds. • It's important to observe''.Remembrance Day every Nov. 11 because only by remembering how hoifrifying war is, will we actively attempt to - prevent war from happening:. We must educate our children about such atrocities as the annihilation of six million Jews at Nazi concentration camps and of the death and suffering which continues even today in Japan from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If our children are aware,of the depths the human race can sink, maybe they can prevent It from dropping so low again. One award winner of the Royal Canadian Legion studentessay contest has the right idea. Luu Ngo, of Saskatdhewan say the -poppy reminds him to work towards peace because "the men who died so we could live freely, would not want even one person to die in a war again. it calls me to work for understanding and good will everywhere, so -that there will be a better future for all." Make sure your:children know what It means to pire a wreath at the cenotaph on Nov. 11. That action can become a Itymbdl-of'hope for the future of mankind. -S.H. Canadia* put high value on wildlife BY ARLiN HACKMAN FEDERATION OF ONTARIONATURAJASTS In 1981 Canadians spent S4.2 billion engaging in recreational activities related to wildlife. That's the major finding of a comprehensive survey of 100,000 indivi- duals, from all regions and walks of life, that was carried out by Statistics Canada during 1982. Sponsored by eighteen organizations with various interests, it bears good news for conservationists, during a period of economic stress, when money talks louder than ever. Published earlier this year by the Canadian Wildlife Service as The Importance of Wildlife to Canadians, the results of this ground breaking survey span a wide range of fascinating data on attitudes tb wildlife populations, participation in various activi• ties, as well as related expenditures. Forstudy purposes, wildlife -related activi- ties were categorized as indirect (reading, buying wildlife art, joining clubs); residential (contact with wildlife around home or cottage); non -consumptive outings involving wildlife encounters; and last of all, hunting. Fully 83.8 per cent of those surveyed engaged in indirect activities, showing that interest in wildlife touches alt sectors of society. Statisticians estimate, in addition, that Canadians spent close to 5120 million supporting wildlife organizations alone. One conclusion really stands out challeng- ing conventional wisdom. Fully half the total U #007t'hd zalw 4', n :A0Vorgi iidatlme, ' TNj cl4 )ifrfPIJ herd to Fllteb Veen, :Shine. ling/019h, Jeff , "dl ilon end Dw4,,ne FortMst pen Friday Afternoon• trying tp .olImb (c ree ia( flee B099 -nonce assliik'pboto) public expenditures on wildlife reaction (S2.1 billion) were made by the one in five Canadians who took a special' trip to watch, photograph, study or feed Wildlife. By contrast only one in ten Canadians hunted and total hunting -related expenditures of 51.2 billion account for less than29 per cent of the grand total. This findingturns the tables on a recent study done for Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. it•' says hunting has far More economic significance than nature apprecia- tion. But the sole author of this report, acknowledges he took a conservative approach to estimates on nature apprecia- tion. His figures indicate, for example. that n typical "non -consumptive user" spent only 54.50 in 1979 on equipment and supplies, about the cost of one roll of film. Conservative indeed. Conservation gains from the federal survey In other ways than economics. At least 80 per cent of those questioned strongly support the preservation of endangered species and the maintenance of abundant wildlife popula- tions in general. And 43 per cent expressed an interest in participating in wildlife organizations. The Importance of Wildlife to Canadians is a benchmark report with a clear message about the poteadalforce to be mgalrized in defense of wildlife conservation. Copies can be obtained by Writingto the Distribution Unit, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environ- ment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E7. 'utlar clump triDs You don't Make r. If you live in town, ,it's 14(03 %010 you're ait"offfrom one of fife's little pleasures—the weekly visit to the dump. That's one of the prices you pay for the convenience of central services, like our quiet and capable garbage picker -uppers. But those of us who live in the sticks haul our own garbage. Usually on Saturdays and usually a fair distance. Sure it's a hassle sometimes to remember exactly when the dump is open, to interrupt whatever's on the Saturday agenda, collect the week's refuse and take off for the dump. - But it's also" interesting. As a very perceptive comment from Morris reeve Bill Elston put it at a recent Ministry of the Environment hearing in London, rural dumps are 'people places, pleasant places really." PICK UP LOTS You often pick up more than you leave at a • rural dump. Not necessarily other peoples' treasures (though we all know those *ho get plenty of good stuff • that way) but information and fellowship. You meet your neighbors at the dump. You get the latest news from the man who operates it. He's in the privileged position of getting opinion ,i .vgblUUJl1 J U, 5tt mtal'Aso, .6/44.111 r,1iiG,ri t,,:,. j ..,.,lrs•rir,J r1 �„rn•ty', 4I'iw,vtinnmrt4o•+ • cel 0r,1g• .� by ug,c)fT ',bob* from all over the township, or maybe more than one, in a single day. Survey him, and it's likely you could get a pretty good handle on what McKillop (or wherever) thinks. Too, you can catch up on what's new with him. The really well -organized go to the dump only once a month, and lots can change in a month. Not everything you learn at the dump is from conversation. There's something about a look at what a person throws -out that'll tell you a lot about them. Those who work at dumps, like hairdressers and bartenders, know a lot more about humanity than they're telling. THROW AWAY SNAPSHOT Though you're not there long enough to get deeply into theorizing, a trip to your friendly neighborhood dump also gives you a snapshot picture of our throw -away society. What doesn't work? Whether it's a brand of chair or last year's prized Christmas toy, it's at the dump in large quantities. You can figure out what lasts too, by its absence. Yup, our dumps are meeting places and people don't want them regionalized in the name of progress. Remember the unhappi- ness that was caused when home mail delivery carne to a nearby town? Many people, especially, senior citizens hated it. They were depnved of their daily trip downtown, the informal chats, the post office as a gathering place. • But the sheer quantity of our garbage, and the fact that a lot of it is dangerous to everyone's health, means that experts in provincial government now have control over our dumps. The theory is that ordinary people on local councils don't have the expertise and objectivity to deal with something that gets more and more complicated. SIMPLE Keeping the model of dumps as people places in mind, we suggest the way to go is Iteggbt'ritegt acidicfoteki ripfertoitsatne'ttfse, waste less. Insist on. a retthtl cto 'take oibt hamburgers wrapped in wax paper 'instead of in styrofoam ` boxes inside cardboard containers inside paper bags. Once I lived in rural household that had almost no garbage. Oh two or three tin cans a month. What we ate was home canned or from the garden. Cleaning products were homemade (want a recipe for toothpaste?) and the little bits of paper that had wrapped meat from the butcher shop were burned in an incinerator out back. My hosts were elderly; they were proud of the fact nothing was wasted and they'd never lived any other way.. Lots of Amities used to be lake that. Maybe that's why a trip to the -dump was an occasion rather than a chore. None of us has time to live that way any more, just like we don't can tomatoes on a woodstove or sew by the light of a kerosene lamp: But that world had its good points. Like thrr fact that we each took responsibility for the garbage we produced. A little more of that, and our insistence that everyone else, from industries to farms, do the same, will go along way towards solving the waste crisis. And keep our dumps as people places. We must remember how horrible war is November 11, Remembrance Day. Lest We Forget. Too often in • our troubled modern world we seem to forget the thing we should remember and remember the things we should forget. On Remembrance Day we must remember the horrible penalty we pay for war. We must look at the long lists of the young men from our communities who died in two World Wars and remember them for their bravery and for the high price we have paid even in, our little communities in peaceful Huron County for mankind's inability to find solutions to conflicts without resorting to violence. And we must remember just how horrible war is. Our global media have been no more successful in reminding us about the price of war than the days when we lived in isolated communities. On one hand we have movies and television shows that seem to show the glory of violence. On the other hand we have television news that does show the horror of wars in far off parts of the world, but does it so often that we become numb even to the Q@Eowd t b@ acs@np5 by f @Bt;b Rost it©et most gruesome and shocking occurences. We mustn't forget how easy it is to get into a war and how hard it is to get out of one. We mustn't forget that national pride, so important to a country most of the time. can, if misplaced, suck a nation into a war over issues that don't really matter in the long run. On the other hand, it would be helpful to forget a lot of things. So often wars are being fought over old grievances, an attempt to right past wrongs. These only create new wrongs for the other side to try to right. Last week provided an example of why it's impossible to see an end to conflict in the Middle East. An Arab fanatic drove a truck loaded with explosives into an israeli- occupied building in Lebanon; s killing himself and dozens of Israeli$ .(td Arabs in the building. Israel, full of, vengeance, bombed Arab villages, likely killing many innocent people. Now the Arabs will Wait for their chance to retaliate. The endless round of retaliation goes on in other parts of the world such as Northern Ireland where each atrocity must be avenged leading to an even longer history of grievances. / The world is involved in an arms race because the two most powerful nations cannot forget, The Soviet Union, filled with fears for its security based on the lee;sons of the attacks from Europe of Napoleon and Hitler, seeks to fight any future wars on somebody else's land. The United States, remembering the sneak attack on `Pearl Harbour, vows never to be surprised again and never to let a potential enemy within shooting distance. Amid all this folly and gloom we have one outstanding' example of how men of wisdom can help bring peace. The Second World War, most experts agree, was fought not just because a madman arose in Germany, but because the German people were so angry at the way they were treated by the alhes after the first world war that they would follow that madman when he ptomised to restore their pride. Seeing this after the Second World War, U.S. General George Marshall knew some- thing had to be done differently. Instead of the old "to the victor goes the spoils" viewpoint, he came up with the Marshall Plan, a plan where the winners helped the ' losers rebuild their ruined countries. Today, Germany and Japan have rebounded to be two of the strongest nations in the world, both interested in winning victories only in economic terms. Good men with- great ideas are our best hope for peace. What was accomplished in two world wars? A few years ago 1 swore I'd never write another column about Remembrance Day. Not only was it hard for me. emotionally, but 1 felt that if 1 continued, I'd start falling into cliches, like throwing the torch to the next generation. Well, we didn't throw them the torch to carry high, and Flanders fields are old bones now, but the torch is there — a different kind. The torch. not of gallantry and defending certain ideals, and being prepared to die for them, but the torch of terrorism. vicious hatred of other colors, religions and political systems, and new wars and slaughter in the paper every day. With another Remembrance Day coming up, I Must break my promise. An essay by Canadian Hugh MacLennan; called "Re- membrance Day - 2010 A.D.," reread after ten years, brought home to me once again the utter folly of mankind, and his apparent obsession with destroying his own species, A WARbIDIG Written in the 1950F,' the essay is an ironic i SQg©Q ©nod ogAc e by [NDU katwy warning that is just as valid today as when it was wntten- With prophetic insight, he saw the arms race building until the human race is in the delicate egg -shell it is today: constant escalation of nuclear weapons, paranoid suspicion of the "enemy". and teetering on the tight -rope of oblivion. He foresaw a space war, which is just over the horizon, if something worse doesn't happen first. We hate to think of it. We go right on, grun?Ing around in our own little world. whining about taxes, beefing about "the government", and stuffing our guts while half the world or moreD19 literally ally starving Most of us are not on hard drugs. But most of us are on the soft kind, symbolized by television, which tells us that we'd be happy if we drank this beer, or used that shampoo, or used ever -thinner sanitary napkins, or ate Krinkly-Krak for breakfast. Alt lies. of course. Subtle, but lies. And often symbolized by our "leaders", who lie tour until the truth comes upp, then lie some more. And' do not lead, but follow — the latest poll. A vote is more Important than a rod citizen; self-reliant, independent, think- ing E3n •t it turn your guts a bit? It does mine. But, like everyone else, I'm too preoccupied with my busted shoulder, my pension, the constant demands of family, and my own comfort, to face the facts,' 1 remember the first few times marched in the Legion parade on Remembrance Day. Most of tit were in our twenties. We looked Ao with affectionate condescension on the "old guys" veterans of W.W.I . They were in their late 40s and 50s. Now, most of the "old guys" are gone, except for a corporal's guard, and we cocky young strutters are the "old guys". It's depressing, but the word that constant - 1§ forms in my mind Is Why? Why did millions of young men go through the gruesome, bloody, insane dense macabre of World War 1? Correction: millions of them did not "go through" it. They left their bones and pus and blood in little foreign places with funny names. And they left nations of weeping women and children. O course, they died to sate democracy. That's what it said, Or, perhaps, because they' followed the leadership of senile and/or stupid leaders, who thought Little of killing 1001,000 men to gain a few hundred yards of PLEASE SEE ACCOMPLISH'ED 9N PAGE 3