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The Citizen, 1991-10-02, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2,1991. PAGE 5. Arthur Black Get it backwards and win a prize I snagged the jangling telephone on the third ring and stuck it next to my good ear. The voice inside claimed to be calling from a magazine called Prairie Fire, in Winnipeg. The voice wanted to know if I would be willing to judge palindromes. I laughed harshly. "I’m sorry" I snapped, "I admit I've done a lot of damfool things in my life -- I've kayaked on whitewater, accepted a blind date in Moose Jaw, eaten dinner in a place called Mom's — even delivered an after-dinner speech, unarmed, to a roomful of B.C. lawyers. I may be reckless but I'm not an out and out fool. I do not get involved in exotic animal contests!" The voice on the phone was patient, cajoling. It explained that a palindrome is not a critter, it's a literary construction. What makes a palindrome is the fact that it reads the same no matter which end you start at. 'Mom' is a very simple palindrome. So is 'dad*. And 'Otto' and 'Anna'. Slightly more complex palindromes include 'radar* and Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO OCTOBER 3,1990 Blyth council decided to support the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association in its plans for improvements to the Blyth fairgrounds, with money from the village’s PRIDE program to a maximum of $10,000. Tanya Boonstoppel, of RR3, Auburn, was crowned the 1989-90 Huron County Dairy Princess. Brussels council passed a by-law making Donna White the new Clerk-Treasurer for the village. Don Carter was named charter president of the Blyth and District Optimist Club at the formation meeting. Brussels Optimists were the sponsors. Reg and Irene Schultz celebrated their 55th anniversary at an open house in Westfield. Kevin Webster, of RR3 Auburn, was part of the Ontario Youth Choir's fall tour through northern Ontario. Auburn Horticultural Society marked its 40lh anniversary. Present were five charter members: Marjorie Sturdy, Dorothy Grange, Bernice Anderson, Marion Haggitt and Amelia Straughan. Past presidents in attendance were: Dorothy Grange, Erma Letter from the 12th line Continued from page 4. problem. There's only one thing everybody can agree on: we spend too darned much getting rid of the stuff. Too much government, the businessmen say while they want the town to come along and pick up the waste from their factory or store for free. Too high taxes, Joe Blow in the bungalow says but he'd never think about putting his leaves or his potato peels in a comer of the back yard: it might spoil the look of his petunia bed. They just kind of keep hoping the stuff will all go away. Well that's one thing you learn on the farm. If you put feed into a cow or a pig, it’s going to come out the other end...and it doesn't go away by itself. Il takes a lol of sweat to get rid of it and wherever you pul it, there's going to be a big stink- just like there will be when they say where the dump might go. Your correspondent on the 12th Line. 'level'. Then you get to the real beauties, such as Adam's introductory come-on to Eve: Madam, I'm Adam And Napoleon's purported lament as he stared out to sea from his island exile at the end of his career: Able was I ere I saw Elba. Not to mention what could have been the advertising slogan for the construction of a the most famous canal on the planet: A man, a plan, a canal — Panama! Actually, the last example -- 'though ingenious — is not a true palindrome. There's a dastardly dash in there that mucks up the symmetry. But you get the idea. I got the idea. I told the voice on the phone I would be delighted to judge Prairie Fire's palindrome contest. Within a few days my faithful Canada Post Mailperson was staggering up the front steps to my door, bowed nearly double under the weight of contest entries. I attempted to regale him with the lewdest palindrome I'd come across: Eros, Sidney, my end is sore! He was not amused. I distinctly heard a sotto voce snarl in both official languages. Carrwright, Maureen Bean and Donald Haines. Hagood Hardy appeared on Blyth Memorial Hall stage. THREE YEARS AGO OCTOBER 5,1988 The federal government announced a contribution of $450,000 to the first phase of the Blyth Festival's $1.8 million capital expansion project. Brussels Public School teacher Margery Huether of RR3, Walton, established a perpetual award to go each ear to a Grade 8 student from Brussels. Kelly Cook of Blyth hauled off more awards than any other grade 9 student at Central Huron Secondary School commencement. She won the W.D. Fair Scholarship for general proficiency, the A.H. Carter Award for science and the Canadian Parents for French award. Bob Arthur of Auburn was honoured on the occasion of his retirement from the Huron County Roads Department after 29 Letters to the Editor Make yourself a star THE EDITOR, The Stage is yours — From Dec. 9 -15, the Blyth Memorial Hall Stage will become the home of a Christmas Community Pageant. A new tradition? The idea is to create a Christmas story based on your stories and songs. All ages welcome. It is a time to celebrate as a community. We will tell the story, build the set, hang the lights and run the show. We need both on and offstage help. I need your help in putting this together. "A community is more than 1,000 TV's being turned on al once." (Thai's a line from Barbershop Quartet). We can all gel together and participate in a wonderful event and celebrate the spirit of Christmas through There were some dandy palindromes in the package he left behind. Dave Wright sent in a taunt for the butcher of Baghdad: Mad dash, eh Saddam? Myra Stilbom offered: IOU 'n' UOI — with a footnote that read: "Palindromic licence allows grammatical freedom (me hope). And this rather magnificent Peter/Glenda Rogers collaboration: Draw a dahlia, my revered nude man. (named under) Every mail had award. There, but for a slight vagueness and a pair of rogue brackets, would be my prize winner. In any case, half the Rogers Phalindromic tag team won — I awarded first prize to Peter Rogers for his instructions on the boarding of errant wilderness hunters: Room a nimrod al a dorm in a moore. How about you — want to try your luck at writing palindromes? Then write 'em down and send them in, care of this newspaper. But, no rush. I don't want to hurry you, so let's make a palindromic cut-off date. Let’s say your palindromes have to reach me in oh, about eleven and a half y ears. Or to be precise, by 20/02/2002. years of service. Don McNeil, and his employees at McNeil's Auto Body restored a 1932 Model B Ford touring car to its original condition. The project took more than three and a half years and cost about $20,000. FIVE YEARS AGO OCTOBER 1,1986 An appreciation night was held for Huron County Warden Leona Armstrong. Morris council donated $1,500 to the repairs of the Belgrave arena. Brussels began planning for the 115th birthday bash. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to open the new lodge room of St. Johns Masonic Lodge in Brussels. Taking part in the ceremony were: Fred Kleinknecht of Bell Canada, owner of the building, Norman Hoover, Fred Thuell and Gerald Gibson. Tim Chapman was named new General Manager of Blyth Festival. A native of northern Ontario, he had considerable experience in the Toronto theatre scene. stories and song. So call the Blyth Festival or drop in and let's get this project off of the ground. There will be an initial mceting/gct- logclhcr on October 16 al 7:30 p.m. in the June Hill Room al the Blyth Festival administration office and we will set up an easy going rehearsal schedule. We will rehearse one night a week until we get close to the opening. The reason for doing it, besides the wonder of creation together, is to be involved and share thoughts, as neighbours, as a community. I look forward to your stories. PETER SMITH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR. Letter from the Editor | By Keith Roulston Setting an example Of all those seeking re-election in next month's municipal elections, the most wary must be Huron County Board of Education Trustees. Even though six of the trustees voted against last week's 5.5 per cent salary increase for Huron County secondary school teachers, all will bear the brunt of public unhappiness with the settlement. At a time when the federal government is trying to freeze the salaries of federal civil servants, when the inflation target of three per cent looks attainable, when provincially-supported university teachers are being offered an increase of less than two per cent, the Huron settlement looks overly generous. When people who are running businesses look at their red bottom line, when farmers look at prices that make the Depression prices look good, when many workers are glad to lake pay cuts or work sharing just to keep their jobs, the settlement al well over the rate of inflation among a segment of the workforce that is already well in the top income bracket in the county, breeds anger in many people. I almost hestitated to write about the settlement. I'm friends (or was before this column) with many teachers. I know that teacher-bashing is easy and teachers have become so defensive about the attitude of the public in recent years that they've got a kind of fortress-mentality. They feel under seige all the time, they feel under appreciated and misunderstood. And I don't think many of them feel overpaid. For one thing, it seems that the myth of the old days of teachers is alive and well- you remember about the underpaid teacher in the Depression who was shunted from one trustee to another and given room and board in lieu of a decent wage. Around staff rooms in many schools that image is kept alive by teachers commiserating with each other. The power of U.S. media where teachers are still portrayed as poor helps keep that idea alive loo. While farmers and small businesspeople may look at teachers' salaries and working hours and benefits like a kid looking at a Christmas toy he knows he'll never get, teachers look at other "professionals" like lawyers or dentists and doctors and feel they aren't rewarded enough. They look at some industrial workers less educated than themselves who earn top dollar and they figure they should earn a considerable amount more considering all they have going for them. They consider the job they do in educating the future generation, arguably one of the most important in society, and they feel they deserve the best. Besides, teachers have a right to ask for as much as they can get. It's up to the trustees to hold the line if the money isn't there. Sure. Like 1978 when the teachers' strike dragged on until people were ready io give in to the teachers just to gel it over with. The board hasn't stood up and fought since. I'm bothered by the lessons my kids may be learning from their teachers Teachers have always been role models for al least some of their students. Sell sacrificing teachers of the past, people like the late Fred Sloman, taught their students the value of public service. What docs today's student sec looking at his teachers? Get yours man! Don’t uorrx that the rest of your friends and neighbours arc sinking slowly in debt- just make sure you get your rate of inflation plus. So lhc> can't afford the extra taxes? That's their fault for not getting into a good job like leaching. In a way I feel sorry for teachers. Once they didn't have a lol of money but they had a lol of respect. Today they have a loi of money compared to their neighbours, but the respect is long gone.