Loading...
Times-Advocate, 1988-10-05, Page 4• Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 5, 1988 limes Established "1871 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 tl imes dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM ISO Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. • Phone 519-235-1331 ROSS HAUGH Editor HARR1 DfVRIES ( omposibon Manager PCNA JIM BECKETi Publisher fi Adsertising Manager • DON SMITH Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Writing on the wall The writing was on the wall, and some- one thought it was graffiti. Fleck Manufacturing closed its doors on - the jobs of 200 workers Saturday not be cause of big business indifference, or be- cause of a union stranglehold, but because of pressures from third world labour force. Its not Fleck's fault Mexican labourers are willing to work- for a fraction of the wages of Canadians. If Fleck didn't have a plant in Mexico making wiring harness -- es, another competitor would. Canadian unions are losing another bar- gaining chip in their negotiations for a share of the profits of industry. When unions and strikes drive labour costs -.higher, companies lose competitive edges to other markets. The only solution is to get Out of the business while the getting is good. 9 The non -unionized Tillsonburg plant survives because of fewer labour prob- lems, but for how long? The only solution is to get $7 -an -hour Canadians out of jobs that can be done by robots or semi -skilled workers in third world rations. Fleck might be one of the first to cave in to the pressure, but it won't be the last. - The really sad thing is the 200 people who are now jobless. The saddest part is how they were manipulated for the me- dia. Fleck had no reason to clean out its plant on Saturday morning except to gen- erate a response from the picketers for the television cameras. Picket lines do what picket lines do best, and with every curse and shout they look more like, an undeserving mob and less like a group of disheartened people cut off from their livelihood. By Adrian !lane -A boring country Jamaica half a million people and evaluation of my list, were homeless after Hurricane applying the meticulously Gilbert. Nothing in Canada could scientific method which is by compare in magnitude. We really now well known to the readers of had nothing to report. this column, I have been able to The biggest news from Canada come up with the following" had to do with the dioxin laws in axiom: "The undesirability of a . Ontario (they were inadequate) and country rises in direct proportion a baby's life being saved by some to the exciting news it generates miracle operation in Winnipeg. In other words, the more boring Boring_ . Once again, our the. news from Canada, the happier I am to be living here. The next time I meet my complaining friend, I . will tell him: "I agree with you that Canada is perhaps the world's most boring country. Thank God." I hope and pray that Canada will remain boring for a long, long time. I don't know about you, but I prefer to bring up my children in a country that has very low priority for the world's TV news teams. You can have the glamour and adventure-, the tension and ferment, the passion and violence of less boring places. I'll take Canada — with all its monotony. I don't like being jolted out of my scat, watching a bunch. of Rambos running around throwing Molotov cocktails. I'd rather fall asleep on the sofa watching Barabara Frum interviewing the new Minister for Multiculturalism.' Dull? Of• course. May God keep this land glorious, free, and boring forever! "Canadian news are so boring," a• friend told me recently. "Nothing of any consequence ever happens in -this country". I asked him to explain. "I'm tired of hearing that yet_ another federal politician had his hand in the till. 1 don't care whether the Blues or :the Reds win the next election in the Yukon. And 1 don't want to know whether the striking garbage collectors in Twitsville have finally reached a tentative agreement." "I sec what you -mean." I said. The next time I listened to the National, I paid attention to the Canadian part of the news. Sure enough,it wasn't exactly the stuff adventure novels are based on. All the excitement came from abroad. The government of Burma had been overthrown for the.third time in four months, that of Haiti for the fourth time in three months. Or vice versa. Colonel A had been replaced by Major-General 13, and President X had been ousted t)y. President Y. Soldiers in fatigues with submachine guns and machetes swarmed all over the screen. In Los Angeles, 870 members of street gangs were arrested in a single swoop. Iraq boasted that it !lad killed over 800,(XX)1ranians, and Iran said the figures were -'t;xaggerated. in Bangladesh, 108 million people faced disaster from floods, and in PETER'S POINT • by Peter Hessel immigration laws were being revised: Boring. Another cabinet shuffle. How tiresome. Free Trade. Yawn. About a year ago I started making a list of countries I'm glad not to be living in. As Thanksgiving Day comes around again, I am sad to report that my list has grown to over 200 nations. Among the very few countries that are still missing are Andorra, Iceland, and Mongolia. Peter's Law After carrying out a painstakingly careful tabulation Letters to the Editor Toronto, Ontario September 25, 1988 Dear Sir: - I wish to clear up some apparent confusion regarding the province's role in supporting the Blyth Festi- ioal's efforts to obtain funding for a major renovation and expansion project. - The provincial. .government has been ready to offer its support for some time under the Community Facilities Improvement Program. Currently, the only hold-up is that the federal government has not : ct made a commitment for its por- tion of the funds required to match the provincial giant. Under the tr~rins of the program, the province would provide 50 per- cent of the S1.8 million cost of the project, while the Festival- would contribute 5300,000. The federal portion would bc $600,000. The province has twice extended the deadline for final application for funding in hopes that the federal government will make a firm com- mitment. if and when the federal govern- ment makes its commitment, the province will then be able to pro- cess the application. The Blyth Festival is to be com- mended for the excellent job that it has done in raising funds for this project. I hope the federal government fi- nally comes through with its share (If the funding as this project is im- portant for the future of the Blyth Festival, which is such an impor- tant asset to the community and province. er Sincerely, i Riddell iP,' uron L.ood Dear Sir: At the August meeting of the General Council of the United Church of Canada, a policy was ap- proved which says "that all per- sons, regardless of sexual orienta- tion, who profess faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, are welcome to be or become full members of the Church" and "arc eligible to be considered for Ordered Ministry". This statement- has created a great deal of discussion and upset both inside and outside of the United Church. At a meeting last week, the Con- gregation of Zion United Church. Crediton, unanimously decided "self -declared, practicing homosexu- als are unac . rpiahle .rnd unsuitable as minister\ of ciC Church". The discussion revolved around the matter of ordination of "self - declared and practicing homosexu- als" rather than with the member- ship of homosexuals within the Church. As a Congregation, we support the action of the Huron -Penh Pres- bytery and will continue to be a vi- able United •Chtrch Congregation, working within the structure 'to change the policy approved by the General Council. We appreciate the opportunity to share our decisions. Yours sincerely, The Congregation Zion -United Church, Crediton 0 r . Serving South Huron, North Middlesex . & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited Winding up the trip This week we will wind up mechanical and magical ever hundreds of stops. There are 52 accounts of our recent trip to the since. - grand pianos throughout the state of Wisconsin. It's difficult to know where to complex, 29 of which arc wired • The tour of the House on thc begin. The first stop on the self- to .the magnificient organ con - Rock was almost unbelievable. guided tour is the Gate House. It sole. - Visiting the house is like enter- serves as a lobby or foyer and Visitors• -will find the only ani- ing a marvelous world of imag has the same innovative, contcm mated shaker chimes in the world" 'nation and creativity. = in the Rcd -Room: Here, count- - It all began in the early 1940's less lights and chandeliers create `." whcn Madison resident AlexFrorn the : . . a brilliant setting for a flying " Jordan sought out a country re. , , sleigh drawn by life-size tigers. treat -where he could get away to ; editor'S disk This huge mom plays "Dance of work on his artwork. by J the Sugar Plum Fairies". He found the perfect place . Ross Haugh. In the Cannon Room beside a atop Dccr Shelter Rock and dc- gigantic cannon arc two delight cided to build his house into the - ful carousels.'One is a three-level rock, using the majestic piece of porary design as. the original fantasy merry-go-round kk ith stone .as the foundation and house built on the rock. hundreds of bisque dolts riding walls. • • From here it's over a 350 fly- . ponies. The other is a six -tiered Jordan used 5,000 tons of ing• bridge to the main house - carousel adorned with endless stone and 5(X) tons of mortar to -which has a fairyland atmosphere crystal chandeliers, innumerable sculpt the house. Some of this come true. In the Red .Room one ponies and countless figurines.. was transported "by electric secs a dazzling carouse which is To go with the doll camusels is hoists, but Jordan then at .the the largest in the world, and- in the largest collection of wooden age of 30 years carried much of history. doll houses in the world. There • it to the top himself. Ile put has- • This stunning creation_ stands are magnificent, miniature doll kets on his hack and climbed up 35 feet tall, measures 80 feet in houses of all architectural designs rope ladders, sometimes even diameter, weighs 35 tons and including Early American, climbing the rock itself. • sparkles with over 18,()0 indi- (Georgian. Victorian and Europe - Soon his house began to take vidual lights. This carousel an style. shape with its windows cantile- doesn't have horses, but carries This is only a small portion of vered over space and rock to 269 animals, real and mythologi- the amazing exhibits located at overlook the breathtaking val- cal creatures. We saw unicoms, the House on the Rock. Words. ley, 450 feet below. tigers, lions, zchras, .reindeer, are not enough to describe this • Yielding 10 the beckoning pigs, chickens,,r-abhits and even fantasy, world. We spent about pleas of curiosity seekers, Jor- a bulldog, but • not one single two hours and didn't get a good dan decided to share his home horse. look. at everything. it would he with thc public in 1961, and we • Next in the Organ Room is the great to spend a whole.day there. are all the better for .it. Elc-has worlds largest. theatre organ con- Oh,=well, we can dream about continued td add things musical, sole which has 15 manuals and :. oing hack gain on a future trip Time's winged chariot Is it thc music industry, or do 1 blame my advancing years? Only the other day Matic Bisset was commenting on how people no longer appreciate the silence of nature. That's mc. Perhaps it comes from living alone, but when I get ( 1 ,cually switch on the ret. is a self -'confessed had, - 'a IIic, v stereo is one of my 1...0 gadgets, but when my compact disc player slicks out its tongue i find i have very little to feed it. Part of the problem is compact discs themselves. When you fork over $20 for something that won't wear out, you have to be sure you want to listen to it 10 years down the road. Also as my stereo gets better, commer- cial recordings sound worse. What sounds fine in the car can prove to be empty and synthetic at home. , The other problem must he my rapid aging. i grew up with rock music and 1 cling ton still, trusting some- where beyond the sludge cranked out for die teeny -hopper masses there is still some artistic integrity. i set out the other week, deter- mined to bring home some new Hold that thought... by Adrian Harte and exciting music: i returned with Mozart's Requiem Mass. i love thc recording, i just didn't expect to bc buying music in Latin for at least another dec- ade. 'Go on. Laugh. Tell me my tastes arc maturing or changing, but 1 know l'm getting old. i went so far as to unleash my- self on the Virgin Megastore in London, England. They even have a,CD pressing plant in thc basement. i planned a shopping spree of wild abandon and came away with only one and a half discs. Thc half is one of those new mini CD. singles. So much for wild abandon. To he fair, i must say 1 await thc re-release of some of my fa- vorite material on CD and once it. comes Ill buy it, but i still have a hard time convincing myself to buy the new stuff 1 hcar on the radio these days. - Can.it he not only arc my teen years gone, but my early 20s too? i think, in true Peter Pan fashion, 1'II deny it all. Thc Mo- zart collection can he dismissed as simply being trendy. Rock 'n Roll forever, never say die. When the time comcs for a hearing aid, i'11 just reach over and tum'the stereo up louder. •