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Times-Advocate, 1988-10-26, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 26, 1988 linos Established 1871 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated Iti24 • imes INII dvoca e Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedr Publications Limited Published Each Wednesday Morning at E'ietei, Ontario, NOM. 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 119•2i5•1131 PCNA CCdA ROSS HAI_ (.H 11st BI( AI I I Editor Publisher & adsertismg %tanager HARKS Of4RIF% ' ( omposdion'Manager DQ\ 1\UFH BusInr., %tanager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Promises galore Who or whom will you vote for? That's a question being asked of all res- idents of Canada and the United States these days. In less than two weeks, three elections will be held in North America. It's unfortunate that Prime Minister Brian Mulroney called the federal elec- tion for November 21 knowing full well municipal votes were being held in Onta- rio only a week earlier. The U.S..'elec- tion is November 8. Many municipalities are having trouble finding the necessary returning officers, poll clerks and other staff to handle an election. The elections close together will also confuse the electorate, especially the old- er of our eligible voters. The line we used a few weeks ago in a column, "Brian Mulroney may end up as reeve of one of the townships" may be a bit closer to the truth than it seems. Some mixups at least in thinking are bound to happen. Remember the old radio. commercial, "Don't wonder where the yeller went, if youbrushwith Pepsodent". The new one for this federal election should. be, "Where is the money coming from to cover all the election promises." Almost everyday. , a leader of one of the top three parties is. promising large bundles of money for various projects. Where will the money come from? You are right. From my pocket and yours. if only half of the promises become reality we will become tax poor. - It's easier for politicians in the short term to introduce new taxes than curb government spending. If.you haven't been targeted by politi cal glad-handing yet, don't worry. It won't be long before one or more of the candidates running in the federal election will be making a personal call at your door.. - Here is your chance to actually talk to the- candidates and get your questions an- swered in person and also let them know that all of these promises -don't necessari- ly buy votes. We are rather unique in Canada as com- pared to the United States, in that we have a little closer contact with our members of parliament and more say in who actu- ally becomes Prime -Minister as opposed to President. - All three parties are guilty of trying to "buy" our votes with expensive and often unrealistic promises. The election pro- cess, however, can help by forcing the -candidates to discuss issues which are vi- tal to Canada's prospects. _ The decision .is ultimately yours and yours alone. With all of these promises, the challenge will be separating substance .. from the smoke: • - Also in the municipal election, talk to. -your candidate and get his or her ideas and views of the best way to manage your municipality: Maybe, you can add some input. Vote as you like, but be sure to vote. It's your democratic right. Our community and country depends on it. A necessary humbug At our house, Hallowe'en is becoming almost as important as Christmas or Easter. The kids get geared up for it and take it very seriously. I think the whole thing is grossly overrated and rather Billy. It makes no sense at all for children to prance around in the dark, begging their neighbours for candy that thcy shouldn't be eating in the first place. No, I'm definitely a scrooge when it comes to Hallowe'en. Trick or treat? Bah, humbug! Take pumpkins, for example.. What (a waste of time to hollow them out. I get stuck with this job every year. 1 cannot (yet) delegate it to the kids, So I move my hands around inside this revolting, slimy head like a deranged brain surgeon, letting the cold innards slip through my fingers, then ripping the stuff out and dropping it into a plastic bag. it's worse than cleaning fish. I have broken only one knife so far, when 1 tried to carve a particularly original slant of the mouth, but Elizabeth will never let mc forget it. It happened at least five or six years ago, and I replaced her favourite paring knife with one of far better quality. Still, she tells -le every year: "Don't use a good k. c, you'll break it again". With et,,phasis on the again. Have you ever tried to light a candle inside a pumpkin without losing all the hair on your forearm? Every year i have to perform this impossible feat. And the ludicrous pumpkin people we have to make! Several days before Hallowe'en the kids and I work hard, getting the old clothes ready, stuffing them with semi -dried leaves (of which we PET'ER'S POINT • by Pc(cr Hcsscl i i have an abundant supply this time of year), and propping them up somehow with sticks, rakes, shovels, and coat hangers. It's a good way of using up clothes that no one buys at our garage sales, and the pumpkin family we make does serve a purpose as scarecrows. Actually, it's not just the crows that stay away from us. Skunks, , raccoons, neighbours, girl guides selling cookies, prowlers — they're all frightened out of their wits when thcy approach our lawn and see these apparitions. Still, its all humbug. The costumes are• getting fancier and more expensive from year to year. Gone are the days when Duncan was satisfied to have a paper bag over his head with two holes for the eyes, and when Stephanie was happy to go "Halloweening" draped in a • • bcdshect. I've upgraded Hallowe'en to a separate budget item this year after what happened last October. What with fancy costumes and masks and pumpkins and candies and apples and nickels and dimes (the kids in our neighbourhood refuse to accept pennies). Hallowe'en is fast becoming a' major expense. it's turning into an industry. Humbug, all of it. Oh, alright, maybe some of it is enjoyable • — for example, seeing the kids in their finished costumes, or welcoming the neighbours' children to the door,. pretending not to recognize them.• Maybe the pumpkin people, arc not too much work, considering the favourable comments we -get about them. And the Hallowe'en photos are amusing to look at. • It's all still humbug, mind you, but I must admit that some of it caa be fun. Well, O.K., if you insist, maybe most of it is actually tolerable. Except the "Hallowe'en kisses". No, i'll never concede that they're useful for anything. They are, in fact, revolting, and I wish you wouldn't hand them out to our kids. Give them nickels and dimes which they could turn over to' their old man, so that he may recoup some of his financial losses. it's silly, and I know it's overrated, and it makes no sense at all. But I guess I have to admit that I'd hate to do without it. Hallowe'en is a necessary humbug. t' Let's have a safe Halloween This coming Monday'night, a host of arca youngsters will be out in full force celebrating Hal- loween 1988 with their trick and treat antics. Over the ycars we have often suggested that Halloween be ob- served on the Fridoy or Saturday night closest to October 31. We realize that the origin of Halloween goes back a long way to pagan days when on that spe- cial night all devils,spooks and ghosts walked thc earth and evil reigned. The next day was All Saints Day and everything was back to normal. We have two reasons for changing Halloween activities to the weekend. First of all, the children and some adults as well would bc ahlc to sleep in the next day and rest up on the weekend. Next comes their education. This explanation comes from wife Irene who taught, elementary school for 35 years. She says af- ter consuming high levels of sug- ar contained in their treats, many of the boys and girls are hyper and tired and not very interested in learning much for a couple of days. When Halloween docs roll around this year, we have a fcw safety tips to pass along to par- ents and children alike. Safcty measures take on an added im- portance when trick -or -treaters arc more apt to forget to obey the basic safety rules. Masks and hoods can obstruct a child's vision. Makcup can be uscd instead or eyeholes should be made large 'enough to allow the child to sec properly. Costumes should not be. so long that a child is in danger of tripping and should be brightly coloUrcd. las From the ;editor's disk by in Ross Haugh Children should travel. in groups or with their parents and thcy should bc instructed to avoid dark alleys, parks and. schoolyards, should they be- come separated from their group. Youngsters should be remind- ed to look all ways before cross- - ing the street and told not to gp into a house" unless accompanied by their parents. -With safety in mind, children should be encouraged to tack or treat in areas familiar to them. Parents should check all treats before allowing children to cat them. Chocolate bars should he broken in half and fruit cut up in sections. Any suspicious looking treats should be discarded. * * * * Also in the safety vein we have a few tips during the upcoming hunting season. This represents a challenging time of the year spent in the great outdoors. Un- fortunately, however, hunting often results in careless accidents that could easily be avoided. The most common hunting ac- cidents involve careless -ruse of firearms and getting lost in the hush. Treat every firearm as if it was loaded. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill. Know where your firearm is pointed at all times and ncvcr fire from a vehicle. Loaded -guns should ncvcr he carried in vehicles. Unload guns .before-climhing fences, jumping ditches or walking through dense hush. Never overload a boat, and en- sure -weight is evenly distributed - even if it means making more trips hack and forth. Life jackets. should be wom by everyone 'on the boat. * * * * We recently received the annual year book -from the Ohio State Buckeyes hockey team. It re- vealed sale. interesting infoma- tion. Paul Pooley of Exetcr.is listed as holding two all -tinge scoring records at the Columbus, Ohio school. During the 1983-84 sea- son; he notched 64 assists and total points of 96 on the way to player of the year honours in the Central Collegiate hockey Asso- ciation. These records will proba- bly stand for a long time. Earlier this fall. Paul Pooley was named assistant coach of the Buckeyes responsible for the re- cruiting program as well as aid- ing in offensive strategy. Paul -and his brother Perry .who also starred with the Buckeyes for four years entered private husincss in Columbus in 1987. Letters to the Editor Dear Sir: it was with surprise that I teamed that my name had been included in the list of nominees for Exeter Council which was printed in the Times Advocate on October 19, 1988. The reason for my surprise was that 1 did not file nomination papers with the Town Clerk by the deadline of October 17, 1988 at 5 p.m. for reasons which 1 will ex- plain, now that my name has been made public. A fcw weeks ago, i picked up the required forms and some informa-, tion from the Clerk's office. Be- cause I think that entering a politi- cal.race at any level must be done only after full considcration of all aspects,.1 wanted to have as much information as possible to review before making a final decision on whcthcr or not I- would stand for election to Council. I reviewed the information, spoke to some people who havc.bcen involved in munici- pal politics, and consulted with my family. 1 also had to consider the impact that being a Town Council-' or would havefon my full time job. After serious consideration of all these things, 1 decided that, at this time, I would not be able to do jus- ticc to Council and the Town of Exeter, my family and my job were 1 successful in being elected. There-. fore, 1 did not file nomination pa• pers, assuming that would he the end of the matter. 1 am not unduly upset at my in- tcntidns being made public, but wonder if it had been someone else whcthcr or not that person would have felt thc same. It seems to me that it would have hecn prudent for the press/Clerk or whomever to wait until the official deadline ha(I-..........,. passed, or at least, check with the candidate" prior to publishing namcfi in thc localipaper. In closing, I would like to thank those who -have approached me to offer their support. Perhaps next time! I also would like to extend my best wishes to all the official candidates for a successful term in office. Yours very truly, Marilyn Hohncr Editor's Note: This error was completely the fault of the Exeter Times Advocate and we apologize for the inconvenience it ha.s caused. - HAVE AN OPINION? The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should be accompanied by a telephone number should we need to clarify any information. The newspaper also reserves the right to edit letters. Letters can be dropped off at the Times Advocate Office or mailed to: Exeter Times Advocate . Box 850,. Exeter, Ontarlo' NOM 1SO t' Let's have a safe Halloween This coming Monday'night, a host of arca youngsters will be out in full force celebrating Hal- loween 1988 with their trick and treat antics. Over the ycars we have often suggested that Halloween be ob- served on the Fridoy or Saturday night closest to October 31. We realize that the origin of Halloween goes back a long way to pagan days when on that spe- cial night all devils,spooks and ghosts walked thc earth and evil reigned. The next day was All Saints Day and everything was back to normal. We have two reasons for changing Halloween activities to the weekend. First of all, the children and some adults as well would bc ahlc to sleep in the next day and rest up on the weekend. Next comes their education. This explanation comes from wife Irene who taught, elementary school for 35 years. She says af- ter consuming high levels of sug- ar contained in their treats, many of the boys and girls are hyper and tired and not very interested in learning much for a couple of days. When Halloween docs roll around this year, we have a fcw safety tips to pass along to par- ents and children alike. Safcty measures take on an added im- portance when trick -or -treaters arc more apt to forget to obey the basic safety rules. Masks and hoods can obstruct a child's vision. Makcup can be uscd instead or eyeholes should be made large 'enough to allow the child to sec properly. Costumes should not be. so long that a child is in danger of tripping and should be brightly coloUrcd. las From the ;editor's disk by in Ross Haugh Children should travel. in groups or with their parents and thcy should bc instructed to avoid dark alleys, parks and. schoolyards, should they be- come separated from their group. Youngsters should be remind- ed to look all ways before cross- - ing the street and told not to gp into a house" unless accompanied by their parents. -With safety in mind, children should be encouraged to tack or treat in areas familiar to them. Parents should check all treats before allowing children to cat them. Chocolate bars should he broken in half and fruit cut up in sections. Any suspicious looking treats should be discarded. * * * * Also in the safety vein we have a few tips during the upcoming hunting season. This represents a challenging time of the year spent in the great outdoors. Un- fortunately, however, hunting often results in careless accidents that could easily be avoided. The most common hunting ac- cidents involve careless -ruse of firearms and getting lost in the hush. Treat every firearm as if it was loaded. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill. Know where your firearm is pointed at all times and ncvcr fire from a vehicle. Loaded -guns should ncvcr he carried in vehicles. Unload guns .before-climhing fences, jumping ditches or walking through dense hush. Never overload a boat, and en- sure -weight is evenly distributed - even if it means making more trips hack and forth. Life jackets. should be wom by everyone 'on the boat. * * * * We recently received the annual year book -from the Ohio State Buckeyes hockey team. It re- vealed sale. interesting infoma- tion. Paul Pooley of Exetcr.is listed as holding two all -tinge scoring records at the Columbus, Ohio school. During the 1983-84 sea- son; he notched 64 assists and total points of 96 on the way to player of the year honours in the Central Collegiate hockey Asso- ciation. These records will proba- bly stand for a long time. Earlier this fall. Paul Pooley was named assistant coach of the Buckeyes responsible for the re- cruiting program as well as aid- ing in offensive strategy. Paul -and his brother Perry .who also starred with the Buckeyes for four years entered private husincss in Columbus in 1987. Letters to the Editor Dear Sir: it was with surprise that I teamed that my name had been included in the list of nominees for Exeter Council which was printed in the Times Advocate on October 19, 1988. The reason for my surprise was that 1 did not file nomination papers with the Town Clerk by the deadline of October 17, 1988 at 5 p.m. for reasons which 1 will ex- plain, now that my name has been made public. A fcw weeks ago, i picked up the required forms and some informa-, tion from the Clerk's office. Be- cause I think that entering a politi- cal.race at any level must be done only after full considcration of all aspects,.1 wanted to have as much information as possible to review before making a final decision on whcthcr or not I- would stand for election to Council. I reviewed the information, spoke to some people who havc.bcen involved in munici- pal politics, and consulted with my family. 1 also had to consider the impact that being a Town Council-' or would havefon my full time job. After serious consideration of all these things, 1 decided that, at this time, I would not be able to do jus- ticc to Council and the Town of Exeter, my family and my job were 1 successful in being elected. There-. fore, 1 did not file nomination pa• pers, assuming that would he the end of the matter. 1 am not unduly upset at my in- tcntidns being made public, but wonder if it had been someone else whcthcr or not that person would have felt thc same. It seems to me that it would have hecn prudent for the press/Clerk or whomever to wait until the official deadline ha(I-..........,. passed, or at least, check with the candidate" prior to publishing namcfi in thc localipaper. In closing, I would like to thank those who -have approached me to offer their support. Perhaps next time! I also would like to extend my best wishes to all the official candidates for a successful term in office. Yours very truly, Marilyn Hohncr Editor's Note: This error was completely the fault of the Exeter Times Advocate and we apologize for the inconvenience it ha.s caused.