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Times-Advocate, 1986-04-30, Page 44, 7'17= 71777 ' • Thnes-Advecols, April It 1940, 11101silkesikkrigase-61111111 016111641Mildwaii~sitisalamilmd .• Published Ude Wednesday Mooing at faster, Oelerio,91SM las Second Claes AIM itegistraiion liboase 519-23S-1331 LORNE HEW Pobrisirer JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager SRL BATTEN Editor HAM DE-VRIES c Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistint Max DICK KINGSIND Business Mame.. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: B25.00 Per year; U.S.A. B6S.110 C.W.N.A., 0.CN.A. CLASS 'A' 1 111MILIIIMMIEE 511111-111121.111116/0 VIIM1111315;11113112) Social lepers? It's rather appropriate perhaps that some major developments in the battle between smokers and non-smokers have arisen during April, the month set aside for the annual campaign of the Cancer Society. The Society, along with the other health agencies which point to smoking as a prime culprit in many diseases, have received a boost in their battle from several sources. London's University Hospital let it be known recently that smokers should look elsewhere for employment opportunities as the hospital would not be employing them if their application form showed a check in the "do you smoke?" box. Air Canada also took steps to meet the increasing demand from non- smokers and announced a trial period in which smoking would be banned totally' on some flights. The latter announcement drew a quick response from several major cigarette manufacturers who advised their employees to use Air Canada as a last resort and make trips on competitive airlines where possible. While that may have sent Air Canada reeling a bit, they were quickly supported by the Canadian Medical Associationand the Non -Smokers' Rights Association. Those two groups indicate they'll stage a counter -boycott on such firms as Shop- per Drug Mart and Canada Trust, which are owned by Imasco of Montreal, which just happens to also own Imperial Tobacco. Given the fact there are now more non-smokers in society than those still tempting fate on their weeds, Imasco may find they would have been better to suffer in silence, particularly now that the non-smokers are becoming .much more militant as their majority grows. Perhaps one of the most damning quotes comes from a spokesperson for Benson and Hedges, who in defence of smokers,.claimed '''there are an awful lot of people out there who resent being treated like social lepers". Her own description may well con- vince some smokers that it's time to butt out, not only from a health standpoint, but also to get a job and be socially acceptable. .!' Questionable motion While open debate is a requirement for any public body, there are topics which are rightly discussed i ca era. In fact, the laws of the land gi e e ected officials the right to discuss such things as personnel matters, land acquisitions and legal issues behind closed doors. By the same token, there are specific rules by which such bodies hold commit- tee of the whole sessions and how their decisions are to be relayed back to the open portion of their meeting. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority executive committee appears to circumvent the rules when they pass motions that read: "Resolved, that the matter discussed by the committee of the whole be approved." A motion that refers only to "the matter" surely does net constitute a pro- per motion on which members can vote or which can be listed in the minutes as having been approved or denied. Obviously, "the matter" must be detailed to some extent to indicate what it was that the members actually approved. It would certainly make it easier for recording secretaries and clerks to com- pile minutes if each item on the agenda was simply referred to as as "the mat- ter discussed" but it would be a rather chaotic system that would make the minutes of the event totally meaningless. The Authority would appear to be well advised to check out the propriety of their current practice. oud speakers on Despite the fact that the tee of commtmication has enabled people to instantly see or 'hear of events that happen on the other side of the world, many of the world's woes can be,blamecl on a lack of communication. The epitome of thetwas pro- bably expressed at Exeter coun- cil meeting last week when a member advised that there is a move afoot to improve the com- munications between the municipalities involved in the county police communication system. It's obviously _more than a lit- tle disconcerting to learn that those responsible for the deci- sions regarding a communication system appear to have some pro- blem communicating. That's akin to the following an- nouncement that came over a scratchy loudspeaker at a school: "We have been having difficulties with the loudspeakers and hope to have them corrected today. Would anyone not hearing this announcennt please report it to the office." No doubt the originator of that announcement immediately recognized the absurdity of it, or had it brought to his attention, but it emphasizes the point that many of us on occasion get our words , running in a different gear than our minds, or vice versa. The ability to be succinct and totally comprehensible is one that few have mastered and their shortfall in that rd often leads to some and dArt;i7that the ability to even I The.411.. communicate has not kept pace with the method of communica- Not just any old syrup Some years ago I took some ge- nuine maple syrup to Europe, hoping to please my hosts. The recipients of my gift were puzzl- ed. Why syrup? I explained: This is no ordinary syrup. It is one of Canada's national foods. The quintessence of pure, down to earth, Canadian wholesomeness. I was met by blank stares. fixed a Canadian breakfast for them: French toast with maple syrup. All I got was a polite "Very interesting." And then we talked about syrup in general. There are all kinds. The word syrup itself is of Arabic origin: Sharab is any drink or beverage. In the middle ages the word was Latinized and came to mean "A thick, sticky solution of sugar and water" that was often spiced and medicated to have an exotic flavor. Shakespeare mentioned syrup in Othello: "Not poppy, nor man- dragora, nor all the drowsy syrups of the world shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep..." And John Keats spoke of "lucent syrup tinct with • cinnamon." Therellfirorn syrup and sugar beet syrup, and syrup made from every imaginable fruit. And yet not one of them comes close to maple syrup. At least that was my argument. But my European hosts could not detect anything special except "A peculiar, slightly pungent taste." Perhaps, they suggested, it was a taste that had to be cultivated before it could be pppreciated. Well, bully to them! I would rather have pancakes and Cana- dian maple syrup than the fan- ciest Continental breakfast. But I had to figure out why. There might be some truth in the almost The Peter Hesse! Column sacrilegious allegation that maple syrup tastes like almost any other syrup. Almost, but not quite. And tyre is the difference: Maple syfup tastes like the blue sky over our lakes and forest, a blue that ds not exist in crowd- ed, polluteCentral Europe. It tastes of the clear, frosty air we breathe in early spring. It tastes of the season's last sleigh ride - the steaming Clydesdale horses and the hales of hay on which we sit. It 'tastes of the children's eyes, brightly shining in sticky faces as they sample the taffy. Of their laughter, their snow suits, their wet mittens. Maple syrup tastes of the Cana- dian Shield that recalls the ice ages, of Precambrian rock, of beaver swamps and cedar groves. It tastes of log fences and gravel roadS, of early robins, of awakening chipmunks and squir- rels and groundhogs. Here is the difference: What other syrup has the flavor of the land and the people? What other syrup makes us feel strong and wonderful and grateful? They're selling maple syrup for $10 a litre this year. What a bargain! What a way to store up the goodness of this season and to savor it throughout the year! To those in western Canada who know "the east" only from summer travels, I issue an invita- tion: visit maple syrup country in late March or early April, and you will be richly rewarded. You will come to understand why easterners are so proud of their maples. The maple is one of Canada's symbols. And maple syrup is much more than a pro- duct, a commodity. it is a mythological, mystical substance. No, maple syrup is not just another syrup. It is the sweet, golden essence of this land. tion in this ”instant -on" society. It therefore becoMes apparent that while the ledmicians .are producing a bewildering lineup of mass commtmicationt, there is no ,w*W- ~-being made to improve humans' abilities to communicate :and Batt% Mound .4 .4.4.4 • that, as always, limiting factor technological advances. • • • • • Parents, of course, form the first line of offence in improving the communication skills of society as they ore basically for the early tutelage and example for their offspriog. However, if their skills are defi- cient or they fail tour the need as a priority, then the problem is compounded and noteasily cor- rected by the educators who form the next vanguard. Unfortunately, not .all members of that group are pro- ficient either, some being victims of the proficiency of their predecessors and working in a system which often suffers from its inability to communicate ef- fectively with parents and tax- payers and from the topechelons through to the bottom. -The-Editor becomes the the in all the Asanerainfgeeeducatorthave Inever ;been ablet (to tdevise systemiofxratlingiatticients that :providedJparents with ia (totally ;objective ,statement )on a sato- fdent!eprogeess Abetnetbsadaus- ed,tograde studentshavebentaas :numerous.asAilatthers'isalarylin- creasesiandlhavereaultodrintthe same Jack, of itotali Unity. The system haw .114 I * I the ,use of ralmost-everydritter ran the alphabet,.combinationsofiwoeds landfigutesaind yetinast)parents Are still vreplexad rin hviw(to iunderstand exactly Allow I . John or Mary is idobqgat.echoo1 in-relation,tolhisikeriabilityiand classmates. 'The constant search (for , ipn enlightening method of com- municating ;progress .continues, •euldenced •-,by the school 'district in Vennsylvania which uses the iculowing zgradiag system: "No -effort, (less than .minimal•effort, minimal•effort, more !than minimal 'effort, tless than lull 'effort, 'full •effort , more than lull. effort,effortrianreasing , effort 'decreasing. Not only .may,,parentswonder hay, a student cangivemorethan full effort, butthereis,a sugges- tion .ther may, also.wan t to. know if their paffspring .can count or read. In :addition, it is ,becomiug equally important that the stu- - dent of todaygive more than effort in honing his/her com- munication skills and it is an area in 'which the education system should be placing higherprierity. Its, a loss when the . loudspeakers go on the blink, but -no _greater than when the , an- nouncements are not undetstood. Don't judge book by cover It seems that a number of students are being suspended from Russian schools in recent weeks because of their hair- styles. Apparently students are copying some of the punk rock splked hair -dos. One teacher was quoted as saying "Now it's hair- styles; next thing you know they'll be writing on the walls." Sound familiar? If it does you're probably in the same generation as I am. I can remember kids being suspended from school just because they let their hair grow too_ long. High school principals though, soon realizedthat there were more im- portant battles to be fought than trying to govern current styles and fashions. There is an Ontario. School regulation which states that a By the Way by Syd Watcher student may be suspended for conduct "injurious to the moral tone" of the school but it is doubt- ful that the length of anybody's hair is likely to influence the morals of anybody in the school community. When the punk rock styles East hit my community I have to ad- mit that they bothered me a lit- tle bit. A young man cisme to wait on me at a local gas station. His hair pointed out in thirty-seven directions. none of them parallel. My first impression was leas than favourable. Let's be blunt. I thought he was weird -looking. Yet, in subsequent months I go to know this lad quite well and found him to be intelligent and honest, witty and resourceful, in • short, a very nice person. Perhaps it should go without saying that we can't judge a book by its cover. • ‘.