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Times-Advocate, 1987-02-11, Page 4'Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, February 11, 1987 11111111111111.1111111111 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgama ed 1924 CD/3 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Imes dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lalrnbton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. LORNE EEQY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager Phone 519.235-1331 PCNA "^ BILL BATTEN ' Editor HARRY DEVFIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Some good signs Motorists -proceeding along Highway 4 in the area around Lucan and to the south have probably noticed some new road signs that have been erected by the ministry of transportation and communications. The signs are noteworthy because they are noti and can be seen by drivers fro a con iderable distance. They replace th e minute indicators that previously marked the various sideroads and concessions along the highway that were a hazard in that it was almost necessary to stop beside the sign to see whether it indicated the road for -which a motorist was searching. Com- pounding the problem was that many of the concession signs were also in Roman numerals which made them almost as confusing to some as the new ..metric system. to which they are subjected. Indications are that the change to the new, brighter, larger signs will continue and the ministry. should be commended for replacing those which were obvious- ly intended for travellers who were -mov- ing at the speed of the old horse and buggy era. Makes -work, rpt sense The value received for many of the tax dollars spent on make-work schemes is often questioned and unfortunately there are enough examples brought to light to completely over- shadow and diminish those which do retuo some dividends on the investment. Canadians have every right to be totally dismayed over a report recently submitted by six unemployed women in Vancouver who _were paid from the federal treasury ',for _nine months. The outcome was a recommendation that homemakers should be put on the government payroll with an annual salary of at least $22,000. Wjiile most would agree that the varied and endless services provided by homemakers are virtually priceless, it is absurd to even suggest that the public coffers could provide that amount of remuneration. Estimates indicate there are 6.5 million full-time homemakers (men and women) in Canada at the present time and the price tag. for that comes to $143 billion annually. The lack of common sense displayed intherecommendation may indicate why the authors of the report are unemployed. Stops are nuisance While the law requires that buses and some • other vehicles stop at all railway crossings, there are many -of those stops which are nothing but a nuisance and actually constitute a hazard as rear -end collisions periodically arise whenever traffic is stopped on a main thoroughfare. The crossings are nuisances because there are many through which trains never pass because they have virtually been abandoned by the railways. Surely when train travel reaches an almost non-existent level on some rail lines, the nuisance of having to stop should be one passed on to the train crew in deference to tfie thousands of vehicles which have to stop in the almost inter- minable period of time in which the crossings are never used by trains. At the very least, the crossing markers should be removed in urban centres where nearby residents are sub- jected to an inordinate amount of pollu- tion as buses spew out their emissions in the stopping and starting process for which there is very infrequently any reason to do so. If love ruled world St. Valentine. the old sage. is a good friend of mine. Ile and have had many a heart-to-heart talk. It is a rare privilege to corn- municate with someone who -died hundreds of years ago, and l can only do it if i walk down the con- cession line 'between midnight and I a.m. on February 13MI1. Sometimes I'm unable to get through to Val - when there is a lot of interference from satellites and space junk. But when the reception is good. I can pick up an awful lot of practical advice. Since St. Valentine lived in Asia Minor, 'his native tongue is Turkish. We therefore use the newest version of 'the instant digital interpretation oscillator - transmitter, a device that is still far from perfect thence the acronym IDIOT). but it's the best we've got. St. Valentine was a bishop. and he tends to be somewhat sanc- timonious. He has kept up with current issues, however, and I value 'his advice more than, anyone's. What I like about him is his simplicity. i guess in the Middle Ages it was still possible for a learned man to know everything, and Valentine applies his knowledge of a simpler .time to our complex world. • He insists that all we have to do to overcome our numerous dif- ficulties is to learn the meaning of a'few four-letter words, and to live accdrdingly. He claims that our problems began when we allowed our words to grow in size. Their meaning becomes obscure, which in turn befuddles our minds. Ile suggests that we scrap all words that are longer than four letters. Love is his favourite word. and this is. of course, appropriate for the patron saint of lovers. Ile says that love can cure almost everything, and that love should rule throughout the year, not on- ly on February 14th. Another word he concentrptes on is hope. He tells me that love without hope is futile. He claims that the world was created out of hope. and that it will exist only as long as there is hope. And then he says that to love we must be pure. just and true. I3y pure he means without malice, by just he means without prejudice or intolerance, by true he means without falsehood. All lhesre four-letter words have taken on the wrong meaning in our world, he ma' tains. When we say love, we mean ,self-love, or desire. When we say. hope, we think of expectations. When we say pure, we do, not think of our hearts, but our fond. When we say just, we think how others should treat us, not how we should treat them. And when we say true. we think of politics and money instead of truth within us. This saint has many more treasured words that he likes to share with us. When my little electronic gizmo translates them into English, they often conic out as ancient, Anglo-Saxon four- letter words that we use every day without thinking. Good, tart . " dear. kind, fine... the list is long and distinguished The latest lecture- or sermon - that St. Valentine delivered in the bush, during my walk down the line in. the dark of midnight. concerned itself with the little vt{ord free. There are fancier words expressing the same -thing: liberty. independence, emancipation... But free. he argues, says it all. Ask a' prisoner. he says. Ask a man without legs. Ask a woman lock: ed into a loveless marriage. My encounter with St. Valen- tine never lasts Fong enough. liee makes, me think and wonder about a word or two, and then disappears. Ile is gone like a dream. and maybe Ire is only a dream. I have an old Valentine card from the 1920's that shows a lit- tle boy sleeping beside a puppy dog, and the caption begins: "if dreams came true...", and it ends with a silly little verse about be- ing as happy as the; King and the Queen. But what if dreams come true? What if love really ruled the world? Can you imagine what it would be like? Happy Valentine! "ANEW POLL HAS MULRONEY AHEAD .,. MILA MULRONEY, THAT IS ! A 'token' volunteer There haven't been many occa- sions when the writer- has been surprised to the point of speechlessness, and I must admit that there has often been a bit of skepticism when I have seen others caught in those situations and they have been unable to give suitable responses. Well, that skepticism has now been removed, with the admis- sion,that it is possible to be so caught off -guard that the thought process can be rendered virtual- ly useless. That revelation carne at the Sportsmen's dinner when ,two -Members. of the Shamrock Hockey Leagtie were on hand to make a presentation to the writer for his years of service as secretary -treasurer of the league. I had no inkling of what Shamrock president Don Hugill and OMHA convener Jim Muir had up their sleeves. and by pure coincidence. even ended up sit- ting with the two for dinner. It's difficult to think of a more auspicious event at which one could be the recipient of a thank you for working on behalf of a sports organization. With some notable celebrities on hand and an audience of over Sot► people, it was a very humbling position, and in retrospect it was with some relief that I did come up speechless and didn't have -to suf- fer the agony of being over- shadowed by such gifted and elo- quent speakers as Danny Gallivan. While recognizing the danger that the thought may be misconstrued, it vkas a most ap- propriate place to recognize a volunteer. hnd as the athletes were in attendance as represen- tatives of their sports, I unwit- tingly ended up being a represen- tative of those who work behind the scenes to enable those athletes to accomplish some of their goals. There were many others in the audience who could have been more appropriate represen- tative.s..af the hundreds of people who have provided the necessary time, talent and money that has been instrumental in furthering the careers of the athletes who have reached statdovi-Ms well as the countless numbers who played with them- through their Too seldom do athletes at all amateur careers but never at- levels consider the obligation tained thee- same level of profi- they have to say thanks to the ciency either through a lack of volunteers who have assisted dedication or, more likely, lack of themand return that in kind by natural talent. filling the void of those who have gone before the'm. Certainly. thesame can be said. for all people who benefit from the volunteer . I or even semi - volunteer) work of others in the many opportunities provided to them through the of gatlications of their communities. There is considerable gratifica- tion in volunteer work. whether i be in watching the face of a 1 who has scorch his first goal, ti * * * * * Unfortunately, many athletes appear to lose sight of the effort that has been expended on their Batt'n Around ..with " his .first knot or hit the right The Editor notes, and certainly there. are many who extend thanks direct- ly or indirectly. but probably behalf by the volunteers'who take there is none as gratifying as see - on the many'and varied respon- ing one's protege return to con- sibilities required to provide the tinue the volunteer effort for the facilities, leagues, instruction. next generation. organization, transportation and Whenever volunteer week rolls other requirements for their around it should be observed by participation. having all volunteers withdraw In many cases, parents assume their services so everyone will those roles in the interest of their have a more vivid picture of what offspring, although there are still their communities would be like some parents who fail to carry without=them. it would be very �1eir full share of the load and ap- bleak and startling revelation. pear to think that they have a Another idea would be for right to the service of others. Ex- benefactors to get an LO.U. to be perience has, fortunately, shown paid off at some future time in me that those in that group are a similar services. • minority in this community. I probably haven't paid off my There are obviously a number debt in full yet. but I can assure of athletes who fail to consider you that an engraved beer mug the effort that has been expend- indicating that some payment ed on their behalf in their early has been made provided an ex - years and the exorbitant finan- tremely gratifying reward that cial rewards they seek is totally stands far above paying off the out of context in relation to the mortgage or the most recent car opportunities which have been loan and carries a special mean - provided to them. ing because it came from a gt:oup One can only imagine the of volunteers who continue to pro- disill us ion that must be ex- vide that which is needed to give perienced by the many people hundreds of young hockey en - who gave of themselves in the thusiasts an opportunity to enjoy development of a Tim Raines, for the game from which i have instance, who played indifferent- taken . so many pleasant ly one season under the influence Memories and of drugs and then found it acquaintanceships. beneath his dignity to be asked to Perhaps the Lions could con - play for a mere $1 million for the -sider adding a "token" volunteer Montreal Expos. Too bad he to their head table list each year didn't hear Ga livan's impassion='—tc -remind-the-athietes-in tten"— ed plea for pro athletes to accept. the responsibility tlyl y automatically assume as role models for today's impres- sionable youth. Much happier i read an article recently about the problem which a neighbour- ing city is having with pigeons. That took me back to the days when my cousin used to make a business out of selling them. . He bought- and sold them in large numbers. At times he'd have a flock of four or five hun- dred in the barn behind his house. They ranged in value by a wide margin. There were the cheapies which were only good fbr pigeon pie. Those were the ones which we caught ourselves, out of old barns. We'd 'go in late at night after the pigeons were roosting way up in the rafters. Then my cousin - Bill would carefully climb up in- to,the loft in the pitch blackness and grab a pigeon before it knew what had,hit it. Then he'd criss- cross the wings, locate us by voice and pitch it down to us to put into a burlap bag. Sometimes we'd get as many as thirty or for- ty a night. Other pigeons. though were By the Way b . Syd Fletcher worth a great deal, as high as fif- ty dollars a pair. These were the show birds. There were the 'puf- fers' which would inhale a large amount of air until their chests stuck out like soft balloons. Then dance of the debt that they owe. There are hundreds out there from which to choose and local groups would have no problem in making recommendations. now there were the 'tumblers' and 'rollers' • which would perform wild aerobatics when if was necessary to escape from a hawk. My cousin grew up and went on to work in a car plant. More money. a more adult -like occupa- tion. unfortunately adult jobs sometimes carry with them large amounts of stress which can lead to health problems. Eventuhlly he could not stand that kind of pressure and left the auto plant. Now he sells pigeons again. He takes them to Newmarket evety Saturday morning. When you visit his place you can see the pigeons, hundreds of them flying around the barn like a huge cloud. I don't know if he makes as much rnoney as he did in the plant but I would have to say that his is a much happier life now.