Times Advocate, 1994-06-01, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, June 1, 1994
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager: Don Smith
Composition Manager: Deb Lord
Advertising; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond
News; Fred Groves, Catherine O'Brien, Ross Haugh
Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson
Robert Nicol, Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber,
Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn
Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert
front Office &Accounting; Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder,
Ruthanne NegriJn, Anita McDonald
0
EDITORIAL
•
•
inion
What does it take?
0 rganizerti of the Grand Bend
Air Show may be putting on a brave
face, but there can be no hiding their
disappointment over the weekend's re-
sults.
It's not that the event can't be called a
success. It was. The whole Air Show
was beautifully orchestrated and co-
ordinated. It took a squadron of volun-
teers and professionals to. accomplish
everything from booking the acts, to
promoting the event, to making sure
there was enough parking for thousands
of visitors.
It's just that so few of them actually
turned up. Shuttle buses from distant
parking areas were a good idea, but an
ambitious motorist could find a spot on
a street right in the village - or even
drive right down to the beach and park
in one of the lots there. The very same
beach that will he jam-packed with
people to watch the Canada Day fire-
works later this year had plenty of
room for the blankets of air show visi-
tors.
The static display in Huron Park was
well visited Friday by thousands of
school children on buses. But on Satur-
day and Sunday it seemed tike the best -
kept secret of the whole event.
The organizers deserve every credit for
putting together a first-class attraction,
but they must be scratching their heads
wondering what it takes to make people
come to Grand Bend - at least more than
would be there on a typical late -May
weekend. Did the Air Show come too
soon after the Victoria Day weekend?
Are the Snowbirds a necessity? Or can
they just blame the variable weather?
If there is to be another Air Show in
Grand Bend, those and many other ques-
tions need to be answered. Grand Bend
has proven it can organize a first-rate
event, they just need to find a way to
make it fly.
A.D.H.
Your Views
Letters tohe editor
Rumours circulating
... the regulations protect both
sitter and ti,e child....
Dear Editor:
would like to direct this letter to the group of ba-
bysitters who have been investigated by the commu-
nity and social services, in regards of who the per-
son(s) may have been that made the report.
Since you have probably heard many rumours cir-
culated through the community by an Exeter baby-
sitter. I thought it was necessary to fill you in with
all the details.
It is true that the sitter did look after our child and
that we had reasons to change to another sitter, but
we did not report her to the authorities nor did we
wish to become involved in the rumours, simply for
making a decision that affected the well-being of
our child. The reasons we changed sitters was he-
causc the sitter was taking holidays, maternity leave
and was unreliable. Often we would drop our child
off at the sitters before work but when we would
pick up our child. the babysitter was not even home.
she had someone else looking after the children. If
you care to contact Community and Social Services
you will find that these problems do not come under
any part of their regulations, therefore giving us no
reason to make a report about this sitter.
I do agree that the quality of care is more impor-
tant than the number of children under ones care
(within reason) but do keep in mind the legal liabili-
ties you may be facing if one of these children is in-
jured while under your supervision.
I guess that is why some regulations are needed,
after all the regulations protect both the sitter and
the child.
At this point, we are becoming very frustrated
about false accusations that we made the report. As
I sec it was had timing on our part because we found
a new babysitter one week and our old sitter re-
ceived a visit from Community and Social Services
the next week.
We would appreciate that when this babysitter
learns who really made the report, she make a pub-
lic apology in the paper just as she has made public
the false accusations against us circulating around
town.
Yours truly
D & S Keller
Exeter
A View From Queen's Park
By Eric Dowd
i ♦- 9I. � �.;Y
Premier Bob Rae has strong views about
abuses of human rights in other countries -- ex-
cept when he goes visiting.
The New Democrat premier is on a two-week
trip to China, Malaysia and Hong Kong with
business leaders. supporting their efforts to
gain new contracts.
China is sten as a potentially huge export
market and most of the world's industrialized
nations are beating a path to its door.
It also is a country where human rights are
constantly abused. The most dramatic example
for outsiders was the massacre of 1,000, mostly
student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square,
Beijing in 1989.
The repression has continued and Amnesty
International in its latest report says thousands
of political prisoners are still held in China,
many without being charged, and torture and
ill-treatment are common.
As examples, in March two men who tried to
form a human rights association were arrested.
A man who tried to organize a league to protect
workers' rights (which ought to appeal to Rae)
was arrested and has not been seen since.
About 30 Protestant and Roman Catholic cler-
gy and leaders were arrested and some are still
detained, merely for preaching.
Rae is not the first western or even Canadian
leader to go to China trying to drum up trade.
Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn has just re-
turned and Prime Minister Jean Chretien is
planning a visit.
Chretien made a practical point that will reg-
ister with many when he said "if we refuse to
do business with every country having a politi-
cal system that is not to our liking, then we will
not he doing business with very many coun-
tries". Many will feel the need to create jobs is
paramount.
But the NDP has always posed as a party that
goes further to protect the individual. In opposi-
tion in Ontario before 1990 it constantly put
'forward resolutions expressing concern about
political repression abroad and demanded gov-
ernments here speak up and take sanctions to
help.
Hl (11
itllriic�rt
AV' AHD
1993
Publications Mail Registration Number 0388
;;UBSCRIPTION RATES:
Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed A
to non letter carrier addresses *30.00 plus *2.10
Q.S.T.
Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address
*30.00 plea *30.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 O.S.T.
Outside Canada *99.00 (includes *88.40 toss)
Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St.,
Exeter, Ontario, NOM 136 by J.W. Eady Publications Ltd.
Telephone 1-318233.1331
O.S.T. VR105210435
Hold that U1.P1;18t...
By Adrian Harte
History in the magazine rack
There are those who believe
that future historians, and arche-
ologists will be digging through
our landfill sites trying to learn
the truth about 20th century
mankind. I however, think they
will learn the most about us by
looking at old photographs of
our newsstands.
I'm not necessarily talking
about headlines on newspapers
and news magazines. I'm think-
ing more about the kinds of spe-
cial interest magazines that pro-
liferate, flourish and die out.
The fact that publications cater-
ing to automotive buffs have
been a staple of every variety
store magazine rack since the
'40s probably confirms that our
love affair with cars is still go-
ing strong.
I can remember quite clearly
when I bought my first serious
camera fourteen years ago, and
started to learn all I could about
my new hobby. Books on the
subject were a little dull. They
all started with chapters like
"What is a camera". No, maga-
zines filled my need to find out
the more interesting aspects of
this diversion.
Happily, you could then buy
Modern Photography, Popular
Photography, Photo Life, or
Photographic just about any-
where. A couple of those publi-
cations have disappeared and
been replaced with Photo Di-
gest, or Outdoor Photographer,
but the main difference is that
they're all hard to find these
days.
The magazine rack in the gro-
cery store or variety doesn't
stock them anymore. Well,
some do, but usually you have
to find them in a book store or
one of those stores that special-
izes in magazines of all kinds.
The historian might wonder
why photography went from be-
ing a mainstream hobby in the
1940s through to the early '80s,
and then faded from view. My
guess is that technology and mi-
crochips has made better photo-
graphs accessible to just about
anyone. Pocketable cameras
with built-in flashes, autofocus
zoom lenses, and auto -
everything aren't very compli-
cated, but they take good photos
for 90 percent of the people, 90
percent of the time.
Hardly anyone has a darkroom
in their basement these days,
and most are happy with one-
hour lab prints.
The other side of the coin is
that people are spending more
on video cameras instead. Not
surprisingly, you can now find
at least two magazines on video
at any local variety.
In 1981 I used to have to pay
a premium price for Bicycling!,
a hard -to -find magazine for cy-
clists. Nowadays, a typical
magazine rack not only has it,
but also Bicycle Guide, and
maybe even Mountain Biking.
What can we deduce from that
about North American attitudes
towards bicycles over the past
decade?
Not everybody buys special
interest magazines. I probably
buy too many, but I enjoy them
almost as much as my hobbies
themselves. The magazine rack
is probably a treasure trove of
information about the kind of
society we live in, and what
we're doing with our spare time.
The next time you scan over a
collection of publications that
has everything from Modern
Bride to Mac User, think what
that display itself means about
what kind of people we are, and
what we will be tomorrow.
Trading human rights for export
The NDP urged a trade boycott of South Afri-
ca long before this caught on with other parties
and even after becoming premier Rae cautioned
strongly against ending sanctions against South
Africa until it proved beyond a shadow of
doubt it had completely eradicated apartheid.
The NDP over the years called for sanctions
against repressive regimes in Argentina and El
Salvador. The NDP was horrified when wine
from Chile appeared in government liquor
stores.
The New Democrats also protested when pre-
vious Ontario governments welcomed heads of
state from repressive countries. These included
President Suharto of Indonesia, notorious for
his mass murders in East Timor but nonetheless
given a banquet at the Ontario Science Centre.
And Sekou Toure, president of Guinea,
whose purges killed many thousands, was giv-
en dinner at the legislature and lunch at Niaga-
ra -on -the -Lake and a prime minister of the
Shah's police -state Iran was similarly wined
and dined.
The New Democrats were the only party who
took much notice of the mothers of murdered
young Argentineans when they visited looking
for help. The NDP regularly organized their
press conferences.
The NDP argued for years that the legislature
should set up its own system to monitor and
speak up against murder, inprisonment and tor-
ture of political dissidents abroad. Some in oth-
er parties thought a province should stick to do-
mestic issues and the mechanics never was
established.
The NDP also said at the time that the Tia-
nanmen Square massacre was a "terrible event'
and there could be no moral justification for the
act of the Chinese state against its own people
and it was 'shocked at the cruel cynicism of
China's rulers.'
But by swallowing his distaste and going to
China Rae has showed he is not much different
from previous Ontario governments he con-
demned - -few will want to listen to any more
of his lectures on human rights.
1,