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Clinton News-Record, 1984-01-18, Page 5THE BLYTH STANDARD) b ,Y, JAMOY . i,1tIiq 44wa,t+...:t„11Pirp w- ft r,a', *e# to. asrostasr, Owl . RM9M 1r@..T,al 40112- $44:1. PO*, Palm Sr gtiteaN-*ISM ops? U.S.A. 1 Oar • 1453.00 Per year LUE BON A4'vARb 1983 !ii* O. 11, OW0010.104 NV tr. WA. Tor* PPR* KW* 3,?�Ii1« Clinton News-Hecord Incerp®rtating J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager MEMBER MEMBER DIoalor advar$lplry raves Ova Ila psle oo rinitossr. AA for Rave Gird. ®1o. 111 oflog ilve October 1. 1 U. Booze cruise education What can the general public do about drinking and driving& The Ministry of the Attorney General believes, that alcohol abuse on the highways can be reduced by establishing awareness committees in local municipalities. In a letter to Clinton council, the Attorney General's office explained'that com- mittees could- work to reduce •drinking and driving accident statistics. Using ministry resource mdteriols and information from various agencies, the commit- tees could help to change attitudes and educate people on the tragic endings that drunk driving can bring. Many people are finally realizing that drinking and drivirig does not have to be an unfortunate fact of life. Through re-education people are learning how to reduce Canada's number one killer. Through strict police enforcement drivers are realizing that those few drinks for the road aren't worth the penalties that must be paid. Already the re-education program has begun. Over the Christmas holiday season the government and Ontario Safety League released thought provoking media presentations. These television, radio and newspaper releases made many people aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. Local prevention committees could carry on this work by keeping the problem in the public eye as a constant reminder. As Exeter and Strathroy have done, student -police discussion' groups could be set-up in an effort to bring about a better understanding and communication between the two groups. Public meetings could be held to address the problem and alternatives to such familiar activities as gravel running, bar hopping and booze parties could be worked out. What can you do about drinking and driving? First, all people must realize that this unecessary horror concerns them, that there is no guarantee that you or I will not be tomorrow's latest statistic. The Ontario Safety League believes that support and encourgement of strict drunk driving laws will help reduce the problem and a personal sense of respon- sibility will help to keep drinkers off the highways. You can start by developing a greater awareness of your own alcohol limita- tions and by helping to keep your friends from becoming another death statistic. You can also volunteer your time or suggestions to Clinton Council in an effort to establish and drinking and driving committee in this community. -By S. McPhee Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston Media domination For a Canadian, it is impossible to imagine what it must be like to live in a totally dominant culture like the United States where nothing matters but what matters to America. Canadians have always been irked by the fact that Americans know practically;. nothing about our country or the rest of the world while we know so much about their country. W.e recently were given a graphic example of the inward looking American way oflife. When a minor American political figure Rev. Jesse Jackson went on a mission to Syria to get the release of one lone Aznerican_pnsonerof war he w. s given pro- minent coverage on ever, scast in the United States (and of � /t Canada as well). Yet when Prter Pierre Trudeau visited Washington as part of his world-wide peace' mission, a mission to try to save millions of lives from the certain death of a nuclear war, American media either ignored the visit or ridiculed it. American influence through the media is so powerful that nothing matters unless the. American media says it does and if the American media says it's important, it immediately becomes important around the world. Other empires throughout history have had such influence but they've had to physically subjugate people to leave their mark. The Americans have remoulded the world in their image simply through modern communications. • For Canadians, living beside this modern, media giant, more dominated by American television, movies, -radio arid magazines than anyone else in the world, it can often warp our perceptions of ourselves. We start to think that something isn't important because the Americans haven't thought it was important. Thus the Trudeau mission lost credibility at home because the Americans didn't pay attention and, on a less serious note, Canadian actors, singers, writers and painters are not con- sidered important until they leave Canada and become recognizedh1a'U.S. This American perception can go to ex- tremes that are almost laughable. For in- stance, when Canadians stormed ashore at Dieppe in 1942 they took a handful of American Rangers with them, the first Americans to see action in Europe since America's belated entry into the war. That iwas all that made the headlines in the U.S. even --though there sere-only50.Arnericans,-- and 5,000 Canadians. Look at the records of air aces of World War One in American books and you'll think there was only the great German Von Richthofen and American Eddie Rickenbacker whose puny 26 kills would not list him among the top dozens of British, Canadian and French fighters. The irony is that this media domination even ignores huge portions of the United States. Think now, When you imagine the United States, what visions do you get? Chances are the images you have are either in California or New York. Americans living in Iowa, North and South Dakota, Alaska or any of the other places well outside the media centres, might wonder if they lived in the same country portrayed on television, in the movies or written about in magazines. Through the power of the media we, have, actually, a world dominated not by the perceptions just of Americans, but of a selected group of Americans in New York, Washington and Los Angeles. Surely, even the Americans cannot benefit from such a blinkered vision, Coping with changes Next to a death in the family, marriage breakdown is often the most devastating crisis a couple may have to face in a lifetime. Often shattering a lifetime of hopes and dreams, a separation or divorce can trigger endless emotional, psychological and prac- tical problems with which many people are totally unprepared to deal in today's fast - paced society. However, as withall other major changes, the experience may be turned into a positive one, with endless opportunities for personal growth and fulfilment as a human beingop- portunities which may not have exrsfed within the framework of a restrictive mar- rime. arnage. The problems of separation and divorce` will be the major focus of a workshop to be presented in Clinton on February 1, spon- sored by Women Today, the self-help, and advocacy group ror Huron County women. Guest speaker will be Nancy McLeod, counsellor for the Huron Centre for. Children and Youth, a woman who has gained wide respect in her work with young people and their families throughout the county. - Topics will include how to decide when to leave a relationship, surviving the separa- tion, helping the children through the crisis, how to avoid marriage breakdown, and op- portunities for personal growth. Group discussion will be encouraged, and par- ticipants will have the opportunity to share ways in which they have dealt with major changes in their lives. The workshop, called "Coping with Change", will be held at 7:30 p.m., F:ebruaiy' I;, at the Wesley-Willis-Uilited Church; 52 Victoria St., Clinton. Admission is free. For more information, call Women Today at 482-9706. Hockey horizons built here by Shelley McPhee agar and Spica Lastember please January is a trying time. For one thing, it's so .dang sudden. There you are, tottering along a day at a time, thinking you must get the snow tires and storms on one of these Saturdays, and throw some firewood into the cellar, and get some boots and replace the gloves you lost last March. And then - bang! - you look out one mor- ning, and there's January, in all it's unglory: a bitter east wind driving snow, and a cold chill settles in the very bones of your soul. Writer wind as sharp ,as a witch's tooth sneaks in around uncaulked doors and win- dows. There's a terrible draught from under the basement door. You investigate and find one of the basement windows has been blown in and smashed on the woodpile: You clamber up over the wood, knocking pieces off shins and knuckles, and jam some card- board in the gap. Creep cautiously outside, and nearly bust your bum. There's ice under that thar snow. Make it to the garage, and find that your car doors are all frozen solid shut. Beat them with your bare fists until the latter are bleeding and your car is full of dents. Final- ly get them open with a bucket of hot water and a barrel of hotter language. Slither and grease your way to work, ar- riving in a foul mood and with bare hands crippled into claws, bootless feet cold as a witch's other appendage. Come out of work to go home and find a half-inch of frozen rain and snow covering your car, and no sign of your scraper, and another deep dent where some idiot slid into your car door on the parking lot. By Bill Smiley I could go on and on, but it's only rubbing salt in the wounds of the average Canadian. Get home from work and find that the fur- nace is on the blink, and the repairman is tied up for the next two days. Surely there is some way around this sud- deness of January. Is there not some far- seeing politician (if that is not a contradic- tion in terms), who would introduce a bill to provide for an extra month between, let's say, Nov. 25 and Dec. 5? i wouldn't care what he called it. It could ,fes I-astember, referring ..to your fast -dying hope that there wouldn't be a winter this year. Or Last Call, or Final Warning, or She's Acomin l Anything that gave us a good jolt. . It would be a good thing for merchants. They could have special Lastember sales of -- gloves and boots and snow tires and ear muffs and caulking guns and weather strip- ping and antifreeze and nose -warmers. It would be great for the Post Office, which could start warning us in June that all Christmas mail must be posted by the first day of Lastember if we wanted it delivered before the following June. It would make a nice talking point for all those deserters and traitors and richrpeople who go south every year. Instead .of smirk- ,ing, "Oh, we're not goingsouth until Boxing Day. Hate to miss an old-fashioned Cana- - dian Christmas," they could really shove it to us by leering, "Yes, we thought we'd wait this year until the last day of Lastember, you know. Avoid the pushing and vulgarity of the holiday rush." If nothing else, it would give us a break leidoscope from the massive nauseating volume of pre - Christmas advertising, which begins toward the end of October and continues, remorselessly, right into Christmas Day. Best of all, perhaps it would give dummies like me a chance to avoid looking like such a dummy. Procrastinators, who flourish dur- ing a sunny November, would have no more excuses. All their wives would have to do is point to the calendar and say: "Do you realize it's only three days until Lastember. Isn't it time you did your Lastember chores? - In fact, if that fearless politician who is going to introduce the.Lastember'Bill in the house wants some advice, here is a codicil for him. Somewhere in the Bill should be the warning, in bold type: "Procrastinators will be Prosecuted!" Jeez, why not? They pro- secute you for everything else! If such a month were added to the calen- dar — maybe we could start it with Grey Cup Day — people like me wouldn't go on thinking that Christmas is weeks away. Instead, on the ' last day of Lastember, with all their winter chores in hand, they'd know that Christmas was practically on top of them, like a big, old horse blanket, and the; -'d leap into the proper spirit, lining up a Christmas tree,. laying in their booze, turn- ing up their pipes for the carols. As it is now, we know that Christmas is like a mirage. It's way off their somewhere, and no need to panic. Then, with that startl- ing. Suddenness, it's Dec. 22, all the Christmas trees have been bought, the only remaining turkeys look like %ultur's, and the liquor store is bedlam. Who's for a Lastember? Perhaps people are using more sense when it comes to drinking and driving. Over the Christmas holiday season Clinton Police Chief Lloyd Westlake reported fewer cases of drunk driving. It's a fact that most people do drink. Ac- cording to the Ontario Safety League seven out of 10 Canadians do indulge. However with a little extra thought and responsiblity it is possible to avoid drinking and driving. Party hosts should be prepared to look aftertheirguests, even if they do have a few too many. By offering food, non-alcoholic drinks, a ride home pr a place to spend the night, hosts e can show thetrue sprit of hospitality and caring for their friends and other'people on the road. For some, pub crawls or bar hopping is,a fun way to spend a Friday night. In this area a typical pub crawl can involve quite a few miles, from the Blyth Inn to the Duke, from the Elm Haven to the Queen's, but drinking and driving still can be avoided: Some bar hoppers are already taking positive action to reduce drunk drivers, by choosing a sober driver to transport "the gang" from bar to bar. The sober driver position rotates on each excursion, thus allowing everyone a chance to get ham- mered at some point and at the same time making sure that they and other drivers all remain alive. Recently one young mother told me that already -she worries about gravel runs, booze parties and the tragedies that can result. If and when the time 'comes, she hopes to be aware that her children may be drinking and she wilrencourage them to in- vite their friends to spend Friday nights at home, with their beer contained to the rec What are your thoughts on drinking and driving? Are you aware and are you con- cerned? By Shelley McPhee My alternative to drinking and driving is basic, I'm always willing to offer overnight accommodation and make sure I have my tooth brush and room pre -booked at a friend's house if I'm out for the night. +++ Driving in winter can be treacherous even when you're, "sober as a judge." Turning or changing lanes can be real tricky when it's slippery. One afternoon; when snow banks were particularly high in town, I opted to only make right hand turns, but soon -found this the round about way to, ' get anywhere. The best way to drive in winter is simply to take it easy and forget my theory about avoiding left turns. A commerial driver _with years of ex- perience told people to drive the same way they would walk on an icy sidewalk. "Slowly put each foot down firmly and when you turn go even slower, sort of edging around, pointing your feet a little more with each step.". + + + Arie Verhoef, an employee with the Clin- ton Public Works crew did some unexpected winter driving at Christmas. In the Christmas that almost wasn't, Arie was on call for the town. He received a plea of assistance from Huronview to help transport staff members to and from the home during the storm. Using the town truck and with permission from the clerk and the OPP, Arie managed. to safely transport staff members. His ef- forts earned him a vote of appreciation from Huronview and from the town. ..In -recent -guitar --examinations,. local musi- cians, students of Paul Stevenson earned top honors. Darryl Lavis was given the highest stan- ding with first class honors. Also receiving first class honors were Jeff Hoelscher, Dwight Caldwell, Donny Dale, Holly and Chris Reeves. Mary Ann Pickett earned a pass standing. + + + Euchre continues to be a favorite winter pastime in this area. On Jan. 11 there wereeight tables in play at the Knights of Columbus match, held at St. Joseph's Church. Winners were: ladies' high, Margaret. Reynolds; men's high, Lloyd . Stewart; .ladies. lone .hands, . Rita Flynn; men's lone Bands, Mike Moriarty; ladies' low, Eva Etzler; men's low, Ida Wright; lucky chair, Olive Goldsworthy; door prize, Henry Klaver. + + + Winners at the Jan. 13 card party in Sum- merhill were: ladies' high, Lorna Ellis; men's high, Bill Gibbings; ladies' lone hands, Marianne Colclough; men's lone hands, Keith Tyndall; ladies' low, Vera Gib- bings; men's low, Grant Snell. Door prize winners were Earl Blake, John Lions and George Colclough.. + + + Katimavik still needs your help. Already. many local people have already donated to the youth group, but still some furniture and utensils are needed. ' The. Clinton groupis looking for living room furniture, especially chairs, tables and a couch if possible. They could also use some lamps, any kind' of paint and shelving units for bedrooms. Kitchen utensils, such as baking pans, large bowls, pots and serv- ing spoons could also be used. If -you eean•helpf please call--Katimavik co- ordinator Michelle Leigh at 482-3960. They have a big house to fill over their an High Street and every donation will help. Nava your say. Dear Editor Marmalade light' Dear Editor: On the assumption that my opinion will be shared by at least some other people in town, I would like to comment on the plan to replace the present street lig wit sodium lights. .- Considering the cost of purchase add in- stallation of the new, and the removal and disposal of the old, the eventual saving on electricity with sodium lights will surely not amount to much. But what you get for your money with sodium is a radical departure from the norntal white light to which our vi- sion, and the seeing, of colours is by nature adjusted. Merchants who display goods in their win- dows might well consider the effect of the orange -pink sodium light on the colour - fidelity of their merchandise. The main street of Exeter is illuminated by sodium Lights, and to my mind the effect is to pre- sent life as seen from the inside of a jar of orange marmalade. - Why have orange -pink light when you can have white light? It is like rushing out to buy a grass retardant that will forever end the expense of mowing the lawn only to find that this wonderful product has a minor side- effect: it turns the grass permanently orange! Perhaps the plan to have sodium is an im- pulse to be as modern as Goderich and Ex- eter. Some ambition! Why , don't we buy their old fluorescents, install them where more light may be needed, and let. Clinton be an island of white light in a developing sea of ' nightly marmalade. And probably save a good bit of money at the same time. Sincerely, Gerry Fremlin. Right. To Life WINGHAM - Notwithstanding the numerous projects successfully completed by the Wingham Voice for Life group in 1983, President John van den -Assem's assess- ment of the situation as a whole, i.e. in North America, was less that optimistic. At the present time, the group feels that anti -life forces are very powerful. Evidence of an ever-increasing disrespect for life is seen in a neW law, recently proposed in the United States. Ifadopted, it would allow ex- perimentation with unborn babies. Recent- ly, aborted babies were found in a storage' area in Los Angeles. As burial was not per- mitted, the babies were destroyed by. fire as "fetal tissue". The recent legal manoeuvre by Manitoba Attorney General, Roland Penner, was also - deplored deplored by the group, In the original hear- ing, held in October, 1983 to consider charges against Henry Morgentaler,Dr. Morgentaler was accused of conspiracy to procure a miscarriage. Dr. Morgentaler, although attempting to set up abortion • clinics in Manitoba, as he has done suc- cesst1lly in Montreal, had not actually per- formed an abortion in Manitoba. Thus the Attorney -General's re -wording of the charge aginst Dr. Morgentaler to read: "procurement" of an abortion (instead of merely conspiracy) plays into the hands of his defence. The trial is to be held in February. On May 2, the Wingham Voice for Life chapter will celebrate its tenth anniversary. Dr. Hart Besner has been suggested as a possible speaker. Instrumental in founding the group, he is a physicist at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University. . Alliance for Life will hold its annual (na,i.., tional) meeting this year in Hamilton. The meeting, to be held during the second week in July, 'may feature Mr. Borowski as a guest speaker. Mr. Borowski, a former member- of the Manitoba cabinet, is challenging the constitutionality of laws allowing abortion, as they stand in conflict with the basic "right to life". 6