Clinton News-Record, 1985-1-2, Page 3PeQple abandon New Year's custom
By Janes Friel
What bas happened to the New Year's
ReSolution?
After attempting{to conduct 20 street in-
terviews - basically a pain in the nether
illregions for both the reporter and the people
on the street - it was discovered that people
are no longer wasting their time making
resolutions only to break them.
Oh, there was Barb Carter of Londesboro
'who said she was going to quit smoking
("Isn't that original?") while taking deep
drags off her friend's smoke, one of the final
few until site breaks her resolution in 1985.
And Cliff Jardine said he was going to give
up smoking and added drinking to. it. Then
there was Paul Peterson of Listowel who
came up with the most unique resolution
and said he is going to quit farming. "It's a
good life if you like working," he said smil-
ing.
But of about 20 attempts at interviews,
those were the only three people who had
decided to make the attempt at improving
themselves.
After announcing myself as a reporter
from the News -Record, one man said, "I'm
from Clinton, myself" and walked by
laughing. After pressing him about resolu-
tions, he said he had made some but he
wasn't going to tell me them. And he laugh-
•
ed again.
Another gentleman said, "Oh, gr r;
Resolutions at 93?"
Still another man, with his ffarnily concur
ring, said, "I made a resolution not to make
resolutions."
With the lousy resrdlts up to that time I
decided this was a legitimate resolution but
he wasn't falling for that and walked away
when I asked him about taking a picture for
the paper.
It could have been the camera slung
around my neck. People do not like their pic-
tures
ietures taken and I wasn't fooling anyone with
my earnest appeals.
Most, of the other attempts resulted in peo-
ple saying they hadn't thought about it at
this time. Some said .they weren't going to,
either. -
Which brings us back to the question
"What has happened to the New Year's
resolution?"
Has everyone decided to give up attempts
at working on better selves and settle for a
good humoured apathy? Or have the at-
tempts; the subsequent failure and the
following short term harrassment influenc-
ed us to continue those vices which now
seem like old friends?
Perhaps it's the harrassment from
families who care enough about the resolu-
Pioneer Museum's fate
now in committee's hands
The Huron County Pioneer Museum is
now closed to the public and the fate of the
county structure will be passed on to a
musuem committee.
Subsequent to the receipt of the final
copy of the feasibility study and structural
reports from B.M. Ross and Associates of
Goderich, ,which suggested there are defi-
ciencies in the building with respect to
both the building and fire code, council ac-
cepted a recommendation to declare the
museum closed immediately. The
workshop, marine museum and log cabin
can remain open.
In view of the deficiencies, the county's
property committeerecommended the im-
mediate closing of the " facility while
authorizing the building and fire inspector
for the town of Goderich to inspect the
building and dtermine what measures the
county must undertake to reopen the
public facility.
At the same time, council referred a re-
quest from the Township of Usborne ask-
ing the county to investigate the option of
locating the museum at a different site
rather than repairing the existing facility.
Power demand
Peak demand for electricity in November
was an estimated 17.7 million kilowatts.
That's up four per cent from November,
1983. -
Energy consumption, at 9.7 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity, was also up
almost four per cent from the same month
last year.
The township suggested that locating the
musuem on a main highway in the county
would give it optimum exposure to tran-
sients and residents. The resolution further suggested that the
cost be spread over a period of time ex-
ceeding five years.
The committee has already solicited the
opinions of all county municipalities and
written submissions are to be entertained
by a museum committee.
In response to a question from Goderich
reeve Harry Worsell on whether or not the
musuem would open again, David
Johnston answered that "it will be closed
until the county makes the renovations to
bring it up to the standards of the building'
and fire code."
When asked by Worsell if the town or
county would make those repairs,
Johnston only said his committee "would
ask for an evaluation" ' and that the
museum "could open again."
The committee has also instructed
curator Ray Scotchmer to review the
dollar value of the artifacts with a view to
increasing the insurance coverage
presently in place. The total insured value
of the artifacts stands at $130,000.
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tion to make the failure's life miserable with
guilt for days on end following the fall from
grace. Ornthe friends and co-workers who
watch with sardonic amusement and en-
courage the no longer resolute resolution
maker to fill his or her lungs with smoke
after three ghastly days.
Perhaps, though, this year people didn't
go to the excesses usually characterizing
Christmas in our society. The spirit caf giv-
ing has been very evident just previous to
the holidays this year, with aid to those less
fortunate than us and especially .the
thousands of people even now undergoing a
slow death in Ethiopia.
The News -Record employees reflected the
concern seen throughout the community
and donated the money normally spent on
gifts to a local organization hopingto pro-
vide such basic items as mittens to children
without them.
• It may be that the efforts made to improve
ourselves have already been fairly suc-
cessful with the selflessness shown this
year.
Then again, sliding into the New Year
without the habitual withdrawal from
favourite vices is reason enough to ignore
the customary resolutions.
CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 19
f/
ST OREA
—Page 3
OF 1985
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