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Clinton News-Record, 1985-08-14, Page 41100 01E000 'ISIOW44,14001 001101.64 faalth ViNginGIORWOI'PAA 10* 394 ICOMPne °Marla. Canada, SW 11A1a14 46R-3443- suktcripthnothater conaths - $1945 5t.CItittin 516:74 intr tapir' U,s.A. foreign • MAO per year AVA.ATIGUST1.449S- 0 0,,rti.00410 **Why !he PAO OHIO, 141.0thilr Ih p001#0.1110114.! 011117: The hlanaritentra hnarparatini In192, the Harren'ttOnantanndr founded h 1011. ann The Clinton ttntvt0,146 fnunik'd In 1.40' rut"/ press reakt3:700, ..... -•" . • incorporating THE BLYTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENSECK - Office Monger CCNA4 MEMBER A MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ash for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1954. Londesboro man is ahead of his time For the past decade Norman Alexander of Londesboro has carried out a one-man crusade in the fight against soil erosion. In those early years people didn't understand his concepts. Softie said his ideas•were crackpot, others ignored them. But Norman Alexander persisted in his work to develop methods to control the serious problem of soil erosion. What began as a job as drainage commissioner for Hullett Township in 21974 has become a fulltime commitment for this Londesboro man. And at last people are recognizing his work. In 1980 the Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association established the Norman Alexander Conservation Award. This award is given annual- ly and recognizes landlords and tenants for their efforts in conserving soil water and other natural resources on the farm. • Past winners of the award have been honored for conservation tillage practices, reforestation, stream rehaPilitation, crop rotation, wind- breaks, grassed waterways, pasture and stream management and energy conservation. Nominations are being called for the recipient of the 1985 award. If you have a friend or neighbor who practices any or all of these conservation •measures, why not nominate that person for this prestigious award? Judging will be carried out by one staff member from the Ontario Ministry of 'Agriculture and Food (OMAF ) and the Maitland Valley and • Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authorities, as well as recipients of the award. The winner will be named at the Huron Soil and Crop Improve- ment Association Awards Night in January. The deadline for nominations is August 31. They may be submitted to Jane Sadler. Richards or Robert Traut at the Huron OMAF office in Clin- ton, phone 482-3428. When Norman Alexander first began his research into soil con- servation he was a lone crusader. Ten years ago our precious top soil was simply known as dirt. The terms velocity control and sediment counts were unfamiliar. Very few people were aware of soil problems and at that time there was no soil conservation service in Canada. • Norman Alexander is not looking for personal. gain or great public recognition through his soil conservation work. His aims are simply to protect the land and to encourage good farm management. The greatest honor we can give Norman Alexander is to support his work. The Norman Alexander Conservation Award does this by en- couraging others to be aware and to take measures to protect farmland. Nominate someone for this award and give serious consideration to conservation on your own farm. You'll be working to protect your invest • - Clinto ntan sounds.0 ment. - by S. McPhee - , Education stalemate In 30 plus years as an editor, a parent, and a teaeher, I have been inundated (though not quite drowned) by several waves of self- styled "reform", of our educational system, especially that of Ontario. Each wave has washed away, Some of the basic values in our system and left behind a heap of detritus, from which teachers and students eventually emerge, gasping for a breath of clean air. Most of the "massive" reforms in our system are borrowed from the U.S., after thirty or forty years of testing there have proven them dubious, if not worthless. We have borrowed from the pragmatist, John Dewey, and American, who had some good ideas, but tried to put them into mass production, an endearing but not necessari- ly noble trait of our cousins below the border. We have tried the ridiculous, "See, Jane. See Spot run. Spot, see Jane vomit," sort of thing which completely ignores the child's demand for heroes and witches and shining maidens, and things that go bump in the night. • We have tried "teaching the whole child", a process in which the teacher becomes father/mother, uncle/aunt, grand- father/grandma, psychiatrist, buddy, confi- dant, and football to kick around, while the kid does what he/she dam -well -pleases. And we wonder about teacher "burn -out". We have tried a system) m which the children choose from a sort of Pandora's box what subjects they would like to take, and giving them a credit for each subject to which they are "exposed", whether or not they have learned anything in it. That was a bit of a disaster. Kids, like adults, chose the .things that were, "fun", that were "easy", that didn't have exams, that allowed them to "express their in- dividuality." New courses were introduced with the rapidity of rabbits breeding. A kid who was . .'" 1 Smiti, • surgeon took everything from haghet-:. ,to the cOnelusion that if Serp is accepted, the confident that he would be a great braitil Readingits contents carefully one comes weavingtoto bird -watching becauseresult will tea great leveller. Out of one side w • , of its mouth it suggests that education be And suddenly; at about the age of seven ; ,4eompressetl, by abandoning of Grade 13, teen, he/she discovered that it was and out ef the other side, that education be • necessary to, know some science,,',.expandectby adding a lot •of new things to Mathematics, gatin, history and English to 'the curriculum. How can you compress become a brain surgeon (or a novelist, or a something and expand it at the same time? playwright, or an engineer, etc, ). •-1,0nly a commission on education could even There are very few jobs open in basket- suggest such a thing. weaving and bird -watching or World There will be lots of money for "Special Religions or another couple of dozen I could Education" in the new plan. There will be name, but won't, for fear of being beaten to less money for excellence. Special Educa- death by a tizzy of teachers the day this col- tion, is educational jargon for teaching ujnn appears. stupid kids. Bright kids are looked down The universities, those sacrosanct in 'upon as an "elite" group, and they should be stitutions, where the truth shall make you put in their place. free, went along with the Great Deception. The universities would enjoy seeing They lowered their standards, in a Grade 13 disappear. That would mean desperate scramble for live bodies. They they'd have a warm body for four years, at a competed for students with all the grace of eost of about $4,000 a year, instead of three. merchants in an Armenian bazaar. • I am not an old fogey. I am not a reac- Another swing of the pendulum. Parents tionary. I believe in change. Anything that discovered that their kids know something does not change' becomes static, or dies. about a lot of things, but not much about Ideas that refuse the change become anything. They got mad. • dessicated. The universities, a little red in the face I am not against spending lots of money to suddenly and virtuously announced that teach stupid kids, or emotionally disturbed many high school graduates were illiterate, kids. But I am squarely against any move which was a lot of crap. They were the peo- toward squelching the brightest and best of ple who decided that a second language was , our youth, and sending off to university peo- not necessary. They were the people who ac-, iple who are in that extremely vulnerable cepted students with a mark of 50 in stage of half -adolescent, half -adult; and tur- English, which means the kid actually fail- fing them into classes of 200 or 300, where ed, but his teacher gave him a credit. • they are no more than a cypher on the books Nobody, in the new. system, really failed. of a so-called hall of learning. If they mastered just less than half the And I have the proof right before me, in work, got a 48 percent, they were raised to the form of several brilliant essays by 50. If they flunked every subject they took, Grade 13 students, better than anything I they were transferred to another "level", ever write, who have had a chance to come where they could succeed, and even excel. to terms with themselves and with life, in a The latest of these politically -inspired, small class, with a teacher who knows, slovenly -researched reforms in Ontario is likes, and encourages them, rather than a called SERP, and it sounds just like, and is remote figure at a podium. just like NERD. wZt4,•tilf2coofed A day at the races By Anne Narejko Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston Little action The tragedy of South Africa continues and people, like right-wing .American Senator Jesse Helms rightly worry that the richest c.„,:ntry in Africa may go conununist. The trouble is, men like Mr. Helms are part of the problem, not the cure. The democratic nations probably have on- ly months, a few years at the most to pre- vent South Africa from becoming a Marxist, one-party state. The present system of a minority of whites holding down a majority of blacks cannot continue forever. 'The ex- plosion of frustration and hatred on the part of the blacks was inevitable and whether or not the current unrest is the spark that will light the fuse of the final cataclysm, the change must come eventually. And the way things are going the government of the black nation that rises from the ashes will likely be a left-wing, non democratic one. The failure of the foreign policy of all western nations and particularly the United States is once again in full, depressing view. The thing our governments fear most is cetrununiSm and yet we are the best allies communists , have in spreading their in- fluence because in the name of fighting com- munism we continue to support repressive governments leaving the opponents of those governments nowhere to go for help except the Soviet Union or its allies. Contrast the actions of Ronald Reagan towards South Africa and Nicaragua on the matter of economic sanetios. The US. • vetoes a United Nations resolution calling for a trade boycott with South Africa on sup- posedly humanitarian grounds because ft would hurt the blacks the mosto the very people who nettled help in South Africa. Yet, although he professes to worry about the lit- tle people in Nicaragua who must be saved from their Marxist rulers, he thought nothing of throwing a total trade blockade on that country, crippling the economy and uringing narusnip to tne poor. Sadly one has to wonder how much the tremendous business investment of Canada, Britian and the US. has in formulation of foreign policy. A Toronto stock market an- nalyst the other day, asked about the rising price of gold, said that the situation in South Africa might have a temporary effect but they'd been through this kind of unrest before and as soon as things settled down businessmen would find it attractive to invest there again. And so our leaders continue to mouth the right sentiments, to deplore the injustice of apartheid, but to take little action to bring about change. The U.S. thought nothing of invading Grenada. Reagan seems to be just waiting for a chance to send in the troops to Nicaragua and in the meantime funds mercernaries. Yet in Nicaragua the people are, from most reports, behind their govern- ment. They would resist an invasion. In South Africa, the vast majority of the people would rise up and support an invasion. • South Africa is, of course, a modern, well nation and no easy target and armed conflict should always be a last resourt, yet strangely while the U.S. flexes its military muscle off the coast of any other nation that doesn't support it, while Britain maintains an expensive presence on the tiny, basically useless islands of the Falklands, there is not even so much of a hint to the South African government that we might be willing to back our words with actions. And if we can't even show enough resolve to accept the short term pain of trade for the long term gain of a democratic South Africa who can blame if blacks in the country felt, to borrow an old phrase from the western Ronald Reagan loves so much "White man speak with forked tongue" and run into the arms of the communists who will support them. , ?- • • Dear Editor: You ask for letters to you, saying same would be published providing signature and telephone number be submitted, or pseudonyms may be used. My opinion, com- pletely out of order. Letter published about a month ago Ref; conflict of interest involving the recreation committee chairman and the employment of his daughter being on staff at our swimm- ing pool, also a rebuttal by the chairman which was in order. The week after, a letter in support of the appointment signed? by employed members of the, pool staff. The first and third letter should not have been printed. If the person or persons have not the inter- nal fortitude or just plain gilts, to some peo-' ple, to anything they put on paper, to me it shows a lack of character and should never have been accepted by your paper. Now I have started, I may as well con- tinue to pen some more situations that may be controversial to various types of people. Donations to • Oharitable Organizations At the very outset let us all help our fellow humans who are in genuine need, but when we are informed that a large amount, of medical supplies and food is being sold through the country's black market to which these donations are made, and when the top collectors of these same donations are lopp- ing 33 per cent off the top for administration fees, as against 17 per cent Salvation Army and I believe Red Cross, I would like to see a progressive reporter or government com- mittee to give the general a public a glance into some of these top collectors' life-style and bank balances. Now,. please don't get me wrong ... There are millions of genuine people, who are working hard giving their tune free for charity. My aim is toward those who sit behind desks doing nothing for their par- ticular cause, except maybe an occasional appearance on T.V. Abortion There are many pros and cons applying to this situation. I will now quote a case which is factual. A married woman who has two small children is again pregnant. The first four months passed by without problem, then her Doctor orders her into hospital, (Within 50 voiles of Cliton). She is given a scan and sent home. within another week she is back in the hospital, this time she is given a full medical, surrounded by specialists. Conclu- sion, fetus, as you will observe I say fetus and not baby, has only half a brain, no liver, there was a large hole at the bottom of the stomach, which denoted no sexual organs and other discrepancies. Now my question to Pro -Lifers ..: if this was your daughter or granddaughter would you suggest this preg- nant woman carry this fetus to termination? Needless to say at a nearby hospital an abortion took place. Thank God she is now over this terribly traumatic experience. Drugs This is one of the major problems confron- ting us today and the worst part of it. It is be- ing taken for granted. I have even found a • small sachet of "grass" on a golf.course. Reading of these so-called "soft" drugs, that lead to cocaine and even worse, I think the answer lies lin the treatment of the "pushers" and drug dealers. Many years ago there was a punishment called Cat-O-Ninetails. This was a nine thonged leather whip with pieces of lead fastened to the end. This was applied vigorously to the offender's bare back at a designated number of times. Then, salt was rubbed into the open wounds. "Inhuman" you say, Yes, but not one tenth as inhuman as pushing drugs to school students. Postal Services Mr. Warren, head of the postal depart- ment has resigned. I only hope the govern- ment will install a person who can at least try to rectify the multittide of mistakes made by the Postal Workers. Just three for instances. Christmas mail posted in England, November 4th, 1984, arrived at destination in Canada January 5th; 1985. My ife sent a birthday card to our grandson in Huron Park, mailed July 2nd 1985, Clinton, arriving in "Huron Park 10 days later, well after his birthday. Local Can anyone tell me, who in blazes is runn- ing the town, our elected officials or the Recreation Committee? Regarding the heavily restricting flea and garage sales within the town limits, you should watch the exodus of ears out of town Saturday mornings in searcft of a morning's entertainment or to make a deal On a garden " hoe or whatever or maybe a bicycle for a young child. (Watch out for restrictions, on Bingos.) Published in the News -Record this yeari was a picture of women during aerobics in the town hall auditorium, on the second floor. An objection was made and statement made, that this may weaken the floor. Sure- ly, with the amount ' of money spent to renovate this edifice it should support these ladies at exercises. For sale Have you noticed the large amount of houses for sale in our town? Is this due to the higher taxes and the tremendous PUC bills we are subject to? News coverage And finally, due to the lack of news coverage of Clinton, May I suggest the owners change the title of your paper to The Bayfield Bugle, Blyth Standard, Little Goderich, incorporating The Clinton News Record. Sincerely, Frederick H. Jackson Clinton Day Cenire yard sale raises over $500 • bear Editor; The Huron Day Centre for the Homebound Would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported our Yard Sale on Saturday, August 3. • We would especially like to thank Volunteers - Jim Allaway, Hazel Brown, Betty Dreaddy, Bob Groves, Muriel Jones; 'June McCowan, Bob and Audrey Thompson, and Hilda Veenstra for giving up their Saturday to help. Also thank you goes to the volunteers, staff, clients and families who donated s� much for the Sate. • Over $500 was raised and this will go towards providing useful support toWatO4 4 Our homebound seniors at the Centre. We hope to make this an annual fund. raising effort and look forward to the same success next year. • Rosemary AtInStro Ci:podhiat