The Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-09-19, Page 4MIESDAt SPKEMPEti 10, 1904
✓ 4 �
Everyone enjoys mail.
Whether it's a telephone or credit card
bill, a garish flyer tantalizing the major
league shopper, an alluring post card from
Aunt Millie detailing her vacation in
Hawaii, or a personal letter from a friend or
relative; there is a certain etheral quality
about a stack of mail.
Even if it is just bills or merchandising
flyers, a handful of mail holds im-
measurable promise and regales the senses
with visions of money, an entertaining letter
or two, a confidential note from a loved one,
an apology note from Revenue Canada and
an overpayment cheque in the amount of
$1,728 or perhaps that long awaited 8 X 10
glossy of the star of Littlest Hobo.
In short, people love getting mail.
Even as a youngster, I would resourceful-
ly collect cereal box tops and send them
vi away, along with a modest amount of cash
of course, for an obscure and relatively
useless plastic toy. Said item would usually
break within the first few minutes of ap-
plication, but that wasn't the point.
Just waiting for the post office to deliver
this imported trinket was -excruciating.
What was actually contained in the brown
'envelope or box.was irrelevant, It was the
act of getting mail that was important.
It somehow seemed to elevate one to a
new status or station in life. It seemed to br-
ing with it a tag of importance or
significance. It was as if the world was final-
ly recognizing my existence.
I also vividly recall collecting corn starch
and scorn syrup labels to be sent away in ex-
change for mounted' pictures of my favorite
hockey stars. 'In the naivete of youth, my
faves were of the Maple Leaf variety. Thank
,.God for maturity.
Anyway, once the required number of
labels were firmly in hand, and the letter
mailed, I would ,almost sit on the doorstep
waiting for the mailman to deliver the pic-
tures. Mail was important then. Today it
may be considered pure folly to sit on the
doorstep and wait for the rnaitttxan. '
Even today my mailbox holds promise of
benefit cheques, catalogues full, of
Christmas dreams for kids, bills to pay, bills
that should have been paid and assorted
paraphernalia that I generally convince
Bradley belongs to him. -
Even mail at work is fun. More fun
because there are few , if any, bills to pay.
That's only because the Signal has sound
fiscal management policies with respect to
this agent. I'm not allowed to handle money.
Nonetheless, the editorial mail bag
generally produces all manner of things.
Press releases on obscure meetings and
events, the latest info on how to successfully
artificially inseminate your cattle, letters
berating the paper and its coverage of cer-
tain items, recipes, propoganda and fluff
pieces promoting one thing or another are
common mailbag fare.
But then, there are times when the it it
can surprise a person. Last manner er .1
received an authentic, and heavy, herSe
shoe from a ranch- in Albertaiextollirlg the
vitrues of a horseback riding holiday in the
foothills of the Rockies.
This morning, courtesy of the Participac
tion people, I was the proud recipient of a
pair of shoelaces with the word Partieipac
tion emblazoned on every conceivable space
on the lace.
The shoelace is a symbol, a metaphor for
Life, they told me while I still tried to wipe
sleep from my eyes.
Doomsayers see this precarious little cord
as life's uncertainties. It comes undone at
inconvenient moments despite your best ef-
forts to keep it together. It shreds unpredic-
tably and sill snap under stress.
But Participaction views the lace as a
symbol 6f life's triumphs.
Anyway, I'll take it home to the kid. Kids •
like mail.
Member:
Second class
mad registration
number 071 6
SLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1983
THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT
SiNCE 1848
Founded in 1848 and published every Wednesday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA, OCNA end ABC
Audit Bureau of Circulations. Subscriptions payable in advance '20.85, [Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card
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unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used tar reproducing purposes.
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED
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Problem increases
The agricultural community has been plagued by a host
of problems over the last decade, problems that were ef-
fectively multiplied with a weak economy and high in-
terest rates.
Farmers closed up shop, left farms that had been in the
family name for decades, even centuries and in some
cases, the magnitude of the situation forced them to resort
to vigilante tactics.
Former Member of Parliament, Dr. Morton Shulman,
now a columnist with the Toronto Sun, said recently that a
terrible crisis is developing in that more agricultural land
is being bought up by non-resident foreigners and is being
partially dropped out of production.
As a result of that land is being lost, buildings have been
torn down and township tax bases are shrinking, forcing
those municipalities to raise taxes in compensation.
Subsequently, grants from the provincial government
decrease with the loss of householders.
Shulman was told by the Ministry of Agriculture that
165,000 acrres of farmland in Ontario are owned by non-
residents. Those figures, he said, are more than a year old
and do not reflect thousands of acres bought through
numbered companies and owned by Europeans.
"The fact is that much of the most productive
agricultural land in this province has-been purchased for
speculation by foreignerS, the extent of these purchases
has never been investigated by the government and the
names of the purchasers are unknown," Shulman said.
The Conservative government has not responded with
any quick action in this regard and the situation has been
allowed to escalate to the point where, due a relatively
poor market here, there are few, if any, Canadian buyers
and the land is sold to a non-resident. You can't blame the
fanner for selling for a reasonable price and in many
cases the sale of the faun is the only option available.
Shulman claims foreigners are purchasing the
equivalent of a 120 acre farm a day in Ontario. To Euro-
peans our land is a bargain and to farmers who have
fallen on tough times, their money is most welcome. It has
turned into a vicious circle.
The issue is not a new one but it is one that should be ad-
dressed.
Teach them the ropes
The Bowmanville Statesman recently carried a story
which originated in the municipality of Newcastle. In that
community the mayor has strongly urged that courses in
local government should become part of the regua cur-
riculum. He will be asking town council to help th school
system develop a program which will let student.. find out
what makes local government tick.
He said the town council could approach school prin-
cipals to see of there's any way that assistance can be pro-
vided. One suggestion would be to have school classes
visit council meetings or to have representatives of the
town address classes on the subject of local government.
The mayor sees classes on local government as one way
in which the public could become better Informed about
municipal affairs. He pointed out that local council is the
.level of politics which is -most accessible to the public. And
yet, the Newcastle mayor has found there is often a lack of
understanding between local government and its citizens.
The mayor added that criticism of municipal govern -
merit is often not very constructive. "The criticism that
we get often comes from people with a bias or a chip on
their slloulder," he said.
Mayor Rickard noted that concern over communica-
tions between council and the electorate was one of the
subjects discussed at the recent annual meeting of the
Association of Municipalities of Ontario held in Toronto.
When the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 we ques-
tioned the wisdom of granting the vote to young people,
many of whom have never given a single serious thought
to how democratic government operates. A course in the
practical application of civics might be one way to e,) -
danger some thought on the parrt of the young people who
are allowed an important role in the selection of our
elected representatiw.
Since the future oiur communities, our provinces and
our nation will soon rest in the hands of those who are not
of voting age, It would tie wise to prepare then) for such a
tremendous responsibility . c Wingham Advance-Tinws i
Skipping Stones
by Joanne Buchanan
POSTSCRIPT
JOANNE BUCHANAN
The fitness craze has come to Goderich.
Everywhere I went in town this summer, I saw
people—both young and old—jogging, cycling,
swimming and playing ball. I felt so guilty driv-
ing by them all in my car. But not guilty enough
to join them.
I am a 'Participaction' nightmare. I can't help
it. i think I am allergic to exercise. I am the type
of person who will drive her car a mere two
blocks to the corner store to buy a carton of milk.
Even then, i try to find the closest parking spot to
the door so I don't have to walk very far.
Every once in awhile, I make a half-hearted at-
tempt to get fit. mist winter i bought a nice new
track suit and joined a trim -a -size class here in
town. I remember running around the gyro,
severely out of breath with a pain in my side, but
telling myself there were older people in the
class who weren't giving up, so 1 mustn't either.
After the initial warm-up. we'd do exercises to
music. To this day, I still hate those songs our in-
structor played over and over again. I get wind-
ed as soon as I hear there.
After several classes, I began to wonder why i
was putting myself through such torture—
dragging myself out of a nice warm apartment
on cold winter nights. scraping 12 layers of ice
and snow off my car, missing my favorite t.v.
shows and going to sonic gym to get all sweaty
and exhausted. I never felt better afterwards
like everybody says you're supposed to when you
exercise up a storm.
On the way home from my classes, 1 had to
drive by a convenience store and I'd always stop
in to buy myself something fattening to eat as a
reward for my efforts. I think I was defeating my
purpose but it's because I am allergic to dieting
also.
I have the world's most atrocious eating
habits. Most days I try to follow Canada's Food
Guide but I've also been known to eat red licorice
for breakfast, skip lunch, and have an evening
supper consisting of a large bag of potato chips
with a diet pop chaser. If the..saying 'You 'are
what you eat' is true, then i am a garbage can. I
am sure I have coffee coursing through my veins
instead of blood.
I think part of the reason for my poor eating
habits is my aversion to cooking. If you can't
open it with a can opener or boil it in a bag, then I
don't make it. i an) more apt to use my cook
books as door stops than read them. And my
measuring cup is used to water my plants.
I've had some really classic cocking disasters
in my day. I've put tartar sauce instead of cream
of tartar in muffins: hot mustard instead of
prepared mustard in meat sauce; and celery
seeds instead of celery salt in hash. Needless to
say, the muffins, the sauce and the hash all had a
much stronger 'flavor' than intended.
One tinx', i even put too much water in a
Snac'kin' ('ake. When I realized what I'd done
( because it seemed kind of runny ), i tried to
strain it. What a mess. I roust be the only woman
on the fare of the earth who can't even make a
Snackin' ('ake properly -1 mean all you have to
do is add water and an egg to some pre -mixed
powder.
Baking pastry is My all-time worst ac-
complishment. My idea of baking a pie is to buy a
frozen pie shell, pour a can of pre -mixed filling
into the middle and shove the whole thing in the
oven. When it's done, I just gob some whip cream
on top and nobody knows that it isn't home-made
unless I tell them. If you ever come to my place
for supper and if you are 'lucky' enough to get
dessert, you 'will either get one of these pies with
the 'fake' cri st or trusty old jello. If you're really
lucky though. I will suggest that we go out to a
restaurant to eat.
Gravy is another thing that I'm a total failure
at making. I either end up with it so thick, you
could use it for wallpaper paste. or so watery, it
runs right off the plate.
And the few times they put me in charge of
making the coffee here at the office, I was told it
tasted like driveway sealer. Needless to say, I
don't make it any more. Everyone is relieved.
Whenever i get invited to a pot -luck dinner, I
always make sure f get to bring something that I
can buy and don't have to make because I
wouldn't wish my cooking on my worst enemy.
We had a staff barbecue recently and my con-
tribution was two big bags of potato chips.
Everyone said they were good.
All i can say is thank heaven for restaurants,
delicatessens and mothers. They're all that keep
some of us from dying of malnutrition.
.11120111911.
Let us call him Brian.
Brian is a young man in his thirties, with a
wife and three children. He has a steady job.
There is one thing special about him. Brian
hasjust learned to read and write. He was
good enough to talk to me, because he likes
to encourage others who still live behind the
closed doors of illiteracy.
We all know the statistics of one million
Canadian adults being illiterate while
another four million with Grade 8 or less
formal school are regarded functionally
illiterate Why this should be so in a country
with expensive and elaborate education
systems is another matter.
This week has been declared Freedom to
Read Week by the Book and Periodical
Development Council. While preparing to,
participate in a related event in Toronto this
week, 1 started to think more about the other
side of the situation. What good are the most
firmly guaranteed rights and freedoms to
read all the books in the world, if one cannot
read? That led me to meeting Brian and his
family.
Brian is a product of the Huron County
educational system, hut he explains
carefully that he does not blame any of his
teachers for his failure to learn to read and
write beyond hes name and address. By his
own account he was a slow learner who was
not motivated during his school years. The
system carried him to Grade 6 from where
he was placed in a vocational Grade 9 where
taking shop required no reading and
writing. Around that time he turned 16 and
left school.
Having an excellent memory and being
very good "with his hands", to use this
popular expression, the young man
managed reasonably well for quite a
number of years. As he says now, he simply
did not know what he was missing.
Brian even went through an
apprenticeship, passed a test by
memorizing all the answers and being
completely at ease with all the technical
requirements, and got a licence in a
specialized equipment field. The manager
who knew that Brian could not read lined up
certain items for him in the necessary order
and Brian made no mistakes.
However, when Brian went shopping, he
relied on pictures on tins and packages. Of
course, he could not purchase any of the "no
brand" items because they carried no
illustrations. in restaurants Brian always
asked for a cheeseburger and fries. When he
had to pay for something by cheque, his
explanation was that he had to go and get his
cheque book. Then he returned with the
com, leted ch' ' ue written b his w'fe.
Needless to say that Brian could not follow
the printed instructions accompanying the
numerous items one has to assemble; he did
it by trial and error. When there, was a
memo on the bulletin board at work,
somebody happened to be around who
mentioned a thing or two about the message.
Then, after working in a -firm for eight
years on machinery, Brian lost his job when
the company went into receivership and the
factory closed, he was not called back. He
could not fill out job applications. As he puts
it - suddenly the reality hit him and he knew
that he was the only one who could change
'his life and improve its options.
Fortunately for him, around the same
time Brian happened to learn through
relatives about the Adult Literacy Program
co-ordinated in Goderich by Mrs., Sheila
Fink, under the sponsorship of Huron
County Library.
That was nearly three years ago. Today
Brian not only reads and writes, but he
intends to take some of the excellent
correspondence courses available. In
,January this year`he went to a job interview,
completed his own application form and got
the job where he is highly respected and has
already advanced. He reads newspapers.
He can order anything from a menu. His
world has changed. He. is an active, proud
and determined man. ills tanuly Is proud of
him and has been very supportive.
Brian says that there are no words to
really describe the feeling of having opened
this new world of so many opportunities.
"Being able to read means more than
anything else to me. Before you open the
door you do not realize what is behind it. it is
a hard door to open, but once you do, the
difference is like the difference between day
and night."
There was affection in the movement with
which Brian showed me his first copy -book
where he had started with large printed
letters before he progressed to writing.
Today his handwriting is clear and firm.
The program preserves a learner's
anonymity. The teaching is done in weekly
sessions by volunteer tutors on a one-to-one
basis. This particular program does not take
mentally handicapped persons because
there are special programs and
opportunities for them. Since 1978, 35
individuals have graduated with reading
and writing skills. At present there are
being tauby the same number of
utwcel.eU voiunteeorght t,37tors.
persons
Should you know a person who could
benefit from this program, please .pass on
Brian's heartfelt advice - "Do not stay
behind closed doors".
ELSA
HAYDON