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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-04-20, Page 34Page 4—Crossroads--April 20, 1983 Only in Canada? Pity. But where else in the world could you have a situation in which international oil • prices are dropping while national prices for gasoline and heat- ing oil move relentlessly higher? This anomaly, of course, was a result of ferocious and frantic efforts by provincial. and federal governments to tax everything but the air we breathe. The trick is to find some- thing that everybody needs, and that is steadily rising in cost, and then slap a pro- gressive tax on it. That, my friend, is the reason you're paying about $2.25 a gallon for gas when the sheiks of Araby are up to their navels in a glut of unwanted oil. Should we ever have a massive, Sahara -type drought in this country, guess what your govern- ments will tax heavily. Water? Right on. If every cow in Canada suddenly stopped giving milk, you could depend on a stiff tax on milk and cheese. If the Western provinces had a total grain disaster — hailed out, rained out, rusted out, chewed up by grasshop- pers — the logical move by government would be to stick a tax on bread that would rise automatically every time the price went up. Only in Canada. Where else in the world would a government try to bribe people to read a book by making used lottery tickets worth 50 cents on purchase of a Canadian book? It's in- credible, and readers in other countries must be chortling, but it's done in Ontario. So much for our cul- tural pretensions. Only in Canada. In what other country would a politi- cal party turf out a leader who had a clear mandate from two-thirds of his party to carry on? And in what benighted country anywhere would a dozen or so idiots leap to fill that discarded leader's shoes, knowing full well they could expect the same treat- ment just down the road? Only in Canada. Can you imagine any other democra- Bill Smiley i p it ro r Only in Canada tic country in the world where the head of govern- ment could give the finger to some of his people, tell some others to eat merde, utter obscenities in. parliament, and still be re-elected? Only in Canada. Can you imagine another country that steadily destroys lush, productive farmland by turning it into asphalt and urban sprawl, or tearing it up for gravel pits to create more asphalt, more urban sprawl? Think of the hue and cry there would be in France or Italy if the government not only condoned, but encour- aged, the ripping up of vine- yards to build hamburger stands and gas stations and motels with lumpy beds and exorbitant rates. Only in Canada. Is there another country in the world that decided any building more than sixty years old should succumb to the wrecker's ball, be razed, and be replaced by a tasteful concrete -block and plastic abortion? Other countries preserve their herita,ge, carefully, and often expensively, restoring old castles, ancient city walls, cathedrals, country homes. Here we wipe them out, say, "Oops," and re- build them as "quaint" restorations with all the arti- facts of the original, but with all modern accoutrements. Only in Canada are authors considered as second-class citizens who don't really "work" for a liv- ing, singers as inferior un- less they've played Vegas, actors as malcontent long- hairs who should get a job, ballet– dancers as people dancing about in long under- wear and our national broad- casting system as a socialist drain of the taxpayer. Only in Canada can the government seize private companies without any explanation or compensa- tion, 100 police raid a pseudo - religious organization and seize all its papers on the flimsiest of evidence, and politicians get up and lie and lie and lie, without any repercussions. Oh, I'm not naive. I know SINGER'o-:` CONESTOGA MALL -o FACTORY REBATE $15 SAVINGS OFF OUR REG. PRICE $30 TOTAL SAVINGS REG. $354.95 NOW $309.95 SINGER FREE ARM 5528 $45 SINGER $15 Facto i I ba CONESTOGA MALL 884-6981 this sort of thing is going on every day, all over the world. But in democratic countries? Only in Canada. Only in Canada. In what other country in the world is everything printed in two languages, and when you go .shopping, the language in which you are feeble is the one that presents itself to you on every package, every tube, every box. (I swear that when- Quebecois go shopping, they are con- fronted with the English side on every box, etc.)? Look at Quebec. In a lovely bit of irony, the teachers, who had more to do with electing the Parti Quebecois than any other group, are now facing that party, snarl- ing, calling it "fascist", beating its cabinet ministers over the head with placards. Only in Canada. And finally, in what coun- try in the world is it possible to have a cold at any day, week, or month of the year? Only in Canada. Pity. Insect sex life By PHYLLIS WEAVER Did you know that science is interfering in the sex life of insects? From an insect's point of view, that's going a bit too far. However, since chemi- cals such as DDT were de- vised to control insect popu- lation, the little creatures have been eating it up and eating us up, and our crops. Now scientists have found a way to hit them where it hurts — in the romance de- partment. Overuse of pesti- cides has begun causing damage and potential dan- ger to our environment. The latest in pest -control chemi- cals just seemed to produce more and more resistant strains of insects, proving the marvelous adaptability of nature. Now, however, chemicals can be made which mimic the sexually attractive odor of certain species of insects. The new chemicals cause the, insects to have a lot of trouble in finding a mate, so the next and succeeding in- sect populations are greatly reduced. A device can measure which type of insect is in the neighborhood and in what numbers. So the days of flitting from flower to flow- er, for insects that is, are numbered. HONDA POWER PRODUCTS - Generators - Lawn Mowers - Water Pumps - Tillers - Gas Engines All powered by quiet, dependable Honda 4 cycle engines. Available at: Cy -Jo Cycle 1190 Wallace Ave. N., Listowel 291-1556 up to 40%OFF Specially marked fixtures • Outdoor Fixtures • Chandeliers • Hanging Lamps • Table Lamps See the large selection in our expanded and newly renovated show room. von LIGHTING CENTRE Division of Ideal Supply Co. Limited 133 Regtlnt St. 273-0650 Stratford Ontario St Frederick St. Regent St. AVON LIGHTING :71 0 0 Continued from Page 1 students' age level. Other physcial education teachers at the school are Miss Schaub, Grades One and Two; Mrs. Greensides, Grade One and Miss Palmer, Grades Three, Four, Five and Six. The other two schools involved in originally testing the pilot program are North Easthpe Public School and St. Marys District Collegiate. Since its inception, Central Perth Elementary School in Sebringville also has opted into the Skip It Program. Mrs. Evelyn Scott is coordinator for the Ontario Heart Foundation and Dave Bonner is the representative on the Perth County Board of Education. The Jump Rope for Heart program was originated in the United States by Richard Cendali. Since then it has spread to every state in the United States and Toronto, and this year has arrived in Perth County. Anyone interested in learning more about the program, or seeing the Milverton Public School students performing the tricks they have learned in the Jump Rope for Heart program, are welcome to drop into the Milverton Public School on Saturday. The skipping will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until noon. A presentation will be put on at the school during education week. "The gymnasium is going to be a 'skip- ping arena' during the Jump Event Day," Mr. King said. "The students are already busy working on posters to display. We're all pretty excited about it." A Few Skipping Facts Skipping can easily become part of anyone's at-home fitness program. It can be done virtually anywhere and all that is needed is a skipping rope. Jumping rope is an exciting lifetime exercise program. It is a an activity which strengthens the heart and lung system, and builds leg strength and improves coordination. It helps improve rhythm and allows creativity in combining rope skills. The handles of the jump rope should reach a person's arm pits when he stands in the middle of the rope. It should be held between the thumb and index finger; the hands and upper arms should be close to the sides and' close to the body. The rope should be turned in small circles, using the hands and wrists to supply the power. The jumps should be low to the ground, landing softly on the balls of my feet, and bending the knees slightly. A 76 -pound person person jumping rope at 130 times per minute for 10 minutes is ap- proximately the same as running for 40 minutes at 51/2 miles per hour. A 152 -pound person jumping rope at 130 times per minute for 10 minutes is ap- proximately the same as running for 35 minutes. Jumping rope is an exciting lifetime exercise program and can become a family activity. It is fun, and can be done alone or with family or friends, as a regular daily exercise. CHOCOLATE DECADENCE—What chocolate lover (and their name is legion) could turn down a wickedly rich piece of chocolate cake, frosted and decorated with chocolate! (CNS Photo by Don Kohlbauer) 1 Cooking Corner Chocolate is not just an- other sinful indulgence. The 220 calories that an ounce and a half of bit- tersweet chocolate contain are not just empty calories. The nutrient value of a chocolate bar increases with the addition of nuts. The nutrient value of choc- olate cakes, puddings and pies, leaps with the addi- tion of eggs and milk. -Though chocolate has long been blamed for ev- erything from acne to tooth decay, several recent studies have found no such causal link. Most dietitians now counsel that moderate amounts of chocolate pro- vide an acceptable pick- me-up during the day. STEAMED CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH WHIPPED CREAM 21/2 cups light cream 1 whole vanilla bean 8 ozs. semisweet chocolate 5 tbsps. butter 3 tbsps. flour 8 eggs, separated 3/4 cup sugar 4 tbsps. dark rum Butter a 2 -quart pudding mold, including inside of the lid. Sprinkle mold with sugar and shake out excess. Heat the cream with the vanilla bean. Add the choc- olate and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour and cook until blend- ed. Do not brown. Stir in the cream -chocolate mix- ture, scraping the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Heat the egg yolks with the 3/4 cup sugar until thick and pale yellow. Gradually beat the chocolate mixture, blending well. Add the rum. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate to light- en the mixture. Then, very By MAUREEN CLANCY gently, fold in the remain- ing whites. Pour the pudding into the mold. Cover and secure lid. Steam slowly on a rack in a covered kettle for 11/2 hours. (Water should come halfway up the mold.) Turn onto a heated platter right before serv- ing. Serve with softly whipped cream. Note: The pudding can be made several hours in advance and left to sit in. the hot water bath. Makes 10 to 14 servings. TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE This cheesecake is the courtesy of Myra Chapin, author of "Mother Wonder- ful's Cheesecake and Other Goodies" cookbook. Chanin describes it as "the perfect dessert to serve a man you're trying to worm a commitment out of." CRUST '/4 lb. lightly salted butter 2 cups very finely ground crumbs from Nabisco Fa- mous Wafers 1/4 cup sugar Preheat oven to 350 de- grees F. Melt butter over very low heat. combine with crumbs and sugar until well blended. Press mix- ture over bottom and up sides of an ungreased 10 - inch springform pan. FILLING 4 (8 ozs. each) pack- ages cream cheese 11/4 cups sugar 1 tbsp. rum 13 tsps. vanilla ex- tract 31 ozs. sweet choco- late Pinch of salt 4 large eggs 2 ozs. sweet choco- late, chopped into bits Melt 3% ounces choco- late over simmering water in the top of a double boiler. In a mixer bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and beat for 2 min- utes,,or until soft. Add rum, vanilla, melted chocolate and salt and blend thor- oughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, keeping the mixer on the lowest speed in order to prevent too much air from destroying the proper consistency of the batter, mix just until each egg has been incorpo- rated into the batter. Stir in the chocolate bits. Pour filling into the crust and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand on counter for. 10 minutes while yon prepare topping. If ingredients are not at room temperature, add 5 minutes to baking time. TOPPING 2 cups sour cream Y4 cup sugar 1 tsp. almond extract Combine sour cream, sugar and almond extract with a rubber spatula in a plastic bowl. Spread evenly over top of baked filling and return to 350 -degree oven' for 10 minutes. Re- move from oven and place in refrigerator to cool im- mediately. This prevents cracks from forming in the cheesecake. DESIGNER BROWNIES Judith Olney, author of "The Joy of Chocolate" cookbook, says that this status brownie is so good it deserves its own initials. Frost these brownies with light Cocoa Frosting, then pipe your own stylized sig- nature markings with dark bittersweet chocolate. 6 ozs. unsweetened chocolate 9/4 cup unsalted but- ter 1 tbsp. instant coffee powder Y4 tsp. ground cin- namon 1 tbsp. vanilla ex- tract 4 eggs 1/4 tsp. salt 21/2 cups granulated sugar 11/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted after measuring Cocoa Frosting, re- ipe follows Preheat oven to 375 de- grees F. Butter and flour a 9 -by -13 -inch baking pan. elt the chocolate and butter together over hot water. Stir to blend, then put aside to cool slightly. Stir in coffee, cinnamon and vanilla. Place eggs and salt in the bowl of an .electric mixer and beat until alight- ly thickened. Add sugar slowly, in five or six por- tions, and continue beating the eggs for 10 minutes. The consistency should be perfectly smooth. (Feel the eggs with your fingers; there should be no undis- solved granules of sugar.) When the mixer is lifted up, the eggs that drop from it should remain in a firm pattern on the surface for a full 30 seconds. Stir in the chocolate until just blended, then fold in the flour, lifting and turning the mass only until the flour is fully incorpo- rated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 min- utes, then cover the brown- ies lightly with a sheet of aluminum foil and contin- ue baking for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place pan on a cake rack. Remove foil and let the brownies sit for 2 hours before frosting. COCOA FROSTING 3 tbsps. unsalted but- ter Vz tsp. vanilla ex- tract 1 tbsp. cocoa powder 2 drops red food col- oring Legg 1/ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring 3 ozs. bittersweet chocolate for ini- tials Melt the butter in a saucepan and let it turn just slightly nut brown. Re- move pan from the heat and add the vanilla, cocoa, food coloring, egg and sugar. Beat with an elec- tric mixer or whisk until very smooth. Spread the frosting over the brownies and let it harden. For a professional look, the brownies should be marked off with a ruler before cut- ting to'ensure even lines. To add a designer logo, melt the chocolate over hot water and then let cool slightly. Make a small paper piping bag and fill with chocolate. Snip off a small point with scissors and squeeze out chocolate to initial the brownies. 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