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The Citizen, 2018-05-17, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018. Editorials Opinions Thanks for your effort President: Keith Roulston • Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $38.00/year ($36.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $160.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/year in other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. Canada MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca It's common for many people to demean politicians, but as we prepare for the June 7 provincial election, we owe a debt of gratitude to all those people who are willing to undertake the arduous work of representing their parties in the election campaign — particularly when many of them know they have little chance of winning. Put yourself in the position of a candidate in next month's election. First you need to offer yourself to the members of your own party, knowing that they may reject you, which could be a blow to your self- esteem. If you are named your party's candidate, you face several months of work, speaking at meetings, knocking on doors where the person who answers might be friendly — but also might erupt with a flood of grievances against you and your party. If you represent one of the mainstream parties, you need to at least contemplate if you're prepared for the immense change that winning would make in your life. You'll have to quit your current job. How will your family be affected by your splitting time between Toronto and the home riding — let alone the effect of all the travel and the meetings you'll need to attend? So if you meet one of the candidates prior to the election, show respect for her or him as an individual, even if you might be opposed to their party. These people are putting so much of themselves on the line to make our democracy work. — KR Think before you act Like many people, Kelly Pocha became a little paranoid recently when some men sitting nearby in a Calgary restaurant and speaking a foreign language began laughing. Were they laughing at her? Unlike most people, Pocha wasn't content to just worry what the men were really saying. She turned on them, telling them to go back to Syria (they were originally Afghans) and becoming exceedingly nasty. One of the men was recording what she said on his ever-present cell phone camera and he posted it online. It was viewed more than a million times, bringing public shaming of Pocha by viewers disgusted with her action. She was even fired from her job. While the presence of video cameras should be a deterrent to bad behaviour, the instant videos can be problematic, too. Alfred Hermida, director of the University of British Columbia's journalism school, said social media reaction is driven by emotions rather than nuanced thought about complicated topics. The most powerful emotions tend to be anger and disgust, both of which are prevalent among the thousands of comments on the Pocha video. "We've never had this ability to broadcast to the world in an instant and to rush to judgment in an instant," said Hermida, author of Tell Everyone: Why We Share and Why it Matters. The combination of omnipresent video cameras and the access to social media turns everyone into a news reporter. News reporters, however, have editors to sift through news and try to give it context. Even though with instant videos you think seeing is believing, sometimes you need to apply some sober second thought before you tweet a harsh reaction that might make the situation worse. — KR Because we can U.S. President Donald Trump said he'd move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and he lived up to his word Monday when the embassy was opened. For dozens of Palestinians, shot while protesting the opening, it was the last day of their lives. Many people within his country and around the world warned Trump against the move but it pleased Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has treated Jerusalem as his country's capital for years, even though the Palestinian Authority also sees the city as the capital of Palestine. Both Trump and Netanyahu are the sort of people who like to deal from strength. Why make this move that was bound to cause trouble? Because they can. The trouble with bullying people to get your own way, and seeing compromise as a sign of weakness, is that your victory today doesn't make the issue go away. It may simply plant the seeds of resentment that leads to the next bitter crop of violence. The Middle East is a region where past grievances are not forgotten, and new grievances are hardly needed to make things worse. The problem with pushing people around to get your own way is that you need to be constantly on guard because the enemies you just created are just waiting for the chance to retaliate. The Middle East is a sad, complicated mess. Trump and Netanyahu scored a short-term, symbolic victory, but they've created resentments that may kill many more, both Palestinians and Israelis. — KR We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1 H0 Ph. 519-523-4792 Phone Fax 519-523-9140 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca �ocna M Member CMC AUDITED CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright DNT.ELECT10NJ„4 ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET/iv y Looking Back Through the Years May 21, 1958 The Brussels, Morris and Grey Telephone Company was inviting users of the system to its new telephone office for a special open house on May 28-29. On Monday, May 26, a special public meeting was scheduled to discuss the possibility of building a new Brussels Public School. Inspector J.H. Kinkead would be the guest speaker for the night and organizers urged any interested members of the public to attend and discuss the community's options. May 24, 1978 The Blyth Centre for the Arts held its craft sale, which brought both vendors and customers to Blyth from several neighbouring communities to raise money for the Blyth Summer Theatre Festival. It was another steady sale at the Brussels Stockyards as over 2,500 animals were up for sale on May 19. James Kirkpatrick, a young man from Australia, was in Huron County on a Junior Farmers exchange, marvelling at the size of cars in Toronto when he arrived and the display of the Northern Lights, which he said were brighter than the Southern Lights he could see during his time in Australia. May 22, 1991 Veteran Canadian broadcaster Roy Bonisteel was set to be the guest speaker for the annual opening night gala for the Blyth Festival. The evening would begin with the opening of the "Folk Art — Treasures of Huron County” exhibit at the Blyth Festival Art Gallery. The special, three-part exhibition was hand -selected in part to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Huron County. The evening would conclude with the opening night performance of Two Brothers by Ted Johns. Two productions from the Memorial Hall stage had been filmed and produced and were now on their way to the famed Cannes Film Festival. First it was Local Talent, which premiered at the Blyth Festival the previous season and the second was Letter from Wingfield Farm, which was a travelling production that was seen in Blyth. A number of dignitaries and special guests were on hand to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Grey Central Public School, just south of Ethel. The anniversary was marked with a new addition to the school and the ribbon on that new wing was cut that day as well. Residents of northern Huron County were invited to take part in a discussion about their future on June 5 as the Huron County Planning and Development Department aimed to bring four parts of the county together to work on community development. The goal of the project was to engage the public and ask members of the community what their goals are. Jason Chu and Brian Treble, two planners assigned to the program, said the meetings would resemble a casual conversation around a kitchen table. "One of my personal concerns is apathy in the community," Chu said, adding that the department was especially hoping to bring young people in to be part of the process. May 22, 2008 More than 100 performers and musicians were on the roster for the 2008 County Music Festival in Blyth, which was to be spread across two locations in Blyth. While the AM920 Ontario Open County Singing Contest would be hosted by the Blyth Festival at Memorial Hall, the annual Barn Dance Jamboree would be held at the Blyth and District Community Centre. Brussels Public School students had been busy for a number of days painting yellow fish by storm drains throughout the village. The program, which was supported by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and Trouts Unlimited, aimed to remind residents that whatever goes down community storm drains often makes its way into local waterways without being treated. Huron East Council had approved the program, which began in 1991, in the village at its May 6 council meeting. Charles "Chuck" Reid had been brought on by the Avon Maitland District School Board to replace Geoff Williams as the director of education for the board. Reid made his way to Huron County via the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, where he was second in command in one of the province's biggest school boards, serving just under 50,000 students. Huron East hired Jan Hawley as its new economic development officer. She said that one of her first projects for the municipality would be Brussels and its business retention and expansion survey, which was scheduled to kick off later in the month. The staff of Brussels Public School prevailed in a hard-fought soccer game against the school's students. The educators won the game by a score of 2-0. It was all in good fun as the game aimed to raise funds for teacher Karen Gilbert's Ghana project.