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The Huron Expositor, 1986-01-08, Page 2EHuro. n xpositorr SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST • +CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Incorporating Brussels Post 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning ED BYRSKI, General Manager HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor k@. The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pat Armes, Bessie Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Guichelaar, Anne Huff, Joanne Jewitt, Stephanie Levesque, Dianne McGrath, Lois MoLlwain, Bob McMillan, Cathy Malady and Patrick Raffle. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $20.00 a year (in •advance) Outside Canada $60.00 a year (In advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each THE HURON EXPOSITOR, JANUARY 8, 1986 ' Second 'class mail registration. Number 0696 cin Famine relief Frosted „gateway years antidote November's Genevasummit between the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union and the exchange, scheduled for New Year's Day, of televised messages from the leaders. of the world's nuclear superpowers is surely good cause for all of mankind to breathe a collective sigh of relief. But this diplomatic breakthrough notwith- standing, the real success story of 1985 has been the halting of famine in Ethiopia. A recent story from The Washington Post describes the terrible suffering and death witnessed a year ago in Ethiopia's famine camps and compares it with today's relief camps, where millions of lives are being saved because of the worldwide relief operation at work in this north African country. This relief operation, which so far has saved an estimated 7.9 million lives, has been the result of the combined efforts of 35 countries, 47 non-governmental organizations and several U.N. agencies. And the U.N. has asserted that whereas a year ago relief food was reaching only one in 10 of the almost 8 million Ethiopians threatened by starvation, nine in 10 of these people are now being fed. This huge success been made possible by the emergency Importation of almost 1 million tonnes of food and by the expenditure of close to $1.3 billion. The food and medical aid have come from governments and citizens alike, of various religious and political persuasions, who have • simply been unwilling to allow their less -well-off brothers and sisters to perish as if they didn't matter. Washington Post reporter Blaine Harden describes the astounding changes in one relief camp over a 12 month period: �tlthe calr)p's four hoRit`al she, Ethiopians last year slept six or seven to a •Sed, shivering in rags indsthe highland cold. In those sheds last° week, they slept one or two to a bed, wrapped in thick wool blankets. The cholera isolation ward where 228 people died in one month is now closed. Flies no longer crawl In the eyes of children too weak to shoo them . away." Unfortunately, the rains this past year were only sporadic In Ethiopia and the government has estimated that 5.8 million people will be threatened by starvation In 1986. But with aid continuing to flow into the country, and through the extraordinary efforts of relief workers and fundraising ventures such as the Band-Aid and Live -Aid concerts, the rest of the world has been continuing to show that selflessness, good will and charity are alive in the midst of the discord, suspicion and downright hatred which still pits nation against nation on this small planet. Drawing attention to this phenominai effort In International caring and cooperation should not be viewed as an exercise In self-congratulation. The international Ethiopian relief effort is, however, a statement about the human capacity for caring, about co-operative action between peoples and states, and about hope. It is at least an antidote for the atrocities which those devoid of hope continue to perpetrate on others. - - St. Marys Journal -Argus E- SWEAT SOCKS by Heather Mcllwraith Journalism misread Journalism has to be the most misread prnf,•,sion. and journalists the most misre- presented people. i read recently an account of journalism that both amused and surprised me. ft was not so much the content of the story that surprised me, but the fact myths about the profession are still very much believed, and not only by the general public, but by journalists and journalism students as well. There is no one word that describes a journalist. No two are alike. i will agree that everyone that goes into the profession wants something more out of life than nine -to -five rand believe me they get it); and are slightly different from the norm (probably because they want more than nine -to -five), but I'm not sure I'd agree with a statement the common thread that seems to run through all purnalists is a highly individualistic self - driven mania to be abnormal i What exactly does that mean anyway? To some degree the portrayal of journalists on television is accurate but more so in a big city environment than in a small town. There are actual reporters who attack their jobs in the Clark Kent (save the superman trans- formation), rans-formation1, Lois Lane and Lou Grant style. But journalism is more than that. ' ft's an misconception that jou alists are generallya bunch of "e otisH'cal misfits,, ho all dgrink heavilyorchainsmokeoteata lot of candy." Where do these role definitions come from anyway? biggests in the myth of jourtla iisrn are theurnalists themselves. But that is changing. Some people are drawn to the perceived glamor of journalism but anyone who has ever been in the field soon finds out the glamor is just that - perceived, Still others enter the world ofjournahsiii because they believe journalism will give them a feeling of power over people. ' • , While there are a lot of jouranlists Who Move to There is a movement afoot in Ontario to raise the legal drinking age from 19 to 21 years John Bates is president of People to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere P. R. i.D.E) and he is spearheading the move Io get the legal age raised. The idea is foolhardy, What is frightening about Bates is he considers the opinions of Civil Libertarians and others as totally without foundation and of no relevance. In an article in The Toronto Star a couple of weeks ago he strongly advocated raising the legal age. He tailed to m ention the fact that while nine per cent of fatal accidents involving alcohol were caused by persons in the 18 to 21 group. a whopping 17 per cent were caused by people between the ages of 35 and 45. He also neglected to inform us recent studies done in the U.S. have shown raising the minimum age had little effect on teen fatalities. The Reagan administration threatened to withhold highway improvement funds unless individual States raised their legal drinking age. That, my friends, is nothing less than blackmail and prohibition against one group of citizens. Raising the age is also unacceptable for another reason. It discriminates against women. Why, you ask with raised eyebrows? By Patrick Raftis raise age foolhardy 4 CORNUCOPIA by David Broome Bemuse men under 21 convicted of drunk driving outnumber women in their age group by 1 a to 1. Women in that group have Netter drinking and driving habits it seems. They wradd he Inlrl rievnite the evirtonr•e Ihey are still not mature enough. it also sets up the ludicrous situation where a young newly married couple between the ages of IS and 21 could not have a drink at their own wedding reception. And, even sillier, they couldn't legally have a drink at their own stag and doe. You could be mature enough to die tor a John Bates in a war but couldn't have a drink with him. Rates also claimed the right to drink isn't absolute So what is? Speech? Assembly? .lira Keegstra proved freedom of speech or even ideas. no matter how warped, are not absolute. A federal law was passed recently in an effort to curb prostitution. John "The Newfoundland Express" Crosbie is respon- stole I'or this turkey. The new law states d a hooker winks. waves or talks to a passerby and that person waves hack, returns the wink or even stops to talk that same unfortunate individual can he hauled off to jail and fined substantially. More than a I'ew people i have talked to have used the term police state. These were not the ravings of hug -eyed zealots either. They ate intelligent caring people who see the country's freedoms being slowly eroded away. When a cop gleefully gloats, "We've scared them into not drinking and driving," then something is terribly wrong. 1 would have hoped a massive media campaigl and stiff new laws were responsible for the -hew attitude among drinkers. not overzealous harassment by police. Recently a nurse was stopped at a spot check. The officer asked if she had been drinking. She answered no and that she was returning home from work. Guess what he asked hernext? He wanted to know if she had (Continued on Page A4 Laziness breeds geniusness There's a saying that laziness breeds HERE'S THE BEEF geniusness. I'm sure it is true as all of the modern gadgetry we enjoy can attest to. We live in a world filled with conveniences that would make a man from the past gasp in wonder. Many of these conveniences were probably dreamed up, invented and perfect- ed because man is basically lazy, After careful observation of my own and other people's habits 1 have :drawn.Ahe.. conclusion we have come full circle. laziness breeds geniusness breeds laziness. Take for instance the telephone. Not so long ago when you wanted to pass on some news to friends down the mad. you saddled up and rode over, or if less fortunate carried the news via Shank's pony. Then came the telephone. What a great idea! We no longer have to leave the comfort of our modern homes to pass on news or even have a social visit with someone. We have become so used to this convenience that now our biggest chore is having to look the numbers up in the phone hook. Don't scoff! 1 know people that would rather phone three wrong numbers that were "close than bother to get the phone book out. I know others who will make a phone call to get a number from someone else when they could have looked up the number themselves. laziness does breed geniusness, because no doubt there will soon be a telephone with all your favorite numbers conveniently located in your phone's memory bank. No more phone books. Then there's the automobile. Anyone returning from the past to North America would conclude the car has replaced man as the ruling species on our planet. Automobiles would certainly have made exploration and settlement of our vast country much easier. I'm sure Radish and Gooseberry would have been delighted to load up the Land Rover and head out. They loaded up the packs and often carried canoes full of equipment across back breaking terrain. Settlers too would have mislead people. misrepresent them and themselves to get a certain quote, and who have terrible journalistic ethics I would have In conclude the journalist today is trying to shcd the stereotyped version of the past. Today they want to be one of the good guys.. Journalism students do think about the role they. as jnurnalists will play in society, and what their responsibilities should be. Many think the attitude of the press in the past has been too self-righteous. They say the press is too sure of itself and the journalist of the past has never really become a part of the world they're writingabout. They realize'it s easier to criticize whn you're not really part of what's happening and want to avoid likening their situation to that of the armchair quarterback. Many students now enter journalism school with the notion journalists are observers who stand back and analyze. But they're fast becoming aware of the fact that because they are reporting What it is they're observing they too are becoming a part of it. Therefore they can never become too sure of themselves, or at least shouldn't assume they have the right to be. Prior to 1981, 30 per cent of those entered in at least one particular journalism program dropped out between acceptance and gradua- tion. Since 1981 this has decreased. A report estimates now that between first and second year, roughtly 13 per cent drop out. That figure in itself indicates those entering the program are doing so with less tnisconeep- tions than those in the past. And these who leave with their degrees have mixed goals and hopes for life after journalism school. Some want to be just "a good news reporter", others to fulfill their parents' expectation that their son or daughter will "save the world" and Still others want just "to get a job, So,i'eally they're no different from anyone else....,., by Carolanne Doig !eyed the convenienceofanautomobile. They''%a41i standard. Our great grandmothers( ivnuldnrt • have..bothered.:with .an..car<.on • 41auled'wafer-from the well and.boiied-it ons Saturday night to cruise up and down the the stove to do dishes. They even made the strip and look at the girls but it would have been great for going to town for supplies. instead of this luxury, a country dweller would arise at the crack of dawn, feed and groom the horses. hitch them up to the wagon. and the whole family would pile in for the weekly trip to town. it would take a couple of hours to get there and a couple more to get home. Going to town was an "event" that took the whole day. What a rough life we lead today! it's a pain to go out and warm up the car. scrape the windshield. or clean out the driveway. We drive four blocks for a newspaper and when we return home without the milk it's a pain to drive backup for it. We have built "stables" for these automotive steeds called garages. Keeping the car in the garage meant we no Ion ger had to warm it up forgo long, or serape the windshield. or even put our coat on for That matter. Oh, but what apain to have to get nut of the car to open and close the garage door. But not for long. Soon even the garage doors were opening automatically. Now can you imagine if these inventions had occurred in reverse? There would be "Pa" after a hectic day in town pushing a button and watching the stable door open for the tired old horses to enter. With everything that "Pa" had to do the stable door was the least of his worries. Almost every kitchen today has a dish- washer. They used to be a luxury. now they soap and their own tea towels. Not us. We have the old dishwasher. Just load it up. add soap. and push a couple of buttons. Nothing to it. What could be simpler? Well how about a dishwasher that loads Itself. goes on automatically. and unloads too? Breakfast is no fun if the cereal bowls and mugs are still in the dishwasher and it's even worse if we forgot to turn the dam thing on! Think of all the times you've patiently wailed for the kettle to boil or the.loast to pop up only to find out we haven't plugged it in or pushed the start button? Man has gone from washing his clothes in the river. to boiling them over a fire. to the wringer washer with clothes Zine. to automatic washer and dryer. and still the biggest complaint of most women in the home is the laundry. Men who wanted to cheer for their favorite hockey team would take the buggy to town and not get home until well into the night, often in the foulest weather. Now the game comes right into their living room cohere with a flick of their finger they can watch games in several cities. The biggest complaint is the commercials (which incidentally result in your being able to watch the game at home in the first place. ) Man's geniusness has undoubtedly left us with a lifestyle vastly different from our predecessors. It is man's nature that no matter how good we have it we will always want it better. Why not? i just wonder what our laziness and geniusness will lead to next? Column recourse for angers One of the deepest satisfactions in writing a column of this kind is the knowledge that you are getting into print :the angers and frustrations of a lot of other people. who have no recourse for their resentments. and consequently lake them nul on the old man or the aid lady. How do you know this? Well. because penple write you letters cheering you on to further attacks. and other people come up to ynu, perfect strangers, shake hands warmly and say, "By the Holy Ole Jumpin! Bill, you really hit the nail on the head." This can be a little disconcerting, as you are neverquite sure which nail they are referring to. If the congratulator is a woman, i smile weakly and change the subject. Because sure as guns. though she thought you were one of nalure's noblemen for your assault on male chauvinism last week, she'll turn on you like a snake when she reads tomorrow's paper, with the column exposing female chau- vinism.' . . Speaking recently to a class of potential writers in a creative Grciting course, i tried to pass along the personal satisfaction one gets from this type of personal journalism. !emphasized the "personal" satisfaction, because there's a lot more of that involved than there iS of the other kind, financial satisfaction. Columnists and freelance Writ- ers have no union working for them, nor any professional association, as have doctors, lawyers, teachers. They have only their owe talent and wit and perseverance with which to penetrate the thick heads and thicker skins of editors and publishers. But it's a great feeling when you vent your wrath say, about the rapaciousness of mechanics, ad you are buttonholed six times in the 'ext three days by people with horror to s r about Medlar -ars you can es scarcely believe, Trouble is, ' they all want you to write another column about meehanies, an;t some real treat into it. This means, in effect, SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley that they would happily stand in the wings and applaud when you were sued for libel. Some readers would like you to be constantly attacking whatever it is that they don't like. Capitalist friends ate aghast when you refuse to launch an assault on capital gains taxes. Welfarist friends think you are a traitor and a fink when you won't attack the government for not providing color TV lot everyone on the take. lam not by nature an attacker. and t think them is nothing more boring than a writer of any kind wIdtrie.sto make a career of being a "haril-liittir` journalist. Once in a while my gently bubbling nature boils over. Thro_w'ing caution and syntax to the winds. I let My spleen have a field day and try to throw some sand in the grease with which many aspects of society are trying to give us a snow ,pb. And that's one of the finest paragraphs I've ever written. if mixed metaphors are your bag. Fair game.,for the hardhitter are: garage mechanics, plumbers, postal workers, super- markets, civil servants, and politicians. Most of them can't bit back, and everybody hates them. except garage mechanics and their wives, plumbers and their wives, etc. etc. Smaller fry are doctors, lawyers, teachers, used car salesmen. They all squeal like dying rabbits when attacked, but nobody pays much attention to them except doctors and their wives etc. etc. There are few areas that even the hardest -hitters avoid. W hen have you, lately, read a savage attack on greedy farmers, callous nurses. or unloving mothers? And yet, there are lots of them around. tine of these days, perhaps. one of these harrlhitting writers will muster enough guts. after about five brandies. to launch an all-out attack on the audacity of women, thinking they're as good as men. Boy. that fellow will learn what real hard-hitting is all about. Personally, i can't stay mad at anybody Iniac+ enough to be a voice of the people. or a public watch -dog. or any of those obnoxious crealums who try to tell other people how they should feel. The only constant in my rage is the blatant manipulation of self-seeking politicians who will twist and warp and wriggle and squirm and bribe for self -perpetuation in office. Otherwise, Lget a great deal more joy from touching the individugt life than inflaming the masses. When i gel a letter from an old lady in hospital, crippled with arthritis. who has managed to get a chuckle out of my column, it makes me feel good. Recently, I got a letter from a young Scot who has immigrated to Canada. He says: "i have learned more about Canada and Canadians through reading your column that all the accumulated wisdom from the Canadian newsmagazines, novels and TV programs 1 have.absorbed." Now there is a man with his head screwed on right. if 1, as a newcomer, tried to get my impressions of this country from newsmaga- zines and TV programs, I'd catch the first boat or plane home. So, i guess I'll just try to go on talking to people, getting sore, having some fun. looking for sympathy in the war between the sexes. That's what life is all about, not plumbers and politicians and other horrors of that ilk.