Loading...
The Huron Expositor, 1986-05-14, Page 2Huron ,xpositor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST 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 The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pet Armes, Bessie Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Gulohelaar, Anne Huff, Joanne Jewitt, Stephanie Levesque, Dianne McGrath, Lola MoLlwaln, Bob McMillan, Cathy Malady and Patrick Rattle. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union Cn 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 SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1986 Second class mall registration Number 0896 Children commended Area school children should be commended on the enthusiasm they have displayed over the past week for the 1986 Pitch -In Campaign. Ontario's largest environmental public participation campaign, Pitch -In attempts to educate school age children on the negative impact litter has on their community. For the past week local children have done their part to rid this area of what Pitch -In refers to as the Yukkies - or litter. Similar projects were undertaken in all parts of Ontario. Many Involved the cleaning up of school grounds and parks, while others included clean-ups of whole communities and wilderness areas. All received free garbage bags from Sunoco, who co-sponsored the campaign, with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for two years. This year response to the Pitch -In campaign was overwhelming. More than 2,000 organizations and schools responded to the campaign, and more than 100,000 garbage bags were distributed. A further 100 organizations had to be turned away because the supply of bags ran out. What this indicates Is Pitch -In has become a very popular campaign among the residents of Ontario. It also indicates an awareness of the litter problem and the negative impact it can and will have on a community have bred at least responsibility on the part of today's youth, a desire to amend the situation as best they cart and possibly act as a deterrent to littering in the future. To anyone who was unaware of the campaign as it took place this week, what transpired might have appeared as a bunch of school children on the loose, and may have posslbily appeared a threat to the wellbeing of area lawns and gardens. On the contrary, it was Instead, an example of tomorrow's adults, acting responsibly today, and doing their part to preserve and protect Ontario's environment. — H.M. Out of proportion OPINION Getting the bureaucratic run around rM THIS The events which constitute a reporter's working day seldom bear any resemblance to the occurrences on an average day in some other line of work. One may find oneself dressed in suit and tie at some semi-official luncheon one day, or standing knee-deep in sheep dung trying to get some cute pictures of local children on a farm' visit the next, Heaven help the confused scribe who mistakenly dresses for one event and yet finds himself. attending the other. While excursions like these add some variety to the scribbler's otherwise dull existence, it is not always necessary to even leave the office in order to experience frustration or confusion, A skilled reporter can conjur up plenty of both over the telephone. All it takes is a call to, or from, any one of the countless ministries of either the federal or provincial government. My latest bout with what I like to call "the government to this run-around," ff office from the Ontarioigated Minstry of Citizenship and Culture. "Are you aware," asked the bureaucrat at the other end of the line, a number of Seaforth area citizens will be receiving Volunteer Service Awards from the Ministry at a ceremony in Owen Sound on May 12? I was not. However, I was certainly interested in learning more about them, like perhaps their names. My bureaucrat did not have said names at his fingertips, but assured me they, like the fabled cheque of deadbeat mythology, were "in the mail." If these much -sought-after names were indeed in the hands of Canada Post, there they remain to this day, for I have never received any • such list. After giving the postman a reasonable amount of time (two weeks) to battle his way through the rain, snow, sleet, hail and dark of S ANGLE y Patrick S ANGLE y Patrick Raftis night he doubtless encountered on the way to Seaforth, 1 decided a return call to the ministry was in order. Out of order was more like it. It took three calls, before I was actually , able to converse with someone who assured me she really was connected with the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, It seems that several ministries use the same tele- phone number, which seems like unheard-of frugality for government divisions. Unfor- tunately the woman I finally talked to, informed me I had reached the wrong branch of the ministry and indignantly gave me the numberof the volunteer services branch in Toronto. My Toronto connection told me it would be impossible to rescue the master list of award winners from the bpwels of the ministry's computer, However, if I was willing to listen to him read me some 40 names over the phone and attempt to pick out the ones from my area, he might be able to help me. I was not. This being the case, he told me I should call the man specifically in charge of these awards, who was travelling the province, apparently with a substantial entourage, giving them out. The ;man who could give me the answers I sought, could be reached at the Senator Motor Hotel, in Sudbury, I was told, and he graciously supplied me with the number. I called it. The guy was out. With precious little optimism, I left my number. At this point, I did what I probably should have done in the first place and related my tale of woe to a member of our office staff, who promptly gave me the name of one of the people up for an award. Unfortunately, this avenue turned into a dead end when the award winner could not supply me with the names of the others. Having accomplished little besides run- ning up an extensive phone bill, I did the only sensible thing 1 could do. 1 went for lunch. Wonder of wonders, Right after lunch the man from Sudbury actually returned my call. Not only did he supply me with the names I wanted, he also promised to send me a press kit, by courier no less, with more information. I was so flabbergasted I sat right down and wrote this column. Of course Pm not out of the woods yet. It is now 3 p.m. Thursday. I began tracking this story down about the same time on Wednesday and I have yet to begin contacting the award winners for stories and pictures. As for the press kit-- I'0 believe that when I see it. This incident may sound like quite a tangle, but it pales by comparison to some I have been involved in. While working at another publication, I once came within one phone call of contacting The Pentagon to confirm the possible cause of earth tremors in Goderich Township. Seems the sesmiograph operator at the University of Western Ontario had this theory about American fighter planes and sonic booms...,but that's another column alto- gether. SAFETY INSPECTION — A total of 24 vehicles were Inspected three owners voluntarily turned In their tags, three were lasued Monday, when the Ministry of Transportation and Communications warnings and four owners failed 10 present their vehicles e Rants photo set up a safety check In Seaforth. Only three of the vehicles passed Inspection and will face charges. Phot thecheclr,compjetele, 11 vehicles had their validation tap ,removed. The world of professional sport seems separated from the real world by the vast gulf created by huge salaries and disproportionate fame. Because of this, It is easy to forget that to the people Involved, pro sports are a job, a means of earning a living, albeit a handsome and often enjoyable one. So it should come as no surprise If a report in the American magazine Sports Illustrated, alleging drug use by five members of the two-time Stanley Cup -winning Edmonton Oilers should prove to be true. The Oilers after all, are just as likely to succumb to the lure of hard, and expensive drugs as any other group of highly -paid individuals. The reaction of the public and the media to the Si piece is understandable. Drugs and athletes always make a perfect combination for fascinating reading material. What is most surprising is the reaction of Oiler coach and general manager Glen Sather. Sather has responded to the intense media attention on the issue by proclaiming that any member of the team convicted of drug use would become persona non grata in a big hurray. Sather seems to have forgotten that three of the players on his raster have already been convicted of using drugs in an illegal manner. It should make no difference that the drug involved was alcohol and not cocaine as latest reports suggest, for the three Oilers convicted of Impaired driving have committed a crime all the same. This is not to suggest the three players should have been dumped after making their first mistakes, but rather that Sather's stand on the cocaine allegations represents quite a reversal in policy. If every person ever convicted of a drug-related offence were to be denied future employment, the unemployment lines would be lengthy indeed. Rather than issuing threats that may affect the misguided one -tune user, Sather and others in his position should be looking at long-terrn solutions and ways to help those who develop true drug or alcohol problems kick their damaging habits without ending their careers. -- P.R. Fight for rights It'sa dog's life without Oppit SWEATSOCKS by Heather McIIwraith I still remember the fust day he came into my life. It happened just a few weeks after I started high scoot. I came home one day to be confronted by my dad and given orders to get down to the basement immediately and dean up some mess or other 1'd apparently left previous to heading out to school. Not imowing what the "mess" could be, but knowing i was more than capable of leaving one behind, and not understanding why dad was In such a rush for "it" to be leaned up i did what 1 was told. 1 headed downstairs. There i saw nothing that looked out of the ordinary, but 1 poked around anyway and eventually saw what it was 1 had been sent down to find. There in the furthest most comer of the basement was the one thing Td wanted for suds a long time • a dog - my puppy. He was only indies high and the cutest thing and I immediately feitthe urge to cuddle him and rush him upstairs for the world to see. (think it was he that brought out m; motherly instincts - forget the doll scene. The dog .was named Oppit, based on od suggestion from my mother, p up the term from an English couple visiting us at the time. Since the name only slightly indicated mom's usually less than favorable feelings about pets (names suggested by mom in the past have been less than 00mplimentary) we decided one that meant souly to "Hop-to•it" was all right. The name was appropriate. Oppit soon had us all hopping to his beat. He was like the youngest child in the family, we went nowhere without him, and he got oodles of attention. He was bundled off to virtually every funs ion we had to attend. 1 still have fond memories of him running up and down the sidelines of my field hockey games, him Human rights are our most precious heritage. When violence is increasing around the world, and torture and arbitrary arrests are used by so many governments, one can Consider therriseives fortunate to be Canadian. Yet, even in Canada, one's basic rights can't be taken for granted. It takes Constant vigilance to ensure Canada remains a country of justice and democracy. Although Canada, to all. appearances is better off than most other countries, in this day and age it is hard to refute the fact that one's rights are constantly under attack. New technology is giving government and business the ability to probe into people's personal lives on an unprecedented scale. As a further example of this, there are over 800 data batiks, full of personal information, in the federal government atone. Proposals to lint them, using socia! insurance nurnbers, will give the government the Ability to find out more about its citizens than at any other time throughout the history of the country. More and more employers too are using 'efeCtronic equip -Merit SUcfi as closed circuit television and telephone hooka ps to monitor their epiployees every Moment, and many companies are asking Job applicants and employees to submit to tie detector test's. While the government' peefesset td be democratic It Is oftentithes the biggest contributor to the' problem. The federal government, Tor example, reeentfy admitted that almost one million Canadians are under surveillance by the Federal Security Service. • That almost frighteningly' indicates the fulfillment of'George bruliefl's prediction of a Big Brother presence by 1984. Perhaps it is time more independent citizen`s organizations, those that will speak up the people, whenever theirrightsAre'threatened; be teethed. nosing his way into the team huddles and being passed from player to player on the t bends. He was also in attendance at allmost au my brother's football games as well, and had he been allowed into the hockey arena, he would have been a spectator there too. initially the rules concerning the dog were strict. He was not, under any circumstances to be allowed into tete living room or dining room. With time though, that rule disappear- ed. isappeared. Oppit soon had free reign over the house. He was a sty one mat uppu, a un en a con artist, you could say. lie knew exactly how to get what he wanted out of the family, whether it be scraps of food, a tummy rub, a pat on the head ora walk. A touch of the paw gained our attention and one look into his big brown eyes was enough to melt any heart, and cause us to put our world on hold for him. Somehow it just didn't seem right that we could go into the cupboard at any time to get some food, and he couldn't. So whenever we made ourselves a snack, Oppit got one too. And at meal times, he often got not the snaps. but the choice pieces off of every plate. Oh we tried to be strict with him. But it was impossible. t can remember him being sent out of the living room with tail between his iegs on several occasions, but never getting very far in that condition before everyone else rushed out of the room to be with hire. Whenever he was scolded you could be sure he'd be cuddled just moments later and Tasteless music hits a Da Da. Da. Da. Da, Da. Da Da Da. Da. Da. Da, Da. Da. Da. Da. DA. Da. etc....A little puzzled are we? Those aretheprofound lyrics to a creepy little song (song?) Called, you guessed it, Da Da, Da. The persons responsible for this masterpiece are a band called Trio. What? You have never heard of Trio? Ifirst heard this asinine example of all that is bad in music last Saturday evening- Of course, it was accompaniedby the mandatory video and let me tell you right now...if you think the song is horrid, wait all you take a gander at the moving picture of this slop. For some reason, and I cant figure out why, during the video a keife was thrown lido the back of a man woman, woman=man The blood oozed sanguineandtherewastheusual coseup sh otof the red stuff pouring out of the mouth of this man woman, woman -man. If that wasn't enoughpunishment I sat through another muscal gent last Monday night. This latest, vnaous'assaultv9taste wet a tune called Modern Industry by another famousbend flatbed Fishbone. Don't tell me. You haven't heard of F lsltbone either W here have you been? 'Probably enjoying our glorious Weather or listening to good muse,. right? .. Anyway, getting back to Fishbone. Their rancid little number consisted of a bunch of clowns hopping up and 'down infrontcall f the &Meta, and ;singing. (singing Weisel all the radio`stations in the good ole assured that we still loved him. Discipline was rather a pointless venture with Oppit. He learned fast too. One day he wasn't allowed in the living mom. The next day he laid in the hall with just his claws touching the living room carpet. The day after that he ventured to put his full paw into the morn, and before a week had passed we were surprised to see he had eased almost his entire body into the room. And no one objected. stWlien twant off to university !mild always be assured he'd come leaping to the door to greet me when 1 came home, whethemorning rrnot anybody else did. He was my early and my tate night swimming partner, he kept the boogey man out from underneath my bed and he viciously attacked the bills as the mailman put them through the mail slot. He was grandpa's walking buddy and someone for both grandmas to lavish their attentions on. He was the child mom could keep at home. He was an unofficial mascot of the ethurdh's ball team and of the team my dad coached. He was well versed in the sports of soar, baseball and tennis, even if he never returned the balls. His name adorned every birthday, Christmas, Easter and other special occasion tarts ever sent from my Kitchener address. in recent years however Oppit was less rambunctious than usual. He had difficulty getting up and down the two flights of stairs at home, often getting up tm ti on time turn Gan bad note CORNUCOPIA by Dave Broome U.S. of A. An example is necessary so here (hear) we go. Q107, WABC, WWW W etc....Yotr get the ictea? Yep, those were the tyriis. These two pieces of non -music are an example ofsome of the rotting fare that Much Music has been serving up lately. Now, hostess Erica flim is real cute, but ilher Pollyanna attitude toward the reeking p manure makes pie torten. Also, the Da Da Da mess is surd rite ammunition forall the white knights that cry music videos today ate stuffed full of gratuitous violence end sex. Not quite, but it is video -songs' like this that leave supporters of freedom of expression a bit red faded when it comes to -defending today's music. bet's face it, all of this has been done before and byfar More talented tieo-1e. What we get today is electronic �' that is it is artistically Bankrupt and very There is some, albeit rare, good Music out there, It just seems these niftylittle numbers that do come along cant quite negate all the drivel. Dire Straits, Z.Z. Top, Supert ainp and the Waterboys have produced Solite marvelous music over the pastyear and sultry Jennifer Rush is topping the charts with a beautiful song called the Power of Love. The mune wend cetild hwe a few more like herandnoTrios Mid Fishbones.Inthe past, if an artist (I use that word with some trepidation) didn't produce quality, the public soon ignored him and he or she would soon Wither up and blow away in the winds of indifference. Today, however, the bad ones are as plentiful as locusts and the assault on the WS and ears never seems to ease up. I have always been a staunch defender of the freedom of expression but tastelessness is, indeed, sorbethmg else. Note: f owe you. the reader, an apology. LastweekTranted about the spear the Oiler's Steve Smith of Edmonton unleashed on Carey Wilson of Calgary. I rhnailysaw the incident on a replay and it was not a spear but a seemingly harmless cheek. My original source was a rather large newspaper that debited' Smith speared Wilson rupturing his spleen. This Sante newspaper has somewhat resembled the National Enquirer of late and I regret my error, Isbell not be so careless next time.