What to do about China

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I wanted to briefly discuss the Olympic torch relay and the debate over how best to solve the human rights crises caused by China. While Tibet has been the prime concern for Western activists, we can’t forget that Darfur continues to be an unsolvable problem at the United Nations Security Council because of China’s oil interests in Sudan.
So what do we do? Boycott the Olympic Opening Ceremonies or the Games? Avoid the Olympic media machine? Keep working on the diplomatic front? Or do we expect our athletes – who have worked for years to stand on the podium – to represent the concerns of Canadians and boycott the games?
Don’t forget Ontario’s trade mission to Beijing this weekend, which forced the Liberals to pass the buck to the federal government, saying it’s not the provincial government’s job to speak up on national issues.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to speak up for human rights. For now, I’ll be speaking with my wallet and avoiding anything Made in China. If you have a better solution, drop me a line.

Running on empty: how biofuels are powering a world food crisis

Alternative View
By Anjhela Michielsen

Tempers are flaring in Haiti, Egypt and elsewhere around the world as grain prices rise out of reach. Haiti’s prime minister was fired Saturday and the government introduced a rice subsidy aimed at defusing the hungry rage that has triggered violence and looting.
A scarcity of supply is one of the main reasons for the price increase, and the move to replace fossil fuels – which contribute to global warming – with “cleaner” biofuels is one of the key factors in making food scarcer. The move to biofuels has increased the demand and price for biofuel sources, including corn, wheat and soybeans, and monopolizes on land used to grow other food products.
The dramatic increase in demand for biofuels is, as The Guardian’s John Vidal contends, “turning the corn belt of America from the bread basket of the world into an enormous fuel tank.” U.S. President George Bush wants to see the production of biofuels quintuple by 2017 to supply “24 per cent of the nation’s transport fuel,” according to British environmentalist George Monbiot, also writing in The Guardian, who is calling for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production targets and subsidies. The emphasis on fuel security is coming at the cost of food security “on a scale never seen before,” according to environmental analyst Lester R. Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, who notes the world has consumed more grain than it has produced for “seven of the last eight years.” Brown says the low availability of grains for human food consumption is the direct result of “misguided” U.S. policies intended to decrease reliance on fossil fuels by increasing the production of biofuels.
Growing demand for meat-centred North American diets, especially among the rising middle class in the world’s two largest nations, China and India, is exacerbating the problems of using food for fuel. Cornell University ecologist David Pimentel suggests it takes on average “nearly 6 kg” of grain to create 1 kg of high-quality animal protein, noting the amount of grain fed to livestock in the United States alone could feed 800 million people.
The rise in demand for grain for fuel and livestock feed caused a record price increase in 2007; the price of corn doubled and wheat increased by about 50 per cent (Vidal). While meat production is an important part of the increase, The Economist says “ethanol is the dominant reason” grain prices have increased. Elisabeth Rosenthal of the International Herald Tribune says food costs increased 25 per cent in the neediest countries, while the UN Food and Agriculture Organization saw its food price index increase by 40 per cent in 2007, four times the increase of the year before. Considering the impact the diversion of grains for fuel has on food security, its efficiency as a fuel is questionable; ethanol was “20 per cent of the whole maize crop” in the United States in 2006, but produced only enough fuel to offset “2 per cent of US automobile use” (Vidal).
The move to biofuels demonstrates a skewed set of priorities, valuing lifestyle over human life. The World Bank says ethanol is highly inefficient as a fuel, noting “the grain needed to fill up an SUV would feed a person for a year” (The Economist). The curse of the “have” nations is that they – meaning we – will not sacrifice the maintenance and enrichment of material lifestyle, and the people in “have-not” nations pay the price.

Article adapted from a longer essay. For more information, email anj at grandbendstrip.com.

Letters to the editor - April 16, 2008

To the Readers of the Grand Bend Strip,
With the ever increasing need for fundraising dollars to support community initiatives, those less fortunate and a multitude of other charitable services, now is the time to get involved and make a difference. For as little as a few hours a month, you can donate your time to a local service club. The benefits are endless, as are the rewards of giving back to the community and being part of an organization that is literally worldwide. The West Coast Lions Club is in fact a club that can help you make a difference not only for others but the sense of satisfaction that comes from belonging to a group that prides itself on many aspects of personal development and fellowship.
We invite you to attend a membership seminar located at the Pinedale Motor Inn April 16 at 7 p.m. This seminar will give a history of the Association of Lions Clubs, and insight into the work we do both at a community level and through the International Association of Lions Clubs. Please take the time to join us for an evening of fun, fellowship, and an informative presentation.
Yours in Lionism
Michael McDougall
Membership Chair Committee
519-238-5075

The Rotary Club of Grand Bend is pleased to welcome two new members: Ed Fluter, a retired educator and extensive world traveler; and John Smits, a retired plastics engineer. Both are seeking opportunities to make a contribution.
Interested in joining? Please contact Jim at 519-238-8800 or write Grand Bend Rotary, PO Box 1261, Grand Bend, Ontario N0M 1T0

To the Editor:
The Huron CNIB “Focus on Crocus” Campaign for 2008 was a huge success. The campaign raised funds by selling pots of crocus. Funds raised will help the CNIB provide service to the 273 clients in Huron County who are blind, partially blind or deaf blind.
Of course, the campaign could not have succeeded without the help of many businesses, nursing homes, and hospitals where we had displays and sold crocus. The displays were served by many volunteers - especially members of Lions Clubs from Goderich, Wingham, Auburn, Seaforth, Blyth, Londesborough, Clinton, Vanastra and Exeter. Lions truly are the “knights of the blind.”  I trust that everyone who helped in any way - either selling or buying crocus - recognize that their help is important and is appreciated.
Sincerely, Bob Fischer
519-233-1394
P.S. Anyone who missed the “Focus on Crocus” but wants to help would be welcome on our  fundraising “Walk Toward Independence” at the Menesetung Trail in Goderich on May 25, 2008.

Three cheers, Rita Lessard!!! (re: March 12 Advice from Mom)
Maybe your mother and my mother were related in the distant past. That was the kind of thing my mom told me too if I was too whiny… “Cut it out or I’ll give you something to really whine about.” Or, if she thought I was being too snively… “Cut it out or I’ll give you something to really cry about.” I guess it worked because I brought my kids up that way too, and they all seem the better for it.
So, let’s hear it for all those Moms who care enough about their kids to lay on a little bit of ‘tough love’ when it is needed.
Bill Metcalfe
Huron Woods

Saying goodbye

(Reader Lee McCutcheon was inspired by the View from the Strip, March 12, and wanted to share some words written for his mother’s funeral in 2005):
Saying “Goodbye” never hurts so much as when we know that it is final. Throughout our lives we issue each “Goodbye” comforted in the knowledge and reasonable expectation that each one correspondingly will be followed with a welcome “Hello.” And so it becomes very hurtful when we must face the reality that such expectations for someone we have known and loved, no longer hold true.
It’s my understanding that the wishes “Fare thee well,” “Farewell,” and”Fond farewell” were precursors to the expression “Goodbye.” When we wish someone a “Goodbye,” it contains the hope that the one with whom we are parting company will be well until we meet again. And, therefore, the prospect of never meeting again can be the one that hurts the most.
Even with the understanding of the inevitabilities in life, there’s nothing that we can ever say, or do, it seems that truly prepares us for the day when a dearly loved one is no longer a part of our lives.
Such were my feelings when in July 2001 my youngest sister, Sylvia Lewis, died at the early age of 48; and in March 2002 when my Dad, Allin Stewart, died at the senior age of 84.
Mom, I know that we have to say goodbye for now. And on behalf of all in our family I thank everyone who came to this service today to share in this farewell. But know this too Mom, that we weren’t ready yet to say goodbye to you. The truth be told, we never would be and that we truly wished we would never have to.

Still going: “I don’t feel a day over 65”

Advice from Mom
By Rita Lessard

As some of you may know, I celebrated my 67th birthday on April 5, and although I’m aging, it’s really not so bad. As long as I am able to get up in the morning and take nourishment, it all works out; the prunes help a lot, too.
My young friends at Tim Horton’s are usually concerned about me because I’m still working, and they are always asking me when I’m going to retire. I smile and my response is, “If I can help it, never.” I really enjoy being occupied, and until I find something better do to with my time, I’ll just stay put, and since I don’t feel a day over 65, my young attitude sees me through the good and the very seldom bad times.
I find as of late that I am shrinking; I view that as a good thing. Since I am the oldest and slowly getting to be the shortest at work, this definitely works in my favour because, unlike my younger counterparts, I have no problem retrieving dropped things, whether I’ve dropped them or not. It seems I’m the only one who has the strength and the aerobic ability to do this task. Don’t get me wrong, the young people I work with are super; they just don’t have the experience or stamina to keep up. I’m confident, however, that once they reach my age, they’ll be in shape and perhaps as capable as I am.
I would like to take the time to thank my family and friends for all the birthday cards and presents. I especially want to thank my sister Joan (who is always so generous) for the trip to Toronto to see Dirty Dancing, and also to Sid Reaburn, who shared in this gift. We all had a wonderful time, and dinner after the performance (which took place in a train car), was simply delicious. As usual, we ate too much; oh well, back to the gym (or Tim’s) for a week to work it off.
Thanks also to Marg Clarke (such a lovely person), who sent me a lovely card and an angel pin for my Tim’s hat.
Think of Grace
As a final note, it has been brought to my attention that Grace Hodgins appreciates your thoughts and phone calls. If you know Grace, she would love to have you drop in and visit with her in her home.

Until the next time, stay – and think – young, wear your support hose, and invest in a good pair of shoes. You’re going to need them if you want to keep up with me!

Send a thought to: mom at grandbendstrip.com or P.O. Box 218, Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0

April 1968: Centralia’s bar scene

Keeping the Peace
By Tom Lessard

In April of 1968, Rita and I moved our family from London to Huron Park. There were five of us from 1 RCR who moved at the same time, and we were told that we could choose any house that we wanted. A one-and-a-half storey house rented for $58 per month at a time when oil was 17¢ per gallon. We moved in, and we lived there for 35 years.
In Centralia, there was a hotel owned and operated by Jim and Marg Cook. It was a going concern. There was only a “Ladies & Escorts” room, which meant that if a man was by himself, he would either have to get someone from the L&E room to sponsor him, or he could sit in the small lunch room on the north side. If he chose the latter, he had to buy something to eat. I had a small plate of cheese and crackers and dill pickle for which I paid 50¢; I never ate it. The cook wrapped it in Saran wrap, put my name on it and kept it in the walk-in. Whenever I came in for a beer, I paid the 50¢ and they put my plate in front of me.
In October of ’68, I was hired to work part-time as a waiter in the Ladies & Escorts lounge. Having no experience at waiting tables, the boss assigned me to one group of 15 people who came in every Saturday night. In those days, you were not allowed to serve any more than one glass of beer per person at a time. When the glass was empty – and not before - you would serve another. The matron of this group looked after the money and did the ordering for everyone. I didn’t make any tips but I learned fast.
As Huron Park quickly filled with mostly army families (80 in all) and industries opened, liquor rules relaxed and the bar picked up a lot of business.
The boss asked me if I wanted to learn how to pour draft beer. I said I would love to. There were two taps: one ale and one lager. Ale was the largest seller in those days so we’d load 15 ale and five lager per tray unless otherwise asked. Jim put a tray on the counter and showed me how to hold a glass in each hand and open the tap. I filled one and stood there mesmerized unable to figure out what to do next. The draft kept pouring and Jim just told me to put the glass upon the tray. I did so and then with my free hand I shut off the tap. He showed me again and the next time I caught on and soon had 20 on the tray.
From then on, it was a piece of cake. Next came the training on how to carry a tray with 20 draft on it. The manager Scott showed me how to spread my hand so that there was some flexibility and spring in it. I always had good balance so it wasn’t long before I could make my way up and down the rows of tables, dropping off drinks and collecting empties and making change.
In the following years, bottled beer and liquor came into the area and the Central Hotel and the Shillelagh bar in Lucan, the Dufferin in Centralia, Les Pines in Exeter, and the Dashwood Hotel all worked together, and were all busy watering holes. If we ran out of liquor or beer, all we had to do was phone around to see who had extra and send someone around to collect it. They’d do the same if they were short. The only one remaining today is Les Pines, now called Gar’s in Exeter. Before liquor became popular in bars, we were selling between 20 and 25 kegs of beer per week, and at one point had 23 people working at the Dufferin.

Babysitter position wanted

Mexican woman looking for a baby-sitting job in Grand Bend.

Please contact Grand Bend Strip at 519-614-3614 for contact information.

How will you be remembered?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s easy to take life for granted as we rush through our daily routine. My week includes driving back and forth to Humber College in Toronto, and often to London to spend the day at school with Anjhela. I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years and often had some very close calls.
The thing I fear most is the reality for the family of Mary Walker-Thiel, who was killed last month on her way home from Toronto. Her husband Hub survived, and he says that’s the way God wanted it. I don’t envy what he’s going through right now, but I do envy his strength in being able to trust that Mary is in a better place.
Someone I’ve known for many years died mysteriously last week after travelling to the Caribbean. Don Fahner is a good friend of my brother’s, and so far there’s been no explanation about why he died; he was sick since returning from his vacation, and died at work. Our thoughts are with his family.
We all take big chances when we travel, whether it be around the corner or around the world. We can’t predict what will happen along the way, good or bad.
The good does happen, and it has happened to Anabel Salas and Carmen Rivera, two young Mexican women who discovered they are both living in Grand Bend. Now they’re roommates and having an adventure together. That’s the way it should be.
We need to take advantage of the life we have and enjoy every minute. Spend time with the people you love and make sure they know you care. That’s how Mary Thiel will be remembered, and not just by her husband. It’s going to take many people a long time to forget the impact she has had on her community. How will you be remembered?

If someone says “I love you,” what do you say back?

To the Editor:

We thoroughly enjoyed the article of Lloyd and Leona (Steinberg, January 23). Sending our congrats and God’s blessings on their 60 years together!
We wish to know: after Lloyd shares his “I love you” for nearly 40 times a day, how does Leona reply?
Signed, Michigan readers married 6 years!

Janet and John Ovcjak
Michigan

P.S. we truly look forward to reading your paper when we visit GB!!!
Ed.: The Strip wanted to know, too, so the call went out to Leona. Her response?
“I love you, too, Dad. That’s how I do it.”

Ontario’s budget woes won’t be helped by McGuinty budgeting

To the Editor:
Readers would not normally sift through the details of the provincial government budget. That’s a shame, because if they did, they’d discover why our province remains headed down a path of financial imprudence: our taxes are too high. They discourage investment at a time when we need all the investment we can get. Sadly this tax-and-spend habit was never debated much in the 2007 election, and the media gave it little attention.
During his first four-year term in office, Premier Dalton McGuinty had a couple of finance ministers, but the thrust was the same. Use tax dollars for all sorts of programmes, be they genuine needs or goofy whims. The sum total is that he ran a deficit budget in each of his first three years, and - what a surprise - a balanced budget with a good surplus for election year (2007).
The government’s recent economic statement for Ontario shows that the government’s budget is now set to have the smallest of surpluses (just barely in the black ink), despite healthy projected increases for its own revenues. And on top of that sad state of affairs, the provincial debt is projected to increase each year by $2-billion, even though 10 cents of every Ontario revenue dollar already goes towards paying the interest on that debt. The debt now stands at $142 billion, and by the time of the next election in 2011, will be about $150-billion, by Liberal projections. Imagine if those $9-billion could be pumped into health care and education each year.
Our debt could be retired in a disciplined way for the benefit of all Ontarians and all future governments. But that is not something that wins votes. So instead, McGuinty has committed $94.25 billion in new spending for the 2007/08 budget year, a substantial jump over the $88.12 billion of the year before (when he ran a $2.1 billion surplus). This seven per cent spending jump is not financially healthy.
The following year, Queen’s Park expects an economic slowdown, and the year after that, even more spending as things improve. Already, Ontario’s manufacturers are hurting, with 100,000 job losses over the past 12 months alone.
Government can’t afford to do everything for everyone. They must get used to doing things in a regular fashion (barring catastrophes, of course). Regular annual budget increases should be kept to the rate of inflation. Ministries will always be able to spend every penny they are given. Government must constrain spending to what is essential, plus a few promising initiatives which might improve and economize the way services are delivered. Only in this fashion can we reform our tax environment to generate jobs for Ontarians.
Reform’s draft budget for 2007/08 called for increases in line with inflation. Our 2.5 per cent increase is not only more reasonable, it is sustainable in the long-term, and allows ministries to plan for the future. We call for the bulk of the surplus (about $4 billion) to start paying off the province’s net debt. This two-pronged approach to budgeting will allow us to continue to deliver services without cutting out essential programmes. And it will allow us to grab the debt-tiger by the tail and wrestle it to the ground, lopping off $4 billion or so annually and then redirecting each year’s interest payment savings directly into health care, our biggest financial challenge.

Brad Harness
Leader, Reform Party of Ontario

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