I am well into production for the final edition of the Grand Bend Strip, which is a swimsuit edition that will go to every home in Grand Bend and to our 600 subscribers. Copies will be available at stores as well.

Because we are running a full distribution, about 1800 copies will go to homes in Grand Bend, with the rest going to subscribers in the area through our normal distribution for a total of 2200 delivered copies plus 800 store copies. This is a rare chance for you to hit every home in Grand Bend with your message, and I know this issue will remain on coffee tables for some time.

I have set my prices a little higher than normal, but much lower than should be expected for a full distribution run. We are still more affordable than any other local paper, despite a greater distribution for this run. This offer won’t come around again. Prices can be found at http://www.grandbendstrip.com/advertising/

I want to run as much colour as possible to show off the swimsuits being worn by local people you may know. Studies also show that colour is more attractive to readers, so you will get more eyeballs on your ad if you run colour. To make this more attractive to you, I am offering you a special deal: on top of your ad space rate, you can add colour for $50 for any ad less than 1/4 page, or $100 for any ad larger than 1/4 page. This is a huge discount from our normal rates (adding colour for a full page is normally $300 on top of your space rate, so you can save up to $200)!

To get a sense of how the farewell swimsuit edition is going so far, visit http://caseylessard.me or my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CaseyLessardPhotography

Please let me know as soon as possible the extent of your participation in this special issue. Hope to hear from you soon!

Casey Lessard
You can email me here
–
Publisher/Editor
Grand Bend Strip community newspaper

+1 (519) 614-3614 [cell]
+1 (866) 753-2781 [fax]

Casey and Anjhela are moving to Oxford, England, where Anjhela will pursue her master's degree. The Grand Bend Strip's final issue is July 14, a swimsuit edition.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

The headline above may come to a surprise to some of you, but to others, you have heard the rumours already. Here’s the truth: Anjhela and I are moving to England, where she will pursue a master’s degree at the University of Oxford. How could we turn that down?
Of course, the inevitable questions include: what about the paper? It will be no more. Despite some hints of interest from other people, the fact is, the paper is too much work for even me to do for the compensation received. It’s always been a labour of love, and it would be like asking a stranger to adopt your child.
We are moving early September, and Anjhela starts classes in early October. I had originally planned to keep putting out papers until mid-August, but it doesn’t make much sense. Anyone who has ever made such a major move knows you need time to prepare. For me, as someone who earns most of his money from freelance and part-time work, I need time to get my act together. I need time to make a portfolio, which I haven’t done since I started the Strip. I need time to create a plan for the type of work I want to do, and time to create that work before I arrive in England.
I also have many commitments to my Grand Bend photo students, who are calling for classes that have been delayed due to the newspaper. It’s one of the many loose ends I need to tie.
My commitment of delivering a newspaper to you, the reader, ends with my next issue. I will always be committed to sharing my work with you, but you will no longer get this on a piece of newsprint after July 14. I humbly apologize. For most of you, your paid subscription of 16 issues runs out that issue, and the rest of you (who signed up after July 2009) will be hearing from me personally soon.
From a professional standpoint, I have achieved almost everything I desired when I started imagining the paper. I wanted it to be one of the best in Canada, but I’ll settle for one of the best in Ontario. I wanted a place to show my work and share stories, and that was a success. I wanted to be part of my home community again, and you welcomed me more than I ever dreamed.
From a personal standpoint, living and working here have afforded me many great opportunities. Humber College has been wonderful to me, as have my photo students here. I live with the love of my life, and share a great apartment with two sweet little dogs. My parents are close, as are many members of Anjhela’s family. We will miss it so much here.
This is not the final word from me, and you can keep up to date on everything Casey by visiting my new website: caseylessard.me . I will also add some further comments in the next issue. I hope you will add your thoughts on the end of the Grand Bend Strip and our future pursuits; if you send me a letter before July 7, I will make every effort to include it in the next issue.
I have but one unfulfilled desire for the Grand Bend Strip. I want to do a swimsuit edition. Seriously. You bring the swimsuit, I’ll bring the camera. We’ll show a location or activity you love about Grand Bend. You can trust me, right? If it sounds fun to you or someone you know, drop me a note now to schedule a shoot.
Even if you don’t want to bare your skin, I need to work on building a portrait portfolio. If you join my facebook page (Casey Lessard Photography) or I have your email address for the paper, you will hear from me soon about a special portrait deal for the summer. I’ll make it worth your while.
In the meantime, enjoy this issue, and look for the final Grand Bend Strip mid-July. Talk to you then.

To the editor,
I cannot believe all the fuss about the proposed beach volleyball. In 2001, the Canada Games committee held their beach volleyball tournaments here in Grand Bend. Everyone enjoyed these games and they were a huge success, with great results and participation by many volunteers and spectators.
We believe that beach volleyball can be held here again and will give not only children and young people something constructive to play, but something for everyone with open minds to watch and get involved with while bringing more visitors to our resort town.
Since arriving here back in 1976, I’ve supported most activities, volunteered for lots of them, and always enjoyed our public beachfront. Bravo to Mark Reilly for bringing back a participation sport for everyone to dive into.
Give volleyball your support,
Lynne Desjardine-Herrington
Grand Bend

Re: PVB
The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot, and if you place any credence in Mr. Crossley’s musings, it will be the least of our worries.
Don Kobe
Grand Bend

Advice from Mom
By Rita Lessard

The most popular month for people to get married is June. I suppose people figure if April showers bring May flowers, then June will bring good weather that is neither too hot nor too cold. This is a good time to start a new life with someone you love.
It has been said that white is a colour that symbolizes happiness and good luck. Black on the other hand, would symbolize bad luck and unhappiness. I can understand why so many brides choose to wear white, so why do the grooms wear black? You’d wonder, wouldn’t you? Wearing earrings will bring the bride good luck provided they are not pearl earrings. Maybe the groom can get on this bandwagon and change his luck with a nice pair of earrings. Apparently, for every pearl a bride wears, her husband will give her a reason to cry. Great! After 47 years of marriage I find this out.
Most animals that you see on the way to church are good luck, including lambs, doves or toads. Even birds that fly directly over your car are good luck. It’s bad luck, though, if a pig crosses your path or bats fly into the church. Your old bat of an Aunt Gretchen doesn’t count.

Things we think we know!

• The red coral of the Mediterranean is actually blue.
• The grey whale is actually black.
• The Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea are both actually lakes.
• The Douglas fir is a pine tree.

Found in the classified ads

• Beautiful 6-month-old kitten. Playful, friendly, very affectionate. Or handsome 32 year old husband. Personable, funny, good job, but hates cats; says he goes or the cat goes. Come see both and decide which one you’d like. (Rita: I guess that honeymoon is over.)
• Amana washer – owned by bachelor who seldom washed.
• For sale: Cows, calves, never bred; also, a gay bull.
• Georgia peaches – Californian grown, 89¢/lb

Quotables

• Golfer Elaine Johnson once drove a ball that hit a tree, bounced back and landed in her bra. “I’ll take two stroke penalty,” she said, “but I’ll be damned if I’m going to play the ball where it lays.”
• Rita Rudner: My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands, and two of them were just napping.

Happy Father’s Day to Tom and all my sons who are fathers. To Casey – an honourable mention for looking after his two dogs.

Keeping the Peace
By Tom Lessard, C.D.

It was early November 1953 when my fellow apprentice soldiers and I arrived in Montreal by train. It seemed to us a huge city. We were staying at the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps on Hochelaga Street, and after debarking from the bus, we were taken to the administration building to be documented. My name was listed as Thomas John Lessard, and not the way it should, John Thomas Lessard. I tried to explain the error and was told by the clerk that it was on all my paperwork and would take too much time to rectify. He said, “This is the army. Live with it.” As a result, I have been correcting it all my life.
Carrying on, we paraded to the quartermaster stores to be kitted out with uniforms, bedding, schoolbooks, rifles, etc. Our medical was set for the next day.
We made our way to the barracks, which was a two storey, typical military structure. Ours had classrooms upstairs and downstairs, along with a laundry room, dormitory style bedrooms, our own administration offices and NCO quarters.
It wasn’t until the next day that we discovered the worst thing about our camp. After we were rudely awakened in the morning, we were told that we had 10 minutes to get cleaned up, dressed and get outside to parade to the mess hall. When we stepped out the door and into the crisp November air of Quebec, we were greeted with one of the most God-awful smells any of us were to meet the rest of our lives. Situated a couple of blocks away was an Imperial Oil refinery neatly on the west side of the fences. A couple of the weaker stomached youngsters turned around and went back into the building, only to be quickly escorted out again. The mess hall was a couple of streets west of where we were, which made the oily stench worse — as if that were possible. Anyway, we struggled through the smell. That was the first of my experiences with army mess halls, and the food was actually very good. Being 16 years old we had pretty good appetites, and were even allotted extra rations.

Last Monday, my wife (her name is Rita, and she’s cute) and I took at drive to Londesborough to try to find the hall at which we would be going for a wedding reception the next Saturday. Since there were no restaurants in town we carried on to Bayfield to DJs. Everyone I know is aware of this establishment. I remembered my sister telling me that an old school chum lived in this town. We looked him up and, sure enough, after 60 years we met again. Being older now, we each have minor medical problems, but still are pretty chipper. As he had to visit his doctor, we had a short but wonderful meeting. Like mine, his wife is in pretty good shape. We both chose our life partners very well.

Happy birthday Donald Dinney, Christopher, Will, Connie, and Olivia Lessard.
Congratulations to Liette Clarke and Jeff Burton, who have a new baby girl.

Alternative View
By Lance Crossley

Last month, I took a mid-year review of how I was faring with my 2010 prediction that states would face serious insolvency issues. We found evidence that this is indeed happening in the form of the Greek debt crisis as well as a number of other Euro nations that are dancing with precarious balance sheets. I said the theme of insolvency would also play out on the institutional level (with banks) and the individual level. Since I didn’t have space to address the latter two items last time, I’ll give it a go for this column.
The thing with debt is that you can’t separate government debt from bank debt or from individual debt; it’s all part of the same story. For example, last issue I mentioned one of the reasons for the bailout of Greece was to keep German and French banks, who were heavily invested in Greek bonds, solvent. French and German leaders feared a Greek default would render those banks’ assets worthless, and thus engender a run on their countries’ banks.
How much of a threat is the sovereign debt crisis for banks? A June 11 Bloomberg article reported that in a worst-case scenario – where Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain would all restructure their debt because of their inability to pay – banks globally would lose $900 billion dollars. In the past I have mentioned how the banking system is extremely over-leveraged. That means it would never have to reach a worst-case scenario to create another banking crisis. It would probably only take one or two countries to default to start the domino effect.
The debt crisis is also unfolding on the individual level. At the end of May, the Organization for Economic Co-operation (OECD) said in its semi-annual economic outlook that the debt levels among Canadian families threatens our economy. The report was overall quite positive on the Canadian economic recovery, but was quick to point out that “the high rate of household indebtedness is a source of risk to the outlook.”
The OECD report follows a similar warning from the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, which said household debt in Canada is 2.5 times what it was in 1989 – that’s $41,740 per person! People just don’t have any rainy day funds anymore. When something goes wrong, they are really in the mud. The main asset Canadians hold is their homes. If housing prices begin to decline – as I believe they will – a lot of people will be without a financial lifeline.
The whole debt problem will eventually cause deflation. There’s no other way around it. What goes up, must come down. In that sense, my 2010 prediction wasn’t really a prediction at all. I was only observing a story that was already written during the many years of easy credit and loose monetary policy. What we are witnessing now is the story unfolding.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I feel a level of simpatico with Mark Reilly. We’re not friends, not business partners; I met him once and talked to him on the phone once. But I know how he probably feels: he just wants to run a business in Grand Bend within the rules established by the prevailing authority.
When I started the Grand Bend Strip, I got a some nasty looks from people I didn’t know. Others simply ignored me, considered the paper junk mail, or didn’t care. They liked the old way, the other newspaper. But, as I believe Mark Reilly is, I was committed to doing my best every day and showing that I wanted to be part of this community. Luckily, there is a vocal minority – you who are reading this – who said, let’s support this guy. He’s doing something good.
I think Reilly’s dream of making Grand Bend a destination for athletes is a good thing. Somewhere along the line, he screwed up the execution. Too much, too soon. The town just redid the beach and downtown, after all. Add to that a contract that was too long for too little.
But let’s try to determine who is responsible here. It is really Mark Reilly?
Mark Reilly simply made a proposal to run a business. He did nothing wrong in that respect. His idea had no fundamental flaws. However, he made some mistakes by not communicating with residents, by not paying his initial fee, and by not securing insurance for the season. After his first mistake and the resulting meeting May 1, I can’t blame him for making the other two mistakes. He probably didn’t expect this project would happen this summer.
Is it Lambton Shores council, or perhaps the administration, that should bear the blame for the controversy and uproar by a group of concerned citizens? The administration wrote the terms of the agreement under direction of council, and made some critical errors in its construction. After a series of mistakes, council had enough reason to be concerned that it gave 60 days notice to terminate the contract with PVB. Good thing for them that PVB made the mistakes it did.
I’m going to take it one step further, though. If council and the administration are responsible for this mess, then perhaps the person ultimately responsible is you. After all, you voted in the council and they direct the administration.
I want to hear who you think is responsible. Visit our website and answer our poll, which is active now. It’s an early way to express your opinion to council. You’ll get another opportunity in October with the municipal election.
Regardless of your opinion, it looks like this project will go ahead. Ed Fluter says those supporting this project are a silent minority. But when it comes down to decision time, there may be a more important portion of the population that emerges. They’re the ones who vote in the councilors for wards other than Grand Bend. And when the residents of Grand Bend say, not in my backyard, are they listening? If not, who is in the majority here?

The Grand Bend Strip and publisher Casey Lessard took home more awards than any other newspaper in Ontario Friday, May 14 at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association gala held in Toronto. Here are the results and judges’ comments:

Is mom stunned by the success of the Grand Bend Strip? Unfortunately, they only take one photo at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association awards banquet in Toronto, and this is the one they sent us. From left: publisher Casey Lessard, mom Rita Lessard, OCNA president Don MacLeod, and co-owner Anjhela Michielsen hold the most plaques taken home by any newspaper at this year’s awards, held May 14.

3rd place – General Excellence (best overall paper), circulation under 1,999
Note: Top marks in 4 of 11 categories, including Front Page, Presentation, Photography, and Production Quality
Judges Norm Park, Cindy Beaulieu, Kelly Clammer, Heather Thomson: The most eye-appealing publication in this class. No question about artistic quality and photo presentation. That is tops in the class. This paper also provides good, easy to read features with strong leads. It’s a home-spun feel-good paper with a professional flair.

2nd place – Photographer of the Year (competing with all newspapers)
Judge Bill White: Strong features. Some very nice lighting.

1st place – Best Creative Advertising (under 9,999) – ad promoting Casey365.com
Judge Wayne Aubert: Unexpected clean layout for the clutter of ads in a community paper.

1st place – Best Feature Photo (under 9,999) – cover photo from Parkhill fair
Judge Dave White: I think the photographer made some smart decisions regarding depth of field and camera angle to help us feel this child’s pure joy. The viewer is right there with her. I really love this image.

2nd place – Education Writing – SHDHS music trip to Chicago
Judge Richard Dal Monte: Great photos and a good idea going along for the ride on the band trip to the Windy City.

3rd place – Best Sports Photo – Hockey Night in Zurich dressing room photo
Judge Ron Scheffler: The photographer is commended for exploring behind the scenes to reveal a closer look at those who play simply for the love of the sport.

3rd place – Best Photo Layout – Parkhill’s Five Fun Days
Judge Joe Callahan: An uncomplicated layout and typography that allowed the photograph to communicate effectively.

3rd place – Best Rural Story (under 9,999) – potato farmer Marcus Koenig
Judge Jake Boudrot: Well written, well researched, significant local story, with a nice layout and excellent photographs.

Alternative View
By Lance Crossley

As we are nearly halfway through 2010 – scary, I know – I thought it would be a good time to see how my New Year’s predictions are panning out. In my December 2009 column, I wrote the following:
“My 2010 predictions can be summed up in one word: “insolvency”. To be insolvent is to be unable to pay one’s debt obligations. In my view, this trend will only get stronger on the individual, institutional, and state level.”
For this column, I’ll keep my remarks to the state level. Last year, how many times did you see Greece on the news? These days, you can’t turn on the television without hearing the latest on the Greek debt crisis. What is happening across the Atlantic is extremely important. For those of you who don’t know, Greece has been under tremendous international pressure to get its fiscal house in order. The world markets are refusing to buy Greek debt except at insanely high interest levels. Why? They don’t believe it will ever get paid back. Markets believe it has gone past the point of no return. Even when Greece announced severe cutbacks to its public service, an action that provoked riots and deaths, currency markets have continued to turn its back on the country.
Euro zone leaders and the IMF eventually had to step in and agree to a $146-billion bailout to restore confidence in the international markets. Only one problem: even with the bailout, the market still didn’t believe it would be enough to make Greece solvent. So European leaders went back to the drawing board and came up with a $1-trillion bailout scheme, the largest bailout in history. Incredibly, the effect of this massive liquidity injection lasted less than 24 hours. The Euro almost immediately began to plummet. This was the market’s way of saying, “It doesn’t matter what you do at this point – this thing is broken.” This all in bet by European leaders has been going horribly wrong. What’s their next move? A ten trillion dollar bailout? The market just doesn’t buy this whole charade.
Why is the market crucifying Greece? Because they know who is bailing them out. It’s other bankrupt nations. They know credit rating agencies have been downgrading the debt of Spain and Portugal. They know Ireland and Italy are also facing similar problems. They know this is the broke bailing out the broke.
One of the reasons for the hasty bailout is that France and Germany’s banking sectors are hugely exposed to Portuguese, Spanish, and Greek debt. Leaders feared a contagion effect, and didn’t want a run on their banks. They prevented a run on the banks (for now) but they have not prevented a run on the Euro currency and various national debts.
Greece is the canary in the coal mine. Once this European story plays out with the other nations I mentioned, currency speculators will turn across the Atlantic to the U.S. dollar. The balance sheet of the U.S. is no better than Europe. The dollar is currently benefiting from the European crisis as some investors are fleeing to it as a “safe haven”. This will only last so long. Eventually, investors will also abandon the dollar and run to the only immortal currency – gold. At that point, gold will soar well over $2000 an ounce. The monetary system as we know it will have to push reset and reinvent itself. Things will start again but it’s going to be a turbulent ride to get there.

Advice from Mom
By Rita Lessard

Happy belated Mother’s Day to one and all. What a great station in life it has been for me to have the privilege and fortune to have been able to attain. I hope it has been as wonderful an experience for others as it has been for me. Being a mother has been a roller coaster of emotions, but for me it has been the best time of my life with absolutely no regrets. It is an honour to have raised five great and successful sons. Thank you boys for all you’ve achieved to make me happy and proud to be called your mother. This past weekend I was specially proud and delighted to attend an awards ceremony where Casey won eight awards for the Grand Bend Strip. What a thrill that was. Way to go, Casey!

As mothers, we don’t get much time to relax, but occasionally we let the housework slide and watch a game show or two. One day, I was talking to my neighbour and she was saying how her husband came home from work one day to find the house in complete disarray. There she was plopped in front of the TV. “So that’s what you do while I’m at work?” he said, smirking. “I just happened to have it on,” she lied. The jig was up the next day when the family was watching the prime minister giving a speech. As he stepped out of his car and waved to the cheering crowd, her son shouted, “Look, mommy, he won the car!”

As mothers go, I always considered myself a half decent housekeeper. I enjoyed playing games with the kids, so that was my excuse for not being 100 per cent perfect in that area. My friend, on the other hand, was a bit of a cleaning fanatic. The one Friday night her teenagers had a party down in the recreation room, and she was not too happy about the mess they made, so she made them clean it up. As she watched them work, it was clear that she was completely dissatisfied with their cleaning efforts and she let them know. Finally the son, exasperated with having to do it all over, reached for a broom and asked, “Can I use this, or are you planning to go somewhere?” Wow! How brave was that?!

From Reader’s Digest:
All mothers have intuition. The great ones have radar.
Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare.
Just be kind and good to your children. Not only are they the future of the world, they’re the ones who can sign you into the home.

Hints from Woman’s World:
Like to round off that gas purchase to a nice even number? Don’t bother. Adding fuel after the pump’s auto shut-off kick actually doesn’t get you any extra. The tank needs a bit of room for gas to expand, and any extra fuel evaporates into the car’s vapor collection system. What’s worse, it could cause poor engine performance. Wow, who knew? If this is true, it’s a lesson for me.

While you’re gardening carry a quart size spray bottle filled with a couple of drops of liquid dish soap and water. If you see bugs attacking your flowers, give them a hefty squirt and they’ll fly away.