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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed. April 21, Soa comments rm. tna On, ie ems yr om Fr lr. ar > ane Ta I Se Le -- - = EARS chatterbox by John B. McClelland FALKLAND CRISIS By the time you get to read this the British fleet will be close to the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic and the decision for a diplomatic solution to the crisis or outright war will probably have been made. It would seem at first glance that the British may be over-reacting to the situation, but looking closer one cannot help but feel that they have no choice but to go in with guns blazing if the Argentines do not relinquish their hold on the Islands. First of all, the Falklands have been in British control for over 130 years and during that time have developed the country. The people on the Island are for the most part British-subjects. Argentina's only apparent right to invade and take over the country was because they want them. It is quite likely that they are using this manoeuvre to take some attention away from the economic problems they are having at home and give their fellow countrymen a cause for which to wave their flag once again. At any rate, the British have dug in and with a fleet of some 40 warships, and/six nuclear submarines are cruising the waters off the shore of the Falklands and it appears that a war will be hard to avert. The Argentines say they will not lower their flag and leave the Island to negotiate and the British vow they will fight if the troops are not withdrawn. Hopefully, if a war does break-out, there will be no "third man into the fight." Already it appears as if the Russians are prepared to back the efforts of Argentina, and if this should happen, the United States will have no option but to back the British. Presently the U.S.A. are trying to help negotiate a peaceable solution, but it appears as of the writing of this article (Thursday), that Alexander Haig, the U.S. Secre- tary of State, is having little success other than stalling the inevitable. Argentina continues to air-lift in troops and it is estimated that 10,000 are now on the Island in preparation to defend it from a British invasion. Unfortunately, the ones we can feel most sorrow for are the Falklanders themselves, who are caught in the middle of this dispute. Already some have left their homes and if fighting should begin many more will either lose their homes or lives before it is over. Ironically, one Canadian family who moved to the Falklands recently, did so because they were afraid of a third world war, and wanted to get as far away from any ° potential troubled area as possible. As it turns out they will now have to leave the Island to avoid that same danger. Although it is not a world war at this point, they have found themselves in the middle of - dispute that could well erupt into agressive fighting and bombing. Hopefully all of the speculation of war between the two countries will die before British ships get within striking range of the Falklands, and they will come to a peaceful solution. Spilled blood in the Falklands will not solve the problem. Only sitting down to a table and discussing the situation, rationally will settle the ownership rights. And war on no war, this is the way the dispute will finally be settled. - KILLER BIRDS Very seldom do we think of birds as creatures to be feared, but such is not the case in Northern Ontario. In a recent report coming out of Dryden, Ontario, a cattle farmer has reported the loss of about 40 head of cattle, worth about $10,000 due to attacks by "killer" ravens. Ravens are a crow-like bird but much larger and more intelligent. He reports that these "killer" ravens are swooping down and landing on the cattle's heads, then plucking out their eyes. The animal drops instantly and is not aware of anything after that. "For all intents and purposes it is dead," says a local veterinarian. In other incident the birds used a different tactic. This time the ravens were seen swooping down onto the back of a bull and began pulling tufts of hair out of its skin with their beak. Eventually small holes appeared in the skin and although medication was applied daily to stop bleeding the birds constantly attacked the same spot making the bull weaker and weaker until it died. The Dryden veterinarian investigating the killings has come to the conclusion that the ravens are very selective and the attacks are due to severe hunger, as the carcasses are never touched. He says the killing habit could have started with birds scavenging large animal carcasses, and developing a taste for the eyes, learning to recognize them as a nutritious food source. Whatever the reason for the attacks all efforts to scare the birds off have been to no avail. One farmer reports shooting at the birds and even hanging dead ravens in the barnyard as a scare tactic, but it didn't work as the birds continue to return. Speaking with a couple of Scugog Township farmers the Star found that birds have never threatened their herds. Although ravens are not usually seen this far south, their cousins the Crow might be a good bird to keep your "eyes" on. (No pun intended). IT'S A DOGS WORLD The following article is a humerous look at the problems you can run into if you choose the wrong name for your dog. We hope that it does not offend anyone, but we felt it was worth a reprint: Everyone who has a dog calls either Rover or Spot. I called mine 'SEX'. Now Sex is a very embarrassing (Turnto page 6) The Eyesores Now that winter appears to have finally left us, liere are some sights in Scugog which are not especially pleasing to the eye. In fact, the deterioration of certain highly visible properties near downtown Port Perry has reached the point where something must be done. One is the famous house within spitting distance of the municipal offices on Perry Street. That house on the corner of North Street has stood half-complete for a couple of years, at least. The walls are filled with holes, the yard littered with junk. Aside from the fact that the appearance is nothing short of disgraceful, the house is dangerous. Last week, several youngsters were seen climbing about the upper storey. It is an accident just waiting for something to happen. What is appalling Is that local authorities don't appear to have the power at this time to either demolish what is left of that house or force the owners (whoever they are) to either complete the working or remove the house. It seems that local authorities can't step in until the taxes have gone un-paid for four years. Scugog Township has hundreds of by-laws on its books telling people what they can do and what they can't do. Pity there is nothing to clear up an eyesore like the one at the corner of Perry and North Streets. On Water Street, just north of the Highway 7A junction, Is an unused garage, and the condition of that building and property leaves much to be desired this spring. Last week, an old wreck of a car, its front wheels removed, sat on blocks right in front of the building. Off to one side there Is a broken-down school bus. Surely, the owners can be asked to removed these -derelict vehicles to the scrap yard where they belong. And a coat of paint on the building Itself would be a start. We often hear citizens of Port Perry speak with pride about their community; how attractive it is, and the way business people on Queen and other commercial streets have spruced up their stores and shops. We agree, completely. Unfortunately, there are a few eyesores highly noticeable to both residents and visitors alike. The two mentioned above are not the only ones, to be sure. But they happen to be highly visible in well travelled areas of this community. If municipal authorities are not able to gently persuade the owner of a property to keep it in some semblance of repair, then local authorities should have the power to move quickly, clean the mess up, and put the cost on the tax bill. Is this too much to ask? A LongWay To Go Now that the Constitution is safely "home to Canada," the Royal red carpets have been rolled up "and put back in storage, and all the weekend ceremonies in the nation's capital are memories, it is time for Canadians to start acting like they are part of one nation. It Is more than just ironic that at a time when Canada Is finally a sovereign nation in the legal sense, there are in fact more threats to our unity than at any other time since 1867. In Quebec, Rene Levesque has boycotted the Constitution from the outset, and he has taken the opportunity to fan the fires of separation in that province. Recently, Newfoundland's Brian Peckford fought and won a provincial election largely on a platform of bashing federalism, especially as it applies to resources. And on the prairies, Premiers Blakney and Lougheed are casting nervous glances over their shoulders at the interest in the Western Canada Concept. To our knowledge, there is no move underway in Ontario to take this province out of the Confederation but there is a growing mood among Ontarians who are growing just a bit tired of being the whipping boy in this country. We have our Constitution now, flawed though it may be. Canadians must look on April 17 not as the end of a long Constitutional process, but as the beginning of a new road to national maturity. Canada is only 115 years old, young In terms of nationhood. Maybe we should look on the present unrest as nothing more than growing pains. But then again, maybe we should take the unrest seriously and treat it as a threat to our vital 'interests. Legally, we are one sovereign state. In fact,'we are looking more like the Balkans all the time.