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PAGE 20 - Pi .AINDEAI EVy -WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14,1979 Clergy Meets Locally To Plan For Soil Stewardship Week Town-Country Tips Members of the clergy in McHenry county are invited to a luncheon where information concerning Soil Stewardship week will be previewed, Mrs. Betty Hegner, president of the McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation district, said this week. The luncheon will be held at the American Legion clubhouse in McHenry, starting at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. Recognition will be accorded the "Conservation Farm Family of the Year" and the "Conservation Teacher of the Year." In addition, Kenneth Fiske, retiring director after 16 < years of service on the boards j will be recognized. 3 Church congregations in 3 McHenry county are en- 2 couraged to participate in Soil J ; S t e w a r d s h i p w e e k , ^ traditionally held in the middle j of May. This year it will be May «• 20-27, and the theme is "In- 2terdependence." Materials to help plan a program, outline the value of maintaining a stewardship of the soil and evaluating our need to guard our soil, water and air will be provided by the McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation district. The Soil Stewardship week preview luncheon invitation has been sent all county churches but in case the notice did not reach the leaders of any church, reservations can be made with the District's office in Woodstock, Mrs. Hegner said. The theme "In­ terdependence" has prompted this comment by President Carter: "Americans un­ derstand the value of working together to achieve common goals. We know that unity of purpose and mutual depen­ dence are essential to our growth as a society of self- governing people." He said it is fitting that in­ terdependence of city and country, of Americans and their resources, and of man and nature is the Soil Stewardship week theme for 1979. Conservation district spokesmen noted that while this nation is not faced jvith immediate prospect of hunger or famine, it is faced with a difficult challenge to preserve its food-producing soil from the inroads of soil erosion, sub­ division development, in­ discriminate road-building and business spreading to areas that are flat and open within a few miles of a major city. "For this reason alone, I believe it timely for people in McHenry county to consider the importance of conserving the soil, water and air which are precious gifts from God," concluded Mrs. Hegner. "Soil Stewardship week is a good way to stimulate citizen in­ volvement." P. etropolitan Opera IMcHenry Girl Wins Audition ; ! Carol Leighty, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Leighty of 3703 W. Young street, jMcHenry, was among "university of Illinois music students who swept all six places in district auditions for the Metropolitan Opera held J recently at Eastern Illinois university, Charleston. For the first time, the singers were not ranked and all six will go to Chicago to compete in the regional Met auditions in March. Each won a $75 cash prize. Soprano Carol Leighty, a senior, is a student of Professor Frances Crawford. She sang "Come Scoglio" from Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutti" and "The Jewel Song" from "Faust. Miss Leighty will be heard as Fiordiligi in the Illinois Opera Theatre performances of "Cosi" March 8-11. 23rd Art Fair June 15 The twenty-third Country Art (fair will be held June 15 through ;17 at Parkland Junior high ischool, Ringwood road, iMcHenry, announced chair- jman Mrs. Lynn Schirmer of ) Crystal Lake. I Artists should be residents of McHenry county or former exhibitors of the Country Art fair. Categories will be: Painting (opague and transparent), graphics (prints and drawing), t h r e e d i m e n s i o n a l , photography, mixed media and selected crafts. The next meeting of the Country Art fair committee will be held Wednesday, March 14, in the council chambers of the McHenry city hall at 7:30 p.m. All interested persons are in­ vited to attend. Perspective 'STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS' BY RONALD REAGAN i "There used to be a daily I foreign policy briefing in the it White House. Now there is a jf daily foreign policy." So said a % retired senior U.S. diplomat the >' other day as he was reflecting £ on the sorry state of what •. passes for U.S. leadership in £ the world these days. \ One U.S. friend after another looks on in dismay as we drift •i with events. I sensed the i frustration in my visits with I Western European leaders earlier this winter. If anything, the frustration level has in­ creased. The other day French President Giscard d'Estaing called for a summit conference j of West European, African and ; Arab heads of state, pointedly ( ommitting any reference to the j U.S., the . Soviet Union and China. \ In Paris, a noted anti- * communist writer in the nor- * mally pro-U.S. newspaper "Le 5 Figaro," writes, "It is clear { that the Iranian affair has now * consecrated President Carter » as the worst president of the « United States - which has not 2J lacked for them..." J> Camp David summitry * falters and sputters. world so we'll just have to reduce America's wealth and strength. In other words, don't raise the river, lower the bridge. Dig back through the writings of some of Mr. Car­ ter's key advisors and you see evidence of this defeatist, guilt- ridden line of reasoning quite often. Whether Mr. Carter believes it himself is almost beside the point since so many of the policy moves the ad­ ministration makes seem to stem from this "America repent!" kind of thinking. This philosophy - if that is what it is - seems to have its roots in the darkest impulses of the American left of the '60s. The latest evidence of the "strength-through-weakness" approach may be contained in the interview of Mr. Carter by historian James MacGregor Burns in the current issue of The Atlantic. Burns writes that the president "took pains to The president of Pakistan goes on his nation's television to ask that the president of the United States "behave like the leader of a superpower." T h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n scrambles for a position in the China-Vietnam war, realizing that it had been "had" by Teng Hsiao-ping who was only awaiting "normalization" before kicking off the war. The administration has chosen to describe the invasion as a "border incursion." One of the president's National Security council advisors is quoted by a well- known syndicated columnist as saying that in those few aspects of international affairs where the U.S. is still dominant we should let our dominace "fall away" lest we misuse it! Columnist William Safire describes the Carter ad­ ministration's foreign policy as "strength through weakness." An apt description, but why did things get this way? There seems to be a line of reasoning running through the high councils of the administration which rests on a deep sense of guilt at being American. The line goes something like this: this is a dangerous world, filled with potential catastrophies, risks and dangers. These potential problems are caused by the huge gap in power and wealth between the United States and, well, the rest of the world. If we can narrow that gap the dangers will subside. But, we can't really do enough of it by raising the standard of living and strength of the rest of the by David Ploctwr, Extension S«rvic» 338-3737 • 339-4747 leave no doubt in my mind about his present intentions." He goes on to say that if the Senate rejects the SALT II treaty as flawed, Mr. Carter would probably indulge in "unilateral presidential cut­ backs in major defense and weapons commitments..." If Mr. Carter designed his position to pressure the Senate into ratifying the SALT II treaty, his attempt will almost certainly backfire. The Congress these days is not behaving as if it is on Mr. Carter's "strength through weakness" frequency. Caa't Win One man was recently com­ plaining about that age-old cure for insomnia, counting sheep. "I counted at least 20,000 sheep," he claimed, "I sheared them, combed the wool, had it spun into cloth, made into suits, took some into town," he continued. "All that took me so long that I haven't slept for at least a week." Directory Listings Sought - Fruit and vegetable growers interested in having their U- Pick operations listed in the 1979 Pick-Your-Own Fruits and Vegetables or the 1979 You Pick Strawberries directories should write to J.W. Courter, Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson, 62985. Courter will send each producer a form to complete, listing type of produce grown, expected harvest dates, farm location and telephone number. Directory listing is free. This program is funded under the Farmer-To-Consumer Marketing Act of 1976 and is intended to improve the ef­ ficiency of direct marketing in Illinois. The free directories will be available prior to harvest. The strawberry season in Illinois begins about mid-May in southern Illinois and usually lasts until mid-July in extreme northern Illinois. The fruit and vegetable directory will cover produce which is available from June through October. Wool Care • The improper use of plastic baling twine, plastic feed bags or feedbag liners, and plastic wool bags are causing sheep producers trouble. Plastic contaminated in raw wool is threatening the U.S. markets for fine grade wool used to manufacture worsted wool fabrics. Once plastic gets imbedded in the wool it is extremely difficult and costly for wool mills to remove it according to University of Illinois Extension Sheep specialist Gary Ricketts "The plastic creates serious flaws in wool fabrics. The result is that wool mills are either refusing plastic con­ taminated wool or paying producers less for it." Plastic twine fragments from chopped bales in bedding or from bale tying mechanisms in grazing fields cause most of the problem. In addition though, other contamination sources include tying fleeces with plastic twine, torn up bags in bedding, and plastic wool bags. Winter Insect Survival - Many insects have survived the severe cold and snowy winter. In fact most of them are better equipped for survival than humans. The insulating snow blanket and resulting shallow frost depth in our county and over much of the state has provided good protection for insects residing in soil and debris at the soil surface. According to Steve Moore, Extension Entomologist, in­ sects can survive by using one of two methods to withstand extremely cold temperatures. Some insects freeze solid after removing water from within their cells to the area between their cells. Once they thaw, the water moves back into their cells and life goes on. Other insects "supercool" with built-in antifreeze. These insects' blood does not freeze because it seems to correlate with a higher than normal amount of sugar, sugar alcohols, glycol or preteinaceous material. There are those in&cts, however, that have little ability to survive freezing tem­ peratures. Many of these must reinvade Illinois each year, migrating from the south on prevailing spring and summer winds. Others, like the house fly, overwinter in heated or i\®NG§̂ 4i ONC OA£•' O*4 BUY ONE GALLON OF WALL PAINT at the regular low price and get a gallon of high quality Ceiling White for only 99' Get yours now Offer expires March 31, 1979 A REGULAR $7.99 VALUE FOR ONLY 990 We're Also Featuring DISCOUNTS OF 20%-30% ON ALL WALLPAPER (BCLA QDIDAA partially warm buildings and continue their development at a reduced rate. Finally, there are the year-round indoor living insects like food roaches, cereal insects and silverfish. Insect Predictions • Among the insects expected to survive this winter are European corn borer, corn rootworm, bean leaf beetle, alfalfa weevil, cockroaches, termites and spiders. The chances for survival of the corn flea beetle, green cloverworm, stored grain in­ sect and face fly are poor. The black cutworm and the true armyworm are not expected to survive this winter and will probably migrate to Illinois this spring from the south. Alfalfa weevil survival is expected to be good. But buildup of damaging populations will be delayed this spring because winter weather has prevented egg laying. Dairy Management Clinic - Area Dairyman and Board member of the McHenry-Lake D.H.I.A. will be a featured speaker at the Illinois-Indiana Dairy Management Clinic March 28 and 29. Jack Bingham, Manager of golden Oaks Dairy, Wauconda will be discussing his experiences feeding high-moisture ear corn. Additional dairymen from Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana and University specialists in dairy and veterinary science from Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will be on the program. Subjects to be covered include energy saving devices being used in the dairy and screening tests, for mastitis. Discussions by panels of farmers and Extension Dairy specialists have provided an informative program for dairymen attending the clinic the past two years. Registrations are desired by March 20. The program begins at 1 p.m. on the twenty-eighth and continues until noon on the twenty-ninth. Enrollment is limited. Contact my office at 338-3737 or P.O. Box 431, Woodstock, 60098 for registration material. MGM Grand Sale - Area dairy cattle lounged in the grand ballroom of MGM in Reno, Nev., last weekend. The MGM Grand Holstein Sale par­ ticipants front our area were Elmwood Farm, Antioch; Al Ames, Jr* Zion; and Ron Mueller, St. Charles. Sheep Shearing School - The annual spring sheep shearing schools have been popular with large and small flock shepherds and with those wanting to merely shear their own sheep or business. Shearing school in our vicinity are March 27 and 29, U of I Sheep barn, Urbana, April 3 and 4 at Lee County 4-H center, Amboy, and April 5 and 6, John Kramer Farm, Roseville. I would suggest you call the University of Illinois Sheep Specialist Gary Ricketts at 217- 333-7351 to enroll. The par­ ticipant number is limited. Economical Sprayers - If you produce fruit or vegetables and find your costs of keeping bugs off your crops expensive, the intermittent sprayers now being tested may interest you. In a study on cabbage 31 percent less pesticide was used during the growing season. Insect damage control was just as good as the continuous sprayer. At present two kinds of intermittent sprayers are being tested, the air operated and the electric eye. This work took place at the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development center at Wooster. Weather Modification • Although the technology for irrigating cropland is well developed, the idea of making it rain is in the experimental stage. A conference to discuss weather modification is planned for March 15 at the University of Illinois Illini Union building in Urbana. The program will cover what is not known as well as what is known about modifying the weather. Participants will learn about the bad effects, the side effects and the good effects of cloud seeding. In addition, they will hear from persons experienced in weather modification about the legal problems, problems in organizing a project and what to expect or be aware of when a community decides to try "making it rain." The one-day conference starts at 9:30 a.m. and will adjourn by 3:30 p.m. For more information about the program or for a registration form, stop at the McHenry County Extension office at 224 W. Judd St., in Woodstock or call 338-3737 4747. get into the Qf County Interest House Passes Two Bills y Two bills requested by local governments in McHenry county have passed the Illinois House Thursday under the sponsorship of State Rep. Cal Skinner, Jr. (R-McHenry county M The first, requested by the McHenry County Board's Legislative committee, would allow county government to continue its cemetery in con­ nection with the county nursing home, Valley Hi. The second, requested by the new village of Bull Valley, would allow the village board to contract with a township road commissioner for road maintenance or repair. "Neither is an earth-shaking piece of legislation, but each resolves question that was unclear before," Skinner said. | Senior Hot Line 1 or Reading Abilities ^ Conference A two-day forum for the exchange of opinion and research on student reading comprehension will be held March 23 and 24 at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle campus. Sponsored by the Circle campus and the Chicago Sun-Times, the con­ ference will be directed to parents, educators, the mass media and others concerned about the reading com­ prehension abilities of young people. Program and registration information is available from the university by calling 312-996-7729. (Written under the auspices of Lieutenant Governor Dave O'Neal) Q. What services do the state departments of Transportation and Vocational Rehabilitation provide to senior citizens? V A. As regards the Depart­ ment of Transportation, fuftds are provided to help cover (he costs of transit services for senior citizens through several grant programs which are administered by the Depart­ ment's Division of Public Transportation. The programs are as follows: (1) Elderly fare reim­ bursement : through this program, DOT reimburses mass transportation carriers to help cover losses incurred through the provision of reduced transit fares for persons aged 65.or older. (2) Transportation grant program for the elderly and handicapped: this program provides capital assistance grant funds to private non­ profit corporations for the purchase of equipment for use in transporting the han­ dicapped and elderly. (3) Public transportation capital improvement program: additional federal and state financial assistance for the purchase of equipment especially designed for tran­ sporting the elderly and han­ dicapped is available to municipalities and transit districts through this program. Q. What is the relationship of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to senior citizens? A. As stated in the Division's cooperative agreement with the Department on Aging, it is to, "...improve the quality of life for the handicapped aging by being aware of their needs and providing...comprehensive rehabilitation and social ser­ vices for disabled older persons who can benefit from such services in terms of em­ ploy ability". Q. What services does the Division provide to seniors? A. For those determined eligible by DVR personnel, services necessary to achieve a suitable vocational objective will be provided. They may include: medical, physical aids, counseling and vocational guidance, testing, vocational adjustment training, training materials and tools, equip­ ment, placement and post employment services. When no other resource is available, maintenance and tran­ sportation, with certain limits, may be provided. Q. How does DVR relate to other agencies providing services to seniors? A. DVR, besides its written agreement with the Illinois Department on Aging, is in contact with area agencies on aging who refer senior citizens who are disabled but who can reasonably be expected to benefit from services leading to employ ability. DVR informs seniors of non-job oriented resources of services available through DOA and-or the area agencies on aging. Write or call us at Lieutenant Governor Dave O'Neal's Senior Action Centers at 160 North LaSalle street, Chicago, 111., 60601, or 3 West Old Town Mall, Springfield, 111., 62701 with questions or concerns about any government agency or programs. This column will be covering the many questions senior citizens may have on various subjects. Call statewide: toll free 800- 252-6565; Met ropo l i t an Chicago: 312-793-3333 Ridership On RTA Up Of interest to McHenry residents is the fact that RTA bus ridership on the five county routes for January totalled 22,269. The ridership since June has been 150,595. An RTA spokesman noted a ridership increase each month, with the January figures showing a gain of 4,361 over December. V\featherpiocl In winter. For the past several winters, many parts of the country have experienced energy shortages The oil and coal needed to make electricity couldn't be delivered. Rivers were frozen. Stockpiled coal was frozen solid. The machinery to move coal was frozen As fuel ran low electricity had to be rationed Plants and schools were closed People were laid off Shivering became the national pastime But not in northern Illinois It wasn't luck that got us through those winters; it was nuclear power Over 40% of the electricity we make comes from nuclear fuel. Because no matter how much it snows or how cold it gets, nuclear fuel is available-weatherproof. Enough uranium to provide all the electricity Commonwealth Edison electricity is made mostly trom abundant coal and uranium That helps to conserve the scarce fuels oil and natural gas we need for an Illinois winter can be stored in a onecar garage In summer. Nuclear power gives us the reliability we need to respond to summer peak demands without brownouts. In the last decade, when growth of air conditioning helped increase demand for electricity more than 50%, Edison's nuclear stations had an unbroken record of summer avcalapICtty And nuclear powers toaay's great energy bargain It costs about a penny a Kilowatt hour less than coal and two to three cents less than oil. If we'd replaced our uranium with low sulphur western coal in 1977, it would have cost an extra $280,000,000 in fuel expense Oil or gas would have driven the cost up to over one-half billion dollars Instead, the nuclear fuel we used, the equivalent of 47,000.000 barrels of oil, saved over 10% on your electric bill. With our strong nuclear capability, we're ready for the weather Let it snow Let it sizzle 385-1116 of ly 4720W.RTE. 120 McHENRY, ILL. Waking fci you a