The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

i 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, May 15,1985 Section Three Which Party is in Power? It looks like a fairly simple solution solution to the thorny question of minority government. The Liberals and NDP both want to see an end to Conservative power in Ontario and they both agree on certain policies. In fact, were it not for the three- party system of Ontario politics the Progressive Conservatives would probably find themselves looking at life from the opposition side of the Legislature right now. So what's wrong with a NDP/Lib- eral coalition which will oust the ruling Progressive Conservatives? The idea is at least being considered considered by the two opposition parties. parties. But at last report, the Liberals were split evenly between supporting supporting a coalition or embarking on their own separate course. In all probability, cooler heads will win the coalition argument and the parties will retain their independence. independence. Look at it this way: The NDP can join either with Conservatives or Liberals. If it formed a coalition with the Tories, it would put its credibility credibility into serious jeopardy. After all, this is the party that has tried to portray PCs as the party of big business and the party which is less interested in the rights of the "little people". New Democrats would be more comfortable with the Liberals. But then they run the risk of losing their identity as a party. In a future election, election, the voter might tend to believe that since the NDP and Liberals support each other, then they might just as well make their vote count by supporting the stronger.Liberal party. It has also been noted that the New Democrats are the party least able to benefit from a sudden election election call within the next six months or a year. No party wants a snap election at this time. But the Liberals Liberals are on the rise and should have no difficulty raising money for an election because everybody wants. to support a winner. The Progressive Progressive Conservatives will have their regular fund-raising apparatus .on their side. But the New Democrats will need time to build up their war chest. Looking at the possibility of a Lib- eral/NDP alliance, it also seems unlikely unlikely that the Liberals will be eager to take on the NDP as junior partners because then they would have to share the limelight. The Liberals will be asking themselves why they should let the NDP take some of the glory when it was clearly the Liberals who made the greatest gains on May 2. If the Liberals Liberals dilute their power by working with the New Democrats, there will be confusion in the mind of the public public concerning.the true opposition when the next provincial election rolls around. In reviewing all of the options, it occurs to us that each of the three Ontario parties is acting as if it is the party in power. Perhaps that is one of the pitfalls of minority, government. Instead of having a government and opposition, opposition, you find each party thinking of itself as the government. Perhaps, the Liberals and New Democrats should keep in mind the fact that their role is still that of the opposition and not the government as they look towards the next session session of parliament. And it's all just another chapter in the continuing soap opera now playing at Queen's Park. Byline... By Peter Parrott Serious students of human behaviour have always been fascinated by elevators. The most interesting thing about these modes of transportation transportation is the fact that people cease to be people when they step inside, especially if the elevator is crowded. For two or three minutes, minutes, elevator riders become "cargo". They stand like sacks of potatoes until the elevator reaches its given destination when, presumably, they begin to walk, talk, smile, and act like human beings again. The acceptable form of behaviour on board an elevator is to do one of three things. You can look upwards at the lights which tell you which floor you have passed. You can look downwards, towards the name plate which says "Otis" and is located located at the door. As an alternative, you can speed-read the operating operating licence which describes describes the number of persons the device is allowed allowed to carry and is signed by Jason Hig- gingbotham or whoever the local inspector of elevators might be. Ask yourself when was the last time you rode an elevator and saw someone get on board and face away from the door. It just isn't done. Elevator etiquette states that you must face the door or else run the risk of staring at a dozen pairs of eyes who are facing the "right" direction. The reason for elevator behaviour is quite simple. When you put a dozen strangers in a small, moveable room they don't know how to act. So, they protect their privacy by wrapping wrapping themselves in a cloak of silence and staring at the floor numbers. Of course, architects haven't done anything to make elevators anything anything less than anonymous anonymous cubbyholes. For example, wealthy corporations corporations don't choose to show their original oil paintings or soapstone carvings within the confines of an elevator. They never come equipped with benches or cheery wallpaper. Only occasionally do they have that innocuous innocuous music piped through the intercom. But that's only designed designed to remove the embarrassing silence and allow riders to lapse into their customary customary elevator-induced coma. Of course, it doesn't have to be this way. For one thing, I suspect that elevators which have a glass wall to display the view are a little more fun. Free of the feeling of claustrophobia, riders riders probably feel comfortable comfortable enough to talk about the weather. And, perhaps in other countries elevator behaviour behaviour is less reserved. reserved. It would be interesting interesting to know whether British, Italians, Italians, Japanese, or other nationalities have the same elevator habits as North Americans. Americans. And, of course, there are always some mavericks who swim upstream and manage to magnificently break the unwritten commandment commandment which says "Thou shalt not speak in elevators." I recall riding an elevator once in which a bored fellow-passenger fellow-passenger started a running monologue i about the progress of the trip. The elevator could have been divided into two camps. There were those who enjoyed the floor-by-floor travelogue and there were others who seemed to look at the passenger the way you might look at a rabid animal. I was in the group which enjoyed his comments comments because they were genuinely humorous. humorous. They were much more enjoyable than staring at the numbers, the nameplate or the inspection inspection certificate. Site Canadian £tateaman Durhem County's Qreal Family Journal 623*3303 Eetsbllihed 130 yuri ego In 1854. Alto Incorporating The Bowmanville Newt The Newcaelle Independent The Orono Newt Second cleat mall reglalratlon number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 62-66 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3K9 (JcKli V L ► JOHN M. JAMES Editor -- Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. All layoula and competition of advertleemente produced by the employeee of The Canadian Slaleeman, Tim I<ew£aalle Independent and The Jamee Publlthl^g Company Llmlled are protected by copyright and muat not he reproduced without written permlaalon of the publlahera. $15 00 a year -- 0 month» $6,00 atrlclly In advance foreign -- $45,00» year Alihourjh uvmy piociiution wm Do t.iron to nvoiri imor, t ho Canadian blnloomnn nccopio ndvorlir.ing In Its columns on ihu undorulanrjmo that n will not Iw imbio for any error In ttio ndviMtmmonl publlQhod horuundor unlosrt n proof ol r.uch udvmliMimunl in mqui.'Mml in willing py ihu nUvortiior and rolurnod to 1 ho Cnmidmn Cialosmnn buuiima oilier» duly clgnod by •ho udvoitiiwf mid with Mich error or cornictionrt plainly noted In writing llioroon. and In that can» it any error f.o noted In not corrected by I tie Canadian Ctalewnan ih liability oliali not evcoed r.uch a portion ol the onllie cotit ol ouch ndveflliioment at. the t.pace occupied by the noted error boaiii to tim whole r.paco occupied by r.uch advertisement Purple Hill Orange Lodge Sponsors New Band Since last September, a group of young people has been practising playing the flute and now they are just about ready to take part in several parades, the first being June 16th in Kendal. The band is sponsored by the Purple Hill Orange Lodge No. 399 which has supplied the instruments and uniforms. They are still looking for more members and holding practices at the Lions Centre's Scout hall on Beech Avenue, Bowmanville, every Wednesday evening. The band includes: back row, Bud Henning, Gary Cole, R. Thertell and W. MacAleese, plus Doug Sleep, not in photo; middle row, 1-r, Jeff Martin, Crystal Chapman, Laurel MacDougal, Stephanie Severs, Vickie Winter, Sharon MacAleese, Candy Winter, Michelle Carter, Andrea Slocombe, Amy Degroot, Melanie Beauprie; front row, David Sleep, Tammy Carter, David Degroot, Ginger Thertell, Mike Hilborn, Stephanie Sleep, Justin Severs. The band is also preparing to take part in the annual Orange parade in Peterborough on July 13th. SUGAR and Losing Face SPICE Ry Rill Smiley, A long, hard winter. About fourteen fourteen feet of snow in these parts. A blizzard in March. Another in April. A cold, brutal spring, with a cutting wind every day, even when the sun shone. However, that is quite normal for people in this country whose ancestors ancestors were stupid enough to emigrate emigrate to Canada, instead of Australia or Southern California. I got through it, somehow, getting up every day at the crack of noon to look out the window, see the snow swirling, say a bad word or two, and climb back into bed with a book, hoping someone would come to dig me out. Or, failing that, that everyone would leave me alone, to be found in June, in bed, and in extremis. extremis. It wasn't so bad, really. My daughter daughter and grandboys came for the March break. And break it was. Ben seems to be hyper. He never walks when he can dance. He never shuffles shuffles when he can jump. He kicked out one of the spokes in my staircase. staircase. But he can't be hyper, because he can sit and watch TV for eight hours without moving a muscle or even blinking. So much for psychiatry. psychiatry. And my son, Hugh, visited every few weeks, when he wasn't off in Central America, not being shot or captured or kidnapped in Nicaragua. He wasn't even tortured. tortured. Yet, in Toronto, he was. Three druggies broke:'in on him, beat him up, poured boiling water all over him, smashed a kneecap with a hammer, and cleaned out all his hi-fi equipment. Funny world, eh? Of course, the kids love their father like a father. Always hugs and kisses, a tradition in our family. But I have to keep an eye on the bums. They're both always broke, and they know the old man has a few nickels in the sock. Kim sighs, "Boy, I'd like to have a house some day." And Hugh admits that he could get a $1,000 electric piano into his room. He has instant recall. But he also has instant forgetfulness. forgetfulness. Like who supplied the funds for his Central American sashay. I'll give you a hint. It was a close relative. But all these things, and even the fact that I haven't paid my 1983 (yes, that's 1983) income tax yet, have not created the malaise I feel this spring. There's something deeper. I'm losing face. Oh, I don't mean my physical face. It's disintegrating just like yours, and yours. No. I'm falling behind in the race. My pride has been badly bruised, and I can find no solution, even though my pride is pretty tenuous, and the solution seems simple. Every, so often,, one of my old , friends invites me out to dinner. I don't know why. I'm about as sociable sociable as a hibernating bear. Nonetheless, I accept with gratitude and anticipation: the wine flowing, the political and philosophical conversation, the change from frozen chicken pies. And every time it happens, I sort of slink into a material corner. Know why? Because every one of them has several things I don't have. You name it, they have it. After a meal, I suggest helping with the dishes. dishes. "No problem, Bill, we'll just put them in the dishwasher." I wash mine in the kitchen sink, in a brown plastic bowl. When I wash them, which is at least twice a week. Then we spend half an hour talking talking about dishwashers: price, quality, quality, length of existence. Dinner is brought to the table, everything everything piping hot, and I learn, very quickly, that it was all cooked in something like twelve minutes, in the new microwave oven. That's good for another half-hour, as the ladies compare brands and recipes. Then, when I'm hoping for nothing nothing worse than a re-run on TV, I find that my hosts have a VCR, whatever that is, and we're about to watch a movie that at least three thousand people saw when it first came out, in 1939. Wow. Over brandy and cigars, we don't listen to records of Bach or Gershwin Gershwin or Handel. We listen to tape recorders and compare prices and makes and decide on where the speakers should be. I sit in a corner, nodding pleasantly. pleasantly. I don't have any of these things, and can't even discuss them with knowledge, let alone animation. animation. Oh, I don't have a backhouse. I do have a television set and get the right channel four out of ten times. I have a stove and a refrigerator. I handle the fridge quite well. I have electric lights and a furnace. But I don't have a dishwasher, except except myself, nor a microwave oven, or a VCR, nor a home computer. I am a failure. Perhaps it's because I am not too mechanical. My wife used to handle all that nonsense. She could change a plug in the flash of an eye, while I was looking for the flashlight. I do have a vacuum cleaner, and I can run that. I got an electric shaver for Christmas and it took me four days to try it. I was scared. It's now broken. I have a food blender, but don't know how to work it. Pretty sad story for a guy who (lew Spitfires. May 9,1985 Dear Sir; I would like to very strongly suggest that if the Visual Arts Centre and the Soper Creek Photography Club plan to sponsor another Juried Photography Photography Contest next year that they find someone competent to organize it. This year is a disaster as far as we are concerned. We read the press release regarding the contest and my husband decided to enter. He spent considerable time choosing which of his negatives to develop into prints and submit. He chose six. lie develops his own black and while prints in his own darkroom so he spent many hours producing different prints and then chose the best one for each of the six prints. This also involved quite a bit of money for the paper and chemicals as lie did them to archival quality. My husband then spent considerable time mid money mounting the six prints, He then took them down to register on Thursday evening and that's wnen the fun began! First of all, you were only allowed to submit a maximum of four prints. This was not stated in the press release. There was a minimum and maximum size for prints which was reasonable and my husband had adhered to this. However, there was a minimum size of 16 X 20 for the mounting which my husband had not known about because this was not staled in tile press release. Therefore, all of his prints were matted too small to he entered. The woman taking registration said that those rules were specified on the entry form which was available at local camera stores. However, the press release did not stale that entry forms were available anywhere. It did not state llmt further details were available on an entry form or anywhere else. It did not give the name and phone number of someone to contact for further information. information. There was another woman who tried to register al the same lime ns my husband and who was refused also because of the minimum matte size which she had not heard about either. The press release stated this contest was open to all Ontario residents. How was someone outside our area supposed to learn these important important details which were omitted omitted from the press release? My husband is totally disgusted! disgusted! He wasted a lot of time and money preparing for this contest only to have it wasted due to sloppy work on someone vise's part. He had asked if the deadline for registration could be extended a day or two in order to allow the other woman and himself to resubmit re-matted prints seeing as there had been a decided lack of detail given in the press release. Tills was denied. Prior to the contest my husband hud thought that going to the show that follows the contest would he a good way to see other work by the Soper Creek Photography Club ami meet members mid possibly become a member himself. You can rest assured Unit lie lias absolutely no interest now in the club because it is so disorganized. I personally have no further interest in attending any future shows of craftspeople or artists at the Visual Arts Centre because this show was so poorly organized. Who knows how many excellent artists we may have missed seeing at these shows because they, too, were poorly informed informed about registration details? The whole thing has left a had taste in our mouths whenever whenever we think about the Soper Creek Photography Club or the Visual Arts Centre. Our friends won't be too impressed with them either when 1 tell them why they won't he going to see any of my husband's work at the show. Anybody from outside the region who has paid to send entries by courier or registered mall and had their entries returned because of matte size is not going to he impressed either. The registration was not handled In a professional manner, .last because we're a small town Is no excuse to do things in a Mickey Mouse way. As grandmother used to say: "If you can't be bothered to do it right - don't do it at all." Sincerely, Evylin Stroud May 13th, 1985 Dear Mrs. Stroud, We are sorry we have missed your husband's photography photography tor our juried competition, competition, us we feel that it would have made a fine addition to what Is known as an excellent competition and show of photography in our region, We have publicized this event us widely as possible and have made entry forms available clearly stating entry requirements in Howmanville at Gould's Gift and Photoshop, Dingo's photolab, the How- manville, Newcastle, Orono Public Library, Newcastle Recreation Department, ns well as the Visual Arts Centre and regional Photoclubs, Our membership has received Information on ibis upcoming event In our bimonthly bimonthly newsletter, encouraging encouraging anyone Interested in further information to give us a call. To eliminate this unfortunate unfortunate circumstance, which has disqualified your husband to enter in this fine competition, competition, we would like to put you on our mailing list, so you may receive detailed information directly from us. Once again, we are sorry for your husband's inconvenience which was also our loss. With sincere regrets, The Visual Arts Centre of Newcastle Editor's note: Dear Mrs. Stroud, we have taken the liberty of passing your letter along to the Visual Arts Centre and have received their reply, Frankly, we feel you have been too Imrsh in your condemnation. Surely, before your husband went to any expense in lime, effort or material lie should have made nil effort to find out more about the rules governing the event. Press releases are mil usually designed to provide till the details.