Clarington Digital Newspaper Collections

Orono Weekly Times, 26 Apr 1989, p. 10

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10-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, April 26, 1989 Bill Bramah and his Ontario Collectors are an interesting bunch. You see them at shows where they buy, sell and swap all sorts of items from stamps to antique antique steering wheels. There are lots of shops in the big cities catering to various specialties, but recently somebody told me about a small store in St. Thomas that deals in nothing but comic books.. So we went down to see it. The shop is called the "Cosmic Comic Connection" which, when you stop to think about it, is a pretty pretty far out name. Gn top of that the little two-room shop is packed with about 25 thousand vintage comic books! The owner is an affable young guy in his early thirties named John Mills. Like most kids, Mills grabbed his first colored cartoon book out of curiosity. But as fast as you can say Robin and Batman, he was hooked. That first 10 cent paperback stirred stirred a collector's passion that today represents a stock of old comic books valued in the thousands. To put an exact price on it would be Tutile since year after year, even month by month, the value increases. increases. There's everything there from Donald Duck tti Superman, but the big sellers today are books featuring horror, war and violence. "In a way, the books reflect a part of modern history," says Mills. "When comic books first appeared on the market about 50 years ago, they were mostly humorous. Then they evolved into action heroes, and today, the more violent they are the better they sell. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is." Youngsters pay a dollar or more these days to read their favorite comics, says Mills. The most popular are X-men, Punisher and Wolverine books. But John deals mainly in rare, copies with prices usually ranging from $4 to $300, depending on condition. condition. He has one copy that's really rare. It's the second appearance of Spiderman issued in 1962. The price? A cool $1,000! While we were there, a 13 year- old named Marty Gebel and his father came in., Marty had one destination. He found the Spider- man file and started to leaf through it. A few minutes later he triumphantly triumphantly pulled out a book. "I found one," he shouted to his dad. I asked him why he was so pleased. "I'm a Spiderman collector," he grinned. "I have 136 different ones so far and this is the 137th," Later, I asked John if the boy was a regular customer. "No, I've never seen him before," he said. "But I guess he's a born collector, and he's started a hobby that may last a lifetime. He may branch out to stamps or coins later on. Or maybe something more offbeat. I know one guy about my age who collects antique toilet seats." Misleading or fraudulent telephone solicitations Residents in a number of areas of the province have recently been subjected subjected to misleading or fraudulent telephone, solicitations, and the Ontario Ontario Provincial Police would like to alert citizens to the common elements of many of these schemes. Typically, these telephones solicitors advise people they have won a prize, or have an "opportunity" "opportunity" to do so. Usually there is some purchase to be made before the prize can Ire collected. The caller suggests that' payment for the product product or service being purchased be made by credit card, and asks for a credit card number. Once the number is given, the customer is immediately immediately charged the agreed-upon amount. "The majority of these types of telephone solicitations are designed to mislead potential customers - to make them believe they're going to get something at a much better price than anywhere else," said Insp. Ken Christopherson of the OPP's antirackets antirackets branch. * 'The value or nature of the prize, or the requirements for claiming it, may be misrepresented," said Christopherson. "What you think you heard and what was actually said may be two different things, but even if what you heard was exactly exactly what was said, it's difficult to prove misrepresentation." A customer's first indication of a problem may be his or her credit card statement. Persons who believe they've purchased a bargain holiday from a so-called "travel agent", for example, may find their credit card statement indicates the money went to a restaurant, car rental, agency or some other business. This is probably because the telephone solicitor has no arrangement arrangement with a' credit card company, company, and is using an imprinting machine belonging to some other business to process orders. "By the time you get your credit statement and realize something is wrong, .it's too late," Christopherson said. "The money is gone."' These telephone scams usually involve involve no more than a few hundred dollars each, but throughout North America, it's estimated they bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. "There are two key rules to remember when dealing with telephone solicitors," Christopherson Christopherson said. "Never reveal your credit card number over the phone, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Raising children for their success In the struggle faced by today's parents to raise capable children the need to compensate for the extremely extremely rapid changes in lifestyle which have occurred in recent years should be understood. For centuries generations of people people were raised in the lifestyle and traditions of their parents and families. By 1986, however, the average family was moving every 2Vi years which gave the children little opportunity to learn about their relatives and neighbours. In their book, "Raising Children for, Success," Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelson explain that today's children have, "Fewer opportunities opportunities to experience a meaningful role in family life and in the tradition tradition of their culture. Without this meaningful role it is difficult to develop a sense of meaning, pur pose and significance to their lives through being needed, listened to and taken seriously." On Wednesday, May 10 the Family Education Resource Centre of Durham House is presenting a workshop for parents which will focus on giving today's parents the tools they need to help their children feel meaning, purpose and significance. The importance of developing and maintaining a relationship relationship of closeness and trust with children will be explained. This workshop will be held at St. Christopher School, .Oshawa from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. The Cost is $8.00 To register for,this or any of the other parent education study groups and workshops offered this spring, please call the Centre at 579-2021 or 686-4353. Woods, Water and Wildlife by Marion Strebig Big Bird In fhis cool, late spring it is easy to think that everything is standing still. But on the Burce last weekend, although there were no wild flowers yet, the wild leeks were poking up in the woods and the leaves of water plants like water arum and common arrowhead were unfolding in wet places. And everywhere the birds were busy. The Bruce with its varied topography of limestone cliffs, fens, and marshy lakes is a haven for all kinds of birds, some of them rare in the rest of southern Ontario. Since one of these birds, the Sandhill Sandhill Crane, was settling in to nest near where we were staying, I got the chance to watch these strange, awkwardly graceful birds for the first time. They resemble a thickest. Great Blue Heron which has ac quired a feather bustle. But unlike the Great Blue Heron which is often mistakenly called a crane, these are ture cranes, relatives of the celebrated Whooping Crane. How has seomthing so large escaped the fate of its. cousin, the Whooping Crane, and even succeeded succeeded -in decolonizing old nesting areas like those on the Bruce? Perhaps the answer lies partly in its colour. Unlike their relative, the Whooping Crane, which is white, they are a greyish dun colour, relieved only by the adult's bald red crown patch. With this colouring they blend with the vegetation of their favoured habitats - wetlands and meadows. The first Sandhill Cranes of the weekend were resting near a wood on the'edge of a field. But they blended so perfectly with the (Gnrud page ll) YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY Supports Spring Cleaning with a , FINE FREE FORTNIGHT April 24 to May 6 This is a Ônce-Only opportunity so . . . ' ... dig all the way to the bottom of the toybox * ... explore behind the cushions of the family room sofa . . . sort the stacks on the bedside table and t Bring Back Your Overdue Library Books with NO FINES Why Now? ■ ■ 1. Your library is implementing an automated control system and we V need all materials in hand for labelling. 2. Overdue fines increase effective May 8th. ACT NOW TOWN OF NEWCASTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Bowmanville Branch Clarke Branch Newcastle Memorial Branch

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