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ie ull cada oo a PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, August 9, 1989 -- 7 Why don't bables come wrapped In plastic? Last week | bought a new flashlight. For most people that may not be a big deal, but | was looking forward to being able to function normally when the lights go out (where were you?) - they often do this season (I'm still praying for thunder- storms). | took my shiny, new purchase back to the office and still seated in the car, | grabbed the plastic package and pulled. > Nothing happened. Now don't think | am a weakling (I've been known to walk around town carrying a hundred pounds of papers in my arms), but this 'torch' was in a molded, rigid plas- tic case. It looked like the kind of package that is intended to open along the sides, so | looked for an edge to pry up. And | looked, and looked. 'There was no visible break in the package. In frustration | gripped both sides of the parcel and heaved. The case sucked in air, expanded 'til it looked like a blow fish, but wouldn't come open. This was no longer funny. | decided it was time Off The Top by Rob Streich to get serious, and so | pulled out my keys and smoothly popped them through the plastic skin. When | grabbed the edges of the dime sized gash with my fingers, | found it to be hard and sharp, much like the teeth of a moray eel which face in and will allow their victims to move one way only, down the hatch. | wasn't eager for this package to prey on me, so | gingerly grappled with the outer edge and pulled until | managed to tear a two inch gap, diagonally across the package ... and then it stopped. The package was determined not to let me go any farther, (without taking it out to dinner first) somehow | was going against the grain and it was dead set against releasing the light of my life from its cold, solid embrace. , To make a long story short, | strained and twisted and finally broke the end of the flashlight free of the restraining plastic, at the small end. AARGH! | took a small break to read the in- structions and warranty card which | had been able to slip out to the side. No help there. | decided to grit my teeth and really let rip. Talk about unstoppable force meet- ing immovable object - the blinkin' thing wouldn't open up any further. | realized then that there was only one thing for it. KEERASHI! | jammed my hand inside the parcel as far as it would go, twisted and punched about and finally ripped the flashlight past the restraining embrace of the plastic walls. | was exhausted, but eager to try- out my new conquest - | flipped the switch and it glowed briefly and then died, the batteries needed recharging! Why would the manufacturer build a product into a nearly bullet proof case, | asked myself? | was tempted to go back to the store and ask for a reduction to make up for the time | needed to extricate the light out of the package. Did the company need to protect this "rugged, durable, dependable" light? What from WWIII? Would | not have bought one loose on the shelf, without the glitzy colered labels? If a $7 flashlight is this pampered, it will probably take a day to unwrap a new television set (bomb shielding in the box and all). Excessive packaging really gets under my skin. Letters one editor Remember When? . 70 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 14, 1919 There is quite a change in farm ownership in the Seagrave area of late. Mr. Ed Frise has sold to Mr. Scott of New Ontario and Mr. Brimabombe to Mr. Stone. These sales were put through by Mr. George Collins. Mr. C. Sleep sold to Mr. N. Woon; Mr. Pollock to Mr. Edw. Clements; Mr. Edw. Bryant to a Woodville farmer; Mr. A. Sleep to Mr. Armstrong; Mr. Wesley Frise to Mr. George Garniss. The Munroe farm has been sold to Mr. Frank Watson and the A.L. Orchard farm to Mr. O. Stone. Last Sunday afternoon the barns and house belonging to Mr. Charles Lamb, at Manchester were burned to the ground. The Annual Cartwright Oat Crop Competition under the Agricultural Society resulted as follows: 1st, J.G. Marlow, 89; 2nd, N.H. Marlow, 86; 3rd, L.E. Mountjoy, 85%, 4th, W.C. Ferguson, 85; 5th, R. Nesbitt; 84; 6th, S. McLaughlin, 7th, J.M. English. The competition was very close. 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 24, 1944 Pte. Allen Bond was home in Prince Albert for a few days recently. Allen travels to and from Halifax and New York. 'Mr. G. Everton Smith, manager of the Moyer School Sup- plies Co., of Toronto and Mrs. Smith, were guests of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Harper, Port Perry, over the weekend. Miss Norma Ploughman has been visiting Mrs. Herb Ar- buckle in Cobourg during the past week, prior to attending Business College in Toronto. Mr. George Sweetman has his home all wired ready for Hydro. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 26, 1954 A happy event took place Sunday evening, August 15th at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W.G. Bowles, Nestleton, when Rev. Dr. R.P. Bowles, Ex-Councillor of Victoria College, Toronto, celebrated his 90th birthday. The Misses Florence Nasmith and Ruth Hewton wish to ex- press their thanks for good wishes from friends for their trip to England - sailing on the S.S. Samaria, August 18th from Quebec. Mr. and Mrs. Al Christie were pleasantly surprised on Fri- day, August 13th when friends held a party in Memory Hall, Utica, in honour of their 25th Anniversary. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 27, 1959 Congratulations to Miss Jean Bright, 15 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. Bright of Seagrave, who has received her certificate after passing examinations which entitle her to teach beginners and intermediates for Baton. (Turn to page 12) Monumental squandering of taxes To the Editor: The assault on taxpayers con- tinues. Motorists are hit with whopping increases, Durham drivers will face $90.00 licence sticker fees come Dec. 1st. While Premier Peterson stiffs us with such huge hikes Ottawa rips off motorists with $4 billion in vehi- cle related taxes and returns on- ly one dollar out of 20 collected, for roads. Latest figures show that the average family will pay $1,101 more in taxes this year than they did in 1984. The upcoming 9 per cent across the board federal tax (VAT) could be the straw that breaks the taxpayers back. The monumental squandering of taxes by Ottawa and Ontario government on wasteful schemes must stop! Bilingualism, multiculturalism, metric madness, have cost taxpayers billions and billions. Bilingualism alone has cost over $4 billion. Foreign aid $2.2 billion a year while we have food drives here in Durham region to feed the Frenchis not a "frill" To the Editor: As the parent of a French Im- mersion student as well as the in- coming President of our local French Immersion Parents Association, I take great excep- tion to your statement that French Immersion is a so called. "frill" that eats up our tax doliars. Those students (approx. 350) involved in the French Im- mersion programme are there for | = several reasons and the parents of these students have worked very hard for this programme so that it could be available in our area. We have our grade 8 lead class go- ing to Port Perry High School this fall. We are very proud of their acheivements to date and are especially grateful for their strength and perserverance in making the programme what it is today. Our tax dollars go to the Board just as does the tax dollars of the English students. Many tax pay- ing families have moved into this area because of the French Im- mersion programme. Other com- munities = preregister their children years in advance for the programme or have the parents wait in lines forming at 3 a.m. to , (Turn to page 10) Smile For The Day hunger---mostly children. Rents are so high many people have lit- tle left for food. Locally the big spenders are the Region and School Boards. $267 million is far too much. $100 million for new schools this year. The Public Board got only 39.5 million while the Separate Board received $58.9 million. The wasteful cost of duplication. - Daycare in schools is another lux- ury we can ill afford, while YM- CA and other privately run daycare services are well below capacity. Why not use churches and senior volunteers (that re- main empty most of the week). Surely money better spent! French immersion is another elitist luxury, costing Durham taxpayers about $26 million ac- cording to Ian Brown, Board (Turn to page 10) TYOU GOT ONE THING GOIN' FOR YOU, KID HE CAN'T KNOCK YOUR BRAINS OUT, /