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." I Tare 0 A IRA HY ol bi i LR i < 8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, December 11, 1990 Letters io the editor English unifies Europe - while French divides Canada To the Editor: In reply to the letter ""Nonsense" that the figure of $30 million for French Immersion quoted by me in Durham Region, my figures come from Ian Brown, Chairman of the Board. He told me personally that the cost is ap- proximately 10 per cent of the en- tire budget. Ten percent of $300,000,000 is $30 million. Last year it was approximately $27 Durham Region and have never been disputed. The $30 million figure does not include man- datory core French starting in grade 4. The writer mentions that in Europe if one doesn't speak more than one language one is con- sidered "backward." I am not against anyone speaking as many languages as they like--but not at public expense. The Associated Europe." I quote The French are throwing in the "serviette," or towel, in the global contest for linguistic supremacy. French of- ficials and teachers acknowledge that English is unquestionably the No. 1 international language and there's little point in going *'tete- a-tete" with it any longer. 'We can't make a linguistic Maginot Line," says Bernard Cerquiglini, a French language authority. million. I have quoted these figures to members of the board and in the press throughout titled Language press recently featured a story 'English For A Unified Leading It's a lost battle. "That's what we've been trying to do, especially against English. Life's Like That by Julia Dempsey A With the recession bearing down hard on many families, Christmas 1990 may go down in the histo- ry books as a period of hard times, little disposable income and few gifts under the Christmas tree. And I'm glad! A recession may be just what we all need to re- learn the whole meaning of Christmas. I'd be in the wrong to say that Christmas is not about gifts. It was three wise men bearing gifts for a new born baby boy that started the tradition cen- turies ago. But Christmas should be more than the hustle and bustle of finding the most expensive and most elaborate gifts for those on your list. Christmas should be a celebration and it should put a special feeling in each one of our hearts. When | think of past Christmases, | remember more than the gifts that were exchanged. My fondest memories are of picking out the "per- fect" Christmas tree and trimming it with my family. | put perfect in quotations because our Christ- mas trees were far from the perfectly-groomed specimens found at tree lots. My family would either pile onto the snowmobile and into the caboose, or tread back to the bush on foot to pick out a tree. (For years, my parents wouldn't let us do this job on our own for fear we would over-estimate the height of the living room ceiling.) We'd search until we were frozen solid and then we'd cut just about anything down so we could re- turn to the warmth of our home. We kids were always anxious to trim the tree and before we were barely warmed up, we'd be pulling the boxes of decorations out of the closet. As quick as quick could be, we would find the tree base and erect the Christmas tree. Of course our tree always -- and | mean always -- had a lean to it, along with one huge open spot where branch- es had failed to grow. Unfortunately, the lean and the open spot were never on the same side. But that was okay. Our mother was the decora- tor of all decorators when it came to trimming a Christmas tree. After we kids helped her put on the strings of lights and those gawd-awful tinsel gar- lands, she would let us put on the Christmas balls and ornaments. And that left the finishing touch for her -- the ici- cles. We were forbidden to even touch the box that held the hundreds upon hundreds of silver strands. Only mom had the talent -- or was it patience -- for strategically placing each individual icicle strand on the tree. And when she was done, guests in our home would never realize that our Christmas tree leaned three feet to the south and had a large gap- ing hole in the front. Just like mom had the silver icicles, | too had something special that | alone got to place on the Christmas tree year after year. It's a small angel, no more than two inches in height, that would tum- ble to the floor if anyone so much as walked quick- ly past the tree. This trait gave her her name -- Tumblina. She no longer dons the tree at my parent's home. | have her now at my own home where she sits each year at the top of the tree. And although Tumblina has suffered from male pattern baldness, she is still the most precious ornament. Another memory | have of Christmas is the smell of mom's homebaking. Mom was a busy woman. She worked on the farm, raised four kids, and had many outside commitments, so she never had a lot of time to bake during the year. But when special occasions like Christmas came around, mom baked big time. She made sugar cookies, her world-famous butter tarts, chocolate-covered pea- nut butter balls...the list goes on and on. But the best smell of all filled the house when mom got real over-ambitious and made home- made mini-croissants. She would make so many trays of them that she would run out of counter space. Our fingers were slapped many a time as my brothers and | tried to sneak a croissant from under the pathetic tea towels covering them over. We all have memories, whether it was the time Great Uncle Harvey had too much egg nog and landed face first into his Christmas pudding or the time (and this one happened to my husband's fami- ly) when the St. Bernard ate the entire turkey, bones and all, leaving only the empty plate as evi- dence. So this Christmas, when times are tough, re- member that many special memories will last long- er than the most expensive gift. Merry Christmas and God bless. While English unifies Europe - French divides Canada! The French language is diminishing throughout the world. Even in former French colonies of In- dochina (Viet Nam) and Cam- bodia people are learning English. French is 14th in the leading languages world wide. The Global 2000 report to the President of the United States says that in the next 10 years or so, Spanish will be the number one language in North and South America. In New York City, Chicago, Florida, California, Mexico, Cuba and virtually all of South America, Spanish is widely used. Why not learn Spanish, rather than a language that is 14th world- Future isin good hands To the Editor: How nice it was to get the November 27 issue of the Port Perry Star here in Haliburton and read the Recycling Week es- Soy by Julie Slute of Prince Al- rt. I was pleased to see the ref- erences to my recent show at the Scugog Library, and it is en- couraging for me to know that the show made an impact on Ju- lie, a member of the younger generation. The future of the planet really is in the hands of Julie. Slute and young people like her. Thanks again, Julie. Yours truly, Wendy Bateman. Haliburton, Ont. Editor's Note: Wendy Bateman is a well known fibre artist and former resident of Port Perry. Her show at the Scugog Library this fall took a graphic look at the problems of garbage (espe- cially plastics) and had an im- pact on all who viewed it. | wide? Better still teach job skills! The Mulroney government and its predecessor Trudeau have created an artificial need for French in a country, that outside Quebec is about 95 per cent English speaking. The ploy on fostering French on the rest of Canada has worn thin the guise of national unity. People have finally seen through the fallacy -- even Pierre Trudeau has admitted it is not working. But Mulroney in his quest for power and votes in Quebec spends $1.4 billion this year (last year it was $500 million) while the coun- try is up to its neck in debt ap- proaching $400 billion! Education is the sole authority of the provinces, but Ottawa med- dles by giving the "carrot" to pro- vinces to promote French. The defeated Peterson gov't with its Bill 8 spent about $200 million pro- moting French, while it hid a $2.5 billion debt from the public. Peterson called it "peanuts." Here in Durham Region the On- tario Ministry of Citizenship released figures that show people with French as their first language amounted to between .35 and 2.5 percent. Yet on Sept. 9/89 even before bill 8 was official the Ontario Public Service adver- Turn to Page 10 ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES both large & small at LANDFALL FARM R.R. 1, Blackstock, Ont. 5 mi. east of Port Perry on Hwy. 7A (416) 986-5588 OPEN EVERY DAY Except Wed. & Thurs. by chance. CHRISTMAS SALE 10% DISCOUNT through December 24th, 1990 oo | ly | Restaurant and Dining Lounge | | Canadian and Butch Cwmsme | | Emiel's Place introduces Prime Rib Sunday FRESH PRIME RIB of BEEF with Yorkshire Pudding, cooked to your satisfaction. Served with soup, salad, potato, fresh vegetables, coffee or tea ............... $ 1 4. 95 (served from 4 to 9 PM) 985-2066 Children's Portions also available QUEEN STREET, PORT PERRY For Better or For Worse® SHOVEL [als SHNEL SHolEL DONTSAY INEVER Y - Do A Bia FOR _, OQ). -- LW 3 --) J (21 ¢ 1990 Universal Press Syndicate EMMERSON 193 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. [Si i29 PHONE (416) 985-7306 ALL LINES OF GENERAL INSURANCE * * * - HOMEOWNERS - FARM - AUTO COMMERCIAL