Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 6, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Editor. Brian Cole 1697-7044 m cd of Cizl of focus sunday free press b q Winnipeg july 6. 1997 do somehow the Neighbours love it guilt drives Lawn care rites in my Middle class Winnipeg neighbourhood As in Middle class neighbourhoods across Canada the annual a summer olympics has finally begun a delayed this year Only because of the unusually Cool Early Spring weather. For four months otherwise Friendly Neighbours Battle each other in a contest of endurance wits and resources. The object is to see who will have the finest Lawn and the greenest grass. This is a Subtle Competition vigorously played out a strategic game in which one experiences a variety of turbulent emotions envy frustration agony ecstasy and in my Case guilt a plenty of guilt. I am surrounded on All sides by Neighbours who spend four and five hours each saturday and sunday and countless hours weekday evenings nurturing their Small plots of Green land. All it takes is for one Neighbour to Start a Mower turn on a water sprinkler or push a wheel Barrow full of Rich Fertile Black Earth. Slowly everyone else on the Block starts to Drift out of their Homes responding to the Challenge. It is amazing the number of things one can actually do to grass. It can be raked watered fertilized weeded trimmed mowed and fed. Visit any hardware store and you will find several aisles filled with products and contraptions designed to beautify your Lawn stores at which you can consult with a Lawn doctors to help you rid your grass of such common diseases As Brown Patch and with Allan Levine Dollar spot or troublesome weeds like dandelions and crab grass. Generally speaking anything goes in combating these villains but there Are several unwritten rules to be followed a real men do not hire students to Cut their grass for them. A you never allow your Mower to blow grass onto your Neighbours Domain. A chemicals Lawn steroids that Are secretly sprayed on your Lawn at 5 . By companies who Promise to make your grass As Green As the artificial turf at the Toronto sky dome Are strictly prohibited. A whenever someone comments on the Fine appearance of your Lawn and How hard you Are working at it your response should be a a it a nothing really. I enjoy it a on the other hand you Are permitted even encouraged to rope off your Lawn from being trampled by the mail Carrier or your Neighbours kids it is fitting that the word Lawn is derived from the old French launder meaning Heath which is itself derived from the celtic Lann a territory and the Welsh Dan an open space. While the custom of maintaining a Garden dates from ancient Egypt and Greece it was the aristocrats of 17th and 18th Century France and England who handed Down to us our present Lawn rituals. No one in Europe had a finer Lawn than the French a Sun King a Louis Xiv. At his luxurious Palace at Versailles the grounds were Laid out like a Green carpet trimmed to perfection by an army of gardeners. It was a style that influenced the upper classes in England who too favoured Geometric grass lawns and gravel walks a tradition later adopted by North american suburbanites wanting to be in touch with nature and their past. Getting the grass to resemble King Louis was More of a problem. Until the Industrial revolution most people Cut their grass with scythes or allowed their cows and goats to Graze thereby keeping it trimmed. The first lawnmowers were smaller versions of farm reaping machines pulled by horses with their hooves wrapped in Burlap to prevent them from damaging the turf. In 1830, an englishman named Edwin budding invented the Cylinder Lawn Mower later models can be still found at garage sales with rotating Blades that Cut the grass As the Mower was pushed. Two years later budding a machine was mass produced by Robert Ransome owner of an agricultural factory in Ipswich. Before Long the whirring sound of lawnmowers could be heard throughout the kingdom. In later years the demands of such our penchant for Lawn care goes Back a Long Way. Popular sports As Golf Tennis and soccer in conjunction with the invention of gasoline and electric motors led to the birth of the Power Mower. Such is Many a ingenuity. I have Long believed that if god wanted grass to be Short and Green it would have been created that Way. As a teenager i Long resented being forced to Cut my parents Lawn and As a Homeowner my feelings have not changed. I must confess that i derive Little satisfaction from a clean Lawn nor is my spirit refreshed after a Day working my land. Obviously for the Sake of my Neighbours i cannot simply do nothing a let my grass grow As it will so to speak. Since my Lawn is presently in rough to fair shape i figure i have two options i could Purchase a few grazing cows to get the Job done though the smell May anger several of my More urbane Neighbours or better yet i could simply pave my Lawn front and Back and charge the neighbourhood kids to use it As a skateboard Tennis court. In the end of course when you live in Winnipeg it really does not matter what you do. Because in about 20 Short weeks there will be Snow on the ground and the Green grass of summer will be but a dream for another season. Slice of life is a weekly column featuring Manitoba writers. Allan Levine is a Winnipeg historian writer and educator. His next Book a historical mystery the by Ltd libel will be published in september by great Plains to the editor arts Academy fills vital role guards stand at attention during Hong Kong handover ceremonies. I am writing in response to the article by Kevin Prokosh exhibit seeks to revitalize ailing Academy free press May 30. An important objective of the Royal Canadian Academy of arts Ria is to support visual artists through exhibitions such As the Prairie exhibition which opened on june i and continues until sept. 28 at the Winnipeg Art gallery and which will Likely tour other galleries in Western Canada and possibly Central and Eastern Canada As Well. This exhibition showcases the work of 33 of the Academy a 500 members. Another Ria initiative was the Canadian designers International touring exhibition which in 1996, exhibited the work of 22 Ria members in Budapest Dresden the chateau Dutremblay in Burgundy and Edinburgh. Other exhibitions Are in the works. As Well As promoting the work of its members and that of All Canadian artists the Ria supports the development of the visual arts in Canada through scholarships prizes and acquisition awards. At a time when government cutbacks and sagging economies have Hurt artists in All Fields the Ria is Well aware of the vital role it must play in affirming the importance of the visual arts to Canadian culture. Ernest Annau Toronto voter support of pm How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from readers. Letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed name address and Telephone number. Names will be published but not addresses. All letters May be edited for style and length. Short letters Are less Likely to be condensed. Please address letters to letters to the editor Winnipeg free press 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Letters can be sent to our fax number 697-7412. Letters May be submitted through the internet at . Letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be signed but must include Home address and Telephone number. During an appearance in Victoria where he spoke some French he was quoted As saying How wonderful it was to be in Victoria speaking French and be applauded. It seemed obvious to this citizen that or. Chretien chooses to have his head so far in the Sand he can no longer hear much less see what is going on in our country. I would like to inform or. Chretien that the big problem in Canada today is not him coming to the West speaking French and being applauded but him going to Quebec speaking in English and being applauded. The blatant misrepresentation of the truth by the prime minister and his gang is one thing but the support of this fact politicians put themselves first i suggest the next time there is an election we should disregard All the promises and Sweet talk and file it along with All the other garbage. After All we All know what the politicians really want. Reform Leader Preston Manning has just proven it a bigger House and extra Perks. He said he move into that House it certainly did no to take him Long to change his mind. He claims a lot of people told him to do it. I wonder if All those who told him to move in were politicians. All the extra Perks they get should be going to pay off the deficit so the average person like me can afford to live in our not so lavish Homes educate our children and not worry about the Lack of health care. Isnit there anyone out there in the political world who cares for the Peoples pockets and not their own maybe in the next election we should just forget All the promises and just define who needs a new House and More Money. At least it would be easier to choose the right candidate. Enjoy your new House or. Manning and All that Money. We will All keep working our Butts off so you can enjoy it. In be Given up Hope of finding a politician who puts the people first and not themselves. Anita Hancock East Selkirk animal rights not for a Rich i took exception to Leslie milling attack on endangered elephants. Having fund raised for animal Protection groups i know that its not the a a Rich who provide the Lions share of donations. The amounts that people contribute Are often inversely proportional to their incomes seniors with limited resources Are often the most generous. I suspect that is milling real Issue is with animal Protection itself. I find that those who help animals Are generally willing to lend a hand to people As Well. Just As suffering crosses All Borders compassion and empathy follow suit. This does not mean that elephants Are More important than humans. I have heard criticisms like is milling before that so Long As people Are suffering in Africa or substitute any other world Issue we concern ourselves with animals saving historic buildings working to cure the diseases of the a a Rich Etc. I done to believe that there is one All important Issue that we should All be in service to. If someone is helping maybe simply volunteering at the children a festival or helping a cat up a tree then they Are deserving of Praise not scorn. It seems that nothing infuriates zealous humanists More than a animal libbers who Are working harder and achieving More. Is millin underestimates the animal Protection movement reaching for an easy hot Button by claiming we tap into some deep seated disregard for people. In a finishing this letter at the shelter for Street people where i work. When i get Home in a going to make a contribution to the world wildlife fund and if that makes me a a a Rich or a a shameful person in is milling eyes then so be it. I guess my heart is Blind. Todd Lawton . Hypocritical Over Hong Kong after 150 years of colonial Rule through an appointed colonial governor the government of Britain decided that Hong Kong was ready for an elected Council. In spite of Strong objections from Beijing with whom Britain had negotiated a bilateral agreement for the return of Hong Kong to China elections were held. Beijing made it quite Clear that China would not recognize Christopher Patten a Little Council and appointed a transitional Council of its own. Britain gambled and lost. When the new appointed Council was sworn in it is understandable that Britain was represented by a Low ranking official and not the prime minister. It was sheer hypocrisy for Madeleine Albright to follow suit. After helping to overthrow the democratically elected government of Allende in Chile overthrowing the government of Guatemala helping the late Shah of Iran to take Power and supporting the likes of Mobutu in Africa and Marcos in the Philippines and not objecting to decades of autocratic Rule in Formosa and a Host of other countries the United states has a pretty dismal record As a Champion of democracy. It was right for Canada to be properly and fully represented at the swearing in. Canada with its history of Good relations both with China and Hong Kong is now in a Strong position to bring whatever influence it can to see that future elections Are held and that other conditions in the agreement be carried out. William j. Hutton Winnipeg i with their vote eral election prime minister Jean Juu Mownn nip v thick Chretien roared through Western Winnipeg Canada on a vote gathering Mission. Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 a Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Rudy Redekop publisher email . Ca Nicholas Hirst editor Brian Cole / editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown / circulation sales and marketing Laurie Finley advertising Verne Kalichuk / human resources Glenn Williams i finance and administration a 1997 Winnipeg free press a division of . Newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council vol 125 n0180 dumb founding by citizens in the Street a is dumb founding. Some Days prior to our recent fed thank Emu ;