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Editorial Comments The Big One Lottery players in Canada will be pleased to know that the Lotto 649 jackpot limit has been lifted, effective October 25. This means that the jackpot can reach any amount and is no longer limited to $7 million for the top prize. Lottery officials decided to put a cap on the jackpot when several draws in a row were not won and the jackpots creeped to $10 million and higher. They put a $7 million cap on the jackpot so that more money would be available for other prizes at the lower end of the scale. In announcing the decision to lift the cap, David Clark, president of the Lottery Corp., said "the reasons are because ticket sales are climbing, jackpots are being won regularly and in many instances the jackpots are shared by more than one ticket. We no longer need to inhibit the jackpot growth," he states. So, get your money out, folks. Even though the odds of winning 649 are greater than getting attacked by a Great White shark in Lake Scugog, you just never know when your number might come up. And let's face it. There's nothing like a jackpot in the $12 million range to garner a lot of publicity and spur even mara ticket sales. Somebody winning $2 million is not even news anymore in this country which has gone lottery crazy in recent.years. g One For The Farmer It's nice to see that somebody is still looking out for the rights of the farmer, the independent farmer, that is. We were intrigued by a story in last week's Stouffville Tribune about Harry Simpson, a potato farmer'in that area. Mr. Simpson,who is a fifth generation farmer, had to go in front of the Ontario Municipal Board for permission to enlarge the potato storage area in his barn from 6100 square feet to just under 9000 square feet. Mr. Simpson told the OMB hearing he needs the extra storage space to keep up with increasing consumer demands for potatoes. Because his storage space was limited, he had been forced to buy potatoes elsewhere to meet his contracts. The local municipal authorities gave their blessing to the request for the increased storage space. However, the OMB was asked to rule on this when a neighbour, who bought his property seven years ago, filed an objection on the grounds that the increased activity would 'interfere with the enjoy- ment of my home and garden." The Board held a hearing and handed down judgement in favour of Mr. Simpson, saying that the "addition to the barn will not result in any further conflict with the neighbour." Bravo. Surely this is just one more example of what happens when non-farm people move "into the countryside" to make their homes in agricultural areas. The story in the Stouffville paper does not spell out whether Mr. Simpson was forced to pay legal and other costs from his own pocket. _ We certainly hope not. All he was trying to do is keep his farm going, just as four generations before him had done. As for the neighbour who objected, maybe the cooling system for potato storage and the trucks coming in to pick up for deliveries do interfere with the enjoyment of his garden. But surely he knew what was going on before he bought his property seven years ago. There is always the potential for conflict between farmers and non-farmers who want to live in the country. There are times when farmers must spread their lands with manure. There are times when it is necessary for a farmer to combine all night to get a crop off and vy V0) i / rr - TN "(WELL AT LEAST LUNCH AT THE clue Now DOESN'T REQUIRE yy : my A RESERVATION |" Port Perry STAR 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO Phone 985-7383 PO. Box90 LOB INO (Turn to page 8) (» CNA i C1 J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association ind ~ and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Advertising M ne dvert 8 Manager Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co Ltd Port Perry Ontario J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post 0 Ottice Department Ottawa and for cash payment of postage in cash CATHY OLLIFFE News & Features Second Class Mad Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate In Canada $20 00 per year Elsewhere $60 00 per year Single Copy 50 COPYRIGHT All layout and composition of adver isements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyrnh!t and may not be reproduced without! the written permission of the publisher Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe HOME OF THE BRAVE AND THE STUPID I really wonder what goes on in some people's heads. Why, for example, some people feel it is their God-given right to hurt other people, or damage their property. Why they feel it is their duty in life to steal or destroy, while others work so hard to make the countryside more beautiful. : Last week a lady who lives in Caesarea phon- ed me, to relate what appears to be a case in point. She obviously cares how her house and pro- perty looks, and just recently, spent a fair bit of money and effort decorating her home for Hallowe'en. She was justifiably proud of the results -- until one morning last week when she awoke to discover her front yard in ruin. ~ Sometime during the night, someone had decided to redecorate. Smashed pumpkins and ap- ples were strewn throughout her front yard and over the walls of her house. Her decorations were destroyed. Needless to say, she was teed off. Can't say I blame her. I sympathize with her plight, but what can I do about it? What can she do about it, except clean up the mess and maybe try again? What is there anyone can do about van- dalism? It seems to be a fact of life. One of the facts of life. Something you can count on. As in death, taxes, and idiots who vandalize. A few years ago I did a major feature on van- dalism. Not at this paper, for another I onced worked for, in a different place and time. But even though the locale is different, the problem is the same everywhere. And nobody really understands why it hap- pens. What goes on in the head of somebody who destroys other people's property. R did a lot of extensive research for that story, trying to understand. I talked to policemen, Judges, Social arson, teachers and to actual vandals. No understood why, althou offered a few theories. ' Bites Some suggested vandals harbour a giant chip on their shoulders, that they take out their frustra- tions with society on private and public property. Others said drugs and alcohol play an impor- tant role. Still others attribute vandalism to the 'gang' mentality that takes over a person's head when peer pressure forces normally thinking peo- ple to commit sins not usually in their nature. I went into that story believing what many people believe ---- that vandalism is a crime of young people, who don't know any better. ~The one thing I did learn, is that vandalism 1s a crime of all ages. Teenagers cannot be blam- ed for every act of senseless destruction. I've heard of juveniles wreaking havoc in cemeteries and I've witnessed full-grown men in their thir- ties, wandering around darkened homes at mid- night, looking for something to steal. Vandalism, like most crimes, is an ageless phenomenom, not restricted to any age or sex. The one common thread found in any person guilty of vandalism, is the belief their crime doesn't hurt anyone. They separate themselves from physical crime, where people are assaulted or Killed, believing that theft or vandalism hurts insurance companies only. What they don't seem to realize is their crime does hurt people. When the lady in Caesarea phoned me, she was hurting bad. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to destroy her hard work. She had sweated to make her home attractive, all for nothing. When someone plants a flower garden, for ex- ample, more than just flowers are grown. Pride blooms along with each blossom, as well as sheer happiness with the beautiful results. . When someone comes along and tramples through those flowers, more than just the blooms are destroyed. The happiness disappears, replac- ed by anger. Pride dissipates, replaced with an attitude that says, "Why should I bother re- planting? Why should I bother doing anything when someone's going to wreck it?" People genuinely hurt when their property is vandalized. And if vandals could come face to face with that hurt, I think they might not do it ever again. By now, everyone's probably heard of the new program which places the vandal with the victim, face to face. The guilty person is forced to see for him or herself just how badly they hurt the vic- tim. The victim gets a chance to blow off steam. And the vandal is forced to repair the damage. I think it's a great program. And from what I've heard, it works. Vandals, in interviews, are generally shocked when they are confronted with the victims of their crimes, and genuinely repentant. The problem is, catching vandals in the act. Usually, they do their dirty work in the dead of night, when nobody is around to witness their actions. In the morning, when police are called, the perpetrator is most often long gone, leaving little or no trace. The best, and maybe only, defence against vandalism is having neighbours stick together. watching out for other homes and parks in their communities. When people work together to combat crime. when they stop shutting their eyes to suspicious activity on their neighbour's property, vandalism (Turn to page 6)