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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-02-04, Page 44 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, February 4, 2004 zkxna =CNA TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager Published by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Iletroland i 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIALS Safety first Amajor topic of discussion the last cou- ple of weeks has been the tough win- ter weather we've been experiencing — frigid temperatures, piles and piles of snow and high winds causing drifting and road clo- sures. These conditions have led to frequent school closures — schools in the area last week were closed for three days as poor road conditions made driving treacherous for school buses. What we're hearing lately is a lot of com- plaining — complaining from working parents faced with the prospect of having their chil- dren home for the day. They say the school closures are an inconvenience, forcing parents to either take the day off work or find a babysitter for their children. Those parents won't find any sympathy here. Ensuring the safety of children is paramount for the school boards and the bus companies. It's much more important for all children to be safe at home than out on the roads in icy, poor -visibility conditions. So a few days of school are missed — it's not the end of the world. At least the children are safe at home and out of harm's way. Imagine the outrage if the buses continued to run during awful weather and students were killed in an accident. Imagine the law- suits and controversy. The fact many area highways were closed for long periods of time last week is one clue it might be a good idea to stay off the roads. Indeed, it would be irre- sponsible for the school boards and bus com- panies to risk the students' lives and continue to operate through bad weather. It's too bad some parents view it as an incon- venience when they have to look after their own children. The schools are here to educate our children, not babysit them. Instead of complaining about school clo- sures, let's be thankful the children are home safe. About the Times -Advocate Editorial Opinion - — ,-fa4il Alta .1►'f+1.•.4ti7,9, IP - -_1-=- �.?� --••^• - '�..r•�nws rra�r'►a:vv,•,.i rYs'It 2004 Distributed by Cord ion Artists Syndicate Inc. Film beats us at our own game A month ago, the United States beat us at our own game on the ice at the world junior hockey champi- onship. With the release of Miracle they will again beat us at our own game, this time on film. Depicting the American gold medal win at the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980, it highlights the difference in attitude between the United States and Canada. Despite how deeply the September 1972 Summit Series, arguably the greatest moment in Canadian sports history, has become part of our culture, no effort has ever been made to turn the series into a movie. The game of hockey, so well documented in literature, has never translated well to film. But another reason may be the way Canadians view, or want to view, the game. Any film maker attempting a movie about the September series, or any of the icons of hockey, is up against opposite sides of the Canadian per- sonality. Our historical reluctance to raise the stature of successful Canadians conflicts with how we raise hockey players to near mythic sta- tus. Americans have had no such reluctance when it comes to putting their national pastime on screen. Baseball movies have examined both the game and every aspect of the United States ranging from the heroic in The Pride of the Yankees and Bang the Drum Slowly to baseball as a metaphor for life in Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. A League of Their Own looked at the emergence of women into society and the segregation of the country has been the subject of several movies about black baseball leagues. Movies have shown the darker side of baseball and its players, such the Black Sox scandal in Eight Men Out, the ruthless competitiveness of Ty Cobb in Cobb and The Babe showing America's favourite slugger in his overindulging glory. The loneliness of baseball and the ultimate fear of anyone ever exiled to the outfield was summed up in a WKRP episode with Les Nesman's silent plea; "Don't hit it to me, don't hit it to me." Americans accept actors playing icons such as Lou Gehrig and Herb Brooks, but would Canadians be satis- fied with any actor attempting to fill the skates of Phil Esposito, drenched in sweat at the end of game four in Vancouver and calling the country to account for its flagging support. Could any voice duplicate Foster Hewitt's call of Paul Henderson's winning goal? Few movies have examined the toll extracted by the violent culture of the game from players such as John Kordic, who struggled to escape his role as an enforcer and died in 1992 of a drug overdose. One of the few that did is Gross Misconduct, the story of Brian "Spinner" Spencer. Spencer emerged from Fort St. James in B.C. to claw his way to an NHL career, but the tragic death of his father foretold Brian's own shortlived and vio- lent life. Spencer's father Roy was shot to death by police outside a Vancouver television studio after becoming enraged when his son's Toronto Maple Leaf game was not shown local- ly. Americans have been less reluctant than PAT B BACK 40 VIEW OLEN Canadians to put our game in movies, with mixed results, from the mediocre with Rob Lowe in Young Blood to the commercial with The Mighty Ducks one, two and three and the cartoon violence of Slapshot. But most Canadian efforts, from The Mystery of the Million Dollar Hockey Puck to Hockey Night with Megan Follows, have been less than memorable. One of the few worthy efforts is a National Film Board animated movie, The Sweater. Based on the short story by Roch Carrier, its themes of the Toronto Maple Leafs as villains, Rocket Richard as the hero, and a boy trying to get the right hockey sweater endure, accurate or not, as the way we prefer to see our game and ourselves. Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. 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For example, Jim Beckett's e-mail address is <jbeck- ett@southhuron.com> Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com. The Times -Advocate Team Publisher/Editor Jim Beckett ext. 109 Advertising Barb Consitt ext. 110 Reporters Scott Nixon ext. 105 Pat Bolen ext. 113 Mary Simmons ext. 107 Customer Service Sue Rollings ext. 101 Carol Powe ext. 102 Composition Department Manager Deb Lord ext. 114/103 Sharlene Young ext. 103 Jacky Westlake ext. 103 Accounting Staff Anita McDonald ext. 104 Cassie Dalrymple ext. 108 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Carol Windsor ext. 111