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The Times Advocate, 2006-09-20, Page 66 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, September 20, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 symptoms. This can prevent the normal use of the joint and therefore it can cause the loss of function of that joint. Senior's: Bring a friend for FREE! The next time you share the pleasures of train travel, your guest will be VIA's guest! This unbeatable offer for seniors aged 60 and over will allow you to travel with the companion of your choice and save! At VIA Rail, we pay special attention to senior citizens aged 60 and over. Our task: to make sure that your travel is comfortable, convenient and affordable. There are no restrictions on the age of your travel companion: so take a trip with your spouse, a friend, or a grandchild! So sit back in your seat and enjoy the comfort of the headrest. You have all the legroom you need. While the countryside rolls past the window, a member of our staff will serve you a coffee or a drink. What more could you ask? From Farm to Fridge: Processing! Milk goes through several steps at a processing plant before it is shipped to the supermarket or store where you buy the milk. • At the plant, milk is graded by a licensed raw milk and cream grader and pumped from the milk truck through a meter that measures the volume. At all stages in the processing plant, the quality and temper- ature of the milk are rigidly controlled. All dairy plants are licensed and must conform to strict standards of sanitation • The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and provincial governments are responsible for establish- ing dairy product standards and grades, dairy plant inspections, and regulating packaging and labeling requirements. The CFIA and provincial governments are also responsible for animal health programs and the monitoring of product safety. • The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food inspect dairy processing plants during production and distribution stages. • The milk is received at less than 4°C and goes into insulated holding tanks, where it stays for a few hours until the tank is filled up by all the trucks emptying their tanks at the plant. At this point, the actual processing begins. The milk is separated, meaning the butterfat is removed and an appropriate amount of butterfat is added back to achieve the desired fluid product -skim, 1%, and 2% (also called partially skimmed) or 3.25% (commonly called homogenized mill() • Milk and cream are pasteurized. This is the most important step in the processing because most of the bacteria are destroyed by heating milk to 72°C for 16 seconds, and then rapidly cooling the milk. This ensures milk is safe to drink and unopened packages will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Once opened, milk should be used in three days. • A homogenizer breaks up the remaining fat parti- cles and distributes them evenly throughout the milk. This keeps the cream from floating to the top of the milk. Almost all milk is homogenized, not just the com- monly known 'homogenized' variety. Vitamin D is added to milk. Partly skimmed and skim milk are also fortified with Vitamin A. Homogenized or whole milk is not fortified with Vitamin A because it contains enough naturally. No preservatives are added to milk. • Drinking milk is then packaged. As plastic coated paper cartons (one or two litres) move along a convey- er belt beneath the filling machine, milk is automati- cally released into them. Another section of the machine heat -seals the cartons. For pouch pack milk, one machine cuts a long tube of plastic, heat -seals it at one end, fills it with the measured amount of milk, and then heat -seals it closed. Three bags are then sealed in a larger polyethylene bag. Milk and cream are also used to make ice cream, butter, cheese and other dairy products. • If you would like some more information on milk processing, an excellent source is the Dairy Science and Technology Education Series website at the University of Guelph at http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/home.html. This site offers information on fluid milk processing, as well as dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. Pasteurization • Since 1938, the Ontario Health Act has required pasteurization of all milk and cream for human con- sumption. It is illegal to sell or even give away milk, cream or milk products that have not been pasteurized in a plant licensed under the Milk Act. Pasteurization destroys pathogens, such as salmonella and E. coli, which can cause human illness. It has been used extensively as an effective and efficient method of pre- venting transmission of food borne illness to con- sumers via milk and milk products. • In general terms, pasteurization is the process of heating a food, usually a liquid, to a specific tempera- ture for a definite period of time, then cooling it imme- diately. Pasteurization is the main reason for milk's extended shelf life. It has been one of the most benefi- cial and cost-effective measures to protect the health of the consumer. For more information on pasteurization check the Dairy Science and Technology Education Series website at the University of Guelph at http://www.foodsci. uoguelph. ca/dairyedu/home.html Info from Dairy Farmers of Ontario A Scotsman and an Englishman lived next door to each other. The Scotsman owned a hen and each morning would look in his garden and pick up one of his hen's eggs for breakfast. One day he looked into his garden and saw that the hen had laid an egg in the Englishman's garden. He was about to go next door when he saw the Englishman pick up the egg. The Scotsman ran up to the Englishman and told him that the egg belonged to him because he owned the hen. The Englishman dis- agreed because the egg was laid on his property. They argued for a while until finally the Scotsman said, "In my family we normally solve disputes by the following actions: I kick you in the groin and time how long it takes you to get back up, then you kick me in the groin and time how long it takes for me to get up. Whoever gets up quicker wins the egg?" The Englishman agreed to this and so the Scotsman found his heaviest pair of boots and put them on, he took a few steps back, then ran toward the Englishman and kicked as hard as he could in the groin. The Englishman fell to the floor clutching his pri- vates, howling in agony for 30 minutes. Eventually the Englishman stood up and said, "Now it's my turn to kick you." At this the Scotsman said, "Aye Lad, maybe you should just keep the wee egg." A Texan farmer goes to Australia for a holiday. There he meets an Aussie farmer and begins talking. The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, "Oh! We have wheat fields that are at least twice as large." Then they walk around the ranch a little, and the Aussie shows off his herd of cattle. The Texan immedi- ately says, "We have longhorns that are at least twice as large as your cows." The conversation has, meanwhile, almost died when the Texan sees a herd of kangaroos hopping through the field. He asks, "And what are those?" The Aussie, fed up with the Texan's bragging replies with an incredulous look, "What, don't you have any grasshoppers in Texas?" You can help make a difference Big Brothers Big Sisters month You've probably come across many mentors in your lifetime. Parents may be the immediate men- tors that come to mind, followed by other relatives, or even teachers. For some children, mentors are hard to come by. Their home life may not be stable. They may be introspective and not make friends readily. They may not have had the opportunity to experience life outside of their community or hometown. These are the children who can benefit from a helping hand. Becoming a mentor is a rewarding experi- ence and is easier than you might think. It doesn't require a fancy degree, a certain economic or social background or any expertise. The only requirement is the ability to devote some time to a child or teenager who could use support. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) is the leading child and youth serving organization providing mentoring programs across the country to more than 1,000 Canadian communities and over 150 local agencies. For over 80 years, the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs have made a difference in the lives of young people by provid- ing a friend and mentor to children in need. Nationally, over 23,000 children are matched with adults in one-to-one programs. The chal- lenge is to find mentors for the 10,000 children waiting to be matched. Times change. Volunteers change. Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron has also changed. In response to the different needs and demands of children, youth and volunteers alike, we have cre- ated new programs to fit our changing society. Couples for Kids, Cross Gender Matching, In - School Mentoring, BIGBunch and Kids 'n' Kops group programs (for those kids on the waiting Letters to the Editor lists) and Life Skills Programs all provide a variety of opportunities for volunteering and support to children and youth. Applications for children in need of our services are accepted from single, dual and foster parent families. The impact of Big Brother Big Sister programs is truly amazing Children see real, positive change. Our Littles go on to graduate from high school at a rate of 20 per cent higher than the national average. Seventy-eight per cent of Littles who came from a social assistance background no longer rely on this form of income and a dispro- portionately high number of former Littles graduate from college or university compared to others in their age group (Project Impact, Social Planning Council of Hamilton and District, Hamilton, 1994). Volunteers participate in a screening, interview and training process, and commit to a few hours every month, preferably weekly, for at least one year. There is no expectation that a volunteer will incur financial responsibility. Some incidental costs may occur on outings, but volunteers are encouraged to keep spending to a minimum. Becoming a volunteer provides many enjoyable times with a match child ... sharing their interests will expand yours too! You may make a lifelong friend and have the satisfaction of knowing you have made a real contribution to a young person, to a family and to your community. Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron, a mem- ber of Huron United Way is a non-profit charita- ble organization which receives no government subsidy to support our programs. Service is offered to children in Bayfield, Varna, Brucefield, Kippen, St. Joseph, Zurich, Hensall, Grand Bend, Dashwood, Exeter, Crediton, Woodham, Kirkton, Shipka, Huron Park, Mount Carmel, Centralia, Whalen Corners, Parkhill, Ailsa Craig, Lucan and surrounding areas. For more information contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron at (519) 235-3307 or visit our web site at www.shbbbs.on.ca DIANNE BEACH, Executive Director Big Brothers Big Sisters South Huron Panther Profile EXETER — Hey there, Panthers! How the heck are ya? I'm just dandy, thanks for asking. Wow, that probably seems random. Well, this week I actually have some material to write about. All right, Wednesday (as in the day you will be reading this), South Huron is having its 'Meet the Teacher; night. It goes from 7 until 8:30 p.m. Thursday there will be a university applicant meeting in the cafeteria at 9 a.m. Also all cross country runners are reminded that the bus leaves at 11 a.m. and gets back at 5 p.m. Sticking with sports, we have a Jr. Girls basketball tournament Friday starting at 3 p.m., continuing all day Saturday. Go out and support our teams! Or else .. . well I don't know what will happen if you don't but I'll arrange something, I know a guy who knows a guy if you know what I mean. Hey look! Its a bird, its a plane, its a field hockey tournament Saturday! Go Panthers! If you haven't been to a field hockey game, well you're not alone, but I hear it's a real hoot, I might even see you there. I would like to send out a reminder to all students that breakfast is running, so if you're like me and value sleep, you can sleep a little longer and get your breakfast at the school cafeteria. Also, be sure to check out the daily spe- cials, they're called specials for a reason. That's all for this week, see you around! Tricked ya, one more thing, your task this week is to decode this: "J'ai caresse ses seins." Upcoming events: Wed., Sept. 20 — Open House, Meet the Teacher, 7 - 8:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept 21 — University Applicant Meeting in the cafeteria, 9 a.m. — Cross -Country, bus leaves at 11 a.m., back at 5 p.m. Fri., Sept. 22 — Jr. Girls B -Ball tourney in the large gym 3 p.m. Sat, Sept. 23 — Jr. Girls tourney continued all day — Field Hockey tourney all day CRAIG SKOCHINSKI PANTHER PROFILE