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The Citizen, 1995-10-25, Page 5International Scene arnond Canon THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1995. PAGE 5. No nudes, good nudes One of my favourite writers died not too long ago. British chap by the name of Anthony Burgess. I admired Burgess for many of the books he wrote — Enderby, Malaysian Trilogy, A Mouthful of Air — but mostly I admire him for a book title he wrote. Burgess is the guy who wrote a book called The End of the World News. He lifted the phrase directly from the traditional BBC radio news signoff, where the announcer finishes reading his last news item and then intones "And that is the end ... of the world news." Except when Burgess shanghaied the words, he twisted the emphasis so that it sounded like he was -delivering news about the End of The World. It wasn't a great book, but it was a powerful title. Powerful enough to make the BBC change the way they sign off their newscasts. Me? I don't have any end of the world news for you today. But I can bring you the latest in World Nudes. Outbreaks of unbridled nudity have been running — make that 'streaking' — around the globe of late, and I'm not the only one who's concerned about it. The Chinese government Garlic... When I was young I had an aunt who used to put a piece of garlic in every jar of tomato juice which she canned. As you are probably aware, young people are suspicious of every unknown thing that is put in anything that is eaten, drunk or smelled and I was certainly no exception. For quite a while I simply refused to drink any of this "tainted" tomato juice, but one day I drank some of it by mistake and, although I would never be caught dead admitting it at the time, I had to concede that it did, indeed, taste better than the juice without the garlic. Thus began my life-long affair with this commodity. In Europe you cannot seem to get away from the taste of garlic. It is used in any number of things and I am sure that there is many a cook on both sides of the ocean who can tell you much more about this use than I can. I have never claimed to be a cook of any distinction, which is just as well for I can safely say that nobody in this part of the world, nor in Europe for that matter, is able to remember with any degree of fondness about any meal that I have prepared. What has fascinated me about garlic is the increasing amount of claims, and I use this term advisedly, that have been made for it' as a medicinal plant. First of all, let me explain in case there is anybody out there who is really not sure what I am talking about. Garlic is a relative of the onion plant; at first it was considered was so worried about the possibility of streakers at the recent UN World Conference On Women that authorities issued an official pamphlet for Beijing cab drivers on how to handle nude passengers. "Stop your cab and put on the handbrake" it reads. "Then jump out and shout for a policeman." A high school valedictorian in Liberty, New York made certain that nobody fell asleep during her address. After she got to the podium, and before she began her speech, Eva Noel Bevilacqua, casually slipped her graduation gown off her shoulders and down on the stage, leaving Ms Bevilacqua dressed in mortar board, black leather boots and nothing in between. But it is in Britain that folks have been doffing their duds with an enthusiasm seldom seen in that dank•and inhibited land. Birdwatchers in Coleford, England have been reporting a rare species indeed. A Jogger wearing only running shoes has been seen jogging (and jiggling) along the hedgerows five times. Police believe that he is "an eccentric trying to keep cool." Meanwhile in Manchester, an even rarer breed of streaker has prompted a call for Parliament to intervene. These streakers appear exclusively during cricket games. During an England/West Indies match, streakers invaded the field seven times. If you've ever endured a cricket match you'll appreciate the need for diversion. But my favourite British UFO (stands for Unidentified Flopping Object) appeared on a British TV news show last spring. Apparently on this show, they have their to be the same but that belief did not live a long life, as you can understand when you look at the two. Garlic comes in a bulb which is divided into several parts or cloves. These cloves are covered by a papery substance. The stem of the plant grows about two feet high and bears white flowers. If you want to plant some, you can use seeds but the normal way is to plant the separate cloves. From planting to cultivating takes about three to four months and in the practice of flavouring foods, a little bit of it goes a long way. The first thing that fascinated me when I was looking into the history of the plant was that it is mentioned in the Old Testament as being included in the food that the Israelites in Egypt consumed. In view of the plant's medical history, I'm not sure if this was to get them ready for their long trek to the Holy Land; the Bible is strangely silent on this aspect. However, when I started to check around in Europe about the properties of the plant, I found that one reason why the Israelites may have taken it as supplement was that its 'history as a medical plant stretched back over 4,000 years. A scroll found in Egypt, which dates back to 1500 B.C., lists garlic as a cure for no less than 22 ailments while over in Greece Aristotle recommended it as a "wonder drug" which, if nothing else, goes to show that the 20th century is not the first time the expression has been used. Skipping over the centuries a bit, we come to no less a person that Louis Pasteur, who weather guy stand on a floating map of Great Britain about 15 yards wide, which is moored at the Liverpool Docks. Last May, the regular weatherman was a tad nonplused to see a naked man leaping on to his map, right in the middle of a live broadcast. The weatherman valiantly attempted to carry on talking about low pressure troughs and high pressure ridges as the naked stranger cartwheeled from England to Wales, executing a pas de deux just south of Gretna Green. But it was his attempted grand fete from Scotland to Northern Ireland that did the interloper in. He lost his footing and stumbled into the ocean — but not before he'd made the weather forecast one that millions of viewers would remember forever. Not all British nudists get off that lightly. In Canberra, Australia, Liz and Phil were physically attacked by hostile crowds just because they happened to be hanging out in the buff. Yes, I'm talking about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and yes, they were, as the British would say, absolutely starkers. Actually, it was a sculpture entitled Down By The Lake With Liz and Phil — artist Greg Taylor's creation that showed the royal couple lounging naked on a park bench. Apparently the sculpture enraged some Australian monarchists — so much so, that they trashed it three nights running. Park officials finally decided to remove what was left of the sculpture to defuse the controversy. Well, you know what those Aussie monarchists say: no nudes is good nudes. 1 was the first to document the use of garlic as a killer of bacteria. In World War II it was widely used to clean battle wounds and prevent gangrene when sulfa, penicillin and other drugs ran short. When I was in Germany I found that garlic pills were given a prominent place in the stores. In one place the clerk produced a pamphlet which indicated to me that it helped to reduce the bad kind of cholesterol, reduced the chance of blood clots forming and helped prevent heart attacks and strokes. Another brochure I got stated that it could be used as a general tonic, circulatory stimulant, diuretic, intestinal and pulmonary antiseptic as well as to counter hypertension. Even the Chinese have gotten into the act. One story out of that country reported that the residents of one area who ate garlic regularly were 1,000 times less likely to suffer stomach cancer than those who ate no garlic at all. I am not suggesting by all this that garlic is indeed the wonder drug of the century. I report all this simply because even the medical profession is beginning to realize more the efficiency of nature's cures. I was recently told by a prominent medical specialist in London that clinical trials had revealed success by beta carotene, plus Vitamins C and E, in cleansing the arteries and thereby controlling blood pressure. I told him that I never thought I would see the day when a doctor would recommend an over- the-counter remedy other than aspirin. Out of this came my decision to write about garlic. The Short of ►t By Bonnie Gropp A firm hand to the right path If a parent lays a hand on his children they run screaming to the NFCC. If a schoolmaster beats a boy he sues him for assault. And the end result of all this flabbiness and evasion of responsibility is a generation without moral standards or physical guts. Night of the Twelfth — Harper and Row By Michael Gilbert Corporal punishment is a touchy issue. Detractors say that at no time is spanking a child an acceptable form of discipline. It demeans and degrades children, leading them to consider that violence can be an option. Its staunchest promoters believe that there are times when raising a hand to a child is the only way to get control. As is usually the case when two sides are at odds on an issue, it is because no one seems able to see the middle ground. Yet, the less fanatical know that when black and white meet, they blend into grey. Last week in court, a young Mennonite father faced sentencing for the abuse of his young infant. Frustrated by the crying of the teething baby, the father struck him on the head an estimated 15 times in the span of 20 minutes. No decent human being, even those who believe sparing the rod, spoils the child, would argue this was discipline; this was simply uneccessary abuse. Humble and unassuming, this man's pastor, spoke to the courtroom saying that the father's actions were not accepted by his community, that while corporal punishment is used by Mennonite parents it is only as a last resort, when nurturing and understanding fail and when administering it gives more pain to the parent than the child. My father raised his hand to me just once.While there isn't space enough here to explain the entire situation, let me just say, that never, then or now, have I ever felt I didn't deserve the punishment I got. I was being obnoxious and willful. Reason failed to alter my behaviour, as did patience. understanding and subsequent disciplinary actions. I was young, yet in retrospect, what I recall most clearly of the incident is my father's face and its abject expression. He was obviously and truly sorry that in order to remind me that there are rules, which were devised for good reasons, his punishment was harsh. He needn't have been; it fit the crime. Violence as an answer to anything does seem an illogical solution. Undoubtably, used exessively, without justification, it has adverse effects. Month after month as I see many of the same young faces back in court, I can't help wondering whether it was this or a lack of firm discipline that brought them there. Last week on TV'sER, a battered woman refused to admit that her police officer husband was abusing her. She explained her bruised and broken face and body as the result of a terrible fall. Her husband's superior said he could do little unless she would press charges. Then the batterer is brought in to the hospital, his face bloody, his body beaten. His fellow officers explained that while in pursuit of a suspect, he had had a "terrible fall." Morally, the lesson was wrong, but would it have the desired effect? Somehow I think so. There is no moral basis for corporal punishment. It can't and shouldn't be used arbitrarily, nor excessively, but when all else has failed, when the path being chosen is most definently the wrong one, isn't it possible a firm hand might get it on the right one? Arthur Black