Huron Expositor, 2009-06-03, Page 44
�' p . . - f� �. — 9 34.. •mai
Proprietor and Publisher; Bewes Nshera,Ltnitbrdr1t Maio St., Seaforth, ON, NOK iW0 , . _ � `.
It was the chew heard round the world.
Canada's Governor General Michaelle Jean shocked
and appalled some this past week as she tore into a
seal's heart and declared, "tastes like sushi."
It was a moment that was both abhorred and lauded
by the usual suspects.
To wit, a Newfoundland sealer found some comfort
in the tale. While others, including a spokeswoman for
the EU, found the act to be beneath contempt, which
is the textbook response from such quarters.
And yet?,
The question remains whether Jean was wearing'
her thinking Pang hat when she opted to make like a
polar bear.
While it is most certainly true that as a Canadian
citizen, Jean is allowed to dine on whatever animal
she chooses, the move certainly draws attention to the
.position itself. Especially given the Governor General's
gig is such a handsomely paid one, which is renowned
for several questionable jaunts to the Far North and
countless trips abroad.
Indeed, Jean's move, though hardly akin to treating
a zoo like an all -you -can -eat buffet, may have succeed-
ed in. only one arena: to once again rear the. question
of whether the public funds funnelled to the Governor
General's post would be better spent in other ..areas,
like perhaps boosting the Employment Insurance cof-
fers or, at the least, kicking a few bucks to the CBC so
that in the future it has the staff necessary to prop-
erly cover when the GG goes to town on marine life in
Canada's nether regions.
Granted, Jean is being called a hero by a few for this
photo op that has led to Canadi, n cousins learning
that seal meat is a staple and other more fashionable
goods, like chicken, are quite pricey.
But? Is there a Canadian that cares that didn't al-
ready know all of this?
Whenever a leader manages to highlight and pro-
mote and enrich the lives of the marginalized, the
work is worthy of commendation.
And yet, did Jean's act, which she acknowledges she
undertook knowing it could miff some, will pretty
much be water under the Arctic ice shelf in a week or
two.
Still, the same old questions rise to the. surface.
What purpose does a Governor General serve? And,
how many leaders need to enjoy a first-rate foray to
the Far North while Canadians are grappling with
spiralling unemployment rates, bottoming out hous-
ing prices and socioeconomic plights that appear to
have no relief on the horizon?
Must every down-and-out Canadian locale offer up a
controversial appetizer or be home to a popular though
endangered spotted owl before it gets a little light cast
upon it?
If this seal of approval on Jean's move is to be be-
lieved, so it would seem.
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vedy-aggressive actions of one..,::;
player shouldn't taint sport of rugby
The manslaughter conviction
of a Mississauga rugby play-
er last week has some school
board spokespersons saying
there might be comprehensive
reviews of policies pertaining
to high school contact sports.
Manny Castillo, 15, died in
2007 after suffering a severe
head injury during a rugby match when an
opponent used aggression beyond the rules
of the game, Justice Bruce Duncan ruled in a
Brampton courtroom on May 28.
Witnesses testified that the convicted teen,
who can't be named under Canada's youth
laws, picked Castillo up and drove him head
first into the ground. Castillo was immedi-
ately taken to a local hospital, where he was
declared brain dead and died shortly after.
This happened less than a month after the
last time I attended a rugby match. I was pho-
tographing the St, Anne's Secondary School
senior boys' team take on F.E. Madill.
While rugby can be a great source of "ac-
tion shots" for a photographer, when players
on both teams assemble into the game's sig-
nature scrum position, it can be hard to make
out exactly what is happening, even with the
benefit of a zoomed -in camera lens.
At this game, I was focusing in on action at
the far side of the field, when I first heard the
sounds of an F.E.Madill player screaming in
agony.
I've seen minor injuries in sports games be-
fore, but when this young man began to wail,
it sent shivers down my spine.
The game was temporarily in-
terrupted as parents and coach-
es on the sidelines shouted for
someone to call an ambulance
and the St. Anne's players re-
treated back to the sidelines" as
coaches tended to the injured
boy, who was now silent and
motionless on the ground.
"His leg just snapped," I heard one St. Anne's
player say as he passed by me on his way off
the field.
Eventually the ambulance came and took the
injured boy away. The fans watching politely
applauded his courage and within moments,
the game resumed.
I left the game with a few photos captured in
the camera but what I really came away with
from the game that day was the memory of
how that young man's voice _sounded scream-
ing in /pain.
I played some sports growing up, but never
rugby. What I saw that day wasn't a violent
act, it was more of an accident. Or was it bound
to happen?
It would be unfair for me to demonize rugby
in this column by calling it barbaric and vi-
cious.
Certainly players are more at risk of injury
in rugby than other sports, such as golf or ten-
nis, but injuries can happen in any sport, es-
pecially those involving contact.
If a school board review calls for new rules in
high school sports, such as introducing man -
See MANSLAUGHTER, Page 6
Ron & Dave
I' m gonna build this Ha! That'll take cWILL NOT! I'll have
clipper ship, and it's you forever. You'll this finished by
really complicated! be an old man before next week!
you're done.
by David Lacey
How's that model of • yours coming?
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