Times-Advocate, 1988-03-02, Page 4Page 4
limes -Advocate, March 2, 1988
Times Established 187i
Adhocate Established 1881
Amalgamated 1924
dvocate
Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0
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ROSS HAUGH
Editor
eNA
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JIM WAIF!
Publisher & Adsertising Manager
HARM UEVRIES 00% SMITH
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Priorities mixed up
Sports is big business in this country
and in the United States. Billions of
bucks are spent each year on advertising
rights, ticket sales and souvenirs.
The armchair quarterback will sit
through endless beer commercials to
watch the World Series or the Stanley
Cup finals. In return, these beer compa-
nies, for example only, pay the ball club
or hockey team all kinds of money for
the right to advertise during the event.
Next inline is the club who then must
pay.the players on the team mega bucks
to play so the/ beer companies will have
something to advertise during.
And what happens?
The players demand more. The club
demands more. And, surely, the beer
company must increase its prices to pay
for it all.
And the armchair quarterback ends up
paying more for a six pack just so ath-
letes like Andre Dawson can make more
money in one season than the Gross Na-
tional Product of Indonesia.
Dawson recently lost... lost, mind you,
a binding arbitration which will see him
make $l.8 million dollars (in U.S. funds)
to play baseball next season.
He lost because he had asked for just
over $2 million.
Com'on -now. How much is one man
worth. Dawson will not solve the prob-
lems of the Middle East during the next
baseball season. He won't discover a cure
for cancer. He won't even, we imagine,
free any hostages from Iran.
But we'll pay him well over $2 million
Canadian to play baseball. It doesn't seem
right, especially when he complains that
he actually wanted more than that.
In a world beseiged by terrorism, ra-
cism and numerous wars, wouldn't it
make more sense to pay guys like Dawson
a mere "living" like the rest of us and put
the remainder of his wage towards a cure
for AIDS?
Our priorities are all out of whack
when kids are dying of malnutrition in
Africa but baseball players call become
instant millionaires overnight... and com-
plain about it.
The readers write
Dear Minor Hockey Parents
of Ontario;
" I am writing this letter to you as
a fellow minor hockey parent and
coach, because I need your opinion,
and your help. Over the past six or
seven years I have become increas-
ingly appalled at the amount of un-
necessary violence and use of intim-
idation tactics that seem to have
become part of minor hockey.
I am now at the point where I
have decided that my three boys
will not be allowed to play
O.M.H.A. hockey beyond the
Atom level. (body contact starts at
the Pec Wee age group) unless
something is done to clean up the
game. If you have had, or arc hav-
ing, the same thoughts, then per-
haps we can join together and help
change this great game for the bet-
ter.
What 1 am proposing to you is
the elimination of body contact in
all levels of minor hockey. Tyke,
Novice, Atom, Oldtimers, and most
men's Rec. leagues now play no
contact hockey and I don't think
you'd find many of them saying
that the game has deteriorated be-
cause of the lack of hitting. To the
contrary, most will tell you that
both the speed of the game and the
skill of a combination of high emo-
tions, sometimes questionable
coaching tactics, a feeling of invul-
nerability, and inconsistent officiat-
ing,
fficiating, all combine to present a prob-
lem with too many variables to
allow for a quick solution under the
present format. I feel a major
change is necessary, and that the
elimination of body contact is the
answer!
I have taken the following statis-
tics from a recent Hockey Develop-
ment Council pamphlet to help il-
lustrate a point:
I. There are approximately 38855
players registered with the
O.M.E1.A. and another 1500000 in
House Leagues.
2. The arc only 300 players in the
O.H.L. (Mjr. Jr. A.) which is the
main feeding grounds for profes-
sional hockey.
3. Less than one percent .of all
amateur hockey players in Canada
will turn professional and in 1983
only 1/10 percent played in th
N.I1.L.
• My point is this: over 99 percent
of all amateur hockey players play
the game for fun and recreation! It
is not a means of earning a
it is a game! I feel we s ould do
whatever is necessary to k p it as
much fun as possible and l; t those
few who decide to make hockey a
career, learn the hitting skills from
professional coaches.
My main concerns arc: 1. Keep
the game fun for all players, elimi-
nate the fear factor and intimidation
tactics. Protect the smaller -player.
Allow for greater skills develop-
ment by taking the emphasis off
hitting.
If you too arc a concerned Minor
Lucknow Sentinal
Hockey Parent (whether or not you
agree with my opinion) please take
a :r.inute of your time and answer
the following questions. Then mail
your reply to Kevin Dunlop, Box
1168, Bracebridge, Ont., POB 1CO.
My goal is to have 25000 or
more responses, compile the data,
and take the results to the OMHA
general meeting in June. Hopeful-
ly, with a united effort we can af-
fect a major change in time for the
next hockey season.
Thank you all for your help,
Kevin Dunlop
Doctor of Chiropractic,
B,dcebridge, Ontario
Please answer Inc following
questions.
Name
Address ---
#1 children in minor hockey
Ages -----------
League: OMHA----MTHL
ODHA NOHA Other
Are you concerned about the vi:.-
lence in minor hockey Y--- N
Would you like to see body con-
tact eliminated from all levels of
minor hockey Y---- N
May I use your name on a peti-
tion to the OMI -IA and the league
executives requesting the elimina-
tion of body contact in all levels?
Y N
Can you think of any other pos-
sible solutions to this problem?t---
Further comments:
Fashions change
It's interesting to sce how
fashions change with the young-
sters around us. When I was a
kid you wouldn't be caught
dead wearing old faded jeans.
Now they pour acid on them to
make them have odd-shapcd
white spots on them. I saw one
youngster deliberately cutting
holes in the knees of her jeans to
make them look a little more
well-worn.
What really gets mc though iF
how some of the lads have no
concept of how coldit really is
outside sometimes. They huddle
shivering on the street comer:
no hood, no collar and the shirt
unbuttoned a little to show off
the manly chest.
Boots arc a thing of the past
too. You see the 'cool charac-
ters' out on the playground at
school, snow up to their ankles
By the
Way
by
Syd
Fletcher
and do they have a rubber boot
on? Not on your, life. Instead
they wear the badge of the
times, a new pair of Nikes,
soaking wet of course, from the
ice and slush.
Something that always gets
the custodian and myself angry
towards the end of winter is the
pile of shoes which accumulates
in the lost and found. You have
to sec the huge box to believe it.
Usually at the spring concert I
set all these shoes, coats and
scarfs out on the floor by the
door. You can bet that there are
a few sweet words said to the
youngsters when mom spots a
pair of fifty dollar shoes on the
floor that the kid swore up and
down had been stdlen and'need-
cd to bc.,replaced right then and
there.
Alt well, when those young-
sters grow up their kids will
have some new style and will be
just as much of a care to their
parents too. Nothing changes
except for the faces.
Serving South Huron, North Middlesex
& North Lambton Since 1873
Published by 1.W. Eedy Publications Limited
"WE'LL BE FOREVER IN MICHAEL WILSON'S DEBT, AND SPEAKING OF THE DEFICIT..,"
Better pumpkin pie
Ladies or men for that matter,
would you like to make a better
pumpkin pie?
Researchers at the University of
Guelph tell us that the best ingre-
dient to make a delicious pumpkin
pie is squash. It may not sound
mouth-watering, but taste tests in-
dicate it beats pumpkin by a mile.
Horticultural science technicians
at Guelph conducted tests recently
with seven pies they baked using
six different kinds of squash and
one popular pumpkin variety
grown at the university's Cam-
bridge Research Station.
A panel of 25 judges was asked
to judge the fare on the basis of
texture and consistency, flavour
and visual appeal. The winner was
banana squash called Northrup
King. It scored 22 out of a possi-
ble 30 points. The lowly pumpkin
rated just 16 out of 30, placing it
last.
We are not surprised by this in-
formation. Due to the fact we
planted squash and pumpkin too
close together in our garden last
summer we came up with a cross
between the two which we have
named squashkin.
Like the results from Guelph our
squashkin pie and pudding was just
as good or probably better than the
ordinary pumpkin.
While a few panelists at Guelph
gave the pumpkin the highest
score, they wcrc in the minority.
They likely had eaten the tradition -
I love animals. And I hate to
see animals suffer. I can't even
kill a fly without feeling remorse,
and I find trapping mice a most
disagreeable task.
And yet I'm not a vegetarian. I
let others kill pigs and cattle and
chickens and fish for me. Nor do I
see anything particularly wrong
with this. I choose not to hunt
deer, but I don't condemn hunters
— as long as they obey the rules
of man and nature.
But T do get upset about people
who by "saving animals" help to
destroy human beings. I am
referring to the animal rights
movement, especially to its more
militant members.
Almost 400 years ago
Europeans began to steal this
country from the Indians. Our
native population has survived in
areas the white man didn't want.
Now Europeans are trying — and
succeeding — to take away the
livelihood of Canadian Indians and
Inuit.
It all started with the anti seal
campaigns and with the extremely
effective emotional appeals by
Franz Weber, Brigitte Bardbt and
others. In Germany, Switzerland,
France, Britain — and even in
North America — people were
shown TV pictures of "cute" seal
pups being slaughtered. The
slaughter of animals has been
going on for hundreds of
thousands of years. Humans are
essentially predators. That is a
fact of life. But rtuver before had
this fact been used as propaganda
and brought into our own living
rooms. Of course, people were
al pumpkin pie made from home-
grown jack-o'lantem types of pump-
kins.
Researcher Mary Jane Keenan
says canning companies use signifi-
cant quantities of banana squash in
their canned pumpkin for the same
raisons as the panelists - better fla-
vour, texture and colour.
pap, From the
editor's disk
by M
Ross Haugh
We can hardly wait to get back in
the garden to try out our brown
"thumb on some more squashkins.
Just one word of advice. It really
doesn't matter if you make the pic
out of squash or pumpkin, the de-
ciding factor is how much whipped
cream you put on top.
* * * *
While the Clagary Olympics arc
over, we found an interesting ad in a
copy of the Gazette from Langford,
British Columbia.
It was publicizing the 1988 Baby
Olympics. Entrants wcrc restricted
to those" youngsters between the
ages of six months and three years.
The event for babies between six
months and a year was a diaper der -
Furs
shocked. They would have been
equally shocked by scenes from
slaughter houses.
Propaganda and profits
But because these particular
animals, these so-called "baby
seals", reminded viewers of their
cuddly puppies and kittens, the
campaign to end sealing gained
momentum and finally forced the
PETER'S
POINT
•
Canadian government to give in
to pressure and to call an end to
' the hunt. Facts were of no interest
to the "animal rights groups". All
national and international studies
were completely disregarded. It
was proven that without the seal
hunt,. an over -population of seals
would dangerously decimate fish
reserves. It was proven that this
same over -population would cause
death by.starvation to hundreds of
thousands of seals, including the
"cute" whitecoats. It didn't matter.
Because the activists and militants
continued whipping up hysteria
all over the world, many of them
for handsome profits. No one
knows how many millions of
envelopes with cash and cheques
have reached these "animal
protectors" in their luxurious
villas. Franz Weber, for example,
is currently being investigated by
by for crawlers only.
The balance of the games wcrc for
those from one to three years of age
and included a beach hall toss, beach
ball kick, knock the blocks; stack-
ing power and a five metre dash to
the finish.
Every participant was a winner
and received a blue ribbon and a
goody bag. This was a situation
where all contestants wcrc accompa-
nied by adults at all events.
So we have Olympics for all
ages. Nobody was left out.
* * * *
Santa Claus makes his usual visit
only once a year and that's on the
late evening of December 24.
Our next item is about one of
Santa's helpers and his good works
which carry on for 365 (lays of the
year and an extra day for this Leap
Year.
For about the 10th consecutive
year, Greg Pfaff filled in for Santa
Claus at numerous arca Christmas
parties and all the money he rc-
;ccivcd has again been turned over to
a great cause.
This last time around, Greg earned
5990 and all of this has been desig-
nated for cancer rcascar h for chil-
dren.
This is a worthwhile instance of
events for some youngsters, benefit-
ting others who arc not so fortu-
nate.
Thanks a lot Grcg for your unself-
ish efforts at Christmas time.
a district court in Switzerland to
determine why of the 4.3 million
francs he has reported, only
600,000 francs have remained
after advertising expenses. And no
one is even asking how much
cash went unreported.
But more than the seal hunt
was destroyed. The bottom fell
out of the fur market in Europe.
Wearing natural furs became
shameful and decadent. Women in
fur coats were stoned. And finally
the European countries stopped all
imports of Canadian furs.
What is this development doing
to our native communities? It is a
disaster of major proportions.
Trapping fur animals has been the
main -source of income for Indians
and Inuit for hundreds of years.
Trapping was the ohly way in
which they could maintain their
way of life, their culture and
traditions, The alternative is to go
on welfare, or to move into white .
communities.
In the Canadian Arctic the effect
of the European fur embargo is
being felt most severely. Until.
the end of the 1970's, 90% of the
Inuit made their living
exclusively from the sale of furs.
Today virtually everyone is on
welfare. We have allowed a bunch
of agitators and millions o f
hysterical "animal lovers" to
destroy a proud, self-reliant, hard-
working people. The Inuit, or
Eskimo, as they used to be
known, have ceased to exist as a
distinct society.
And the Indians will be next,
Please turn to page 5