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Times Advocate, 1994-02-16, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 16, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Publications Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $30.00 plus $2.10 G.S.T Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address 830.00 plus 830.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 Q.S.T. Outside Canada 899.00 (Includes $88.40 postage) Y 0 Pro -Line payoff ou have to hand it to Premier Bob Rae. How he managed to wrangle a six -million a year payoff from an or- ganization that didn't owe the province a dime is brilliant. The National Basketball Association's desire to take betting on its games off the province's Pro -Line betting lottery is understandable. When hat compa- nies, t -shirt companies, even bubble gum card companies want to use the names and logos of professional sports teams, they have to pay for that right. When television networks want to boost ratings and advertising revenues through the broadcast of games, they pay heavily. It's only fair. When book -makers make odds and take bets on professional matches, or horse races without the knowledge of the teams or contenders - that's illegal, the government snorts. When the prov- ince does it, it's a lottery. That the NHL or the baseball leagues want their names removed from Pro - Line is no surprise. Like the NBA, all are businesses watching their franchises and investments handled like poker chips. Millions will ride on a hockey e • game, but the players or team owners will not see a dime. When the Ontario Lottery Corporation spent most of its profits on community projects, particularly recreation, they could at least say they supported ama- teur athletics. Today, much of the funds go to prop up an inefficient health-care system - as a hidden form of taxation. The NBA has promised to donate mil- lions of its own funds to health-care and related causes, just to get out of Pro - Line. Why they had to buy their way out is a mystery. They may well wish they hadn't, as the fledgling franchises seek a foothold in the Canadian market. The NBA may have won a moral vic- tory in getting off the betting forms by late 1995, but they probably paid far too much. With millions more riding on Pro -Line baseball, hockey, or football, it will be virtually impossible for the rest to follow suit. The province should take a hard look at whether or not its lottery is any more legal than the underworld bookies that preceded it. The money may line better pockets, but it's still income made off the backs of others. A.1)11. Your Views Letters to the editor "Lady" not offensive "There are many women , but few ladies" Dear Editor: My grandmother often said to me, "There are many women, but few ladies". I am writing this letter in response to "Ladies car care sexist" January 19/94 edition. It never occurred to me that to he called a lady would be demeaning, it still doesn't! To me it has always been a sign of respect. To suggest such a thing would belittle the 30 "ladies" who took the course and those who were turned away because the class was full so quickly. According to the dictionary, "Lady" means: "a polite tern for any woman." In fact I could find nothing demeaning under thc word lady at all, quite the opposite. Maybe 1 am more secure in who I am both as a female and a person, but I found nothing offensive in the ad. 1 felt no finger pointing at me saying "you arc mechanically illiterate and lack basic driving skills." What 1 read was a chance for self-improvement with people 1 have something in common with - ladies interested in their vehicles. There are many more blatant and urgent issues in this society regarding women, I suggest the writer turn her hand and mind to those that will make a difference, those that really are harmful and sexist towards women! Finally, I would like to say thank you very much to the service department at Canadian Tire for freely gtving your time and talents. I am sure I speak for many if not all the "ladies" who participated in the course, each of us came away with something valuable - education. Sincerely Kim Bilckc Editors note: Both the CP Stylebook and a handbook published by the Ontario Women's Directorate list "tally" as the counterpart to gentleman", which is seldom used in modern language. Since we would normally refer to 0 men's golf league, for instance, the proper female counterpart is a women's golf league. Peter's Point • By Peter Hesse! This column is about a young person whose identity 1 cannot reveal. The young person in question has warned me: "If you use my name, l'll..." 1 also promised not to tell what she was threatening, if.... The real young person whose name cannot be told could be either a boy or a girl. But for the sake of this story, let's assume she's a girl, and let's give her the fictitious name of Beatrice. Beatrice the biter. The nail biter. The fingernail biter. Trying to convince Beatrice to kick the habit, 1 did many hours of painstaking historical and scientific research. I discovered that it is the oldest and most common form of deviant behaviour. The cave -dwelling Neanderthal Man (Homo neaderthalensis), who roamed Europe about 100,000 years ago, became extinct because of an illness brought on by vicious nail -kiting. The 5000 year-old "Iceman", whose frozen remains were recently discovered in the Italian Alps, had been biting his nails. And did you know, Beatrice, or did any of my readers know, r example, that Alexander the Great, after h ving conquered the entire world ncient Greeks, died as a result of an nail biting? know that nail biting is the direct terrible and unspeakable diseases? known to the infection d And did y cause of so Scientists ar now in agreement that without nail biting, the h nic plague would not have wiped out millions of people in the Middle Ages. Here are'kome other scientific facts that Beatrice and her follow -addicts should know: Q~� til 1)1 1311414O1J A','JAl31) 1993 "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 186 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1.515.235.1331 5..11.T. IR105210e35 •l`t:7Uti1S Anl..71r Alf'', 1'1, Letters to the editor / I J .ter • a L • / 1— ` 1�-uuy quarantine uu snort "An animal can have rabies and not exhibit any obvious signs" Dacr Editor: 1 am writing concerning the article in your February 9th issue concerning the rabid fox found in Exeter. You mention that there was a dog that was injured by this fox and the dog "will have to be quarantined for 14 days to determine if it has been infected:. This statement concerns me a great deal. Let me try to explain why. An animal can have rabies and not exhibit any obvious signs. There is a period of time during which the disease incubates, or grows within the body. During this time the rabies virus travels through the body to the brain. Once it reaches the brain, the symptoms start. The further away from the brain a person is kitten, the longer it takes for the disease to develop. The closer to the brain, the faster it develops. It can take up to a year after thc kite for the signs to start showing. Many people arc aware of the obvious signs such as severe attitude changes (wild animals becoming unafraid of humans), frothing at the mouth, fear of water, staggering etc. At this stage the animal is usually contagious, or capable of transmitting the disease through its body fluids, such as saliva. Alter this, the animal dies. That last 10 days of the animal's life is when it is contagious. That is why we quarantine animals (i.e.pets) after they have kitten a person. If the animal does not die within the 10 days of quarantine, it was not contagious at the time of the kite, and the person will not have been infected with the disease. To say the dog will not have rabies if it makes it through the quarantine period is misleading. A simple quarantine -is not sufficient. Hopefully the dog was vaccinated for rabies and the animal has a good chance of being fine. Even with a vaccine. however, I would not feel entirely comfortable with this pct in my house. Vaccines have been known to fail. Countries such as England have a 6 month quarantine for just such reasons. The common period of time for a dog to develop rabies after being kitten is around 45 days, but it can still take up to a year. 1 hope this was a simple case of mis-informed reporting for thc dog owner's sake and they arc taking the necessary precautions. 1 hope they understand the severity of the rabies disease. After all, people still die from rabies. Penny Shewfclt Randol Animal Control, Lucan t The facts about nail biting Of all the convicted criminals in North America federal penitentiaries and state prisons, 79.7 percent used to bite their nails when they were kids, and 73.3 percent still do it. On the other hand, of the 361 Nobel prize winners still alive in 1993 only one (Canada's own Dr. Gerhard Herzberg) has ever kitten his fingernails. And that was in the course of a spectroscopic experiment conducted at the National Research Council of Canada laboratories in 1967. Queen Elizabeth, in her perultimate Christmas message to the Commonwealth countries, referred to nail kiting and condemned it as one of the most horrible annoyances (annoius horribilis). The Pope has declared nail biting a mortal sin, along with premarital scrabble and the indescriminate use of condominiums. And Governor-General Ray Hnatyshyn, in the Speech from the Throne on January 18. declared that one of Parliament's priorities (right after arranging for the next Royal visit) would be to enforce Prime Minister Jean Chretien's promise not to kite his nails until the federal deficit has been turned into a surplus. Beatrice, Beatrice, what more can 1 say to convince you to stop kiting your nails? You don't care about all the historical and scientific evidence? O.K., have it your way. How about a bribe? I hereby solemnly promise to pay you 820 (twenty dollars) in cash (in large hills) on the day all your fingernails need cutting.