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Port Perry Star, 3 Oct 1989, p. 10

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ini WP in RES SE rw se -------- ERT EER 10 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 3, 1989 Off The Top by Rob Streich A brother is a man's best friend Last week, a small friend told me how much she disliked her little sister, because she followed her around and wanted to be involved in all the things that she was doing. When | turned to her and suggested that at one time she had 'puppy d ged' after her older brothers (who still like her), she oy i dn. de- nied it - but we both knew it was true. I recall when | was growing up, being occasionally annoyed at having to 'babysit' my little brother Randy. When | was old enough to do more things on my own, and had some close friends, Mom would always insist that |, "take your (my) brother along with you, dear." And usually, begrudgingly, | would. Of course on those rainy days, or when my supply of friends was running low, | really didn't mind having Randy around to play with or just to admire my wonderful creations or ideas - of course | would never admit that, it'd go to his head. My baby brother is my only sibling (in the world) and those three years of difference in our ages seemed like an insurmount- able gap, a chasm of ignorance with no appreciation for the oth- ers' social perceptions - he never knew what was cool or not! Often, a little brother's undying awe and trust was a little hard to handle. | remember one or two occassions when | would pull a "get Mikey to do it," when there was a task that | wasn't willing to perform myself. And of course, having some- one to boss around means more delegation of chores. In my mind, there were many occasions when Randy should have let me have my friends and found his own, but nev- er was there an occasion when my friends were more important than him. In a few cases, there were friends who wanted to abuse his faith in me, or didn't appreciate his great qualities - they soon became distant memories. ' The list of times when we have supported each other physi- cally or in campaigns to counter our parents is long and varied, . even longer when he continued shooting up after | had stopped growing (and rose an inch or two more). In fact, there is a role reversal of sorts these days, as my 'big' brother acts as my body guard when we get into rough locales or heated debates. My 'baby' brother still hasn't stopped following me around though. He followed me to the University of Waterloo and he has stuck with me through a variety of joint jobs and projects. He still hangs around with my friends (to the point where he through another) and visits my old hangouts. But now he brings new experiences to me, and the sharing is finally equal. We have ended up with similar tastes in literature, music, hobbies and women. Somehow, three years difference does not seem like much anymore. Together and apart again, I'd for- gotten what a nice, comfortable feeling it was to have him near. He is hundreds of kilometres away - and | miss him desperately. But when we get together it is like we were never apart. I'd wel- come him to come tagging along anytime he wants to! secured his summer job through one and his schooltime job' Thanksgiving Special Letters to the editor Shouldn't condone teenage sex To the Editor: Condoms in High School washrooms? I hope not. On that premise - to prevent the spread of AIDS - why not install "clean- needle" machines for the drug users? Do we as a society condone sexual promiscuity among teens but not drugs? Both destructive behaviours could be fatal. Yet the Ministry of Education continues to feed our kids a "safe-sex" philosophy through the use of condoms. The latest figures from Stats- Can reveal that condoms are on- ly 80 per cent safe against pregnancy - 20 per cent unsafe. Just as condoms fail in their con- traceptive function by spillage and breakage so they can fail as barriers to infection. The condom contraceptive ability cannot be equated with its effectiveness in preventing AIDS. A woman can get pregnant only - a few days - of the month but the deadly AIDS virus can be con- tracted any day of the month. This raises the risk factor con- siderably! Yet the children at the high school level in their sex-ed courses are never cautioned of this high risk factor. They are told the condom offers "safer-sex." How will a student interpret "'safer" -- 33 percent, 68 per cent, 99 per cent? Does this information or lack of it give the kids a false sense of security - a safe sex mentality? A recent Globe and Mail article stated that if the "Ministry of Education wants the condom "taught" it must also require the teaching of risk factors." In that same article Dr. Richard Gordon was quoted as saying "If we take a couple, one of whom is infected with AIDS, and they are using the best condom and spermicide, the uninfected person has a 23 per cent chance of being infected after 5 years. With a cheap con- dom and no spermicide, he predicted the risk over 5 years would rise to 83 per cent." "A one-in-four risk over five years may be acceptable for pregnancy' says Dr. Suzanne Scorsone director of family Life, '"'out of which comes new life, but is certainly not acceptable for AIDS out of which comes only death." Educators should encourage young teen-agers on health grounds alone, to post-pone sex- ual activity. AIDS is only one of your choice of fixings * STUFFING * CRANBERRIES * CHEESE * LETTUCE * TOMATOES * ONIONS * SALAD DRESSING ROAST TURKEY SUBS *3.25 Beginning Wed., Oct. 4th, 1989 2 SUBMARINE Corner 7A & Water St. 985-7131 the many sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Vernon Mark of Harvard Medical School, said at a recent congressional hearings . on teens and AIDS that "pro- miscuous sexual intercourse, far from being a health promoting ac- tivity, is fraught with emotional and physical risks at every turn and may be just about the riskiest game in town as far as good health in concerned. Masters and Johnson in a special report on the AIDS threat declare that 'undetected AIDS in- fections are now running rampant in the heterosexual community. Abstinence is not given the em- phasis it deserves in our sex-ed courses' says former high school teacher Suzanne Stratford. "It is served up smorgasbord style with a take-your-pick attitude, make your own decisions. The schools now have programs to discourage smoking, drug and alcohol abuse and child abuse. They have ceas- (Turn to page 12) "Editorial Comment (from page 6) It is obvious that the federal government wants huge slashes in Via's operating costs, to the point where entire lines like Toronto-Havelock will simply be dumped com- pletely. And it seems very apparent the federal government has no interest at all in exploring ways to make passenger rail viable from an economic point of view. So, the Ontario government appears ready to step into the void. That's encouraging. To let passenger rail service in the country simply die a quick death would be a travesi- ty. In the high density areas like Metro, York and Durham where the freeways are clogged day and night, parking in the city is impossible to find let alone afford, quick, effi- cient, rail service may be the transportation key to the fu- ture. If areas like York and Durham and Victoria County for that matter, are to be encouraged to grow in terms of hous- ing, commerce and industry, it would be an un-forgivable travesity to see the existing rail lines abandoned. The ball in this crucial issue is squarely in the court of the provincial government, and its agency, GO Transit. With the federal announcement on Via expected very soon (and the outcome: known) we will be watching very closely to see how Queens Park plays it. The statements attributed last week to Mr. Herrema and Mr. Wrye are encouraging news for those who live east of the Metro Toronto boundary. HEE 985-0154 LN 2) oF . TT Ce EArt Cru hry RRs rata ereterey | Falafel e lela fe lle le fe fe, Fale fe Feds fale fe fe le le Re fe fs fe le ee EE SD ES SE ES re she ele sf cq 5 0808 Aol al ol A aA A Aol olen as Lo, oa Lay ry . Eh 3s #225 Northern Clothing C i] aaa Northern Clothing Co. E 1] . . Pele le fs lel H EN 227 Queen St. Port Perry ; i] (] a Ih Th Th Th TAY hy) Fd a Me L Lele bY Tey 0) ATTA TRTAY ASAE " "w > FIEISEIITEY Fall "BLAST" of Values. 2 SH HAH To introduce our "NEW LINES" ) (EEE) we fe offering. 3 eee ef ele S PrleL eS l ele ] AAT LY I LY] Arana 15% off : seq a0 ee Ye FEA AT AAAS a. +x A, Jimmy Z Bugle Boy $2 TEAL *Bronx * Crossfire 343 FILTER *Edwin * Girbaud 3h) FEE *Hechter * Arizona Cotton eH TELL IELL "Mi : $5 FTIR II ATES Misty Moutain ro eae eel Let, LOA AR A Lede] (es CELLET ' ial i (i FLPTETIATES Plus special introductory offers on 2 LIL ele lel [PJ] Lele le le 4 1 shel ele [] HH , Reg. Low Price $359. 12 25740 2 Aaa NOW fi che it} Ned, i ole $05 $299.00 Ei [FJ] : 14 3 ny it - Leh re al Limited Supply - No Layaways {78 easel | $43 354) Sale Ends 5:30 p.m. October 7th [{43 ° hehe ty o, 222 \.® > . 3 . Ee AAT hehehehe shel SHIREY o . Poo pars

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