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6 i OakvHle Beavter Weekend >5 T Sunday October 3,1999 c T h e Oakville B ea v er Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver, Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Martin Doherty Circulation Director Ten Casas Office Manager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Metroland Pmtng. Pubfciirtg & Distributing Ltd., ndudes: Ajax/Pickeraig News Ac*rerteer. Alston Herald/Couner. Bame Advance. Barry's Bay This Week. Boton Enterprise. Brampton Guardian. Burfngton Post. Burfngton Shopping News. Gty Parent. CoingwoodMtesaga Connecton, East York Minor, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian. Flamborough Post. Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. Huron© Business Times, Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion. Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Times. Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Barrier. Northumberland News. North York Minor. Oakvile Beaver. Oakvie Shopping News. CHdtmers Hockey News. Orlia Today. Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune. Peterborough The Week, Pieton County Guide. Richmond HiM/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal. Scarborough Mirror. StoulfvieUxbndge Trtxne. Foreirer string. City of 'ibrk Guarden RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: 467 Speers Rd,, Oakville O n t L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 H fa s e ,.'* E d it o r ia ls S o c ie ty 's c h ild re n A recent study on how American male children are being raised has come up with some disturbing findings. It seems that parents aren't doing a very good job raising their boys and that's leading to all kinds of problems. The message is quite The study found that depression and suicide among young men is at at all time high. And clear. Expose boys to boys are doing more poorly in school now enough violence and than ever before. anti-social behaviour and Part of the explanation is that boys don't have they' ll not only pick up enough positive male role models in their lives. And that means more boys look to television on it but respond in kind. and m ovie im ages to em ulate and m ost of I t' s a recipe for disaster. those, according to the study, show males in a macho, violent environment. The message is quite clear. Expose boys to enough violence and anti-social behaviour and they'll not only pick up on it but respond in kind. It's a recipe for disaster. So the spate of killings by young boys in the U.S. certainly didn't come as a surprise to researchers and only verified their suspicions. As Canadians, however, we shouldn't be complacent. Certainly much has been made over issues of concern to young women, such as eating disorders but it seems the time is ripe for some kind of focus on problems of young males who increasingly seem at sea over who they are and how to act responsibly. And there's more to this issue than having boys `get in touch with their femi nine side'. It's something that should be talked about in the home and especially in our schools. B r it a in d o e s n 't h a v e a lo c k o n lo o n y p o lit ic a l p a r t ie s It had all the essential ingredi ents for an engaging political race -- a pinch o f ginger, a dash o f Hope and a whole whack of nuts. O f course, I 'm referring to the re c e n tly c o n c lu d e d le a d e rsh ip race to see who would take over the lis tin g h elm o f B r ita in 's O fficial M onster R aving Loony Party. For those of you who have never been to Britain, like I have never been to Britain (poor blokes and birds), the O fficial M onster Raving Loony P arty 's Canadian eq u iv alen t w ould b e...w ell, the P ro g ressiv e C o n se rv a tiv e s, the Liberals, the Reform Party or the in c re d ib ly s h rin k in g N ew Democratic Party. Take your pick. Anyway, the leadership of the prestigious Loony Party, which boasts 17,000 ardent supporters in B rita in an d a n o th e r 13,000 abroad, cam e up for grabs last June when the party's somewhat e c c e n tric fo u n d er, S c re a m in g Lord Sutch, committed suicide. T h e s a g a c io u s S u tch had form ed the Loony Party (in g e niously uniting the land's count less Loonies, both.left and right) some 21 years ago, and created its c re d o "V ote fo r in sa n ity . You know it makes sense." Then, he regularly brightened the political la n d s c a p e by ru n n in g a g a in st incumbent prime ministers at gen eral e le c tio n s a n d w o o in g the e le c to ra te w ith big and bold prom ises such a*s giving heated to seem insanely sane. But back to the leadership race. Naturally, many sought the party's leadership, but soon tw o fro n t runners emerged: the clawed and clever Cat Mandu, a four-year-old ginger tomcat; and his arch rival (and owner) Howling Laud Hope. A fte r rig o ro u s p o litic a l m anoeuvring, sm ear-cam paign ing, and w h at m o d e rh -d a y p h ilo so p h e r, H om er S im p so n , w ould call "b ackdoor sh en an i g an s," th e,le a d e rsh ip vote was held at the party's annual confer en ce in A sh b u rto n , E n g la n d . Unbelievably, the vote ended in a draw w ith p recisely 125 votes b ein g se c u re d by b o th o f the aforementioned candidates.______ W hat to do? W hat to do? As party chairm an, H ow ling Laud H ope w as a llo w ed to c a st the d ec id in g vote. A las, he d id n 't have the heart to vote down his own cat, so he proposed that the M o n ste r R a v in g L o ony P arty m ove forward under a joint lead ership. D elegates lapped up the idea. C h am p ag n e w as cracked o p e n . A n d , th u s , b e g a n th e P arty's annual party. M eanw hile back in C anada, we ponder more mundane politi cal p u z z le s. W ill o u r fe a rle ss prim e m inister retire and, if he does, who will replace him and, if he retires, will anyone notice? A nd w hen h e 's re p la c e d , w ill a n y o n e c a re ? T h e s e a re th e pressing questions that leap off th e lip s o f all th o se p o litic a l pundits who sit at round tables and discuss our deathly dull and d re a ry p o litic a l la n d s c a p e on e a rly m o rn in g te le v is io n talk show s th at a b so lu te ly nobody w atches unless the T eletubbies h a p p e n to be a re p e a t o f a repeat. We already im port all sorts of goods from Britain. How about in tr o d u c in g a c h a p te r o f the O fficial M onster Raving Loony Party? If nothing else, it would be sure to keep all b u r unofficial m onster raving loony parties on their toes. to ile t seats to p e n sio n e rs and extending the Channel tunnel to Sw itzerland to give Britain taxhaven status. Listen, readers, I'm not making this up. And if it all sounds just a little too Monty Python-ish, then I advise you to tune into your own p a rlia m e n ta ry c h a n n e l fo r a minute or two, at which time the antics of the Loony party will start P ud By Steve Nease ' F ir s t , i Pud, we're going to ^ , PR O G R A MRIGHTAT ^ Yo u r s c h o o l . w e 'l l need Yo u r sch edule . W 0 §k A M DM EETTH EGUYS, T H E MX P L A YSOM E ha<*y SA C KA N D STO PE Y T H E C A F To SEE W H A T 'S UP, TH EN X HANG INTHE HAULAND CHECKOUT THE- g o t o m y Lo c k e r