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"A Family Tradition for 130 Years" rr ETTERS Pesticides not without consequences To the Edito® The lawn spray trucks have , been out in force again, and to someone like me who knows quite a bit about how bad this stuff is, it is literally mindbog- gling that my neighbors contin- ue to take these utterly unnec- essary risks with the health of our communities, our children, and ourselves. . QO Pesticides (and this in- cludes the herbicides which are used on lawns) are poisons, de- signed specifically for killing. Does spraying poisons around the neighborhood strike you as a good idea? 0 Like cigarette smoke, lawn Spray harms not just those who choose to use it, but also the in- nocent bystanders who involun- tarily receive doses of it as it drifts through our air and wa- ter. These include people, pets, our water sources, and the soils which grow our food. Criticism is all political To the Editor: Education Minister Snobe- len's barrage of criticism of the education system in On- tario is becoming more and more unjustified. On Sept. 12, the Carl Ber- telsmann Foundation, an in- ternational foundation based in Germany, declared the Durham Board of Educa- tion the best education sys- tem in he world after a de- tailed investigation of program delivery and staff development. The Minister's criticism of teachers and local school boards is not based on reali- ty. Itis based solely on his po- litical agenda. PatJermey, President, District 17 OSSTF Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten THE GAME IS OURS, THE CUP IS THERES HE CANADA-U.S.A. BATTLE for hockey supremacy was decided last Saturday night with the Americans beating us at our own game... at least for the time being. Despite being beaten, Canadians can be proud knowing our players gave it their all. Quite simply, the puck didn't bounce for them, and you canbetno one is more disheartened at loosing than the 28 men in the Canadian dressing room. Anyone who saw the picture of Wayne Gretsky leaning on his stick at the bench following the loss, knows this defeat hurt the players deeply. And not only the players, but Canadians across 0 Children are particularly at risk from the effects of the chemicals used in lawn sprays because their immune systems are not yet fully developed; thus they are disproportionately af- fected by the sprays. These same chemicals contribute to the suppression of our immune systems, aggravating problems for people who have allergies. 0A recent study conducted in Minnesota showed a higher rate of birth defects among the children of pesticide applicators there, 2,4-D, a common compo- nentoflawn sprays, was used in the infamous Agent Orange which continues to cause birth defects 20 years after its use in Viet Nam. 2,4-D has also re- cently been shown to cause hor- mone disruption. It is used in about 1,500 lawn care products in North America. In Sweden, its use has been halted. a Your local pesticide applica- tor cannot assure you that his/ her products are safe, because he or she cannot assure you of their contents. As much as 98 or - 37 99 per cent of the ingredients in lawn sprays are so-called "in- - erts," which are trade secrets. Problem? Many of these inerts are toxic and/or carcinogenic. Our governments have as- signed low priority to the test- ng of these thousands of chemi- cals. k aThe way we view our lawns is purely a matter of attitude. We have control over our atti- tudes, and can change them if we choose to. We no longer per- mit child labor, and we no long- er allow smokers to pollute the air of innocent bystanders. How much longer will we continue to allow the deliberate poisoning of our neighborhoods?? Let me remind readers of just - a few key facts about the use of pesticides; anyone who would like to browse through my col- lection of books, videos, newslet- ters and files, is most welcome to call me at (905) 985-3225 and arrange to do so. Janet Banting, Greenbank Will store be a surprise? To the Editor: _ Remember when Food Basics surprised us with the bright green paint? Well, we have learned to live with it; the good folks at Basics provide an excel- lent service: Quality at low pric- es. But I was just wondering if we would hear "Oops" again, over the neon yellow of Lo- blaws. I lived in California for a number of years and I recall be- ing impressed by the supermar- kets designs. The structures re- flect the setting - the neighborhood in which it was being built. What will they see fit for the lakefront? Are we all so simple friends to the south as they enjoy making us swallow our pride and admit that Canada is no longer supreme in this best of sports. But unlike the Americans, we Canadians should recognize that win or loose it's just a game. We - Mike Richter proved to be impenetrable, shot after shot and being named MVP for his lievable heroics betweenthe pipes. ~ It's not hard to understand how US 1992 when the Blue Jays won the World Series. Canadians enjoyed thumping theirchestsand boasting knowing we'd taken something fromthe Americans that was as sacred to them as apple pie. - Now we can expect the same treatment fromour that we need neon know that Loblaws is there? What an architect's dream to design a grocery store befitting a lake. I hope they have the cou- rage and integrity to do our lake Justice. Let's hope the lakefront doesn't become a loading dock with garbage containers - what an eyesore: Owen Neill thinks no one cares about the turtles - well maybe they don't, but people care about money, and I know I won't shop where my environ- mental principles are compro- mised. J.V. Clay, Scugog Resident More letters... see page 8 the continent were stunned Saturday night with only minutes to go, the US not only went on to win the coveted World Cup. And itright in our own back yard, in one of the Canadian hockey, Montreal. Anyone who watched the last two games of ellow to unbe- feltin easier access to the fronv another stop light), passage for children. they want the township Item: Howard Galganov, Quebec's downtrodden E foray to New York to fears of further oppression ...Baloney! Galgano starved geek. He's as should both be put : Lawrence. Item: Canadians, loss to America in the lamenting that our era of _ ...Baloney! Canada is and v force that sets the for that's over is that of Glen Sath dynasty of the 80's. No offense but the generations are s tied, but did