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PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 6, 1997 - 7 "A Family Tradition for 131 Years" IL ETTERS s---- Aging reactors present hazard To the Editor: The four reactors at the Pickering "A" Plant are the oldest in the country - now over 25 years old. As reactors age technical and safety prob- lems increase and costs go up. The nuclear watchdog for public safety, Durham Nuclear Awareness, warns of the safety problems at Pickering. I sup- port their efforts to bring the issue to the public and pre- sented a brief to the Atomic Energy Control Board and fiifended their meeting recent- y. This is a serious matter. Anyone who has seen the docu- mentary of the Three Mile Island Accident just a short distance south from Lake Ontario wifl = realize the immense danger. Alarming is the fact that spent nuclear waste is still housed in the plant and is so dangerous to dispose of that nobody wants it. Apart from that, 'a number of alarming problems have plagued Pickering. It's time to act. Pickering must close before we face more serious problems of safety to the public. DNA seeks public support by writing to Hon. Norm Sterling Minister of the Environment and Energy, 135 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto, M4V 1P5 or Fax 416-323-4682. With the huge new Darlington plant and the idle Wesleyville plant near Port Hope converted to clean burn- ing natural gas, we should have no problem replacing the hazardous Pickering plant. Dean Kelly, Port Perry All the best to Ontario athletes To the Editor: Athletes from across ~ Ontario will demonstrate their exceptional talents at the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba, Aug. 9 to 23. : These games will showcase more than 4,000 of Canada's best young athletes. Team Ontario will be represented by 354 athletes, as well as 68 coaches and managers. Many of our fine athletes have been preparing for years with the goal of participating on a com- petitive level, setting personal bests, winning medals and leading Ontario to the Canada Games flag. Qualifying for competition at the Canada Summer Games represents a significant achievement. In this respect, our athletes are already win- ners. They are among the best in their field. There is more to Team Ontario than individual per- formances. Members have experienced what it means to build together as a team, to share experiences in the pur- suit of excellence, to respect their colleagues and oppo- nents, and to represent their province well. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of the coaches, managers and volun- teers. Their commitment and support provides the best pos- sible environment in which our athletes can excel. I also would like to recognize the citizens of Brandon, Manitoba who have done a tremendous job in preparing to host these games. Ontario is proud to support the development of its athletes through the Canada Games program, and works to ensure a safe, accessible and competi- tive sport environment for all. As Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, and on behalf of the Ontario gov- ernment, I extend best wishes to all participants. I hope all members of Team Ontario have a very rewarding games experience. Marilyn Mushinski, Ontario Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation the editor! You can fax Thank you! On behalf of the Hope Church Vacation Bible School staff we would like to thank the following businesses for their generous support and donations: Jayson Callan Music, Port Perry Star, Scugog Lumber and Scugog Rentals. "Your contributions helped to make the Promise Builders Construction Site a success. Adelaide Dekoning and VBS crew of Hope Church, CRORE Editor's Notepad by Jeff Mitchell MY, HOW TIME FLIES... Although there was a thin covering of mean-looking cloud when | awoke Friday morning, | wasn't convinced that's what was troubling me. You know that feeling? One not necessarily of dread (Oh, no! I've got traffic court this morning and | completely forgot!) or vague uneasiness made murkier by a loss of memory (What did | say to Bob's wife after that fifth martini?), but of an strange, unsettling notion that someting is... amiss. It wasn't until coffee had been brewed an¥ 1 was sitting on the porch listening to the early-morning bird songs that it hit me: August. It's August. We've turned the bend and are now playing the back nine of summer. ...And | haven't even found time to get out for a round of golf yet, unless you call pitching practice balls over the house with a wedge playing golf. It's the same story every year, isn't it? Summer's arrival brings with it so much promise -- and: so many promises to get things accomplished. | | And we never catch up. It's easy sometimes, with work dominating the horizon and time at a premium, to think of ourselves as wee hamsters, running ceaselessly on rickety, squeaking wheels amid the wood shavings of our cages. But still, we chip away. Each Sunday is spent puttering around in the yard, or somewhere in the house, catching up on the countless tasks that need tending to. There comes with the end of a day's puttering -- especially if any heavy labor has been involved or, as was the case last Sunday, a big brush fire around while the kids danced like | dervishes -- a sense of satisfaction at having spent one's time fairly well. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. once concluded that God put us on earth to fart around. That would explain hardware stores, hobbies involving woodworking tools, and weekly Saturday morning trips to Canadian Tire. It explains gardening and walking the dog and cutting the grass every week, whether it needs it or not. It makes sense of changing the oil in the car in the driveway, even if you can get a professional to do it for you for about the same amount of money as you'll lay out yourself. With this thought in mind, .| now know the reason why | spent 40 minutes one Saturday not too long ago painstakingly setting the throttle on my aging Lawn-Boy, and being so pleased when | got it to work perfectly, using a paper clip and a pair of pliers. Yes. And the second half of summer means the pace must be slowed, to savor what's left. See you outside. Abrupt end to ball Seeking a reply from convenor in Uxbridge season upsetting for Port family To the Editor: My sons have been involved with hardball in Port Perry ever since the beginning. They were thrilled when the league started up again after many year's absence, and, as a family, we have not only played ball, but also umpired, kept score and done write- ups for the newspaper. : : This year, however, registration was down in my son's age group, and, by combining Bantams and Peewees together, it was only possible for Port Perry to field one team. Fortunately, Uxbridge allowed our players to be part of their league, and the six teams (in total) have been playing games on a weekly basis since May. Our season has not been without problems, as I'm sure anyone with children in sports can identify with. Our coach, Brad Miller, from Raglan, and his wife who kept score every game, and stepped in to help out after our original coach was forced to give up because of job commitments. In spite of the fact that their own son has not played since June due to a fractured wrist and summer camp commitments, they have come out faithfully and cheered and encouraged the boys all season. However, everything changed abruptly this weekend. We had received a playoff schedule after Wednesday's game and our coach told the boys he would call on the weekend to let every- one know in what position in the stand- ings we had finished the regular season play, as this would determine the nights we would play in the playoff round. On Sunday he called, but instead of letting us know the game time, he said we were not going to be allowed to play in the finals (something about game sheets not handed in on time, our team winning too many games), and so our season came to an end. My 12-year-old was very upset. He enjoys hardball, and couldn't under- stand why he was not allowed to play anymore. So he took it upon himself to call the Uxbridge convenor and ask him why the Port Perry team was not allowed to take part in the playoffs. I could only hear his half of the conver- sation, but I must say I was very proud of the manner in which he handled himself. Despite his frustration, he was polite and honest about his feel- ings, and just kept repeating that he did not understand why he could not play in the playoffs. Quite honestly, neither do I. As my son pointed out to the convenor, even if for some reason our team did not hand in their score sheets on time, didn't their opponents hand their sheets in, and if so, couldn't their results be used to figure out the stand- ings? I hope that the convenor will reconsider his decision and allow these boys to finish out the season's play. I am sending a copy of this letter to the Uxbridge paper as well, so that the convenor will have an opportunity to respond if he chooses. Liz Drebit, Prince Albert