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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 10, 1998 - 7 LETTERS Let's cut the scare tactics on sex ed To the Editor: I must admit that, although I should have been anything but amused, I did get a bit of a chuckle from the letter from Tara King in the March 3 1ssue of The Port Perry Star ("Validity of sex ed program questioned.") While accusing Ms Freedman of lacking credi- bility, Tara (who mentions it twice in her letter) would be teaching the young people how to spot a sexual predator. If Tara would like to sit down for a day with your cartoonist (I feel that illustrations would be more effective than written descriptions) to pictorialize the type of physical and behavioral traits we should be looking for in these deviates, I would quite gladly reimburse you (The Star) for any reasonable expenses incurred in return for 50 per cent of any residuals (excluding first publica- ion). (N.B. - A cartoon of a farmer cleaning the stable will not be acceptable of a depiction of a 'dirty old found to be an aid to specially trained teachers and has the 'blessing' of qualified professionals as well as the parents of the students involved, let's cut the hysterical scare tactics and start dealing with some real issues. I'm sure that Tara must have a copy of the March 3 Star. She should take a look at the letter directly below hers from two young students who say they had to deal with an abusive teacher. If these two young people have adjusted and carried on with their education, how many are out there who haven't adjusted and may have sacrificed their dreams by dropping out of the educational system? Maybe we need to take a closer look at our pri- orities and spend less time on the headline grabbers (They're Teaching Our Children To Be Homosexuals) and more time identifying and rec- tifying genuine problems in our schools. man.') Get serious! If the kit in question has been Charest must step forward To the Editor: With the recent rise of Quebec's move to separate again, and I believe Jean Charest has no choice but to challenge Lucien Bouchard now. I was sympathetit for many years to Quebec, but I have had enough. I love Canada. I am patriotic and compassionate, but with the new millennium approaching a strong global market econ- omy is a factor for survival. Charest needs to put aside his political ties and do some- thing that in all probability will raise his reputation among Canadians as a histo- ry maker. He would gain the respect of all Canadians who care about Canada. I am no lover of the Tories or their policies. I also believe that if Mr. Charest is in politics for himself he will stay and be a mediocre sym- bol in our history. But if he takes on Bouchard it will be a political gain for all Canadians. P. Ellis, Sutton Bill Holtby, Port Perry Community supported project To the Editor: I would like to take this oppor- tunity to say thank you to all those people who helped make the "Save the Rainforest Penny Drive" a success. In total, $181.41 was raised and this will be sent to the World Wildlife Fund to save seven acres of rain- forest for one year. A special thanks to Debbie McKnight of the Dairy Queen who as our cor- porate sponsor not only supplied a delicious ice cream party for the winning class, but also put a jar out in the restaurant to help collect funds. I would also like to thank my class and teacher for their help and support with a very special thanks to Caitlin Henderson who helped share the load to make this project a success. A very big thank you to Mme. Hoffman's Grade 2 class for bringing in money although they were not part of the penny drive. Thank you to Chris Hall and the Port Perry Star for their encouragement by their coverage of the penny drive. My dream has become a reality - perhaps I can do this annually. Alexandra Haagaard, Scugog Island Household mould is hazardous To the Editor: In response to recent media coverage of the discovery of "Stachybotrys Atra" mould in school portables I would like to offer the following information. An ongoing study by C.M.H.C. has revealed that 10 per cent of homes may contain toxic mould. Ideal growing conditions for mould include the presence of cellulose materials such as wood paneling, drywall or cellulose insulation on which the fungus can feed. A relative humidity of 60 per cent or more and temperatures of 32 to 95 degrees fahrenheit provides the ideal climate. The most likely locations of fungal contamination are damp basements, poorly vented attics and crawl spaces and leaky win- dows or roofs. The presence of mould in buildings is often indi- cated by musty odors, although it may be visible on wall surfaces. Mould contamination is of far greater consequence than is gen- erally recognized. The health effects of mould contamination can be shocking. Volatile organic compounds related to mould Turn to page 11 Editor's Notepad ODE TO A WELCOME SIGHT A PLEASANT SURPRISE: The other night after the kids had gone to bed | plopped on the couch and flicked the tube onto TSN, expecting to find there a torpid Leaf tumble that would entertain me for a short time, or else lull me into sleep. But what a surprise: there were the Toronto Budgies, engaged in a spring training game with the Boston Red sox. This would not be considered a scintillating match-up most other times, but here, on the sullen flank of winter, it was a gift straight from heaven. Baseball! Beautiful, symmetric, staid and placid! Played on a diamond of sparkling green grass -- real grass in Florida, not plastic -- by men, young and not so young, intent on making the impression that can propel them into The Show. Failure means relegation to the bush leagues, and another season of riding on the bus. Baseball, with its sometimes interminable gaps between action, its quirky rules and peculiar behaviors ("Really, Rocky, do ya think ya oughta scratch like that right now? With the camera on us?"), its weird characters and unfathomable terminology ("Looks like he's got the hit 'n run on but the sign's a tag for a fly ball, and the infield's back and playin' him to pull, but Rogers's pitchin' from the stretch to hold the runner and don't count out the suicide squeeze because with the DH on deck and a full count, he could swing for the wall and bang a round-tripper, Russ."), its funny uniforms and unending schedule, is back. ENOUGH, ALREADY: | have to be blatantly subjective and say, here and now, that the latest sex ed debate taking place in Durham Region has me ready to upchuck. Once again, a bunch of sanctimonious bullies are trying to have their way (oops!) with curriculum that has no bearing on them, or children they have in the system. The material in question is taught to developmentally delayed adolescents in special ed classes in high schools. It's approved by parents of those kids, and vetted by the experts the Durham District School Board employs to carry out such tasks. But the Family Action Council gets hold of a few line drawings showing couples -- well, boinking -- and gets all hot and bothered (sorry!), and starts screaming about pornography. And hollering that discussing homosexual- ity promotes it, as if it's contagious (News Flash: It ain't). Really... we've been through this before, and all it proves is that the narrowest minds are capable of the loudest remonstrations. As if we needed to be reminded. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten THE CLONING OF PORT PERRY My thoughts wandered last week to a time not so long ago. A _-- ~ simpler time, when the town had few stop lights, you didn't have to wait to cross the, street because the traffic was so light, and a walk down the street was like a homecoming.... everyday. These thoughts came to me as | stared out a win- dow at the street, while sampling some of the fare at the new Wendy's restaurant in Port Perry. It's an attractive facility, but | couldn't help thinking sitting in the bright, new eatery, that | could be just about anywhere in urbanized Ontario. That's because franchised stores have a simple for- mula... each store is a clone of the other. So no matter where you travel throughout North America, the consumer knows what to expect when he/she walks through the door of a franchised eatery. The quality of the food product, the cost, the layout, the washrooms, the decor, and seating.... are all the same, so patrons never have to worry. This principle of 'sameness' was used extensively in a successful Holiday Inn advertising campaign a few years back... when they suggested patrons would receive "no surprises," by staying at a Holiday Inn. As consumers we've become accustomed to this type of merchandising and marketing in larger centres, but it's only in the past decade or so that the mega franchise operations have started to trickle out into predominantly rural areas like Port Perry. Beckers and Macs Milk were the first two of the larger franchises to arrive in this town, | estimate some 20 years ago. | But over the past few years the pace has picked up considerably and Port Perry is now home to franchises like Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mr. Submarine, Country Style Donuts, Coffee Time Donuts, Dairy Queen, and now, Wendy's and Tim Horton's Donuts. 'In addition to those which have already arrived, rumors have been circulating for the past couple of years that McDonalds and Swiss Chalet/Harvey's have also been eyeing the area. So it begs us to ask, can these giants be far behind? For some, the arrival of these chain stores is con- sidered progress, but they sure make it difficult for the smaller 'mom and pop' operations that have served the area for so many years, to survive. While I'm sure the arrival of the glitzy franchises is welcomed by the majority of area residents, particular- ly the kids, the influx of the 'big guys' to the suburbs has begun a metamorphoses which will change the complexion of small communities. The vast number of coffee/donut shops, and fast food outlets in this town is staggering and it makes me wonder how they can all survive. Unfortunately influx of fast food outlets does tend to change the 'small town' look and feel we cherish and have become accustomed to. Thankfully, Port Perry still has many unique quali- ties... the lake, our parks, and quaint Victorian atmo- sphere... which will continue to attract people to the community for something other than a hamburg or donut.