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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 28, 2000 - 7 of the Question Week... Is a code of conduct, as proposed by the province, necessary in Ontario schools? Mark Walhout The code should everyone yet still make the school a comfortable place ensure the safety of Randi Micklewright | think it is necessary. Because if we didn't the kids would be wild and there would be no discipline Doug Moynes The behaviour of the vast majority of our students is excep- tional. But if this code of conduct can Crystal Garason | definitely think you should respect your teachers. It depends on the situation and the student and the Matt Stephenson Absolutely. Most schools are getting too violent and there is less and less respect by the stu- to be. which is very neces- help other schools it ruling should be up dents. sary. will be beneficial. to the teacher. Letter to the Editor Page Seven Put war museum in central Canada FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS by Jeff Mitchell To the Editor: If there is to be an enlarged and modern Canadian War Memorial Museum lets build it in Central Canada. In that way we truly recognize it as being dedicated to all Canadians - from sea to sea. It would seem the Liberal government in Ottawa is so concerned about Quebec that it for- gets that millions of loyal Canadians live west of Ottawa-Hull as well as east of this new capital. Moving this museum across the river into Hull is an affront to the thousands of Canadians who fought and who died for this land. Is the museum to memori- alize Quebec only? | do not oppose the enlargement of the war museum but | do object to the manner in which most of our Canadian govern- ment facilities are being shifted into Quebec. Doug Wilson Oshawa To the Editor: The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Scugog Township wishes to thank the 24 captains and 190 canvassers who partici- pated in the canvass in February. Due to their efforts and the excellent response of the community, we sur- passed our goal raising a total of $32,056, including Canvass raised $32,000 here a donation of $1,590 from Baagwating Community Association of Scugog Island. Thanks also the the Port Perry Star, and to the busi- nesses who sponsored ads in the paper. Chairpersons Dorothy Gibson, Joyce Storry, Judy Smith, and Gwen Taylor Rather than stand and deliver, | think I'll just opt for the take-out window, thanks. That's a line that just popped : = into my head as | sat, as | so often do, staring at this screen with no idea as to what's going to happen next. It occurs to me that such is the nature of our times, and ourselves. These are hit and run times, during which we are anonymous, nameless, face- less and wired, connected yet so distant. What set my mind on this particular track was re-reading an opinion piece we ran in Friday's Weekend Star, by Johnathan van Bilsen. He's an interesting guy, a writer of suspense novels, who lives near Utica. An author, he is in love with words, most specifically those printed on paper. Like so many writers, he loves the tactile experi- ence of reading a book. You know: When you sink into your favourite chair on a long, rainy afternoon, or nestle in bed at night, the book in your lap or the crook of your arm, and become absorbed not only in what you're reading, but the very act of reading.... Turning pages, hearing their most discreet rus- tle... 'What set John off was his rumination over on- line publishing, supposedly the next big thing from all the big box dot.com gazillionaires. News that some works, classics that are now part of the public domain, are to be offered for downloading on the Internet - Shakespeare, Melville, Kafka, etc. - was a little bit jarring to John, who prefers to while away his time in a far-off corner of his favourite book store, browsing and reading and sampling and, eventually, buying. A real book, paid for with real money, with a real, live cashier accepting the payment, and dropping the purchase into a bag. Me, too. | know that the Net is an astonishing phenomenon, and there are zillions of items avail- able for purchase... but. No, I'd rather walk down the street from my office on a slow afternoon and spend an hour perusing the selection at Bill Minors' shop, and get- ting on-the-fly reviews from the proprietor on possi- ble purchases. Such as: "Well, you can buy it if you want, but | personally found it rather turgid." Hmmm. Turgid. Does amazon.com provide that kind of insight? We in the newspaper business are perhaps more keenly aware than most of the shift toward instantaneous, electronic information. Indeed, the . death knell has been rung for us repeatedly. But | figure if print could withstand television, it can hold up just fine in this Brave New World before us, if we think and act in the here and now. Come on: What would you rather have with you on a sunny Sunday morning while you sip coffee: A lovely thick pile of newsprint, or a lap top? ...And just now a release from Canada News Wire arrives on my desk. The first line? "The end is near." Eerie. But don't worry. We'll be back next week, to leave ink on your fingers again. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten THE JOY OF LIVING NEAR THE LAKE BN One of the thrills of living along - the shore of Lake Scugog, is the enjoyment we get out of watching the large variety of waterfowl and wildlife that makes the lake its habitat. From the time the ice leaves the lake, which was only a week ago, throughout the entire summer, we are introduced to numerous animals and birds that we were never able to see while living in town. This past weekend alone, we've seen the return of a Yarigty of ducks along the shoreline, foraging for food the shallows. A brio hawk swooped overhead, tak- woodpeckers and a variety of other winged creatures. The lake has already come alive with frogs and small fish visible in the shallows waters, and even our cautious friends, the muskrats and a pair of otters have poked their heads out of their winter hideaways. But last weekend, we experienced for the first time, in our section of the lake, the arrival of a majestic white swan. A check of our bird book revealed it was most . likely a Trumpeter Swan, but could have been a Whistler Swan, a close relative of the the Trumpeter. This magnificent large bird, with a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet, settled in for most of the weekend, swimming and feeding along the shoreline. By Sunday night it had ventured in fairly close to shore, so | made my way down to the lake to see if | could capture its image on film. The bird didn't seem bothered by my presence, and it wasn't long before the entire family settled along the * lakeshore, with outstretched hands offering it pieces of bread. The swan cautiously made its way closer and closer, until it was almost taking bread from the fingers of the kids, ith they opted to opto the water | : for fear of getting pecked by its large, black beak. We sat there for about fifteen minutes, marvelling at this huge bird, which | estimate is about twice the size. of the average Canada Goose. It was a great experience for the whole family, and one that we will cherish forever. Below is a photo of the the swan getting a close-up look at the family. a... ee i Ue Ie