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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Opinion Who we are The Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows TIMES newspaper is a division of LMP Publication Limited Partnership. We’re located at 22345 North Avenue, Maple Ridge, B.C. The TIMES has a CCAB audited circulation of 29,950.
Spencer Levan
slevan@mrtimes.com Publisher
Bob Groeneveld
bgroeneveld@mrtimes.com Editor
Roxanne Hooper
rhooper@mrtimes.com Assistant Editor
Livia Mior
lmior@mrtimes.com Sales Manager Editorial
Maria Rantanen Sylver McLaren Troy Landreville Advertising
Ralph De Adder Nick Hiam
Anne Gordon Sheryl Jones
Distribution Supervisor
Wendy Bradley Administration
Rebecca Nickerson
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Our View
Butt out today, butt out forever You know a hundred reasons to quit smoking already, but for National NonSmoking Week, here’s another: Lung cancer migrates. It can spread into the brain, into glands, and into bones. If you sign up for lung cancer, you are spinning a roulette wheel. Will you simply get a painful, wheezing death as the cancer ravages your lungs? Or will you get seizures, loss of vision, and violent mood swings as it carves its way through your brain, your very sense of self? Perhaps, if you are particularly unlucky, it will take root in your bones, giving you one of the most painful experiences known to humankind. There is a more positive reason to quit smoking, too: everyone is on your side. Everyone. Those who’ve never smoked, and those who quit years ago will applaud your decision. The B.C. government will be happy with you, and will even give you free medications to help you quit, through the smoking cessation program. Bars and pubs in B.C. will be happy that you’re not nipping out the door so often for a smoke, letting in that cold air. Ditto your significant other, who will be able to avoid either allowing you to smoke inside or banishing you to the garage or deck. Your bank account will be particularly pleased, as will you when you see how much more money is there at the end of a month. It adds up, even for only a couple of packs a week. Your doctor will give you a big grin. Chefs will be happier, because you will be able to taste their food. A few years from now, you’ll have mostly forgotten why you started smoking the first place. You don’t wheeze going up a couple flights of stairs anymore, you can’t stand the smell of tobacco smoke, and much of the spectre of an early death has been lifted from you and from your loved ones. C’mon, butt out. We’re rooting for you. – M.C.
This Week’s Question Have you had your flu shot yet? ■ Your View Last week’s question, results… How often do you cross the region’s toll bridges?
Twice a day. A few times a week.
17.39 % 8.7 %
A couple times a month.
56.52 %
Never! Will drive around.
17.39 %
Don’t drive.
VOTE ONLINE: www.mrtimes.com
0%
Opinion
Sports fans are very forgiving
Did you get enough of the Oprah probably ending up working at a Winfrey/Lance Armstrong intercycle shop somewhere and teachview, in which the disgraced cycing kids how to ride. list purged his guts for the Queen Could be worse: I hear Ben of the Small Screen, admitting Johnson is shining shoes outside that he had indeed ingested and Union Station in Toronto. inoculated all manner of performLance is still worth a few milance-enhancing drugs in his quest lion dollars, lawsuits notwithto win seven Tours de France, an standing; and he will probably Olympic medal, and lots of prize have to pay back the Tour de and endorsement money? France prize money. by Tim Tyler Well, fear not, there was lots of But there remain a lot of fans t3atyler@shaw.ca talk edited out of the interview, who still think very highly of and Yours Truly has got his hands him, confession or no confeson some of it. Herewith: sion. There are some who believe 1) O: Lance, we know you went to the washthat he did no harm, that he and his ilk – Barry room before you came out here, we have it on Bonds, Roger Clemens – should be allowed to tape and we want to know, unequivocally, yes or compete with the performance-enhancing drugs. no, did you lower the seat after you went pee? Armstrong’s mea culpa is not going to make the L: No, Oprah, I did not. Camera pans the audiproblem disappear; the drug science is becoming ence; several women aghast at this revelation, more sophisticated, it’s getting tougher to detect disgusted with the thought that they may have these substances. sat in Lance Armstrong’s urine. That drive to win becomes so intense, many 2) O: This is good, Lance, the truth will set athletes lose their sense of right and wrong, and you free. Now, we’ve spoken with Cheryl Crow all the codes of conduct and oaths disappear once and she tells us that whenever you took the last that finish line is in sight. beer or glass of milk, or granola bar, you never In the Special Olympics movement they say that replaced it. Tell me it isn’t true, Lance. if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. I L: Yes, Oprah, I’m afraid it is. allow my son a bottle of Pepsi when he is bowlO: But why, Lance? ing; otherwise, I tell him, he’ll end up on Oprah, L: I’m Lance Armstrong. I have people to do confessing his sins to the world. these things. Lance’s transgressions will be quickly forgotten, 3) O: Okay, one more before we go to break. especially now that the hockey season is back Did you, or did you not remove your cycling and another group of fans have forgiven the playshoes when you came into the house. ers their sins and welcomed them back with open 4) L: No, Oprah, I did not. Again, I’m Lance arms and wallets. Armstrong. Some exceptions have to be made. I watched some of the highlights from the By now members of the audience – women weekend and saw the players skating around and – are starting to leave the theatre. Men are fist raising their sticks to the fans who cheered and bumping and smiling and nodding their heads. cheered at the return of their heroes. And so on, as Oprah, the richest woman in the You’d be forgiven for thinking the layoff had world and a confidante of Barack Obama, quietly never happened, such was the rush back to the eviscerates one of the world’s great athletes with arena. an asterisk. You see we need our sports heroes to fill that Would he have been as great without the drugs, void in our lives, that big hole inside meant to the human growth hormone, the blood doping? make us happy. Who knows. He is destined now for ignominy, Sports makes us happy, Oprah.
Yours Truly