letters
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Peace Arch News
7
Peace Arch News
Incredibly fun yet dangerous Editor: As a longtime motorcycle rider, I am dumbfounded by the number of motor scooters and electric bikes appearing on our roads. I see advertisements stating no driver’s licence and no insurance required, yet these vehicles are capable of doing 20 km/h or more. In the advertisements and on the streets, I see middle-aged women wearing only shorts and singlets and loose-fitting helmets. I have seen young teenage girls, and grandpa with granddaughter weaving in and out of traffic on King George Boulevard. I have even seen a scooter rider under the back end of an SUV at 140 Street and Crescent Road – the emergency vehicle was just arriving. Have they ever thought what would happen to their bodies if they come off, even at 5 or 10 km/h, never mind being hit by a car? Has anybody explained to them what countersteering is, or that you can buy Kevlar-lined jeans and all sorts of safety gear at any motorcycle store? I personally have an allergy to asphalt, which causes a severe case of road rash when bare skin comes into contact with it. This, however, can usually be cured by extensive skin grafts or reconstructive surgery if death does not occur. Two-wheeled transportation is incredibly fun yet can be extremely dangerous. On a motorcycle, scooter or e-bike, you are not surrounded by 3,000 pounds of steel and thus you have to be extremely alert, road and traffic savvy, because you always hear “I didn’t even see them.” Use common sense, wear safety gear and take a motorcycle training course. Ron Clough, Surrey
Player’s honour stokes memory Editor: Re: Inducted at last, Aug. 4. I read with great interest the story of Ken Webb being inducted to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. My father is also a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and, from reading this article, probably played against Webb during a few of the mentioned Mann Cup games. My dad, Lloyd “Moon” Wootton, was the goalie for Owen Sound for one Mann Cup and also for the Peterborough team, winning four Mann Cups in the early ’50s. At least one of these games, it seems, Ken travelled east for. My father passed away at the young age of 62 and my sister, Donna, has written a book about his Mann Cup years with Owen Sound and Peterborough. I can’t help but to think of how my father would love to have sat with Ken reminiscing of games they played against each other.
As Ken says, “It’s a game that gets in your blood” – a notion my father would surely attest to. Congratulations, Ken. It brings back some very fond memories of my dad. Denise Wootton, Surrey
Yes, we have had enough Editor: Maybe it is time for those in waiting for medical care – while the doctors are all off on holiday, according to premier-in-waiting Kevin Falcon (Staff vacations delay surgeries: Falcon, July 14) – to give our health minister some of his own medicine. In this memory-challenged time of immediate gratification, perhaps some have forgotten the mantra he pounded into the heads of
the Cloverdale electorate. When Falcon was running eons ago against the fiasco of the NDP and Glen Clark, he had a slogan he used, over and over, to get voters, Kevin Falcon angry at the NDP health minister fast-ferry fiasco, to get himself and his buddy Premier Gordon Campbell elected. It was: “Have you had enough yet?’ It is maybe time the people turn that phrase back on him, where it currently belongs. HST and summer medical shortages rein the day. And where does the responsibility belong? As Churchill said, politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed frequently, often for the same reason. Steven Faraher-Amidon, Surrey
Record run for sex farce An open letter to the people of White Rock and beyond. The Royal Canadian Theatre Company would like to extend its gratitude for your amazing support during the recent run of No Sex Please, We’re British! at the Coast Capital Playhouse in White Rock. The number of people attending broke all records and we thank you for making our first annual summer stock adventure one that we will be more than happy to repeat next year and for the foreseeable future. The hospitality and welcome shown by everyone with whom we came in contact affected us deeply and we very much look forward to returning. Thank you again, so much! Ellie King, RCTC artistic director
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quote of note
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It is maybe time the people turn that phrase back on him, where it currently belongs. HST and summer medical shortages rein the day.a Steven Faraher-Amidon
write: 200 - 2411 160 Street, Surrey, B.C. V3S 0C8
Doug Shanks photo
Ambassadors Jana Keogh and Lindsay Bevan are joining five other young women taking a stance against tanning.
Bright side to exposure to the sun Editor: Re: Anti-tan ambassadors take it to the beach, Aug. 6. While focusing on the dangers of melanoma, the White Rock/Surrey Sun Ambassadors working for the Canadian Cancer Society are ignoring the positive health benefits of suntanning that include decreasing other deadly forms of deep body cancer and reducing a variety of serious diseases. Sunlight is the best natural source of vitamin D, which is produced in the skin by exposure to ultraviolet light. People living in northern climates or those with darker skin are often vitamin D deficient, due to a lack of exposure to sunlight, especially during winter months. Our natural tanning process provides skin protection against sunburning and dermal damage that greatly increase the odds of developing skin cancer. Unlike some sunscreens, a natural tan provides reliable full-spectrum – UVA and UVB – protection from burning that doesn’t rub, wash, sweat or wear off the way lotion can. People who live in regions with more sunlight have been found to have a much lower incidence of death from ovarian, pancreatic, breast, prostate and colon cancers than those who live in places with less sunshine. Harvard University research has suggested people
who have sufficient vitamin D due to UV exposure may prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer. High levels of vitamin D have also shown to be beneficial for those recovering from cancer while reducing incidence of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, osteoporosis, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Sunlight and simulated sunlight “doses” are a successful treatment for seasonal affective disorder, also known as the “winter blues.” Sun exposure and natural vitamin D production in summer is believed to be associated with decreased influenza rates. Exposure to bright light has been found to help alleviate symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, such as mild depression, mood swings, physical discomfort and social withdrawal. Exposure to UV-light is commonly prescribed by doctors to reduce the unsightly appearance and discomfort of psoriasis and to treat a variety of fungal infections affecting skin and nails. So take care of your skin, avoid sunburns and over exposure, but enjoy the healthy benefits of a safe tan. While you may be encouraged to “slip, slap, slop”, don’t be afraid to have “fun in the sun.” See you at the beach! Don Pitcairn, Surrey
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