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i HH. PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 29, 1988 -- 5 by John Viewpoint B. McClelland So, the moguls who rule the world of womens fashions from their chic salons and design houses in Paris, London and New York, are pushing this Syme for a return of, you guessed it...... the mini skirt. Now, I've never worn a mini skirt, but back a few years ago when they were so much in vogue, | can say in all honesty, that |, along with millions of other men, was an interested observer-of those whe did. From those careful observations, | think | can safely say that of all the fashions worn by women through the ages, the mini skirt is the most uncom- fortable, unfunctional, and unglamorous attire ever designed for those of the female gender. If I were a fashion conscious woman, | would re- bel; | would tell the fashion industry to take their mini skirts and stick them back in the closet where they belong. Surely, in this case, the women of the world are not going to fall victim to the whims of a few hot shot designers (probably men) who don't have to wear the darn things. Surely, the intelligent women of this world, who have fought so hard for equality and anti-sexist labelling, will have the guts to say no way to the mini. How many times have you seen a woman wear- ing a mini who appears decidedly uncomfortable and ill at ease. Not to mention chilly. Walking up or ~ down stairs is a problem. Just sitting is a problem. Tugging at the hem line, not knowing whether to cross their legs or press their knees tightly togeth- er, women appear very self-conscious. Mini skirts have no place in the world of busi- opinion is most un-flattering. Moreover, women who wear minis are simply inviting leers, wolf whistles and ill-mannered comments from those of the opposite sex. The high priests of fashion who seem to hold such sway over so many women, must be laughing in their mineral water. Women, who have fought so hard for better jobs, equality in the workplace, bet- ter pay, will actually take their hard-earned dollars and spend them on a fashion whim that makes them look downright silly. The mini may have had its place back in the '60's, along with love beads and sandals. Women should stand up foe their dignity and tell the movers and shakers in the world of high fashion that they won't be duped into the mini; they won't fall prey to slick ad campaigns. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that womens fashions should revert to the styles of the 1890's when Victoria ruled and the sun never set on the Empire. But surely, fashion in the 1980's can be stylish, comfortable, even flattering to the female form without putting several square yards of flesh on display. Do you think for one minute that men would stand for a fashion trend where they had to worry if their shorts were showing every time they sat down or walked up stairs? Not on your life. If the mini makes a big come-back this summer as some are predicting, it will tell me two things: women really are slaves to the fashion moguls, and they don't care what they look like so long as the slick ad campaigns tell them it's OK. That's enough about mini skirts. | have to be very careful when | ular readers may recall a column of about a year ago when | commented on the fact that men and wom- en of certain shapes and sizes should exercise cau- tion when they dress for the hot summer weather. My phone didn't stop ringing for a week over that one. Wouldn't you just know it. Last week's edition of the Port Star carried a front page story about playoff fever at the old arena in town. It's not often the Star carries sports stuff on the front page, but it was a slow week in the news department, and besides there really is a lot of exciting playoff hockey going on at the Scugog Arena. Well, last week's paper which suggested that sports fans might enjoy taking in a game or two, was hardly on the streets, when the arena rocked to the sights and sounds of a scuffle on and off the ice. I was not at the game that evening, so my info is second-hand, but apparently the final game be- tween the Port Midgets and Collingwood got a little testy, especially after Port racked up an 8-0 lead. I"ve been told the fighting on the ice spilled over into the stands, and things generally got out of hand. If some parent read last week's paper and de- cided to take in that particular game with the kids, | can only say sorry. | won't apologize for the actions of players on the ice or fans in the stands, but | will say that in all the hockey I've seen at the Scugog Arena, that kind of stuff is the exception rather than the rule. And when a team takes an 8-0 lead in the final game of a series, that's usually a pretty good indica- tion that trouble will break out. ness, or anywhere else except maybe the tennis courts. Far from being "sexy," the mini skirt in my write about what the opposite sex is wearing. Reg- (Turn to page 8) «5 Yesterday's Memories 70 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 28, 1919 Word was received that Lieut. Clarence Vickery had been badly gassed, but is now improving in a hospital in Manchester, England. Mr. Linke brought in a Bell Telephone Directory dated 1893, which just goes to show how much Port Perry has progressed. At this time only 16 subscribers of telephones. 45 YEARS AGO March 25, 1943 Pte. F. Johnson writes: 'Yesterday was a big day for me. I was picked to represent our Unit to meet and be inspected by "King George," "General McNaughton" and other well-known leaders." : Hearty congratulations and sincere best wishes to everyone in the community are extended to Flight Lieutenant Joel Aldred and Mrs. Aldred on their recent marriage. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 26, 1953 Mr. Axel Ingwerson lost his barn to a fire on Sunday, but with the help of a neighbour, Mr. Gordon Shunk, managed to save his mule, hens, heifer and cow. The ice in Lake Scugog went out on Monday, March 23, the earliest in 32 years. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 27, 1958 Mr. Herb Buckland, a local philatelist has received a letter which travelled across the Antarctic with the British Expedi- tion to the South Pole. In just a short three weeks, $1,750.06 has been raised towards the Scout Hall Extension. Mr. Frank Godley is to attend the Welfare Officers Associa- tion meeting in Windsor, May 26, 27, 28, with all expenses paid. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 28, 1968 A grand old lady of this community, Mrs. Elizabeth Jane (Lillian) Forder, celebrated her 95th birthday on Saturday, March 23, 1968. The Port Perry Baptist Church has engaged its first full time pastor for its congregation. Mr. Allen Hurn was officially welcomed here in March and is now in charge of the church. The Port Perry Figure Skating Club is presenting 'Fantasy on Ice," April 5th and 6th. Be sure to watch these two young skaters - Jeanne MacTavish and Sharalyn Reader who have both (Turn to page 8) -- Arena lot needs repairs The Scugog Township Parks Committee will take a look at the problem of the parking lot at the Scugog Arena, just west of Port Perry. Arena Board chairman Glenn McCoy told Township council Monday afternoon that the park- ing lot is "in most urgent need of some improvements." He said that members of the Board and staff at the arena receive complaints from residents and vis- itors alike over the condition of the parking area. All members of council agreed that the parking lot needs a major overhaul. The problem is money. Cost of filling in the open ditches, installing proper drainage and paving the lot, was estimated by administrator Earl Cuddie as high as $100,000. The council however, agreed that the Parks Committee should take a detailed look at the problem and try to determine if there is any way the necessary work could be sprcad over two or even three years. Along with the request to council that repairs are nceded to the parking lot, Mr. McCoy pre- sented the Arena Board's proposed operating budget of $255,000 for the coming year. This represents about a five per cent increase over the previous year, and it means that the ice ren- tal rate for local organizations like Minor Hockey, Ringette and Fig- ure' Skating will go up $3 per hour. The rate charged to all other groups for ice rental will be in- creased by $5 per hour. The budget presented to coun- cil also contains $5,000 for a new illuminated sign close to the Re- gional Road, which would be used to promote games, events ctc. at the arena. A further $5,000 has been ear-marked to replace the flooring in the dressing rooms. And Mr. McCoy told council the cost of repairing the ice mak- ing plant could be about $15,000. Two pipes under the ice surface have become clogged and this is already creating problems. In fact, he told the Star after the meeting, he and other Board members are "keeping their fin- gers crossed" that the ice plant will hold up until the end of the current season. If the plant goes down before, tcams are finished their playoffs, it could take five days to make the repairs and put ice back into the arcna, he told the Star. The annual skating carnival is scheduled for early in April and two minor teams are now starting their final playoff round. The real concern over the ca- pacity of the ice plant could be for the Junior C MoJacks, if the team advances to the all-Ontario cham- pionship. Mr. McCoy said the Junior team executive are aware of the potential problems with the ice making plant. The Arena Board total budget for the current year includes a $47,000 operating grant from the municipality. Last year, the Township grant was $46,000. Scugog food drive Local residents will benefit from the spring food drive of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. The brown bags distributed with the March 30 edition of the Toronto Star can be filled with non-perishable foods and return- ed to local firehalls. Operation Scugog Volunteers will be at the Port Perry Firehall from 3-6 p.m., March 31, April 1 and April 2. Your donations to the Operation Scugog Food Bank will help to meet the needs. Items in short supply include canned meats and fish, peanut butter, powdered milk, canned juices, infant formula and diapers. to the editor. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newpspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters column helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous letter While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must con- tinue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer.