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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" The Pod Povey Stay Question of the Week... Do you have a suggestion that you think would make a good question of the week? Why are you participating in this yew s annual Terry Fux Judy Phinney Rick Olaisen un for cancer research? My mom died of cancer I want to try and help nine years ago, and I felt that we should support with four generations of my family participating. We want to show our sup- cure. Call us at 905-985-7383. port. raise money so a cure can be found for cancer; many people die from it and it'd be great to find a Doug Moynes I really believe in the cause, and I'm personal friends with the main organizer and I knew this is important to her so I'm here to show my support. Isabel Taillefer Actually, this is my first run, and I came out because the opportunity was there. It's a great cause and I'm here to support it. Mike Costescu I admired Terry Fox when he was doing his run. I'm so impressed with the whole concept that the least I can do is contribute to his cause. LETTERS Remember: Ontario voted for status quo To the Editor: Re: Sept 15 Editorial Comment, and article by Chris Hall (Students deserve the whole package, editorial; Extracurricular events still in question at high schools, article, page 2): What? No extracurricular activities at the high school? This news is hard to believe! But, wait a minute: Didn't this happen last year too? Didn't the students, parents, and the community notice the lack activities last year? Surely they must have, and they obvi- ously liked what they saw. They went right out and showed their appreciation for, and support of, the malicious Conservative government (and thus their cohorts at the Durham District.School Board) by voting them in for another four years. The people of Durham Region, and in particular the people of Port Perry, voted overwhelmingly for the status quo... more of the same. Sadly, perhaps their wish is coming true. With an increased preparation load, increased marking load, more curriculum responsibilities, huge changes to evaluation procedures, construction problems, timetable disruptions, increased supervi- sion, a cut in pay, a decrease in preparation time, etc., what more can you expect? You cannot get blood out of a stone. The teachers cannot do it. Who are the big losers in all of this? The students are, of course. The teachers know this more than anyone else; certainly more than the occupants of the Durham District School Palace on Taunton Rd. I do hope there is no correlation between the increased vandalism at the schools and the lack of activities. However, always the optimists, we teach- ers do look forward to the time when the board will allow us the opportunity and privilege of volunteering our time to work with the young people of our school. Don Farquharson Port Perry b y Jeff Mitchell END OF THE WORLD POSTPONED Well, it looks as if the crisis has passed for now. We can all relax for a little while. The End of the World has been called off again. This according to one of those screaming tabloids that fill the racks beside the cash register where | buy chocolate milk and newspapers every morning, the same ones that told me last week that stomach stapling (whatever that is) will be the last resort in Oprah's battle against obesity, and that cancer can be cured with daily doses of cod liver oil. And that's only what's on the cover -- World's Fattest Man Hits An Incredible 4,000 Pounds! -- each and every week. Who knows what you'd find by venturing a glance at page 2, 3, or 4 and beyond? The mind reels. Every week some news, catas- trophic or otherwise, which has been revealed by their crack teams of investigative reporters, who appear to have a stable of sources regular reporters like us here at this paper can only dream about. Granted, we are accused on occasion of some tabloid-like behaviour ourselves. That's a favourite among those who want to criticize our coverage of matters here. Assuming it's a stinging indictment, the miffed correspondent will bristle: "That's the kind of reporting we'd expect to see in the National Enquirer. NOT a community newspaper." Ha. You wish. Bet you if we published a front page with a grotesquely obese man and told you Seagrave Man Balloons to 5,000 LBS! you'd take another look. If we told you, Mayor Caught In Love Nest With World's Tallest Woman!, you'd be flippin' the pages to get the poop. Oh, yes you would. But about the end of the world. It seems as though this is for- ever being put off, and no one appears to know quite why. The latest report, according to my source, located between the licorice and the pipe tobacco, is that the Second Coming has been delayed until 2003 now. Don't know why. How would you like to be waiting in some celestial airport, gazing up at a monitor and learning that departure for Earth has been postponed, once more. "Not again!" And finding nothing but a sign at the Armageddon Airlines desk: Back in 2008. Who decides these things, | don't know. There seems to be a lack of coordination among the planet's doomsayers. These guys say the end is near, this lot predicts the trumpets will blow four years from now, etc. And that's not including the meteorite people, who've been warning us for a long time that a cataclysmic interplanetary fender-bender is long over due. One morning you're just going through your routine, shaving, going out the door, and then the sky gets dark, and FOOM! But it's probably wise to keep paying the mortgage. Who knows? You may die of old age.