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p 4 twtribune thursday july 1 7 1997 st thursday july 17 1997 vol 109 no 40 the tribune pinions send your letters to the editor to the address below elfi weather takes toll on pets phew its been hot were staying cool as best we can in basements airconditioned buildings and swimming pools but what about our pets too often even the most conscientious owners forget how severe heat and humidity can affect their pets every summer there are news stories about dogs being tied up in backyards with no shade or water or pets left in cars with the windows rolled up the results can be deadly the ontario humane society office and shelter in newmarket have had numerous phone calls during this heat wave from peo ple concerned about pets left in cars in shopping mall parking lots or tied up in neighbors backyards without adequate protec tion from the heat a humane society representative suggests pet owners should care for their cat or dog as they would a child vbu wouldnt think of leaving your sleeping baby in the car with the windows up you know it turns into an oven on wheels even if parked in the shade even with the windows down the heat buildup inside a parked car can be deadly for pets or children you wouldnt think of denying your child extra fluids on a hot- day so make sure your pet has ready access to lots of clean fresh water all through the day if your dog must be tied in the backyard dont just leave a small bowl of water but secure a large bucket of water so it cant be tipped other humane society tips arejust plain common sense if your dog is old or sipk heat can affect it more severely if it has a large fur coat have it clipped and if possible leave it at home in the basement instead of in the car or backyard try surveillance cameras to deter feline pests dear editor re your july 10 editorial on cats running free im relieved that you didnt rec ommend a bounty on cat pelts so when you suggested hefty fines for the owners of the cats who are spraying and stinking up neighbor hoods i pondered the problem of how the authorities could go about identifying the perpetrators so that only guilty owners would be prose cuted it seemed to me that collecting samples for dna testing would not only be too great a burden on the taxpayers but the offending cats might die of old age before testing results were available may i suggest that it would be more economical to install video cameras at strategic locations and catch the villains redhanded or as in this particular situation high tailed the surveillance cameras could letters to the editor do double duty and catch some of those irresponsible chipmunks and squirrels in the act of vandalizing gardens maybe we could arrest a few birds too but first i think we should give them ample warning we could place several signs around the periphery of the town ship warning that ours is a birdfree municipality and winged creatures are unwelcome surely that would discourage some of the geese as well as the starlings and robins hey wouldnt the laws of nature apply here with fewer chipmunks squirrels and birds there would also be fewer cats that is if we could also convince people to quit feeding them eleanor todd goodwood gambling harms society dear editor re governments promoting vice people across the country are warning that government- sponsored gambling is unethi cal immoral and unwise provincial studies show that 2754 per cent of canadian adults 60000012 million have gambling problems when atlantic city began casino operations in the 1970s it ranked 50th of all us cities in percapita crime it was top of the list in just three years those who consider gam bling to be an easy source of tax revenue and purely a matter of free choice understand nei ther its impact on the most vul nerable nor its harmful effects on society as a whole when a government adopts measures intended to fleece people it shows contempt for the people it governs norm pemberton bus ads will aid students education y guest column chris dainton have you stopped buying adidas products or allan candies since the school year ended if so it could be because you havent had your daily shot of school bus advertising advertising on school buses began in mid- january of this year in an attempt by york regions public and catholic school boards to raise money for one of the largest school bus operations in canada the reason we got into it was to generate money that we were losing from government grants said brian jamieson york region board of edu cation public affairs officer some would argue that this com promise will lead to more and larger compromises next will textbooks be sponsored by guess jeans will teachers wear nike ball caps in class school should be a safe haven from advertising where students can be free from influence for at least eight hours per day its nice that theyre trying to make money but there are enough places to put advertisements without putting them on school buses said doris dang a grade 12 student at brother andre catholic high school with all of medias influence in society today school should be a place to escape from it but how much are we actually drop ping our standards there was hardly a fuss when doug gilmour and his milk advertisers invaded my school by way of posters contests and even morning announcements every time we wear a tshirt sweat- shirt or hat to school bearing a brand name like calvin klein nike or adi das we become a walking billboard advertising is already a part of our schools whether advertising even affects us is debatable its our culture that de cides whether or not a product will succeed not a logo or catchy slo- gan the exception is of course cig arette advertising since it was deemed illegal in canada i certainly havent seen anyone smoking ha sponsorship of schools by these companies will give boards the money they need to give us a better education a better education lessens the likeli hood for us to be influenced by ad vertising and it is difficult to argue that controlling advertising is more important than giving students re sources needed for a proper education two other grade 12 students that i talked to agreed i think its good were using our re sources in a productive manner so that the funds raised can be used for educational purposes said matthew macdonald our board is broke and we need all the help we can get said greg petit tiny posters on the sides of buses are no crime and can only be positive for the education system as far as im concerned the more of that bright yellow paint we can cover up with advertising the better stouffville tribune x y- y x ww v a metroland community patricia pappas publisher andrew mair editorinchief julie caspersen editor debraweller director of advertising mike rogerson retail advertising manager stacey allen classified manager barry goodyear director of distribution vivian oneil business manager pamela nichols operations manager about us 905 6402100 m fill 0056402100 5- 005 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