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6 economist sunsuntribune saturday oct 23 2004 s tstoufjvsle suntnbune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave stoufmlle on l4a 7z5 publisher ian proudfoot opinion editor in chief debom kelly business manager robert lazurko director of production interactive media john futhey advertising director retail flyer sales nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gord paolucci letters to the editor violence in youth sport part of problem re athletic youth at risk from heart injury sept 30 chris trabers article is very timely and should merit more acknowledge ments in our community although it was not explicitly stated violence in youth sport has become a related issue of great importance the article talked about the heart condition known as commotio cordis which is caused by a blow to the chest dr zaevwulffhart described the condi tion and said the target group is male athletes around 14 years of age playing sports including soccer hockey and basketball this is a serious issue most coaches parents and athletes are becoming all too normalized to violence in sport violence is so entrenched in modern sport that it is seen as normal dr wulffhart calls prevention of such violence a thorny proposition since a blow to the chest can come at any time and anywhere i think the seriousness of this condi tion in sport should be dealt with although a rare occurrence a young athlete in ajax died from it there is no reason to scare children away from playing sports but less vio lent strategies and safer conditions are required the article should serve as an eye- opener for athletes and coaches they should take care when playing recre ational and organized sport ashvtninimkar markham gun control money could have hired officers re media doesnt make crimes up editorial sept 30 your editorial begs to have the ques tion answered what has bill c68 the gun control legislation achieved with nearly 1 billion worth of taxpayer money boondoggled away the editorial clearly states that front line officers feel there are much more guns on the street now than in years past so much for gun registration how many police officers might have been hired with just a fraction of this cost mark strait stouffville markham fair volunteers keep tradition alive congratulations to president paul reesor and all the other volunteers who helped to make the 160th markham fair such a huge success they all deserve the peoples thanks as their work and dedication keeps the fair tradition alive every year kbushell markham biotech advancements can pose problem for organic farmers recently i met with a group of organ ic farmers in saskatchewan who are at the frontlines in the battle that will determine the future of farming the farmers to whom i talked were spooked by the infamous supreme court ruling canola plants growing in the fields of saskatchewan farmer percy schmeiser actual ly belonged to biotechnology giant monsanto this was because some of the plants were car rying genes resistant to monsantos pesticide roundup even though mr schmeiser had not purchased roundupready canola seed from the company despite mr schmeisers claim he had not deliberately planted the seeds and that they were somehow contaminating his fields the court ruled he had to pay the corporate giant for having them on his property it has been learned through the widespread planting of transgenic plants commonly referred to as genetically modified organisms or gmos that despite buffer zones between them and conventional plants transgenes readily move over considerable distances pollen is light and can be blown away or carried by unwitting agents such as mammals birds or insects organic farmers are now vul nerable to contamination of their crops the problem for such farmers and oppo nents of biotechnology is that our federal and provincial governments seem unconcerned about the potential risks of transgenic crops and focus entirely on exploiting the benefits for the average person claims and coun terclaims over transgenic crops seem arcane and jargonladen difficult to assess as a scientist i am shocked at the ease with which past history and experience are forgot ten when there seems to be an economic opportunity as a geneticist i am surprised my peer group seems so reluctant to engage in genuine discussion about the claims being made for and against transgenic organisms let me make my position clear i once had the largest genetics lab in basic research in canada i was obsessed with research and genetics consumed most of my waking hours seven days a week it was my passion and i was good at it by the 1970s i had also embarked on a sec ond career popularizing science and examin ing its implications genetics was growing explosively as new insights and technical manipulations enabled us to seek answers to questions once felt impossible to test in my own lab there was growing excite ment and pressure to exploit the powerful ana lytic tools of genetic engineering but i was also acutely aware that this was a scientific revolution with enormous social economic and ethical questions that had to be addressed and if i and my lab were actively engaged in using the new technology how could i escape the very real or perceived bias of vested interest to be a credible participant in the debate around biotechnology i deliberately left an active career in research after all i had achieved far more recognition for my work than i ever dreamed and continue to derive great delight in the staggering achievements but i recognized that to examine the tech nology critically i could not be directly immersed in it when the federal government is charged with both promoting biotechnology and regu lating it you know there will be a conflict of interest and i fear that farmers and con sumers will be the ultimate losers take the nature challenge and learn more at wwwdavidsuzukiorg editorial editor jim mason newroomconsuncom advertising managing director new 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across ontariathe york regon newspaper group includes the liberal serving bchmond hfl and thomha vaugtan gtrenthe erabanner serving newmarket and aurora georgia aovoeaie york regon business times nortjojffwcfryorkregoncorn ar york regan piinartg letters policy the markham economist sun welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the economist sun reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space letters to the editor the economist sun 9 heritage rd markham on lp1m3 v r t t yvvv