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Bourke‘s dog joke a "sick" reference Iwould be interested to know the basis upon which Mr. Bourke makes his claim that hockey is less popular than dog fighting in his May 30 column. Was this a sick joke? Is this the kind of humour that goes over well in Waterloo? Dog fighting is a vicious illegal activity, and suggestâ€" ing that our city finds this amusing is reprehensible. Mr. Bourke might want to expand his myopia by visiting Nashville sometime. Certainly if he had been to a hockey game here he would have witnessed the excitement and the enthusiasm the players and other visiting teams talk about. The Predators have the highest ratio of individual fan support to corporate support in the country. This speaks volumes about the passion of the fan base here. _ And a new generation of players are filling up rinks throughout the middle Tennessee area in new comâ€" munity leagues. It hurts me when she is hurt, and I want to make it better. Most of the time 1 have caused that hurt, and it‘s fairly easy to admit that I‘ve been stupid, and I‘m sorry, and I can take away that pain. After 30 years together, 1 can usually figure out what she‘s thinking and how I can help. And then, sometimes, l feel powerless. I work with words for a living, so it shouldn‘t be that difficult to find the right thing to say. After all, 1 can be comforting and understanding and thoughtâ€" ful from time to time. (It‘s not something I make a habit of, but 1 can do it.) My wife, like a lot of people her age, is going through a difficult period. Her parents are getting older, and with that comes a variety of health challenges. Without getting into a whole lot of detail, one of those involves her dad. There‘s some kind of mysterious conâ€" nection between most fathers and daughters, different from the bond shared by fathers and sons. Look at the facts. Mr. Leipold Last week though, I wondered if anything I could say would be worthwhile. _ . There are times when I can listen to something the girls say, or the way they act, or something they do, and portions of their mather shines through. They used to hate it, of course, when J would mention that. Now, | think, they recogâ€" nize there‘s a lot of good in that. For some reason, over the years, peoâ€" ple would always ask the same question, "Don‘t you wish you had a boy?" _ Maybe that‘s a big deal for other people, but it never really bothered me. I know it‘s a cliche, but I was always happy they were healthy. And as the years went by, they just made me laugh and kept me entertained. That balanced a few of the other wortiâ€" some nights. 1 also always thought, with girls, I never had to worry about a time when they wouldn‘t hug me anymore. ( You know how men can be about that kind of stuff, even if it involves their sons.) Anyway, although we‘ve never really spoken Listening is the best way to ease her pain cleared somewhere between $70 million to $110 million over his 10â€" year investment. . â€" _ That‘s more than most make in several lifetimes. The city and its fans created the right environment for Mr. Leipold to create that kind of value for himself. If the game were that unpopular, this could have never happened. KCI doesn‘t deserve the bad rap it‘s getting R‘ecenfly the media has been givâ€" ing KCI a lessâ€"thanâ€"perfect image. I wanted to take a moment to set the record straight. As you probably already know, Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo collegiate has been making headlines recently after a lockdown and bomb threat. As a Grade 12 student at KCI and a proud Raider, it‘s difficult to read articles that depict our school as dangerous or violent. Our school is a diverse, vibrant community with students from many different walks of life. We have successful sports BRIAN BOURKE COMMENT about it, now that all the girls are adults, 1 really do feel a different connection with them. And I think all fathers and daughters have that. Something, perâ€" haps, revolving around how the kids might get older, but they are always "daddy‘s little girls." And as I watch my wife go through this journey, I can‘t help but look at her that way. . i She and her sister have always been "daddy‘s litâ€" tle girls." He is in the same position as l am, with only females around him. You get used to that after a while and, truthfully, while I might sometimes complain about the high levels of estrogen that perâ€" meate my life, I can‘t imagine it any other way. I know what he feels like, watching his daughters grow up into young women, and then wives and mothers. Some of those o) days are still ahead, but the times are m coming. Nashville, Tenn. ammmmememmzed) Everything that popped into my head, and even the things that came out didn‘t seem very worthwhile. _ â€" My wife, however, pointed out it really wasn‘t important. What did matter was having someone to listen to her. Perhaps that‘s the segment of communication in marriage that‘s too often missing. KOOL Momingbmuflnryuuvkdaymor'nutgfiomG to 9 a m. on Waterloo radio station 105.3 KOOLâ€"FM. Hear more of Brian‘s thoughts on life with the And 1 also know how she feels, as she tries to shepherd her dad through the challenges he faces in the months ahead. I went through that myself, Grantâ€" ed, it was a long time ago, and 1 was just your average selfish teenager, but [ understand the emotions of that time. Yet, as she talked to me the other night, I really didn‘t think I could posâ€" sibly come up with the right things to say. What could I drag from my experiâ€" ence, and frame in the proper manner to make her feel better? To take away the pain? teams, an active student council and a fantastic music program. Our school submits a play to the Sear‘s Festival every year and that only begins to cover the many opportuâ€" nities our school has to offer. I can confidently say that no other school in the region offers the same experience as KCJ. _ 8 To be honest, in a lot of ways KCI1 is similar to most high schools. We have the same social strata as any typical high school. Most of the peoâ€" ple in every group are very talented, interesting people. The sad truth is that although we may be a typical high school, in the past couple of weeks a few students have made bad decisions that have negatively affected us all. It is true that some people at our school are worried about their safety, and understandably so. Thankfully neither of the recent threats have put any of KCI‘s stuâ€" dents into immediate danger. In the end that‘s all they were: threats which prompted the school to take precautionary measures. Waterloo Unu'l recently, I thought of moths as brown, drab and pesky insects that chew holes in clothing. My opinion has changed, though, having visited a new exhiâ€" bition showcasing moths at the Wings of Paradise Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge. Moths Magnified is a collection of largerâ€"thanâ€"life photos by Ottawa photographer Jim des Rivieres. Each photo showcases an Ontario moth, magnified to reveal details in colour and patâ€" tern that are hidden from the naked eye. "Moths are generally ignored and cast aside, always overâ€" shadowed by their close relatives, the butterflies," said Brewster. "At first, 1 wasn‘t sure if that stigma would affect the way visitors respond to this exhibit, but the truth is, people want to learn more about moths and are truly fascinated and surprised by what they learn." Adrienne Brewster, entomologist and curator of Moths Magâ€" nified, says part of the overall purpose is to evoke a new appreâ€" ciation for the beauty and ecological significance of moths. Firstly, butterflies are often more colourful than moths because butterflies are active during the day, whereas moths are only active at night â€" with their earthy colours to camouflage them while sleeping during the day. (Cnponenenenenenenentninnk Like a moth to a flame L learned there are three major differences between butterâ€" flies and moths. Secondly, butterflies pupate within a chrysalis, while moths pupate within a silk cocoon. Lastly, most butterflies have clubâ€" shaped antennae, while moths‘ antenâ€" nae are featherâ€"like. Along with highlighting fascinating facts about moths from around the world, the exhibit also dispels myths surrounding them. Contrary to comâ€" mon belief, only a very small group of moths actually feed on clothing and natural fibres. There are also exceptions to almost every rule, as certain species can be brilliantly colourful, just as there are types of butterflies that are brown and nocturnal. Some of the most vibrant types of moths featured in the exhibition have names like the Virgin Tiger, the Luna, and my favourite, the lo, with its cheerful yellow colours and two large impressive eyespots on the hind wings used to ward off predaâ€" tors. "(The lo‘s) spots give the eerie illusion that the moth is star ing back at you," said Brewster. â€" Other eerie species I saw were native to Central and South America, like the Black Witch, thought by locals to be a bad omen if seen. Very rarely, Black Witch moths, with their dark colours and batâ€"like wings, travel as far north as Ontario on strong winds caused by tropical storms. The Death‘s Head moth has an especially bad reputation, with its easily distinguishable skullâ€"shaped pattern on its back. Like Black Witch moths, numerous superstitions also claim that the moth brings bad luck to the house in which it flies. Seen in the popular thriller movie, The Silence of the Lambs, the Death‘s Head moth has also been represented in the visual arts â€" dating back to the 1851 painting The Hireling Shepherd by preâ€"Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt. Because most moths are nocturnal, they are often perceived by many to be mysterious and associated with evil or forebodâ€" ing. â€"In the 'painting. a shepherd neglects his flock in favour of a country girl to whom he shows a Death‘s Head moth. _ _ Perhaps most ominous was the Atlas moth, known for being the largest moth in the world with a wingspan of 25â€"30 cm. The pattern at the top of each wing has an uncanny and frightening resemblance to the head of a snake. Even more impressive was the monumental scale and remarkable fine detail captured in the photographs themselves. There is even an interactive piece, over sixâ€"feet tall, where visiâ€" tors can stand in front and instantaneously transform themâ€" selves into a bizarre mothâ€"human hybrid. It was through these photos I realized moths are not the brown, drab and pesky insects I thought them to be. â€" , I‘ve come to see them as breathtaking creatures who no longer need to live in the shadow of their beloved relatives, the Marshall Ward is a visual artist and independent filmmaker Email is welcome at mward@uwlu.ca. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, June 6, 2007 * 2 MARSHALL