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My heart aches for Helmut Oberâ€" lander and his family. L also feel very sad for those of the Canadian Jewish Congress, as they are still consumed by hatred and revenge. Mr. Oberlander never killed anyâ€" one. He has lived an exemplary life as a model citizen in our beautiful community. He has helped make Waterloo so much better with the quality homes he built, and the philanthropic conâ€" tributions he‘s made that, over a lifeâ€" time, have enhanced the lives of so many. As a response to our prime minisâ€" ter and his cabinet, who are attemptâ€" City council should recognize Oberlander Athletes reap what they sow hope. 'Perhaps you have stayed updated on the situaâ€" tion of one Michael Vick. A quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but more than that, the face and image of the National Footâ€" ball League for the last couple of years. Big, strong, athletic. Full of power and grace on the field. A lot less off the field. m Vick has now admitted to financing a dogfighting operation, and taking part in the killings of those animals he and his counterparts did not think lived up to the fighting strength they wanted. He‘s been suspended by the NFL indefinitely, which, some say, will put an end to his career. As reprehensible as Vick‘s actions are, I‘m not sure he deserves that. At least not more than anyone else in the sports or entertainment world who has crossed the legal, moral or ethical line. Personally, 1 think he should be able to come back and play if he wants once he has served his time. 1 just hope the worship much of sociâ€" ety seems to afford such people comes an end. I am not one of those people who thinks athletes and entertainers are overpaid. If someone wants to drop a large pot of money on you because of your talent, I think there are very few of us who would turn it down. But there are very few in the entertainment field, and for that 1 include athletes, who deserve the status of "role model" that too many people have handed them. There are very few who have seen the errors of their reckless actions, and turned it into a positive. Dany Heatley, whose carelessness at the wheel killed teammate Dan Snyder a few years ago, is one of them. Most of the efforts have been public relations campaigns, aimed at "rehabilitating" someone‘s image, instead of the someone. In his statement the other day, Vick, who soundâ€" ed scripted and awkward, apologized to his teamâ€" aybe this is where the sports idolatry comes to an end, but somehow, I think that is a faint ing to overrule the courts of this country by reopening the issue of citizenship, our city council should show some real leadership by recog nizing Mr. Oberlander as a 150thâ€" anniversary citizen of distinction in honour of his good life in Waterlo0. __ Too many sit in silence. J can‘t imagine anyone allowing or even agreeing to a $1.20/day diaâ€" per allowance for our incontinent seniors, and the necessity for nursâ€" ing homes to ration diapers or even put diapers that aren‘t 75 per cent soiled back on the seniors. The fact that Ontario does not have a standard for hours of daily personal care residents receive is Time to stand up BRIAN BOURKE COMMENT D. Neil Aitchison Waterloo mates and the league, and also to the kids. He also claimed to have found Jesus, and was on his way to turning his life around. Maybe he has. Funny how that does tend to crop up in these cases. As for the kids, please, Michael, and all the rest like you, keep them out of it. > â€" Tiger Woods has said being a role model is important to him. But he also has said kids‘ biggest role models should always be their parents. Some will say Woods has carefully crafted his public image and reputaâ€" tion, as if wanting to appear as a decent, caring individual is somehow bad. The same complaint used to come out about Wayne Gretzky too. p. o Interesting how both those men give 4 the credit for how they turned out to l‘ their parents, and specifically their * . fathers. AN What they do for a living, how RKE much money they make or what they own is not nearly as important to me as those qualities. A lot of society, though, appears to value those things in a different way. Truth is, Michael Vick will return to the NFL if the league and a team figure he‘s able to increase the profits. He will make money, the league will make money, the TV networks and the advertisers will all make money. Is that right? Probably not. But since the Nationâ€" al Football League is pockmarked with a variety of people who have assaulted, shot, knifed, beaten up and, perhaps in a couple of cases, killed someone, I would not rule anything out. _ We reap what we sow, the quotation goes. Don‘t be surprised. Brian Bourke, a member of the 105.3 KOOL FM morning crew, can be reached by email at bbourke@koolfm.com. Someone asked me the other day how we judged ourselves as parents. I figure if our kids grow up to treat othâ€" ers decently, and think more of others than themselves, then we have had some success. deplorable, especially due to the fact that most of these homes are short staffed. The workers are assigned so many residents which does not allow for the proper care the residents need and deserve. As of Sept. 1, George Smitherman promised the food allowance would be raised from $5.57/resident to $7.00/resident â€" big deal considerâ€" ing prisoners still get more food allowance and better living condiâ€" tions. Some nursing homes do not have air conditioning and everyone knows that seniors are more suscepâ€" tible to emphysema, respiratory problems, heart problems and more We all need to be advocates for these seniors and we must do whatâ€" ever it takes to change these poor liv ing conditions. Some day you may end up in one of these homes. [ urge anyone reading this letter to contact their MPP to voice his/her concerns. As the saying goes, "Unitâ€" ed we stand, divided we fall." Annette Kuhn St. Clements arlic does a lot more than scare off vampires. It was the G.Irish~born American sculptor Augustus Saintâ€"Gaudens who once said, "What garlic is to food, insanity is to art.‘ I‘ve always been crazy about garlic, and the joy of cooking with it. I love garlic potatoes, garlic bread, garlic in pasta, garlic on pizza, garlic oils â€" I even enjoy eating fresh raw cloves of garlic, as people often did in medieval times. _ _On 5ep( 15, fellow devotees of garlic will join together for the Stratford Garlic Festival, put on by the Kiwanis Club of Stratford, in coâ€"operation with the Garlic Growers Association of Ontario. Festival organizer Ron Deichert and garlicâ€"growing friend Warren Ham are the garlic enthusiasts behind the first annual Stratford Garlic Festival, Deichert says Canadian farmers don‘t always get a fair shake, particularly those who specialize in garâ€" lic. "Grocery stores sell Chinese garlic that has been dumped onto our market at a cost that is lower than the Canadian cost of production," says Deichert. "If you want good Canadian prodâ€" uct, you must buy locally." Inspired by the runaway success of a garlic festival that Kiwaâ€" nis hosts in the Hudson Valley of New es York, bringing in 40,000 visitors, * Deichert and Ham thought Stratford MARSI IAL was the perfect place for a garlic festiâ€" UR val â€" renowned for its cuisine and the ‘ \ Stratford Chetfs School. Ham‘s business, August Harvest, has been growing unique varieties of organic garlic and shallots since 1991. Participating as a vendor in the Stratâ€" ford Garlic Festival, he‘ll be selling roasted garlic puree, pickled garlic flowers, red pepper garlic dipping sauce, gingerâ€"honeyâ€"garlic glaze and several other varieties of nutritional Visitors to the festival will also have n CSRA the opportunity to sample distinct local varieties of garlic, garlic dishes, watch gourmet cooking demonstrations, meet local producers and learn about the health benefits of garlic. And while garlic has been prescribed for medicinal purposes since preâ€"biblical times, Ham says it‘s no wonder garlic has acquired the names "poor man‘s treacle" and "cureâ€"all." "Garlic‘s uses in folk medicine include treatments for bronâ€" chitis and respiratory problems, flatulence, leprosy, menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, diabetes and externally for warts, corns, arthritis, muscle pain and neuralgia." Ham also says modern science has demonstrated antiâ€"canâ€" cer, antibacterial, antiâ€"fungal and antiâ€"oxidant effects of garlic. "One of my best customers for seed garlic over the years is responsible for quality control for Hoffman Laroche, the manuâ€" facturers of (the flu prevention and flu medication for adults and children) Tamiflu," says Ham. "(I remember) an interesting tidbit from a conversation with an executive in the pharmaceutical industry about garlic," Ham adds. "To paraphrase him: We know by eating one to two cloves of fresh garlic a day, the sulphur compounds present in the blood being pumped through the lungs will knock back almost any virus or bacteria present." Along with information about the nutritional and therapeuâ€" tic benefits of garlic, other demonstrations will include garlic braiding, innovations in organic garlic and garlicâ€"growing in Ontario. For those with adventurous taste buds, specialty foods like garlic ice cream and garlic fudge will also be on hand. I‘m especially looking forward to knocking back a garlic shooter or two â€" made simply with water, garlic and lemon juice. In speaking with Ham, I learned that in orchards and vegâ€" etable gardens, garlic juice is effective against a number of worms, insects and parasites. As well, Ham says garlic is good for your pets. And though people once believed garlic to have special powâ€" ers that could ward off vampires, I think it‘s the hot, pungent, aromatic and distinct taste that keeps garlic lovers, like me, coming back for more. Perhaps vampires just don‘t like garlic breath. The garlic festival will be held at the Stratford Fairgrounds on Sept. 15. Admission is $5/person, $12/family. For information go to www.stratfordgarlicfestival.com. Wake up and smell the garlic Marshall Ward is an artist and independent filmmaker. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, August 29, 2007 * 9 MARSHALL