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THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 9 COMMENT WATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLE LETTERS TO THE CHRONICLE A massive and mysterious sea creature washed ashore a beach in Indonesia two weeks ago. � e headline caught my imagination as I've had a lifelong fascina- tion with cryptozoology: the study of animals whose reported exis- tence is unproven, like the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster. Upon its discovery by fishermen, some speculated that the 50-foot Indonesian creature was a giant squid or perhaps a bizarre animal yet unknown to science. It turns out it was a decomposing baleen whale, but the tantaliz- ing possibility that it was some bizarre sea monster reminded me of one of my favourite cryptozoology books from my childhood, Crea- tures from Elsewhere. In the chapter called Monsters of the Deep, authors Janet and Colin Bord wrote: "Many scientists remain skeptical about the exis- tence of underwater monsters, yet sightings of giant sea creatures, some extremely detailed, continue to be reported around the world." One of the most intriguing stories the Bords wrote about is of a 55-foot body that washed up on the shore of the Scot- tish island of Stronsay in the Orkneys in 1808, first seen by local fishermen and farmers. "But before any informed examina- tion could be made, storms had smashed the rotting carcass to pieces," the Bords wrote. "� e drawing that was made from the witnesses' descriptions showed an extraordinary animal with a long neck and undulating tail and three pairs of legs, a feature hitherto unknown in a ver- tebrate. � e corpse was � nally identi� ed as a shark by a British surgeon, Everard Home, who had made a study of shark anatomy and was able to obtain speci- mens of bones that had been removed from the beast." � e Bords wrote that the decomposition of shark carcasses, when washed up on shore, can leave what looks like an unworldly creature with a long thin neck and tail. As a child, I would gaze for hours at pictures and illustrations in the book and was captivated by several sightings on the west coast of Canada. � e Bords wrote: "In the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and British Columbia, the creature known locally as Cadbo- rosaurus or Caddy was sighted by the (native Canadians) long before the arrival of the white settlers." Caddy was seen frequently during the 1930s, the Bords explained, and described as a 45-foot long serpent with wide-open jaws, rising out of the water. � e descriptions were similar to those of the world's most famous water monster, Nessie, said to inhabit the depths of Scotland's Loch Ness. I love the idea that unknown monsters -- perhaps even surviving dinosaurs -- may lurk beneath the surface of the world's lakes and oceans. Of course, as an adult I understand that the vast majority of these beasts, perhaps all, are likely misidenti� ed creatures like the rotting Indonesian whale or the result of overactive imaginations seeing per- fectly natural phenomena. But surely the enormous oceans of this planet are home to many species great and small that science has yet to identify. Nature continues to surprise us, and I hope that one day we dis- cover that some of the "cryptids" that fuelled my childhood imagina- tion emerge from the depths into reality. ••• Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL ARTS On behalf of the Ontario College of Trades (College), congratu-lations to Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning on their remarkable achieve- ment in earning a medal at the 2017 Skills Ontario Competition. The incredible talent on display at the Toronto Congress Centre was truly inspiring. Demonstrating a high degree of expertise, participants showed they have what it takes to be part of the next generation of Ontario's skilled trades professionals. The demand for skilled trades pro- fessionals in Ontario continues to rise. � at's why we must reach out to young people and encourage them to explore the skilled trades and complete an apprenticeship program--a major step towards a stable a successful career. Navigating the apprenticeship path- way has been made less intimidating through our youth-oriented website, EarnWhileYouLearn.ca, which is chock- ful of information on the over 150 skilled trades in Ontario. After � nding the trade that's right for you, the College's HireWithCon� dence. ca job board helps connect you with those looking to hire. I want to thank those readers who show their support for the skilled trades community -- It's important we con- tinue to encourage the next generation of skilled trades professionals to ensure a strong Ontario economy. Once again, congratulations to all the winners on their impressive achieve- ments. David Tsubouchi Registrar & CEO of the Ontario College of Trades After Justin Trudeau and the Lib-erals surprised the country with a majority government Trudeau uttered those famous and dubious words "we're back." The significance and meaning of these words becomes a little more apparent every day he and his govern- ment underperforms. A veritable litany of broken promises, misplaced priorities, reckless spending and scandals are becoming more reality than perception for this government. Trudeau may well have undercut himself greatly in the pre-election cam- paign with his misleading and reckless promises made to voters and special interest groups, many of whom have now quickly become impatient as they see little hope of these promises being kept. Waffling on electoral reform and inaction on promises to the First Nations are but two examples of his inaction which is fueling the increasing impa- tience by many of his voters. His campaign promise of three con- secutive years of only $10 billion dollar de� cits has proved to be a preposterous work of � ction as the de� cit hit $29 bil- lion in the � rst year of this government. Media darling status is rapidly fading for this "sunny ways" Prime Minister. Canadians want a Prime Minister who demonstrates leadership, competence and putting Canadian interests � rst. A generous man might give Trudeau and his government a grade of "C" but that might well be overly generous based on his performance to date. Unless he starts delivering on promises he can expect lower grades yet. Gerald Hall Nanoose Bay, B.C. Slow down, you move too fast A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about my memo-ries of parenting, in which I urged today's young parents to take it easy on themselves, as they raise children in this age of Instagram perfection. It was lovely to experience the reaction to that column - many readers took the time to share their own experiences as parents. A few of you let me know that you snipped the column out of the paper to pass along to someone who needed to read it. Last weekend, I was away on an annual girls' weekend, with three women that I have known for 25 years. Over that quarter cen- tury, we have raised our children together, through countless play dates, Sunday dinners and family vacations. We have been rained out of camp grounds, together. We have coached sports teams, together. We have picked each other o� the ground, when needed, together. We have celebrated marvelous achievements and endured painful hardship, together. Of course, we talk about our children -- a lot. � e highs, lows and the in-betweens. I asked them what parenting advice they will pass along to their own children. First and foremost -- slow down. What does slowing down look like? Spend more time being with and playing with your kids. � e key word in that sentence is "with." Take that family vacation, the simpler the better. And remember, kids are happiest when they are barefoot, get- ting dirty and eating disgusting (to you) food. Build that fort in the living room, allow that Lego to spread across the family room, encourage them to garden with you and read to them. At the same time, teach them how to clean up after themselves. If they make the mess, make them clean it up. If they get into trouble at home or school, make sure that they face the consequences. � ose early experiences in personal accountability are important. Because if they don't learn it as kids, you will still be cleaning up after them when they are young adults. Don't rely on technology to entertain your kids. I laugh to think of the endless road trips my children endured, without movies to dis- tract them from … what? Watching the world go by? Did you know that "watching the world go by" is good for you? Daydreaming, imag- ining, creating … all these important things take place in a quiet, re� ective head space. Instead of filling their brains with endless, animated chatter, make the e� ort to encour- age quiet, thoughtful moments. Stop chasing perfection. Relax. Breathe. Above all -- enjoy. ••• Karen Scian is the co-founder of the Talent Business Solutions, an educator and a recovering city councillor. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board. You can email her at beinscian@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @karenscian. BEIN' SCIAN KAREN SCIAN Accomplishments stress importance of the trades Practicing some cryptozoology Prime Minister not doing well in keeping his promises