The record, 15 janvier 2008, mardi 15 janvier 2008

I RECORD The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 75 CENTS + TAXES PM#0040007682 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Cleaning up the Pike River He writes And he’s getting the attention By Jen Young Sherbrooke Sherbrooke’s Michel Rivet has always fancied the likes of super-stars Merle Haggard and Buck Owens — but now he may well be on the way to joining them in the hearts of country fans.the songs The 58-year-old St.Elie d’Orford country music songwriter was told his song ‘Pass me By’ is one of 10 chosen from around the world to be performed on a label’s limited edition CD, titled To Catch A Rising Star.His song will soon be in the hands of big-name artists, publishers and radio stations.“I don’t know how it feels,” said Rivet.“I just write songs.That’s what I do.” Please see Music on Page 4 Millions for sewage, drinkable water By Maurice Crossfield Frelighsburg Life along the Pike River is going to get a little cleaner following the announcement Monday of sewage and water upgrades in Frelighsburg, Stanbridge East and Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge.“This file is one of our most important files for the quality of the Pike River and Missisquoi Bay," said Brome-Missisquoi Liberal MNA Pierre Paradis at a press conference in Frelighsburg.“It affects the quality of life of thou-Please see Clean on Page 8 Aw Shucks! Lee Aulis gives Cedric Cormier a thank you kiss; find out why on page 11.COURTESY page 2 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 ! ¦—THE» RECORD Voi.untei-:r Bank Income Tax Clinic Tpwnshippers’ Association, in collaboration with Revenue Canada and Revenue Quebec, will offer again this year an income tax service for low-income families.We are presently seeking volunteers for the Income Tax clinic.Location: Training will take place at the association’s Lennoxville office.Dates: Feb.11 from 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m.and Feb.14 from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.Volunteers must attend both dates.Skills: Some knowledge of income tax preparation is preferable, but not essential.Note: Clients using the service are required to drop off their income tax papers at the Lennoxville office.Volunteers can then pick up and complete them at home; and then return the completed forms to the office.For more information or to participate in the volunteer workshop, contact Evelina Smith, Townshippers’ Association’s Volunteer Bank coordinator at 819-566-2182 (toll free 1-877-566-2182) or info@townshippers.qc.ca.On Volunteering “Throughout my life, I’ve seen the difference that volunteering efforts can make in people’s lives.I know the personal value of service as a local volunteer.” —Jimmy Carter About the Volunteer Bank The Volunteer Bank is an initiative of Townshippers’ Association and was created as a result of a need expressed by English speakers to become more involved in their community, as well as to provide English-speaking volunteer support to community groups and organizations.Do you have a special talent, skill, OR SERVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS?Is YOUR GROUP OR ORGANIZATION LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD VOLUNTEERS?IF SO, CONTACT Evelina Smith, Coordinator of Town-shippers’ Association’s Volunteer Bank at 566-2182 (toll free 1-877-566-2182), INFO@TOWNSHIPPERS.QC.CA, OR George Courville, Coordinator of Partners for Health & Social Services - Townships-Montérégie Network at 263-4422 (TOLL FREE 1-866-263-4422), GC@TOWNSHIPPERS.QC.CA.¦ North Hatley Cash COURTESY Orford Liberal MNA Pierre Reid handed over a cheque for $97,740 to North Hatley Mayor Stephan Doré Monday, to be used for infrastructure expenses.The money is a mix of federal and provincial money.Briefs Hospice thanks volunteers The Maison Aube Lumière thanked some 200 of its employees and volunteers last Thursday.And 98 received a special pin to mark their two years of work, five years, or even 10 years at the cancer hospice.In addition, Jean Grégoire gave over a cheque for $138,000, raised during the pre-Christmas poinsettia sale.Volunteers delivered, and consumers purchased, some 6,940 plants.Jacques-Cartier aquaduct break Sherbrooke’s Jacques-Cartier North Boulevard was under consrruction Monday to fix a broken water main, according to a city press release.The break was between Portland Boulevard and Albert Skinner Street.Salmon River gets some help Orford Liberal MNA Pierre Reid announced a $1,250 grant Monday for the Société de la conservation du corridor naturel de la rivière au Saumon.The money will be used to buy a 1.22 hectare property, according to a release, near the Bran de Scie and Si-moneau lakes in Orford.The spot is filled with a swamp frog population that’s considered “vulnerable” in Quebec, and also features a small forest.Weather Today: Cloudy with 60 per cent chance of flurries.High minus 7.Wednesday: Sunny.Low minus 17.High minus 9.Thursday: Sunny.Low minus 17.High minus 3.Friday: Snow.Low minus 6.High zero.Ben by Daniel Shelton MOMMYlX HOW COME EVERYTHING MIA WEARS HAS TDK PINK?WELL ITPOESNT HAVE TDK.EUT SHE IS A GIRL- l -ANPAFTER _ THREE eOYStfS NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE PINK, PONT YOU THINK?jsA P PONT WORRY, MICHAEL-EVENTOALLY THE NOVELTY WILL WEAR OFF/ THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO FLORAL PATTERNS' : — the —- RECORD Tuesday, January 15, 2008 page 3 Arrest in second bank robbery Found in Granby Staff Sherbrooke A 41-year-old man was arrested over the weekend in connection with the bank robbery at the Royal Bank of Canada in Lennoxville last week.Police in Granby arrested Magid Ghazzaoui, who appeared at the Sherbrooke courthouse Monday afternoon on charges of robbery.Ghazzaoui is being kept in custody.The theft happened Jan.9.At about 1:10 p.m.that afternoon, a man walked into the Royal Bank at 131 Queen St., demanded a sum of money, then fled on foot.No weapon was reported to have been used and none of the bank’s staff members were injured.Only weeks before, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Lennoxville was visited by two thieves who held up the branch at gunpoint Dec.20.Police have so far made four arrests in that case, although at least one more arrest is expected.Sherbrooke police say there is no link between the two robberies.Is phoning Where Are We, Again?GORDON ALEXANDER Passing was a little iffy Monday, especially on Route 55 near Richmond around 2 p.m., where one car passed the other in a blinding swirl of snow.The thaw is over and it’s back to January weather as usual.spouse from work long-distance?It may become a local call By Sarah Rogers Sherbrooke If the results of a local impact study are well-received, residents in the greater Sherbrooke area could see the end of long-distance telephone fees when calling each other as soon as fall 2008.“If the project is accepted, there will no be further charges for long-distance,” said Bell Canada spokesman Serge Audet, following an initial special three-year billing.“But at this time, I can’t tell you what will be the amount charged.” The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently gave Bell Canada the go-ahead to conduct a study which will determine the overall cost of widening the local call zone around Sherbrooke.The city requested the expansion in 2004.The study will offer a short-term cost estimate to participating municipalities - a monthly fee that will be charged to phone users over three years.Municipalities can then decide to join, or opt out.Audet pointed to other regions where similar long-distance plan expansions have been studied and implemented.In Gatineau, for example, participating municipalities paid an additional $0.50 per phone bill per month over three years.In the area around Hamilton, Ont., phone users paid $0.58.Currently, a phone call from Magog to Bromptonville will cost you long-distance fees, depending on the time of day and user plan.But with the proposed expansion, an area bordered by Windsor, Wotton, Dudswell, Bromptonville and Magog could all enjoy local calling.Areas left out of the expansion were excluded for technological reasons, due to the way the telephone network is set up, Audet explained.The study will require collaboration with other phone service providers such as Telus, Cogeco, Videotron and Coop- Tel.It should take until March 2008 to complete, at which point municipalities will be approached to participate.In Windsor, Mayor Malcolm Wheeler said he has spoken with Bell Canada representatives regarding the expansion and believes it will help a lot of transactions across the region.“As a town council, we’re very much in favour of participating,” Wheeler said.“It’s going to be a positive thing for the entire community and for (communication) across the Eastern Townships.” Giving an example of a long-distance nuisance, Wheeler points to communication between Windsor and the Eastern Townships School Board, which is headquartered in Magog.He also said people who work at the paper mill in Windsor often live outside the com- munity and shouldn’t have to pay longdistance rates to call home from work.Whatever the initial fee charged, Wheeler doesn’t believe it will be extravagant enough to dissuade local support.In recent years, there have been as many as 70 demands for expanded local calling zones across Ontario and Quebec, Bell’s Audet said, which are being dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis.The next areas to be considered will be focused in the Saguenay and around Quebec City. page 4 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 ! - ¦TIIEmii RECORD Music: Cont’d from Page 1 He’d been performing country songs, with his wife, for decades.“I’ve played music in Florida, Nashville, Ontario, and all over Quebec,” he said.“But I started writing my own songs over a year ago.I wrote songs that I thought Johnny Cash, George Jones, and others like them should be singing.They are all up in their 80s now and they are slowing down [or have passed away].” Rivet, equipped with his computer and the Internet, says his songwriting career took off with the help of a little luck — and a camp ground.“I was playing one of my songs that I wrote and there was a band from Nashville beside us.(A member of the band) came over and asked me if that was my own song because he liked it.He said, ‘It’s Quebec right?’ and I said yes and he offered to do the song with more of a Nashville style.” After that, Rivet began regularly sending his lyrics to Nashville’s Paramount Group.“I write the lyrics and I send them to Paramount.They decide if they like them and if they do then they build that song by adding instruments they think the song will sound best with.They have never told me that they don’t like a song that I send.They recorded over 1 million songs last year for songwriters.Some of those songs have been sung by Garth Brooks and other popular country singers.Each year they listen to all the songs that they have recorded and pick 10 to create a limited edition CD that they send to all the radio stations, publishers, and labels throughout the United States.” Essentially the Tennessee company records professional demos after adding music and a voice, while giving each song a Nashville style.And it’s radio ready, and may well be played on country stations this next year.This could be Rivet’s big break in the country music industry, but he said some of the 200-some songs he has already written and recorded - including ‘Shove your love where the sun don’t shine’ and ‘We love to live in the country' — have already been playing over American airways over the past year.“Songwriters send their songs into Song ramp (an Internet critique site).A couple weeks after I sent some of my songs in for criticism I got a call from Dixie Vornbrock.She liked my songs and she asked me if she could play them and I said ‘of course’.” Vornbrock, an independent promoter, is a DJ and founder of Triplestrand Productions, who dedicates her time to getting radio stations world wide to play songs written or sung by her clients.She is also the founder ofTSPradio.com, that plays strictly independent music, where Rivet’s songs get airplay.Rivet is francophone; he said the hardest part about English country songs is actually penning the lyrics without flaws.“It took me 15 minutes to think of the words and three daÿs to write them out without making mistakes.That is what’s hardest for me because I am French." In total.Rivet has had 11 of his songs 1 .".J.w* Michel Rivet writes country tunes that are getting recorded.PERRY BEATON recorded professionally in Nashville and is in the midst of releasing his first CD, My Dream, expected to be available this March.Due to his heavy accent the songwriter says that he is always looking for singers.“Right now I have Steve Aulis (a long time local country musician) singing some of my songs.I’m always looking for singers.I spend about two months in Nashville, two months in'On-tario, and six months in Florida a year and last year I went to over 1.000 karaoke bars looking for voices I wanted on my songs and I didn’t like anything I heard.Then I found Steve.He sounds and looks country.He has that style that I wanted my songs to be.” Aulis is not the only singer vocalizing Rivet’s words.In fact, Kentucky’s Jodie Sutherland, whose country album sold 300.000 copies, has requested one, but Rivet said he doesn't let just anyone sing his songs.“I have had a few calls from England singers wanting to sing some of my songs and 1 refused to let them,” he said.“I don’t like the accent and I don’t think it makes a good sound.If you have good lyrics but the sound is bad you might as well just throw that song in the garbage.I can’t sing because I have an accent.Not just anybody can make a song sound good.You have to be picky because the sound is what sells the song.” Rivet says he will continue to follow his passion and love for country music to wherever it leads him.But he hopes to hear the likes of George Strait singing one of his songs one day.Two thirds of seniors fret scamsters will strike By Don Butler Canwest News Service Tjwo-thirds of seniors say they’re worried about becoming victims of fraud, according to a survey done for Justice Canada last year that provides a rare insight into seniors’ views on the subject.The Ekos survey of 1,505 people age 55 and older found that just more than one third express a high degree of concern about fraud, and another third are somewhat concerned.A summary of the survey, dated December 2007, was posted recently on a government website.Fraud worries seniors even more than crime in general.Just over one in four say they have a high degree of concern about being a victim of crime in general, with about a third saying they are somewhat concerned.Six in 10 seniors say they have refused an offer for fear it might be fraudulent.In the 12 months preceding the survey, done last May and June, one in 20 seniors said they had been defrauded, while a further six per cent said they had been a victim of property theft.Younger seniors and those with more education appear more likely to be victimized, the survey suggests.Those between 55 and 64 were twice as likely as those 75 and older to say they had been victims of fraud.And eight per cent of university-educated seniors say they were defrauded in the previous 12 months, compared to just three per cent of those with high school education.Of those who said they had been defrauded in the previous year, just over half said it was the first time they had been victimized.But 18 per cent said it has happened twice, and a surprising 28 per cent said they have been victimized three times or more.Credit card and bank fraud is most common, cited by 34 per cent of senior fraud victims.Just over one quarter say the fraud involved merchandise that was misrepresented or never delivered.Another quarter cited services not performed properly or not provided at all.One in seven were victims of fraudulent activity involving investments.The survey was done because information on mass marketing fraud and victimization is lacking in Canada, says the survey’s executive summary, though statistics from Phonebusters suggest that seniors make up a large proportion.The Ekos survey found that about one third of senior fraud victims report losing $1,000 or more, 29 per cent say they lost less than $1,000 and 35 percent say no money was lost.Just over one third of seniors reported the fraud to police.Of those who didn’t report the loss, 53 per cent say they dealt with it in another way.Slightly fewer say they thought police wouldn’t do much to help.Face-to-face contact is the most common method of solicitation used by fraudsters, cited by nearly four in 10 senior victims.One in five say they were solicited by phone, nearly one in 10 by mail and eight per cent by e-mail or the Internet.One third of victims paid for their fraudulent items or services by credit card.Direct debit from a bank account was used in 17 per cent of cases, with cheques and cash each used 14 per cent of the time. .RECORD, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 page 5 Teens hardest hit by injuries Training needed on ATVs, says expert, who blames government By Jen Young Sherbrooke ¦ » ¦ ¦ 4ie loss of a child is a hard pill to swallow.Especially one as young as nine-year-old Terry Wilkins of -A.Danville, who died Saturday after being crushed by an ATV on his family’s land.However, ATV experts say these types of death can be avoided with proper training and laws — and Quebec needs to act.“It can happen to anyone, but it doesn’t have to,” said George Smith, the national coordinator of ATV programs at the Canada Safety Council.“It’s tragic, a terrible loss that is unacceptable under any circumstance.I face this everyday across Canada, but when it happens close to you it hurts more.The only answer is training and awareness.” According to statistics, ATV sales tripled in 2001, at which time 2.5 million Canadians were riding them and 850,000 owned one.With the increase in sales came an inevitable increase in injuries.Accidents involving ATVs are now the third most common cause of severe injury when it comes to recreation and sport, next to cycling and snowmobiling.And the majority of victims are aged 15 to 19.Smith said all-terrain vehicles, which first appeared in Canada in the 1970s, are regularly used by farming families as another crucial piece of equipment needed to carry out daily tasks.“Families learn from each other how to drive them.For many it is a way of life,” he said.“This isn’t only in Quebec, this is across the country.It’s mostly boys aged 9 to 15 that use the vehicles since they see their dads or big brothers using them often.But, I’ve also seen three-, five-, and seven-year-olds injured or die because of them.” Last weekend’s ATV death is at least the second this winter involving youths in the Townships area.Eighteen-year-old Alex Ross lost his life on Dec.9.According to Smith, awareness and education about ATVs — which now include bigger, more powerful vehicles like the six-wheeled Gaitor — is the only way to battle the steadily rising fatalities.He said an accident can happen just a quickly, or just as unpredictably, as any other type of incident, but if training wasn’t so difficult to get, lives could be saved.“The law says that you must be 16 years old to operate an ATV.It also says that you have to wear a helmet and have the proper license and insurance,” he said.“The catch-22 is that those laws were created for use of ATVs on public roads and are not enforced on private land.You get into a tricky situation with that.Do you make laws mandatory on private land?If you do then you have to contend with individuals who own the land and are these landowners going to allow police to give tickets for not wearing a helmet or just to stop and check permits or age?” Of course, even proper training won’t stop all fatalities: Weather conditions, even the driver’s weight, all play a role.“If a driver is going up a slope and their weight is not enough to keep the vehicle stable it will roll over.It is not recommended that anyone under 12 years old drive a vehicle with more than 70 ccs.Nowadays there are ATVs of 800 ccs.It would take an adult who weighs around 150 pounds to keep that vehicle under control.” Last year alone the Safety Council helped train 14,000 people to operate ATVs.“The people we train are people who ask for it.Training is not mandatory in Quebec and the rules and laws that surround their use is a mixed bag of legislation.The only legislation that exists states that a person must be 16 years old to operate the vehicle, anyone under that age cannot be trained.This law neglects the whole population of individuals, of any age, who use the ATVs at their private homes.It doesn’t make any sense.“A person has to be 16 to operate a car on the road, and now people even have to take a course to operate a boat, but a person could go to any age without any instruction on an ATV and drive them all their lives.Why?It is a motorized vehicle just like anything else.“Some provinces say 12 years old; some say 16, and some don’t have any age at all.I believe everyone who is going to operate the machines should be trained, no matter how old.” Smith said safety and awareness does not come solely from the government.He regularly visits schools in Ontario: “Whatever we can do to stop death and injury will help.” After Massey-Vanier High School student Alex Ross’s death, the principal said the institution might look into offering some ATV workshops.Smith suggests the FQCQ— the Fédération Québécoise des Clubs Quads.“The instructor cannot give any formal training unless the students are over 16 years old, but they will be able to give safety tips and inform young people of the dangers.The schools could use it as an activity afternoon.” Terry Wilkins was a student at As-bestos-Danville-Shipton Elementary School, and a team of psychologists greeted students and staff Monday morning to offer a listening ear.This makes for the second accidental death for the school in the past two years, as teacher Valerie Castonguay died in a car accident in October of 2006.Eastern Townships School Board spokeswoman Sharon Priest said principal Kirk Robinson was reserving the day, and probably most of the week, to focus on his school community, as well as the victim’s family, and was unavailable for comment.“As a school board our main concern is always student safety,” she stated.ADS teacher Jessica Young, who is presently off on maternity leave, said the loss will touch everyone.“He was such a friendly, happy, pleasant little guy,” said the Grade 5/6 teacher.“He wasn’t even in my class, but I knew him and looked forward to seeing him everyday because he was always saying, ‘Good morning Miss Young’ with a great big, happy smile.He didn’t just make my mornings brighter: he made everyone’s lives blessed just by knowing him.My thoughts and prayers are with his family.” Anyone interested in ATV workshops can call Club Quad at 514-252-3050, or the Canada Safety Council at 613-739-1535.Poverty MU I S ' .*¦' « MH PERRY BEATON Yvonne Bergeron invited one and all to a Wednesday, Jan.23 event beginning with a rally at 5:15 at the Cégep de Sherbrooke cafeteria, followed by supper and a meeting to chat (en français) about ending poverty.Tickets are $12 and can be purchased (before the 20th) at 819-828-3822, through the Table d'action contre l'appauvrissement de TEstrie.|- I m v • Announcing the new [HOW Witn delivery www.sherbrookerecord.com .- «THE» to your dining room.RECORD page 6 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 ^RECORD; Community Forum The war on cancer Fight the cause first The real war is not the purported war on cancer but the one designed to keep that war secret.So-called attempts to defeat the disease were conducted by the heads of industries hellbent on producing the very agents that cause cancer.Those same industries also profited handsomely from the drugs and technologies designed to detect and treat the disease.As a result, the cancer industry is a corporate success story.Defeating cancer is not! Efforts to actually prevent the disease are consistently denigrated and discredited with all the same ammunition that a powerful corporate world used to defend and promote the use of tobacco.The agents known for well over a decade to cause cancer were left not only untouched, but in many cases, the news suppressed.The real culprits are tobacco, the workplace, radiation, polluting industries, the global environment and much of what all those entities generate.Dr.Devra Davis, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, delivers the brutal facts in her new book The Secret History of the War on Cancer.Newsweek magazine named her book a must-read in October: “|T]he cancer war has been fighting the wrong battles, with the wrong weapons against the wrong enemy.” Forty billion U.S.dollars of taxpayers’ money has focused far too much on treatment and not nearly enough on prevention, Davis says.In the meantime, cancer rates skyrocket.Interviewed at length on CBC Radio’s The Current, the picture drawn by Davis emerged strikingly parallel to the Wendy Mesley documentary on cancer shown on CBC TV months ago.There is plenty of blame to go around, Davis claims, and she serves it up to the scientific community, the government and even to cancer advocacy groups.Three years after the surgeon general announced that smoking caused cancer, the US government spent $30 million attempting to produce a safer cigarette.The failed effort succeeded in giving tobacco companies cover as smokers were wrongly told that a safer cigarette would soon appear on the shelves.Davis argues that time after time, from tobacco to benzene to asbestos, the profit motive has trumped concerns over public health.In a stunning admission, Davis reveals that one of the foremost epidemiologists of the 20th century was discovered after his death to have been on the take to Monsanto to the tune ________ of $1,500 a day.In an ultimate betrayal, Davis reports: “Some of the early leaders of the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute left their posts to work directly for the tobacco industry, where they funded major academic research programs throughout the world to foment uncertainty about the dangers of their prod- 10 g£ HONES! WHI1H VOU, HANDICAPS SCARE HE I Viewpoint Ivy Weir uct right up to the 1990s.While people may think of the American Cancer Society as a foremost supporter of research, in 2005 it reported spending less than 10 per cent of its nearly $1 billion budget on independent scientific studies.And there is much more.No one should drink diet sodas sweetened with aspartame and children shouldn’t use cell phones.And think twice, Davis says, before having a CAT scan, except for a bona fide emergency.One scan, she says, emits the rays equivalent to hundreds of X-rays.The Davis revelations will come as no surprise to Queen’s University professor Samantha King, who also wrote in her book, Pink Ribbons, that treatment was promoted at the expense of prevention.King claimed that the marketing-sawy large foundations have mastered the art of linking themselves to breast cancer as a hot cause.They have succeeded in transforming how we think about breast cancer by stressing survival and the idea of a cure when none exists.The culture of be-stoic-and-remain-cheerful prevails.A woman’s risk factor for breast cancer was one in 22 in the 1940s.It grew to one in 7 in 2004.Yet we still hear women claim there is improvement.Surviving cancer can certainly be wonderfiil news, but not getting it at all, is even better.The best news that has emerged in cancer in years was the stopping in 2002 of prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that made pharmaceutical conglomerates wealthy and kept doctors in demand.When I declined a prescription for estrogen-laced HRT recommended by my family doctor, she persisted.I f^mnvioR^r, tl'S A CURRENT HANDICAP l — Till- — i RECORD P.O.Box 1200 Sherbrooke J1H 5L6 or 1195 Gilt E, Sherbrooke JIG 1Y7 Fax: 819-5693945 e-mail: news-room@sherbFookerecord.com Website: wwwjherbrookerecord.com Kenneth Wells Pubusher .(819) 569-9511 Eleanor Brown Editor .(819) 569-6345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mcr.(819) 569-9931 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman .(819) 569-9931 Francine Thibault Prod.Superv.(819) 569-4856 DEPARTMENTS Accounting .(819) 569-9511 Advertising .(819) 5699525 Circulation.(819) 5699528 Newsroom .(819) 5696345 Knowlton office 88-A Lakeside.Knowlton.Quebec, JOE I VO Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax:(450)243-5155 mail subscriptions GST PST t YEAR 120.00 6.00 9.45 6 MONTHS 63.00 3.15 4.96 3 months 32.00 1.60 2.52 TOTAL $135.45 S71.ll $36.12 pointed out that menopause wasn’t a disease and thus didn’t need to be treated.Finally she suggested in so many words that maybe I didn’t need a doctor since I felt no obligation to take her advice.We parted company permanently.I did not contact her when such estrogen treatment was discontinued following a sharp increase in deaths from cancer and stroke among those who had taken their doctor’s advice.The treatment prescribed to patients for benign night sweats and hot flashes was causing cancer, effectively making healthy women ill.These women then turned back to the same doctor for treatment of the newly diagnosed disease without missing a step.The scandal that should have rocked the medical world barely caused a ripple.Out of Quebec residents do not include PST.Rates for other services available on request.The Record is published daily Monday to Friday.Back copies of The Recotd are available.The Record was founded on February 7.1897.and acquired the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879) in 1905 and the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) in 1908.The Record is published by Alta Newspaper Group Limited Partnership.PM#0040007682 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Record, 1195 Galt East, Sherbrooke, QC JIG 1Y7 Member ABC, CARD.CNA, QCNA Doctors mumbled something about the shortage of doctors.The media, instead of asking why doctors were increasing the incidence of cancer with their treatments, were asking what women were going to do for hot flashes.It becomes patently clear that the economy that has mushroomed around the cancer industry is nurtured by our own tax dollars along with the millions raised from all of us in campaigns, falsely believing we are fighting the disease.As Davis explains, we have been duped big time.Quebec’s minister of health, Phillippe Couillard, just recently gave an $8-million grant to the medical community to improve cancer treatment.Until the dollars raised are earmarked specifically for prevention, those same dollars will continue to stoke the cancer industry at the expense of an increased toll in mortality rates.The predictable campaign to vilify and discredit Davis., a shining example of the best the medical world can offer, has already begun.Davis has paid steadfast homage to the motto, “First do no harm." Readers will likely remember the similar harassment of one-time executive Jeffrey Wigand, the anti-tobacco activist who exposed the perfidy of the industry and paid dearly for his fidelity to a higher order.His life story was told in the critically acclaimed Hollywood movie The Insider.Many of us bear witness to the story Davis tells.Both of her parents died of cancer.While more and more of our own family members and acquaintances fall victim to the disease, masses of money continue to be solicited, supposedly to vanquish the enemy.The Canadian Cancer Society predicts a steady rise in mortality rates in this country without any suggestions on how to reverse the trend.Thanks to Davis, The Secret History of the.War on Cancer is no longer a secret.Stoicism and remaining cheerful doesn’t cut it.It seems that an honest war on cancer at its source is long overdue.Ivy Weir lives in Sherbrooke. ' ¦ .— thk—m RECORD Tuesday, January 15, 2008 page 7 A question that, as yet, has no answer?She relearned to eat with a fork fi Susan Mastine Whatever happened to Beverly Slater?I feel like I know her and care about her after having read her book last week.There are hundreds of books in this house, from many sources — sales of used books at community events, boxes of books at auctions, my favourite second-hand book store,.A day or two after New Year’s, I sorted through part of my collection of not-yet-read books, getting a sense of what was there and prioritizing them.About a week later, I fumbled through the books at the top of the “read next” pile, rejecting for the moment a couple of Dick Francis books, another called Road to the Isles and a hardcover, The Best of Modern Humor edited by Mordecai Richler.Sometimes a book just seems to call out, “Pick me!” It could be the title, the jacket design or the description on the back cover.In this case, it was none of the above.There seemed to be no explanation for the spell Stranger in My Bed was casting over me.The title echoed Harlequin but the content was nonfiction.Described on the cover as “a courageous woman’s battle with amnesia,” “a true story” and “a remarkable tale laced with love.and courage,” this proved to be an intriguing read.On her way to school to teach medical and dental assistants, Beverly was struck by a car.Her head injuries resulted in an amazing loss of memory.She at first could only talk gibberish and recognized no one — not her husband, her two grown children, her parents nor her friends, and had lost all recollection of life as she had previously known it.She remembered nothing before the time she regained consciousness — her childhood, her married life, being a mother, nor her professional experiences.She had no grasp of what objects were or what they were for.Everything — faces, places, names, and concepts, from snow to squirrels, from mirrors to manners — appeared to be unknown to her.She had no comprehension of affection, no feelings of friendship, no grasp of the term “home.” She had completely lost her senses of taste and smell.Ever so slowly, there were signs of change.Beverly started to speak in a comprehensible manner after 10 or 12 days, although she was often impatient, angry and verbally abusive.Her behaviour and reactions were more childlike than adult.Family and friends remained supportive, patient and helpfui.The new Bev became curious, bold and very different from her previous persona.She insisted on having her hair vibrant red, wearing bright colours, and often talking to strangers.She spent hours pouring over the books from her former life, with reference books close at hand.Miraculously: although she had to learn to eat with a fork all over again and at first required help to get dressed, she had retained the ability to read and write.She studied and studied, relearning general information rapidly.Eventually she got herself a job investigating consumer complaints.Later she worked teaching medical secretaries and office assistants.Then she took on the mission of getting her story told in print.Stranger in My Bed was written 24 years ago by Beverly Slater and Frances Spatz Leighton.Beverly later co-authored two other books with other people: A Positive Approach to Head Injury in 1987 and Coping with Head Injury in 1988.She also wrote a children’s book, Angel Rivals, published in 2005.But I long to know — how has she been?Did she ever get her preaccident memory back?Her doctors had no idea whether she ever would or how that would shape her life should it happen.What’s happened to her husband Harold and to their children, Joanie and Stuart?There does not seem to be a sequel to this story.Too bad.T - fir ;W8t I Centre auana^en ctionpuW Labour Troubles PERRY BEATON Employees at the Centre récréatif de Rock Forest aren’t on strike, and so waited until 3:30’s end-of-shift to picket Monday to protest their salaries.The 15 employees say they want parity with municipality of Sherbrooke employees who do similar work.The centre is run by a non-profit; staff get $8 to $12 an hour.Stéphane Grenier of the Syndicat Canadien de la fonction publique said a Zamboni operator at the Rock Forest centre gets $12 an hour; a Sherbrooke employee doing the same job gets $19 an hour.PERRY BEATON Meanwhile the 100 or so employees at Sherbrooke's Grafikom — seen here on Dec.20 as they held a demonstration to exert pressure on management - will begin their first negotiating session on Friday.The printing company (which imprints credit cards and vinyl) was sold two years ago to a collection of Toronto-based companies.CSN union spokesman Claude Dallaire said he doesn’t know who the majority owner is — the government business tracking website doesn’t list such numbers.The employees are trying for theirfirst union contract.The CSN does have one local out on strike — those are the employees at the Audi garage in Sherbrooke, who walked out Dec.6. page 8 Tuesday, January 15, 2008 RECORD i * »'J .*.*