ogeys shed armor EVERYONE WAS surprised, theugh delighted that so many men showed up for _ their first-ever Men’s ‘fair, _- imaugurated by the North Shore Neighbourhcod House on Groundhog Day. | Some wives and sweethearts “came, which was nice, but there was a very satisfactory preponderance of men, making all involved very “happy. They'd not been all that con- .Vinced that the men they were woo- ing, would respond... :-. Way not? Well, you and L at our. ~ age, know that men, bless them, are wild and free, that’s part of their per- 'sona. They have always regarded "themselves as doers, instigators, movers and shakers, and it’s not in * their agenda to offer themselves up to be. moved and shaken.’ “But something is happening with : men nowadays — even our old, set- in-their-ways “shy about it but they are definitely - loosening up, letting themselves be a ‘little bit softer, yielding here and there. They show it in the way they've been getting around the col- .-lar-and-tie thing, by letting down : itheir hair at the barbers, too, and relaxing the buckles of some of their ‘cherished male armor. But they’re changing.” Hallelujah... . nice thing; to see ; Young, men push- ing ‘strollers, ‘wiping small noses, tucking in the blankets in the baby carriage! There was a time, you'll remember, when our children’s .. fathers wouldn't be found dead pushing a baby carriage or cradling a bawling infant, not even at home. Instead they'd recoil, separate them- - selves as far as ible from the domestic messes, decide they’d have Pharmacist | CAPSULE COMMENTS W Parents become concerned when cheir f I child has a fever and rightly so, but a fever éf isn'c all bad. Ic doesn't harm the body and ! eys. They're a little - to “go back to the office” until the kid grew up. 1 know I’m exaggerat- ing, but not much. We've all come a long way, and frankly, if 1 were in charge, we'd back up a few notches. Roles are getting confused. We cun see that men are relaxing the master-of-the- house line of conduct, which was the father’s role. Not just support, either — being the head of the houschold then required that he also lay down the law about bed-times and table-man- ners and homework and dress. Mothers were there to teach life, to underline the importance of friends and how to keep them, to teach cleanliness and honesty and truthfulness and the value of hugs. Nowadays, when so many mothers are in the commercial world. the messages the kids get are not so clearly defined. Who's in charge? And because often during the day there is no adult available to make the call, children assume their own programmes, and some of those may not be such a hot idea. On top of that, there’s the television, offering stuff of great value and importance, but making public also a lot of very unnecessary and undesirable pro- gramming that confuses and excites. But you know, I think I'm miss- ing the whole point. Perhaps this technology is in fact taking the place of the hearth-fire that once drew the family together. In the 21st-century the family will be more intimate and stronger than ever, because Dad and Mum will be working away on their computers at home to make a living that used to require their actual pres- ence. You and J will have packed it in, probably, before the family is thus re-established, but until then it will be interesting to watch the evolution. Our biggest problem will be to keep from saying “Oh, we didn’t do that cS sort of thing in my day.” That's the whole point. We can_ fulfil our contribution to the advance towards a better world by just keep- ing our traps shut and taking an aspirin every once in a while. It’s not going to be easy, but boy it’s going to be different. Brace yourself. ) PETER BARKER 21 Years Expeionce 231 LONSDALE AVE. | NORTH VANCOUVER 986-8515 | _ Shop for your Valentine at: Aroma Joy, The Body Shop, Details, Duso’s Pasta, Screaming Mimi's, Baron’ S_ Books, Olde World Fudge, Margitta’s Fresh Flowers, May's Flowers, and Perks. 4 fi fipnionce ‘YT some research says it might even help the j body's immune system and increase the J whice blood cells’ defeace activities. f Normat body temperature varies from per- : f| son to person, season to season, and even B hour to hour. The average healthy range is | ft 35.8°C (96.5°F) to 37.2°C (99.0°F). Hor § ‘baths, exercise, smoking and warm weath- f " er can cause body temperature to vary a ‘degres or more. Daily temperature ranges ‘Be from a low of 36.1°C (97.0°F) between } 192 ALM, and “4 ALM. to a high of 37.2°C ’ ff (99.0°F) between 6 BM. to 10 RM. i | "DAVIES PHARMACY | [1401 St. Georges 985-8771 | Open the door to sweet treats at Lonsdale Quay Market. Heavenly chocolate, heady scents, nose-tickling bubbles, jazzy jewels, perfect pasta fixings for two, sweet pies, bouquets bursting with colour and romance, exotic gifts or just the right book.