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Timmy and Mickey? It's not news Sometimes I'm embarrassed being a member of the Fourth Estate. In our fast-paced, gotta-know-now, gotta-know-everything-let's-all-Twitterworld, good news stories have gone the way of the dodo and have been replaced with sound bites, 10-second clips and stories that are anything but newsworthy. Take last month. Tim Hortons-- that bastion of Canadiana-- announced it was raising prices. The good folks at Timmy's (and I'm not knocking them) didn't even indicate what items would be going up in price, only that a price hike was coming. That announcement made it to every newspaper, and radio and TV newscast that day. Why? So what if Tim Hortons (Memo to Tim Hortons heavy thinkers: Put the apostrophe back in Hortons) bumped the price of a cup of java a nickel. Would it warrant a "news" story if Coffee Time did the same? What if Zellers hiked the price of diapers, would that make the 6 p.m. news? No and no. George Carlin (perhaps the most sensible human being born in the past 100 years) once railed about the media making Mickey Mouse's birthday a news story. He wondered how the rest of the world could take the U.S. seriously when valuable time was spent "informing our citizens about the age of an imaginary rodent!" I'm not saying that a price hike at Tim's doesn't deserve publication-- it does. But by Tim Hortons-- not our daily news outlets. The prevalence of so-called entertainment "news" shows has also helped set journalism back a few decades. Shows like Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, TMZ, etc. are little more than migraines waiting to happen. "Stories" consist of five-second sound bites and zip across the screen in rapidfire succession. 7 Explore Europe with your family and Save! Independent & Free Press, Thursday, May 5, 2011 TIME WITH YOUR KIDS IS PRICELESS! John McGhie Give me a well-researched 60 Minutes or Fifth Estate piece any day. Unfortunately, I don't hold out hope for an improvement in the art of journalism in the near future. A couple weeks ago a college journalism student called me as part of a class project in which they had to pick a town/ city-- she picked Georgetown-- and present to the class what challenges that municipality was facing. At least I think that's what the project was about. Her questions were horribly disjointed, she obviously had done zero research on the town and when I mentioned the words "Halton Hills" I swear I could hear her circuits overloading trying to figure out where that was in relationship to Georgetown. When she veered into a question about the federal election campaign I told her her question wasn't making much sense and she replied, "Well, just tell me about any smaller campaigns in town." Smaller campaigns? Although she had "heard" something about there being a federal election a couple weeks earlier, she was so uninformed about the election and the issues of the day it was frightening. I expect her future in journalism may involved selling papers, not writing for one. Then again, after seeing some of the NDP candidates elected in Quebec, perhaps there's a future for her in politics. But travelling with them can be expensive... We can help! Kids fly free! Magic & Make Believe- 9 Days Paris & London- July 7 Gladiators, Gondolas & Gold- 11 Days Italy- Aug. 4 European Wonderland- 14 Days Europe- July 27 Kids 50 % off Cruise! Treasures of Prague, the Rhine & Main Family Program- 10 Days- June 26, July 1, July 24 or July 29, 2011 Paris & Normandy Family Program 8 Days- July 3, July 31 or August 7, 2011 Georgetown Savings limited to one young traveller per adult. Uniworld ­ Valid for travelers between ages of 4 ­ 18, must be accompanied by an adult. Trafalgar Tours -Valid from select Canadian gateways only, Kids 5­12 years fly free, kids 13­17 years fly for $299 pp. Offer expires May 31 2011. 905-873-2000 328 Guelph St. Georgetown, ON TICO Reg #50018501 Open Saturdays 9am - 4pm w w w. v i s i o n 2 0 0 0 t r a v e l . c o m Backyards sizzle with a stone BBQ island! Outfit your home for entertaining this summer with a custom-built barbecue by Sensations in Stone. Call Philip Brazeau at 905.877.0296 and get grillin' As featured in `In Our Space' magazine "Spaces live. Let me help you live well in yours." Catherine Brazeau, Interior style consultant 905.877.0296 www.haughtonbrazeau.com Complete renovation management, colour harmonizing, furniture & accessories selection, lighting advice... and much more! Let's start creating your dream! ATHLETES of the week Acton High School Christ the King G.D.H.S Abbie Jolly Justin Corbett Jillian Borsuk Shana Toale Kiki Izzard Stephanie Brown Penne for your thoughts? Michael Batinic (left) and Adamo Biello of St. Brigid Catholic Elementary School in Georgetown South were big fans of the school's recent Family Pasta Night. The community event was used in part to raise funds for the Grade 8 class to help cover costs for graduation gowns and a class trip. Photo by Eamonn Maher Acton High School Athletes of the Week are Abbie Jolly and Justin Corbett. Jolly paired up with fellow Grade 10 student Natalie Shortt to be the youngest team to compete in the Halton senior championships, at which they finished fourth and qualified for the Golden Horseshoe tourney. Corbett, a Grade 11 student, and partner Lucinda Kollenhoven qualified for the regional tournament. Georgetown District High School Athletes of the Week are Stephanie Brown and Kiki Izzard. Brown leads by example on the Rebel junior girls' soccer field, while Grade 12 student Izzard has switched to defence and played a strong game for the senior girls' soccer Rebels in their season-opening victory over Bishop Reding. Christ the King Athletes of the Week are Shana Toale and Jillian Borsuk. Both members of the Jags' senior girls' rugby squad, each showed strong leadership qualities and had three tries at a pre-season tournament at Bishop Reding last week, in which CtK posted a 2-1 record. Toale, a Grade 11 student, plays the scrum half position while Borsuk, in Grade 12, is a flanker. SPORTS EXCHANGE WELLINGTON-HALTON HILLS MPP TED ARNOTT Web: www.tedarnottmpp.com Phone: 1-800-265-2366 Georgetown's Source for NEW and USED Sports BASEBALL - head to toe . . . players and team sales LACROSSE - everything you need for all levels SOCCER - shoes/shins/balls etc RUGBY & FOOTBALL - cleats Your One Stop Sports Store. GOLF - new and used sets, drivers, hybrids, putters IN-LINE HOCKEY - in-line skates, girdles and pants MOORE PARK PLAZA 905-873-0176 68 Main St. N. (Hwy. 7) Georgetown