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THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2005 THE NEW TANNER GRAPEVINE VOLUNTEERS THANKED Eight Acton residents are among 15 volunteers being honoured to- night (Thursday) by Halton Hills Community Support and Informa- tion (HHCSI) at the Ballinafad Community Centre. Among the awardees at the an- nual volunteer appreciation dinner are three who have donated their time and talents to HHCSI for 15 years -- Acton's Donna McClure, Wes Fountain and Henry Kroes. HHCSI volunteer coordinator Marlene Beitz said the event is a special occasion, but they know "we have to value our volunteers every day, not just one day a year," Ten-year volunteer award re- cipients include Acton's Dorothy Rognvaldson, Doris Townsley and John Buckman. The five-year award recipients from Acton are Myrtle McCabe and Gloria Vermuelen. HHCSI has approximately 170 active volunteers; the majority help with seniors' programs including Meals-on-Wheels and friendly visits. SCOUTREES Members of the Greater Halton Area Scouting movement, includ- ing Acton, will be planting 4,000 trees at Dufferin Quarry in Acton on Saturday (April 30) as part of the Scoutrees program. Dufferin Aggregates supplies the trees and the site and the Beavers, Cubs, Venturers, leaders and par- ents supply the labour. The local Scouting group keeps 70 per cent of the money raised through fundraising for the ScouT- rees program. This is the 32nd year the Scouting has planted trees at the Acton quarry. SEAT CLINIC The near-zero car seat pass rate at the last safety clinic at the Acton fire station wasn't a surprise to the inspectors -- in most cases, either the belts holding the seat, or the belts holding the child were not tight enough. Halton Partners for Car Seat Safety is holding several car seat clinics over the next few months including one on June 11 at the 'Churchill Road fire station, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The clinics are by appointment only. To register call Halton police at 905-878-5511 ext.: 3954. MS CARNATIONS Officials at the Halton chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada hope Acton businesses and churches will take advantage of a Mother's Day Carnation Cam- paign. . Proceeds from sales of flowers ordered in advance are used to help fund a cure for MS, and a variety of flowers are available for ordering. Advance orders are due by May 2, and flowers will be delivered on May 6. Call the Halton MS office at 1-800-211-8322 for details or to order. HERBAL MAGIC Some members of the Toronto Argonauts and chicken hotdogs will add to the festivities at the grand opening of Acton's Herbal Magic franchise in the Acton East plaza on Sunday (May 1). Franchisee Cori Critchell said she and her partner Toni Pigeon, who owns several Herbal Magic franchises in Mississauga, are both from Georgetown, and they wanted to expand to Acton. Herbal Magic offers a free con- sultation to clients, and then designs a lifestyle program and protocol, offering products that guarantee a two-to-seven-pound a week weight loss, if weight management is an issue. Critchell said $50 from each new Acton Herbal Magic membership would be donated to the Canadian Tire JumpStart program that allows underprivileged children -- in this case from Acton -- to take part in Town recreation programs. BULLYING HELP Parenting guru Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, The Bullied and The Bystander will provide information and advice to help break the cycle of bullying at two seminars on May 30, one in Milton and one at the Georgetown High School. Tickets for the no-nonsense parenting expert's talks are on sale at several Acton locations includ- ing the River Street library and at the Off The Wall youth centre and Halton Hills Community Support and Information offices, both at 47 Mill St., East. Bus transportation from Acton to Milton, or Acton to Georgetown, is available by calling Laurel Barnett at 905-878-5511 ext.2120. BAND BATTLE Non-professional North Halton bands can battle for sonic suprem- acy this summer as Campbellville celebrates its birthday with a week- end of festivities that includes a battle of the bands from local high schools. Six bands will be chosen by a pan- el of independent judges listening to audition tapes submitted before May 21, if hand delivered, and postmarked May 14, if mailed. The bands chosen will play a three-song set at the birthday party on June 11, at the Mohawk Inn. For details call Sally at 905-864- 9400. SPRING SALE Crafts, plants, baked goods, refreshments and much more will tempt those who attend "Spring Tyme at Churchill" on May 7, at Churchill Community Church. The annual sale runs, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to | p.m. CANCER PROMO The Pampered Chef continues to fundraise to fight cancer with a "Help Whip Cancer," campaign in May. One dollar from the sale of se- lected Pampered Chef products is donated to the Canadian Cancer Society's breast cancer education and early detection programs. Acton's Pampered Chef rep, Pa- tricia Daleman is holding an open house on May 5 at her 20 Knox Street residence to showcase new products, offer discounts of in-stock items and support the Canadian Cancer Society. Call 853-8622 for details. v ioe Split rail fence: Once they were as common as outhouses but few of the split rail fences which once cross checked this neck of the woods are left. A legacy of the pioneers who hacked their way through the Esquesing bush, the rails kept livestock in and helped to keep some predators out. Danielle McIsaac caught this speci- men of weathered cedar fence in her lens near the old Nassagaweya/Esquesing border. This Papal election has had more press coverage than any other. This is due to 24 hour televi- sion news channels coming on the scene and the immense popularity of Pope John Paul II. Interest in the declining health of John Paul II filled the airwaves and newspapers for weeks. Hundreds of thousands kept his deathwatch in St. Peter's Square and tens of millions fol- lowed the events through different media outlets. John Paul II was the most be- loved Pope in modern times. This was due to a combination of personal charisma and ac- complishments. The choice of his successor would be difficult to say the least. Time will prove that the selection of Pope Benedict XVI was truly inspirational. But the first thing the new Pope needs is a break from the media. So much has been written about the decisions and pronouncements he made while prefect of the con- gregation for the doctrine of the faith. But excuse me, who's lead do you think he was following? Pope John Paul IT was well known as a conservative Pope during his reign. Pope Benedict has been branded as "God's rotweiller" and "Cardinal no." I submit though, that was when he had his old job. He has not been given a chance to put his personal stamp on his Papacy. We may find he is even more open and friendly than his predecessor. Those who were hoping or expecting that this Pope would bend the church's teachings on basic matters of faith and morals are doomed to disappointment. And there's a simple solution to those who don't respect or want to listen to what the Pope has to say. Don't be a catholic. There's no pressure. One indication of how close the-present and past Popes were, comes from their personal history. John Paul II, as you know, was Polish. Benedict is from Germany and had a minor military history during the second World War. Hard feelings would be easy. Instead, these men developed a strong bond and worked together as close as possible. I think this speaks volumes about the respect \they had for one another. I expect (Is the Pope Catholic? The Way I See It with Mike O'Leary y John Paul II would be very satis- fied with the Cardinals' choice of successor. The secular press has tried to brand Benedict as racist and intol- erant. This is, as usual, completely wrong and fueled by ignorance. This Pope is quite clear on where he stands when answering the rhetorical question: "Is the Pope a Catholic?" Other religions un- derstand his thinking. None other than the Jerusalem Post expresses no surprise that "he believes in Jesus so strongly that -- gasp! -- he thinks anyone, even Jews, should accept him as the Messiah." I don't understand how this Pope's message is offensive or unexpected. What do we expect the Pope to say: "We think we're on the right track?" Much has been made of the fact the new Pope is 78. Again, a brilliant choice. This is a clear indication the College of Cardinals was looking for an orderly transition. The Princes of the Church didn't get their positions without demonstrating considerable intelligence. They knew the church needed an orderly transition from a Populist Pope. Pope Benedict may have a short reign compared to John Paul II, but it's just what the church was looking for. Even the taking of his name is supposed to be symbolic. Benedict XV was Pope during the first World War. He was widely known as the "Pope of Peace" for his extensive efforts to end the war. Already this Pope has taken the first steps. He has met with the World Press where he thanked journalists for their coverage of the events of the past few weeks. He's extended a hand to Jewish leaders, talked of faith and unity and, through it all, shown extreme humility and wonderment at the task ahead of him. Not really the signs of an autocrat. 3 For those of you who really want something to worry about, we even have an Ancient Prophecy. An ob- scure Irish (what else) Saint wrote about the next 125 Popes and Bene- "sun. He fulfilled that prophecy by dict XVI is the 124". Pope John Paul XXIII was destined to be "the Pastor" and he was certainly beloved to the people. John Paul II was destined to do the work of the travelling around the glove, a feat unthinkable in the 1300's. Today's Pope is proposed to be "the peace- maker." He has certainly started his papacy this way. Beware, though, the next Pope is said to be a false prophet and will bring Armageddon -- the end of days -- but take heart, other scholars observe that the writings are so general in nature that the action of modern Popes could be interpreted to fit the ancient proph- ecy. So don't be running up your credit cards thinking you won't have to pay them off. Do I think we'll see some loos- ening of the rules? Yes, in some small ways. We may see some changes in the attitudes towards divorced Catholics and the ban on birth control methods. But nothing that will satisfy the mostly west- ern liberalist critics who demand nothing less than mediocrity. On the important issues of abortion, same-sex marriage and concern over 3" world issues he will show no compromise. Some people will say the church stands idly by while AIDS ravages Africa. That's mostly due to the ban on condoms. That's just not true. The Vatican led the fight to publicize the AIDS epidemic in Africa. They forced the multi- national drug companies to make their drugs affordable in those countries hardest hit. The Vatican has been extremely active in those countries. This Pope comes to the seat of Peter even more prepared than John Paul II. His years of experi- ence at the highest levels allow him a global vision of what the church needs. His European roots give him the background to deal with western secularization. Despite his age, I think he will continue to relate well to young people. Look to the man and judge him by his actions. Rely less on the precis: what others say about him. To borrow a line from Acton's own Father Bulbrook: I think you' ll find him less a "rotweiller" and more a kindly "German Shepherd." __/