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6 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2007 EDITORIAL Distributed to every home in Acton and area as well as adjoining communities. 373 Queen Street East, Unit 1 Acton, Ontario L7J 2N2 email: thenewtanner@on.aibn.com Frances Niblock Mike OLeary Angela Tyler Janis Fread Rebecca Ring Publisher Editorial Ted Tyler Hartley Coles Editorial Contributors Advertising and Circulation Composing Marie Shadbolt Bruce Cargill Danielle McIsaac Janine Taylor with Hartley Coles (519) 853-0051 Fax: (519) 853-0052 Every effort will be made to see advertising copy, neatly presented, is correctly printed. The publisher assumes no financial responsibility for typographical errors or omissions in advertising, but will gladly reprint without charge that part of an advertisement in which an error may occur provided a claim is made within five days of publication. All articles, advertisements and graphic artwork appearing in The New Tanner is copyrighted. Any usage, reproduction or publication of these items, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher of The New Tanner is a copyright infringement and subject to legal action. Potpourri It is hard to believe there are people in this town and area who would stoop to defacing church signs and landscaping and spray painting the new Rotary bandshell in Prospect Park with graffiti before the project was even finished. Vandals also defaced the Boathouse in the park as well as several signs and went to work on the new steel framework of the new multi-purpose Agricultural Society building in the park. The vandalism is a sad reflection on the whole community where all of these projects are for the public good. We hope the police can catch the culprits and extend the full force of the law on their misplaced spray painting zeal. Any information people may have on the vandals would be appreciated by Halton Police. *** Heres a tip of the editorial chapeau to the organizers of the Acton Community Christmas Dinner who again this year served a turkey din- ner with all the trimmings to those who might otherwise be alone or not have been able to enjoy the social festivities on Christs birthday. About 60 people enjoyed the dinner this year, served at Bethel Christian Reformed Church, accompanied by carols and other fun. Organizers and their helpers, of course, gave up time with their families and friends so others could enjoy the holiday. *** Environment Canada says the mild winter weather were experienc- ing this winter is not the result of global warming but merely a blip in weather patterns. Icy polar weather which ordinarily brings below-zero weather and snow to Canada, is stuck in the arctic. Meanwhile balmy winds from the south keep temperatures above the freezing mark and melt the ice on lakes, rivers and streams such as this photo of Fairy Lake Monday which resembles a skating rink in the frosty mornings and a swimming pool by afternoon. From the Feb. 2, 2006, New Tanner. *** Has there ever been a more brilliant Christmas lighting display in this area from residents than there has been this season? The lack of snow didnt discourage people from lighting up their homes and property with all the elements that contribute to a festive ambience. They ranged from tasteful to gaudy and from elegant to displays to match the Griswolds. After the dreary fall months when the sun only appeared for auditions, the Christmas lighting cheered most of us up. Even the grinches must have smiled. Alas, theyll soon all be gone. WELL, I SWAN: Who could have visualized the serene scene of a Fairy Lake swan enjoying the water on the north arm of the lake on New Years Eve day? John Shadbolts lens caught the image as one lone bird consorted with a flock of Mallard ducks testing thin ice that comes and goes in weather better suited to early spring than winter. Extreme weather can be costly Global warming may have been the last thing on the minds of Van- couverites as they dug out from a record snowfall and cold snap. But its another reminder of how much we all depend on the stability of our atmosphere. While residents of other Canadi- an cities may scoff at Lotus lands relatively minor misfortunes, the city has certainly had its fair share of weather anomalies lately. First, record rains churned up rivers and caused landslides in the citys watersheds, leading to turbidity problems in the drinking water supply and a boil-water advisory across the region. Then, just as the water began to clear, a record cold and snowfall paralyzed the city. What has this got to do with global warming? Well, extreme weather events like these are exactly the kind of thing clima- tologists say will become more common as our climate heats up. How confusing is that? Global warming can cause heavy snow- falls. But its true. This ability to link global warm- ing to so many weather-related phenomena has created a bit of a joke: Blame everything on global warming. Stock market down? Global warming. Cant get a date? Global warming. But underlying the joke is a serious fact. Our atmosphere is connected to everything includ- ing us. By adding vast amounts of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (from our industries, cars and power plants) were trapping more heat near the surface of the earth. More heat means more energy. Adding so much energy to our atmosphere creates the potential for more violent outbursts like the weather Vancouver has been feeling lately. This is why its so imperative and urgent for humanity to get this problem under control. Its not as though global warming is just a minor inconvenience. Left unchecked, its set to become a major hindrance to economic growth and international develop- Continued on page 7 Science Matters By David Suzuki Positive attitude The Toronto Star recently interviewed community movers and shakers in Toronto about their visions for a new and better city in 2007. Some of them had some good ideas about how the city could improve its image and make the Conde Naste tourism list. But it took Mike Pinball Clemens, the irrepressible coach of the Canadian Football Leagues Toronto Argonauts, to turn the inquiry on its ear. The Pinball, who recently took out Canadian citizenship for he and his family, told reporters that Torontonians should start with a better appreciation for what they have and realize the greatness of their city. Toronto is not second fiddle to any other city in the world, the upbeat Clemons proclaimed. We are not a little New York because Toronto is better than New York. We are not Hollywood North be- cause we are better than Los Angeles. Now some may think Mike Clemons may be exaggerating at least a little but it is his positive attitude towards everything hes connected with that contributes so much to its success. Its like the old adage about a glass of milk measuring half way down a glass. Some would say its half empty. People like Pinball would say its is half full. Now that 2007 is here if a few more of us adopted that buoyant Clemens attitude it could go a long way to solving some of the problems we face, real or imagined.