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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010 7 GRAPEVINE with Mike OLeary The Way I See It Prunning tips While the ground is frozen solid, members of the Acton Horticultural Society are plotting and planning for the next growing season at monthly meetings sharing mulch secrets and getting expert advice from guest speak- ers including Sean Fox who will demonstrate and discuss pruning skills at the January 19 meeting. Fox is the assistant manager at the University of Guelph Arbor- etum and his talk will be timely as pruning can begin in late Febru- ary and early March. You dont have to be a member to enjoy the guest speakers, but the $7 annual fee is a good deal as it includes discounts at local nurseries. The Society meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Presbyter- ian Church. Local gardening guru Belinda Gallagher who works at the Royal Botanical Gardens will be the guest speaker in February. CrossWheels available This spring, Acton and area seniors who need rides to medical appointments will have another service to call on for help. The Canadian Red Cross is partnering with the Peel Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) and ESS Support Systems to provide a call system to link seniors who need rides in Halton and Mississauga to volun- teer drivers. Called CrossWheels, the ser- vice will allow seniors, unable to use existing transportation servi- ces because of disability issues, to call one number to schedule rides with volunteers to medial ap- pointments, adult day programs, rehabilitation programs and shop- ping. Officials expect to have the system running by the end of April. Volunteer drivers are needed if you can help call 416-255- 5969. Volunteers needed Do you have an hour to spare weekly to visit a senior? Acclaim Health is looking for volunteers who can spend time with sen- iors- playing cards, going out for coffee, playing games, going for a drive or just chatting. If you can help, call Joanne at 905-827-8800 ext. 2314. Thanks, donors Four first-timers were among the 49 people who gave the gift of life at the Canadian Blood Servi- ces blood donor clinic on Monday at Acton arena/community centre. Five people were deferred. Breakfast meeting Area businesswomen are invit- ed to the next breakfast meeting of Women 2 Women, an organ- ization that promotes networking, idea exchanges and raises the pro- file of local businesses. The next meeting is January 11 at 9 a.m. at Heal Thyself Clinic at 13377 Fourth Line, Acton. You can confirm your attendance by visiting www.w2wnetworking. ca Community Open House Local non-profit and commun- ity organizations will showcase their services at the Community Open House on February 6 at the Georgetown Market Place. Space is still available for groups to rent a table for the event that is designed to high- light the groups and organizations which provide services to the community, including sports groups, non-profits, service agen- cies, environmental groups, the Region and the Town. For more information, or to download a registration form visit www.haltonhills.ca/events.Open- House.php photo was accepted even though in my opinion she looked like a boy and I actually preferred the first photo with her tongue sticking out. I thought it would have been great going through customs. Everybody I told the passport story to couldnt believe she had to have her own passport let alone with a photo considering even her health card doesnt have her photo. My next worry was the flights. I dont know how we lucked out but she couldnt have been better. She seems to like flying more than she likes her picture being taken. On our flight from Chicago we ended up having a seat change and were in a row of three. After we sat down, a lady with a dog in a carrier sat in the aisle seat. As she looked at us, she had the same look on her face as I used to when I saw a baby on a plane. It was a look of terror. I guess its the five of us (implying us, her and her dog), she said. I replied, Well, we could be those people you hate or she might be as good as she was on our first segment. The woman looked at me very skeptically. About half way to Tampa as Little J snoozed 30,000 feet above the ground, the lady looked over to me and said, shes been really goodwhats her name? The terror had left face and I realized that if we can overcome the pass- port office and a newborn on an airplane that we can pretty much overcome anything. Travel easy... Continued from Page 6 Seems hardly possible that 10 years ago the world waited with baited breath to see if all the computers would grind to a halt and airplanes would fall from the sky like hail. In the en- suing ten years we saw greed taken to a new level by corpor- ate executives and, if you listen to the climateanoics, the sky will fall any day now. What did happen is a close brush with a world wide re- cession that rivalled the great depression of the 1930s. Although Canada generally es- caped the worst of the effects on our economy we arent out of the woods yet. The acid test will be to see what happens when massive government spend- ing comes to a halt at the end of this year and the cold reality of higher taxes and less service provided by government comes home. Given the seriousness of the next year or two, senior gov- ernment officials are probably making resolutions for YK10 or, at least, we should all hope they have a plan. At the very least theyd better have a plan to develop a plan. In the spirit of public service here are a few suggestions. Stephen Harper: Do some- thing about your eyes. Having watched the year end discussion between the P.M. and C.T.V. newscasters I found Harpers eyes distracting. I suggest con- tacts, heavy framed glasses or a blindfold. Its difficult to believe a P.M. whose eyes remind me of a shark lining up a seal. We wont talk about the smirk that poses as a smile. As an aside, whatever hap- pened to political leaders who looked and spoke in a manner that evoked public confidence? Where are the Kennedys, the Pearsons, the (I cant believe Im writing this) Trudeaus of the world? These were men who could convince you that they were acting in your best inter- ests when at the same time they were stealing your underwear while you were still wearing it. Yes, they lied to our faces, but they made you feel good about it. Politics shouldnt be about image but in this T.V. age it is. Michael Ignatieff: Go back to Harvard. Your problem isnt that you are smarter than the com- mon Canadian that you need to elect you. Your problem is that you believe you are smarter than the average Canadian, and it shows. You talk down to people and they resent it. Au revoir. Jack Layton: Are you think- ing about your next job Jack? You should be. The N-dippers may keep you around for one more run at the big job, but after that youre toast. You had your chance to grasp a sliver of power but you were out man- oeuvred by Mr. Charisma. Geez Jack, did your ego replace the need for research? Federal big league politics is a hardball game. You cant compete play- ing slo-pitch. Elizabeth Green: Winner of the Barbara Hall Award for an- noying whining. Dont go away, go far, far away. Dalton McGuinty: Get the *#?:: out of politics. Its one thing to fib to the people but to outright misrepresent your poli- cies going in is unforgivable. Your handling of the eHealth and lottery scandals proves you dont have the managerial skills to organize a two car funeral. Your finance minister just an- nounced a 1% tax cut on the first $37,000 of income. Big wow. That should cover the extra 8% on gas purchases for July 2010. McGuintys et al irrespon- sible taxation policies might tip the Ontario economy into a recession that will take other governments years to correct. Tim Hudak: We all realize that political parties tend to keep their platforms close to the vest until the election is called lest other parties borrow their good ideas and attack the ques- tionable ones. These days though its suggested Tim baby that you start outlining what/how you would govern differently. Its not enough to be negative, you have to show how you would be different and effective. The last thing we need is another whin- ing politician. Andrea Horwath: Ms. Hor- wath has shown more chutzpah since taking over last March and is proving to be a thoughtful leader and smart politician. Un- fortunately, she still carries the weight of the Bob Rae debacle around her neck. If this woman was leader of one of the two mainstream parties she could probably be Premier. The main- stream doesnt trust the N.D.P. Ed Broadbent in a skirt. Twitter Twits: While not political, most politicians seem enamoured with this latest fad. Does anyone really care what any of the above think on a minute by minute basis? Be- sides being a total waste of time, can anyone explain why the mundane seems so fascinat- ing? Twits should get a life. New year, same cast. Happy New Year - - - bah!! Welcome to YK10 CALENDAR CONTEST WINNER: The artwork of Riane Masse, a student at Actons St. Jo- seph Catholic School, was selected as the cover for Haltons 2010 waste management calendar, which will be available mid-January. Submitted photo