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A decade? Already? A decade-- how long is that? Well, by all standards, 10 years is considered the usual measure of time. I've lived through a bunch of them, starting with the '50s, right up to the '90s, and now we're into the 21st century. (I have no idea what we call that first decade of the 21st century... the `0s'?) I think back a scant 10 years, and recall the paranoia that was rampant about computers changing over to 2000. It was dubbed Y2K, and the world was supposed to end that day, as the computer systems were supposedly unable to cope with that date change. (I'm sure a lot of computer people made tons of money milking that paranoia.) And, as I predicted 10 years ago, the sun did rise on the morning of January 1, 2000. The banking world didn't crash, nor did our national defence system quit. Water even flowed from my kitchen tap... (well it should in my case, I'm on a well.) So here we are a decade later. It occurred to me many things have gone the way of the dodo in that decade, and many others have taken their place. Take answering machines. I'm talking about those old ones with little cassettes in them. Most of the world now has voice mail, for the most part digitally recorded, often by our telephone provider. We no longer lick a stamp, if we send a letter at all. When we use them, postage stamps are now all peel and stick, but email has pretty much taken over the communication world. Smoking in bars-- man, that one couldn't come soon enough. Actually, in the past decade smoking almost anywhere in a public place has become a no-no. The fax machine is sill around, but collecting a lot of dust. Email has taken a lot of the work away from the old fax. Here in the newspaper business, a submitted story is much more welcome by email than a fax-- we only have to copy and paste it, not type the entire thing from a fuzzy fax. Remember the floppy disk? Now we carry around a USB drive attached to our key ring and can store the same data as 1,000 floppy disks on a device smaller than a pack of gum. Polaroid photos are gone. Most everyone has a digital camera, and can email Police looking for leads to school break-in Halton Regional Police Service is investigating a break and enter to a local school in Acton. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, the suspect(s) forced open a small window to McKenzie-Smith Bennett School, 69 Acton Blvd. Suspect(s) were able to gain entry into the premise, but fled immediately after the security alarm was activated. If you have any information that leads an arrest in this or any other matter, you may be eligible for a cash reward. You will never have to give your name or testify in court. Crime Stoppers of Halton does not subscribe to call display. A safer community is your call. Please call 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-2228477) or www.haltoncrimestoppers.com to 7 Independent & Free Press, Friday, January 1, 2010 Ted Brown photos around the world in seconds, giving grandparents instant gratification as they receive images of their little darlings. And what has emerged in the past 10 years? The word Google has not only become a name, but also an everyday verb-- `I'm going to google that when I get home... etc'. Facebook keeps the world informed about all our friends, relatives, pets, phobias, games, fetishes... well you get the idea. And Twitter is gathering speed in the same cyberspace arena. The first time I received a `Hotmail' I was concerned it was something sent from a porn site. Hotmail and Gmail, part of that immense world of online mail services, have taken over the e-mail world, giving people on the road an opportunity to check email at the local library, or sitting in an airport in Europe. In the banking world, the use of cheques must have taken a huge drop. With online banking, I only write a handful of cheques to pay bills. Most of my bills are paid online, from the comfort of my home computer. With Google Earth and others like it, we are now able to see our world from a satellite view. And closely related, GPS (Global Positioning System) units for our cars have become so affordable that folded road maps are becoming next to extinct as well. So we've come a long way baby, (as the old cigarette commercial used to say) and life has become high-tech and electronic as a result. What will the next decade bring? I have no idea. But as we start into the second decade of the 21st century, there is once again one certainty. The sun will come up on the morning of January 1, 2010. Of that, I'm sure. Happy New Year. 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Halton Hills Christmas Tree Collection Urban areas only In Halton Hills, Christmas tree collection occurs twice in the month of January (urban areas only): Collection Area 3 Collection Area 4 Collection Area 5 January 13 & 20 January 13 & 20 January 13 & 20 0CKMTCÏ?JJÏRGLQCJÏJGEFRQÏBCAMP?RGMLQÏRPCCÏ QR?LBQÏ?LBÏNJ?QRGAÏ@?EQÏDPMKÏ!FPGQRK?QÏ RPCCQÏNPGMPÏRMÏAMJJCARGML .JC?QCÏCLQSPCÏRPCCQÏBMÏLMRÏ@CAMKCÏQRSAIÏMPÏ DPMXCLÏGLÏQLMUÏ@?LIQ !FPGQRK?QÏRPCCQÏ?PCÏR?ICLÏDMPÏAMKNMQRGLEÏ?RÏ RFCÏ&?JRMLÏ5?QRCÏ+?L?ECKCLRÏ1GRCÏUFCPCÏ RFCWÏ?PCÏRSPLCBÏGLRMÏT?JS?@JCÏKSJAFÏDMPÏSQCÏ GLÏJ?LBQA?NGLEÏNPMHCARQ Visit www.halton.ca/waste and use MSPÏLCUÏi.SRÏ5?QRCÏ'LÏ'RQÏ.J?ACjÏMLJGLCÏ RMMJmCLRCPÏ?LÏGRCKÏWMSÏ?PCÏSLQSPCÏUF?RÏ RMÏBMÏUGRFÏ?LBÏGRÏUGJJÏRCJJÏWMSÏFMUÏRMÏPCSQCÏ PCAWAJCÏMPÏBGQNMQCÏMDÏGRÏNPMNCPJW ÏÏ Manulife Bank of Canada Regional Council approves a 0.2% tax reduction for 2010 Karen Clancy Manulife Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Clancy as Banking Consultant in the Georgetown, Orangeville and surrounding areas. Karen brings several years' experience in the financial services industry to her new territory, including the past four years as a Manulife Banking Consultant in Sault Ste. Marie. Brian & Duff Maltby are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Lauren to Justin son of Julie and the late Bart Lawrence. Wedding to take place June 19, 2010. Karen will work closely with financial advisors, their clients and other homeowners throughout the area, to help them put in place the revolutionary Manulife One account. If you'd like to discover how Manulife One could help you save thousands in interest, improve your cash-flow and be debt-free years sooner, please call Karen at 905-873-9983. -LÏ5CBneQB?WÏ"CACK@CPÏÏ&?JRMLÏ0CEGML?JÏ!MSLAGJÏ?NNPMTCBÏRFCÏ0CEGMLhQÏ Ï SBECRÏ?LBÏ SQGLCQQÏ.J?LÏBCJGTCPGLEÏ?Ï ÏR?VÏPCBSARGMLÏDMPÏ0CEGML?JÏ NPMEP?KQÏ?LBÏQCPTGACQÏ?LBÏ?ÏAMK@GLCBÏU?RCPÏ?LBÏU?QRCU?RCPÏP?RCÏDPCCXC Ï 'LÏRUMÏMDÏRFCÏJ?QRÏDMSPÏWC?PQÏ&?JRMLÏ0CEGMLÏF?QÏPCBSACBÏGRQÏR?VÏNMPRGMLÏDMPÏ 0CEGML?JÏNPMEP?KQÏ?LBÏQCPTGACQ Ï2FCÏAMK@GLCBÏR?VÏGLAPC?QCÏDMPÏ0CEGML?JÏ %?PWÏ!?PP NPMEP?KQÏ?LBÏQCPTGACQÏMTCPÏRFCÏJ?QRÏDMSPÏWC?PQÏGQÏJCQQÏRF?LÏF?JDÏ?ÏNCPÏACLR Ï$MPÏ 0CEGML?JÏ!F?GP KMPCÏGLDMPK?RGMLÏ?@MSRÏRFCÏÏ SBECRÏ?LBÏ SQGLCQQÏ.J?LÏGLAJSBGLEÏQCPTGACÏ ?LBÏNPMEP?KÏGLGRG?RGTCQÏBCJGTCPCBÏ@WÏRFCÏÏ@SBECRÏTGQGRÏ&?JRMLÏ0CEGMLhQÏ UC@QGRCÏ?RÏwww.halton.ca/2010budget Halton Regional Meeting Schedule Jan 12, 9:30 a.m. &C?JRFÏÏ1MAG?JÏ1CPTGACQÏ!RRC Jan 13, 9:30 a.m. .J?LLGLEÏÏ.S@JGAÏ5MPIQÏ!RRC Jan 13, 1:30 p.m. ÏBKGLÏÏ$GL?LACÏ!RRC +CCRGLEQÏA?LÏ@CÏTGCUCBÏ?RÏwww.halton.ca 010110 Manulife One is offered through Manulife Bank of Canada. Manulife, Manulife One, the One logo and the block design are registered trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it and its affiliates including Manulife Bank of Canada. 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 "G?JÏÏMPÏÌÌÏkÏ2MJJÏ$PCCÏÌÌÌÏkÏ227ÏÌÌÏkÏUUU F?JRML A?