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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, November 3, 2011 OPINION Make the time With the clocks about to "fall back" and give Ontarians a precious extra hour for one day, Big Brothers Big Sisters and FedEx Express Canada recently asked Canadians to join them on Facebook to discuss how they would use a single hour to make the world a better place. The FedEx Value of an Hour Survey found this is how Ontarians said they would spend their additional hour: 1. Completing household errands and chores (28 per cent) 2. Catching up on sleep (23 per cent) 3. Family and friends (20 per cent) 4. Exercise (13 per cent) 5. Volunteering (eight per cent) 6. Pursuing personal interests (five per cent) 7. Work (four per cent) "The (survey) sends a clear message: Ontarians, like people right across this country, need to make room in their busy lives for their human needs," says Bruce MacDonald, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC). "Imagine what could happen to levels of personal satisfaction and connectedness if everyone could free up just one hour to improve life in their communities." The fact that Ontarians are forgoing community service because of the frantic pace of their lives should come as no surprise. However, research clearly shows that community volunteers believe they get far more out of donating their time than they give. On page 10 of this issue, perhaps not so ironically, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton indicates it is in need of volunteers-- primarily men and women 19-and-older to work with "littles" (ages 5-14) during weekly or bi-weekly visits. Volunteers are also needed for school-related programs and a group recreation program. Perhaps that `extra' time you gain this weekend could be well spent helping a local youngster. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor The scariest part of Hallowe'en Dear editor, My eight-year-old wanted to be a dead bride this Hallowe'en-- I said no way. So we went shopping for a costume. Apparently, the bloodier the mask, the better. Cut arms and spilled organs, rotten skulls, dismembered body parts, blood streaming from mouth--so cool! I saw a five-year-old at a party dressed as a murder victim. His white shirt had three red spots and blood running down his chest. His face was painted white and black with red streams coming from the sides of his mouth. Everybody thought it was cool. Scary-cool. Then I got Thursday's newspaper (Oct. 27) with the "House of Horrors" on the front page, decorated with rotten skulls and horror movie characters with watery eyes. And in the middle of this "beauty" was dad with a small child. So, I wonder what do kids think when they see these masks? Are they scared or are they used to it? Unfortunately, the second seems to be true. And that to me is the scariest part of Hallowe'en. Andrea Dubravsky, Georgetown about 0.0037% as a proportion of body mass (www.ganfyd.org "body composition"). Fluoride is inescapable, ubiquitous, and the amount found, naturally, tells a tale of necessity for the human body. With a cursory knowledge of chemistry, biochemistry and bacteriology from study and research, an essential "need to know" in my early years and sucess in my own later corporate business, which had nothing to do with dentistry, the level of hysteria, quackery, and pure rubbish around this fluorine ion in our drinking water was breathtaking and fascinating. For a totally unbiased view, what medical and oral expertise would be acceptable to the public? I return again and again to paediatrics: responsible for overall children's health from birth through youth. Fluoride should continue to be added to municipal water supplies where natural concentrations are less than 0.3 ppm (0.3 mg/l). A suitable trade-off between dental caries and fluorosis occurs around 0.7 ppm (0.7 mg/l). Need more be said? Fluoride in Halton's drinking water, at the tap, is 0.7 mg/l. Keep it that way! Ivor Davies, Oakville Fluoride debate is unnecessary Dear editor, Halton Health & Social Services Committee discuss removal of added fluoride in drinking water (Sept. 27). Halton Health Department instructed to prepare (another!) fluoride report for presentation to the Committee, January 2012. Must we go through this again? The groundswell of disinformation, misinformation, and nonsense, along with specious speculation residents have been exposed to for about four years, will continue anew. Fuoride is natural and variable worldwide: seawater alone contains about 1.3 mg/l. The human body naturally contains fluoride (about the 13th chemical element proportionally, after oxygen within the 60 or so known body chemicals), WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.independentfreepress.com) Will you be getting a flu shot this year? · No (61%) · Yes (29%) · Undecided (10%) The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.