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6 Independent & Free Press, Thursday,November 25, 2010 OPINION Arrive alive The first flurries have yet to fall in Halton but, be forewarned, they are coming. Rather than wait for the first dumping of snow from Mother Nature, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are advising motorists this is the ideal time to prepare yourself and your vehicle for what Environment Canada predicts will be a snowy, cold winter. Getting Your Vehicle Ready: · Install four winter tires before the first snowfall (winter tires provide greater control and stability). · Have an ice scraper or snow brush in your vehicle to clear the snow and ice from all windows, mirrors, lights and roof (also wait for the fog to clear from the interior of the windows so you have good visibility). · Top up your windshield washer reservoir and keep an extra container in your vehicle. · Keep your fuel tank at least half full so that you don't run out of gas if stranded, and to prevent condensation in your fuel tank. · Keep a fully-stocked emergency kit in your vehicle. · Lastly, have your vehicle fully serviced to avoid unnecessary breakdowns. Adjusting your driving habits: · Drivers must SLOW DOWN! (speed is the #1 cause of winter crashes). · Adjust your driving according to the road and weather conditions. · Leave extra space between vehicles (stopping distances are at least double on snowy roads and even longer on icy roads). · Know where you are (if you require help in an emergency, you need to know your location when asked). · Monitor road and weather conditions, plan your trip and check local weather before heading out. Following these simple tips may make all the difference in ensuring you arrive at your destination safe and sound no matter what Mother Nature throws at us. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Christmas sales, ads and music have begun. When do you think is the best time to start celebrating the holiday season? · Anytime after Remembrance Day (20%) · Anytime after November 1 (6%) · Anytime after Dec. 1 (52%) · Two weeks before Dec. 5-- tops (22%) Go to www.independentfreepress.com Steve Nease Letters to the editor Patient praises hospital staffs Dear editor, Recently I had a heart attack. I'm fine, but I want to share my observations of the people who spend their lives saving ours, and the roadblocks they face. The first ambulance arrived quickly after we called 911. The attendants began diagnostics and treatment. I was soon whisked to Trillium Health Centre and into a cath lab, where a team repaired my blocked artery. Waking, I got to watch what went on in the ward. How many times did I hear the words, "code blue" and watch nurses scramble to the emergency? At Trillium there was a calm efficiency, but I could also feel the intensity of the work. A day after my admission, I was sent to Georgetown Hospital. Forget the crumbling building or the lack of major new equipment. I want you to know about the absolutely heroic efforts of the Georgetown nursing staff to save the lives of their patients, when every effort starts buried in cement. Georgetown, get down and your knees and thank these people for what they do for you. Here is the problem. At Trillium, everything is there in the way of equipment. At Georgetown, watching the nurses first put together the materials they required to treat a patient was a race against time. Yes, big items are needed, but you can't imagine the extra stress that lack of the daily essentials must cause these amazing people as they find themselves going non-stop with multiple patients, wasting time on the basic tools of treatment. I challenge anyone responsible to explain to me why these sorts of items cannot be made available. Thank you to everyone at both Trillium and Georgetown for excellent care and to the Canadian health care system. My goals in writing this letter are, (1) to embarrass someone with the authority to ask the nurses (not administrators) what they really need to make their lives less insane here in Georgetown, and to (2) let them know their super-human efforts were admired and appreciated by a patient who spent most of a night watching and listening. Phil Lewin, Glen Williams hosts to be used for Holy Communion in the Catholic church. These hosts are certainly available from a church-approved source. At Holy Cross Parish we have parishioners of various ages who use them regularly. We are only too happy to assist people with these concerns so that they are not prevented from receiving Holy Communion. If the child in question is in Georgetown the parents are more than welcome to contact me at Holy Cross to make the necessary arrangements. There is no cost incurred by the communicant under any circumstances. If the family lives outside of Halton Hills they may wish to speak directly with their parish priest. Father David Wynen, Holy Cross Catholic Parish Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone 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. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Ban all firearms Dear editor, I am getting very tired of seeing letters in the various newspapers for or against the gun registry. Let's ban all firearms. If anyone is caught with a firearm, send them to prison for life with no chance of parole. That will help fill the prisons the Tories plan on building. F. Spingola, Erin 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. Gluten-free hosts Dear editor, I wish to respond to Susan Hynes' (Nov. 23) letter regarding gluten-free