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Orono Weekly Times; Wednesday, December 11, 2002 ^jgsgk Places I've pimi Done Time À .|§| WÊÊÊÊSIHÊKW Healthy and Happy Another year is quickly drawing to an end and Christmas is near. 2002 has not been a good year for me financially. The stock market certainly has taken its toll. With little or no money, Christmas will be bleak. No one's to blame but me. Too many high risk stock investments. I was telling someone about my financial situation and they couldn't believe I was broke. "What did you waste your money on after all those years of work they asked?" "I didn't waste it all I replied, I spent 80% on whiskey and women, and wasted the other 20%." Nothing that I ever wanted to be worked out it seems. I wanted to be captain of my own boat but that never happened. I was able to drink the rum like a captain, but boats make me sick, so that was out of the question. I tried playing baseball and chewed lots of tobacco but couldn't throw the ball hard enough to break a pane of glass, or hit the damn ball out of the infield. So much for being a baseball player. Being a rodeo rider and making money was hopeless. I couldn't even stay on a pony. "Why not be an auctioneer like Charlie Reid and just work Saturday's someone asked?" Well, I'had poor eyes and couldn't spot the bids. "You should have been a diver," someone once said to me. "You have dived over, under, around and through most things." I thought about that and I guess I had. Over the years I dived out of cars, through windows and under chairs, over pool tables off bridges and other untold things I can't mention, but there was no money in that kind of diving, and a lot less in ducking in around or about. Mom said be a surgeon, but I wanted to be a sex symbol. I should have listened and I would have had money. With my luck, if I fell into a barrel of nipples I would come out sucking my thumb. However, things could be a lot worse. I'm healthy and extremely happy and maybe Santa will come. I really am grateful and feel truly blessed and may everyone I know have a wonderful wonderful Christmas and New Year and God Bless. Main Street, Orono Proprietors: Gary & Carol Vrccker • Wedding Catëes • Catëes for all Occasions • Pastries - Donuts - Pies • Bread & Buns 905-983-9779 Closed Sunday and Monday ft w Orono Coventry Cc»fe ^ ...... ' e Full Menu J) ft Main Street., Orono, Ontario • 983-9009 9$ sa © Brigitte Brown *** Gift Pedicurcs/Manicurcs Waxing Nail Extensions êyeiash Thuing ESTHETIC STUDIO Certificates Electronic Musdc- Stimulate (EMS) Available Paraffin Wax Ear Candling 15% DISCOUNT with coupon 71 Mill Street, Orono, ON LOB I MO • 905-983-8169 Clarington Concert Band and the Newcastle United Church choir performed a Christmas Concert at the Newcastle United Church on Sunday afternoon. Yesterday, in a raucous meeting, Parliament symbolically symbolically passed one plank of Jean Chretien's legacy. Assuming the passing of the motion is followed by the appropriate legislation, Canada is going to be bound internationally to the reduction of all manner of greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol is well on its way to binding you, me, our children, and our children's children's children. Protestations have been audible for the last few months. Ralph Klein in Alberta is screaming bloody murder. The way he's been going on, the Protocol, in his eyes, would wipe out an industry Alberta is singularly dependent upon. Gas and Oil. The guidelines for Kyoto do not stipulate gradual reductions reductions regional square by regional square. On the contrary, contrary, the Protocol requests cuts in greenhouse gases to be country-wide. Canada is on the hook to deliver as a nation--no parsing of land from West to East. Thus Alberta, as reliant as it is on greenhouse gas causing causing agents, is going to pay much more than other regions of this country to satisfy Ottawa, and the international community. Given the potential potential job and economic losses, Klein and his Tories have been fighting a pitched battle against the Protocol in harmony harmony with the Alliance, the Fraser Institute, and a number of other anti-Kyoto groups. At one time, it looked as if the Kyoto Protocol had something something approaching a national consensus--a snowstorm in July. Great, glorious, national consensus. It is the modus operand! of democratically elected national governments everywhere. On issues of national import, we ought to have a national policy, and, never mind the procedural application, on the principle, at least, we should have national consensus. The rarity of national consensus consensus on any issue is highlighted highlighted by its exception--war time. In times of war, a country's country's citizens--typically in debate over regional issues, over matters of economic, social and political policy-- for good or ill, come together. Arguably with Kyoto there may, in the end, be much more at stake, but those stakes remain as abstract as the concept concept of phenomenology in Kant, incapable of capturing the attention of more than 60 per cent of Canadians. (That's the figure, by the way, of people people aware of the Kyoto' Protocol. That is just over half. Not much considering the gnashing of teeth and the public national soap opera of Kyoto heroes and villains-- something that has always piqued our interests). Whether or not policy should be driven by public polls is an important question to be tackled on another day. Kyoto could very well be the case study par excellence-- every step of this process has been highlighted by a poll or two--front page news, as it turns out, for our nation's leading newspapers, |. Each succeeding poll has shown less and less enthusiasm enthusiasm about the Protocol. The more people know, the more they feel they don't know. There has, however, been a converse relationship between our mood and that of the Prime Minister's. Whereas the more we know the less enthused we are about the Protocol; the more voices raised in consternation and concern, the more adament our nation's leader has been about ratification. Hopefully this instance is just that--an instance, and not a trend indicative of a burgeoning burgeoning sour relationship between the PM and the public. public. This Protocol (never mind Paul Martin) has the makings of Brian Mulroney's GST (never mind Kim Campbell). Living Life to the Fullest? Habitat for Humanity would like to thank the thousands of volunteers from all across Canada who have been busy budding homes in 2002 with families in need of decent, affordable housing. We're going to need more volunteers next year in order to build more homes and hope than ever before. Are you living life to the fullest? Come and see what all the fun is abouti Volunteer, join a committee, or donate building materials and supplies. oo a»«(s #r w w Habitat for Humanity Call Habitat for Humanity at 1.800.667.5137 40 Albert Street Waterloo, ON N2L3S2 Email: habltat@habltat.ca www.habltat.ee