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2 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Weekly Times Subscriptions $29.91 + $2.09 GST = $32.00 per year. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 • Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. CanadS A ocna ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St, P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON LOB 1M0 Email: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart. Sports and Display Advertising - Donna Wood Front Office and Classified Advertising - Rosey Bateman The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects °Ji n,erest retoLdWe resmelto ïi*Uo ediî foflength Itrel and slander If your retail Sia» an SS, ££?*£& next issue goes ,0 print. .H» Orono Weekly T^es w. not be responsMe for the loss or damage of such items , May the spirit of giving continue While we were pouring over the Boxing Day sales flyers, flyers, the. world as we knew it, changed again. A magnitude nine earth quake, the most powerful the world has seen over 40 years, hit Asia. The quake in the Indian Ocean created huge waves which fanned out over a number of South Asian countries causing nearly 150,000 deaths. • * The survivors in the countries that were devastated with too much water, are now facing the threat of con- tracting water bom diseases. As in any event of such a magnitude, criticism comes in all shapes and sizes. The Canadian government was criticized for not jumping in with assistance quick enough. The Federal government has now announced they will be increasing their aid package to $80 million. They will match donations raised by private individuals, up to January 11th, plus allow the charitable donations be deducted from their 2004 income tax forms. Besides cash donations being raised for the Tsunami stricken victims, donations of time and expertise are also needed. On Tuesday morning, Andy Barrie of CBC's _ Metro Morning program, interviewed. Toronto paramedic, Dr. Rahul Singh who was on his way to Sri Lanka. Singh was headed for the airport with a team of experts to provide provide clean drinking water, food and medical supplies. Singh explained that while the organization he represents - the David McAntony Gibson Foundation, operates very efficiently, other aid organizations do not. Their team flies economy class, and sleeps in tents while on international aid missions. Singh said in his interview that some of the; major aid organizations stay in five star hotels and fly first class while on missions of mercy. It is hard for us at home to know which aid organiza- tions are the most effective. At a time like this however, it is important that we do our best for those hardest hit by the disaster. For many of the people in the effected countries, countries, the Tsunami just added to the hardship of daily living. living. The west seems to be in the mood to loosen the purse strings for aid, even after the flourish of Christmas spending. spending. Wouldn't it be nice if the spirit of giving continued long enough to alleviate suffering in other parts of this world also. dolighan.com Letter to the Editor "No good deed is ever forgotten" Letter to the Editor Self accountability is lost Re: Toronto Saturday Star front page... Dec. 18, 04 "Bad Bets/The misery of problem gambling" Who should pay? Dear Editor, What is this screwed up society coming or going to? Why is one of Canada's most read newspapers... printing such drivai? A "top real estate agent"... apparently once a financially successful businessman... businessman... is suing us for $1.4 million 'cause he was and probably still is... a stupid stupid casino gambler. Now there's an oxymoron. oxymoron. All casino gambling is based on a "commission as you play" format and the mathe matical certainty is simple. If one plays long enough... the "juice" will finally empty your wallet. If you are a regular casino gambler and understand the "game and proper money management" .you can prolong the inevitable, the deeper your pockets... the longer you can play... but don't be delusional... delusional... you will go broke. Smokers, problem drinkers, drinkers, drug addicts... move to the back of the bus. Make room for more weak- willed... blame everyone else... look at me.,. 1 have a disease... wimps. Self accountability has obviously been lost in the "shuffle" somehow. Kelly Adams Orono Dear Editor, Readers should know of the powerful impact of Canadian Aid to survivors of horror or disaster, and never doubt the gratitude felt toward Canadians by such survivors. It's a legacy that keeps on giving giving for generations, through stories of remembrance. A few years ago, I was conducting conducting research for which I interviewed Polish survivors of deportation and exile, in Soviet labour camps during World War Two. From the starved and diseased masses who fled the camps in 1942 to meet up with the British army in the Middle East, the men joined the army to fight out the war alongside the allies, while the civilian population waited out the war in refugee camps, first in the Middle East, then in India, British East Africa, and Australia. All of my interviewees recalled the aid received upon first arriving in Afghanistan and Iran. British tinned beef. Clothing. Medical aid. All this before the United Nations, organized global disaster relief and aid. It was important for these people to learn that others cared. And they've never forgotten. One very successful retired business executive whom 1 interviewed showed me the family heirloom. It was a much used and beloved quilted quilted blanket. His mother, ill and near death when she arrived in Iran, was cared for and comforted comforted by aid workers. The blanket that kept her warm and alive later journeyed with the family from continent to continent, and was among the meager possessions the family brought when Canada took them in after the war. Despite age and wear, one can still very easily make out the symbol symbol and words, "Gift of Canadian Red Cross Society." That Canadians cared about their wartime plight is something Poles, my father among them, have never forgotten. forgotten. Not all have tangible evidence, such as a blanket, of this care. But because of the nature of Canadian 'care', my father always called Canada paradise. When we see current images of the natural disaster that has struck paradisical south Asia, we should not hesitate hesitate to extend aid. Not only because it is the right thing to do--not forgetting that many Canadians have lost family in the disaster--but also because it is part of the Canadian story. We are a country made of people people who have come to this manifestation of paradise, having left behind horrors of war, famine, and natural disaster. disaster. We are people who then help others when in need. And it's a fact: no good deed is ever forgotten! Helen Bajorck MacDonald Ncwtonville