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<OPINION In the soâ€"called information age. we often have too much informaâ€" tion to adequately process what really matters. To make matters worse, our traditional media cover "mportant" stanes such as royal weddings while virtually ignaring stories that have .a far greater impact on our lives. I‘ve coltected some fascmating excerpts from varâ€" tous sources and am passing them on to you today. Crime wave is being ignored: Provincial and municipal pohticians want police to "crack down" on squeegee kids and aggressive panâ€" handlers. but they are ignoring the real crme wave. A July 21 article at the back of The Toronto Star‘s business section reported on "those who steal milltions from other investors by using insider information . The Star notes that this activity "can affect everyone with investments tied to stocks" and quotes a securities official as saying that "there is an unlimited amount of work we can do., really" to track down these dangerous criminals. Liberals on Free Trade: Anyone who voted Liberal in 1988 or 1993 in order to oppose Free Trade might be a bit surprised by this the FTA in 19887 e Mr. Mac Harb (Liberal): Yes. s oo Mr. Jason Kenney: He was in favour of j e it. I guess be did not tell Mr. Turner that. k 2 Was he in favour of NAFTA in 1993? F . Mr. Mac Harb: Yes. Scott Piatkowski Canadians‘ views on Free Trade: Speaking of Free Trade, an Environics poll conducted in January found that "Canadians in every region feel the Notth American Free Trade Agreement does more harm than good. Fortyâ€"three per cent said the pact hurt the economy, while only twentyâ€"eight per cent said it helped. The rest said they didn‘t know." Distrust of NAFTA cuts across party lines. Only nineteen per cent of New Democrats, twentyâ€"seven per cent of Reformers and thirtyâ€"four per cent of Liberal supporters saw NAFTA as positive Amalgamation savings evaporate: The Tories tried to sell their megacity scheme by arguing that it would save millions of dollars. The Toronto Sun reported last week that the $120 million dollars in annual savings identified after amalgamation had all been spent Toronto‘s Chief Administrative Officer admitted that "we‘ve had to use the savings from amaigamation to offset downloading and other pressures. So there is no bag of cash that‘s sitting there. It‘s been used." Sharing the Wealth: According to the 1998 UN Human Developâ€" ment Report, "it is estimated that the additional cost of achieving and maintaining universal access to basic education and health care, adeâ€" quate food, clean water and safe sewers for all the world population is roughly $40 bilhon a year â€"â€" or less than four per cent of the comâ€" bined wealth of the richest 225 people in the world." Lawsuit dismissed in Somalia torture death: On July 13, an Ottawa judge dismissed a lawsuit by the family of Sidane Arone, who was tortured and beaten to death by Canadian soldiers in Somalia CBC Radio reported that the judge wasn‘t convinced that "the Canaâ€" dian government had a duty of care towards the citizens of Somalia" when it deployed peacekeepers there in 1993. Incredibly, the judge also ruled that there was "no evidence that Arone‘s parents suffered because of their son‘s death." Chronicle Telephone Waterloo Town Square 75 King St. South, Suite 201 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P3 Eâ€"mail: _ wchronicle@sentex.net hx ue ‘;fl ,7 l e / _A Summer news you may have missed Anotuer 886â€"2830 B86â€"9383 exchange from the House of Comâ€" mons (it‘s from February 1998, but i just recently stumbled across it on the Parhamentary website}: Mr. Jason Kenney (Reform): The Reform Party does support and has always supported the principle of free trade... Where is the honourable memâ€" ber coming from? Was he in favour of Group Publisher: Cherv! McMenemy Editor Group Advertising Manager Butch Gneve Deborah Crandall Reporters: Tim Gardner Bob Vrbanac. Sports Editor Sales Supervisor Gerry Mattice Display Advertising Bull Karges Norma Cyea Regional Classified Manager: Lynn Mrichell Classified: Saahira Ladha Kim Broderick Summer swelter might be a sign of the times Come to think of it, last winter wasnt exactly a killer chiller. Sti, considering the heat, the smog, the storms and the bumidâ€" ity, do you really think this daylight is worth saving? â€"But as the song says. summertimeâ€"and the living is easy. Try and tell that to a fellow who makes earmulls. Yes sir, I‘ve poohedâ€"poohed the scientists who claimed the earth is warming, but, by golly, judging by this summers weather, they‘re right. Growing, Growing: Just drive around Waterâ€" loo for a while and the word that comes to mind is boom. New housing is springing up everyâ€" where, theres commercial building a plenty, and the core seems to be setting the pace. And it makes no sense to urge Waterloo be kept small and cozy. Its an inviting thought, but its just not going to happen â€" Gosh, just recall the Waterloo of not so long ago. Buck‘s Hill was out in the country; Erb Street wasnt built much past the Sunshine plant, and there was plenty of room for building out towards Bndgeport. Bucks Hill? Tll bet that a lat of Waterloo resiâ€" Sakt dents don‘t know where it was and, 1 suppose, still is. Give the city another five years and you‘ll hardly recognize it. The core development will be complete or as complete as a work in progress can ever be; houses will still be marching into the fields; and commercial growth will continue apace. And lets not forget how the univerâ€" sities and their spinofls are adding to Waterloo‘s allure. Thats both in companies born and located here, and the stayâ€"here grads who‘ve added and are adding so much to the community. With Ontano‘s economy fhnvmg {lets not argue about why}, Waterloo‘s future looks rosier than a rodeo champion‘s fanny. The future? Bring it on. For Sale: 1 haven‘t heard or read anything to the contrary so 1 presume the regional public school board‘s Taj Mahal on Kutchâ€" ener‘s Ardelt Avenue is still for sale Given their new and tguch more limited job description, the And, yes, theres only one thing sobering about the future; it gets closer and closer. Petroleum companies ! This things craw/ing with petroleum companies ! icle Circulation Manager Caralyn Anstey Circulation: Jerry Fischer Matthew Hayes Chery! McGill Production: Milhe Marun Nancy Hill Kem Miller ~Ch s# ~4 / > â€" ) & f stt ez % - :fi\‘}\\:‘\;’:r* $ &A Ne <€ »»p ’w § Q\%” é Q # 4 ”M ONCE OVER LIGHTHY Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group _ Mailed subscription rates A division of $65 vearly in C anada = Southam Inc $90 vearly outside Canada + GSI The views of our columnists are their own and do not necessanly represent the views of the newspaper s \qeees, trustees and their henchpersons don‘t nearly need all that space. Thats because, with its new mandate, it doesnt need as many henchpersons. Come to think of it, the trustees have almost no prestige any more. Each must feel like a pair of brown shoes in a tuxedo rental shop. High Octane: Most folks tend to figure the rising gas prices in terms of the cost of driving, but the petroleum gouging is going to have an impact on almost everything. Seales of Justice: The folks who keep tab on such things say that Canadas crime rate is the lowest its been in 20 years. But that‘s not the perception; thats surely not the perception No sir, not when neighbors tell you of close by breakâ€"ins, and the media steadily regaling an inventory of armed holdups shootings, stabbings, muggings, sundry cases of sexual violence and so on If the crme rate has dropped, how come the average police officer is busier than a oneâ€"armed paperhanger with the hives? Its no wonder that another survey has confirmed that polcemen are twice as busy as they were 36 years ago And, finally, you may not know it, but antiâ€"burglar technology has made it easier for thieves. A lot of folks have electrome timers that automatically turn on the lights when no one is home They‘ve really had an impact For the first time in history, bur glars don‘t have to use one hand to carry a fashlight ent IN€ VIEWS a" TNE METMOPSD®! coma D > smm 4 E um_uma, |__ _ 5. t J9u.... hre ) Intersational Standard Senal Number {SSN 0832â€"3410 Simply put, if it moves by truck, it‘ll cost more That‘s because the transport companies are not shy about saying they‘ll pass the added fuel costs on to their customers. And ultimately we conâ€" sumers pay the extra bite And speaking of inflation (as I will be in a moment), there seem to be an increasing number of gouges showing up in the stores. One examâ€" ple is a light which went for $4 a few years ago and is now retailing at around eight bucks Not the Jeast of it is the repacking that gives you less for the same price. For instance. the candy bars keep getuing smaller 1 opened one the other day and all I got was a chocolateâ€"covâ€" ered IOU. i it