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8 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, August 15. 2007 Peter WINKLER PUBLISHER Bob VRBANAC EDITOR ext. 229 editorial@ waterloochronicle ca sports @ waterloochromcle.ca EDITORIAL Jenniter ORMSTON REPORTER ext. 203 jormston@ waterloochromicle.ca Gerry MATTICE ext. 230 RETAIL SALES MANAGER sales@ waterloochronicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVES Norma CYCA ext. 223 neyca@ waterloochronicle.ca Bill PIHURA ext. 228 bpihura@ waterloochronicle.ca Carly GIBBS ext. 222 CLASSIFIED $19â€"895â€"5230 CIRCULATION 519â€"886â€"2830 ext. 213 cgibbs@ waterloochronicle.ca Alicia DE BOER ext. 202 adeboer@ waterloochronicle.ca ADVERTISING Canadian Publications Mail Sules Publication Agreement Number 40050478 * International Standard Serial Num ber ASSN 0832â€"3410 Audited Circulation: 31,292 The Waterloo Chronicle is published each Wednesday by Metroland Media Group Ltd The Waterloo Chronicle is a member of The Ontario Press Council, which considers complaints against memâ€" ber newspapers. Any complaint about news, opinions advertising or conduct should first be taken to the newspaper. Unresolved complaints can be brought to: Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton Street, Suite ONTARIO PRESS COUNCHI COPYRIGHT The contents of this newspaper are protected by copyright and may be used only for personal nonâ€"commerâ€" cial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is proâ€" hibited. To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyâ€" right. For further information conâ€" tact Bob Vrbanac, Editor, Waterloo Chronicle. 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20. Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor must contain the writer‘s full name, signature, address and telephone number. Addresses and telephone numbers are used only for verification purposes and will not be published. Names will not be withâ€" held. We reserve the right to edit, conâ€" dense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal purposes. Letters may be submitted by fax to §19â€"886â€"9383 1706, Toronto, ON., MSB 113 or by email to editorial@waterâ€" loochronicle.ca or by mail or delivâ€" ered to Waterioo Chronicle. 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 WATERLOO CHRONICLE 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20 Waterloo, Ontanio N2J 3H8 §19â€"886â€" 2830 Fax: 519â€"886â€"9 383 www waterloochromicle.ca FAX $19â€"886â€"9383 editonal (@ waterloochronicle ca EMAIl This August marks the fifth anniversary of the tragic passing of St. David‘s student Tim Rose in a car acciâ€" dent. Rose was a standout athlete for the Celtics and made an impression on anyone who met him. His memory is still held dearly by those who knew him, and he has left a lasting legacy in a number of scholarships that have been awarded in his honour. The latest fundraiser is the Toes for Timmy campaign that joins a longâ€"list of special events, including basketâ€" ball tournaments and golf tournaments, held to celebrate his life. Tim‘s dad Larr:\:', a local police officer, is well aware of the statistics and has been a big promoter of seatbelt safety ever since. But the one lesson that still resonates out of this whole tragic story was that this all might have been preventable if Tim was wearing a seatbelt during a rollover accident. And anyone involved with road safety knows that seatâ€" belts save lives. This is one case where the statistics dpn‘t lie. Generally the amount of compliance in Canada is very high with more than 88 per cent of urban dwellers buckâ€" ling up when they get behind the wheel. But a recent study produced by Transport Canada had some interesting findings regarding the use of seathelts in rural settings. It found that seatbelt use drops by more than two percent when statistics were collected for the rural fringes of urban areas. While there was no real explanation given for the drop, there can be a lot of reasons for this discrepancy. Perhaps the lower volumes of traffic give drivers a false sense of security. There is often a more relaxed standard to counâ€" try living that perhaps is reflected in seatbelt usage. â€"Living in the slow lane is an attraction for most of us when we head off to the cottage or the lake in the sumâ€" mer. We often let our hair down as well. Tim was in cottage country himself when his accident occurred. That should give others pause for thought. Remember to buckle up "Having world class sdccer fields will be wonâ€" derful. just think that putting them in that spot is . VIEWPOINT en my neighbout three doors down finally finished his driveway at the end of May, 1 knew the heat was on me. There was no way I could put it off any longer â€" we would have to address the driveway situation. Or, more accurately, we would have to address the fact we don‘t have a driveway. You see, we were the last holdouts on the street to finâ€" ish our frontâ€"yard landscapâ€" ing. That‘s a definite noâ€"no here in the suburbs, where everyone takes their cues from the guy next. 1 fought this instinet already when I thought a brand new wood deck on my threeâ€"yearâ€"old home was more important that my curb appeal. With three young boys it was necessary to have some outdoor living space. I also had to make up for the fact that I hadn‘t conâ€" structed my home out of cinâ€" der block, and parts of my home were starting to show the wear and tear that comes from leaky sippy cups and toy cars used as a missile. The boys could take out their destructive urges on the deck out back, and rub sand in each other‘s hair to their delight. I‘ll never understand why little boys like to eat sand? I guess they don‘t get enough fibre in their diets? The second strike against me with the unofficial neighâ€" bourhood association came when I decided to build an outdoor play centre last year Fitting in with the neighbours instead of finishing the driveway. For reasons, see above. While no one was outâ€" right saying it, we got the sense that the neighbours were tired of looking at our gravel patch. There were constant gentle reminders like the ones from our nextâ€" door neighbours asking us what we were planning to do. One even offered to set us up with the guys who poured his driveway. 1 didn‘t have the heart to tell my neighbour that there shouldn‘t be that many cracks in it. It just wouldn‘t be neighbourly. The fact that the contracâ€" tors cut my phone and TV cables twice also didn‘t give me a lot of confidence. Instead we told our neighbour we were holding out to do something differâ€" ent with our driveway. "Not asphalt," he gasped. You see the material of choice for driveways on our street is concrete. The two houses around the corner that laid down black tops have been pariahs ever since. Or maybe it‘s because the truck driver at one of the home‘s parks his tractor trailâ€" er in the driveway on weekâ€" ends. Whatever it is, I noticed their absence at last year‘s block party. Not wishing to get the same treatment, I knew conâ€" crete was the standard. But 1 wasn‘t enamored with a product that would make my driveway look like a highway. We finally settled on interlocking stone as an appropriate upgrade. Why keep up with the Joneses if you can wave to them as you pass by. And as soon as the project started I noticed a change in the neighbourhood‘s attitude towards me. People I‘ve never talked to all of a sudâ€" den stopped by to offer their compliments. I felt like I was finally part of some secret club. 1 now understand the unwritten code of the street â€" to get along you‘ve got to go along. Just think of what‘ll hapâ€" pen when they see my next frontâ€"yard project ... a recreâ€" ation of the sand planet Tatooine from my favourite movie, Star Wars. It comes complete with action figures, battle sounds and all the laser lighting my outdoor electrical receptacle can handle. So what if my acceptance is fleeting, at least my boys will like it.