The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

On Halloween our household was treated by meeting two memâ€" bers of the Kâ€"W chapter of Engiâ€" neers Without Borders who came to the door to give us fairâ€"trade inforâ€" mation (including where it can be purchased in Kâ€"W) and a chocolate sample. What a great opportunity to spread the word about how we can all help international farmers and others to make a positive change for struggling people all over the world. Halloween has become a billion dollar industry in North America. You dress up, knock on doors and get free candy â€" how easy is that? Think of the irony. Kudos to these students who put more than a "twist" on the evening because their efforts are the real treat to all who answered their door. Engineers Without Remembering Borders provided our veterans Halloween treat l on ae ds fter a week of driving through the United Aftales. I‘ve hit upon a foolproof way to stop the arnage on our major highways. How about we put some police on them? Just a thought. I know, it‘s crazy. But it just might work. I say that after travelling almost 4,000 kilometres through a half dozen states, all on major highways, and never going more than 20 kilometres without seeing a state trooper or local police car parked somewhere along the way. ®mmmans I also say this after a chance for some personal interaction with some of those law enforcement officials. Actually, all four cars driving down to South Carolina were pulled over at one point. (Ha ha, I was the only one not to get ticketed. I still don‘t know whyys. inyhow, that does have the tendency of keeping you at, or just slightly above, the speed limit, and that‘s something that is very noticeable as you drive the Ameriâ€" can Interstate system. 1t s even more noticeable once you cross the border onto our side and enter the racetrack affectionately know as the QEW. Over the past week, I‘ve also done the QEW run twice and gone back and forth to Toronto. Not once did I see a sinâ€" gle police car along the road. I know we‘ve got them, but where are they? If there is a real concern about slowing down the highways, then I think we either plant police along the route or install photo radar. Occasional blitzes on isolated stretches of highway will never be enough. Oh, and jack up the fines. There‘s something about the "pay or go to jail policy" of South Carolina that makes you pay attention to the speed limit signs. I don‘t quite get why the City of Waterloo is even remotely interested in leasing out Grey Silo Golf Course to anyone. Maybe I don‘t get it. But it would seem the golf course is the only part of RIM Park with any chance of turning a profit. _ Personally, I think Grey Silo is one of the best municipally owned courses I have ever played. And guests I have brought to that course have been unan imous in their praise. Americans can teach us a lesson I believe leasing out the operation is the first step Diane Bonfonte Waterloo any men and women have Mgone to war in a foreign land. They sailed on calm and stormy seas to fight for freedom and mankind. Experienced the feat of the depths of the ocean as depth charges fell upon them. Some remained there to never return. Experienced the cold bitter nights of winter in fear on the front lines. Some flew into blue skies, flew in rainy weather and on foggy nights. Encountered extreme anxieties before and, or after each mission. Some were shot down, some surâ€" vived, some did not. Some landed from the sea under enemy fire, never making it to the beach. Others ended up in concentraâ€" tion camps. Some fought in deserts and withâ€" stood sandstorms. Theirs eyes were burnt by the BRIAN BOURKE COMMENT towards selling the course, which is a bad idea all around. Ask Kitchener if they regret the cash that pours in off their two operations. __ 1 think, perhaps, I might be turning into a curâ€" mudgeon. Or, I am male and some things just seem to be trying my patience. AN Perhaps they‘re asking because they RKE are supposed to, or perhaps it‘s because they are on commission. I understand both of those things. However, I think they could better spend their time asking other peoâ€" ple (specifically women). Usually, when I‘m in a store with my wife, I find her deeply embroiled in a conversation with a "cusâ€" tomerâ€"service specialist" about something in which she has absolutely no interest, but is far too nice and polite to not take the time. This, I find, is a perfect balance to my attitude, which tends to revolve around the concept of "please, leave me alone to wander." If I have a quesâ€" tion, I will find you. Of course, like most men, I would rather jam hot pokers in my eye than ask any one anything. I appreciate your customerâ€"service efforts, but they are probably better spent with someone else My wife, in particular, if you happen to be lonely. So it begins Out Christmas shopping over the weekend, it omm _ came to my sharp attention that I have been customerâ€"serviced to death. Brian Bourke, a member of the 105.3 KOOL FM morning crew, can be reached by email at bbourke@koolfm.com. Is this a male and female thing? I‘m tired of people asking me if I‘m finding everything OK. Deep in my mind I think, "If I hadn‘t found everything I would still be looking, wouldn‘t 1?" I haven‘t said anything to any of these corporately mandated helpful people because that would be rude, and they are just doing their job. Retail work, I think, is a thankless task. Having to deal with jerks like me is bad enough without me acting like a real jerk. So 1 answer politely and wander off with evil thoughts in my mind. blistering sand. Some returned home maimed or wounded. Wars continue as tyrants exist and greed dominates the world. Our men and women are again faraway. Is it right to have them there when harm comes their way? Why must it be that way? Some returned home never to be the same again. The memories and wounds of war had claimed their minds. Since the Second World War and other wars which followed many of us lost loved ones, friends and acquaintances. As I reflect on the memories of my Second World War friends and my own brother who was wounded in the Pacific with the U.S. marines, and who is no longer with us, I feel the urge to honour all veterans who valiantly fought for our freedom and democracy for the world. Jorge Luis Serrano Waterloo In fact, I think I‘ve seen that man every time I‘ve visited Conâ€" estoga Mall for as long as I can remember, sitting on that bench, just outside the entrance to Winners. A_ large man sits on a bench in Conestoga Mall observing the ustle and bustle of the Christmas season. 1 remember seeing him, sitting on the same bench, wearing that same black cowboy hat the last time I was at the mall â€" and the time before that and the time before that and the time before that. _ "I‘ve been coming here for about five years," Terry Thom told me this past week when I sat down on the bench beside him, curious to know his story. s For three of those past five years, Thom spent four hours almost every day at Conestoga Mall â€" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends â€" observing his fellow human beings and the way arg s _ m mend. "I like to peopleâ€"watch. In the morning, the mallâ€"walkers are out getting their exercise just as the stores are opening. Later in the day, there‘s the younger crowd, families and all the weirdos "Four hours is enough â€" more than that is too much," said Thom, who gets dropped off and picked up by a speâ€" cialty bus service. Since his mother died of kidney disâ€" ease two years ago, Thom, who is 48 years old, has been living at the Hillâ€" side Retirement Residence in Breslau. He suffers from the same kidney disâ€" ease his mother had, and has bursitis in both knees. "I had always lived with my mother, C and when she died I was depressed and started drinking heavily," said I Thom. "I hit rock bottom and almost ended my life, ending up in the IC (intensive care) unit. I was drinking three to four litres of vodka a week â€" straight. "When my mother was ill, I wanted to look after her and I didn‘t want her to have to go to a nursing home. I was also lookâ€" ing after my stepfather before he died of cancer â€" it was very stressful." At one point in our conversation, Thom excused himself briefly to pick up his coffee and a croissant from Timothy‘s, just metres from the bench, walking with the cane that belonged to his mother. "I have my stepfather‘s walker too, but [ don‘t use it anymore I‘m on the rebound, no longer a drinker. I‘ve also cut down on coming to the mall every day and participate in a seniors‘ day program in Elmira three days a week." "It‘s a good place to meet people and shoot the s**t," said Thom. "It‘s sort of a memory of her," Thom said as he slowly sat down. Before Thom got into what he calls "a rut," he worked for 18 years as a cook at the Waterloo Inn, alongside a large hospitality staff. Today, he sees himself as a loner, despite the fact he‘s known by many fellow regulars and staff at the mall. "I spend about $10 (on tickets) each time," said Thom. "I‘ve won $500 a couple of times. There was a week a while back where I won $300 on a Monday, $100 on the Tuesday, $50 on the Wednesday and another $300 on the Friday." Over the course of his fourâ€"hour visits to the mall, Thom said his routine usually includes a visit to the record store, getting a slice of pizza and buying scratchâ€"andâ€"win tickets. _ I asked Thom what he would do with the money if he won the jackpot. "Invest it for a rainy day," he smiled through his saltâ€"andâ€"pepper Fu Manchuâ€"style moustache. "Maybe buy a condo on a cruise ship." As I got up from the bench to say goodbye, another mall regâ€" ular sat down to visit with Thom. Before I left, I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked him his aspirations for 2008. _ "I just live dayâ€"toâ€"day." said Thom with a handshake. "Like they say in AA: You don‘t look back and you don‘t look too far ahead." Marshall Ward is a visual artist and independent filmmaker, teaching courses in continuing education at Conestoga College. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. A portrait of a man in a mall WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, November 21, 2007 +9 MARSHALL