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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 s 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 Addresses and telephone numbers are used only for verification purposes and will not be published.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 519â€"886â€"9383 or_by email to editorial@waterâ€" loochronicle.ca or by mail or delivâ€" ered to Waterloo Chronicle, 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8. 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 1706, Toronto, ON., MSB 113. CLASSIFIED 519â€"895â€"5230 CIRCULATION $19â€"886â€"2830 ext. 213 Canadian Publications Mail Sales Publication Agreement Number 40050478 International Standard Serial Num ber ASSN 0832â€"3410 Audited Circulation: 31,292 ONTARIO PRESS COUNCIL Norma CYCA ext. 223 neyca@ waterloochronicle.ca Bill PIHURA ext. 228 bpihura@ waterloochronicle.ca Carly GIBBS ext. 222 cgibbs@waterloochronicle.ca Bob VRBANAC EDITOR ext. 229 editorial@ waterloochronicle.ca sports @ waterloochronicle.ca Jenniter ORMSTON REPORTER ext. 203 jormston@waterloochronicle.ca Greg MACDONALD REPORTER ext. 215 irdmacdonald@ waterloochronicle.ca Gerry MATTICE ext. 230 RETAIL SALES MANAGER sales @ waterloochronicle.ca bsokolowski @waterloochronicle.ca SALES REPRESENTATIVES Breada SOKOLOWSKTI ext. 202 C Peter WINKLER PUBLISHER EDITORIAL ADVERTISING 8 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, February 20, 2008 WATERLOO CHRONICLE 279 Weber St. N., Suite 20 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 519â€"886â€"2830 Fax: $19â€"886â€"9383 ww w waterloochronicle.ca EMAIL editonial @ waterloochronicle.ca FAX 519â€"886â€"9383 m settic In the meantime they are clogging up our landfills or, even worse, doing the same to our waterways and fragile ecosystems. q The environmental cost is in the millions of birds and vulnerable aquatic species that have become victims of this human waste. Some of it is carried all the way out to the ocean, where some species of whales confuse it with food and end up literally choking on this garbage. Local researchers at the University of Waterloo are asking the region to come up with a plan to help change people‘s behaviour. They‘re not calling for a total ban â€" that would be too heavyâ€"handed with decades of shopâ€" ping culture to overcome. But starting an education campaign is a must, as is finding ways to divert this waste and perhaps reuse it in some way. Some people are already ahead of the game and use their own cloth bags, or bring their own boxes and bins to cart home their groceries and other purchases. But have you ever stopped to see what is actually blowing in the wind these days. It raises a lot more quesâ€" tions than answers when you see all the human refuse blowing around, particularly in the form of discarded plastic bags. But there‘s a move on to end some of that blight by looking for alternatives at the checkout line. However, they are very much in the minority because it has become second nature for most of us to accept these bags without thinking. That‘s the challenge for the rest of us. If given the choice we should at least pause to think if we really need that plastic bag. The more who refuse, the quicker we‘ll have some real alternatives to plastic. _ These bags, made with ever dwindling petroâ€"chemical resources, can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Blowing in the wind ob Dylan once sang that the answers to some of life‘s toughest questions are sometimes blowing in the VIEWPOINT But it was one day when I didn‘t have to get up at six in the morning to get my three sons ready to go to two difâ€" ferent day cares while shufâ€" fling off the youngest one to Or, maybe that‘s the probâ€" lem â€" they‘d rather be workâ€" ing than spend some time with the kids. . Sure the roll out wasn‘t the smoothest, but I promise you we will all be ready for it next year. There‘s even talk about coming up with ways to celâ€" ebrate it, like a card for those of you who don‘t buy into Valentine‘s Day. Maybe they can take a nod from Seinfeld and call it the Festivus for the rest of us. The critics already have airing of the grievances down pat from this year‘s Family Day, maybe they can make it an annual tradition. I also know it‘s another cost for small businesses, and that not all of us, includâ€" ing me, got the day off. Isn‘t winter long enough without trying to survive the daylight starved days by not getting any time off between New Year‘s Day and Easter? Surely they‘ll lighten up when they are able to spend some muchâ€"needed time with their families. How they should just get a life, and they might actualâ€" ly find they have one by takâ€" ing advantage of this midâ€" winter break. was going to use this colâ€" Iumn to rant about all the critics of the new Family Day holiday. With half of the spring lying on my garage floor, it was only when I got my car to the end of my block that I realized something was realâ€" ly seriously wrong with my And for those of you who constantly compare us to the Americans, even they had the day off for President‘s Day. Sounds like as good an excuse as any to hang out with the family. With that out of the way, I thought I‘d share a little about my Family Day. . _ While most people were enjoying another cup of cofâ€" fee, or sleeping in for the third straight day, I was callâ€" ing the CAA for a tow truck. You see, the night before as I was getting ready to cover the Waterloo Siskins, and the gameâ€"three grudge match between the Waterloo Warriors and Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, my car decided to throw a spring. the babysitters. For that alone it was worth it. BOB VRBANAC As I ponder submitting my repair bill to the city, I thought I‘d ask if any of you have had similar experiâ€" ences. Maybe we can compile a hit list of holes, and see how the city‘s done in filling . You can email me at ediâ€" torial@waterloochronicle.ca. Is it just me or are the potholes worse than ever this year? I know I‘m not alone because the towâ€"truck driver said he‘s been busy with other drivers cursing the same problem. Because although a coâ€" worker warned me about some bad potholes near the train tracks on Bearinger Road, it was the even deeper one I hit at the top of the hill just past the entrance to the Research and Technology Park that has me fuming. Well, let‘s just say I was glad the kids weren‘t around for what I had to say next. So who‘s to blame? Let‘s blame the city. With bile rising I finally turned the car under a neighbour‘s street light only to find an inchâ€"deep groove in my brand new snow tires. Following the gash, I found the rest of my spring nicely embedded into my steel belt. But I know I‘m not the only one who‘s been cursing this February. I kicked the tires and they felt fine, but the noise grew worse every time I moved, with this sick scrapping sound against the tire wall. right front end