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R:egarding Province looks into inorganic fluoride by Bob Vrbanac in the Feb. 20 Chronicle. I have read the two thoroughly referenced petitions on water fluoriâ€" dation chemicals, the reams of legis lation, and the response letter from the province granting the petitions and promising a review from all three levels of government. This is a golden example of responsive and accountable democracy, and the Ministry of Environment should be proud of its integrity. I only wish it could happen today instead of 2010 I am in the one to five per cent of the general population that is born hypersensitive to fluoride, and the estimated thirty per cent who should avoid it for acquired health reasons. By 1996 I had strange Xâ€"ray and MRI findings of calcified joints identical to skeletal fluorosis. My medical tests demonstrated fluoride toxicity to kidneys, immune system, bowel, bones and thyroid, but I was misdiagnosed and wrongly About time province looked into fluoride ometime this week we will all get a chance to look over the newest proposed addition to the Waterloo skyline. That‘s the monument to the city‘s selection as the World‘s Most Intelligent Community. Is it me, or is that just a little bit odd? We‘ll leave that particular discussion es for a little bit later. But, word is this monument will be a pillar shape, or an obelisk (like the thing the apes danced around in 2001:A Space Oddity. Please don‘t read anything into that) And it will be, according to reports, anywhere from 12 to 22.5 meters high. For those of you metrically challenged that is between 40 and 75 feet. I‘m not sure we need a monument at all, but I am pretty sure we don‘t need anything that size. That is an apartment building not a monument. The good news, I guess, is that the city won‘t be paying for this thing. Apparentâ€" ly a contractor has agreed to ante up for the project. Perhaps, after all, Mr. Barâ€" num was right â€" there is a sucker born every minute. No offense to the contractor involved, but there really are better ways to be spending your money. This particular contractor already gives all kinds of money and time to various good causes. But I‘m sure there‘s a reason for their decision, which, as I often like to point out they are perfectly free to do. And whether it‘s an obelisk, or a pillar, or a giant depiction of a computer mouse really doesn‘t matâ€" ter to me. I don‘t pretend for a minute to be an art critic. That‘s one of those things better left to indiâ€" viduals. Some people really like the big sausage near the Centre in the Square, and that‘s OK. Besides, sausage has an important role to play in the history of Kitchener and we should take the time to honour that. Anyhow, just because someone else is paying for the thing doesn‘t necessarily mean we need it. Realâ€" ly, isn‘t a monument to the selection just a big pile of egoâ€"stroking? Is it really necessary to build a monument to our intelligence? HXW medicated for years. In 2006 I travelled to Holland and had my diagnosis of fluoride poisonâ€" ing confirmed by Dr. Hans Moolenâ€" burgh, an internationally renowned expert. In 1974, he guided a double blind trial of fluoridated water in Holland that reliably provoked symptoms in five percent of conâ€" trols. Accordingly, Holland amendâ€" ed its constitution to prevent water fluoridation on ethical and medical grounds. Since ending fluoridation, Holland has excellent dental health statistics with low rates of dental fluâ€" qrosis. Hypersensitivity to fluoride should not be a mystery. It is docuâ€" mented in the Physicians‘ Desk Ref erence. I am now free of all medication after several years of fluoride avoidâ€" ance. However, if I drink fluoridated tap water, eat foods made with it, or have fluoride from drugs, toothâ€" paste, tea or air pollution, my sympâ€" toms return full force and limit funcâ€" tion as well as quality of life. Public health officials who are still unaware of the scientific eviâ€" dence and case reports of fluoride BOURKE COMMENT I know there are plenty of city officials who are very excited about winning that designation. And 1 suppose, at it‘s very lowest level, it‘s good to win at something rather than the alternative. But can‘t we just forge ahead with a little bit of class and humility? Not that I know, personally, a omm whole lot about either one of those M things. But, isn‘t that part of how the E. OI city got there? ‘There‘s no way to confuse that memorial. People went to war for what they believed in. And some of them died. The memorial speaks to that, and thanks to the people who took part. RKE It‘s a monument which speaks of courage, of power and of sacrifice. We should all be proud to have it in our city. And I would suggest it‘s impossible to look at that and not understand it‘s significance. Maybe it‘s just me, but I think a pillar, or obelisk which is a monument to the city winning some kind of rather mysterious competition is more than a litâ€" tle shallow in comparison. At the same time, it also seems to warn us to steel ourselves for such things in the future. . e Really councillor, paid for or not can‘t we do betâ€" ter? Brian Bourke, a member of the 105.3 KOOL FM morning crew, can be reached by email at bbourke@koolfm.com. I just feel it‘s a complete waste of time to build this monument, the sigâ€" nificance of which, for the most part, people will not have the slightest idea. And which, I might point out, most people will never see. Not so long ago, the Veteran‘s Green Memorial was erected in Waterloo. It sits in an open space along University near King Street, and in my mind is one of the powerful monuments I have ever seen. Take the time to stand beneath it and look into the myriad of faces represented there. allergy, excessive accumulation and hypersensitivity must be enlightâ€" ened so that they can act with confiâ€" dence in the best interests of proâ€" tecting the public from fluoride toxiâ€" city. Disallowing inorganic fluoride chemicals in drinking water is the way to do it. Aliss Terpstra Toronto ot a single day goes by when I don‘t field at least one Nquestion about how I‘ve gone off the hydroâ€"electricity grid, and how I am now meeting my home‘s electrical needs using solar and wind technology. It appears to me that there‘s been a considerable increase in the number of people flirting with the idea of going offâ€"theâ€" grid themselves. They are fearful of the uncertainty around Ontario‘s potentially skyrocketing electricity costs, and they don‘t appreciate being held responsible/hostage for paying down the debt Ontario Hydro acquired through mismanageâ€" ment. I receive inquiries about my technological journey while at my workplace, on the street, at the grocery store, over the teleâ€" phone and via email. Students, colleagues, readers, friends and members of the general public want to know if solar panels and windâ€"powered generators work, what it cost me to get offâ€" theâ€"grid, and would I do it again if I had to the opportunity to start over. 1 welcome these inquiries. The majority of people who ask me questions don‘t know a whole lot about the technology, which is fine because I didn‘t know a whole lot about it when I started on y i ourney aner [E ramwer | I know now that solar panels were mostly a novelty when first developed in the early 1950‘s. It was only when it was discovered they could be practiâ€" cally applied towards powering spaceâ€" craft that serious research money was put toward their development. The cost of manufacturing them then began to drop and they‘ve become more and more affordable to the averâ€" age consumer ever since. For examâ€" ple, a small portion of a solar panel that cost $40,000 in the 1950‘s costs as little as $3 today. That‘s why today, you can buy a $10 solar powered calâ€" culator. I‘ve got eight 75â€"watt solar panels collecting sun on the roof of my farmhouse, and a oneâ€" kilowatt wind generator towering above. Well, the panels are collecting if there is no snow on them. And they are collecting sun only if it comes out from behind the clouds that are so prominent at this time of year when our days are still relatively short. So the journey hasn‘t been without its inconveniences. However, when the days are shortest and cloudiest, the wind has a tendency to be blowing, and I like the idea that I can be charging my batteries at night, thus the wind tower. The electricity created is known as direct currert (DC). DC electricity is the kind of current that is easily stored in batterâ€" ies, but is less suitable for powering appliances because most appliances operate using alternating current (AC). So a DC to AC conversion device is usually necessary. This device is known as an inverter. Inverters are available in a wide range of wattage â€" usually ranging from 50â€"10,000 watts â€"â€" depending on your household needs. Going off the grid leads to questions The inverters in my home have a total capacity of 5,400 watts which is far more than I ever seem to need. The entire system has cost me about $23,000, which is considered low but that‘s because of my doâ€"itâ€"yourâ€"self tendencies. Would I do it again? You bet I would. It has been one of the most empowering experiences of my life. I‘ve learned so much and I feel so much more in control of my own home ownership destiny. Every night when I arrive at my home, I check my conâ€" troller â€" the governing appliance that regulates and monitors how much energy is being produced, stored in the batteries, and used â€" to see what kind of "charging day" I‘ve had. A good "charging day" means less worry about whether I‘ve got enough electricity to get through the night.. electricity. I couldn‘t buy an education like the one I‘ve received from the process associated with installing and living with solar and wind technology, and I wouldn‘t trade that for any convenâ€" ience in the world. And when I consume en_erfi. I have a clear sense of what is a big electrical draw on my batteries. For example, the fan in my forcedâ€"air propane furnace is a glutinous consumer of David Ward is an ecology professor at Fleming College in Lindsay. He can be reached at dward@fleminge.on.ca. His brother Marshall‘s column will return shortly. WATERLOO CHRONICLE * March 5, 2008 + 9