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In recognition of Earth Day, many waste disposal companies offer free eâ€"waste disposal on or around the holiday. Region of Waterloo waste management does not. As the central wasteâ€"disposal agency of a region that prides itself on its technological advancement and prowess, this is unacceptable. If Waterloo is going to pursue designaâ€" tions such as being one of the top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world, then it must also ensure propâ€" er maintenance and disposal of the byproducts these techâ€"savvy endeavours necessarily produce. Our local government, at the regional level, should spearhead a process of responsible technological advancement to set an example as a leader in eâ€"waste management. While the Region of Waterloo‘s waste management division does offer an electronic wasteâ€"recycling program, none of its charges are liftâ€" ed in recognition of Earth Day. _ The program does allow smaller items like keyboards, mouse and cellphones to be dropped off at no Become a leader t is quite amazing, sometimes, to find out just Ihow important some things become even though you had, for years, denied even caring about them. . The you, in this particular case, would be me. But it might apply to you one day as well. For the last 30 years or so, every spring, as soon as the weather turned warm, my wife would head out the door, gloves in hand, to begin puttering in the garden. i 1 would head out the door, usually in the opposite direction. At least until she came up with a list of activities I would have to take care of. _ This would include shovelling, raking, cutting the grass, trimming the trees, etc. While she is, undoubtedly, an indeâ€" pendent and strong woman, that strength, I am told, does not extend far enough to allow her to use any gardenâ€" ing implements or power tools. Working in the garden by‘cho‘ice Which is fair enough because while I am a very knowledgeable man, that knowledge does not extend to the proper way to fold towels or even what particuâ€" lar items of clothing should be put in the washer together. (The answer, male readers, at least according to me, is everything. This is wrong. Trust me.) uooo ie e neninle Spring comes and my bride would rise from her wintertime slumber (You think I hate winter? It‘s nothing compared to her). Off she would go to clean up the estate, or, to be fair, to point out things that needed to be cleaned up. This would, of course, launch me on a preâ€" dictable rant about how little I cared about the tulips or the leaves or the birds that have come for a visit. If it‘s spring, and I can‘t hit it with a seven iron, I really can‘t get too passionate about it. T T Compnesi d i denaine ts AHotnoieniin o rennt Lt This spring, of course, is different as my wife has been living away from home for a while. Freedom, sweet freedom. Or so I thought. 1 don‘t know how she did it. Some kind of mysteâ€" tious female power, which over the years has infilâ€" trated my brain. Oddly enough, it doesn‘t kick in when she is around. It‘s only when my wife is away that it works. AII of‘; ;.dden, I find myself on my hands and charge throughout the year, but largâ€" _ the responsibilities that accompany er items are charged at a scale of $10 _ the role. per item for the first four, and $25 per each item thereafter. Sukhpreet Sangh 1 DW W hnd Vitmhone If citizens think they can get away with cramming old electronics into garbage bags and dumping them at the landfill instead of recycling them properly, they will do so, especially if it means avoiding a surcharge. People need incentives to recycle their eâ€"waste. Waste Diversion Ontario has proâ€" posed a levy charged on the purâ€" chase of new electronics to pay for each product‘s future recycling, folâ€" lowing the example of British Columbia. The government should not hesiâ€" tate to approve this plan, as it will embed recycling costs into the purâ€" chase of electronics and thereby work to ensure their safe disposal. As a student at the University of Waterloo, I am constantly urged to appreciate Waterloo‘s prominence in the technological realm and its place in Canada‘s technology triangle. In response, 1 urge the region to truly become the technological leader it wants to be by embracing BOURKE COMMENT knees, pulling weeds out of the gardens, cleaning up the little pieces of paper blown in by the winds of winter. . And then there I am, spade in hand, expanding and reshaping the garden areas. Guided by some unseen force, 1 instinctively know we need more space for flowers. I must dig. I am buying mulch, fertilizer and soil. Work the soil! Driven again by some insatiable need, I also find mmz . myselfin the garden section of the F | local "buy everything you could possiâ€" E OF bly ever need" store. This is a section I R KE | avoid like the plague when we are | shopping together. She can spend f e hours in there. I get the shakes just * . walking anywhere near it. AN I think they are somewhat goofy. RKE Late at night the backyard looks like a ride at Canada‘s Wonderland, with everything flashing and changing colours. There‘s even a little gnome. L know I don‘t want another one, but all of a sudâ€" den I am buying a solarâ€"powered lighthouse. MR oieni en oo en en ie e U This despite the fact very few ships cross through our backyard. Perhaps something else needs a naviâ€" gational aid to make it through the solarâ€"powered butterflies. They can be quite a danger you know. It was that unseen force again. A year ago I would have laughed heartily at you at the mere suggestion of buying such a thing. "Not me," I would say in my most manly of voices. Now I‘m looking for a solarâ€" powered fisherman to go with it. Mss S 1 can‘t wait for her to come back home so I can regain some control over my mind. 1 © ul 7 P on en enc te _ It‘s so bad I‘ve even started putting the toilet seat down. Sigh. Brian Bourke, a member of the 105.3 KOOL FM morning crew, can be reached by email at bbourke@koolfm.com. Now though, I am perusing many different flowers and plants. I am also drawn â€" no, not drawn, pushed â€" by something towards the funky "things that light up department." I already have a lot of things that light up in the backyard. Butterflies, hummingbirds and flowers, walkway lights, candles. You name it. Icannot believe this is what passes for debate in our city. We are down to arguing about chickens. 1, for one, am not paying these incredible tax rates to wake up to roosters at the crack of dawn. If you need more justification for the lack of chickens in everyone‘s backyard take a drive past a chicken farm with the windows down. Last time I checked chickens were listed as farm animals, not pets. We haven‘t devolved to eating our pets, yet. Perhaps I could open a small nuclear reactor in my backyard to cut down on my electricity costs. L can‘t believe we have to justify our "uptight beliefs" to people who really haven‘t done their homework. Get a real issue. Get a real issue Scott J. Abrams Waterloo Kitchener s a teenager, I fanatically listened to the albums of legâ€" Afindary popâ€"rock icons the Northern Pikes, emulating very move of frontman Jay Semko as I rocked out in my rec room playing airâ€"bass guitar. Twenty years later, I‘m still a huge fan and highly anticipatâ€" ing Semko‘s upcoming solo tour, with a stop in Kitchener this month. To my delight, his newest album, International Superâ€" star, will be released this May on Kitchener‘s own label, Busted Flat Records. It was at the Twist in Waterloo where I saw my first Northern Pikes concert. The band was at their absolute peak in 1990, playing soldâ€"out venues across Canada, rivalling the populariâ€" ty of the Tragically Hip. With monster hits like She Ain‘t Pretty, Gitl With A Problem, and Kiss Me You Fool, they became one of the nation‘s No. 1 bands. Clenching the metal railing in front of the stage, I was enraptured by the sights and sounds of that concert at the Twist, standing right in front of Semko‘s microphone with 2,000 people behind me. And despite my unsuccessful attempt to meet him after the show (hordes of young women were crowding the locker room), that evening left an indelible impact as I q became an even bigger fan of Semko, N both as a songwriter and a performer. . j \ ]\ l\\)l { a \l l * Things I do for money, I‘ll never understand I expressed my appreciation for Semko‘s music in a handâ€"written letâ€" ter I mailed in 1995, shortly after the release of his solo debut, Mouse. The album marked his first real foray into roots and country music, with familiar themes of prairie landscapes and smallâ€"town sentiments. Months later, 1 was thrilled to get a response in the mail as Semko shared his gratitude for my support and being "an honest listener." In the letâ€" ter, he spoke about starting from scratch after the break up of "the Pikes," and venturing into some musiâ€" cal scoring for film and television. Pene mt e mt Aeeene eooniiene se It was that last career change that made Semko â€" or at least his music â€" known throughout Canada and around the world, as he scored all the music for the popular Canadian TV show Due South. In the years that followed, Semko would go on to win several awards for his work on various movies, series and documentaries for Discovery Channel and CBC, while providâ€" ing voiceâ€"overs and music for many commercials on TV and radio. ln.2002, I jumped at the opportunity to interview Semko live on the air during a broadcast of Monday Night with the Arts on FM 98.5. A friendship was born, and in the years afterâ€" ward Semko and I would work together on three independent film projects, produced with the support of CTV Southwestern Ontario. To make a documentary called Love Will Set You Free, my film crew of Bill Boehlen and Michael Seto went to Cosmic Pad Studios in Saskatoon and filmed Semko‘s writing and recording process. In January 2005, Semko and his band performed at the premiere of the film at the Princess Cinema in Waterloo. Sitting at the back of the theatre, listening to him perform a set filled with solo material and Northern Pikes hits was a dream come true for me. Aptly enough, he closed the set with the song, Love Will Set You Free. It‘s been 18 years since that concert at the Twist, but I‘m just as excited to see Semko perform this month as 1 was to see him with the Pikes back then. I‘ve been lucky enough to hear an advance copy of Semko‘s new CD, and I‘m already hooked on this album of upbeat songs that includes a few tongueâ€"inâ€" cheek twists like the title track, International Superstar. 19 ' ‘ a+2 _ n ann 111108 508000 0000 onio dsn ienss o Anantis Though Semko won‘t be playing to any audiences of 2,000 on his International Superstar tour, I‘m just as happy these days to see my favourite singer/songwriter perform in a more intimate setting. 1 . 1 M l d o tC ENOCE CCCOBr Because to me, international or not, Jay Semko will always be a superstar. ues T L SaD SaLELAIAHL nteste Taan WnOe pERe nCt Busted Flat Records presents Jay Semko with guests Lynn Jackson and Paul MacLeod at the Circus Room in Kitchener on May 15. Tickets are $10, available at Encore Records. Call 519â€" 744â€"1370. Marshall Ward is a visual artist and independent filmmaker. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, May 7, 2008 + 9