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i tribune december 1993 st stouffville downtown needs boost ouncil has been busy debat- ing rural business opportuni ties and whether antique shops should be included on the most- favored list this of course stems from the fact that an antiques barn was rejected by council and the owners are on their way to the omb this is all well and good but shouldnt council be spending its time trying to find ways to perk up a downtown core that is not exactly thriving rural business es generally take care of them selves usually it requires a bylaw to amend the zoning and the case is closed most business es run out of rural peoples homes and they come up with ideas very well on their own council and edac might do well to work together to eliminate some of the draconian sign bylaws in town come up with a downtown revitalization pro gram offer merchant incentives and attract new and viable busi ness here fish ponds and fair grounds are fine but boosting stouffvilles economy should be concentrated at its heart to begin outside and work in is backward and a waste of time playing a real more from the country note book sitting in the living room reading quietly by the fire with the fabulous mrs beasley at my feet is my utopia and i had achieved this idyllic state last thursday and was deeply involved in a lengthy novel when my calm was shat tered by such a commotion i thought the world was ending i dashed upstairs following my three cats they were obvi ously in pursuit of something most people i know would gladly let their cats dispose of anything unwanted table scraps bugs mice and the like would be all part of cats way to earn its keep in most homes but not our house we have the most domesticat ed felines in the world if they catch something they play with it no killing whatev er this is fine for the cats but not so good for the quarry they are batted around chased cornered and generous ly harassed we have saved all manner of critters from our playful trio but for the most part it is my wife who performs animal rescue 911 thursday it was my turn i dove under the bed and there they were the cats had formed a circle around a tiny wideeyed mouse the mouse was hopping about frantically whacking its head on the underside of the box spring with each leap i scared the cats away and the mouse promptly ran into the corner then the cats zoomed d mouse game jack tails twitching the mouse darted back under the bed so did the cats the game continued in this way for a few minutes while i scrambled to get something to throw over the little rodent back into the corner the mosue ran and i was sure i had him this time but he made a break for it now for those who have been feeling faint at the mere prospect of encountering a mouse stop reading things get a little silly from here on in the mouse dashed through two cats and ran up the outside of my pant leg one cat jumped the mouse made a left turn and ran up back i could feel its tiny feet clinging to my sweater another cat came behind me and made a leap up went the mouse i now had a mouse on my head it just sat there rather than try to lift it off and risk it being attacked again i walked downstairs ever so slowly and headed for the back door the mouse remained still on my head all the way down the stairs i just had to see what it was up to so i made a detour in the washroom and looked in the mirror there he was staring back at me rubbing his tiny paws i had to laugh my passenger and i then went into the woods and i bent down to set him free he wouldnt get off i bent right upside down he still wouldnt jump off gingerley i pulled him from my hair and set him down he looked at me as if in thanks and then scampered off into the brush the next day i heard that you have to take a mouse seven miles away or it will come back if this is the case i expect m be seeing him again probably sooner than i would like stouffville tribune publisher general manager editorinchief patricia pappas andrew mair jo ann stevenson advertising director debra weller business manager vivian oneil operations manager pamela nichols staff reporters tracy kibble julie caspersen roger belgrave photographers sjoerd witteveen steve somerville real estate ads joan marshman classified ads doreen deacon retail sales joan marshman doreen deacon distribution ariene maddock canadian publications mail sales product agreement 439010 published ovatv wednesday by metroland printing publishing end distributing et 9 heritage rd markham ontario l3p 1m3 tel 2942200 the stouffville tribune published every wednesday at 6244 main st stouffville is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing group of suburban newspapers which includes aaxplckering news advertiser aurora benner barrio advance brampton- guardian burlington post colllngwood connection etobleoke guardian georgetown independentacton free pre kingston this week lindsay this week markham economist sunjmkjland express milton canadian champion mlsslssauga news newmarket era banner north york mjrrorfnorthumberfand news oakvllle beaver orillla today oshawa- whltby this week peterborough this week richmond hihthomhlllvaughan liberal scarbor- lugh mirror and oxbridge tribune t iat10nal bales representative metroland corporate sales 4931300 01 na 6402100 6405477 fax have a politically correct holiday tm going to miss the ndp t- when they lose the election in 1995 their earnest desire not to offend special interest groups even when it means offending everybody else makes them a gift to any columnist just last week they were in the hot seat again accused of trying to cancel christmas our manofthemoment was an unfortunate fellow by the name of brian charlton whose 15 minutes of fame began with that notorious antiwhitemale ad for a government job on that occasion our tooth some premier wisely declined media comment so it fell to the hapless bri to defend the inde fensible which he did with spirit and one might say if he hadnt been so desperately sincere arro gance several days later our fearless kates corne but canny leader having not taken any direct blame for the situation reversed the partys decision on the ad referring to it as inappropriate the adjective the ndp has made uniquely its own brian choking on his own rhetoric bravely backed up the premier no doubt hoping to fade into blissful obscurity with all good speed he might even have managed it had his timing not been disastrously off the holiday season as it is now officially known in ndp circles was on the launching pad once again the cword was a political hot potato visions of religious fanatics singing carols helping the needy attending christmas services and staging live nativi ties danced menacingly in the party faithfuls collective head providing massive government subsidies for decorations repre senting a christian celebration which by sheer coincidence falls right in the middle of the official ly sanctioned holiday season was clearly out of the question large evergreen trees covered in lights and nonreligious sym bols once inappropriately known as christmas trees santa glaus inexplicably not taken to task for being a white male and frosty the snowperson have thus far been spared but for how much longer may your holiday season be filled with generic joy that has no particular religious significance and may all your dec 25ths be white