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* T Lasi year, ini a ' special salute ho Christnmas. 1 wrote a Cliristnmas sîory whichi some of you enjoyed so ibis year 1 decided to humour both you and miyself and again write aniotier. 1I hope youi enjoy it.. Once upon a, lime tibere xvas 'i story. It was différent fromn othier stories because il happenied atiCristias. Tradiiionally, of couirse, Cbristm-as is a liie Mien people of ail sorts and dispositions get together and celebrale the biril of tie Christ child and tlhere falîs on eartli a spirit of goodwill towards'all mien. Al of tis is well and good if you are a traditionalist but of course sonme of ois aren't. Iî's especîally biard ho follow the traditionis of Christmas if you're drunk. Tlat's île way il was wiîh Tomi. ile wvas vaguely aware of a change in tle populace but nol overly concernied. His igest concern at the moment on this sunny bLut snowy FNTMÙ uqh.w@ft**S léns-1qt! AXs of île New Year, the Ontario Governmienl is mInro- ducing île long-awaited and highly unpopolar seal-belt law. t means lIaI Ontario motorisîs will lave ho comiply witb tle mandatory seat-belt lav. Anyone disobeying the law could face stiff penalties. Premier Bill Davis decisionto nake scat belîs nmandatory is already causing somne flak and justifiably so. 111l go along wiîh île assomption that in many instances seat beits can save tic motorists life. l'Il go aiong witli an idea thal lie fatiity rate must be reduced slarply. Buit, I question thie xisCorn bebind the seat-bell safety law. At limes, seat belîs can save your life: aItîimes a seat belt can take your life away. Tiere are many documented instances whnrc seat belîs lave lrapped passengers inside their vehicles. If a car is on fire, tie chances of an agonizing death are increased by wearing a seat bell. The'same often gues for tlie air disaster»s.' Tlere is also anohier problem witli seat belts -- they are poorly designed and lard t0 wear. Innany instances seat belts stick, the buzzers go off wiîb tic slightesl elecîf-ical malfunction and the harness-type belîs make you feel terribly uncomforable. Dresses and coats can often be NE*ERS V *ETRN *'SOOE" * .Oprctlle uftdne S.5 pe opeIcie m n rafs CAROUSEL INN FEATURUNO Vehicle * * Ail This Week -- Appearing Dec. 22, 23, 26, & 27K FLUDD «« usjnessrans Buffet Lunchgeon -- $2.50 -- Ali vou can eal. MON-FR I l2noon to 3p.m. - '~Christmas Day Dinner 4-9 Phone for Reservatioius SUNDAY BUFFET DINNER $5.95 ALL YOU CAN EAT SUNDAY EVENINGS 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHITB'Y F day was firsl whpnre, 10 find either a boille or tle rmoney 10 buy one and 10 then find a warm spot to drink it. Neither otmscayhehogtheaaymaaetofnprospect seemed bright but he wasn't too worried, %~ YE %V/EW ~~~SOUA QIA/ ciamageci ,y tnese seat neits, il îney lail 10 tunclion properly. Al in ail, seat belts are a pain in lie neck. On top of tat, I can see tle law enforcemenl problems. Many mnotorisîs no doubl will try to cleat on the new law. And wly flot? After ail, nobody asked me (the driver) wlal I îhink about the seat-beltlIaw. Do i approve or disapprove of it? How wouîd 1 feel if soniebody decided 10 sue me over a fatality where clearîy seal-belis contribuled 10 a person's death? Sudh possible court cases are wide open if tie new law is ho be opheld. Personally, 1 think Ibis law will fail fiat on ils face. We sbiould remnember thaI seal belîs do flot cause accidents. In nîost cases, the nul behind the wbeel is tle prime cu'prit of caosing deatbi or serious injury. Let's assumne tiat a drunk wears a seal belt and drives like a mianiac. Is this guy, by wearing a seat belt, contributing to the bighiway safeîy? The answer is a flat NO. Some day, however, seat beits could serve a useful purpose, if better designed and miade more attractive lu the w earer.---------------- --- Canada's sex magazine, Elit e, looks prety healtlby, jodg- ing from ithe Clirisîmnas issue. Nohably, the pholograpby has greally improved. It is quite possible tliat Ibis mnagazine miay be able 10 survive and itlibas a mucbel cleaner-looking overal ýppearA â.ice. But, I1îîîusî say, Elite people couicÈ use better writers and ediiorial carloonists. 1 am also told tbat Elihe photograpliers are looking for fresh faces. Only Canadian girls will be considered for iheir nude essays. Bol, how do you tell tluat sie's Canadian, since slîe is nol wearing a flag but only a big smile? To my understanding, a girl in the buff quicdcy loses lier natiDnality. FREE PRESS, WEDýNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1975 'PAE5 he was now venturing out onto the ice to retrieve it. Even though he was intent on getting drunk you could hardly consider Tom in his present state as being sober. Il was bard to consider him as much of anything excepi a down and out wino. Like any other drunk mosi of the beai cops knew imi and in his more sober moments he had seen many différent cops rise througb the ranks while serving in bis area. lie also knew few of them would run imn in, mnost would just chew himi oui, remnove bis wine and make a hiaîflearteci effort to dry imii out. Maybe Tom liad reasons for drinking, maybe lie didn't. Lt was said hie lost his wife 10 cancer ai the age of 40 and bis only remaining relative was a son who dropped out of socieuy and finally one day wound uip on a morgue slab as just aniother O.D. case. So to Tomi the past was bitter and to 1*,)rget itlibe drank as lie was about lu do again today. At the moment, lie was sitting on a bridge abuttment by th1e river, enjoying thee morning suni andl gazirig at the thin ice sparkling in the river. 1-is solitude was quickly broken by a smnall group of boys who suddenly appeared. He watched tliemi as they threw stones and chiunks of wood onto the thua ice in an atiempt ho dehermine ils ihickness. A wind came up and Tomi clulched athbis dirty clothing 10 keep it away from bis frail body. As he did so he noticed something dishurbing out of the corner of bis eye. Tliat same wind had carried away one of the boy's caps and (c I A 11 I gra ara ella ae the 7%Ontaei sls a.Trfi ** TOYOTA HEV foTà,VOORE ERRFICI VI M M II Before he even had time to warn them the wýorst had happened - the !ce let go and the youth was ln the freezing water, The other youths panicked, yelled 10 their companion in the water and then, in furiher panic, they ran away, Suddenly the only sounds were those of tle youth bravely stuggling t0 stay afloat and Tom's hearl beating loudly. In a flash ail the good mnemories of his own lost son camne cbarging back and even though his instincts were old and bis reactions slow Tom knew hie had to do somelhing. He found a dead tree branch* and ran to tle edge of the river and îlrust il out but the youtl was 100 weak by this lime t0 gral it. OnIy one thing left 10 do,' Tom lied the dead brandli ho a neari-y iree with bis coat and jumped into the water holding the other end of tle brandi. He grabbed the boy but was having trouble gehling him back 10 shore wheni suddenly lie was grabbed by tle arm and helped. He looked around and discovered tbe companions had gone for the police and they were now ielping. Thc cold water bad done ils work and Tom remembered little cisc until lie awoke in the bospilal. His mind, now working more sober and efficiently than il lad for years suddenly lad only one thougbit, "i-ow was the boy??"' lHe staggered oui of bed and found a nurse and asked hier wherc the boy was. "Did hie make il ok?" He was given a 50 - 50 chance and Tom spent Ibal nigil and the next ihree iaking tomns wiih îhe parents keeping vivil and prayiflg. On the fifîli night, Rick, the boy who had almosl drowned, came around. It was just six hours untll Christmas. As it happened Tom was tle only one in the room. Rick's vacant eyes picked out Tom, matled hair and foll beard, both unkempi and long, and Rick suddenly said, "Are you Jesus, am 1 dead?" Rick quickly found out le wasn't dead and Tom quickly found out le was very mucl alive for tle first lime since his wife and son lad died and, so, two people five generations apart shared a very special Christmas. And tbey shiared many more Christimnases togelier because Rick's parents found a place for Tom in their home. Tom lefI the bot île and foond a family and love. The beal cops had losI a wino and Tom gained from tIen a citation and mnedal for bravery. .There isn't any moral to Ibis tale but if yoo look around ibis Chrishmas maybe yoo'll find a sinilar slory. And if you find you can change ihat slory why nol givè il a happy ending? Who knows, iî mniglit just wind up being the Christîmas yoo 'Il neyer forget. May you and yours have a good Christmas and a prosperous N ew Year, full of good health and good limes and mnay there, ibis Christmas, be Peace on Earih and Good Will Toxvards AlI Men.