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WIIITI3Y FREIi PRESS, WiiDNIi'SDAY. JANUARY 14, 1981, P>AGE 15 Between You and Me By RUTH COLES We are not into the new year and moving through a deep freeze, both pleasant in their own ways. A new beginning for many years and a renewed vigor for others with clear air and sunny skies. Mayor Bob Attersley deserves a handshake for his day spent in a wheelcha ir which no doubt will help him to move forward with a clear head and great vigor toward helping the handicapped. To make life easier for the disabled shouid be one of our fir- st priorities. How could we have been so blind over the years and s0 slow to act? Last year, I wrote a couple of columns Ontarl*o Hydro conduet routine voltage test Ontario Hydro wiil con- duct a routine voltage reduc- tion test on Tuesday, January 20. Voltage on the Ontario electrical grid will be cut by five per cent that day for two one-hour periods: from 1: 30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A voltage eut is simply a lowering of the pressure at which power is relayed from the generating station to the customer, and for most customners it wilI be imper- ceptible. The test is conducted twice a year, in January and July, and is meant to ensure that in an emergency, Hydro could prevent a power in- terruption in this way. A voltage reduction of five per cent would cover the loss of about 400 megawatts, enough to supply a city the size of London, Ontario. Dis abled have strong will VJa listening to pessimistic predictions. What might happen if we reserve our outlook? An appreciation of our country and what can be done wlth initiative could start us off in the right direction. We should stop listening to ail the armehair strategists who sit back and accept the gloomy forecasts and predictions while at the samne timne have neyer seen their own country from coast to coast let alone the rest of the world. DUAL -N -INSPIRATIONi Diol 668-1331 and hear a three minute inspirational message b I Pastor Emmo OltniannsI about this topic and have given it a great deal of though. My friend Sue keeps me clued in about happenings in this field. Sue has multiple scierosis and has been confined to bed for the past year.1 1 hope many people are ward of the talking books which are available at the Whitby Public Library. Sue enjoys them immensely, especially Agath Cristie's novels. The books have to be ordered ahead of time as it takes a few days to get themn and too they are in great demand. Most handicapped people have great determination and do ail they can to further their own cause. They do need feed- back and help from ail of us and especially fromn politicans who can start wheels moving. One of t.he biggest problems in providing services for the disabled is the lack of funding, perhaps funding for these ser- vices will receive greater priority from local and provincial government.é It's'like everything else and until it has been brought to mind we wonder why on earth haven't ail these things been done before. We have always had the handicapped with us and we have ignored their problems in the main. Soon I will write about Handi Transit which has become a disabled. Now availabe in Whitb: t is a Godsend to many and gives themn a freedomn they have neyer experience before. I hear the Posties are getting into the action too in relation to the handîcapped and senior citizens. I know littie about this but will find out more. Who else has such an advantage on a daily basis? To the elderly and to shut-ins the postman's footsteps must be a welcome sound at a more or less given time eacli day. For the lonely ones a familiar face and a cheery smile to help them through the day. In this new year we should ail look forward and make a great effort to be optimistic and renew our faith in this great country of ours. The whole world is at odds and ends but we are only a small part of the sum total. Doomn and gloomn which seems to have become an integral part of our lives as Canadian should be done away with and forgotten. I feel we draw the above to us as we are too ready to accept ail the reports which we hear. It is easy to get caught up in this atmosphere, particularly when constantly the Emmanuelchurch cf Rossland'RoadW. in Whitby. Es calation o f farnily allowances Health and Welf are Minister Monique Begin today announced that there will be ful escalation of family allowances for 1981., The Famiiy Allowances Act provides for' annual escalation of payments in January- of each year in ac- cordance with the increase in the cost of living. Effec- tive in January, the federal government family allowances paid monthly for children under 18 will rise to $23.96 from $21,80 in most provinces and' in the territories. In addition, the refundable child tax credit will provide up to $238.00 per child per year based on family income. Special allowances, which are paid to foster parents, welf are agencies, gover- nment departments and in- stitutions maintaining children, will increase to $33.53 from $30.51. Each month during 1980 the federal government paid out more than $151 million in family allowances to 3.6 million families.. The chequescovered 6.9 million children. The national average allowance for each recipient family was about $42 monthly. Is Your Life G.ing Nowhere? Are You Worrled? Are You Having Bad Luck? Mhy - - nTee j Help. Start Being a Star ALUGN YOUR SELF WITH YOLIR INNER POWERS. 1. Start Looking Better 2. Start Thinkîng Better 3. Start Dressing Better 4. Start Doing Better 5. Start Improuing Your Pay Check Astrologicmi Readlnge Can Rum Up To $200.00 and mort. Order yolxr Astro-WheeI Reg. $13.96, Now only $7.96. Spedal Umidted time only. Send c. .nr M.O. for 87.96 tax, postage, handling incdudedto ASTRO-WHEEL 6331 Holywood IA. Suite 924 Hollywood, CA 90028 NAME AIM[)RESS_________________ CITY _ _-ZIP______ of 401 -- Miiiimilib