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economist suntribune community thursday ttov25 1999 common misconceptions about the after ufe misconceptions v the only thing to eat in heaven will be philadelphia cream cheese the naming of the entrance to heaven can be traced to one of bill gates ancestors halos will render the term badhair day obsolete parrots are actually reincarnated standup comedians angels will look like frasiers brother niles only theyll be dressed in swan lake costumes the only thing they accept at the pearly gates is direct debit barry manilow fans dont go to heaven harp lessons will be mandatory i i u n i 0 n v i l l e a l l i a nc e c h u r c h 4898 sixteenth ave on 16th ave between kennedy mccowan 9054771104 get the facts saturday saturday 730 pm mmmmatmmmjtlmmmmmm we want to hear from online shoppers if you love to shop online wed like to hear from you business reporter patrick casey is preparing a feature story on holiday shopping on the internet and needs to hear about your experiences good and bad were you able to find a unique item that was nowhere to be found at the mall do you know some great gift sites did somebody take your credit card information and bilk you are you still getting spam mail from the last time you bought something you can email pat at news- roomtheliberalcom fax him at 881- 9924 or call him at 881 3373 s the precious moments collection invites you ooi cod is love at the 1981 original issue price of 2350 one day only saturday november 27th1999 step back in time to the 1980s introduced in 1981 and suspended in 1989 god is love will be available on saturday november 27th for the original issue price of only 2350 with the purchase of any other fullsized precious moments figurine by enesco this special piece is only available at select retailers like ours we hope to see you there early quantities are extremely limited and will sell out quickly excludes limited and sjxxul pieces 4 9ie6co 4 vtf jkom je w tmwiank matkville shopping centre f 9054701064 visit us m our wchsile wwwcneicocom ciwi enesco cwp 01 wi precious momentt inc lie enesco staff photorob alary evelyn georgas 82 of newmarket still enjoys driving her car right to drive gives seniors independence mm by rick vanderlinde staff writer theres a nervous little giggle and she rubs her hands together as sheponders the big day next spring everyone tells her shell be fine pass ing the drivers test will be a breeze but hester clark cant help but be a little apprehensive shes like a 15-year- old awaiting that first drivers licence test on her 16th birthday only clark is 79 with 15 years of dri ving already behind her its coming up soon im not too worried about it the newmarket woman says her bright eyes smiling like an estimated 95000 ontario dri vers who have turned 80 clark will take a vision test complete a written exam and have her driving record reviewed that will be followed by a 90minute group seminar on safe driving and shell have to repeat die process every two years to maintain a valid dri vers licence despite an aging popula tion hectic roads and a phenomenon called road rage testing has actually grown easier for drivers over 80 before 1997 drivers were forced to take a mandatory incar test every year after they reached the age of 80 the ministry of transportation dropped that requirement after the province was lobbied by seniors groups such as the canadian association of retired persons carp president lillian morgenthau says the annual tests were an indignity road tests are only required if an older driver has had an at fault collision or another serious driving offence an incar test may also be required at the recommendation of police or a doc- tor but clark who has never had an accident said she wouldnt mind being marked on her performance behind the wheel shes confident her driving skills would meet the test everybody thinks seniors shouldnt drive she says but thats not fair seniors are better drivers than a lot of the rest of them its wild out there i see people going through red lights all the time clark got her first drivers licence when she was 65 after her husband passed away she felt stranded so she took a course and got her licence now she wouldnt know what shed do without the right to drive i need a v car every day to go to the seniors centre and go shopping id lose my indeperi dence absolutely i wouldnt be able to depend on my kids for rides every where under new legislation its up to ontario doctors to report medical con ditions that may impair driving ability thats the law regardless of age dr charles bill of mount albert says reporting a longtime patient to the transportation ministry can be awk ward its a doctors responsibility he says you just tell them it s reasonable to give up driving and ill have to report you but in most cases older drivers will heed a doctors advice when its time to hang up the keys bill who is 86 took his own advice earlier this year i just gave up driving the practising physician says ive had a couple of heart attacks and i have dia betes i could be a danger on the road bill says he has lost some indepen dence and now relies on his wife to get him around according to statistics canada many seniors with drivers licences have med ical conditions that could affect their ability to drive a 1997 survey showed of drivers over 75 18 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women suffer from heart disease 28 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women have high blood pressure 35 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women who drive suffer from arthri- tis or rheumatism 15 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women have diabetes 48 per cent of men and 54 per cent of women use three or more medica tions however the study found while health problems can affect driving abili ty older drivers arent involved in more accidents on the basis of kilometres driven older drivers get into approx mately the same number of accidents as their 16 to 24yearold counterparts and older drivers tend to be more cautious avoiding busy highways night driving and rush hours staffsgt al ledger with york regional polices traffic unit agrees with statistics that suggest seniors are actual ly some of the safest drivers on the road the vast majority of them are very careful he said they realize their physical limita tions and they slow down