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jvf i i economist scsunmibune the year inreview jhesddec 26 2006 i 4rf el rl l i i 1 li- 9 fe jfck preparing for the y2k crisis we laid u ah extra can of pork and beans by fred simpson staff writer- he new millennium broke the sound barrier widf its usual predictions of boom doom anil gloom but as usual we managed to stagger through the next 364 days along with the sound and fury the year had its moments of light or per haps bizarre episodes in actuality this article would have been reduced to a mere help if all the dire predictions about y2k had come true as the new year hovered on the scene there were continued alarms that they2k computer bug would send the worlds computers crashing some people even stored up home provisions such as canned food can dles and other such survival kits wait ing for the technological shoe to drop personally this writer confidently laid aside an extra can of pork and beans in the cupboard justin case well as everyone knows by now nothing happened 1- as one company president depen dent on his computer system surviving ally2k assaults said with a sigh of relief quite frankly when i think about it all this y2k thing has been blown out of proportion we were not concerned here in the least sure the rest of 2000 couldnt offer quite as much theatre as the y2k hype but it- had its moments of comedy or if yoii prefer near tragedy j let us not duck the issue any longer for example what redblooded york region resident could stop a tear from fightingitswaytoaneyelidafterreading about the case ofthe peking duck the peking duckwas reportedly stolen during auroras annual chanty hoedown last september an onlooker said he saw a woman grab the duck and run off with a guy i dont know if shes goingto eat the duck or not the owner chris golla sent a plea out to return the duck intact and lo and behold it was returned intact and alive safe and sound the duck had been found by a man on the same grounds she had disap peared from earlier when i went by the duck and saw it to be honest with you i thought it was a plastic duck he said despite the happy ending the episode inspired a letter to the newspa per criticizing the owner of the duck for bringing a pet to an event of 4000 peo ple many of whom were drinking what else to say but thou cackles too much lady aaah another one certainly every member of an east gwillimbury council was delighted when one resident showed up with one of those lovable eeek tarantulas in tow the resident kent breedin brought documentation to assure council tarantulas were harmless his aim was to have the municipali ty exempt his pets from an exotic ani mal bylaw forbidding tarantulas and m 39 11 v the case ofthe missing duck owner chris golla lost one ofhis two peking ducks at a festival in aurora the duck was recovered such he said there were already exemp tions to the bylaw for ostriches and buf falo why not tarantulas said councillor frank kelly i wouldnt want one next to me but he seems to have loads of proof they are harmless a toronto zoo expert said that like any animal they can bite all spiders are venomous per se but generally theyre not dangerous the sequel to the story is tfiat the request of the tarantulas owner was turned down by council declared the tarantulas owner its basically unconstitutional im being prosecutedfor doing something that is not harmful there are some years even a tarantu la cant win in onward to more enlightening topics and of course elvis lives on as a senior citizen in the year 2000 if only in the minds and hearts of all his also aging followers keeping the spirit of elvis alive was newmarkets dorian baxter baxter- an anglic minister and admitted elvis janatictjperfbrrrieii his seracesmjreyjmaliavsuch as bejewelled jumpsuit andcaps long sideburns and biuesuedestioesviv jbaxterdaimed he used ehisreli- giouslaiut and gospel music roots to bring the power of jesus christ topec lers hear one foryou aint nothin butahoimddogonembretirnj halloween 2000 also produced a mini squabble when a richmond hill resident accused a municipal garbage truck driver for spiriting off his-hol- lowedout jack o lantern pumpkin which had been on the front lawn grinchuke story cries of the grinchthat stole hal- lowesn rented the airwaves for a couple of days v the mean streets of richmond hill had struck again v said former pumpkin owner david menzie im incensed because i just cant believe that anyone seeing a pumpkin that big and two weeks before hal loween could possibly think it was garbage to be picked up the eruption had a fairytale ending when the municipality promptly deliv ered not one but two pumpkins one already hollowed out to the menzie property peace wasrestored in pump kin hollow the year 2000 will be a memorable one for newmarkets leslie rodiwho survived being hit by lightning twice roth walked away with just a split ting headache after being hit by light- ning twice within a minute while on a kayaking trip in northern ontario proving of course that lightning can strike twice in the new millennium unignviiee mens cotton wool sweaters i now 1999 reg 6590 iks9wtiymfthgawttiaww polar fleece jackets now 1999 reg 45 ffitftfflwjyahtgntrfvrr v north 44 quick reflex riggin shirts sweaters now 1999 to 3999 reg6595 mens dress pants cords now 1999 to 3s99 c ladies christmas hand knits now 3999 reg130 ladies embroidered shirts now 2999 reg 6500 mfw w hundreds of items now 789 999 socks scarves now 7 bells now 5 reg 20 reg 20 sawe up fo 80 on brand names including north 44 timberland britches riggins quick reflex many more