6 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 10, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver NEIL OLIVER Vice-president and Group Publisher, Metroland West DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Commentary 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. 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MANAGER WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Getting on with governing Canada Terence Young, Oakville MP uring the election, I promised to do the best job possible representing Oakville in Ottawa. In order to do this, I need to hear your views and ideas. Please feel free to call me at 905-338-2008 or e-mail me (young.t@parl.gc.ca) regarding any concerns or issues you have with the federal government. I'd like to take a moment to thank those who called or e-mailed me regarding recent events in Ottawa. It has been an incredibly busy time and I have received hundreds of messages from people who care about our country. They were 10 to one against the proposed parliamentary coalition that included the Bloc. Putting partisan politics aside, two things are very clear to me as we ring in 2009. The majority of voters in Oakville do not want another election at this time. What they want is for the political parties to work together to address the world-wide economic crisis as it affects Canada. I agree. When the House of Commons resumes sitting later this month, a full budget will be presented -- a budget that's critical to Canada's economic future. With this in mind, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has launched a renewed national consultation. The most broadly-based budget consultations in our history began in December when the prime minister talked to MP Michael Ignatieff shortly after his appointment as Liberal leader. Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty met with Finance Critics Scot Brison and John McCallum a few days later. Minister Flaherty has since met with the provincial and territorial finance ministers on Dec. 16 and 17, 2008 in Saskatoon and has travelled across Canada to consult with other groups and individuals before finalizing the budget. For my part, since Parliament was prorogued I have been meeting with constituents and government officials, attending events and I have also spoken to, and met with, representatives from Ford of Canada, auto parts manufacturers in town who are major employers and those who work for Honda and Toyota who also manufacture cars in Ontario. On Dec. 19, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce co-ordinated an instructive consultation on the economy with major employers in Oakville. I'm grateful to Chamber of Commerce members who came out in a major snow storm to provide ideas on how to tackle this economic downturn and help ensure business and employment growth. Their ideas ranged from ways to maintain consumer confidence, establishing new credit facilities to boost business growth, assisting small business, to a shortage of skilled labour and local infrastructure projects, green transportation and lower taxes. Their words went from my ears to the minister of finance's ears on Monday, Dec. 22, when members of the GTA Caucus met in Mr. Flaherty's Toronto Regional Office. I am confident many of these ideas will be reflected in the coming budget. In recent weeks, there has also been a lot of talk about the auto `bail out' in the media. I've received letters of concern over this issue, the question being: Why pour taxpayer's money into losing companies? Terence Young RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America D THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION The sun sets NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER AT BRONTE CREEK PARK: The Bronte Creek Provincial Park outdoor rink at dusk last Saturday. See Communicating page 8 New Year's resolutions include getting the GOOP on life h, a new year. Out with the old me and in with the new. It's one of my innumerable and ultimately attainable resolutions. On New Year's Eve, after a few thimbles of medicinal, I confidently resolved to repair the broken economy, find an answer for global warming and a cure for cancer and, more ambitiously, I resolved to become an even more perfect person, if possible. That's right, I resolved to make 2009 the year of the memakeover, the year of the even better me. Naturally, for this to occur, I'll need help. I'll need the advice of an expert, the guidance of a guru, the sage insight of a celebrity. I mean who knows more about perfecting people than a celebrity? No one, that's who. But which omniscient star could best make me better? There's certainly no shortage of advice-dishing divas out there. In the end, logic told me to get Gwyneth. Logic told me to get GOOPed. Now, for those of you living under a rock, or at least out of the readership range of People magazine, Gwyneth is Gwyneth (Practically Perfect) Paltrow -- actress, all-knowing expert, bosom-buddy of Madonna, macrobiotic-dieter, manic-exerciser, mother of Apple and Moses, and wife of Chris Martin, leader of the world's best U2 cover band, Coldplay. Oh, and GOOP is the new A lifestyle website powered by Paltrow wherein guru Gwyneth offers up sage slices of advice a la Oprah, Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray on everything from parenting and partnering, spices and spirituality to baking and, ah, bowel movements. Specifically, it's a website designed to help mere mortals live like stars. A website designed to make us all beautiful, from the Andy Juniper colon out. Critics of GOOP -- and there's an ungodly whack of them out there -- say that like most wealthy celebs, Gwyneth is disconnected from the real world and that her website is all vapid, NewAge hokum, "gobbledy-goop", inane info that out-Oprahs even Oprah. Critics call GOOP a self-absorbed exercise in celebrity hubris, and wonder at the pomposity of Paltrow offering ersatz advice on every topic under the sun. I used to be a critic. But the new me is working feverishly on being kinder and gentler. Gwyneth recommends we all be kinder and gentler. Oh, and in a current posting, she also recommends we partake in a post-holiday cleansing to rid ourselves of the "holiday excess" we've inevitably packed on and to clean out our crappy colons. Last year she attempted the vogue Master Cleanse she described as "hallucinogenic (in a bad way)." Included in her posting on this year's cleanse is some timely "sluggish bowel" advice -- because, as all certified celebrities know, "bowel elimination is paramount for correct detoxification." All of which may be too much information. While I can't claim to understand half of what's on the GOOP website, from the vague motto ("Nourish the inner aspect"), I do know that just reading Gwyneth's postings, living vicariously through Gwyneth, basking in Gwyneth's glow is making me a better person, if only by association. GOOP: Make your life real. Work out. Clean your space. Don't be lazy. Pause before reacting. Don't spit into the wind. Don't wear white after Labour Day. Okay, I made the last two up, but the rest is pure GOOP. I feel closer to perfect already. Now, about fixing the economy... -- Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com.