The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Our Opinion Tuesday, January 15,2008 The Nipigon-Red Rock Gazette is published each Tuesday by Lakeshore Community Publishing Ltd. 38 Front Street, Nipigon, Ont. P0T2J0 Phone 807-887-3583 Fax 807-887-3720 2nd., class mailing permit #0867 Subscription Rates: Seniors (65+) $28.00 Local $38.00. Outside 60km $51.00 USA $67.00 (please add 5% GST) Memberships and Associations The Canadian Community Newspaper Association, The Ontario Community Newspaper Association Columns Policy - Letters to Editor The columns and letters accepted by this newspaper for publication, appear at the discretion of the Publisher. Names, signatures and phone numbers must accompany each submission for verification purposes. It is assumed that each submission fairly represents the opinion of the writer. E-mail address nipigongazette@shaw.ca Advertising and General Manager Linda R. Harbinson Reporter Photographer/Circulation Pamela Behun Managing Editor Paulette Lalonde Forsyth Publisher Linda R. Harbinson ‘We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, though the Publications Assistance Program ‘PAP Registration No. 9030” toward our mailing costs.” editorial... All the Christmas decorations are down, save for a few that I just can’t bear to part with just yet. The house looks, for lack of words, undecorated. But Valentine’s Day is one month less a day away so a little pink and red should surely brighten up the place, not to mention my spirits. Even though my daughters have grown up and left home, I still decorate for every occasion just as I did when they lived at home. As much as they would like to think I did it for them, I did it for me, too!! I just love all the cute decorations that are available, and the matching candies as well! A child at heart with a grown up sweet tooth I shall always be! And so, how have you’ve been? I’m hoping fine and dandy! As the writer of this editorial and under the presumption that someone is reading this column, I’m just checking to be sure all is fine with our readers. If you are shaking your head no and you do have something on your mind, I’d love to hear from you! You’ve listened, through words, to my many rants and various situations that have bugged me throughout the year, so now it’s your turn to throw it out there to the public. Perhaps you just want to share a good story, or scratch an irritating issue, or just say Hello from wherever you might be! When we say “We’d love to hear from you,” we really mean it. Send us an e-mail, or a fax, or drop off one of those hand written letters we rarely see anymore and share a few moments with us! National Non-Smoking Week-Jan. 20-27 (NC) - Everyone knows smoking is unhealthy. The reality is that the longer you continue to smoke, the more damage you do to every organ in your body. While withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and challenging to manage, many people become smoke-free every year in Ontario. You may think you have a long uphill battle, but medical data shows that your health improves the very first time a cigarette is pushed away. The minute you start saying no to tobacco, your body begins to heal itself by repairing damage done by smoking. Here’s a recovery timeline from HealthyOntario.com that shows what your body experiences once you become smoke-free: Within 20 Minutes: Your blood pressure drops and pulse returns to normal. The temperature of your hands and feet stabilizes. After 8 Hours: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops. After 24 Hours: Your chance of having a heart attack decreases. After 48 Hours: Your ability to smell and taste improves. After 72 Hours: Lung capacity increases. Breathing can become easier. 2 Weeks to 3 Months: Your circulation improves. Walking becomes easier. Lung function may increase by up to 20%. 1 to 9 Months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath may decrease. 1 Year: Just 12 months down the road and you will have cut your risk of heart disease in half. Quitting isn’t easy, but 24-hour online support is available through the Canadian Cancer Society’s SmokersHelpline.ca. More than half of all Canadians who have ever smoked have quit. You can too. Potential Fire Hazards............. Over 51,000 homes across Ontario are at risk of fire due to the potential overheating of their heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems. The thermal protector in the motors of these HRV systems, part of many newer homes’ heating, cooling and ventilating systems, can fail and pose a potential fire hazard to homeowners. Certain HRV models produced and installed between 1991 and 2001, and between October 2006 and August 2007, are affected. While Venmar manufactured these models, to date, the affected units were identified with the following brand names: • Venmar Brand • Venmar AVS Brand • Flair Brand • vanEE Brand • Conformax Brand • Carrier, Bryant Brands • Payne • Day & Night • NuTone Brand • Heil Brand • York Brand • Sears Brand • Guardian Brand by Broan Brand • Rheem Brands • Ruud-Protech-Weath-erking • Bryant, Carrier Brands (standard model) Homeowners with HRV systems manufactured by Venmar Ventilation Inc. during these periods should immediately turn off and unplug their unit. Home-owners should then contact Venmar at 1-866-441-4645, or at www.venmar.ca to determine if their unit is affected. Concern about the HRVs arose following investigations of two home fires in Burlington in 2006. As a result of these investigations, Venmar initiated an upgrade program for affected HRVs installed between 1991 and 2001. Recently, the manufacturer initiated a second upgrade program for the HRV systems produced between October 2006 and August 2007. The manufacturer has confirmed that about 10% of the homes with the affected HRV units have been contacted and retrofitted under the upgrade program. This leaves over 51,000 Ontario homes at risk of potential fire. If homeowners experience any strange odours, smoke or the smell of burning in your home, call 9-1-1 immediately and have the fire department respond to determine the cause. For more information contact your local fire department. Can you spot 12 differences between these pictures? Solution: 1. Extra bandage on cast. 2. End of scarf is hidden. 3. Tree behind house is missing. 4. Board on fence is missing. 5. Snow appears on stump. 6. Bush behind stump is colored in. 7. Branch on tree is missing. 8. Boy’s right crutch appears. 9. Branch behind tree is different. 10. Skier has changed direction. 11. Pompom on boy’s hat is missing. 12. Collar on boy’s shirt is longer. Call 911 for Emergencies only.