Saturday Soapbox: Free lunches, unsung heroes

No such thing as a free lunch: It's vital that Des Plaines keep its Meals on Wheels program operating for homebound residents, but aldermen are right to take a look at the cost - $40,000 a year to serve 33 residents who pay for the service. The plan is to transfer the city-run program - and funds - to the Des Plaines Senior Center.Dedicated emergency workersWinters must always be challenging for emergency workers - and that's without spending three days of cold and snowy weather trying to free a downed cargo plane, and two pilots' bodies, from the icy Des Plaines River this week. For those who shared in the task, thanks for the dedication.Keeping track:Did you read about Schaumburg trying the new Care Trak program? The technology has been used to track wildlife downstate, but is now being used to help find lost people with special needs. It might seem weird to chip your grandparents, but given that the average person is found within 30 minutes, it may not be a bad idea.Calculating the cold:Here's a quiz with no right or wrong answer. What's colder today, the temperature outside or your confidence in the Bears coaching staff? The wind chill or the support for Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro? The odds of the Blackhawks missing the playoffs or the odds that there will be potholes to avoid next spring? Jay Cutler's quarterback rating or your faith in Chicago politicians?Low-tech fun:If you've had your fill of the kids terminally tied to technology toys (games, phones, computers, videos, etc.), then it's time to break the pattern. Challenge them to a sled hill, and tell them they can only use items that have a purpose than sledding (boxes, trash lids, cookie sheet pans, etc.) If that doesn't work, check out local skating rinks. Tell them you're "going green" for the day.Deplane, deplane!Speaking of flying, we were taken aback when the airline industry criticized the Obama administration's order last month to let people off a plane if it's stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours. The industry says it could cause more delays. Inconvenience fliers? That's what's happening when people are held captive on a plane for hours.Careful when driving through forests:Seen Monday: A car stopped with a dead deer in front of it on eastbound Higgins Road near I-290 on the edge of Busse Woods. We're seeing a lot of deer there and elsewhere lately. So that's another reason to stay free of distractions while driving in the suburbs.Seriously, this could poke your eye out:Pete Morano of Aurora bravely showed his bruised face after a chunk of ice flew off a semitrailer truck and crashed through his windshield Wednesday. Bones were broken in his face and he may lose vision in one eye. We've seen lots of snow fly off big rigs' roofs. Truckers really ought to shovel off those roofs, as should drivers of all types of vehicles.No one said life is fair: Doesn't it seem one side of town gets plowed and salted before yours? Schaumburg's new Wise Road east of Roselle Road - the one with center-of-the-road gardens, wrought-iron benches, fencing and two sets of streetlights - was plowed and salted while heavily used, school-laden, pot-holed Springinsguth Road remained snow caked. Maybe pot holes provide extra traction.