Page Aé4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 24, 1993 Jeff Nagel - News/Community, Malcolm Baxter - News/Spoits, O "ERRACE STA N DAR Publlsher/Editor: Rosa Fisher - Front Office Managar, Pam Odell - Typasetter, Rad Link Arlene Watts - Typasettar, Susan Credgaur « Composing/Darkroom, Special thanks to ———— r ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 Janet Viveirou - Advertising Coneulant, Sam Collier - Advertising Consuttant, ail our a Advertising Chattene Matthews - Circulation Manager ; Registration No. 7820 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C., V8G 188 Manager: oOo e epona Sand ru. correspondents Phone (604) 638-7283 Fax (604) 638-8432 Mike L. Hamm for thelr time and Sarving [he Terrace area, Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press (1966) Lid. al 4047 Lazelle Ave,, Tertace, British Columbla Stories, photographs, ilustrations, designs end typeslyles in the Terrace Standard are lhe property af the copyright holders, including Cariboo Press = ©Production Manager: VERIFIED * talents. (1969) Lid., it's Hlustratton repro services and advertising agandes. Edouard Credgeur ea Rproduction in whole or in part, without writan permission, is specifically prohibited, CNA g " CONTROLLED Authorized as second-class mail pending the Post Office Department, for payment of postage In cash. Gs 1" __ EDITORIAL. No more money It used to be that governments threw money willy-nilly into whatever came along, There was no real sense of ability to pay either in the present or in years down the road. The idea was that money would buy whatever was needed to make things better, A perfect example is the B.C, health care | system. It’s been a recipient for years of money over and above the cost of living. The percentage increase is far beyond that experienced by the rest of the economy. But still, billions of dollars later, the sys- - tem pleads poverty and underfinancing. _It’s a mystery to the rest of us who live - on tight budgets, used to balancing ex- pectations with what is available. But it shouldn’t be that much of a mystery. Large organizations tend to grow bigger just be- _ cause of what they are. They need more just to turn the lights on in the morning. They, and the people who work for them, become : experts in lobbying. for money. Their very size makes them important in terms of political and economic power. That’s why the NDP government’s com- ing changes to the health care system are financing: For the first time, a government is not looking at a program in terms of what it means to people. It’s money — or rather, the lack of it — that is driving this shod eapuncadte e tnoney needed 'to’ Opera" ‘te a CT’ scan machine at Mills Meinotial Hospital. Humanitarian and health reasons aside, a CT scan fits the government’s plan for more efficient health care expenditures. The beauty of the CT proposal is that it ‘goes beyond looking for a way to better _ Spend’ the limited amount of health care money. available. It reaches right into the pocket books of those who need this kind of diagnostic service. i, Provincia! government ‘travel, aécommodation and food ‘costs, ‘not particular venture. . The changes are based on the theory that there is enough health care money avail- able. It is just not being used efficiently or effectively. Why, asks the government, are hospital beds being. used by people who could more properly be cared for in cheaper, extended care facilities. To this, taxpayers must add, why does everything a government touch cost so much money? Why are government facilities so ex- pensive compared to those developed by private business? The kinds of changes coming are ob- ’ viously frightening to the people who work in health care. It means closing down some facilities, job losses and job shuffles. It'll also be a bit frightening to the rest of us. ‘Hospitals and hospital emergency rooms will be the locations of last resort. _ There'll be more emphasis on prevention so. we don’t get sick in the first place. ' There’il be more responsibility placed on people not to abuse health care. In a lot of ways, the changes will be easier to accomplish in smaller cities. Bureaucracies are not as large and the people who deliver health care is closer to those who receive it. And ultimately, it’s better to do things ourselves rather than have changes ordered by somebody else. ‘he right move They now have to travel to either Prince ‘George ot td..Vancouver.. ‘That..means to mention time off work and the expense - this creates. And so the CT proposal at- tacks spending on two fronts — that of the province and that of the individual. Local CT backers anticipate good news when health minister Elizabeth Cull visits here next month. Her approval would be a perfect starting point in her effort to pro- vide better and cheaper health care. Food for thought "Whenever Dagwood makes a midnight snack, he looks like he’s emptying ‘the fridge for defrosting. Whatever food is ‘available, he uses, without regard for calories, clutter, quiet, or consequences. Nat me.. Because my miid- night snacks are sleeping pill substitutes, a banana gives me maximum sedative effect with Through Bifocals | _by Claudette Sandecki hygiene steers me clear of fruit the least amount of fuss. But for cozy comfort, when my in- somnhia comes from genuine hunger, nothing satisfies like a raisin bread, peanut butter, mashed banana sandwich with hot cocoa, Magazine ‘articles advise ‘treating insomnia with a seda- tive snack of bananas, peanut: ‘cheese or. butter, . cheddar. bread, Insomniacs. deal with their affliction.” in | diverse ways, deperiding upon their tastes and tact..: Right off, ‘before I handle food, I have to tum on a tap and wash my hands. Now, during the day water runs quietly, But once my husband is asleep, water splashes and slurps - - wading ina kneedeep puddle, _ Skipping hand: washing: nar- rows my choices to bananas, individually wrapped slices of cheese, or the last, dry slice of ‘bread in the bag, : : nolent effect’ of - the cheese compensates somewhat for the eventual thirst that’s bound. to brah me by the’ throal about 5°: ss red: of a: Lat U ‘like ::a.. two-year-old : _Dagwood’s house has to be more soundproof than ours. | go for foods that can be as- sembled with minimum noise. Toasting is out. Dragging ‘drawers sounds an alarm. Just ‘opening the fridge, the door seal produces that peculiar vacuum sound. Though only a whisper, it’s a bugle call to the man who can snore six feet in front of TV wrestling. Heating water for cacoa or instant coffee risks the rattle of a saucepan or the whistle of a tea kettle, Fruit: juice is “an _alternative, but cold can shock my body into a higher state of wakefulness, nullifying the. drowsy effects of the snack, Preparation of cocoa - tecommended as a sleep in- ducing beverage - means an Orchestra of sounds. Besides heating water, milk has to be pinched from the fridge, cocoa spooned into a. cup, sugar measured .in from a bowl or - ‘canister, then thé sugar and - If Pm mindful of calories, I: -fimit myself to one choice + a banana, a slice’ of bread, or ati. 4 ounce of chéese. The som- =. cocoa’ stirred together with a Spoon. Do that without clink. ANBe eo Z Finally, I rate my snack for after effects ’ Too: much liquid will have me up ina few hours, Too y; JI, wake. even. ‘earlier, Tr ‘plan: to brush once coticern for: dental juices, and crackers that pack into my molars, A side issue is the trail of dishes and debris my snack will leave behind, I don’t wanit to be greeted next morning by a sinkful of dirty dishes and a countertop of strewn with crumbs and plastic wrap. And setting dirty utensils into a metal sink is akin to spilling a boxful of nails on a marble floor. It can’t be done quietly. A further consideration is how much extra snack to make. Should my husband. wake up, I want to be able to share with him, At the same time, I don’t want to have to overeat to deal with my hand- iwork, Often, just the mental strain of preparing a midnight snack makes me sleepy. AMAZING THIS LITTLE JET IS fue DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS Brazil of the North | tag simply not true VICTORIA — “Brazil of the North’’ says the headline. above a picture of what is billed as ‘‘a massive clear-cut on Southem Vancouver Is- land.” The 36-page tabloid contains numerous articles by members of environmental groups, all doing: their-best‘to'shut: down British: ‘Coliimbia’s s ‘Forest i in- dustry. Copies of the publication were distributed in England recently, coinciding with Premier Harcourt’s visit abroad. Much of the content j is mis- leading. Some of the claims are outright lies, The picture of the clear-cut could fall into either category. Harcourt said the picture was taken four or five years ago. What looks like a wasteland in the photograph, has actually new trees on it that are now eight to 190 feet tall. Inside the tabloidisa _ cartoon showing a smug Mike Harcourt, flanked by a fatcat “forest multi-national’’ on one side and an TWA logger on the other, with hundreds of protesters in the background, carrying placards that proclaim: “‘Save Ancient . Forests’’ and “‘Big Trees, not Big Stumps,’’ or “Stop Clear- cutting.’ I wonder whether the people who distribute this stuff know what they’re doing. I think nat. Just for once, I would like to hear one of them admit that disobeying a court order is against the law. Every time some protesters get arrested for trying to stop loggers from going about their work, | get a fax from the environment group to which they belong, referring to them as “‘forest protectors,’’ rather than the law breakers they are. Some of the more strident environmentalists have even threatened to work against the Stephen Owen Commission on K MACHINE GOING oR Not? e a, F ro yi ; fa Re ‘. oy, \d a :) %y “ ER fens P’ Ms & ae \ reel @ D'S I P. -_ gi-b From the Capital by Hubert Beyer Resources and’ Buivitoninien* “for tespetiing other conimer- § ! "the best and probably only: hope this province has of ever ' getting the various interest - groups to agree on what trees should be cut where. ' That we have to set aside certain areas for protection goes without saying, but to un- - dermine British Columbia’s overseas markets for lumber products by spreading what is at best misleading information and lies at worst is reprehensible. And contrary to what the en- vironmentalists say, forest companies, multi-national or otherwise, are behaving. mare responsibly, Most companies are sig- natories to the Principles.of Sustainable Forestry, devel- oped by the Forest Alliance of British Columbia, which has among its staff people with such diverse backgrounds as former [WA president Jack Munro and Greenpeace co- founder Patrick Moore. The 21-point sustainable forestry practices code covers everything from soil conserva- tion and the building of log- ging roads to watershed man- agement to wildlife habitat protection. It calls for the proper reforestation of all . bogged lands by either natural regeneration or planting with — appropriate species. ‘It compels companies to manage forest land ‘‘with con- cem for recreational use by the public,’’ which includes the’ appearance of roadsides, har- - vested areas, and assistance in providing campsites, picnic - areas, boat ramps and trails, The code addresses the need Go ARONART. oY KNOW WHAT, Ese 1S AMAZING! cial values, including tourism, livestock grazing, hunting, © fishing, trapping and honey production. It holds the forest companies . to co-operate with government’ . in creating an accurate, up-to-: date inventory of all forest . - resources on which to base proper management ofthe — forests. , “We will protect the bioiogi- oe cal diversity of managed lands by ensuring that representative » Stages of forest succession, in- cluding old growth, are pres- ent throughout each forest ecosystem,’” the code says. Other parts of the code call © on forest companies to involve the public and welcome public scrutiny. “We recognize the _ right of communities and indi-_ viduals to access information and to be Involved in forest planning and to monitor indus- trial performance,”’ it says. .Among the companies sub- | scribing to the code are Can- for, Weldwood, Doman Forest Products, MacMillan Bloedel, Canadian Pacific Forest Pro- ducts, Weyerhacuser, and Fletcher Thalienge. . The Forest Alliance is cur- rently compiling data on how the companies have lived up to their obligations under the code, and the results will be ; released sometime in March. © If we’re serious about responsible land use, We should build on goodwill and — co-operation. We should com-. ' promise where necessary. But - we should not allow to let go unchallenged the ridiculous | claim that British Columbia is the Brazil of the North. : ’ a ee a a ae ee |