Page A4 — Terrace Standard, “Wednesday, January 31, 1990 - ; O ERRACE STANDAI ‘Pubieber eee . Cary Rodin : ” eH Nagal — - Sporis, iba & Baxter — News, oan Special thantea to val ne " ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1968 - we Carol. Willoughby — Compesiter, Rage Fisher — Front Office’ Mager “Our ‘contributors end oss : ~ Barolya Christiansen - -Typasetting/Darkroom = * ” £ Ealtor a Gary Fiodin = = Advertising Manager, Janot Viveiros — _ ~ Advartising Consultant sorrespondents | for... Wuatration repro services and advertising agencies. Flepraduction in whole or in part, without written parmisslon, is spaciticadly protiblted. Registration No. 7820 4847 Lazelle Ave,, Terrace, B.C., Vea 188 (604) 638-7283 YS Serving the Terrace area. Published on wednesany af each week by Cariboo Press (1060) Li. at 4647 Lazetie Ave. Terra, British Cumbia, : Stories, photographs, Hlustrations, desions and typestyies in ihe Terrace Standard are tha property of the copyright hours, incutiog Canon Press (1 08) Lt. its Authorized 24 second class mall pending the Post Ctice Oepartment, for payment ot peshge in cash, Rod Link a Production Manager: Edouard Gredaeur re Sam coll. = - Advartising Consultant, Katharina, Hicks a er Karyn Kink ~ = ~ Cheatin Manag Braphe A Arlt’ : [thelr tims and hay ler EDITORIAL Every winter highways employees sit at their desks and answer phones from people complaining about the state of the province’s roads. It’s clearly a no- win situation for the employees. The weird weather conditions of the Terrace area can turn six inches of snow one hour into a sea of slush the next. Since the province sold off its road and bridge maintenance operations a year and a half ago there’s been an in- crease in the public’s perception of what’s right and what’s wrong with the treatment of B.C.’s winter roads. The job being done is either better or worse depending upon how you look at it or, depending upon how your car reacts while going around a corner. One way of judging the performance of the private companies is the province’s own system whereby contract managers rate the way each company does its job. There are three levels at- tached to this system and the reports make for the subjects of meetings bet- ween the contract managers and the companies. The problem is that so far the public doesn’t have access to the reports. One reason given is that the contractural rela- tionship between the province and the - companies makes for a certain amount of confidentiality. As well, the province doesn’t want this kind of stuff to become public the closer it comes to next year when the contracts come up for bidding once again. That may be fine for the government, but it’s not fine for the public. It is, after all, public money that is supporting the companies. More than anything, that makes it all the more important for the public to know how its money is being spent. Going overboard There’s been talk around town that the Social Credit government is looking for alarge project in which to pour some money, Now that Premier Bill Vander Zalm is staying (was there any question he was ever going to leave?) there’s going to be a slow steady build up of govern- ment goody announcements leading to the next election. It’s said that there’s one faction favouring a convention centre and another faction thinking that perhaps a new overpass is needed. The problem re- mains is to figure out what gets the most votes. Common opinion has it that over- passes don’t buy votes. Regardless of politics, it is time to do something about a proper highway overpass. Any doubt that one is needed should have been erased this past Saturday when that gas tanker headed into the rhubarb, Granted, there is an onus to drive more carefully in hazardous winter conditions, but there is also an onus to construct proper highways. The city council is on record as favouring a proper overpass west of the city. Last year there was some verbiage about the same thing in the regional transportation task force report. But should the convention centre folks win out, no problem. The first such gather- ing should be those who have had nasty experiences on the overpass. It’ll be stan- ding room only, é You're on display I dread lineups. Besides being a bothersome timewaster, they fill me with panic like a yearling corralled in a vaccination chute. Trapped in a checkout lineup, I’m sure those around me are inspecting my cuffs for frays, Through Bifccais by Claudette Sandecki ¢ wondering how high my shoulder would rise if I cleaned out my handbag, or marvelling at the black bristle on my chin mole, ; Logically, I know I’m silly to think the world’s paying that much attention to me, That was proven to me years ago when I enrolled both my left feet in an Arthur Murray-type dance class, Entire walls of the ‘ballroom’? were floor-to- ceiling mirrors, making it easy to spy on aroomful of awkward adults who'd paid to be pushed around, In the hope of bolstering my confidence, ‘the instructor had me check in the mirror to learn how many in the room were observing me. Of course, no one was, ‘That realization did a lot to. put me at case in anonymous crowds, But it didn't help to relax me in a 5 p.m. nine-cart lineup at Overwaitea. , it's small comfort to know my character flaw is a harmless psychological deficiency calied self-consciousness.. Nor is it helpful to know others, including Snoopy’s car- toonist, share my shortcoming. .. For its self-consclousness which turns the | Wel eight: atchers’ only the weigher ' weighee can read the calibra- scale away from the members so and the tions, _It's the reason naughty publications are mailed in plain brown wrappers. Perhaps it’s even the motiva- tion for burglars to work alone, in the dark, in unoccupied premises. Webster defines self- conscious as “uncomfortably conscious of oneself as an ob- ject of the observation of others.”’ And it can make a per- son do wonderous things. Once, when only 10 pounds barred my path to happiness, [ tracked down an all” night drugstore with an elderly female. clerk, During, a pre-midnight Lull, I slunk in for a pound of caramel Ayds, an appetite sup- pressant. As the clerk rang up my pur- chase, a young man walked in for cigarettes. His presence so ‘unstrung me I rushed home to the sanctuary of my- apartment _anid gobbled a week’s worth of diet candy before I came to, Today, I suffer similar anguish if the checkout com- -puter:.at the -libriry malfune- tions while my books are stack- ed on the counter. Borrowers crowd around, craning to read the titles on the spines of my choices. Because of this ever present risk, I never borrow books by Erica Jong, Dr. Ruth, or Frank Yerby. Since I've been unable to overcome this bashful trait, I’ve put it to work, It helps to keep me from gain- ing weight. Were it not for my conviction every customer in the store would snicker and point if I topped my cartload of groceries with chocolate swirl, salted peanuts, or double: chocolate chip cookies, I'd make Roseanne Barr look peak- ed. Even lineups have their uses. St UE en We in Healthy bill at this hospital VICTORIA — Now I know why some U.S. hospitals are listed on the stock exchange. _ The bill for eight, days at Honolulv’s Stravb Hospital came to a cool $18,400 in U.S. funds. And that doesn’t in- — clude the doctor’s bill. OF course, you get unsur- passed service.for your money. Every'room-is a private room; the staff is better paid and less over-worked than in B.C.; the doctors are top-notch and get paid what they’re worth. There are no waiting lists. The day after my heart condi- tion had stabilized, Dr. David Furgusson proposed that he do an angiogram to find out what artery might be blocked. Less ‘than 24 hours after that, I underwent angioplasty surgery. For the latter procedure, there is often a waiting period of four’ to six weeks in B.C., because it is necessary to have a team of open-heart specialists on stand-by, just in case the old balloon trick doesn’t work. Nothing a patient uses at Straub, including the mattress, is ever used again. You pay for it, you can take it home after, or it gets thrown out. All of which is great if you are properly insured. Unfor- tunately, millions of Americans have no coverage at all, asked what they do with such patients at the Straub Hospital. The answer was, *‘we stabilize them and send them to another hosptial.’”” The way my source made it sound, I had no particular desire to ever end up at one of ‘the other’? hospitals, where poor people receive less than the state-of-the-art medical care they get at the Straub. I’m also sure they don’t have too many Dr. Fergussons at “the other’’ hospitals. This brings me to a point I would like to make. Don’t even go across the border to buy groceries without insuring yourself to the teeth: At the hospital rates I mentioned, it wouldn't take long to. make suicide look like.a desirable alternative. The cost of addi- tional travel insurance is From the Caplial | py Hubert Beyer reasonable: it works out to . about $8 a day.. The outstanding service at a, good U.S. private hsopital shows itself in other ways. The day after I was admitted, a woman came to my room. She introduced herself as Lisa Konove, the hospital’s social worker. I said it was nice to meet her, but I wasn’t on | welfare, She said she might perhaps help me in some ways. What about my trip home? I said-that unfortunately, we - had-missed our flight and . would have to pay again. She said she would see what she could do. Later that day, she came back and said our trip home had been all arranged and, no, we wouldn't have to - pay again. How did she manage that? Who knows, Her husband, by the way, is An- thony Chang, a Hawaii State Senator. ‘So there obviously are ad- vantages to having private ‘medicare — as long as you can afford to pay for the in- sruance, The cost of insuring a family with two kids against medical calamities is about $250 a month. Of course, you couldn't care less if your com- pany pays the premiums or you can afford to pay them yourself, | The guy out of work is aiso out of luck. No premium reduction for him. Here, the - B.C. Medical premium goes down to about $2 a month if you’ re uneraployed, and if you're on welfare, you don’t have to pay at all. All in all, I’d rather have it our way, waiting lists and all, I’ve never liked the i'm-a il right-Jack at- titude. To wind up my account of | _ this certainly interesting ex- perience, 1 would like to thank a. (WHAT Do THE. STAR ( DATES ON THESE | ae a PACKAGES MEAN 2 WELL , IF YOU LIVE DOWN Sov’ IT MEANS You'VE GoT: ABOUT & WEEKS To ¢ USE THE PRobuCcT,. "some people for the good “BUT tF YOO \ -Yov've GoT LE UPNORTH..)|| ABouT 6 ° MINUTES I wishes they sent my way. To © Premier Vander Zalm, thanks for your kind message, which reached me via the wonders of _ fax. To friends and colleagues at the press gallery, also thanks for a fax message which had hotel staff scrat- ching their heads. One of the nicest gestures was offered by the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, a beautiful and historic and expensive hotel on Waikiki Beach. Since we only intended to stay for a week, we thought we'd go first-class, which the Moana certainly is, but the prospect of having to pay the rather steep daily hotel rate for whatever length of time I might have to stay in hospital had my wife, slightly scared. . When she attempted to . check out and move to a cheaper hotel, however, the — manager said, no need. We are valued guests and for the dura- tion of my hospitalization, the rate would be reduced ‘to $50 a night. That, I would say, is-a class act. To my editors, publishers, and, of course, my readers, I'm afraid you'll still have . Hubert to kick around. I hope you guys appreciated that I. never missed a bloody - deadline. The hospital staff thought I had gone bonkers... when I started turning my room into an office. ne ’ I suppose they thought it’ was a little strange, seeing me hacking away at a rented com- puter, shuffling paper, receiv- ing fax transmission, printing out columns, while all sorts of tubes and wires were sticking out of my body, Anyway, it’s great to be back at my familiar desk, an all things considered, life ain't too bad at all.