36 - Sunday, July 26, 1992 — North Shore News Ignorance translates THIS COLUMN is in its second incarnation. It got written, as usual, last weekend, getting its final going- over on the Monday because it’s due in the shop on Tuesday morn- ing. | was fairly satisfied with it — it was about the meeting the doctors had set up in Centennial Theatre. We elders are pretty vulnerable to threats of withdrawal of medi- cal services. You can tell by look- ing at us that quite a few of our parts have either been dispensed with altogether or are withering away. We need a lot of help, on occasion. it scares us just recalling some happen. The five others had their turns — the Hon. David Schreck in his role as apologist for the NDP; Dr. Hedy Fry and Dr. Mayo spinning us a couple of fairy-tales about the capping dragons breathing fire and hospitals becoming body- shops on ICBC lines. Mr. Smith, president and CEO of Lions Gate, made a case for federal as opposed to provincial control of the plan, for the sake of uniformity, and asked for a greater community presence in our hospital affairs. Dr. Blatherwick chilled all our hearts by his call for earlier and more forceful education regarding the consequences of smoking and 44 We never ever get an invoice, beyond the Jive-something the pharmacist charges, and thus we live in a cocoon of ignorance. 99 of our traumas, times we needed expert attention, but to think of what it would have been like alone rnakes us very queasy indeed. So I went to the meeting, and took lots of notes, all the time thinking that the only one who was saying anything new or worth listening to was Michael Walker. Heck, he’s not a medical chap, he’s a think-tanker. Tank- thinker? Anyway, he gave his view that there wasn’t any solution to the medical pian we had created ‘that it was a well-meant bastard that needed entire restruc- turing. One of its biggest drawbacks, he pointed out, was that it is a monopoly system that. breaks down whenever any one arm of it, the nurses’ union, say, goes on strike. This is wholly unaccep- table, but we sit around letting it of uncontrolled sexual activity, urging it start in Grade 6, which brought. an audible intake of breath from ail the old folk. And then a chap from the av- dience made a real point, in ques- tion time — he reminded us of one of the major flaws. We never ever get an invoice, beyond the five-something the pharmacist charges, and thus we live in a co- coon of ignorance. That ignorance translates into indifference, as we don’t have to concern ourselves, do we? Some- body, somewhere, is paying for it, eh? isn’t that dandy? It’s the buffet-table-syndrome — there’s all that luscious food spread out, what a shame if it had to go back to the kitchen, or, horrors! get thrown out. We'd better eat up, whether we need it or not. Canadian-made product, Eleanor Godley THE VINTAGE YEARS Well, [ wrote all that, and end- ed by pointing out that if Ms. Cull had only allowed herseif to think and act like the attractive intelligent woman her photographs portray, instead of trying to do her job tike one of the boys, we wouldn’t have had this costly and embarrassing confrontation. Okay. It was a take, as the movie chaps say. But Tuesday morning I woke at five o’ctock and knew there we something more to say, and not about doc- tors. About women. And about gender parity. And about why, when she is given power, cannot a woman be less like a man? We're talking a lot these days about equal representation of the sexes, not just in government but in business management, in aca- demic postings, whatever. To what end? Is it purely a numbers game? Surely the object of the exercise is to take advantage of another point of view, another approach to the business of citizenship, another way to manage? 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We don’t need more bullies or more cut-outs of hard-nosed op- erators who fancy they get things done. into indifference Right now, in your mind, con- jure up a picture of anybody's legislature. All those men, in rows, hands clasped tidily in front, ties tied, trousers buckled on. Now think of a legislature filled with women. They’d be in rows, teo, to fit into the camera liens, but not one of them would be wearing what her neighbor wears. on the heated patio for the Benson & Hedges Ine. Symphony of Fire Intl. Fireworks Competition Starting time approximately 10:15 p.m. * Fireworks * * Live Jazz with The Linton Garner BBQ Salmon or Steak served w/pasta 8 green salad w/2 fresh B.C. oysters .... Ail for only $14.95 per person. Reservations accepted Wednesday - duly Saturday - Wednesday - Saturday - Aug Only for this special occasion August ist - Aug. 8th - from: 29th - 9:30pm 10:00pm 9:30pm 10:00 pm 5th - we will confirm outdoor patio seating at a surcharge of $10 per person (weather permitting) Foot of 25th, W Vancouver FePPrs : For reservations call 922-1414 0 Dundawave Geach * Eaton’s * Consumers Distributing » friday Watch for our Real Estate Homes Section * Real Estate Weekly > sunday Safeway Shoppers Drug Mart Save-On-Foods *Canadian Superstore If you miss any of these * Sears * Super Valu * Buy Low Foods * Pharmasave flyers call North Shore News Distribution 986-1337 * delivered to selected areas only