6 - North Shore News ~ Wednesday, July 26, 2000

-VIEW

Farewell

HE North Shore News lost a

piece of its heart this week

with the death of editor emer-
itus Noel Wright.

But it is not just this newspaper
that is the poorer for his passing.

The North Shore as a whole has
lost a senior statesman whose intelli-
gence, perception and gentlemanly
goodwill will not be replaced.

Noel has filed close to 1,500 edito-
rial’ columns since 1986 when he
handed over the reins of a newsroom
that he had helped publisher Peter
Speck develop into the true voice of
the North Shore.

His writing’s hallmark remained
cogent logic, impeccable grammar,
perfect spelling and, above all, a tone
that never became strident even on

_issues near and dear to his heart.

and the schooling he received in a
pre-war era, but Noel never gave in
to the easy temptation most colum-
nists fall prey to — he never blew
hard.

Noel and his wife, Dorothy, had
planned a Scandinavian cruise this
month.

Noel had, as usual, filed four
columns in advance to cover his two-
week absence.

On the morning they they were to
depart Noel told Dorothy he wasn’t
feeling well enough to go.

He could have taken the two weeks
away from his computer, but when
Stockwell Day won the Alliance lead-
ership race Noel filed another timely
column that we published ahead of
those he had already given us.

We didn’t change a word of that

Perhaps it was his English heritage

mailbox

one either.

~ Column on doctors rebutted -

) ° Dear Editor:
; . Rebuttal to Noel Wright's
article on medicare, July 19.
There are several errors
and misconceptions in Mr.
Wright’s article which I
weuld like to address.
. First, Mr. Wright’s “psy-
* « chological” tricks to discour-
_age excessive use of doctor's
visits.. His first suggestion is
that. the bills should ‘be

».:, issued to the patients and the:
“, ) patients’ are to be’ entrusted.
fo. With submitting the bill: to.

MSP, for settlement.. What,
‘pray. tell;‘is to prevent the
“i patients from __ forgetting
+ (either accidentally or inten-
~,;.tionally) to submit the bills
to: MSP -for. payment? The

© patient could be forgetful or -

.. decide that they weren’t sat-
~o» isfied'with the doctor’s level
lof care” on) that. visit and

intentionally. withhold. the

bill from ‘MSP. To plug the .

 tuuphole: ins Mr. Wright's

- “idea, the dectors would have
to also 'submit-a copy of the
invoice- ‘directly to MSP

tors would be paid even
more slowly than they cur-
rently are.
Even supposing that all
patients diligently submit
their invoices: to MSP, Mr.
Wright's suggestion that the
doctor’s cheque would be
mailed to the patient is ludi-
crous. Do the words signa-
ture forging and cheque
fraud ring any bells? You can
imagine the amount of
paperwork the poor doctor is
going tobe put through,
swearing affidavits thatthe.
ayments were not cashod dy
im, that the signature! is-a
forgery. The delay to repiace
a lost or stolen cheque: can
be six weeks or more. Then
there is the increased cost to
MSP (which would be passed
onto. us, the taxpayers). of
printing ©the individual
cheques for cach patient’s
visit’ to the .doctor. Mr.
Wright’s second “psycholog-
ical” suggestion is not as

‘ costly to the peor doctor and

taxpayer, but no more effec-

theory will prove this. Give
10 consumers the choice of
buying one or five or 10
frozen pizzas all for $10 and
most consumers will choose
to buy 10 pizzas for $10
(price $1 per pizza) rather
than pay $10 for one pizza.

(I am assuming the same.

brand name in this example).
The “for information only”
invoice will serve to remind
people whether: they got
their moncy’s worth out of
their MSP. premiums. In
other words, the invoice will
encourage people to go to

’ their doctor more often, not

less because “I'm paying for
the service whether I use it
or not.”
My
Commonwealth
wishing to practise in Canada
is simple and reasonably cost
effective. Any doctor wishing
to practise in Canada, should
first. sit the certification
exam. If the exam is passed,
the doctor‘should then be
required to-do a standard

solution. for the

doctors |

(thereby, doubling the .cur-
‘rent paperwork). The doc-

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: oa . Fditorial Assistant
985-2131, local 120
985-2104

“ scocomlle@nsnews.com..

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tive a deterrent. A quick les-
son in basic macro-economic -

four month’ internship at a
teaching hospital (with pay).
If this is passed, the doctor
can then open up practise. I
could comment further on
-our MSP and other issues,

but then'I would be wanting -

a column of my own,
-Pamela Dewolf:
North Vancouver

B Newsroom Editor
985-2131 (11

POINT:

, may be a Libra but

Eugene Kaellis
Contributing Writer

IT is as important to distinguish
astrologism from
astrology as it is to dis-
tinguish science from
scientism -—— the naive,
yet fervid, belief that
science is the only way
to view the universe
and its mysteries, and
that eventually it will
uncover all the secrets.
; Indeed, in their presump-
tion, some scientists now
refer to “string theory” as
the “theory of everything,”
although the basic approach
was familiar to Pythagoras. ;
“Non-isms” have as theie objective the
examination of phenomena at increasingly
profound and connected levels because
“non-ismatics” know that reality is infinite-

ly-faceted and ever-changing, as are our per- «

ceptions and conceptions. . .
This induces a practical modesty. By con-
trast, “ismatics” see the world through their
own narrow. aperture, the only one they
consider valid. wt
Everything may indeed be in cosmic liai-
son, and the relative positions of celestial

- an enduring influence on me. The work of
Jung and Kammerer points to something

beyond conventional causality. But I don’t

bedies at the moment of my birth may exert ~~

I’m not always fair

like being stereotyped. os
Which is why ! don’t expect Librans to
be fair, Virgos tidy, Leos vigorous, and’;
Geminis mercurial. And I don’t expect peo-
:  . ple to behave as if they don’t
have apparent choice in!.” ).”
- determining their own per-
“‘sonalities. . 7
If that choice is an illusion, i
* is a necessary illusion if we
are to maintain the basic ele-
” raents of personality develop:
ment and responsible behav-
ior. Otherwise all the mar-
.velous diversity we find in
’ people's traits and comport-
_-.ment.would be as flat as the
. lid ofa sardine can. 2
‘How does the early identifi
cation of an infant as a~":
, Scorpio and the subtle, or
not-too-subtle, expectations based on aster
logical stereotypes facilitate development‘of
an authentic and unique personality?
Children, subjected to such expectations,“
will cither fulfill them or rebel against them.
creating a counter-stereotype. 7
Most of the people 1 know who are‘i

" the throes of astrologism are. basically ope

minded: Perhaps, using their system we:
would no longer have to “remember” tha

is the Jews who are uptight and the Irish

who fight: : We could simply. find a birth:

-. date determined niche within the range of.

each:12 zodiacal personality types and use
that as our basic lexicon of stereotypes
. Thank goodness, people are: more v:

interesting, and unpredictable than that.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include your
name, full address and telephone ‘number. :
. Submit via e-mall to: mbseker@nsaews.com

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