The Hath Shore Hews is pblabsd by Berth Stora Frog Press Ltd., Publisher Feter Speck, from 1139 Loastale hvesse Marth Vaocowrer, 5.C., VIM 216 PETER SPECK Publisher 985-2131 (101) _ news viewpoint Pay increase unleashes the D-worus Dear Editor: Cpen letter to North Vancouver District council re: - 50% way hike passed. : I Jon’t know if I can put my ; feelirgs of disdain into words,.’ for your recent pay hike (Coun. Harris excluded), but will uy: : distrust, disgraceful, disgusting, deceitful, they all start with a: DB. which is the letter. grade you’ rscei ve for your performance so: It is scandalous that you could, in the face of download. ing from ‘both federal* and provincial. governments, even consider a 10% pay hike let: ‘alone 50%. I can: unfortunately’ only see one.way of paying for. this’ monstrous pay hike: crank up those taxes. But it doesn’t stop . there; thanks to the brilliant comment’ unions and service_ providers wWD & you have set.a prece nt. As a new group, together fora month, ‘there ,is ‘nothing you have done shat remo by justify a Except © Michael Backer-News “2, 95-2131 (114) MeCredie-Sp . “-, 985-2131 (147) ~_& telephone number. * MIA Internet: trenshaw @ direct.ca BBS - 980-8027 LD Man Winter woke up a bit cranky this year, and southwestern British Columbia paid dearly. “ ‘Two major. snowfalis have hit the, North ’ Shore and we have yet to ushez in the New -» Year. “ While welcoming 1997, we should all save -toast for.the men and women who kciped “get us out from under winter’s blaaket with- out any fatalities locally. Sanders ‘and salters, snowplow operators, ' police officers, firefighters, Lions Bay Search ‘and Rescue :and North Shore. Rescue all ‘deserve our thanks, . _, Sure, the peopie an side streets and’ ‘cul de " sacs were once again asking where the snow "removal equipment was as snow: piled up | on er, just keeping the major arteries open isa. full-time job: Those arteries on the steep: North Shore hills were kept as clear as possi- . ble. and Rescue deserve special thanks for lending a helping hand in the hard-hit Fraser Valley. Stranded motorists were plucked from their-’]: snow-bound vehicles and taken to places far. warmer and more inviting by volunteers. Cypress Bowl ski area provided two snow cats to help rescuers do their work in the Fraser Valley. Whining after an event like Sunday’ s snowfall is inevitable, but things could have - been far worse. Thanks to the volunteers and . workers on the public payroll we basically d did’ North Shore Rescue and Lions Bay Search Ernie. Crist’s. motion’ on: .. restricted ‘use of the’ distri * the movie: studios.” » good, because we'll need _tax and ‘service. dollar 'we' c ‘squeeze out of them to pay Which your monstrous pay hike. _ tion: “Have you WOnK why. the publi diomass poll cians?” their streets. During record-breaking snowfall, howev- A curious thought assailed your hum- ble scribe as he contemplated the first day of 1997: what if New Year’s were _. to be abolished entirely? What if we sim- . 8 “ply carried straight on after the Christmas blow- — out, like we do - after Easter and Canada Day and Thanksgiving? Why on should January 1 have any special meaning, any more than its pious resolu- tions, destined to be broken short weeks — or even days — later? nee Year’: th Eve i af at least idnght, Bu for a jotly with bubbly at midnight. But it ott cake much ingenuity to invent an - equally believable excuse for such revelry at any er season. The date of our present New Year's day has no claim whatsoever to any unique significance. Other “new years” are all over the calendar. As well, they are often movable feasis, not tied to any one fixed day. The Chinese New Year can fall in either January or February. Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year, varies between September and 7. quite well. October. Muslims mark their New Year i in May, “All snake at least as much sense as January 1— those at sunnier times of the year maybe a whole jot more. But just what are these New Year rites ccle- brating, anyhow? .. To be blunt, mostly disappointment and fail- ure. For many folks there are plenty of both around — problems caused by others, problems - : which has fuelled and scene = human race ° due to their own inadequacies and sheer bad luck (including health problems’. Even for the luckiest and most successful there’s always the letdown of why they didn’t do eves better, get even more. If you find thar anztvsis a tad cynical, tell me, pray, when you last heard anyone wishing for a New Year exactly the same as the old une? In' which case, why would they bother to wish at all? In short, New Year’s is simply a communal admission that — between the lot of us, and usually with some help from Fate or Mother Nature — we've screwed up once again. So let’s wipe the messy old slate clean, make a fresh start and this time get it right! Wiping the state clean — the carefree ritual conducted from 6 p.m. to midnight on December 31 — is the casy part. Finally getting it right from 12:01 a.m. on january 1 onward is another thing again. So much so that it has . never yet happened. And, of course, never will. ary roe SOR aE E OM Raise a glass to your neighbors. Oo y New Year resoluticns (average shelf life’ wecks). You can’t even refrigerate: * things. Yet maybe that very fact is what ultimately justifies New Year’s. —: - -The.importance of New Year resolutions. lies not in what they promise and invariably fail'to deliver. It lies'in the hope that inspires them: For it is HOPE, rather than final achievement,” is > beginnin today, enjoy your, New Year resolutions while they last. Shed no tears whe they break. And never forget that wise old proverb that sums up the true essence of New Year’s: To travel hopefiully is berter than to arrive! e*oe MANY HAPPY RETURNS of tomorrow, Jan. 2, to lone Progressive Democratic Alliance MLA and party leader Gordon Wilson at 48 ... Ditto Fridy, Jan. 3, to longtime former Province columnist Himie Koshevoy at 87. W2IGHT OR WRONG: What an exciting New Ycar’s gift — 8,760 hours of brand new opportunities!