PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES (This is the first of some columns from Durham, North Carolina, “Where Paul is attending the famed “Duke University’s Diet and Fitness Centre, also known as The Fat Farm.) . THE PANHANDLER was propping up a wall with his -back, a block from Main Street. _” The location is imporiant. In this little university city of the - American south, Main Street is still ’,., the main street. The time is impor- tant, too. Not night, but shortly after noon on a weekday. "+ He was not on the sidewalk but / two or three metres from it. | was ~ , abreast before | noticed him. He nodded, so J nodded. Then 3 he said “Excuse me, sir, ‘may TH talk to you?”, There it. was. The touch. I'd encountered it the day before when taking another of the hikes ‘that were part of our fat farm pro- gram but that.was a shabby old ‘chap with sacks of bottles or some such thing and he had merely ‘shouted, “Hey, hey you. Hey.” You could walk away from that. Not this one. “Yes?” I said, and stood still. , © He walked over and stood close. He was taller than me, younger and much arene suse His voice was low, deep and he spoke with the cals confidence of a good Christian holding four aces. “Sir, do you see that sign down there?” He pointed down the sireet in the direction fram which { had come. I turned. “There are a lot of signs there,” | said. I could have mentioned there weren't any pedestrians there either. “I mean a particular sign, sir. { iaean the sign that says FOOD. f need moncy. I need money for food.” - You have to admire a profes- sional. Just imagine me trying to tell 4 court that 1 was being mugged. He had asked to speak to me, he had not uttered a word of threat and he showed no weapon except his own abundant good health and musculature. After a few days in the United States the traveller picks up a few handy hints. [ didn’t have to pull out a wallet that was overfull of traveller's cheques. [ had put a one- dollar bill in a pants pocket before I left our compound, “E guess I've got a buck here.” gave it to him. He suid thank you and we back to his station against the wall I walked away remembering that Durham City now sells tickets to people like me that you can give to panhandlers for shelter or for food. Personally, | would not have * preferred to hand that man a meal . ticket instead of a dollar. “You handled it exactly right,” said a local man who had joined our fat farm class. He had his own story. On his fast visit to New York, he had failed to check both ways when diving out of his restaurant into the _cab waiting at the curb. “He moved in on me se fast he was on top of me before I saw him. “[ didn’t give him a chunce to say a word, I said ‘How ubout a 20?’ and shoved one at him. While he was holding it, I jumped | into the cab This is a quiet, almost sleepy lit- de southern university town, waste irop-5 -off permits FREE DROP-OFF} ‘of residential “waste will be reinsluted for a total OF two days a year. one day each “spring and each: fati, North Vancouver or City Cou cil decided _ Apri 18. +: a “NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL By Grace Golightly But only users of the city’s garbage. collection system (which . *: does not include multi-family resi- ” dences served by commercial garbage disposal systems) will be cable to take advantage of the ser- _ vice. The cost will ultimately be ; charged back to them. Since the user-pay system of - waste drop-off was established last fall, anyone dropping off garbage has paid a cost of $6.99 per 100 kg, “with a minimum charge of $2, Concerned that the user-pay sys- tem might encourage illicit dump- ing, city council recently decided two free drop-off days should be established each year. But they’re not really “free,” said city engineer Chuck Gale. “It’s free to the person who goes over the scale (at the transfer sta- tion), but that person ultimately ends up paying his share when we bill it back to them.” To discourage a black market of drop-off permits, the non-replace- able tickets, permitting the holder to dispose of up to 200 kg of waste, will be mailed only to users of the city’s gi arbuge collection system, The permit user’s address will be on the ticket. Two permits to drop off waste will be mailed in May along with tax notices to eligible users, The spring drop-off is scheduled for the week of May 29. The fall drop-off is set for the week of Sept. 4. drenched in azalea and dogwood blossom at this time of the year and redolent with the sweet smell of fue-cured tobacco from the ciga- relte factory. Yet like so much of modern America, it seems to be a conimunity under siege, To an extent I never experienced in Europe or in Mexico, you move in an American city today like a (witching grouse, ready to burst into flight at any moment and, like the foolish grouse, too witless to clearly distinguish between danger and fancy. At the diet and fitness centre, it is suggested to us that there’s no nees to be walking around the streets by night. Why would any- body want to walk strange strects in darkness? Take taxis. Travel in groups. Two nights ago there were gun- shots at an apartment building kitly-corner from the fitness centre. “Wasn't nothin’ but ol’ Koger,” said the yard man next day. “He gets drunk, fights with his wife and then shoots his revolver into the air and the police come and take him away. Don’t mean no harm.” On the same day another ol’ Roger, ol? Sam and ol’ Buddy emp- ties his pistol into his wife instead of the sky and then walks over to the police station to tell them she’s dead. You huddle. You distribute money in your pockets. ‘You learn to watch and to listen. And you will never know how much of it is real until, perhaps, it’s too late to learn. CINEMA 1 SEPARATE ADMISSION FEATURES ‘THE PAPER Nightly 6:50pm SERIAL MOM Nightly 9:00pm - Restricted For a limited time, BAW & Park Shore Motors : offer the 6 cylinder | BMW 320i at a’ special price / Park Shore Motors Lid. DANIEL JARVIS North Vancouver-Seymour DANIEL JARVIS Constituency If you have concerns? REGARDING ANY PROVINCIAL MATTER ie ¢ SENIORS ISSUES ¢ ICBC © HEALTH e EDUCATION ° BUSINESS PILACTICES e ETC. Please contact me , so that | may be able to address your concerns directly or take your problem to the respective ministry to deal with it! FAX OR WRITE ME: #4 - 1501 Lynn Valley Rd., N.Van. V7J 2B1 Fax: 775- 1061 (N.Van) Fax: 356-6176 (Victoria) Concerned About Education? FREE PUBLIC FORUM ON EDUCATION MODERATOR ~ DON BELL - COUNCILLOR - Saturday ~ April 30 — 10am-4pm ~ Holy Trinity Church Hall — 27th/Lonsdale Panel — Question Period ~ Workshops — Summary Discussions ~ ? DANIEL JARVIS - MLA : CINEMA 2 SEPARATE ADMISSION FEATURES THE PIANO Nightly 7: 0pm SIRENS Noh 9:00pm - Restricted 1500 FELL AVENUE, NORTH VAN 985-9344 | 1501 Lynn Valley Rd., V7 2B. CINEMA 3 SEPARATE ADMISSION FEATURES MRS. DOUBTFIRE | Nightly 7:05pm PHILADELPHIA : Nightly 9t5pm ‘THE ULTIMATE DRIVING EXPERIENCE.