1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 PETER SPECK Publisher 985-2131 (101) Chris Johnson Onerations Manager 985-2131 (166) Biaplay & Reel Estate Fax, Newsroom Fax Accounting & Main Office Fax Werth Share News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified wader Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is prbtished each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. snd distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates availyble on request. Entire contents @ 1995 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. LEC MERIAL ORS NO ad TATA Tar Beware of this | Yule season’s perils Noel Wright We'Re NOT COMPLETELY STUPID RECORD SNOW) HITS | OTTAWA & CHRETIEN'S RATIONALE FoR HOLDING THE FEDERAL LIBERAL WINTER CAUCUS IN VANCOUVER. quotes of the week “By stating, your honor, that he would pour yasoline on me and burn me.” North Vancouver RCMP Const. Dave Doyle, describing to a North Vancouver provincial court judge the nature of threats directed at him by his accused assailant in a North Vancouver assault case. (From a Dec. 20 News story.) “Every time one of you dies and we have to pick you up, we lose a chunk of ourselves, Quite frankly, we don’t know how many chunks we have left. Be careful.” Vancouver coroner Larry Campbell, during a talk on the results of drinking and driving from the point of view of coroners, doctors and other emergency med- ical staff who have to deal with the tragic results. (From a Dec, 17 News story.) mailbox “It’s not just the gun part of it. Sometimes I go down there and don’t even have my gun. I go down there to have a talk. That’s what these people don’t realize.” John Playle, director of the Capilano Sportsmen's Club, protesting the club's eviction from its clubhouse in West Vancouver's Ambleside Park, on the varied ben- efits of the club to its members. (From a Dec. 20 News story.) “4 think we took a tremendous amount of the community's money and put it where our mouth is.” North Vancouver District Coun. Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, cum- menting on district council’s deci- sion to invest in establishing a waterfront task force to determine how the district should proceed in developing the remaining North - Vancouver District waterfrent. (From a Dec. 13 News story.) Pee cetealanndsianeaammaneeettaam net Thanks for News features Dear Editor: I could fill pages thanking North Shore News contributors. Please aflow me two thank-yous: @ Thank you Mr. (Andrew) McCredie for the two-page color spread on the All-Stars. (Andrew: it was good to see you without cap or sunglasses, page 34, Dec. 13). news wiewpoint @ Thank you North Shore News for “Bright Lights” Dec. 10 and 13. It was good to view some of the people who do such a splendid job. My wish for you all? A very merry Christinas and may 1996 beat them all. Reg. B. Ayres North Vancouver hidden HAVE YOU noticed how dangerous Christmas is becoming? All this month newspapers and magazines have been spewing forth reports and columns about the haz- ards of the Yuletide season that make one wonder whether to risk it at all. High on the list, food and drink horror stories. Eating your way through a happy Christmas, we're told can add !0 pounds before you even notice, To avoid that catastrophe men should keep their daily intake down to 2,700 calories, women to 1,900. But a turkey dinner topped off with plum pudding and two mince- meat taris totals almost 3,000 calo- ries. Throw in Christmas Day break- fast, lunch snack and cocktail nib- bles, and you're already in deep trouble — with Boxing Day, left- overs and New Year's still to come Each glass of wine or scotch- and-soda adds about 100 calories. A tumbler of egg nog up to 340. An impaired driving rap, several hundred bucks and a lengthy licence suspension. Next, a particularly scary head- line: “Politically correct times demand new approach to gift-giv- ing”. Seems the only presents today's kids want must give them “self- esteem, a non-sexist, non-violers, culturally sensitive, politically cor- rect outlook on life, plus media savvy and computer literacy.” The tab ranges from $50 to $90 for a computer or video game, to around $500 for a complete game system and up to $3,000 for junior’ 's personal computer. Uniess you're a trapped piient, best stay right away from today’s six-year- olds and upward. If you insist, however, on being an under-$50 cheapskate with the kids, note that “Toys contribute to 10,000 eye injuries annually.” On the adult list you're warmed to resist buying that strapless sequined number for your wife (she may hate you for luring her into wearing it even once), Never give diamonds or lingerie to the brand new love in your life (you both may want vxt by New Year's). And do you really want to cut up your Visa card in a fit of panic neeminsonnmman a semactrensner beta se tierpayn tein meaatiee mt Ril te telat eRerHmniL EAN tent emeLA mean ARR ALENT EOS BEE RTL A, SITE EBD Ls PEEING ELI PRET IE OTT INS PD EES AI next March? ; Finally, the ritual family gather: ing itself —- “a stressful time for everyone,” says a McMaster’, University shrink in a muisterpiéce of understatement. ; it has spouses fighting over . which family to visit. Hustands driven to drink. And, according to 4 recent : Internet survey, womens all around: the world who dread “going home for the holiday”. Matchmaking moms, tipsy A uncics, bering cousins asking: ‘Ni married yet?” or “When are you having children?” —- these are a few of the things ‘hack honie that drive women up the wall after a couple of hours, according to one in-depth newspaper surve} The trouble, of course, is that the mectiz are terrified Christmas 203% may become dull, which is bad for! business and acvertising.; It being impossible after 2,000. years to invent any further good. news about Christmas, they figurc: the only hope for their circulation: is to grab attention with an ever- increasing dose of NOI-S0-good news. Which is why i've screwed u; my courage this month and waded: ance again right into all those pei ils After all, I-guess the one thing’ even more dangerous than ; Christmas — the season of peace’ and goodwill --- would be not to. have it at all! WRIGHT OR WRONG: Never forget to enjoy the little things. There are so many of them — especially during these festive days. Christmas wishes mind, would deposit a lavge lump of cozi — - HE PERVADING gloom that has spread across the land of plenty ill befits the season. And it ill befits a country the verge of greatness. Media reports of a recent ever, poised on Ing s sex drive. poll com- Respondents were fed up with politi- cians, the country’s endless unity wran- _ gle, taxes and even admitted to a falter- Were Oid Saint Nick to behold the list in the stocking of Canada the Sroiled. But he wil doubtiess humor the hare- brained rich kid of the north and show- © er it with more bounty. At least the poll indicated a vigorous missioned by Maclean’s magazine and CBC-TV outlined a bleakness of spirit that bodes ill for the country’s future. Approximately one third of those polled said they believed there would be no country called Canada by the year 2000. An overwhelming majority also opined that iife in what remains of Canada would be harder, less generous and more economically divided than of gripes from this land of mild-man- nered :ewlers and moaners, he would surely tura green in his red suit. Canadians haye so much but remain unable to see the bounty beyond the petty complaints. Hand-wringing, fretting and com- plaining have become Canada’s new national sport. Mr. Claus, were he of a more judicial well-spring of spirituality af the core of — the Canadian psyche. All then is not lost. Nor should it be. ~ For tomorrow is a day for benevolence © . and optimism, of which this rich coun- « try needs to generate far more if it is to become a world leader rather than a. chronic also-ran. - ‘Tis a humble Christmas wish to ’ brighten ti this dark. winter r land.