Refle

WAINWRIGHT,
Alberta — Maybe it’s
the eggnog as J sit here
in the frozen lands of
Alberta causing my
mind to wander, con-
templating the fantasy
of what life might be
as we wind into the
final year of the 20th
century and the advent
of a new millennium.

But this is the ume of
year for reflection ~~ with or
without the eggnog

First off —- E know — the
new millennium doesn't
technically start undl the
stroke of midnight on Jan. 1.
200), but the bulk of
humanity seems to want to
get off to an early start and
who am Ero buck that flow?

For starters, in the past
year we have had to tolerate
la cirque de Gillian. The
supercilious nonsense ema-
nating from her mouth is
more than we should have te
bear.

She was a juror who
played a little bit of show's
your father” with an accused
murderer who couldn't
believe his dumb luck when
the goo-goo eves started
from the jury bex.

Six accused murders were
subsequently acquitted fol-

crime and
aj punishment

lowing the longest criminal
tric} in B.C. history, Phe
restart ofa shooting gang
war which is sail causing
ballets to fly around our tir
city, followed. Not to men:
von arising bods cornt.

Guess’ spin on the matter
‘was amusing though.

“You can't tell vour heart
who te love.” bawled the
blonde.

Apparently love has been
contused with an overactive
libido.

In my dream for anew
millennium we never hear
“Gillian” and “Guess” in the
sani sentence.

Speaking of which, it was
nice for the city to get an

early Christmas present this
year with the untimely
demise of self-styled gangster
and admitted dope dealer
Bindy johal. Apparently
doing the trug on the dance
floor ofa certain Richards
Street nightelub is hazardous
to your health,

But this ties in with the

neat partet my New Years
wish

The mainstream medi in
this town nade Johal inte a
fareer than due -
He was nay stich this
was an admitted: cocaine
dealer anda bully) Nothing
nloere,

Johal aad his kind area
dime a dozen. They want the
cas lite provided by the
strigt culture. Fast cars,
enough gold to make a Myr.
VY starter hit, groupies hang
ing off their arms. They just
dont want to work for the
trappings of wealth. They
think this brings them
respeet.

With arrogance tuciled by
cocaine and pumped up by
steroids, these guys strut
around and bully anyone
who gets in them way much
in the way the “Russians” ---
the Filinov brothers —- did in
the early “90s. And we know
where they are now. Hanging
out with Bindy.

The problem -— and these
guys know it — is that the
police have to play by the
rales and they don't.

Look at the hand-wring-
ing going on because the
New Westminster police have
decided to fight a litle tire
with tire and all the scream
ing Lord Chamberlains strar-
ting about in front of the
cameras and micrephones

Education crisis overblown

Dear Editor:

Crisis, whar crisis? In her
Dec. + News column, Ilana
Mercer makes some serious
errors of fact and faulty leaps
of logic in her strained attempt
to portray our public schools
as being in a state of crisis.

She states that Canadian
students placed 19th in’ the
Third International
Mathematics and Science
Study. This is simply not true.
On both the tests of math and
science literacy and oof
advanced mathematics,
Canadian students were out-
performed by students from
only three other countries.

Overall, “Canada per-
formed significantly better
than the United States,”
according to the TIMSS
researchers,

Mercer quotes trom SA
Nation at Risk,” a 1983 report
on U.S. schools. In our rapid-
ly-changing society, one ques-
tions what possible relevance
this obsolete American report
has to Canadian schools today,
Nong, I'd sav.

Like other ill-informed
critics, Mercer holds up the
Japanese school model as
being superior to our “child-
centred paradigm.”

I suspect most Canadian
parents would choose our phi-
losophy of respect: tor chil-
dren’s individuality and self

-esteem over the cruc] excesses
of Japanese schools,

A. select
Japanese educators, in a report
to their prime minister, cited
bullying, suicide, violence,
‘over-emphasis on exam scores
and even torture of children as
the results of “the pathological
mechanisms that have become
established in Japan’s educa-
tion system.”

Asa history teacher, I agree
with Mercer when she says
that teaching, history “is the
best weapon against ‘prejudice
and hate, because facts, not

committee of

the day’s dominant doxies,
pack a punch.”
Untortunately, — Mereer
failed to get her facts straight
and, therefore, did a real dis-

service to the students and the
teachers of B.C.

Kit Krieger, President

B.C. Teachers’ Federation
kkrieger@betf.be.ca

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righter new year

he “police stare
Ss nothing taudable
about bong a bull witha
mang ot nacehos ds at vous
side and. 2 pasted in cour
Tans,

Phev cortunty doit
deserve the Mown up reputa
tions provided fw the media
looking to sensationaliee.
Aithourh most. ike Bindy,
ultimately do get what they
deserve.

Perhaps in the new vear
and the nest century, the
media will learn to make
heroes of those whe work for
society and pillory those who
work against it,

Then, as Pip another
cgunog and took ahead,
there’s the potential promise
of an event cagerly awaited
by more than 83% of the
province, according to the
tatest polls,

Alt ves, an election. A
New Year's wish to make my
heart fairly jump with excite-
ment.

Is there any chance we
might see such an event in
this, the Last vear of the
1900s if not actually the ruil-
lenvium?

Prokably not. With Glen
Clark lower than boa con-
strictor droppings in the
polls, it’s hard to see this,
arguably the most corrupt
government this province has
ever seen, giving us a chance
to rid ourselves of them.

But hope springs eternal.

Wouldn't it be nice for a
new millennium te have a
government that recognizes
it is supposed to take care of
our collective interests and
not the interests of them and
their cronies.

And imagine, just imag-
ing, if you could, watching
the six o’clock news and see-
ing a clip of a politician nor

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ing

Linkerbell. Tinkerbell take
me sith vou to Never Never
Land

And we'd have pidges
whe would actudh coasider
the rumificanens of ther
actions en the rest of us,
prisoas that aren") tun.

No golf courses.

No dope or baase.

No private country club
armosphere so the bad guys
would actually care about
not vom £0 jail,

Assuming of course, the
judges would actually send
them there.

Imagine.

And bureaucrat who
recall chat the essence of
their job is service -- as in
civil service. Nor ROGEC
Not covering incom.

And

service.

perent munisne rs batts. Nor
bleeding the pure purse to
perpetuity Thor awh peu
utde empires. Wouldart chat
be just swell

Pet sour mind run tree:
Towhot a pleasure it would
be arthat were true,

You see. these things are
all within the power of 4
government that puts the
public first.

You know. Just like the
phrase “public service” as
supposed to mean,

Maybe it’s the cugnog
that has my mind spinning.
Burt it could happen. All ir
takes is for the rest of us to
say we won't put up with it
anynore,

Nah. I's probably just che
cygnog,

~ dkuinhtGdirect.ca

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