6 Pridas, July Vl, (O87 - North Shore News _ _ Publisher: Petar Speck Editor-in-Chiet tsonl Wright » arrett aie Distribution 986-1337 Managing Editor Barrett Fier Subscriptions 986-1347 Advertising Director binda Ste earl North Shore News. / 0 et . er ea teats THE VOICE OF NOHTH AND WEST VANCOUVIE Be Pes pes Display Advertising 980-0511 Classifled Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 [" | News Viewpoint SUNDAY (WEDNESDAY © FEIDAY 1138 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 Dialogue overdue ORTH VANCOUVER City Council has final- ly taken the expression ‘no man is an island’ to heart — and it's about time. After months of pleading from) North Vancouver District, city council! has decided to meet with its neighboring municipality to discuss joint conceras aver the proposed Park and Tilford shopping centre and movie studio project. By earlier refusing to meet with the district on this a matter, city council kept a steady flurry of letters fly- o ing between the two municipal halls, but otherwise did { ino nothing but alienate a yood neighbor — and create a j i lot of ill will between the two municipalities. f Now, after months of district requests, city council | deigns to approve a meeting on the proposal — but only after the district has begged, pleaded and demanded that such a meeting be held. Making district council plead for discussions is in- sulting. No municipality is an island. North Vancouver City is surrounded by an ocean of district residents, and any Park and Tilford development is sure to affect at least some of them. Concerns of the district should not be brushed aside. City council, as the ruler of its own domain, need not necessarily heed district concerns; but the least it can do is listen — and listen openly without playing Entire contents 1987 North Shore Free Presa Lid Au nights reserved “ BAK any petty political games. The time for insults is over. With a public hearing on the sife’s rezoning slated to be held as early as Sept. 21, the time for dialogue is long overdue. slame it on Canicula! ONLY 11 MORE DOG DAYS left. Let’s make the most of them. The ancient Romans worried a fot about the Dog Days, which usually brought a blistering heat- wave like this week’s Mediterra- nean sizzler. They blamed it all on Sirius, the Dog Star, which they called Canicula. The trouble, they figured, was caused by Canicula rising with the sun on July 3 and contin. ding to do so until August 11. This unholy celestial partner- ship, :t seems, threw everything out of whack for five and a half weeks. The Roman writer Pliny com- plained that the Dog Star rising in the morning made the sea boil, wines turn to vinegar, bile overflow, dogs go mad, other animals grow languid and men fall prey to fevers, hysterics and fren- zies. So every year the Romans sacrificed a brown dog to Canicula in the hope of appeasing the rogue star. Apparently, it didn’t work too well, though maybe things would have been even worse otherwise. The scene has obviously im- proved quite a bit since Pliny’s time. Millions of sun-worshippers now flock to beaches, lakes and cottages during the Dog Days and love every minute of them. Rush hour on the bridge becomes a breeze right up to Labor Day. Stores and merchants everywhere fall over one another to press bargains on us. My wine stays pure. And I can't for the life of me remember when | last saw the sea boil. Nevertheless, the Dog Days co still bring a few problems familiar to Pliny. Overflowing with bile? Drop by at the B.C. Federation of Labor offices. Frenzy and_ hysterics? Don’t miss the Kelowna Regatta and shoot-outs on the California freeways. Fevers? Go mop the sweating brows of Brian Mulblarney and Immigration Minister Benoit Boucharé—and watch out for mad dogs on the way. There’s one other summer head- ache, ignored by Pliny, which af- flicts the news media each year. With everyone except politicians, labor bosses and riot police away enjoying themselves, the normal torrent of ‘‘people’’ news dries up to a trickle. That’s why, dear reader—if you're around at all— today’s column tells you more photo submilied “$1,000 FOR MY FRIENDS”...Kathy Hemelspeck (centre) accepts B.C. Tel donation to the North Shore Association for the Mentally Handi- capped from Sandra Blue, with Amity Cooinda workshop manager Marion Kirk looking on. about the Dog Days than about your absent neighbors. Anyone got a brown pit bull to sacrifice? NOT EVERY COUPLE can boast of having had their knot tied by a future Father of the House of Commons. That distinction belongs to 32-year North Van resi- dents Syd and Genevieve Fink- beiner, recently inducted into the North Shore’s fast growing '‘Gold Club’’ at a celebration of their 50th anniversary with family and friends at the Capilano Golf & Country Club. Originally from tural Manitoba, where Syd was a grain buyer and Genevieve a teacher, their 1937 marriage service in Winnipeg was conducted by the now Rt. Hon. Stanley Knowles. Genevieve served for many years as a North Van substitute teacher, while Syd still works part time for Beaver Lumber and indulges his passion for curling at the North Shore Winter Club. Their three grown children and five grandchil- dren all live in North Van. x oe WRAP-UP: North Van has an important piece of the action at this week's Federation Cup tennis tournament at the Hollyburn Country Club in the person of Colin James. He’s one of the only two B.C. chair umpires among the 101 chair and line umpires from Scotland, the U.S. and Canada ... Off next month to Palm Springs for another step up the career fad- der is hotelman and North Shore native David Patterson, for the past [8 tnonths Vancouver-based sales manager for the venerable old Empress in Victoria ... And in the Diamond-Plus Department— happy 61st anniversary to West Van’s Jack and Mary Muir. ~* * WRIGHT OR WRONG—Mur- phy’s 21st Law: When a broken appliance is demonstrated for the repairman, it will work perfectly. Noel Wright @ friday focus ©® photo submitted REMEMBERING THE RT. HON. ...new “Golden Club’? members Syd and Genevieve Finkbeiner.