Dear Editor: If the late sociologist Erving Goffman’s premise that life is an elaborately mounted drama is cor- rect, then the latest shenanigans of the West Vancouver backyard burning task force surely constitute theatre of the absurd. For 16 days each year, Garden refuse burns quickly Yn. Dear Editor: Your Dec. 15 editorial infers that those who support outdoor burning are not concerned with the environment. We have a large lot surrounded by trees and creepers which need constant cutting and topping. The resultant biodegradable debris is a large amount but is quickly burnt at the appropriate time and the ash returned to the compost heap for recycling. Trying to cut and bag such useful garden waste — not house- mackinaw-clad Neanderthals turn our neighborhood into something closely resembiing a combat zone. Now, with a proposed 10-fold ia- crease in burning days, these flameoids will be practising their strangely paganistic rituals at will, stirring their smouldering leaves with long sticks as shamans once hold waste as you refer to it in your editorial — is an impossible task at best and costly to haui and dump at worst. We use a wheelbarrow filied with earth upon which we put a suitably cut and modified 45 gallon oi! drum. This burns garden refuse quickly and easily with the mini- mum of smoke once it is properly heated up and fed. The recommendations by the West Vancouver task force on this subject properly reflect the views of the large majority of house- Burning keeps costs down Dear Editor: I was disappointed with your somewhat inadequate report of the recent “‘burning’’ meeting of the West Vancouver District Council. You reported the recommenda- tion that outdoor burning “should be allowed to continue in West Vancouver until Dec. 31, 1993 when it shoul@ be banned.” You failed to mention the important sentence which followed: ‘‘unless council passes a new bylaw...which would have the effect of permitting burning again.” You also omitted what is perhaps the strongest argument in favor of continued controlled bur- ning — namely the financial cost of other means of disposal and the environmental cost of filling up sensitive dump sites. Costs are rising all around. If and when additional bills start roll- ing in, perhaps taxpayers will wish council had voted for the lesser of the two evils involved in disposing of garden waste. Alec Dennis West Vancouver WV ‘dinosaurs’ criticized Dear Editor: I am amazed that West Van- couver District Council is actually discussing the subject of the burn- ing of household debris. With the growing public awareness of the state of the en- vironment and the dangers of pollution, do the citizens of West Vancouver feel they are a group apart, living in a_ privileged enclave, while the rest of the popu- lation breathe their smoke? I am aghast that there is talk of perhaps abolishing burning by the year 1993. Maybe by then the dinosaurs in West Vancouver will be extinct and the rest of the Lower Mainland can breathe easi- er. Anne Walker North Vancouver GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TEBILLS 12.10% {* 3 month rate subject) ASK US ABOUT OUR NO FEE RRSP CALL ROD CLARK 669-6262 WALWYN STODGELL COCHRAN MURRAY LTD. 922-4630 PARK ROYAL SOUTH MAILBOox “Neanderthals’ turn WV into combat zone stirred the entrails of sacrificed animals in search of clues to an uncertain future. Astronauts tell us, from their vantage point far above the earth, that they can see the smoke from the fires ourning in the Amazon rain forest. Let us not put West Var ovr similarily on the map. holders in the municipality and the extension of the burning days will reduce the smoke nuisance to a minimum. Ralph Carder West Vancouver DRAPERIES INFORMATION MEETING Badger Road, Deep Cove WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17th, 1990 Seymour Golf & Country Club 3723 Mt. Seymour Parkway TIME: 7:30 pm. An information meeting will be held regar- ding the proposed extension of Badger Road and park rezoning, to create “Badger Park” Your attendance & input are essential if we are to achieve the best option for our community. This meeting is of utmost importance, so if you are unable to atiend, please call! 929-3395 & an information package will be made available to you. PLEASE ATTEND | BY S. LAURSEN CUSTOM DRAPERIES AND VALANCES Labour $6.50 per panel unlined, $7.50 lined. CUSTOM BEDSPREADS AND COVERS Low, lew prices on blinds and tracks For FREE Estimates Call 987-2966 Serving the North Shore for 18 years. 7 - Wednesday, January 10, 1990 ~- North Shore News For those council members with the foresight to safeguard our en- vironment, you earn our thanks, and more important, our vote. For those still defending a slash and burn mentality, you earn neither. A plague of ash on all your houses. M. Thomas. West Vancouver CAP WEEK <» Summers Away! In conjunction with the North West International Education Association, Capilano College is offering work/study abroad opportunities to qualified Cap students for the summer of 1990. Most jobs are for 10 weeks and provide either a salary sufficient to obtain room and board or minima} salary with room and board included. Positions are available in China, japan, Germany, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. Completed applications are due January 19, Interested students should call Olga Kempo in the Humanities department: 984-4957. Korantll NORTH VANCOUVER 986-0388 WEST VANCOUVER 926-5541 »Financial Planning for Women Capilano College’s Matui> Women's Suppert Group has arranged a number of workshops for the spring term. The first, Financial Planning with Peggy Waterton, will be on January 11 in Room P103 from 12:30 - 2:30, Workshops are open to all women. Coffee and tea will be provided. Whar is che next step in Canada-China relations? Cap is presenting a week of films, panel discussions, music and dance to help explore this question January 22-25. Feature events include a discussion on Hong Kong immigration, a performance by the UBC Chinese Music Ensemble and the students of the Goh Baller Academy, as well as an official opening ceremony including our two North Van mayors: Mayor Baker and Mayor Loucks. All events are free. Warch this space for details. eve Extension Calendars Extension Services has expanded its repertoire of courses for the spring term. Now you can take everything from fiction writing to home buying or selling, European method pattern drafting, and much more. Calendars are now available from the reception area in A Building. Call 984-4901 for more information and check the full-page ad in today’s paper. CAPILANO COLLEGE 2055 Purcell Way North Vancouver British Columbia