6 — Sunday, August 15, 1999 ~ North Shore News

T on earth — or in this
case, in the sky — was North
Vancouver City council

thinking on Monday when it gaily

approved a 16-storey free-standing -

sign to tower over our waterfront?
What visions of the North Shore
did the city’s “fathers” and its adviso-
ry design panel have dancing in their
momentarily mindless heads when
they failed to question the assumption
of the developer’s designer that a 132-
foot (40 m) sign with 24-hour flash-
ing lights was just what we needed?
The illuminated finger pointing
straight up out of the yet-to-be-built
Harbourside Business Park was
described as “basically a landmark ele-

ment” by a development manager rep-"

resenting. the Jimmy Pattison
Automotive Group in Victoria.
Now we know that Mr. Pattison

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

likes a light show judging from the
annual Christmas display at his British
Properties home. Flashing lights are
may even be the norm for car lots. But
do we really want the subliminal
advertising message pumped across the
harbour to Vancouver visitors and res-
idents to be: North Vancouver, one
honking great auto mall?

This sign was originally designed to
be 100 feet high, but the developers
realized the six light standards illumi-
nating the acres uf cars are that height
already (or they are now council has
approved them). So the “landmark”
was increased to 132 feet, exceeding
the zoning bylaw by well over 500%.

The sign will house a laser beam
“for special occasion or advertising
use.” May we suggest the first cloud
projection not be one of a car, but
Mayor Jack Loucks and his council.

0UR SON, DAN, IM

you said it

“To me it seemed like it was two hours.”
~ North Shore Lifeboat Sociery’s West Vancouver Lifeboat
coxswain Hugh Kelsey on the 30 minutes spent recoverin
’~. survivors and bodies trom a tragic boating accident that Ie!
four dead and one man missing, presumed dead. (From a
- | Aug. LI News story.) ;

‘.. “Fou can’t contain:2 bear for an hour. You are just
asking for trouble.”
_s¢-Upper'Lynn resident Glenn Brewezton on the shooting
of a trapped: bear by a conservation officer while waiting for
: a conservation officer, trained in tranquilizing. (From a Ang.
‘H News story.) =

>. “Skateboards do make, noise and they do ride in
Panorama Park. If they’re not skateboarding, they’ll be
smashing cars.” a ; ,

“7 Deep Cove resident Tom Greenway on the fact that
’ skateboarding kids are not doing anyone any harm. (From a
Asig. 13 News stary.) : :

It’s my job to kick them in the ass.”
_ West Vancouver political cartoonist Roy Peterson defin-
ing his‘ job‘with regard to Canada’s power clite. (From a
Ang, 13. This Week story.)

.. “Editocial cartoonists think that. they are changing
she world but they're not zeally.”

:. Peterson. on the . ephemeral nature of his’ profession.
‘From the seme: Aug. 13 This Week story.) ;

: “Our position is that not only is the spelling of our -

“ company substantially different, there’s no one that is
" astute within the business community that would want
to align theniselves with Canada Post.” .

CyPost president’ Steve Berry on’ Canada Post’s legal
acti " against: his company’s name:. (From a Aug. 15 News
=> stor vl te ,

“Whi are they not challenging 3M’s Post-it Notes?
Why are they not challenging Post brand cereals? Why
axe: they coming to roost on a Canadian company?”

“> Steve Berry in the same story.

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61,582 {average circulation, Wednesday, Frcsy & Sunray)

RUSSIA’S ailing, vodka-loving
president Boris Yeltsin may not
be quite as crazy as he’s been
painted following his firing last
week of his fifth

prime minister in

1& months.

At any rate, not as
far as U.S. and
European Union inter-
ests are concerned,
His personality flaws
could obviously fill a
book. His personal rat-
ing in the polls has sunk
to a pathetic 7% (com-
pared to 44% for his fat-
est victim, ex-prime minister Sergei
Stepashin). By law, he must finally step
down as president after the june 2000
residential election — after which
egal immunity for his family’s murky

financial affairs may become a top

urgency. for him. | -
All that said, hows ver, Yeltsin's
apparent goal over rhe past cight years

‘since tie collapse of the Sovict Union

although as yet sadly far from realiza-
don — would still seem to correspond
more closely than any other so far to
the hopes of the West for that tortured

_ land: a stable, mafia-free market econo-

my, steadily raising the living standard’
of: all its citizens, with individual liber-
ties guaranteed under some form of
democratic government.

~ In striving to-secure that legacy after
his departure, Yeltsin faces strong rivals
and enemies. Among the latter, two par-

ties in Russia's lower.house — the 450- .

PETER SPEC!
Publisher.
935-2131 (191)

Photography Manager
985-2951 (160)

it’s FROM

HE SAYS HES FOUND A WAY To
CUT THROUGH THE IMMIGRATION

RED TAPE AN? GET 2;

US INTO CANADA 4

seat State Duma — would undoubtedly
bring much more extreme and authori-
tarien forms of government. [Ff ever
Gennady Zyuganov’s Communists (138
seats) or Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s ultra-
nationalist Liberal
Democrats (51 seats)
got their hands on the
levers of power, the
storni warnings would
be flying for the West.
A much more modez-
ate rival — but also
seen by Yeltsin as a
serious threat to his
own legacy — is the
new coalition of the
Fatherland party, head-
ed by highly popular
Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, and the
All Russia bloc, representing the coun-
try’s 89 regional governors.

It aims to end Communist demina-
tion of the Duma at the Dec. 19 elec-
tions by winning at least 226 seats. Its’
policy is a Russian-stylé Third Way
(Work like capitalists, share like sociat-
ists). Buc it already has a personality
conflict that could. blow up in its face at
voting time. The All Russia wing ts
wooing just fired prime minister
Stepashin for its top spot. But ;
Fatherland wants Stepashin’s even more
popular predecessor, Yevgeny Primakov,
to head the bloc’s list.

There are suggestions that Yeltsin -

abruptly dismissed the loyal Stepashin
for preciscly this purpose, foresceing the ‘
discord it could bring to the threatening

eronsenes

. hew coalition. Policy-wise, Fatherland- |’:

All Russia might eventually prove at...
least as appealing to Western govern- °

a

tik

Boris? ... Or the alternative

ments as the Yeltsin cegime. But for the >.
moment, especially until it passes the...
election test, it remains an unknown «|
quantity. - + Y

’ Meanwhile, Yeltsin has named little-. -
known former KGB spyntaster Vladimir
Putin not only as his test prime mi
ter but also as his personal choice to
succeed him as president in the 2000 -
election. Dubbed “a man who gets
things done” and a dedicated market
economy supporter, the uncharismati
Pautin’s other main qualification seems

_ to be simply super-solid loyalty to” ~
“Yeltsin and his policies.

Given Russia's staggering debt,
mafia-ridden economy, soaring crime”: .
rate and the state-will-keep-me mindsct,
still sa widespread after 70 Seats of" 2°!
communism, it’s something of a.wonder -

‘ that Yeltsin’s concept of market reform, -

a free press and individual liberties h:

_ igndre Boris without a much clea:

ture of the alternative to him in:what
still the worid’s other nuclear superpow
er. re

‘ eee’

PHOTOGRAPHY. by” Nort!

‘artists: Mary. Ann. Muscat (A’Shoot

Perspective), ‘Robert |W... Plui
(Expressions of Nature) and: David ‘
M. Smith (Images of the: Pacific Coz

“is the flavour of the mon on display at:
u

West Van Library, Gallery until”

28. ; ; ;
WRIGHT OR. WRONG:*High* cgos'
are like weak-batt  they-need co’
stant rechargini Bs ;

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