HEAVY VOLUME AT THE APPROACHES, BUT THE SUEZ CANAL FLONING SMOOHLY. A STALL IN THE STRAITS OF HOAMUZ 15 BACK- ING UP WARSHIPS AS FAR BACK AS DIEGO GARCIA. A COLLISION OFF BAHRAIN, PETWEEN A FRENCH FRIGATE AND A US CARRIER, 15 CAUSING TIE-URS, AS ALL THE OTHER WAR- CHIPS ARE. SLOWING DOWN 10 LOOK... dis pegs ONER TO BOB IN THE NITWITNESS NEWS CHOPPER, FOR A RECORT ON CONDITIONS IN THE PERSIAN GULF... INSIGHTS NEWS VIEWPOINT Housing ‘distinctions’ a bad word, mostly because longer able to discriminate ourselves between something sensible and something unfair. Landlords who do not want families as to be discriminating “against” children. In fact, they are doing what the dictionary says, ‘‘carefully obser- distinctions.’’ They recognize that there is a difference between an adult and 2 family-oriented building and children can add a certain noise factor. The notion that all of these landlords are somehow prejudiced against families with children is unfounded. As one local landiord recently pointed out, her building is not suitably sound-proofed for children, 4 © Fs bee cram has become we are no tenants are said ving nor ideally located for children who want to play and run. An amendment Tenancy Act, to be in effect by September, to the Residential will protect renters with children from be- that ing discriminated against hard-hearted landlords. What about musi- cians? They’re noisy too. Do they have rights and recourse? But the question is does the law itself discriminate against landlords who have a right to pick and choose suitable tenants? What is needed is more provision for family housing projects in the way of zon- ing and government funding to balance the needs of renters, not legal repercussions for landlords who choose to accommodate a specific group of renters. by seemingly LETTER OF THE DAY Dual entry isn’t so bad Dear Editor: I'd like to address the West Van parents who are upset that the dual entry program will prevent their children from entering kindergarten with their current friends. 1 do not back dual entry 100 per cent either, but misgivings surrounding this aspect of the issue may be misplaced. Most small children have a_ healthy, built-in ability to make friends which 1 feel ovzht to be en- couraged, not limited — if only we could all maintain this skill as adults! Let me illustrate from personal experience. Because our son was born in October, he has always been amongst the youngest in his preschool classes. As educators Publisher Subscriptions North and West Vancouver, $75 pe: Mailing cates available on request Subm welcome but we cannot accept respot envelope Lene Peter Speck Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw suburban newspaper and quatited under Schedule 114, Paragraph IN of the Excise Fax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 unsoticrted matenal including manusenpts and pictures. which should be accompamed by a stamped, addressed feel that such ‘‘fall children,” boys in particular, often experi- ence problems in their school ca- reers, we decided to enroll him for a third year of preschool the fall he turned five. We certainly felt apprehensive on various counts, among them the fact that he wouldn’t be enter- ing kindergarten with his current preschool group. Perhaps he’d even perceive the matter as failure. I’m happy to say our fears were unfounded. We explained to our boy that the other kids were older and would be going on carlier than he. A day or two of discus- sion resulted in complete accep- tance on his part; he was happy and well adjusted in his ‘tnew” preschool class and had absolutely no (rouble making 18 or so new friends. (Incidentally, many friendships in the old circle were easily maintained.) This September he will enter kindergarten at the educationally optimum age of fully five and a half, surrounded at elementary school not only by his present preschool friends but many of the older group who are now entering Grade 1}. We consider that he is enriched by the large acquaintanceship with kids of varying ages and has in no way lost out by not sticking to a group. Try it, West Van parents ...maybe you'll like ii! Karen Nelson West Vancouver THE VOICE OF MONTH AND WEST VANCE Associate Editor .... Noel Wright Naiipclie eee Advertising Director . Linda Stewart | Subscriptions 986-1337 North Shore News, founged in 1969 as an independent “UNDAY + WEONES@ AY + FHIOAy Fax 985-3227 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 §9,170 (average. Wednesday Friday & Sunday) a SDA DIVISION Display Advertising Classified Advertising 980-0511 986-6222 MEMBER SN'4 Seen wanes of amare North Shore owned and managed Entire contents > 1990 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Thinking the unthinkable in a U.S.-lraq war THE UNITED Nations, as feared, is fast being sidelined in the U.S.-Iraqi confrontation. Not for lack of will but sim- ply because it has no independent means of controlling the crisis. Let’s not kid ourselves. What started as an encouraging UN disciplinary move against an ag- gressor threatens to end up as a very nasty U.S.-Iraqi war to de- fend America’s vital national in- terests and those of its industriali- zed allies. With no forces of its own, the UN is totally dependent upon member nations to make its all- out embargo against Iraq stick. The U.S. was the anly one of them ready and able to deploy the needed forces with the speed essential. But it’s highly probable that the Americans would have moved against Iraq even without the UN declaration. Saddam Hussein's lightning capture of Kuwait sud- denly put far too much at risk. The seven principal oil states around the Persian Gulf produce 16 million barrels daily — 4.63 million, or 29 per cent, of it from Iraq and Kuwait. That alone is a serious enough temporary loss to the U.S., Japan and western Europe. But it pales beside the possible further loss of the 5.46 million barrels produced by Saudi Arabia, which Iraq’s huge army could eas- ily have seized — giving Hussein control of nearly two-thirds of the region's entire output. Meanwhile, despite its creden- tials as a UN policeman, the U.S. is already facing damaging politi- cal fallout. Its troops should, of course, be wearing blue UN helmets, but there’s been no time for such cosmetics. The Arab world distrusts it as Israel's patron. Its Saudi Arabia presence is likened to the U.S, “‘invasions’’ of Grenada and Panama. And just HOW much military muscle the UN will ‘‘authorize’’ remains unclear. That question, however, is like- ly to be academic. The stakes are higher than even in Vietnam, which the U.S. cannot afford to repeat, no matter what the UN says. It is irrevocably committed to a combat role in the area until — one way or another -—— Iraq backs down, As it is, the powder keg gets hotter every day — with thou- sands of western hostages; Hus- sein’s peace with Iran, giving him massive reinforcements; the spec- tre of gas warfare; military foot- dragging by most other UN na- tions. And the looming question of whether the U.S. might eventually need forces of a million or more MAPPING MOTHER'S MARCH .. ple to see through it. Noei Wright HITHER AND YON just to hang in — with untold loss of iife on both sides in a seeming- ly endless bloodbath like the 10- year Iraq-Iran war. Those are the kind of numbers Harry Truman had to juggle in 1945: upward of a million anda half more lives certain to be iost on both sides in a prolonged U.S.-Japanese conflict — or spared by the instant incineration of two or three hundred thousand. The Bomb on Baghdad? Un- thinkable, you say. One must hope so. But then maybe Truman found the idea of Hiroshima un- thinkable — until he did his sums. . see WRAP-UP: Thanks to a North f Van realty firm Kiasmen’s Mar- ching Mothers will have an easier job next year. Reliable maps — vital for door-to-door canvassing — are costly and the local Kinmen’s were 10 years out of date. Learning of their problem, Sussex Realty invited them to use the company’s own highly accu- rate maps for preparing their can- vasser kits ... Time yet to admire the watercolors of West Van artist John MacNeil), on exhibit through Sunday, Aug. 26, from noon to 8 p.m. at Ambleside Landing’s Ferry Building ... Still ‘‘desper- ately seeking lost alumni”’ is Simon Fraser University, which wants them all there to celebrate its 25th homecoming reunion Sept. 14-18. If you’re one of them, come in from the cold by calling 291-4154 soonest ... Anda very happy 93rd birthday today, Aug. 24, to North Van's Charles Kiff. weaker WRIGHT OR WRONG: Stret- ching the truth often enables peo- pl . Sandra Battiski (left) and Alex Reznikov plot canvas routes from Sussex Realty maps. See col- umn item.