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The Citizen, 1997-08-20, Page 5^Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20,1997 PAGE 5. \ \ Newspaper bloopers A reporter is a person who becomes an expert on any conceivable subject between 1 o'clock in the afternoon and a 6 p.m. deadline. Anon Let me declare my infirmity right off the top: I am a newspaper junkie. I love 'em. Dailies. Weeklies. Fat ones. Skinny ones. Prestigious international 'Journals of Record' and lurid, scummy supermarket tabloids. I read them all just about every chance I get. And I guess you've got a soft spot for papers too - or else we wouldn't be meeting like this, would we? One of the things I find most endearing about newspapers is their fallibility. You never know when you're going to open a paper and discover a tremendous boner in black and white. Last month, The Globe and Mail ran an illustration of the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. The cutline under the illustration explained that the locks controlled the water "from Lake Superior as it runs into Lake Ontario." Grade 7 geography, anyone? Newspapers (not this one of course) get it wrong. A lot. Maybe it's because they're International Scene ■ z How much do you earn? I often get asked how much people earn in other countries compared to wages in Canada and I must admit right at the outset that this is an extremely difficult question to answer. For one thing you have to use an exchange rate which in many cases is out of line. Furthermore, working conditions vary from country to country and while you might be prepared to do a job in one country at a certain rate, you might well refuse to do the same type of job elsewhere at the same rate of pay or even more. Finally, you may fmd that the cost of living in one country is considerably higher than in another. I recall going down to New York one time to act as a translator. When I was finished my temporary assignment, I was offered a permanent job with a salary 20 per cent higher than anything I had ever been offered in Canada. After looking at what it cost to live in New York, I found that I would have to lower my standard of living even at the higher salary. Needless to say I decided to stay in Canada and I cannot say that I ever regretted it. Now and again I come across a study which is reasonably accurate in comparing wage levels in various countries. This one confirms what other studies have indicated, that the country with the highest wage level has been and continues to be Germany. One of the main reasons for this is the produced in such a rush. Sometimes the error is serious. Sometimes it's even libelous. But a lot of times it's merely hilarious. Consider newspaper want ads. The Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals could probably win a lawsuit on behalf of the pets in some of the want ads I've read - such as: Lost: Apricot poodle, Neutered. Like one of the family. *** For sale: Eight puppies from a German Shepherd and an Alaskan Hussy. ♦♦♦ Dog for sale: Eats anything and is fond of children Are you looking for someone to hire? If you use the want ads, make sure you get somebody to proofread your plea. Otherwise you might get something like: Wanted: Fifty girls for stripping machine operators in factory. *** Wanted: Man to take care of cow who does not smoke or drink. Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel. Lawyer seeking accomplished, well-recommended deceptionist. *** By Raymond Canon_____ generous level of holiday pay and social security contributions made by employers. If we were to count only the wages for time worked, Denmark would be the most generous country followed closely by Norway and Switzerland. The latter, by the way, follows Germany as the second highest wage level in the industrialized world. Where does Canada stand in all this? Well, we come in at about two-thirds of the German scale; we run neck and neck with the United States. Given our currently favourable exchange rate, the gap between the two countries is actually considerably greater than what shows up on the chart. For the most part, non-wage benefits are considerably greater in Europe than in North America. Given the very rigid labour markets which exist in Europe, it is no surprise that unemployment is much higher there than on this side of the ocean. Finally the lowest levels are in such southern European countries as Greece, Portugal and Spain. This hasn't done much for Spain; its rate of unemployment is stilk over 20 per cent. Getting back to Germany, the rigid labour markets, to which I referred above, are causing them all sorts of problems. There are currently 400,000 workers looking for jobs and this number seems fit to increase by another 80,000 before the end of the year. Yet there are 190,000 foreign workers on construction projects and probably another 200,000 who are part of the underground economy. These two groups of workers are not only cheaper than German ones; they are more flexible and faster, quite willing to Even travel ads can turn out to be middens of unintentional humour: The hotel has tennis courts, soft beds and other athletic facilities. *** Mt. Kilimanjaro, the breathtaking backdrop for the Serena Lodge. Swim in the lovely pool while you drink it all in. *** Some newspaper ads you don’t even want to think about. Such as this one plugging the dramatic lineup al a New York theatre: Featuring three Shakespeare plays: Hamlet, Macbeth and Anatomy and Cleopatra. Or the Used Furniture Want Ad that offered: An antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers. Or my personal favourite - an ad I actually read in a paper years ago. Illiterate? Write today for free help. Finally, a sobering example of how newspapers trying to do the right thing often wind up making bigger booboos. This 'correction' actually appeared in a Thunder Bay newspaper: A report in yesterday's Times-News referred to 'Sergeant Blaine, a 20-year veteran defective of the police force.' This was an error. It should have read 'Sergeant Blaine, a 20-year veteran detective of the police farce.' cross demarcation lines to speed things up. Not only that but German workers are like Canadians in that there are some jobs that they really don't want to do. As a result of being permitted to stay open longer, something that I wrote about recently, German bakeries have taken on 5,000 new workers in the last six months. However, this has not come close to filling demand for such workers. One official of the bakers' association has expressed the view that young people do not want to get up early in the morning to shovel dough into a hot oven. "They value," he says, "their social lives." That sounds very familiar. The demand for computer workers still outstrips supply and German universities complain that they cannot get enough students to enter that field. That sounds something like the problem we have here; we still have to go abroad to fill the demand for tool-and-die makers. In spite of the good salaries, young Canadians do not seem to want to enter that field. Wages are obviously not everything when it comes to finding jobs. It would be well to look at the labour market rigidity which is plaguing the Germans and other nationalities. The Americans, with the lowest level of rigidity, have the lowest rale of unemployment; the British, also with relatively little rigidity, are not far behind. A Final Thought Nothing is as hard to do gracefully as getting down off your high horse. The The rest is change For a time it was as if we had closed the door on the rest of the world — and I loved it. Cozy in cottage country last week, my family and I revelled in our solitary seclusion. Away from outside distractions we saw people we chose to, went where and when we wanted and forgot time and trouble. But it wasn't just the change of pace that was so welcome, it was as well the change. Rather than a startled awakening from an alarm our dawning to daylight was charmed by the sounds of nature. The work-a-day world around us was not so much being carried out by the two-legged variety, but rather by the feathered and furred. Loons fishing and squirrels gathering replaced the frenetic hustle and harried expressions often seen in the human habitats. Evenings were highlighted not by a television screen but by a panoramic view of midnight water and crimson sky. Sleep came not with exhaustion to the strains of traffic, but with us soothingly lulled by the roll of waves and rustle of trees. They say a change is as a good as a rest and for mine I was grateful. Though I could gladly have lived with that change for another week, it was indeed restorative. But it was also good to leave while I was still enjoying myself. I have not spent all this time on earth and not learned that even the best places lose their appeal when they become the norm. The grass on the other side of the fence never seems as green after you cross over. This latter point was really brought home to me on Sunday, when we spent a day with friends in the city. The 'happening' cosmopolitan lifestyle is a goal for at least one of my kids. This child of mine finds life in rural Huron just a little predictable and dreary. Occasionally, from an adolescent's perspective I might even agree with her. Our small towns are wonderful places in which to raise children, offering many things. But to the energetic youth those aren't always as evident. It was interesting, then, to hear my friend expressing the problems of being an adolescent in the city and discovering some startling similarities. Teens have very little to do, she said, with many seeking entertainment by hanging out at the malls. (See downtown Brussels or Bly th). Sure they can go to the theatre or congregate at a friend's home, but this often means travelling a fair distance as once they get to high school, just like their smalltown 'cousins', friendships are often formed with people who live further afield. One comment I found particularly surprising was a familial aspect of city life I hadn't realize existed. Their neighbourhood, is populated by many teens whose parents grew up in the same area. For newcomers, she said, it can be a little cliquey, letting you be a part of some things, yet always keeping you apart from others. All-in-all it was a gentle reminder to me things are not always so different as they may appear. And while change is undoubtedly as good as a rest, it's wise to remember that upon closer look some things aren». so different as you might think.