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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-07-07, Page 5Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1999. PAGE 5. Read any good books lately? Summer is indisputably here and I’m blue, because John D. Macdonald isn’t. Here, I mean. Mister MacD heeded that most imperative of nature’s calls - i.e. he croaked - a few years back. Before he died, though, he brightened my summer reading list for more years than I can remember. He did that by pumping out at least one Travis McGee thriller every spring. Travis McGee? He was the hero of a whole series of John D. Macdonald books. McGee was basically a beach bum. He lived on a houseboat in Florida. McGee spent his days reading books, drinking gin, smoking Erinmore Flake pipe tobacco and romancing the local lovelies. But then - and here’s where every Travis McGee novel takes off - someone would show up with a problem involving money. It might be a crooked uncle, a cheating business partner, a theft, a burglary - some situation in which somebody took something that didn’t By Raymond Canon A single currency Earlier this year I commented on the fact that 12 countries in Europe had opted for a single currency, called the euro, and this was to be phased in over the next three years starting last Jan. 1. If you happen to be over there this year, you will still be using the normal currency, such as the franc or mark, since paper currency etc. is scheduled to be introduced only during the last phase of the three-year period. Hardly had the euro seen the light of day when discussions started this side of the ocean concerning the possibility of having a single currency in North America. There has been little in the way of official comment but I think that we have to take the idea seriously since it is, in the eyes of some economists and politicians, a logical step in the process of liberating trade and commerce. What I would like to do is present arguments both for and against so you will be able to follow the arguments when they’d do crop up in the news. First of all, we would not have the problem of changing the name; the word ‘dollar’ would do quite nicely. Since we are using one currency for both countries, it would be far easier to compare prices in, say, San Diego and Toronto. Those in higher-priced areas would have to belong to them. Travis McGee would agree to try and get That Something back - without benefit of police assistance or the courts of the land. In return the plaintiff agreed to give Travis 50 per cent of whatever he recovered. That’s how McGee kept up payments on his dockage fees. McGee wasn’t exactly an outlaw, but he didn’t always play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules either. He “fixed situations” with his brains when he could; with his fists when necessary; and from time to time with a commando knife, a Glock nine mil or a grenade launcher. And since he was a certified Good Guy, the Bad Guys always got what they deserved. It made for some very thrilling thrillers and for a good 20 years I began my summer reading list each year with the latest Travis McGee. Then John D. Macdonald up and died, the beggar. Leaving me high and dry in the Summer Light Trash reading department. I’ve got a couple of pretty good subs. Elmore Leonard writes wickedly well about the Detroit underworld. When it comes to American dialogue, Leonard has perfect pitch. Reading a Leonard novel is like sitting in a take steps to make their prices more competitive; this would result over time of a levelling of prices, not to mention other things that are expressed in dollars and cents. There is also the question of exchange rate stability. A North American dollar would likely be considerably more stable than the Canadian dollar has been over the years. As it stands the Canadian dollar has been considerably below its purchasing power parity for a number of years. That is, it has been undervalued and, while this might be great for some industries such as tourism and export manufacturing, it encourages corporations to be a bit lethargic in their attitudes toward productivity, with the negative effect it has on our standard of living. Let’s take a look now on the other side of the coin. Even with a single currency, the Canadian economy, or at least sections of it, will not be in harmony with its American counterpart and Ottawa will have considerably less power over its monetary policy than it does now. If inflationary pressures were higher north of the 49th parallel than they were below it, what could the Bank of Canada do to cool off the pressures? Precious little! Trade is also considerably more important to Canada than it is to the U.S. In fact, about three times more important. It could well be that a small drop in the value of the Canadian dollar might produce a short-term impetus to our trade patterns but such a move would be bar near the Joe Louis arena and eavesdropping. Alas, Hollywood has discovered Elmore and all that west coast movie moolah seems to be going to his head. His latest books take place in locales like Cuba and Italy. He’s still good, but I miss the Detroit twang. Robert B Parker’s good, too - now and then. His usual hero is a wisecracking Boston P.I. named Spenser who quotes poetry, lifts weights, dates a shrink and blows away bad guys about every thirteen pages. Unfortunately the quality of the Spenser stories is uneven. A cracking good one can be followed by a pathetic turkey of a tale. You just never know with Robert B. Parker. Which leaves me where? Precisely where I was at the beginning of this whinge: with summer here and nary a thing to read. Unless ... It occurs to me that John D Macdonald’s been gone for at least 10 years, which means it’s been a decade since I read my last Travis McGee - and probably three decades since I read my first one. Lord knows my memory isn’t what it was - and it wasn’t much even then. I could probably start the Travis McGee series all over again and not recognize a thing. Whoopee! Quick Red Fox, here I come. totally impossible with a single currency. Finally, one has to ask whether the decision of the 12 countries in Europe to move to the euro was more a political move than an economic one. That is certainly the case in Germany where there was no great pressure from the populace to carry this out. In fact, most Germans were strongly against relinquishing their stable mark in favour of an unknown currency. Neither can the French be said to be that much more excited about the whole matter. On balance I would hope there is not any great pressure right now to get us to meld our dollar into the American one. There is an old Italian proverb that he who leaves the known road for the unknown one knows what he is leaving but not what he is getting into. We would be far better off, therefore, to have a very good look at the fate of the euro before we even think about joining monetary forces with the Americans. Ten years down the line the Europeans may regret their move and long for the good old days of the mark and the franc, not to mention the guilder, the peseta, the escudo and the lira. A Final Thought In the end, the only people who fail are those who do not try. - David Viscott The By Bonnie Gropp A cliched message Graduations — new beginnings, another step toward the future. As many children this past week saw the end of their elementary school years, it was a time of congratulations, a time of reflection. Mom and Dad, who only the day before were certain their baby was still just a baby, suddenly saw them anew. Not yet a grownup but a budding potential had begun to bloom. Heartfelt feelings were expressed, emotions, bittersweet, ran high. Students thanked parents and educators, friendships were recalled and cliches were everywhere. Any time sentiment underlines the story, finding the right words often means reverting to ones which have served the purpose well in the past. But while cliches may relate the tale best, there are occasions when their homegrown eloquence can be a tad hackneyed. Seeing someone in pain, someone in need of cheering, who needs their confidence boosted or a little affirmation, there is a tendency to rhyme off pat phrases, which while totally apropos, may have become too trite for times of trial. This message was brought home to me recently as I tried to find words to comfort a family member who was experiencing a difficult time. She was in pain, her confidence shattered. I could hug, I could be there for her, but I desperately wanted to offer some insight that it would make it all seem brighter. Yet, as I tried to find words which might have offered some strength and consolation I was stymied. Struggling to escape from my mouth were comments like “This too shall pass” and “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” So I stuttered and stammered, looking for some way to verbalize my empathy, as well as the common sense reality of life. Frustrated by the exercise, by the fact that I could dredge up not one original wise saying to assuage the hurt, I actually began to apologize. I was sorry the only way I could express support was through some well-wom cliches. Fortunately, the reality of the banality, had a surprise effect, prompting her to smile as we considered the many applicable cliches. In retrospect I realize what the problem was. Someone, once upon a time, also needed to summon the correct response for a crisis or situation. What that person did was say something so astute, so sincere, so profound, that it worked and others copied. The problem with cliches, once lyrical, now over-used and time-wom, is that they are the absolute truth. When something already says it best, how do you perfect it? It is darkest before the dawn. This too shall pass. The sun will come up tomorrow. Grandma wasn’t joking. It really is unwise to put all your eggs in one basket or to look a gift horse in the mouth. Don’t wallow in self- pity or count your chickens before they’re hatched, either. Often words aren’t necessary. Being there for someone is enough. But if ever the right words are needed cliches could at least be a good starting point. What they offer are reminders of simple common sense wisdom, that have on occasion had the.desired effect. After all, cliches became cliched for a reason.