HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-08-15, Page 5Final Thought
Love is the chain whereby to bind a child
to his parents.
— Abraham Lincoln
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2001. PAGE 5.
Other Views
Glued to a moment in time
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/t was late on a winter evening and I was
prowling through the darkened bush,
weapon in hand, searching for the biggest
of all big game - an African lion.
Well, it wasn't that melodramatic. This bush
was full of huge, half-acre animal enclosures;
my weapon was a Sony tape recorder and my
guide was Brian Keating, curator of the
Calgary Zoo that we were prowling through.
We were trying to capture animal sounds that
we could use in a radio program about the zoo
and Brian figured there was a pretty good
chance the resident lion would roar for us — if
we were patient.
We found the lion enclosure. The male lion,
a bleary-eyed old feller with a Bob Marley
hairdo, was lolling just behind the wire mesh
fence, sound asleep. He opened one eye at our
approach, found us neither edible nor
significant, and closed it.
Five minutes. Ten minutes. Not a movement.
We stood there, me holding out a
microphone like a lollipop bribe, the lion
snoring.
Fifteen minutes. I turned to Brian and said,
"Look, Brian this isn't going to w..."
And that's when my brain melted and the
There is a lot of attention being placed on
poverty and its elimination and,
whenever I read yet another article on
this subject, I get the impression that it is in the
same category as sin. Most people claim to be
against it but they are rather uncertain how to
reduce it.
Part of the problem is that there is no one
acceptable way of measuring poverty. Look at
any article on the subject and it soon becomes
obvious that the one being used is the one that
best demonstrates the point the writer is
attempting to prove.
Economists are frequently called in to
provide material for researchers and, if there is
one thing that I have learned after teaching the
subject for 35 years, it is that you can find data
to prove about any point you want to make.
To illustrate this point, the figures I have seen
for Canada range from about seven per cent of
the population to about 20 per cent which
leaves one with no firm basis on which to work.
I am, therefore, not going to dazzle you with
statistics but instead make some general
comments about poverty and some basic steps
that can be taken to reduce it.
First of all, there is the frequently heard
opinion that throwing money at the problem
will do the trick. Would that this were so but
decades of doing just that, both here and
abroad, have demonstrated the fallacy of this.
It is far more valid to say that money is part
of the solution, not all or most of it.
Poor nations tend to act pretty much the same
as poor people; they show a disturbing inability
to handle money. In addition, many of these
nations show an alarming level of corruption
and incompetence and are noteworthy only for
the ways they can discover to waste money, not
use it constructively.
For this reason any plan for poverty
reduction should have specific goals and bring
with it the expertise required to channel the
money properly. A case in point is the AIDS
epidemic_ which is rampant in many of the
poorer countries. A country cannot rise out of
poverty if many of its younger _and productive
people are ill or dying..
By all means donate money but target things
like the AIDS epidemic and control the
Arthur
Black
bottom dropped out of my stomach.
The lion had somehow, in the space of a
nanosecond, gone from flat out sleeping to full
four-legged alert. He had also let out a - well,
my tape recorder later confirmed that it was a
'roar', but it was a roar I never heard.
I felt it. I felt like I'd shaken hands with a
50,000-volt live wire.
Was I scared?
Hell, yes. As scared as I've ever been -but I
didn't run.
I stood my ground. I had to. I was paralyzed.
But for a 10-foot high wire mesh fence, I
would have been an hors d'oeuvre that night.
This happened to me about 10 years ago, and
I've never gotten over how utterly helpless I
felt when that lion stoned me cold.
At least not until I read an article about some
animal behaviour researchers at the Fauna
Raymond
Canon
The
International
Scene
spending of money so that it will do the most
good.
Much of the money aimed at reducing
poverty in underdeveloped countries comes
with unrealistic repayment schedules. These
countries are in over their heads in debt already
and cannot both repay this debt and raise the
standard of living.
Consider putting money utilized in the form
of grants instead of loans and, if it is a loan,
make it interest free. The same controls should
be put on it as mentioned in the previous
paragraph.
At one time in my career I engaged in some
voluntary money management counselling. I
got my eyes opened in a big hurry. Most people
were in debt up to their proverbial eyeballs not
because they didn't get enough money but
because they had very little idea of how to
manage what money they did get.
In short, they needed a-lot of help in learning
how to carry out proper money management.
The same is true in most underdeveloped
countries. They simply do not have the skills to
increase production, till the land, avoid disease
and the like.
They will go on repeating the same mistakes
until they get the training they lack along 'with
the money they need.
Like most economists I am in favour of trade
liberalization but I can sympathize with some
of the non-violent protesters at the
international conferences (i.e. Seattle, Quebec
City, Genoa, Prague) who want more done in
the field of poverty reduction. Some of these
Communication Research Institute in North
Carolina. They've been studying tigers and
they've discovered that the modus operandum
of the beast is what they call 'infrasound
manipulation'.
They've determined that the tiger emits a
low-pitched growl so deep that human beings
can't even hear it. But they feel it.
And so does whatever the tiger is planning to
put on the dinner menu that evening. The tiger
mixes these infrasound growls with the roar
that we do hear and the result is temporary
paralysis - even among experienced trainers
who've worked with the cats for years.
"It's an incredible force coming at you," says
a Fauna Research spokesman.
"When they roar, tigers often move at great
speed from lying down to straight up. During
that time, you never have any thoughts of
running away because you're so glued to the
moment in time."
I believe it - because I know a mangy old
African lion in the Calgary Zoo that can sing
the same tune.
It's a tune you don't want to hear - even if
you could.
protesters may not have a clue how to go about
it but there is plenty of expertise at both the
academic and business levels to do the job.
Let's not waste still more years just talking
about it.
Letter
Letters to the editor are a forum for public
opinion and comment. The views expressed do
not necessarily reflect those of this
publication.
THE EDITOR,
Helen Jonns MPP responded to my letter of
concern about tax deductions for private
schools. In her letter to me she pointed out that
funding for education had increased from
$12.9 billion in 1995 to $13.8 billion in 2000.
She assured me that this was more enough to
meet enrollment growth.
A simple calculation tells me that this is an
increase for seven per cent. But that seven per
cent is over five years! This is definitely not
enough to cover inflation, let alone increased
student enrollment.
I also know that 1995 was a year of severe
cutbacks to budgets. These cutbacks came after
years of NDP social contract cutbacks during a
major recession.
I listened to Mr. Harris at the Walkerton
Inquiry repeatedly assure us that his year 2000
environment budget was greater than the
environment budget of 1985. 1985! That was
15 years before! The budget had better have
increased since then. The fact that they had to
reach back that far to make a favourable
comparison is extremely worrisome.
The Harris government appears to believe in
the stupidity of its electorate. I am insulted that
I am expected to accept _these figures
unthinkingly. Given the Harris history of abuse
and distortion of statistics, I cannot trust any
figures they report.
I can hardly wait to see what they do with
this costly survey on health care. If they are
going to spend millions on a survey, why not
do it properly?
With this government, 'caveat emptor'. Let
the buyer beware.
Linda Easton.
Yes, I had a lovely
holiday, thank you
Yes, I had a lovely holiday, thank you.
Besides the essential pampering of
myself, I also was able to accomplish
a variety of things which had been delayed just
quite long enough. I even got my house
cleaned.
The week did include of course more
entertaining entertainment. There were long-
delayed visits to see family and places, day
trips and time kicking back on the beach, feet
up, a book in one hand, a long, cool one in the
other. Add to this the pleasure of spending the
biggest portion of my time off with my
favourite little buddy and it can only be
described as the perfect vacation.
And how about that heat? I know, the
majority probably found the relentless
scorching of skin and soul unbearable. Believe
me, my sympathies did go out to the poor
souls working on farms or in construction.
They've got nowhere to hide and only so many
articles of clothing that can be removed.
But for me, it was bliss. The first day out of
the office found me under a shade tree, next to
an open field. The warmth, like the comfort of
a down quilt on a winter night, soothed the
stress and burdens, then carried them away on
the summer breeze. I had the moment and the
place in which to relax totally, and despite the
94° temperature I did — easily.
Day two and three were more of the same
and as the humidity hung in, we sought air-
conditioned respite from time to time in car or
home.
But not for long. I have waited for a summer
like this for what seems an interminable time.
For the first summer in years-, the heat
permeated the thick brick walls of my home,
turning its typical coolness into a steam room.
For the first summer that I can recall, the
weather made my holiday conducive to little
more than leisure — sun and surf. It is summer
the way I remember it and have longed for.
I'm not trying to be selfish. Yet, while I may
Pity -people vvhtme jobs make working in heat
quite uncomfortable, my hubby among them, I
really can't wish it away. This is after all
summer. Heat is what is supposed to come
with it.
And as I keep reminding folks, it's winter a
long, long time around here. When I think of
the mind-numbing tenacity of that season,
with its blow-ups and hazards, I already long
for spring. When I think of the ache in my
bones, I want to rush outside to soak up some
extra sunshine. When I think of the constant
chill, I am filled with apprehension. When I
think of the darkness, the cumbersome clothes,
the shoveling, the scraping, the worry about
travel, I am like a pregnant woman, psyching
myself for what I must get through to receive
the gift.
Yes, it has been hot. It makes working, and
for some even breathing, difficult. A muggy
day can be agony, but remember there aren't
many of them.
And while fighting the cold can be tiresome,
beating the heat is actually quite fun. Winter
challenges us; summer simply asks us to enjoy
ourselves. So for a few days each year, just do
what you can. Kickoff your shoes and doff
some clothes. Take a dip or a cool shower.
Relax and rest. IL
It's the perfect time.
A way to reduce world poverty
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