The Citizen, 2002-01-23, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2002. PAGE 5.
Other Views
Keep it simple, stupid!
Our lives are frittered away by
detail.... Simplify, simplify.
— Henry David Thoreau
Easy enough for a guy who lived in a hut
by a pond a century and a half ago to
say.
I say, Hank, thou shouldst be living at THIS
hour of cell phones, NASDACS, satellite
dishes, 'smart' bombs, computer menus and
eight-lane highways. The human race has
never been further removed from 'simple'.
And it's not just technology. My life is
cluttered with things I don't have a hope of
ever understanding.
Things like: my income tax form. 'The
pouring spout on a Tetra Pak. The popularity of
The Spice Girls. Anything ever uttered by
Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray. (Not to
mention da liddle guy from Shawinigan, lui-
meme).
Which brings us to our home and native
tongue. English has got to be the most baffling
aggregation of polysyllables ever unleashed on
the human eye and ear.
We drive on parkways; park on driveways.
The third hand on a wristwatch is called the
second hand.
`Slow down' and 'slow up' mean exactly the
same thing - but my house can 'burn up' as it
`burns down'.
After which I complete the insurance claim
process by filling it OUT and mailing in IN.
- There's lots I don't understand in the English
language - such as why it's good to be a 'wise
man' but bad to be a 'wise guy'.
If you are planning on travelling to Europe
in 2002 you should be aware that many of
the countries you might be visiting are in
the process of phasing out_ their traditional
currency and replacing it with the Euro, the
new currency designed for the European
Union.
Just so there is not utter chaos during the
Tansition stage, the old currencies such as the
French franc and the German mark will still be
egal tender for periods of up to six months.
Chat is going to be an interesting time as
ihopkeepers all over the continent try to keep
he exact value of the two currencies in their
leads as they make change etc.
Finally, on July 1, 2002, the old currencies
vill become collectors' items and the Euro will
eign supreme. I am sure that many a
ousehold will tuck away souvenirs.
Nobody will lament the switch to the Euro
lore than the Germans. For decades the
ierznan mark has been the most stable of
urrencies and understandably so.
After both the first and the second world war,
le Germans found their mark to be subjected
) the ravages of hyperinflation; they were
)rced to resort to barter and the use of other
irrencies in order to make ends meet and even
that the ends often did not.
But the Germans have taken pride in their
irrency and the thought of giving it up for an
tested international one has been difficult for
any citizens of the country to accept. Right
1 to the time that the Euro was introduced, a
ajority of Germans were against it; there did
,t seem to be any overriding economic
cessity of taking such a step and so the
:roduction can be considered much more a
litical decision than an economic one.
Even at that, acceptance of the Euro was not
tde mandatory, a fact which saw Great
itain, Denmark and. Sweden opt to stay out,
least for the time being.
The Euro does, however, come with some
vantages. For openers it will greatly reduce
transaction costs of doing business between
Why we have boxers who fight in `rings'
which are 'square' - but we eat 'square' meals
off plates which are round.
Why teachers teach and preachers preach,
and teachers taught - but preachers never
praught.
Why bra is singular but panties are plural.
So many confusions - and logical reasoning
is no help at all.
But perhaps that's because we've forgotten
how to be logical. Let me leave you with a
very, simple, straightforward series of four
questions.
Read them, think about it for a few moments,
and then answer as best you can.
1: HOW DO YOU PUT A GIRAFFE INTO
A REFRIGERATOR?
The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator,
put in the giraffe and close the door. This
question tests whether you tend to do simple
things in an overly complicated way.
2: HOW DO YOU PUT AN ELEPHANT
INTO A REFRIGERATOR?
The wrong answer is: Open the refrigerator,
put in the elephant and close the door.
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take
Raymond
Canon
The
International
Scene
two member nations.
In addition, it should help to bring prices
more in line throughout the European Union.
High cost countries such as France will have to
reduce prices if they are to remain competitive.
Tourists, for one, will notice a difference
since tourism is an important source of revenue
for all the member nations.
But it remains to be seen whether economic
stabilization policies can be properly carried
out in the future. After all, it is too much to
expect that all member nations will be in the
same phase of the business cycle, and with
decisions on money and interest rates now
being made at the new Central Bank in
Frankfurt, instead of in the individual
countries, what helps one country may end up
hurting another.
This is offset to a certain degree by the fact
that fiscal policy, that is policies concerning
taxation and government spending, still remain
in the hands of the government of each nation.
However, what is unfolding in Europe has
implications for us as well. There has been a
great deal of talk in North America about a
single currency for the entire continent, a move
.that would see the disappearance of the
Canadian dollar.
What happens in Europe during the next few
years will give us a good indicatign of what
might happen here if we go down a similar
path.
Like the Europeans, most Canadians are
opposed to a move to a single currency. We
may curse the loonie for its gradual decline in
value in terms of the U.S. dollar but it is still
out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the
door. This question tests your ability to think
through previous mistakes.
3: THE LION KING IS HOSTING
AN ANIMAL CONFERENCE. ALL
THE ANIMALS ATTEND EXCEPT
ONE. WHICH ANIMAL DOES NOT
ATTEND?
Correct answer: the elephant. The elephant is
in the refrigerator. This question tests your
short-term memory.
4: THERE IS A RIVER YOU MUST
CROSS, BUT IT IS INFESTED WITH MAN-
EATING CROCODILES. HOW DO YOU DO
IT?
The correct answer is: you wade or swim
across. All the crocodiles are attending the
animal meeting, remember? This question tests
whether you learn from mistakes.
Didn't do too well on the quiz? Don't feel
bad. This questionnaire was given to several
hundred business professionals by a firm called
Anderson Consulting World Wide. They report
that 90 per cent of the biz pros got ALL the
questions wrong.
On the other hand, Anderson Consulting
gave the same questionnaire to another group
and reported that they averaged 50 to 75 per
cent correct answers.
The successful group? Pre-school children.
Anderson Consulting, claims the study
proves most professionals have the brains of a
four-year-old.
I maintain that it proves how smart we all are
before we get educated.
our loonie.
So far the government in Ottawa has not
given much indication of its thinking but you
can be sure that, in -both government and
academic circles, a great deal of discussion is
going on about the merits of such a move.
In the meantime we can watch how the
Europeans handle their new currency in their
day-to-day transactions.
Incidentally, the Swiss still remain outside
the European Union so William Tell is not
turning over in his grave at the thought of the
Swiss franc, the strongest currency in Europe,
disappearing from use. The Swiss will,
however, have to keep a close watch on prices
so that they can continue to compete with the
nations that surround them.
Finally, how much is the Euro worth in
Canadian dollars? Right now about $1.40 but
given that they are both floating currencies,
that will change from day to day.
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,
Norwich District High School is celebrating
its 50th anniversary on May 31, June-1, and
June 2. We have a variety of activities planned
such as: a coffee house, special breakfast,
barbecue and dance, and a rededication
ceremony. As well, we will be highlighting the
special talents of current and former students.
We hope that alumni, staff and students, will
be able to attend this grand event. A flyer is
being mailed mid-February, so if you do not
receive one please contact the school at 519-
468-2014 or contact me at l.lewis@tvdsb.on.ca
Come in and celebrate!
Sincerely,
Laurie Lewis, Principal.
Bonnie
Gropp
The short of it
It's good work, but...
Given what they have to work with, 14d
have to say that for the most part they
really do hold their own.
Even if you love it, when you consider winter
in Huron County, you'd have to agree it can be
a battle of wills. Struggling to continue our
busy lives while Old Man Winter and Mother
Nature team up to entomb us in a world of
white, we dig out, tunnel through and brave the
elements.
And as someone who spends a fair amount of
time on the road I have come to appreciate the
efforts of the Huron County roads crews.
On a recent windy, drifty day, a city friend
who was coming for a visit drove for several
miles on her slushy, slippery area roads before
deciding to turn back. When she called she said
her rationale was based in part on history.
Conditions, she knew, would deteriorate as she
reached Huron County.
I felt fairly- confident in disagreeing. Had it
been a snowsquall or the dreaded winter storm,
I agreed, chances were good that visibility was
not going to improve with each passing mile
she drove west. But, when it comes to roads,
our guys do a better job. They have the
equipment to handle it and the diligence to get
it done.
This was confirmed just a little while later
when my son pulled in from Kitchener. Though
he really didn't feel the drive had been all that
bad to begin with, the roads, he noted, did
indeed get better when he reached Huron.
Such commendations, however, come with
an addendum. In its infinite wisdom the county
made a decision. several years ag.) to take the
plows off the roads from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. as a
cost-saving measure. .
It was well discusse d during the time the
decision was made. Tnus what I have to say
isn't ving to be anything new. I will not
change anyone's mind, nor their actions. 'nut
recent weeks have made me a little angry. '
When the idea was first mentioned at county
council I considered it wrong. Certainly, it may
seem a waste of money to clear roads for the
few who must travel during these hours, but
what price can you put on human life?
My •husband does contract work with a
London-based union. His days are long, made
Worse by jobs many miles away. Over the past
month (thank goodness this is over) he has
commuted daily to Talhotvi Ile, leaving at 3 p.m.
and returning home at 2 a.m. On at least two
occasions, however, . his progress has been
impeded by snowbanks or skating rinks where
the roads used to be.
From the perspective of his light-weeping
wife, the time can be a nightmare. As I listened
to the wind blowing pellets against my window,
as I waited with too much quiet and too much
darkness around me, two hours from the time!
expected him home until he got there clicked by
too slowly.
Staying put would of course have been an
option, but generally when he leaves the city he
ha no indication that there is a need to spend
money on a room for the night.
There are emergencies, there are people who
don't know the rules for plowing here. There
would be .others on the road those nights,
struggling to get places for whatever- reason.
The county knows this; as I said, I'm not saying
anything new. I believe they are taking a
chance, the price of which is high. Personally
I'd rather pay more in taxes and know that the
high calibre winter road maintenance Huron's
known for can he counted on at 'all hours.
Introduction of the Euro