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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-02-09, Page 5Welcome aboard the SS wretched excess! When does this place get to Europe? The wonderful (and Canadian) actress and comedienne Bea Lillie asked that question more than half a century ago when she was crossing the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary. If Bea thought The Queen Mary was hot stuff, I wonder what she’d make of the Voyager of the Seas. Not to make mock of The Queen Mary. She was, after all. state of the art when she was launched in the ’30s. Fine dining, dancing to wonderful orchestras, skeet shooting, badminton and shuffleboard for the restless. But then there's Voyager of the Seas - the latest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet.. V of the S is nearly a quarter of a mile from stem to stem - 1,020 feet, to be exact. Which is to say the length of three football fields laid end to end. She boasts 14, count ‘em 14, passenger decks; not one, but three swimming pools, a health club, the largest casino at sea and - wait for it - an 80-foot high climbing wall, an in­ line skating track, a full-size basketball court and ... A golf course. That’s correct. A nine-hole golf course. At sea. Did I mention the ice-skating rink? The four-storey indoor shopping/entertainment boulevard? They come with your cruise aboard Voyager of the Seas too. Now, I know this is supposed to be terribly International Scene? I The money-go-round At the turn of the century, it seems to be keeping with the spirit of the moment to take a look at where we are and where we are going, if only to get a better grip on the reality of it all. I am reminded of this constantly as I take a look at the horde of students I have in my class of international finance during which we try to examine the flows of money around the world and what conditions them. Their concerns revolve around what these flows will mean to the future prosperity, both of their country and of their own lives. Of course there are some students who could care less but they are in the minority; the rest share the seriousness that we demonstrated in the post-World War II period. Having survived the war, we wondered whether we would survive the peace. They wonder what the new millennium will bring. But there are some obvious differences. For openers, the pace is far more rapid than it was in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Part of my job, therefore, is to teach them how to view money in a time of rapid change. I had lots of practice during my two recent stays in the Czech Republic; I constantly had to force people I worked with there to come to grips with the rapid change from a communist to a market economy, a change many of them seemed either unwilling or unprepared to make. Perhaps they will really find out what I meant when their country joins the European Union sometime later this decade. splendid, but I went on a Caribbean cruise once. Six islands, Miami to Miami return. The most boring vacation of my life. Ocean cruises aren’t about cruising on the ocean. They’re about pretending your back home, having a night on the town in Dubuque or Scarborough. The ships have huge stabilizer fins port and aft to make sure you’re not ‘disturbed’ by the ocean waves. Everything is designed to insulate you, make you feel 'right at home’. I woke up each morning to find a brochure tucked underneath my door, outlining all the ‘fun activities’ in store for me that particular day. A stroll around the deck was torpedoed by some grinning gofer handing out badges to pin on your shirt. “Shows you’re into exercise,” says the grinner, “you get points for every circuit you make of the deck. Winner gets to sit at the Captain’s Table”. And there are the usual urban distractions. Casinos. One-armed bandits. A cheesy stand-up comedian telling corny jokes in a faux nightclub. Even the excursions ashore are micro- managed to make sure you don’t get mired down in, well, in that island’s particular culture. Passengers are led ashore in closely monitored squads and admonished to ‘stay with the group’ and not to go in any shops that aren’t on List. Result: itinerary visiting. If wretched excess is ocean cruise is for you. You’ll be served more the cruise directors Recommended you have to to figure out look what up the ship’s island you’re your bag, then the By Raymond Canon Our government has been a bit tardy in allowing Canadians to invest outside of the country and at the same time claim the investment as part of their RRSP portfolio. The 20 per cent limit is being breached only rather slowly and, while it is admirable to keep some of our investment dollars within the boundaries of Canada, I see little wrong in permitting up to 50 per cent to be invested elsewhere. This is vitally important when you look at what the federal government is doing with such things as Old Age and Canada Pension. The more people can invest on their own, the more financially secure will be their retirement. I am keeping my eye on the new currency in Europe, the euro, which has. already been introduced in high financial circles and which sometime next year will become the currency of the day for all consumers in 12 countries, including the mark and the French franc. How successful the Europeans are in managing this new currency will condition the terms under which a single currency could be introduced in North America. I have my doubts that we are ready for it but, should the concept be introduced for consideration, you can be sure that the resulting debate will make the one on free trade seem like a Sunday School picnic. I will keep you posted on that one. Students, among others, are always interested in the fluctuations of the Canadian dollar, as if its value were a prestige item. I don’t look at it quite that way but I am on fairly safe ground by stating that, although it is food than you could ever eat, and you'll receive more encouragement to shop and drink and dine and be entertained so much you'll think your Donald Trump. Oh yes, and you’ll share it all with more people than you dreamed could ever stand on the same ship at the same time. Voyageur of the Seas has cabins for 3,118. Add to that the 1,020 crew members on board to cater to your every whim and you've got a floating community the size of a respectable Canadian town. The question is: when does a ship stop being a ship and become an island? The seagoing monstrosity that is the Voyager of the Seas is so mammoth only a handful of ports in the world can accommodate it. If ships get any bigger they’ll be applying for a seat at the United Nations. Reminds me of the story about a guy who finds himself aboard one of the biggest of the big ocean liners. The ballroom alone is as big as a football stadium. A seat at the back of the ‘night club' feels like a seat in the bleachers at SkyDome. Everything is BIG. Naturally, the guy starts eating big. And drinking big. One night, after one too many bird-bath martinis, the guy staggers up to a waiter and asks for directions to the washroom. He gets them and stumbles off, but soon becomes disoriented, takes a wrong turn, and ends up doing a two-and-a-half gainer into the Olympic-sized swimming pool. He comes to the surface, sees a handful of faces looking down at him, and screams “Don’t flush! Don’t flush!” still below 70 cents U.S. at the present time, it is more likely to climb above that sometime this year; it may even reach 72 cents. That should make our foreign holidays a bit cheaper. Already the German mark has fallen below 80 cents and, surprise of surprises, I bought Swiss francs the other day for a bit less than par; that has certainly been a long time in coming. Even at 72 cents, our dollar remains somewhat undervalued. It really should be in the 75 - 80 cent range but, as any economist can tell you, that is fine in theory when will it happen in reality. Highly unlikely in the short term! Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000. PAGE 5. By Bonnie Gropp In perspective For Christmas one year.^my husband received a gift certificate to a fine-dining establishment in the city. This past weekend we finally had the opportunity to use it, enjoying a night of pampering with some seldom seen friends. The place is typical of its ilk, cozy but elegant, a gentle environment meant to encourage dining as an event, rather than a necessity to existence. Arriving early for our reservation, my husband and I were seated at a quiet table by the fireplace, a perfect setting to allow me to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes, people watching. Having lived for a time in this particular city I remembered it for its affluence. Adding that to the perception that this appeared to be a familiar place to many of those seated at tables surrounding us and I came up with the not particularly astute observation that there were probably many people there who could afford to do this every evening. I was, I admit, briefly envious of their comfort and security, their ability to indulge themselves on a whim. Later, of course, these folk were forgotten as catching up with our friends we discussed the news of our lives. Typically some was good, some was less so. But inevitably after conciliatory nods to each other’s woes, we were forced to acknowledge that each case was only a twinge compared to the agonies of others. Sometimes things appear that make it easier to remember our good fortune. On a recent trip to Toronto, our family saw a ragged young man sound asleep on a street corner. It is a reality we had always known existed. It is also one, tucked away as we are in rural Huron that’s a little surreal when viewed. Yet, while my insular life can often permit me to shade my eyes to harsh reality, does seeing it every day make you equally blind? Watching the well-dressed people who passed him, I wondered if walking by the downtrodden on busy street comers, stepping over and around them, immunizes you against this pain. Relating this story the other night, I was suddenly shamefaced when an awareness came to me, that earlier while I had no problem recognizing there were others with more than me, I had ignored the fact there is also a great number who would have been happy to be sitting where I was with my gift certificate, amidst pretense and ambiance. We don’t have to look too hard to see the pictures of sadness, to hear stories of desolation, trauma and tragedy. When we become a little self-pitying, it doesn’t take long before someone reminds us it could be worse. Yet, we know of so much harshness in life that sometimes putting it into perspective isn’t as automatic as perhaps it should be. After all, pain is relative. When we hurt, it is hard at first to think of another’s more intense pain. When times are tough, and you’re presented with the abundant blessings of others, pity for the impoverished may not be your first feeling. The important thing is to eventually figure it out.