Times Advocate, 1993-12-15, Page 4Page 4
Times -Advocate, Decefl et er 15,1993
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adnan Norte
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Composition Manager: Deb Lord
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G.S.T. 11/11o621o036
Zero -tolerance implies responsibility
zero -tolerance policy against
violence at the high school may seem a
little harsh to some, but there may be
no other way to nip this problem in the
bud.
The school boards, school administra-
tion, and the,Ministry of Education de-
serveall the support they need to make
theprogram work. The last thing we
wantto see.in Ontario are American-
style=high.schools: windowless blocks
'of brick with security gates and security
.guards in every corridor.
Zeroitoieranceineans thatinaccepta-
tle behavior gets immediate attention.
-Eadh.student;needs to -understand that
:thereare-no second chances, no warn-
ings, .no lectures...period. "Soft" servic-
es like.counselling, peer mentoring, and
propaganda-progrannswiil=only inspire
contempt from_those who:already know
how to :manipulate the system to their
advantage.
A-policyof:zero-tolerance is also
needed from thea rest of .the student
body. The "good" kids that.don'tcause
the trouble, -but -turn theirheeacIs-he-oth-
er way need to realize that they. can
-play a large -part in improving the situa-
tion at their. schools. If they aren'tpart
of the solution; they must therefore still
depart of;theproblem.
As deputy:aeeve Lossy Fullerpointed
out so well last Monday, -the solution to
school violence isn't about rights, but
responsibilities. A system that focuses
too much on rights only ends up with
students pushing their rights to the very
limits of what it acceptable. Students
need to be responsible for ensuring that
their behavior and activities does not in-
terfere with the education and activities
of others.
An argument from one student that the
high school needs to brief students more
fully on its regulations doesn't fly too
far. The average criminal planningan
armed robbery probably isn't too.certain
of the exact punishment he'll get either -
but he knows he's in trouble when he
gets caught. Surely we can grant our
students the common sense enough to -':
know what is right and what is wrong. !-
Teenagers these days are highly legal -1
istic, onthe whole. Many keep a sharp
eye:onihe letter of the law, rather than
be concerned with the spirit of it.
Parents also need to recognize they
play a part in this program. Astudent
•.sent home on a 10 -day .suspension for a
-first offense should not expect a mother
or father to fly into an immediate attack
on the school system. School officials
-often complain some parents are unwill-
ing to believe theirchild was to blame.
A zero -tolerance policy may yet get
school violence under control before
:things go too far. While there are inher-
.ant rights required.autder-sucha.systeme
-the responsibilities it implies may be the
-more important component.
AD.N.
Letters to the editor
Piatit closure handled poorly
"...hearing the truth from the
source would have made this
difficult time a little easier."
Dear Editor.
I am writing to you because I wanted to express,
as an employee. my disappointment in the manner
with which the plant closure of Image Cleaners was
handled by the parent company Cotton Balls. Em-
ployees, many of whom are single parents or sole
providers, were left twisting in t%ie wind. Not only
did we fail to receive our paycheques and other mo-
nies owed us, we were given false or misleading in-
formation as to when we would receive this, and our
separation papers so we could at least file for U.1.C.
I understand that in these trying economic limes,
businesses close. and perhaps the money just was
not there to pay us at that time, but courtesy costs
nothing, and hearing the truth from the source
would have made this difficult time a little easier.
1 would hope that if I ever find mysellf in the posi-
tion that Mr. Talbot found himself in I would handle
it in a manner that did not only save my own butt
and bank book, but offered some solace to the peo-
ple who served me over the years.
This is only my opinion arid not necessarily that
of the other employees.
Yours truly.
Tara Caissic
rer's P 0
Dy Peter Hemel
Shirley Holmes had been waiting for the
phone to ring all day Monday. When a call fi-
nally did come, it startled her. It had been a
quiet December. Much too quiet.
"Shirley Holmes Detective Agency, City
Desk", she sang. Shirley hoped that in the
client's mind this would conjure up a vision of
a spacious downtown suite staffed by a legion
of busy assistants.
In fact there was only one desk, and it 5100(1
not in an'oftice, but in the spare bedroom of her
small apartment at 221B Beaver Street.
There was only one staff member: Shirley
Holmes, Private lnvestigptof.
"I want you to soly .- mywery for me," the
man on the other side of the line said. He had a
deep, confidence -inspiring voice, and an accent
of some kind. Shirley couldn't quite figure it
out inunediately.
"Please, state your case," Shirley sa d, as she
slumped into her chair and began fiddling with
one of her executive toys.
"Something has been lost. Something impor
Lint."
"What's your name, Sir?"
"1 must remain anonymous;' the called said.
Shirley was disappointed and ready to haul'
up.
"I don't talk to people who don't identify
themselves." she said, "and I can't help you un-
less 1 know who you are and what you want."
"Don't worry. You will be paid in advance.
I'll send a messenger around. there is noted
for us to meet. iusi tell me how much you
charge. This case must blved by Friday,
Christmas Eve."
"Hmm. That's only 3 days," Shirley said,
"since I usually don't work on Christmas Eve"
She did a quick calculation. It7l Goat you three
thousand a day, and you must pay me S10,000
in advance. Plus all expenses."
"Dene. The messenger will be there soon."
Shirley had hardly put the phone down, when
'"fHe ATroRNEY-GFNERgaS oFFicE
T14ouGFtr1FIEYb FINALLY PoutJD
A QUALIFIED JUROR FOR
?HE BERNARD ITZIAL...
The stuff of doggie dreams
Squirrel hunting can become
quite annbsession, so I'm team-
ing.
I'm not talking about the kind
that requires a small game li-
cense and a .22 rifle, I mean the
kind where the hunters don't
have a chance.
I'm not sure what it is about
squirrels that fascinate dogs so
much. My dog Saffron won't
give a bird a second look. Cats
are interesting, but must be ap-
proached with caution. The
only thing better than a squirrel
is a rabbit, but they're in short
supply. As far as Saffron's con-
cerned, squirrels are the best
source of entertainment around.
She even knows the word:
there's no quicker way to rouse
her from a deep sleep than to
whisper "squirrels". She knows
they don't come indoors, but I
suppose that's the stuff dreams
are made of.
Saffron is of undistinguished
parentage. She's obviously pan
German Shepherd, despite her
smallish stature, and the rest is
open to debate. Joanne and I
decided to give her her very
own pedigree. We dubbed her a
Short -haired German Weasel
Hound. While wonderfully ap-
propriate, I think we might have
worked :tie -word "squirrel"rin
there samewbere.
Saffron has made the pursuit
of squirrels a fine art. Site has
more patience than any dog I've
ever seen. My parents' two
Spaniels (which aren't known
for their inteflectual faculties)
respond to the discovery of a
squirrel in their back yard with
much noise and clumsy pursuit,
giving the quarry plenty of time
to head for the trees.
Saffron, on the other hand will
go into slow motion, flatten out
her back, and actuallyeer
herself. If we're walking along
the street and she spots an un-
suspecting tree rodent, she'll
even use me for cover, and peer
out.fromobehind my legs.
Allowed to stalk a squirrel by
herself, she will take forever to
millimetre her way closer (I'd
say "inch", but that would seem
too imprecise). Most squirrels
are unaware of her presence un-
til she's almost on top of them,
then she gives them a run for
their money to the closest tree.
She never barks at them, thank
goodness.
Is it cruel to terrorize the local
squirrel population in this man-
ner? I doubt it. I think they
might even enjoy the spo,n4riq,- 1
tal fear and all. .Besides, morie.,
squirrels will fall under the <;
wheels of our cars in this town
than are ever caught by dogs.
I'll always grant the squirrel •
the upper hand anyway. Saffron
has never Teamed to climb a
tree, and she'll never be smart
enough to make a nest out of
dead leaves. Squirrels always
have the edge, or so I thought.
The other day, Saf chased a
grey one up a hydro pole. It
chided her from a safe distance
above the ground, but then
somehow decided it would rath-
er be elsewhere. I couldn't be-
lieve my eyes when it actually
came down the pole, with Saf-
fron
affron waiting at the bottom. I got
ahold of her leash just as the
squirrel made a run for &tree 20
metres away. I figure that's
about as close as Safs going to
get to bagging a squirrel without
a license.
Have you ever wondered what
puppies and dogs are dreaming
when their little feet twitch and
their ears flick about? I think I
know.
The Christmas Case (1 of 2)
there was a knock at the apartment door. She
looked through the peephole and saw a long-
haired young woman, a stranger, carrying a
small box.
Shirley released the security chain and
opened the door just a crack. The woman
smiled and held out the box. It was filled with
£old coins. Shirley concluded that her client
-:must have been in the neighbourhood when he
_Called, maybe even in the same building!
***a*********
It was close to midnight. Tuesday, Shirley
Holmes got up from her desk to brew herself
another cup of strung coffee. She couldn't af-
ford to quit just yet. Tomorrow, Wednesday,
would have to be crucial. A break -through had
to come in the Caristinas Case.,
in the morning she bad taken the gold coins
to the bank. They were worth over $25,000.
Obviously her client was genuine. Secretive
and inscrutable, yes. But solid. People had paid
her cash before. But never in gold. And only
more than she was asking.
At first, the Christmas Case had seemed rou-
tine to her. Briefly, the facts were these: a miss-
ing item had to be located, something that
seemed to have mysteriously disappeared.
"Why don't you go to the polis?" Shirley had
asked her client, when be contacted her for the
second time - -after she had banked the retain-
er.
"Because I do not suspect a crime," the,man
had answered. And once Shirley began to study
the file, tube bad to agree. This case was bigger
than a mere matter of crime or felony.
What had vanished was not a person, not a
thing, but an essence, a value, a treasure. Or as
her client put it, a spirit. The spirit of Chnst-
mas.
That is what Shirley Holmes was being paid
to find, to recover, to restore to mankind. Not
an easy task. even with the clues she had al -
ready found.
(To be continued next week.)