HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-07-11, Page 44
Times–Advocate
Wednesday,July 11, 2007
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Editorial Opinion
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TIMES ADVOCATE
PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511
We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications
Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts.
Canada Jim Beckett – Publisher
Deb Lord – Production Manager
Scott Nixon – Editor
CN
2007
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RIBBON
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Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division
EDITORIAL
What now?
ith the completion of Live Earth, a 24-
hour music marathon that took place
on all seven continents last weekend to
raise awareness about global warming, we'll
now have to wait and see if any positives come
from the world's largest concert or if it was just
an excuse to hold a huge show.
There's no doubt Al Gore is passionate about the
environment, as are many of the musicians who per-
formed over the weekend. Sting, whose Police finished
off the show Saturday night, has been an environmen-
tal activist for decades, much to the chagrin of some of
his critics, even though on the "annoying" scale, Sting
has been far surpassed by Bob Geldof and Bono, both
of whom were conspicuously absent from the Live
Earth proceedings.
It's easy to accuse rock stars, actors and former
politicians of hypocrisy in matters such as global warm-
ing — it's hard to take advice about the environment
from multi -millionaires who own numerous mansions
around the globe, drive gas -guzzling Hummers and
travel on private jets. It's easy for them to tell us we
should turn down our air conditioners or turn off our
lights. Are they still heating their private pools? Will
they walk to their next concert as opposed to being
chauffeured in a private motorcade?
But being cynical is the easy way out and Gore seems
to have good intentions when it comes to the environ-
ment.
Some celebrities do genuinely mean well. In the past,
music and benefit concerts have been able to pull the
world together and rally around a cause, be it George
Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh (which some call the
original huge benefit concert), Live Aid in 1985 or its
sequel Live 8 a couple of years ago. With those con-
certs, though, the goal seemed more clear and, frankly,
it's easy to become passionate over seeing pictures of
starving children; a concert to raise awareness for the
environment is more of an abstract thing. Nobody
knows exactly what the extent of global warming will
be or the impact it will have on the planet and its
inhabitants. In that respect, it's difficult to say what
kind of an effect Live Earth will have.
Gore said at Saturday's concert, "Global warming is
the greatest challenge facing our planet, and the
gravest we've ever faced."
Many agree with Gore and it's about time our govern-
ments showed some leadership on the issue and really
forced industry to clean up its act. For us to do any-
thing about global warming, everybody needs to partic-
ipate.
If Live Earth starts a groundswell of greater environ-
mental awareness, it will have achieved its goal.
W ELCOM
TO AMER
E?1SOPE OF
"STEVE .
HARPERS
EXTREME
MAKEOVER'',
Haida continues to serve
Most museums claim to bring history to life, but there
aren't many that can say they helped make that histo-
ry in the way HMCS Haida did.
Haida is one of 27 ships of the Tribal class of destroy-
ers built for the British, Canadian and Australian
navies in the 1930s and '40s. Haida, one of eight built
for the Royal Canadian Navy, is the only surviving ship
of the 27, including 13 that were sunk in the Second
World War. Haida served in climates all over
the world in her 20 years of service from 1943
to 1963 when Canada was a super power
among the world's navies, with over 400 ships
making up the third largest navy in the world.
But of those 400 ships only three remain
today, with HMCS Acadia and HMCS Sackville in
Nova Scotia having been saved along with the
Haida.
Like the rest of Canada's history, Haida does-
n't advertise her presence. Her location, unlike
more worthy attractions such as the `Yee Haw
Adventure Farm,' isn't disclosed along the 401,
Highway 6 or even along the streets in Hamilton where
she sits quietly at her dock at the end of a street hid-
den by trees until the corner is turned and she looms
into view like a grey wall.
At almost 400 feet long and 2,744 tons, Haida looms
large over the dock with multiple guns and torpedo
tubes still swinging menacingly from her decks.
But her size is an illusion as evidenced by her 13 sis-
ters lost to enemy action including HMCS Athabaskan.
Haida saw action beginning in August 1943 in the
Arctic Ocean before being moved to the English
Channel to prepare for the invasion of Europe where
she assisted in the sinking of 11 enemy vessels, includ-
ing four destroyers and a submarine.
After the war, Haida did two deployments during the
Korean War but by the early 1960s, age and the
almost 700,000 miles she had steamed caught up with
her. Like her sisters that survived the enemy only to
fall victim to the wreckers torch, Haida had her bow
pointed at the scrap yard before she was
rescued by a group of volunteers who
bought the ship and turned her into a muse-
um on the Toronto waterfront in 1965.
After being transferred to Parks Canada in
2002, repairs were done to the ship and
Haida was moved to Hamilton.
After having celebrated the 60th anniver-
PAT
BACK
VIEW
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BOLEN
40
sary of her commissioning in 2003, Haida
today looks as capable as she did in 1943
with the smell of paint and fuel hanging
heavy through the passage ways and ham-
mocks lashed up as if the ship is permanently cleared
for action.
Haida is a piece of history both nationally and inter-
nationally as the Historic Sites and Monuments Board
of Canada has designated her a National Historic Site
and she is a warship comparable to HMS Victory in
England or the USS Constitution in the United States.
Somehow, an admission fee of $3.95 for 60 years of
service just doesn't seem like enough.
The Times -Advocate Team
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Deborah Schillemore ext. 112
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Scott Nixon ext. 105
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