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The Citizen, 1997-11-12, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12,1997. PAGE 5. Animals making bid for planetary driver’s seat Blessed are the meek.: For they shall inherit the earth Matthew 5:3 A lot of thoroughly scientific people would subscribe to that Biblical quote. Most of them would add that 'the meek' will turn out to have six legs, a shiny brown carapace and a penchant for living behind stoves and under refrigerators. Cockroaches. Scientists figure if anything can survive, flood, plague, drought and/or nuclear Armageddon, it will be the cockroach. Maybe so, but a lot of other animal species appear to be making a bid for the planetary driver's seat. In Ireland, authorities are confronting the problem of 'urban horses' -- herds of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of semi-wild horses that roam the suburbs of Dublin at will. In Moscow it's 'basement mosquitoes' that are giving residents a massive collective migraine. Apparently these mosquitoes breed in the watery sub-basements of Moscow's grim and badly-built high-rises, emerging International Scene By Raymond Canon The Czech republic first glance For the next little while you will be reading articles written somewhere in Eastern Europe; for most of the time, they will be written in the Czech city of Frydek- Mistek, located close to the Polish and Slovakian borders. If you have a hard time finding it on the map, so did I when I found out that I might be going there for a few months. However, in due course I arrived here late one evening by train and now the city is very much a part of my life. Before coming, I recharged my batteries in Switzerland for a few days. Seeing old friends and old sights in Douanne and especially St. Gallen did me a world of good and, after a night in Nuemburg, I left my leased car at the agency and started the 11- hour train trip to Frydek-Mistek by way of Prague. For openers, this is the first country I have been in for years where I could not speak the language. I am learning Czech but it is not easy. In less than a week I have used English, German, Russian and French, the latter with a cleaning lady who was bom in France but who has spent the last 50 years here. She is delighted to have someone with whom she can speak French. As my Czech gets better, I will try to use it more, but in the meantime most of my work will be in English and German. Two things impress me about the Czechs. One is their remarkable achievement in each spring in ravenous clouds. "They don't hibernate in the winter," says a Russian spokesman, "and unlike normal mosquitoes, they lay eggs without ever having fed on blood...we're witnessing the advent of practically a whole new insect." And then there's The Fighting Muskrat of the Netherlands. I am not making this up. Back in 1906, a Dutch count visiting North America fell in love with that lovable little rodent, the muskrat. On a whim, he bought a half a dozen of them and had them transported back to Europe. There were a couple or three things the Count obviously didn't know about his new pets. Number one: each female muskrat can produce as many as 50 offspring a year. Number two: in the Netherlands, the muskrat has no natural enemies. Number three: next to making little muskrats, muskrats most like digging labyrinthine subterranean tunnels. Dutch officials estimate that a single adult is capable of excavating approximately 13 wheelbarrows of earth per year. When earth's the only thing that stands between your country and the North Atlantic, you can understand why the Dutch are a tad nervous about their muskrat population. Last sports. We all know how good they are at hockey, but they have commendable achievements in tennis, football and gymnastics. I will probably see quite a few hockey games here if time permits; I have already had a few discussions in the merits of Canadian and Czech hockey. The other great accomplishment is in the realm of culture. Many Canadians have heard of Smctena and Dvorak, but there are a host of other composers. In addition, Czech orchestras are very good, and I am looking forward to going to concerts. In short, the Czechs will see to it that my cultural life is not neglected. Shortly after my arrival, I went out for lunch with one of my colleagues. I paid for the lunch - about 110 Czech crowns, which is about $5 Canadian. If you think that this is cheap, it is, but only for a Canadian. Let me explain. In this country, the average wage is 10,000 crowns a month, which translates into about $450. Thus, the meal that I had may have been cheap for me but it would not have been for a Czech. Some other prices here - bananas at 50 cents a pound; a cup of coffee, 30 cents; a one litre bottle of fruit juice, $1.40; a train ticket for 30 km., 50 cents; gasoline, $1.10 a litre. No bad for us, not good for the Czechs. This means that for Canadians the Czech Republic would be a cheap place to visit but for Czechs, Canada would be very expensive. If you will pardon the expression, Canadian boys would go ape over Czech girls. They dress well and are extremely pretty. They tend to be a bit shy but among year they trapped and killed 326,893 critters, without even making a dent in the muskrat population. Last month, officials in The Hague authorized the hiring of another 500 trappers, even 'though, as one trapper puts it, "This is a war we cannot win." Ah, but that's on the other side of the ocean, right? Nothing to worry about here in Canada. Wrong. The animals are on the move here too. Have you visited a park lately? Canada Geese have taken over. Ravens are stealing groceries out of the back of pick-ups from Whitehorse to Flin Flon. The biggest and sassiest raccoons I've ever seen live not in the bush, but in the back alleys of downtown Toronto. You have to watch your step when you go for a walk after sunset by English Bay in downtown Vancouver. That's when the skunks come out. They practically eat from your hand. This morning I nearly got mugged by a crow. He was dropping clams on my driveway. Missed me by six inches. Coincidence? Maybe. But I'm digging out my hard hat just in case. By the way, you know what to do if an amorous pit bull starts humping your leg, don't you? Fake an orgasm. themselves they are lively enough. I can say the same thing about the boys: they are very good-looking in a way that Canadian girls would like. Since I don't really trust the water here, I have been sampling the beer, and my opinion is that it is the best in the world. This is not because it is 12 per cent alcohol, but it is really good-tasting. The district beer, Radigast, is first rate, but my preferred beverage is fruit juice, which I can readily buy, or else coffee or tea. I don't even ask for milk. In case you are wondering, yes, McDonald's has reached the Czech Republic. There are three in Ostrava, a nearby city, and it is rumoured that there will be one in Frydeck-Mistek next year. I have yet to try McDonald's food, but it seems to be a favourite place for mothers since there is a play area where the children can play while the mothers chat and have a coffee. Incidentally, McDonald's is expensive for the Czechs. One last thing - I am impressed with the obvious affection shown young children. This is something that I noticed when I was in Russia, and I am wondering if it is a Slavic trait. This is not to suggest that there is little affection elsewhere, just that is is more noticeable here. Czech mothers are given a generous maternity leave, which adds to the positive picture. A Final Thought Every situation has its humorous side. The challenge is to find it. There are plenty of good people among us Everywhere we look there are good people. Each year a committee selects from a number of nominations its choice for Citizen of the Year from each of the Bly th and Brussels areas. And every year I give silent thanks that I am not on that committee. Choosing one person over dozens of worthy individuals is not an easy task, because, you see, it all depends on our own feeling of what makes a person special. I have heard some suggest that it is wrong to single out one, while others are equally, if not even more, selfless. But conversely, isn't it better to acknowledge someone, then none at all? Generally, we do seem to have a habit of ignoring the positive. This week, the committee chose their recipient for Brussels and reading the nomination forms there was one thing that really affected me. Each week this busy woman has made a point of taking fresh flowers to the lobby of Huronlea to bring some springtime into the lives of those living, and working, there. It is acts like this that to me make a person special. Selfless, without fanfare or notoriety, it's simply human kindness, an act to brighten the lives of those around you, squeezed into an already busy schedule. I have always been awed by those truly good people, who manage to continually do the right thing, say the right thing and know when to extend a hand of friendship and when to afford privacy. They are the first at the door with a card. They are the first with a kind word on a day when the world has been particuarly spiteful to you. They are the people I wish I could be, but hard as I try I have accepted that is unlikely. While attempting to emulate them may bring me closer, I doubt I'll ever make it. Benevolance to these gifted people is a natural instinct, grace an in-bred quality. It's also work. While everyone recognizes the hours given by volunteers, few think of how time-consuming it can be to be a giving person. I know one woman who makes being a friend a full-time occupation. She is the one at the doorstep when someone is in need. She makes it a point of remembering everyone's special occasions and attends every event she is asked to. Her hugs are spontaneous, generous and appreciated. She shares gifts of humour and empathy. And to paraphrase the old adage, if friends were money, she'd make Bill Gates look like a pauper. Granted, this world would be nothing were it not for the take-charge folk, the ones who focus on a challenge and like a brilliant and vigorous thunderstorm, charge the air with energy and change. They fight for a cause with the passion of an artist for his muse. Yet, in the path swathed by the whirlwinds whose dizzying, high-profile efforts, are noticeably visible, the quiet deeds of the unassuming can often be blown away. While the former are special because it is they who strive to better our lives, let’s not overlook the latter who, just by knowing them, make life better.