MR Wednesday, May 3, 1995 NAD EBT A a ALBA Rm gm The Castlegar Sun OPINION Serving the 10,000 people of the Castlegar Area, The Castlegar Sun is every by Sterling Lid. at 465 Columbia Ave, Castlegar, B.C. MiNi The Castlegar Sun is politi cally independent and « member of News Service, are vecapapen Aammetoen and He BS, Fase Oses Established 28, 1990. 10420. PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG NORMAN CHRISTINE MOYER ACTING EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF TRICIA REPORTER PRODUC JEFF GABERT SPORTS MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA OFFICE/CIRCULATION MANAGER = ADVERTISING REP. CARI ROHN FRED JACK CLASSIFIED ADS ADVERTISING REP LAKTIN TION ASSISTANT CATHERINE ROSS REP. Direct oer Phones General Office Circulation .... Classified Ads ... Display severe. editorial comment Hooray for Youthspeak Hurray for Castlegar’s new youth group, Youths- peak. The group fills a void in the community by providing a collective voice for young people Even more than that, the group wants to create a youth centre. Anyone who has seen kids hanging around downtown or outside the Community Com- plex knows that young people in this community have very few places to gather together A youth centre is a great idea. There are those who may be worried that a centre for young people may become a focal point for undesirable activity. However, young people need opportunities to be résponsible. Certainly, kids will make mistakes; that’s part of growing up. But the other part of growing up is having the chance to make good decisions and to see the results of those decisions. Youthspeak is already making good decisions, such as the recent garbage clean-up in downtown as part of Earth Day. And judging from Youthspeak’s leaders, such as 16-year-old Geoff Fontes, the group will be making many more good decisions. For those who don’t know Geoff Fontes, you may know his work. He is behind the camera of every Shaw Cable 10 telecast of Castlegar council. That’s something he doesn’t get paid for, but does on a volunteer basis. And there are riiany others like him. We as an adult community just need to open our eyes to see them. Ron Norman Growing pains Castlegar’s growing pains are becoming more severe with every new development. And nowhere is that more apparent than on the city’s main thorough- fare. Columbia Avenue is a bottleneck at the best of times, but now it is a black hole into which vehicles can disappear for what seems like an eternity. Try (if you can go that long without food or water) to drive from one end of the street to the other. Beginning at the new Castlegar-Robson bridge and heading south on Columbia, drivers first encounter the downtown revitalization program The $1.3 million project is taking up half the street—quite literally. However, that is better than taking up all the street. And as part of the revitalization program, the city works crews are proceeding ahead of the contractor to upgrade the water connections. If the contractor doesn’t get you, the city crews will Things are fairly smooth from downtown until you reach 18th Street where a dump truck is tum- ing onto or off of Merry Creek Road every minute and a half for 12 hours a day for the next month. The trucks are taking fill to the new Canadian Tire site on the other side of the interchange And that’s where another slowdown occurs as flag people halt traffic to allow trucks onto and off of the site. This will be taking place all summer (as will the revitalization project). Can vou spell air conditioning? It is times like these that the second access debate starts to rage. Is it any wonder? Ron Norman ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise. and there shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. All advertising subject to publisher's approval. Contracts must be completed within one year from contract date. No contingent orders accepted New technology is mind-boggling From 600 TV channels to direct satellite TV, it's amazing Are you as mind-boggled as me about the new technology that is exploding into our homes? No? Well, how about the fact that digital video compression (which is something | can barely say, let alone understand) will allow for 600 television channels on our local cable system? (I know, 1 know. We still have to pay for them and half of them will be showing reruns of Gilligan's Island. But still, think of it: 600 channels!) Then there's direct video That's where a satellite dish the size of a pizza pan sits on your patio railing, picks up every con- ceivable TV channel and beanis it into your home, from a cooking show from Dallas, to a home fix-it program from Beijing, to a soap opera from Istanbul Direct satellite systems are already on the market in the U.S and will be available in Canada this September. Just how much control the Canadian Radio-televi- sion and Telecommunications Commission, the regulatory arm of the federal government, will have over the systems remains to be seen. And just when you are getting used to the idea of a gizillion chan- nels, it’s all about to change again. You see, the technology that used to separate television from tele- phones and video and computers and fax machines (and 35 mm cam- eras, remember those?) is merging. Those in the industry call it “convergence”. where all the vari- ous technologies converge to form one massive. all encompassing technology That = means you can get every- thing in one pack- age: computer, two-way video conferencing. television, tele- phone, fax Everything. That's why Shaw Cable is upgrading its service in the West Kootenay (spending more than $1 million in Castlegar alonc). It hopes to provide many of the ser- vices that B.C. Tel provides, such as computer networking and video-conferencing. In fact, Steve Lake, Shaw Cable’s regional manager, says Shaw has already provided a com- puter networking system for the City of Kelowna. This “convergence” of technolo- gies is also the reason why Shaw Cable and the other cable compa- nies are trying to prevent the tele- phone companies, like B.C. Tel, from entering the cable business. (The CRTC is to rule on this shortly). Pretty soon you won't be able to tell the cable companies from the phone companies, because NEW ELECTRONIC MODELS NORMAN they will all be trying to sell you the same services What amazes me about all this is the speed with which it is hap- pening Sut if I'm amazed, 1 wonder how my father must feel. He turns 75 this September That means>he was born in 1920. When he was growing up a car with windshield wipers was con- sidered adyanced technology. A heater? Most cars didn't have them. (And air conditioning was when you opened your window) There were no televisions, no microwave Ovens, no computers, no ball point pens. He got his milk from a delivery man whose cart was pulled by a horse (he lived in Calgary, after all, which was the city. Otherwise, he would have had to go out to the barn to get his milk, like the major- ity of Canadians at that time). That was also how he got his ice. The ice, that is, that his family needed for their icebox, refrigera- tors not being in everyday use then There were no such things as nylons or plastic or even long-play. albums (which were brought onto the market when he was in his late 20s and then all but disappeared when he was in his 60s). lt really is a different world than the one he entered. (And I haven't even mentioned some of the REALLY BIG changes, like nuclear weapons and space travel) What am I saying. it's a differ- ent world than the one I entered. My experience with technology at school was a Bunsen burner, Now my children can surf the Internet, conversing with students in New Zealand’ or Saskatchewan. They can flip through an encyclo- pedia that has no pages: it's on CD ROM. 600 channels? Direct satellite TV? They will be nothing new to my kids. They will take it in stride, as they do just about every new bit of technology. They aborb it like sponges. I'm not so sure my father will manage as well I know I won't. (As an addendum, I should point out that with all the changes in technology and the i duction of new gadgets, the weekly news- Paper is as prominent now as it was when my father was born 75 years ago. True, the way newspapera are ' put together has changed, as has the way they are dispensed— many can now be accessed through Internet. But basically, they remain much as they were in 1920. And that's truly amazing.) Cameras that don't need film? For as long as most of us can remember we have had cameras, which use expensive film. It costs even more money to have the film processed and print ed out or made into colorful slides. Well, prepare for the new age — electronic cameras that require neither film or processing. If you have spent untold years and dollars to master the intrica cies of last month's “modern camera and will have to scrap it all to get in the crystal lane of the sec ond half of the 1990s. AU E can say is: Sorry, about that We all know that video cai corders have made dramatic changes in the whole process of broadcast television and home video. That simplified the whole basis of movie making, dropped costs more than significantly and allowed everyone to be producer, director or star depending on one’s inclination. Yet, through all that, the still film camera never changed its basic operation. Of course, over the years the film improved tremendously, as did the cameras, with ever-more-complicated parts to adjust, move, remember and attempt to operate. Even though the movies gave up silent pic- tures 60 years ago, both profes- sional and amateur camera addicts. stuck to the tricd and true Game over. Film is toast New deal For about three years now, I have been experimenting with the new electronic cameras. They need no film, no processing, are lighter than older-style cameras. and require the operator to basical- ly just point My first was the Sony Still Video Hi-Band Format Mavica, Model MVC-A10 with a 15-mil- limetre f/2.8 lens. It shoots and records 50 fair resolution color pictures on a small reusable FRANK OGDEN Mavipak two-inch-square video floppy disc. The same disc also, each time the camera takes a picture, cap- tures a 10-sec- DOCTOR TOMORROW New Year's Eve not only capture the revelry but sound effects as well You can instantly plug the camera into a TV set or computer and see what has just been recorded. The pic- ture can be faxed around the world in seconds or printed out Polaroid fashion with another attachment or directly onto a laser or other print- er. The standard attachment device that plugs into everything also charges the camera battery. Icons in a display window show what number picture is coming up next, if the disc is protected against accidental erasures, and how many seconds remain for sound recordings or weak battery. The unit has a built-in flash, shooting mode selector and a Macro or Micro chooser. It has a 10-sccond-delay self-timer and weighs but one pound, six ounces, including battery pack. The Mavica cost but $300. Since then Sony has concentrated on more sophisticated and costlier, high-resolution cameras. My latest is the Apple Quick- Take 100 made jointly by Sony and Apple Computers. While it takes only 32 pictures, just eight in very high resolution, and costs U.S.S700, picture clarity is excel- lent The new unit has the equivalent ot a floppy video disc built-in on a chip. After taking and viewing the eight or 32 pictures, or any combi- nation in-between, you can dump them all into a computer hard-disc drive and then erase all those shots on the chip, point the camera and Start over. Money once spent for fim and Processing now stays in your pocket or purse Létters to the Editor Page 7A Let’s write the final chapter Dear Editor: I am appalled by the latest episode of the West Arm Truck- ing saga. " The regional district made up the noise bylaw, typed clearly in black and white, and it reads “Loading, unloading, delivering, packing, unpacking, or otherwise handling any containers, prod- ucts, materials, or refuse whatso- ever, unless necessary for the maintenance of essential’ services or of private household effects is prohibited all day Sunday and statutory holidays and from 19:00 one day to 07:00 next day.” It’s written ‘in English. I don't think we need a translator or an interpreter. When laws and bylaws are made, I would think they apply to all the teams play- ing in the same league The application for a 24-hour noise bylaw exemption by West Arm Trucking was opposed by the regional district That was good news for us, but what good is it? West Arm is still working all hours of the night, Sundays and holidays. Here are some, dates and times that I have recorded: Feb. 19, Sunday, 12:25 p.m. truck pulled out of the yard at Columbia Road and Highway 3. Mar. 9, Thursday, 10:30 am. Fernie Cartage Ltd. truck drove into the yard (They said that they will not load or unload other company trucks or trailers.) Mar. 22, Wednesday: trucks making noise at 4:30 a.m. Mar, 24, Friday: trucks mak- ing noise at 4:30 am. Mar. 25, Saturday: trucks making noise at 4 a.m. April 5, Wednesday: trucks running at 4:10 a.m. April 6, Thursday: pulled into yard at 3:45 a.m. April 8, Saturday: trucks working in the yard at 4 a.m. April 14: Good Friday, trucks being loaded at 4:10 a.m. April 15: Saturday at 4 a.m. truck trucks being loaded, and were gone before 7 a.m. April 19, Wednesday at 4:25 a.m. trucks working, hooking up trailers, April 20, Thursday, 4:30 a.m. trucks being loatied April 21, Friday, 4:15 a.m. trucks working. April 22, Saturday, 4:15 a.m. trucks working April 23, Sunday, trucks being loaded, moved around, hooked and unhooked most of the day. The regional district also has about an hour of videotape of West Arm working mornings, nights and holidays. It was all taped before these dates. How much evidence does the regional district need to convince it that West Arm is not adhering to the bylaw? The regional district initiated a court case against West Arm Trucking but all of a sudden the court case was cancelled. For what reason? Now, West Arm Trucking has hired Renee Read to investigate this matter I spoke briefly with Mrs. Read on the telephone, after telling her of some occurrences that go on at night and in the early morning, and asked her if she wanted me to phone her early in the morning around 4 a.m. so she could see for herself. Oh no, she said. .Don't phone me that carly, phone the regional district I have considered phoning the regional district and the owner of West Arm Trucking when the* trucks wake me up at 4 a.nv., but after some serious thinking, it didn't seem right. We have enough inéonsiderate people on this earth and for me to phone at 4 a.m. would be very inconsider- ate of me. Two wrongs don't make a right I'm asking the regional district to please stop this saga. Make this the last chapter and enforce the bylaw. Peter Kinakin, Ootischenia Mother' S Day / OF Just For Mom &LSREREBEER 1 FREE 8x10 print with every roll processed 35 mm coiour prints & & & & (20. exp: or more) 11x14 only 4 0* 16x20 only 4 F han OFFER EXPIRES JUNE, 1/95 *traming not included — The — ¢Picture “Place Castleaird Plaza 365-2111 Dear Editor: and warbling. T listened to all 16 perf The Trade Fair Talent Contest is the most enjoyable event that Castlegar has to offer. We have. remarkable, budding talent in oat young people. T watched all the contestants give us the best of what they had. They poured themselves out to us, heart and soul. pirovetting, swaying, crooning ers, but my th What’s the real reason? her feet. There was not a cell in her body that held back when she sang. Then why was her performance so blatantly overlooked? There were five prizes to be award- ed. Surely, her performabce was deserving of one of those. ee b kept going back to Patsy Rose. Patsy Rose sang to us from the depth of her being. She sang with sub- stance and richness. She sang with a quality of voice that reached out to us from the very soles of ‘What happened there judges? Was it her age? Did you not like her style? Or perhaps you didn't like the lyrics? Was Patsy Rose disqualified d she dared to sing gospel? Tam baffled and deeply disappointed. Violet S. Kalesnikoff, Castlegar Why waste time and money? Dear Editor: . Does, democracy... workin, Ottawa? Justice Minister Allan Rock, who is under Prime Minister Chretien’s direct control, repeat- edly states publicly that there will be no major changes to Bill C-68, the gun control bill. What then, is the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affaizs.job?.... Why does. it hold meetings if Mr. Rock and Mr. Chretien have the total say in all aspects of Bill C-68? If the committee has no power, as Mr. Rock makes clear, then why waste time and use up tax dollars that could best be JOIN US IN TRAIL, B.C. FOR . LVER CITY D/ vs} AN ITALIAN FESTIVAL MAY 10 Elks Pancake Breakfast e Silver City Fire Fighters Parade « Kiddies Caper e Crusaders Rod Run e Cedar Ave. Mall e Great Grape Stomp e Spaghetti Eating Contest e Family Days at Gyro Park - Picnic on the banks of the Columbia with lots of activites e Colombo Lodge Spaghetti Dinner ¢ Miss Trail Pageant e Italian Sidewalk Cafe used elsewhere? 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