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LETTERS Thanks to all from creatures at House of Haunts Thank you very much for the two pictures and the excellent writeâ€"up on our House of Haunts, you really helped us a lot. We had our biggest crowd ever â€" and Canada has a long history of involveâ€" ment with Caribbean countries... from the days when Nova Scotian clippers carried Canadian fish to the islands up to the present when Canadian investment runs into the hundreds of millions in both the private and public sectors. Canada has met Caribbean nations at the conference table of the commonwealith. Ours has been a relationship based on mutual trust and coâ€"operation. Clearly, Canada has a direct interest in the welfare and stability of the Caribbean Commonwealth countries News of the invasion of Grenada has therefore sent shock waves across our country as well as around the world. Out of concern for this troubled region, the House of Commons entered into an emergency debate last Thursday. The debate was called to indicate Canadian distress over the invasion of Grenada. to encourage the formulation of peaceâ€" makâ€" ing efforts, and to address the immediate concerns for the safety of the Canadians on the island. _ s ie The actual workings of a school board are misunderstood by the public view. School boards are not the same as municipal councils and there is quite a difference between being elected a trustee and being elected an alderman. _ As d member of the House of Commons Subâ€"Committee on Canada‘s Relations The Education Act states, ‘"The nature of trusteeship deemed corporate by the act is different from the legislative nature of other political bodies. Thus, as in a business corporation, once a deciâ€" sion has been reached by majority vote, it must be accepted by all members of the board. Opinions, arguments, both for and against, and community viewpoints can all be discussed publicly before the vote on the issue but after the vote, as part of a corporation, you must accept the deciâ€" sion. Through due process and new eviâ€" dence. the issue can again be brought forward if a member feels obligated to do so and the issue can again be debated. This procedure is forgotten at times when board members do not accept the decision of the majority and do not feel part of the corporate body â€" thus some of the bad publicity for the board is creatâ€" This and other points of interest were discussed at the trustees‘ retreat. Probâ€" lems from the ratepayers, students, etc. were analyzed and goals set for the coming years. Synergy in action‘ To further inform you of another legislated committee, 1 would like to introduce you to the French Language Advisory Committee of which I am a member. *‘"When a board determines that the number of Frenchâ€"speaking pupils who elect to be taught in the French language is not sufficient to justify the establishment of a French language secondary school, the board shall, in respect of the education of suci pugims, consider the possibility of entering into an agreement with another board." When this has been determined,. a WALTER McLEAN JACQUELINE PAPKE School views committee consisting of nine members shall be established composed of three board trustees and six Frenchâ€"speaking ratepayers elected by Frenchâ€"speaking ratepayers. The committee is responsâ€" ible for developing proposals designed to meet educational and cultural needs of the Frenchâ€"speaking pupils and the Frenchâ€"speaking community including such areas of transportation provisions for pupils. The Waterloo County Board of Educaâ€" tion transports one bus load of pupils to Georges Vanier secondary school in Hamilton. Every opportunity is made to acquaint and encourage the Frenchâ€" speaking pupils from the two Frenchâ€" speaking elementary schools in the Waterloo County Separate School Board (one in Kitchener, L‘Ecole Cardinal Leger and the other in Cambridge, L‘Ecole St. Noel Chabanel) to attend the Frenchâ€"speaking secondary school. This committee meets monthly and reports monthly to the board. Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a speaker from the Ministry of Education tell our principals and viceâ€" principals that we are ‘"turning out thousands of employees." He explained that survey after survey show that Ontario and Canadian school children see themselves in 10 years as "manager of General Motors‘‘ or ‘"*engineer for Ford Co.," or an executive of some comâ€" pany. Our students see themselves as emâ€" ployees but not employers. Are Canaâ€" dians that fearful of risks that we are filtering that fear into our children? While in the United States, and with this thought weighing heavily in my mind, I asked questions of educators, trustees and administrators. In surveys done in the western states, most American students show bankruptâ€" cy is a normal function of riskâ€"taking and that they want "to invent" someâ€" thing or "to improve"and ‘*‘make a million â€" dollars." As educators and community, it does give food for thought. we know 236 people went for a tour through our House of Haunts. We raised $155, which we will be taking to the Kâ€"W Rotary Children‘s Centre. We would also like to thank all the people who came and supported us. Thank you very much for your help. with Latin America and the Caribbean, I spent 18 months studying the region. We travelled extensively through the area. We heard testimony from witnesses who foresaw this intervention. They were convinced it was simply a matter of time. Brian Dare, an Aid Officer with the Canadian High Commission in Barbados (and a Kitchener native), when asked about fears of an invasion back in January 1982, answered, ‘*Yes. Events in Dominica show how easy it is to take over a government. In Grenada there is a nationâ€" al fear of former Prime Minister Gairy‘s talks in the U.S. about invading the isâ€" land." The Government of Canada ignored our Subâ€"Committee‘s primary recommendaâ€" tion which called for a higher profile for the region and an active Canadian policy io promote stability. Their formal reâ€" sponse to our report amounted to no more than a contemptuous brushâ€"off... The Trudeau government claimed that it was well ahead of our committee in monitoring the rising tide of tension in the Caribbean Dr. Blackstone (Colin Lackner) Waterioo, Ont. Too little too late The incredulous look of surprise on the faces of the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Trade, when faced with the facts surrounding the invasion, testify to the government‘s lack of knowledge and preparedness. Their inaction jeopardized the lives of 25 Canaâ€" dians. This regrettable incident would indicate that the Government did not take an active interest in the external threats to their Commonwealth partners, nor did they seek to work within the commonwealth structure to identify or avert them. The result was that Canadians were subjected to a smokescreen of charge and counterâ€" charge. This was an attempt to cover up the negligence and failure to adopt a dynamic and positive foreign policy in relationship to the Caribbean. basin and in Central America. Learning from this experience, we must look ahead and seek a policy of reconciliaâ€" tion for these deepâ€"set divisions. It is time for Canada to come forward with a sensible initiative as a senior and influenâ€" tial member of the Commonwealth... one Like to put an end to all that costly psychoanalysis, the Tuesday afternoon tea leaf sessions, the selfâ€"hypriosis handbooks, the closet crystal balls? If you really want to discover yourself, go to an auction sale. _ _ _ _ That‘s right. 1 cleaned up at one the other night. Check that â€" I cleaned up after one the other night. Bought a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner for $35, just like brand new as auctioneer Greg Maidment at GM Aucâ€" tions claimed. All the attachments too, just a dandy purchase. Runs like a charm, smooth, quiet and with great efâ€" ficiency. Correct, the opposite of its owner when he is in a singles‘ bar. â€" â€" Anyway, I went right home after the sale and vacuumed to my heart‘s content. And yes, I can be rented for the right price... I‘ve named my vacuum Herbie. Herâ€" bie Hoover. Get it? Good. Honest, I‘m OK, doec. But to get back to the story. It is absolutely amazing the type of people you see at auctions, their quirks and habits, their own little method of wheeling and dealing. Before I go any further, I should point out that Waterloo Region has a wealth of fine auctions and auctioneers, and there is not a better night‘s entertainment to be found than sitting in on one. And if you can snap up the odd item or two at a great price, hey, all the better. I‘ve been going to sales for the better part of a year now, nearly always with old pal and former roommate, Dave Bohnert, who originally tuned me in to what a charming time can be had at sales. On any given week, there‘s at least a half dozen general sale auctions within a 50â€"mile radius of Waterloo, and I‘m proud to plug the fact one of the most intriguing is GM Auction right on King St. N. in Waterloo with head auctioneer Gord McComb and his faithâ€" ful band of buddies. Gord‘s much more than an auctioneer though. He‘s truly an entertainer, and if you don‘t believe me, head down to 56 King St. N. any Monday night at 7 p.m. and find out for yourâ€" self. It is truly baffling though how seemâ€" ingly normal, rightâ€"thinking people can be turned into Jekyll and Hyde types at these auctions. Guys in threeâ€"piece suits will be miffed at mising out on a $4 box lot. Hobo Hank, meanwhile, will talk to WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2. 198 Big bargoon CAMPBELL you for an hour on the history of the carpentry work that went into the slickâ€"looking $900 dining room set. One guy during the summer bought a guitar for five bucks, laughed how he would sell it at his flea market for $10, then turned down $15 five minutes later when a kid offered it to him. First it was clock radios. I bought two one night at my second auction. On one, the radio worked and the clock didn‘t. The other, the clock worked but not the radio. Talk about ham and egging it. You would think 1 would learn, but no. More radios. More clocks. Then I hit the big time. Can openers. Bought a pair at a country auction. Neither worked past the third lid. So I switched to movie projectors. (Didn‘t forget about clock radios â€" despite Dave‘s crude reminder ‘sit down you ass, you already have more than you know what to do with! ) Didn‘t matter though, If there were 8,000 items at a sale, I could sniff out the clock radios from 200 paces. As far as 1 know, there is nothing in Freud to cover this subject, but I feel it is my subconsious desire to own every electrical appliance or device in the world. Granted, I started slowly, but my imperialistic tendencies have really surfaced now with the capturing of Herbie. The big time. As for myself, I set a disturbing trend early on in my auctionâ€"attending. I also buy a lot of books at auctions. Never read them, because I rarely read. In fact, 1 will never read this column, so you can hardly expect me to sink into a 420â€"pager. But I‘ll buy those paperbacks like crazy. Perhaps it is my secret desire to be a parking lot attendant. And records! From years gone by. Who cares if the Mamas and the Papas are passé, I want their vinyl! Move over, Johnny Fever. It matters little that 90 per cent of what I have purchased at auctions over the past six months 1 have no use for whatsoever. Just as in fishing where the thrill is in the catch, the best part of auctions comes when you outbid the joint, get your price, and walk away happy that in this day and age there is still a bargain to be had. So big deal if that bargain won‘t open tomorrow morning‘s can of frozen orâ€" ange juice. By that time, you‘ll be wondering how the hell you‘re going to find room for Herbie Hoover in the broom closet, what with 14 clock radios stored on the premises. that would encourage the deployment of instrumentsâ€"ofâ€"order (negotiations) in our world, rather than instrumentsâ€"ofâ€"war (invasion). The role of mediator that international institutions are intended to play cannot be overestimated at this time. Multilateral consultations are the only reasonable means of ensuring a balanced and lasting resolution to the conflict in Grenada. Grenada is a member of the Commonâ€" wealth, a longâ€"standing institution of regional coâ€"operation. It is a solid political mechanism through which we can find longâ€"term solutions to problems. We ought to resist the tendency to respond to such conflicts with kneeâ€"jerk measures or bandage diplomacy. It is time for the Canadian government to return to the Pearson traditin. It is time to stand with other likeâ€"minded middle power nations as a member of the association of Commonâ€" wealth states... to press for moderation and for consultation in the interests of restoring peace and stability to the tiny island and the region.