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Page 5, News, Tuesday, October 15 1991 A little advice about Municipal politictions NORTHERN INSIGHTS. by Larry Sanders On November 12, we go to the polls to elect local councils, school boards and commissions. Nominations close October 11. Before you yawn and turn the page, think of what's at stake. Voters, unfortunately, have short memories. How often in the last three years have you complained, privately. or publicly, about something your local council or school board has done, or failed to do? Have you wished sometimes that your community was represented to senior levels of government and the rest of the out- side world by someone else? Or, even if you like your representatives, how often have you wished they looked forward more often, anticipating the future rather than just reacting to problems when it's too late? This is the season to do something about all those past feelings. If you do noth- ing, you don't completely lose your right to complain for the next three years, but you will have missed an opportunity to complain effectively -- at the ballot box. Because we all have short memories, I want to repeat excepts from a well- received column I wrote over a year ago, about local politicians. It has even greater relevance this election season. Politicians with three eyes If you look closely at the incumbents seeking re-election, you'll discover they have three eyes; two in front like the rest of us, and one on the back of the head. '| One eye is on the present: next week's meeting, or delegations appearing in front of councils before November 12. When dealing with present problems, incum- bents are always mindful of election-year media exposure. All of these politicians have their second eye on November's elections. Some are deciding whether they want to bother testing the voters' confidence one more time. Others have already decided to seek a different level of responsibility -- like councillors running for the job of Mayor or Reeve. But the successful ones have a third eye -- one the rest of us haven't got -- on the back of the head. From years of observing and talking to these unique crea- 'tures, I've learned that this third eye is put to different uses, depending on the individual. In all cases, this third eye has been developed to aid the politician's primary objective: survival. Those who have the third eye also have another characteristic in common -- they've been in office for more than one three year term. Some have survived for fifteen or twenty years. From scientific observation, I've concluded that a significant sub-set of these three-eyed creatures use the rear-view positioning of their third eye to constantly gaze backwards. They frequently recollect in great detail how thing "used to be" -- how procedures and precedents were set years ago -- to guide the present by not making the mistakes of the past. But others use the third eye in dynamic combination with the other two -- to look forwards and backwards simultaneously. They are aware of precedents and procedures set in the past, but they also look forward, towards the indeterminate future. Change is happening They have heard the prophecies of the futurists, like Cliff McIntosh at Quetico Centre, who preach that "change is happening at a faster rate now than at any other time in the world's history". Those very adaptive, nimble creatures have absorbed the real truth of the 1990s: to survive in such a world requires the ability to look all ways at once. Looking just backwards fondly at the past not only breeds soupy sentimentality, it can also be dangerous. They won't see what's coming until it's too late to act. They also appreciate that gazing exclusively at the future doesn't work either. History has its lessons which only fools ignore. Thus, they have leamed to per- petually pivot their perspective forwards and backwards ---from the past to the future, back to the present, again to the past, and back through the cycle, over and over again. Normal mortals with only two eyes would get dizzy and confused doing this, but not those who've successfully adapted to the demands of municipal leader- ship. They move forward, taking advantage of opportunities, instead of wallowing in complaints about the present. They vault beyond conventional wisdom astute- ly, because they understand where we've been, while constantly reaching for a better tomorrow. Unquestionably remarkable creatures. See if you can spot the ones using all three eyes creatively -- in constant, dynamic rotation. If you plan to vote, try to choose those who use those three eyes creatively, to move our towns and cities forward. Make sure NOT to vote for those who have evolved enough to grow a third cye, but only use it to keep a close eye on yesterday. Once you learn to spot the creative three-eyed ones, you'll gain a new admiration for those who dare to put their name on the November ballot. Carolyn reviews "rs movie ShEASHIES Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael As the movie opens, a young girl is running away from home. She leaves behind her a heartbroken young man and a baby girl. She tells the young man to give the baby to someone who can look after it. Thus begins the setting for a series of misunderstandings that will eventually lead to the CISRONCHY of true self love for many inhabitants of the town of Clyde. It is 15 years later now. Roxy Carmichael is famous and a town celebrity. She is coming back and the whole town is caught up in roxy fever. With bands, dances, sales and parades to honour a local girl done good, the town readies for the dedication ceremony for the newly built Roxy Carmichael School of Cosmetology and Drama she has funded. The one person not affected (yet) by the fever is Dinky Besetti (Winona Ryder). She is different. Some call her strange. She dresses all in black and never combs her hair. Her directness and obsession for questions unnerves and scares most people. Her adoptive parents don't know what to do with her. Her dad doesn't know how to communicate with her and her mother wants a princess doll that she can dress up and show off. The result of this is Dinky wandering here and there as she pleases, and feeling very alone in the world. Denton Wed (Jeff Daniels) is the young man who was in Roxy's room that night 15 years ago. He is married now, with two kids, but he still hasn't dealt with his feelings for Roxy. As Dinky begins to pester him with questions, Denton finds a way to talk out his fears and doubts. The more he talks, the more Dinky learns about his life and the baby. She begins to suspect that she is that child and Roxy Carmichael is her mother. Dinky now feels important and special. She convinces herself that Roxy is really coming back to her. She relaxes a bit and starts to notice the world around her, and the people in it. She starts to feel wanted. That's what this movie is all about: people needing to feel wanted--to belong and to be loved. Dinky wants parents who love her as she is. Denton wants that special feeling Roxy gave him. Eventually everyone realizes that what they need is already in front of them and can't be obtained from a glam- our girl coming home. This is a slow, sweet movie that takes you through the pain of discovering love in many different ways. It's not crash bang zoom, but it is enjoyable and should be seen. I give it and 8.5 out of 10. Total Recall Once again Schwarzenegger has made a movie filled with excitement, thrills, suspense, and a higher body count than most wars. He plays Quaid, a jack hammer operator on earth in the distant future. He keeps having dreams about mars and a woman there. His wife of eight years tells him to relax, there's nothing to worry about. But he continues to feel uneasy. One day he sees an advertisement for a company called "Recall', which imprints memories on your brain that make you think you've been some- where. 'You can take the vacation of a lifetime without ever leaving your chair. It seems to be the answer to his problems. He selects as his vacation a trip to mars as a secret agent with a woman identical to the one in his dream. Everything is fine until another memory starts to come out. Someone has already erased Quaid's previous memory and implanted a new one. The Recall unit overloads his brain, and now Quaid isn't quite sure what's real. The movie culminates in a climactic trip to mars, where Quaid does battle with a ruthless man named Coheagen (played by Ronny Cox), who rules mars with an iron fist by controlling the oxygen the inhabitants need. With the slightest provocation, Coheagen turns the air off. This manipula- tion if air has led to the birth of grotesque mutants, who sullenly inhabit the underbelly of the red planet. The special effects here are incredible. Mutants and transformations, futur- istic cities, and many, many ways to die make this movie very exciting. Not for the squeamish though, as the blood flows quite freely. Still, for those 18 years old and older, Total Recall does get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping. I give it a 9 out of 10.