H 10 -The Prince George Citizen Wednesday, May 24, 1995 Fly away Carlos Castaneda of Denver holds on to his head-dress to keep it from blowing away during a performance at the first annual White Eagle Drum Group Pow-Wow in Pueblo, Colo. Castaneda is a member of the Group Tlaloc, a traditional Aztec dance group which performs tribal Aztec dances throughout the Southwest. Growing herbs is easy and fun From Popular Mechanics Fresh herbs can easily transform plain dishes into a delectable one — and there is special satisfaction in growing your own. If space is limited, herbs can be grown in pots distributed around the yard or patio, or in window boxes on the sunny side of the house, says an article in Popular Mechanics magazine. For an in-ground herb garden, a space of only 3.3 metres (35 square feet) is needed to grow nine of the most commonly used herbs — parsley, basil, chives, sage, oregano, mint, thyme, dill and rosemary. The plants generally require little care once they are established — merely cutting off selected stems for cooking use is sufficient to keep them healthy and attractive. The planting location for herbs should get at least six hours of full sunlight each day, be sheltered from strong winds and have moderately good soil. The primary soil requirement is good drainage. If your soil has a high clay content, add sand to help promote drainage. Herbs generally don’t require extremely rich soil. A moderate amount of organic matter dug in will supply all the required nutrients for the plants. Wait until after the last frost to begin planting. Buying seedings is easier than starting plants from seed. Look for healthy plant stock — strong plants have rich, green foliage with no yellowing leaves. As a rule, it is better to ! use plants that have already been successfully transplanted ‘ into pots, rather than using plants that are still in starter flats. Before planting, test the soil for proper drainage by spraying the bed with water. If the water pools and does not appear to drain well, add sand and compost, then turn the soil over, loosening the soil to a depth of 25 to 30 centimetres (10 to 12 inches). Rake out the garden bed, removing any rocks or roots that come to the surface. Space the plants with the mature size of each in mind. Planting too close will force the plants to compete for moisture, sunlight and nutrients, inhibiting their growth. With some herbs, it is useful to to plant them in a pot that has been sunk into the ground. Rosemary, for example, is a tender perennial that must be taken indoors during harsh winter months. You can reduce transplant shock by digging up the pot and moving it inside. Mint also works well in a pot. Members of the mint family are aggressive and will spread underground, taking over a garden if not controlled. By planting mint in a sunken pot, the roots are prevented from spreading. Once the herbs are well !< established, you can begin to use leaves for cooking. Most vocal shouldn’t decide public policy by CATHERINE FORD Southam News CALGARY — Public policy shouldn’t be decided by who screams the loudest. Politics shouldn’t be practiced on carefully selective and unscientific polling. But it has and it is, and nowhere is that more obvious than in dealing with the federal government’s proposed gun control legislation. Apparently, it doesn’t matter how many Canadians enthusiastically endorse the provisions of Bill C-68. including two-thirds of Albertans, the opposing voices believe they are right and they will prevail. If not by reason, then by rhetoric. If not by responsible citizen action, then by fear-mongering. It is this complete disregard for the wishes of the majority that rankles so deeply. That blatancy is characterized by the bulldog determination of Reform MP and justice critic Myron Thompson to ignore the very people his party promised they would listen to — constituents — and say he still believes Canadians oppose mandatory firearms registration. Yet one of the cardinal rules of Reform is, supposedly, bowing to the wishes of the constituency. That’s the reason Calgary West MP Stephen Harper last month voted for the bill on second reading — approval in principle — the sole Reform member to do so. Apparently Calgary Southeast MP Jan Brown lives in a different city and belongs to a different party. She will vote against the government’s bill, using as an excuse that her own telephone polling in the riding showed the majority opposed the legislation. Reform Leader and Calgary Southwest MP Preston Manning will vote against the government bill because the government will impose its wishes on the people of Canada anyway. He won’t poll his constituents because it would be too expensive. Those constituents would tell him, as they have already told pollsters from both provincial and federal governments, they want stiffer gun control legislation, even in Alberta, where 40 per cent of the households have a gun (the national average is 24 per cent) and where there are an estimated one million firearms. We want guns taken out of the hands of our n ighbors and friends; husbands and coworkers. Of course, they’re law-abiding citizens, this is not the discussion. It isn’t that bogeyman, the criminal, we are afraid of, it’s the guy in the next house who loses it one day, takes out his shotgun and goes hunting in the middle of suburbia. Opposition to the proposed federal legislation is centred on registration provisions. Not because it’s so onerous a task, but because there is perceived weakness in the government’s determination to make all Canadians register all guns and a natural antipathy on the part of Western Canadians to any form of control on our lives. Much of the debate is sophistry, designed to convince Canadians that law-abiding citizens don’t need to register their guns, that registration (and control) will have no effect on the so-called criminal element, and the federal government should perforce be targeting criminals. Those who advance these arguments are right. Unfortunately, that’s not the point here. Socrates himself could have an interesting discussion on the point at which the ordinary gun-owning, law-abiding citizen becomes a criminal: Is it the instant he pulls the trigger and blows away his wife and children, or when he is convicted of murder? If he turns the gun on himself, is he then a criminal, albeit a dead one, or another victim? 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