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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-05-22, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2002. PAGE 5. Other Views Extraordinary how potent cheap music is. -- Noel Coward S it Noel was bang on the money with that one. A simple jingle can be a cultural powerhouse. A song doesn't have to be well-sung or well-crafted to be pack a punch. The lyrics to Happy Birthday are inane to the point of fatuity, but we've all sung-it dozens of times, and enjoyed every performance. The song We Will Rock You could have been written by a tone-deaf 12-year-old, but fans never tire of roaring that anthem en masse at hockey games and soccer matches. The power of even a mediocre song can be enormous. It can cheer us up or bum us out, It can inspire or infuriate us; fill us with joy or heartbreak. Or even kill us. You think I exaggerate? Tell it to the judge - the judge in Manila in the Philippines, who just got through sentencing another Filipino for murder. The defendant had been singing My Way in a karaoke bar, much to the derision of another patron who laughed and jeered at his vocal stylings. So the crooner pulled out a .38 Smith and Wesson and croaked him. Hey, My Way is a treacly gobbet of sentimental goo even when Sinatra sings it. Nobody should have to hear it sung well, never mind badly. Perhaps it was really a mercy killing. Overcapacity The last few months have been a good time to buy a car. With interest rates down to rock-bottom levels and a glut of cars on the market due to the economic downturn which started last year, consumers have had a dazzling range of cars, vans and the like from which to choose; these two conditions should prevail for the next few months, if not longer. Economists freely admit that the favourable conditions for buying a new car have had a notable positive effect on the economy as a whole. Last fall the most frequently heard comment was the question how long the recession was going to last and how deep it would be. Six months later the evidence is that we have not only avoided a deep recession, we have not even had one at all. For this we can partially thank the auto industry and, while we are at it, the housing industry that also benefited from those low, low interest rates. All in all, a fine example of monetary policy in action.. Would that these favourable rates and ready consumers would solve all the problems of the automobile industry. Those happy faces in the advertising sections of the various media who tell you that now is a great time to buy are masking worried looks on the faces of those in the industry that have to make all the hard decisions. For openers the industry is still plagued by overcapacity. Even with the recent announcement of closures, there are too many factories in North America, Europe and elsewhere capable of churning out cars and trucks to meet the foreseeable demand for such products. When the recent cutbacks were announced, there was the predictable wailing and gnashing of. teeth. In Europe where labour markets are considerably more rigid than they are here, the protest took on considerably more political action with mixed success. Yet each auto manufacturer still appears to have the conviction that it is the others who are Bad music hath charms to sooth the most savage of breasts - and beasts. Researchers at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, England had a problem — 10 sharks (five male, five female) which didn't want to play house. Try as they might they could not induce or entice the finny brutes to heed the call of nature and swim forth and multiply. Then they discovered Barry White. Yes, that Barry White - the oleaginous, gold- chain-swaddled tune merchant whose gag- prompting ballads slimed up the music charts back in the sleazy Sixties. The researchers discovered that Barry White recordings, played underwater, nudged the sharks into behavior patterns that looked a lot like piscatorial foreplay. A spokesman for the Centre said that the previously monk-like sharks "did seem a bit more excited, chasing one another around the tank" after hearing a couple of White CDs. Well, I durum. I believe if I was forced to listen to an endless tape loop of Barry White warbling Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, still plaguing Raymond Canon The International Scene going to have to make the sacrifice. In the meantime they are all trying to get their costs into line as they try to increase market share. This "market share" is like a mantra; big business seems to feel that if they chant it often enough, it will come true. Unfortunately the sum total of all their chanting comes to about 150 per cent of the total market. Another mantra that has joined the more commonly heard ones is the vast market which China offers to the industry. The thought of half a billion Chinese wanting to drive a car would make anybody sit up and take notice but the sad fact is that we have been hearing dreams about that wonderful Chinese market for decades; very seldom have the dreams of any western industrialist been realized. Nor are they likely to in the near future. Even though China has joined the World Trade Organization, it will likely want to manufacture cars there under licence from known auto manufacturers. Since Chinese wages are rock bottom, this will keep the prices within reach of the Chinese public. Babe and You're The First, the Last, My Everything, I'd be thrashing around mindlessly and going berserk too. I don't think the Sea Life Centre has an outbreak of shark foreplay on its hands — I think it's a case of Aquarium Rage. Paula Wolf could relate to that. Paula is a housewife in the town of Poppleton, in England. • Correction: Paula used to be a housewife. She is now separated from her husband and seeking divorce. The reason? He refuses to stop imitating Roy Orbison. Four years ago, somebody convinced Dave Wolf that he sounded just like the American singer. Dave liked the idea so much he quit his job and went on the road as an Orbison impersonator. "It just can't go on," Paula said. "I do like some of the songs, but it all got to be too much. He's more devoted to Roy than to me." No need to explain, Paula. I'm surprised you didn't drive him up to Birmingham and push him into the shark tank. Bad music - or even mediocre music badly performed - can bring out the worst in anyone. Take my pal Eddie, the guy in the next office. He loves the theme song from The Titanic. Matter of fact, he's whistling it right now. And has been for the past two hours. Good old Eddie, Sounds like he's having the time of his life, Which is good, because it's almost over. auto industry So far, so good but what happens when someone gets the bright idea that, say, GM, Ford, or any other company for that matter, Can have the cars manufactured in China for sale in North America. You might not even know it. To drive home this point, ask yourself if you know precisely where the car you are currently driving was made. I recall a segment on 60 Minutes where an executive from Chrysler was bragging about the wonderful quality of one of his company's sports cars and that it was indicative of what was being turned out in the U.S. When asked precisely where the car was made, so that credit could be given on the air to the workers responsible for such quality, he mumbled a lot but finally had to admit that the car was made in Windsor and not in the U.S. at all. Or take another example. The Volkswagen you drive may not be one at all, at least one from Germany. It may really be a SkOda and produced (more cheaply) in the Czech Republic. The word Skoda is taken off and the word Volkswagen replaces it. It is also possible that the car you drive may be what I call a United Nations vehicle. While it was assembled in one country, the parts in it may come from plants in several other countries. But, regardless of where a car is made, there are still too many of them being turned out and somewhere, sometime, something has to give. I am Alpha She arrived a tiny, clingy bundle. Frightened, torn from all that in her few short weeks of life had become familiar, she snuggled for comfort. Her piercing cries of loneliness and fear wrenched the heart in the late night hours ,,, It didn't take long, however, for her to forget her brief past and settle in. An energetic, attention grabbing bundle of fur, our new pup soon had control of all and all around her. And worse yet, she knew it. From the minute I laid eyes on Ani, it was slavic devotion. Arriving at our home three and a half years ago, she helped to fill the every increasing emptiness of my nest. However, as she grew it was soon apparent that her dominance, her bad manners weren't endearing her to anyone but me. And when it came to bad manners, Ani had them all. From her husky mother she was genetically programmed to bay at the moon from time to time. From her father of unknown origins, came her desire to bark at all the other times. She liked to dig. She'd bolt when the door was open. Others traits, such as her aggressive play, her nervousness or her begging for food, I will blame my husband for. But most of the rest I have come to learn were probably as a result of me. From the beginning I wanted to enroll Ani in obedience school. I had worked with her on my own, but it was becoming clear that her issues were bigger than the both of us. Then there were those who scoffed telling me that any dog with husky in them was too domineering to be taught. Add to this the problem of my schedule and the fact that classes were miles away and it was never going to happen. I just didn't have the time. Then this year, Huron East rec department offered dog obedience training right in my own town. No more procrastinating, no more excuses. I knew I had to make my move before it was too late Neither Ani nor I were getting any younger or any more patient. And I have to tell you that it was the best investment I have made. The leaders, a couple based in the Seaforth area, were great, the classes fun and well run. But most importantly I learned a great deal. Which is the whole point of dog training, of course. It has very little to do with the pooch and quite a bit to do with the people who look after them. One of the first bits of information to prove incredibly helpful was about essentially putting Ani in her place. She needed to know in no uncertain terms exactly who really was the boss. At our first class I was informed that letting her lead the way put her in the position of dominance. She was Alpha. So I stopped her from going upstairs and through doorways before me. I made her wait until I was done eating before I let her eat. I spent a lot of time making her lie down because this is a submissive position. Within just one week I could sense a change in her attitude — toward me at least. And by the end of the 10-week session, I knew that with continued perseverance on my part. using the lessons I had learned, Ani's manners would continue to improve. Perseverance is what counts. Training a dog is never complete. If I lapse, so will Ani. And I can't let that happen. I rather like being Alpha. bad for your health? Arthur Black Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed arid should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. ar- red ice he lay vas tes rio eet -th. ird tnd of the in ind ers ,sh, ieir ere pp, ler, tTS, na, Ida ted 1 is led ing ear ees Test the her 500 for tn. and for trio to s.