HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-05-20, Page 7opinion
Godench Signal -Star, Wednesday. May 20. 2009 - Page 7
Sifto .technicians shine during mine rescue compeition
To the Editor;
We all appreciated the coverage of
the Southern District Mine Rescue
competition in last week's Signal Star.
It is important to recognize not just the
dedication of our competition team but
all the volunteer members back at the
mine. Competitions like this strive for
a level of realism that challenges the
teams to .apply all their training and
experience. Qualities we all hope we
will never need, but for those who
choose to make their living working
underground it is a comfort to know
that when called upon they will come
to our assistance and help us to return
home to our families safe and
unharmed. We have the utmost respect
for all our rescue volunteers and the
example they set in the workplace.
Join search for CF cure this month
To the Editor;
Residents of London and surround-
ing area are often asked to support a
variety of worthy causes and fundrais-
ing initiatives. My family didn't choose
a cause to support — it chose us when
my son was diagnosed with cystic
fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis, which affects the
lungs and the digestive system, is the
most common, fatal, genetic disease
affecting young Canadians. In the
digestive tract, cystic fibrosis blocks
the absorption of adequate nutrients
from food. In the lungs, the effects of
the disease are most devastating; and
with time, respiratory problems become
increasingly severe. Ultimately, most
cystic fibrosis deaths are due to lung
disease.
Please join my family this May,
Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month for
Taking Great Strides to find. a Cure for
Cystic Fibrosis on Sunday May 31, 9
a.m. at Storybook Gardens.
Together, we can help the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation find a cure
or an effective control for cystic fibro-
sis.
Sincerely,
Beatrice Crowley
Vice President
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation
London Chapter
We cannot however forget that.
although we congratulate CGC and
wish them luck in the coming
Provincial competition, the competi-
tion for the best Mines Rescue
Technician in the district was chal-
lenged by Sifto's Drew Dalgliesh and
Calvin Martin. Both did very well in
their knowledge of the highly special-
ized equipment the teams utilize dur-
ing rescue operations. Drew made us
all very proud by winning the competi-
tion and will represent the Southern
District in the Provincial Technicians
competition, we wish him luck.
Rowland Howe
Mine Manager
Sifto Canada Corp.
Centre calls for volunteer drivers
To the Editor;
Midwestern Adult Day Services is
recruiting drivers to assist in deliv-
ering clients to their Day Centres.
Do you want the satisfaction of
knowing you have made a difference
in someone's life? Do you want to
feel needed and appreciated?
Join our team of dedicated, caring
volunteers. Become a Volunteer
Driver! Mileage reimbursed.
Contact the Manager, Volunteer
Services at 519-482-7800 or 1-866-
492-2205.
Nancy Hallowell -Scott
Manager, Volunteer Services
Midwestern Adult Day Services
This is a contest! Okay, a bad one
I host the Canadian Authors Series
known as Readings At The Roselawn.
Each month, September through May,
prior to introducing the author on stage
at eight we have the Seven O'clock
Tasting. Sponsored by Chevonn Cook's
Diamond Estate Spirits and Wines, we
have a house band which plays for sev-
eral hundred series members as they
sample Dan Ackroyd's wines and fin-
ger foods from great little eateries like
The Smokin Buddha, Canalside Pub
and The Kindred Cafe. The Seven
O'clock Tasting is organized by a
woman by the name of Putzy which
means "mild indigestion" in German.
This combination has worked very
well until last month when the band,
Soundscape was nominated for a music
award in the "Best World Group" cate-
gory. Now they're demanding chilled
bottles of Dom Perignon and truffles in
their dressing room before each perfor-
mance. Actually, they're not demand-
ing anything and they don't have a
dressing room. They change in the
parking lot and tune up in the women's
washroom.
But they lost in the voting for "Best
World Group" and I'm convinced it's
because of the name. They're a very
good group of five, or six, playing a
couple of mandolins, an accordion, the
acoustic guitar, one sitar, two oboes ....
Okay, so I have not been paying much
attention these past ten years because
it's my job to take the author to dinner
V
while Soundscape entertains
the audience.
I know they play soft, pop-
ular music, their last album
was titled River Of Reverie*
and they have a roadie named
Pete. And they're all middle-
aged ... provided we're all
going to live to 120 from now
on
But the band's name is just
so even keeled. When I hear
Soundscape I don't see Maria
skipping across the Alps with
a basket of flowers. Instead I see Julie
Andrews walking with her head down
across a sunburned lawn, looking for
an earring. With Soundscape the hills
are not alive. Soundscape sounds like
Saskatchewan with strings, nice but
flat.
They need a little spice like an actual
band name - Minnie Pearl's Jam.
So I started researching names of
today's bands and yeah, there's some
real 'head turners' out there.
Alcoholics Unanimous. Aggressive
Crotch Display. Albino Toilet Boys.
Accidental Goat Sodomy. A Box Of
Fish With Tartar Sauce. And that's the
"A" list!
Some champion violence like Biff
Hitler And The Violent Mood Swings.
Cap'n Crunch And The Cereal Killers.
Drunks With Guns. The Brady Bunch
Lawnmower Massacre. Norman Bates
And The Shower Heads. Jonestown
All the World's
A Circus...
•
help name the band!
Punch.
Many incorporate the names
of famous people. Shirley
Temple Of Doom. Hornets
Attack Victor Mature. Edith
Bunker's Demonized Vomit
Insurance. They Tried To
Frame OJ. Jesus, Chrysler
Supercar. Al Roker's Death
Cult Wind Ensemble. And my
favourite, Mary Kay And The
Cosmetics.
There are a few I really like
but I'm not sure I get.
Fallopian Breakdance. Phlegm Fatale.
Pepto Dismal. The Cramps. The Dead
Milkmen. Mermaid In A Manhole.
Tracy And The Hindenburg Ground
Crew. Honest Bob And The Factory To
Dealer Incentives. And the best image
maker of them all — Not Drowning,
Waving.
And that's all I'm trying to do with
Soundscape — give them a new name
that conjures up an image. Maybe just
a longer title of the same idea like
Sound Escape From Nazi Germany. Or,
Mussolini's Retreating Mandolins.
Apocolyptic Accordians." Gefilte Fish
Guitars Passed Over?
They need something that's catchy
like Fickle Pickle or Roid Rogers And
The Whirling Butt Cherries which are
actual groups. What about The Jehovah
Witness Protection Program or
Soundscape And The Needle Exchange
Centre?
What about The Cealis Five? As I
said, they're a very active group.
What about Nasal Sex With Broken
Glass? Oh sorry, that's already taken.
Honest.
Julienne Salad And The Cranky
Croutons? Picasso's Poultry In Motion?
The Spastic Screaming Back Spasms?
Marilyn Manson's Embarrassed
Grandparents? Uncle Dick's Shameless.
Kicks? Blood Drinking Zombies On
Advil? Betty Crocker Carnage?
Okay, I'm tapped out. Help me out
here.
The last author to read at the Roselawn
was singer and songwriter, Dan Hill, of
Sometimes When We Touch fame. If
yours is the best suggestion for the
band's new name, send it to my website
— www.williamthomas.ca — and an
autographed copy of I Am My Father's
Son will be mailed to you. It's a won-
derful book. The band? So. So. Hey,
there's another name — Desmond Tu Tu
And The So So Ensemble. Whaddaya
think?
For the record, Soundscape is a string
and button quintet comprised of Julian
Hlywka on accordion and his wife
Carol on mandolin, Stella Nyari on
second mandolin and Nick D'Orazio
on bass guitar with Andrea Dickson-
Soebel also on guitar and her husband
Pete carrying the equipment. And yes,
they will come to your house and play
for food. Everything Including An
Accordion And The Kitchen Sink.
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