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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-08-26, Page 7r Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - Page 7 Worldof Bs at Suncoasta treat o r visitors To the Editor; Letters ahhing' at these wonderful creatures. 1 especially with three kids. I wanted to thank Orkin for bringing opinion have never seen the mall so busy on a I must admit, 1 came to see the bugs John Powers with his incredible World ished — they were beautiful and it was Thursday. There were grandparents several times in the three days they of Bugs collection to our small town. facinating to see how amazing they and small children — all just as faci- were there, and I shopped a lot more It was an honour to have this kind of are. There were giant grasshoppers nated as me. I started calling my than I normally do. exhibit in Goderich. I must admit that withu le wings, beetles the size of friends and telling them about it; I'm Goderich has a lot to offer, we should I'm a little afraid of bigs. When I went my fist, and butterflies that looked like glad � I did because the were unaware it all strive to promote our little town. I do ho e that Orkin considers coming to the mall on Thursday my fear van- grass. I watched my kids 'oohing and was happening. P It's a real shame that this exhibit back next year and letting others who wasn't showcased in our town. It was missed the exhibit explore the wonders worth seeing, definitely on par with of nature. the ROM museum, and it was free. In this economy every penny counts, School supplies sought for back to school campaign To the Editor; Your help is needed more than ever to ensure children in our community get the right start at school. The United Way of Huron Perth and Grey Bruce has a list of children in need of back packs and school supplies, and are helping hundreds more. For the fifth year in a row, 101.7 The One is promoting The Giving Back - Pack Program. The One Giving Back -Pack Campaign is underway and continues until the end of the month. Backpacks and other essential school items can be dropped off at Zellers stores in Goderich, Hanover, Owen Sound, and Listowel. There are also collection bins at MicroAge Basics in Goderich and Wingham. United Way Executive Director Ellen Balmain says they even welcome good quality used scientific calculators, because it's a bigger ticket item that's in. high demand. If you prefer to make a financial donation, you can do that through your local United Way. Families in need can also be in touch with the agency. Children are our future. You can make their future brighter by Giving Back -Pack. For more information, go on-line: www.1017theOne.ca. Highway safety We have become a society of nervous nellies. Don't go outside without sunblock! Don't get in the boat without a life jacket! Don't let your seven-year-old son drive the car 70 km/hr down a dirt road with the whole family cheering him on from the back-seat. By now you've seen the video of "Samuel;" the . seven-year-old kid from Montreal, driving the family's sports utility vehicle down a deserted road as his father video tapes the episode from the passenger seat while giving a play-by-play commen- tary. Samuel's brother watches keenly from the back-seat beside the mother who has a little girl in her lap. Nobody, including the child at the wheel is wearing a seatbelt. The father, identified as only "Sylvain" proudly posted his film on YouTube where it went around the world and eventually made the mainstream TV news networks. Montreal police have launched an investi- gation in which charges are pending and the family is trying to defend the incident. So a kid drives a car. What an uptight bunch of nail -biters we have become. First of all we whine about how fat and lazy our children have become, inhaling pop and chips as they sit for hours playing video games and watching television. Along comes this kind of pioneer kid breaking the mold by taking the family for a joyride and we're all rubbing our hands in unanimous condemnation. The United Way of Huron Perth and Grey Bruce Alexandra Edwards Goderich Rebels celebrate accomplishments To the Editor; Rebels with a Cause, a group of local youth working to prevent tobacco use among youth, is saying farewell. Due to the government budget cut announced in May of this year, Youth Action Alliances all over Ontario have experienced the same fate. Since 2006, health units across the province received funding for the youth program from the Ministry of Health Promotion through the Smoke -Free Ontario Strategy. A celebration and showcase of the Rebels' accomplishments over the past three years will be held at the Huron County Health Unit Auditorium on August 26 at 10 a.m. A slideshow will be presented featuring the Rebels' past events and campaigns, fare- well speeches, recognitions of community support and light refreshments. Rebels with a Cause would like the opportunity to not only showcase their accomplishments but also to send a heart- felt thank -you out to their community part- ners and the residents of Huron County. The Rebels have been involved in events such as their annual beach butt cleanup, sports tournaments, school presentations, various festivals and fairs, and parades to name a few. Rebels with a Cause Huron County eliminate drunks, speeders, and pre -teens Well let me remind you of a few facts the video reveals. First, seven-year-old Samuel has both hands on the wheel, something you Tim Horton's drive-thru addicts usually don't. Second, Samuel appears to be very alert and completely focused on the dangerous task at hand. And he looks to be sober. If he has been drinking, it couldn't have been more than one or two beers. And let's face it — you're seven and Dad tells you that today's the day you take the SUV for a spin. Tell me you're not going to knock back a little liq- uid fortification at breakfast! Also, about those seat belt infractions. Certainly the three family members in the back have no reason not to be wearing seatbelts. Unless the mother with the child in her lap was doing a mock impersonation of Britney Spears, she has no excuse. But you can hardly expect the father to be wearing a seatbelt because he needs the freedom to swing the camera around from Samuel, the star of the video, to the sec- ondary characters in the back-seat, who are intensely wondering if the title of the film will be Our Last Family Outing. And a seat belt would have served only to pin Samuel to the back of the seat. He was forced to sit on the front edge of the seat in order to see over the steering wheel. All the World's A Circus... And the last thing you need to worry about is being pinned back by a seat belt when you're already having great difficulty reaching the pedals on the floor. . No, the seat belt is not a viable safety precaution for a seven- year-old driver going 70 kilome- tres per hour down a country road because upon any sort of impact with a large animal or a tree, the airbag will likely knock him unconscious anyway. So, for all those back-seat drivers who were quite critical of seven-year-old Samuel driving the family car without a driver's license or insurance, let me sum- marize the situation by saying the kid was the picture of concentration behind the wheel. He was not eating, drinking, talking on a cell phone or appraising lakefront property which is more than I can say for the drivers I pass here on Lakeshore Road. And it's not as if the father is some reck- less wing -nut with a celebrity complex because when the kid hits 40 klicks his dad admonishes him no uncertain terms: "It's a little fast," he says. Alright, when the seven-year-old gets the Honda up to 70 kilometres per hour, the father sounds kind of giddy when he laughs and yells: "He's rolling! He's roll- ing!" However, what father can possibly conceal his pride at this point. I mean, 70 km/hr. is quite likely a new land speed record for underage drivers. Or maybe not. Last month in Utah a seven-year-old boy, refusing to go to church, snatched the keys to his father's car and took off. The video of this kid lead- ing police on a car chase also surfaced on YouTube. Now I'm not a fan of auto racing, but I did notice that Formula Grand Prix racing was returning to Montreal in 2010. Even though it's big league European style car racing, organizers are not certain of w sell- out crowd in Montreal. There is no doubt in my mind that a match race between these two seven -year- olds driving the fastest cars in the world through the streets of Montreal would guarantee a sell-out crowd. In their own way "Seventy K Sam" and "The Utah Flash" have earned a shot at the title of "Fastest Seven -Year -Olds On The Planet!" I know what you're thinking. You're thinking .Bill, are you entirely insane, advocating a high-risk race between two seven-year-old children in speed machines even experienced drivers can't control? Certainly not. They'd both be one year older by then. And wiser. And of course I'd insist that they both wear helmets. And fire -retardant jumpers. And under their bums would be an excellent idea.