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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, September 27, 2000 First Orono Scout leaders, Doug and Cathy Stewart (outside) recently completed their second level of leadership training, and received the 'Wood Badge and a plaque. Jamie Cowan (centre) completed the training years ago, and has been assigned to mentor the Stewarts through then train ing. BASIC BLACK ARTHUR BLACK HOW TO OUT HECKLE HECKLERS One of the things I do when I 'm not play ing ; hunt and peck with my computer, keyboard is speechify . Which is to say I stand up on my hmd legs > in front of roomfuls of strangers and try to make them laugh It's not an unpleasant gig, once you get over stage sweats. Public speakers get to travel all over the country: you meet a ton of folks you otherwise wouldn't, plus you get a nice speaker's fee and Usuually a free dinner out of the deal . Of course there is a down-, side to making public speeches. speeches. It is called The Heckler. It's an uncommon breed, but there only needs to be one of them in an audience of hundreds to ruin a speaker's evening Contrary to.the aura of .easy confidence good speakers exude, they re usually usually sweating bullets up there Fear of public speaking is the number one phobia - 'way ahead of fear of heights, and fear of snakes. When a speech is going well, the speaker is like a tightrope walker - still scared, but getting getting across When some buffoon buffoon in the third row yells something, it s like having your tightrope wobble You know you are millimeters away from freetal! Fortunatelv hecklers u-iiu to belong tv one of rwo sub species stoneu or stunneo \ drunken heckler usual lx has just the .one ..irn'm .« his quiver: Once that's shot. he's road-kill The stupid ones art- more difficult. For one thing, they don't apprec iate how'stupid how'stupid they are. Luckily, the audience usually does Audiences, by apd large, are incredibly forgiving organisms. organisms. They don't like hecklers hecklers any more than the speaker speaker does. And if the speaker says something - pretty much anything - that puts the heckler heckler in his place, the audience will rise and cheer as one. I've never found the per- . feet squelch for hecklers but other speakers have handled the situation deftly. Some boob once made the mistake of interrupting David Letterman in mid-monologue. Letterman paused, surveyed . the heckler through hooded eyes and murmured "What exactly is on your mind, if you'll excuse the exaggera-. non"" I know a stand-up comedian comedian who skewers males (hecklers (hecklers arc almost always male and !sn i dial .1 ■ surprise i w ill) Ah' Good iv see xoii again hack in men s -. Iqthiiig ! ! he dtiesn !• lee! like loving with the heck let he dismisses him with ! hi sorrx s.n don i speak alcohol u, ( b "You li have iv lorgixA me. I don': know how m deal W illi ' ou i m ,i ..('median not a proctologist And d he's real I v in. kvo >11. Ik veils ai ihe heck lei Save vot'ir breath Voie it need u to inflate xoui dan ..uei i. rude celons. Out we hx\ m crude Mhies ( >ui ancestors m>t surprisingly handled hecklers with much better grace I he author C harles Lamb was once interrupted during a reading by a heckler who hissed at him Lamb paused, skewered the interloper interloper with his eyes and purred: "There are only three creatures that hiss: a goose, a snake and a fool. Stand forth so that we may identify you." Sir Robert Menzies, onetime onetime Prime Minister of • Australia, was once beset at a political rally by a woman heckler. "1 wouldn't vote for you tf you were the Archangel Gabriel!" she shrieked. Menzies calmly replied "If I were the Archangel Gabriel, madam, you would scarcely be in my constituency." Ah, but my all time favourite heckler put-down sprang from the lipS of a British political troublemaker by the name of John Wilkes. Mister Wilkes stepped on a lot of toes during his 18th century century political career - including a pair of bunioned beauties "7 Community Events ORONO ARENA & COMMUNITY CENTRE Public skating is starting up Sunday, October 1 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and every Sunday thereafter. FREE Parents, Tots & Seniors' skating also starting up Tuesday, October 3 from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. NEWCASTLE FALL FESTIVAL - October 7 Everyone is welcome to join in the fun, The Festival starts off with a pancake breakfast in the Community Hall with all kinds of fun and activities througout the day. Mark the date on your calendar. COMMUNITY ASTHMA CARE CENTRE Effective today, the Community Asthma Care Centre at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville will open on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Centre is staffed with Registered Respiratory Therapists who provide patients with treatment support, education and self-management skills so they can gain and maintain control of the asthma. Bowmanville - 623- 3331 ext. 2532 WILMAGALE RESOURCE CENTRE Women of the community! Come and get your weekly dose of this increasingly popular SOUL FOOD. Thursday, September 28th, 10 11:30 a.m at the Centre, 150 Port Darlington Rd., Bowmanville. Coffee, a light snack and networking time is pro- .. vided It's free but call to confirm your spot 697-9472. ■ii Sunday,. September lotli, nearly 1.700 people from 1 tie community visited us at Darlington Nuclear gener- iting station's open house Visitors came to learn more about the station, meet some of the folks who work here, and see the many displays and inter-active , exhibits hosted by our staff and many of our community community partners. Darlington's first open house in four years was organized by a volunteer employee team headed by Brian Jarvis, Lorna Beres- ford and David Lloyd. Thanks to everyone involved in planning this event - the many employees who volunteered, the community community organizations who shared the day with us and everyone who came by. ' For more information about us, visit our web site at: www.ontariopowergeneration.com/darlington. ONTARIOPGwER GENERATION