Canada Day

Wirtz, Virginia - Let's celebrate Canada Day with our readers from Canada. Canada Day celebrates the union of four British colonies on July 1, 1867. On that day the British North America (BNA) Act, joined the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia together as one nation. The Act proclaimed "one Dominion under the name of Canada" and the day was called "Dominion Day."

Six more provinces and three territories were joined under the Act in years that followed. In 1982, the Act was then renamed the Constitution Act, and Dominion Day was renamed Canada Day.

	The Corkscrew Restaurant Trademark was first registered in Canada in 1977. The Registrant is Controlled Foods Corporation, Burnaby, B. C. and the owner is Keg Restaurants, Richmond, B. C.

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Letters to the Editor

Can you open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew? The discussion of the past few days continues:

Homemade Prongs

Here is another solution to the problem created by the lack of a corkscrew when endowed with a bottle of fine bottle of wine:

Open a wire coat hanger at the hook by untwisting the joint, or by removing the cardboard sleeve, or whatever it takes to end up with two straight ends of wire. Or simply acquire two narrow pieces of metal, about six inches long that can be used to slide between the cork and bottle on either side of the cork. Insert the handle of a table knife, spoon or other stiff object between the two pieces of wire or metal protruding from the bottle top and with one hand twist the assembly, holding the bottle between your legs and lift up on the protruding metal with the other hand. You can think of it as a makeshift Ah-so corkscrew.

I have used many different implements to insert between the cork and the bottle, anything that is long, slender and strong enough to twist the cork will work. I have also used this technique to remove corks in large bottles when a standard helix would strip out of the cork. The wine is appreciated even more when this successful effort is used and the guests have all but given up hope.

Reuben Vollmer

Impressing the Women

Last year 5 of my Doctoral students, my post-Doctoral fellow and I attended a scientific conference at Union College in Schenectady, New York, a lovely old university founded in 1795. In any case, on the evening of the first day, there was a small student get together at a dormitory and some of us Professors were invited. It was a BYOB (bring your own booze) event, so we brought some wine. But alas, they did not have a corkscrew! So, as a corkscrew expert of sorts, I was asked if I could open the bottle without a corkscrew. Foolishly, I said yes. I found a knife with a blade that just fit the bottle neck opening and with the help of one of my students, we went to work. The knife went down the middle of the cork and by twisting it, the cork broke from the bottle wall and we slowly eased the cork out. Of course, this was not that easy and it took the better part of a half hour and much sweat and some hilarious comments. We could not give up and admit defeat for a number of reasons: there were all sorts of women there, so our machoness needed to be proven; then we are engineers and there is no way we would throw in the towel; and finally, we were thirsty! So we did get the job done, but I do not advise you to do this often!

Joe Paradi, Ontario, Canada

Rapping Success

Contrary to Alf's experiment, I have witnessed the successful removal of a cork by the rapping method. 22 years ago in the army I watched one of my sergeants remove a cork from a bottle of Lancers by padding the bottom with a towel and and banging it, horizontally, against the steel hull of an armored personnel carrier. It took about five minutes to complete but this thirsty officer was appreciative of his ingenuity.

Roy E. Pierce

The Sunday Comics

I was looking forward to reading your "Sunday Comics" feature for yesterday. Don't tell me you have run out of funnies yet!!!!! Should I send you a picture of the corkscrew worms I grew in my vegetable garden this year????

Jessica (Hope) Fowler

Editor: Hope, we're lookin'. Perhaps some of our readers will be inspired to send some. Send your veggie worm pix!

More Fish

It may be a little late for the " gone fishing month of June," but here is what I call a classic catch.

Paul Robins

Editor: Paul, it is never too late for a fine catch such as this.

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