Once all drawings on someone’s drawing board or ideas in someone’s head, the lightbulb, the car and the airplane exsisted. Now each one is trying to claim the title of “The Greatest Invention of All” but my vote goes for the wonderful invention of velcro.

Velcro is so simple that even a child can use it, unlike a car or an air plane. Everyone takes this incredible breakthrough for granted and does not think of the different ways it has changed us. It hasn't been a drastic change that would save the human race from starvation or end world war, but a change none-the-less. It is the best form of faceting two pieces of material together that man has ever made.

In the morning when I'm rushing to catch the bus, my boot laces slow me down considerably. Sometimes I even mss the bus because I'm fumbling with the thin, floppy strips. Other times this situation might just be the exact opposite - taking my shoes off in a hurry. When this happens too many times, I often get an enormous knot a showlace or my laces are tied together, tightly. Not only do laces knot together, they come undone and fall out of their respective holes. Then you have to take the time and relace them. No one ever wants to do that.

And when teaching little children how to fasten their shoes, by velcro strapped shoes. It is much easier and faster for both of you.

Now zippers, you might say are great and I would have to agree with you on that, but, velcro beats zippers too. When you live in Canada, as I do, most of the months are cold ones; extremely cold ones! Zippers are metal. Metal freezes. Therefore zippers can freeze very easily. Not only that, but they break as well, and when they're broken, they can't be closed. Imagine this: someday you will be stuck with the fly of your jeans wide open, because your zipper broke and are showing everyone you wear pink poka-dotted underwear. This would be even more embarrassing if you’re happen to be a male. Score: Velcro - two, zippers - zippo!

Have you ever been out on a day that it was so cold, if one spat, it would freeze before it left their mouth? That's cold! So, up goes the zipper on a down, winter coat and ...OUCH! Pinched chin in that darn zipper! If one had velcro on that jacket, the chin wouldn't be throbbing and bleeding.

Buttons are a fumbling, frustrating way of closing a shirt. It is a very slow process to go through when one is late for a meeting and there is always the chance that a button will fall off and be lost in a large busy office or on the bus heading for home. When ones gets home, it must be replace with one that doesn't match the others. The next time the wearer of the shirt put it on, the button doesn't fit the button hole. With velcro, none of these problems would happen. Buckles are bulky and difficult to get the right size; either the diameter too big and floopy or it’s too small around and starts cutting off circulation. On watches, velcro straps are wonderful! It fits to the wrists' size perfectly.

Snaps I think are the worst of the whole lot. They are loud and inconvenient. If the snaps are too small, the snap comes undone. If they are too big, your fingers hurt because of an attempt to force them together and connect them.

Velcro is the most convenient, easy way of fastening material together. It is over looked and not given the credit it deserves. It's better than laces, buttons, zippers, buckles and especially snaps. I think velcro should be placed beside the great inventions such as  the lightbulb, the car and the air plane and should not be place on just children's shoes. As the french say "Vive la velcro!"