Thank U Canada [aka the Great White UP*]

Okay, this is a little out date [ahem] - seven weeks after Canada Day and 10 months since my post [shhhh, I don't think anybody's noticed], but it's my blog and I'll thank Canada if I want to, eh?




PS Just for the record, this also proves that I'm still alive.

* In honour of our amazing (and greatly-missed) friend, Neptunus Lex.

He's Baaaaaaaack

HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK

AND WE STILL LOVE HIM!!

And then, just because I can (and because Canada has had an absoloutely stellar few days at the Olympics), I offer you my all-time favourite Olympic song.

GO CANADA!!!

Just Another 'Pittance in Time'

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but it appeared to me that following 9/11, we experienced an upswing in patriotism in Canada.

Okay, maybe "upswing" isn't quite the word ... the majority of Canadians always have been patriotic but pre-9/11 it was a very different kind of patriotism. A quiet patriotism that we held in our hearts and shared quietly with one another but that we seemed to feel no need to shout from the rooftops.

As I said, that seemed to change after the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001.

More flag-waving, more open expressions of pride in our country. And more poppies. Definitely more poppies.

Remembrance Day seemed to become revitalized and take on a larger, broader meaning. And I was am a big fan of this change.

Sadly, though, I am wondering if that more open expression of pride and appreciation for our country (and those that serve in its name) is starting to ease off just a bit - at least in connection with Remembrance Day.

I hope not. I pray not.

LEST WE FORGET

Belated Canada Day Tribute

What is this world coming to?

To think that I let Canada Day pass without nary a mention on the blog. Shameful...

But never fear, I shall make up for it in grand style today.  With two videos for our viewing pleasure.The first an oldie (had posted it to the blog a few years ago) but still a goodie.




I do realize that technically this next video is more or less ... shall we say ... insulting ... to Canada. But it's pretty funny.





And believe it or not, us Canucks have a great sense of humour, eh!

Very Interesting

I was cleaning out my inbox today (now there's a joke!) and came across this little tidbit from late last year.

Thought it was interesting.

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would.

With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good Canadian:

Shopping in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the fun of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Home Hardware and just for the fun of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in Canada!

Start looking........

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job.

A quote from a consumer:...my grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favourite toothpaste, Colgate, is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Wal-Mart. I needed 60W Light bulbs. I was in the light bulb aisle and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labelled, "Everyday Value". I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the Price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - Canada at a company in Ontario . Their Equate Products are also made in Canada, and are very good.

Just to add my own experience on buying Made In Canada , I was looking for canned mushrooms that were made in Canada and could never find any, so I would buy fresh. But a miracle happened, when in our Foodland store I found Ravine mushrooms - made in Canada with a little red maple leaf on can. A little more money but when I opened the can I looked at mushrooms that look like real mushrooms, not a mushroom that looks like it was cleaned in bleach.

Another product I no longer buy is Del Monte or Dole canned Fruit. Del Monte is packaged in Taiwan and Dole is now a product of China. Why should we pay for their fruit when our growers are left with fruit rotting on the trees?. E.D. Smith is still made in Canada - buy theirs, at least you will know what is in it and have some quality control.

So throw out the myth that you can not find products you use every day that are made right here .

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in Canada . The job you save may be your own or your neighbour's!(Your children's & grandchildren's, also)

If you accept this challenge, pass it on to others in your address book so we can all start buying Canadian, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies! (We should have awakened two decades ago.)

Let's get with the program. Help our fellow Canadians keep their jobs and create more jobs here in Canada.

BUY CANADIAN! Read the labels. Support Canadian jobs.

Do with it what you will. Or not.

Blog Fodder

I thought this was an interesting article considering the trouble I got into over in the comment section at Lex's once upon a time.

I'm just saying ...

UPDATE:  In the interests of fairness, Lex had some interesting follow up thoughts on the subject. Way back in the way back.

I (Still) Believe

I spent a couple of hours Sunday evening watching the CTV Olympic Winter Games 2010 Anniversary special.  It was an interesting experience.

I didn't write a whole lot about the Olympics last year, but I did watch a fair bit (which is unusual for me) and I was very ... is 'moved' the right word? Perhaps 'inspired'? I'm not quite sure.  But I, like most Canadians, was most definitely something.

And it was amazing how watching the anniversary special was enough to take me right back there.  Right back to those moments, when Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold at home and when Joannie Rochette skated to her own personal vicotry (and a bronze medal) just days after her mother's death.  And, of course, perhaps the greatest moment of all, Crosbie's gold medal goal at the very end.

Sandwiched in between, of course, was the gold medal of the Canadian women's hockey team and Virtue and Moir's gold in the ice dance competition.  And who could forget Jon Montgomery's triumphant walk through thre streets ofWhistler, complete with a pitcher of beer?

But tell me, how did I miss the story of Mellisa Hollingsworth tearfully apologizing to the nation for not winning a medal in skeleton? I do remember hearing the story in passing at the time but I sadly confess that it didn't stick.  I know, no apology necessary, eh?

Know what else I realized I missed?

Hearing or seeing much coverage of the Paralympic Games which were held immediately after the Olympics last year.  I remember noticiing at the time that I wasn't hearing much on those Games and then, last night, when they showed some of the hightlights from the Paralympics, I realized how much we all  had missed.

So if you're thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, my media choice for the eveining has swept me back in time to a year ago this month, you would be absolutely correct.  Dead right on.

And it's in that spirit that I offer you my one of my all-time favourite songs, "I Believe" as sung by Nikki Yanofsky.

Unfortunately I can't share with you the version of that song I really want to.  At least, not directly on this blog.  I'm afraid you will have to go here to view that.  [Ed.. They disabled the embedding function.  The bastards.]

One other thing that was really rather neat about the anniversary special was the chance to catch up with some of those athletes now, a year later in their lives.  But one person I noticed they didn't profile was Nikki Yanofsky and I have to wonder why not.  Although not an athlete, she definitely played a large part in making the 2010 Olympics what it was for Canadians.

Returning 'Home'

For a girl raised on the prairies (with the exception of a few brief years in the foothills), the move to Cape Breton Nova Scotia was more than a bit of a culture shock.

I was barely 19 and enrolled in Cape Breton University UCCB for my first year of university. Knowing the grand total of one person in the entire Province and never having been past Tawanta before, I know that if I had really stopped and thought about what I was doing, I never would have did it. Fortunately, I wasn't so big into stopping and thinking in those days.

But, yeah, Cape Breton - definite culture shock. Albeit in a good kind of way.

I well recall walking down the street, people walking by and asking "How are you?" while I looked at them literally dumbstruck, wondering "Who are you?". It's not that we weren't friendly out West, it was just that we were a tad more ... reserved. But I soon got use to it and even came to enjoy being called "dear" at least two dozen times a day.

And although the people may have taken some getting use to, I fell in love with the island, itself, within the first few weeks.

I had moved in with a good friend and her parents and within the first few weeks we took a trip around the Trail. The Cabot Trail, that is. It was a long weekend (Labour Day, maybe?) and we took two days, stopping to camp in Cheticamp.

Prairie girl, remember?

One of my brother's favourite (bad) jokes is that he was raised on the Prairies. Where you could watch your dog run away for days. And days. And days.

Whatever. I warned you I thought it was a bad joke.

But with that trip around the Trail, probably around our first (certainly no later than our second) stop to get out of the car and look around, it happened.

I. Fell. In. Love. And fell hard.

The ocean absolutely mesmerized me. Climbing around on the rocks and carrying on was a lot of fun. But I soon discovered that I could easily sit on those rocks and just stare at the ocean. For hours.

And so, it was. I became (at least in my own mind) a Cape Bretoner. Or, at the very least, an honourary one.

I lived in Syndey for three years while I did my undergrad. It was during my last year at UCCB that I met my husband (to be). And although after that I lived in Halifax (another place I love) for three years while in law school and have lived in the Valley for the past 17 years, Cape Breton will always hold a special place in my heart.

And so when, a few years ago, I realized that my own girls have never been around the Cabot Trail (and have rarely been to the Island, for that matter - only once that they can now remember), I decided it was time to do something about that. That a Trip was long overdue - not a trip to Sydney to visit relatives but one where the girls could really experience the Cabot Trail.

And so it is that we leave tomorrow to spend a few weeks in Cape Breton. As it worked out, we will stay in 3 very different places - Dundee Resort (thanks to a very generous gift certificate from a friend) on the Bras D'Or Lakes, the Sea Parrot (on the Island's North Shore) and Inverness Beach Village - which, all in all, pretty well covers off a very large chunk of the Trail (and the Island, for that matter).

And so, it should be fun. We will visit family, lay on the beach, play in the waves, climb some rocks, have a few bonfires and enjoy our beverage(s) of choice.

The Home of my Heart ... Cape Breton.

HAPPY 143rd BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Inspirational

I suppose we all find our inspiration in different places and different ways.

And yet I think that, for the most part, there are always a few common sources the majority of us draw from.

Our family. Our friends. Perhaps a legend who has gone before us in our field, whatever that may be. For others, it might be love of country. And, I suppose, for the rare few ... some super-hero. Yet most of , I suspect, find our inspiration closer to home. Often it is as close as the eyes of our children. Or someone else's.

And yet, it's not just individuals who require and rely on inspiration. So do countries.

I am happy to say that in 2010 Canada has found it's inspiration in the person of 22-year-old skier, Alexandre Bilodeau.

This is the third time that Canada has played host to the Olympics. And yet, it's the first time ever that we have won a gold medal on home soil. Have you ever heard an entire nation cheer? All at the same time?

Alexandre, in turns, finds inspiration in his older brother.

Frederic, 28, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 10 and doctors told him he would lose the ability to walk.

Although he spends most of his time in a wheelchair, Frederic still walks — and skis.

During the final of the men's moguls, cameras showed Frederic cheering enthusiastically for his brother, jumping out of his seat and waving his arms in the air as soon as Alexandre crossed the line at the end of his gold-medal run.

Alexandre, 22, calls his older brother his inspiration.

His brother has helped him keep things in perspective all these years, during which he has won a world championship but was also stung by an 11th-place finish at the Torino Olympics in 2006.

"Even if it's raining, I'll take it, I'll go train," Bilodeau said. "He doesn't have that chance, and he's having a smile every morning he wakes up."

I listened to a few different interviews with Alexandre after his gold medal finish last night. He consistently referred to his brother, how important he was and is in his life, how he is, indeed, his inspiration.

Apparently, Alexandre loved hockey when he was little. And he was quite good at it. But it was the fact that his brother couldn't play hockey that motivated him to switch to skiing. Something his brother could do with him. And although Frederic obviously doesn't compete as a freestyle skier, he is his little brother's biggest supporter.

A nice story, eh?

A 22-year-old inspires a nation. And his 28-year-old brother inspires him. It's all so ... 'feel good'. Picture perfect.

And yet, it leaves me a little uncomfortable. And perhaps this isn't the time to bring it up, the morning after our first gold-medal win at home. But, if not now, then when?

I understand where Alexandre is coming from. Maybe not completely (not having grown up with a challenged sibling at home) but pretty darn close, I believe.

He is a young man that Canada can truly be proud of. Not just for his skiing ability, not "just" for this gold medal (as if that wouldn't be enough) but also for his character. His relationship with his brother tells us not just what kind of athlete he is, but what kind of human being he is. And that's something that we can be proud of, that we all can aspire to, long after the closing ceremony is over and everyone has gone home.

My discomfort, though, arises from what happens when we hold up individuals with various challenges as inspirational. Have you ever noticed that individuals with disabilities are often portrayed as either saints or sinners - they are either perpetually sweet-natured, amazing individuals who never give up, burdens to their amazing families or a danger to society? Nothing in between. And yet, as with all of us, they are neither all of one or the other.

The Biloldeau family has obviously done an awesome job raising their two sons; they too should be a source of inspiration for us all. And yet something tells me that all the interviews, the fist-pumping and hugs between the two brothers fails to capture the whole story. The real story. The private story.

I don't doubt for one minute that there were moments of true heartache and heart-break for that family.

My beef is quite simply this - we don't give families with disabled family members the types of support (either financially or in the form of services) that they so desperately need. And we don't portray individuals with disabilities in an accurate light. Rather we tend twist their reality and hold them up as one-dimensional indviduals. Either to be cried over, patted on the head and treated as perpetual children or to be feared and controlled.

Wouldn't you agree that there has to be so much more to Frederick Bilodeua (both "good" and "bad") and his life than being his brother's biggest cheer leader and source of inspiration?

That the brothers have such a wonderful relationship is a fact to be celebrated. But at the same time, I hope we come to recognize that in the same way that Alexandre is so much more than an amazing skier, his brother, too, is a real person with his own needs, his own desires, his own life. He is a person (with all that that entails, both good and bad) just like you and I.

So now that I've said my piece, I offer you ....

Alexandre Bilodeau

At the 2007 World Cup Freestyle mogul skiing in Tignes, France.

GO CANADA!!!

Proud

I can honestly say that I am proud of the Canadian military (I can just hear the gasp from some of my faithful readers). Whether it is in their UN peacekeeping work (note the rumblings of discontent from other faithful readers), in Afghanistan or now, in Haiti.

I am proud of the crew of the HMCS Athabaskan, who after a six-day journey dug in on Tuesday in Laogane, a small city just west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to help by setting up medical tents and providing badly-needed medical supplies and medical care with insufficient equipment.

Sailors from the Athabaskan worked like dogs in the hot sun around the clinic all day, pitching in to set up shelters for patients to escape the heat, providing security, carrying patients and helping translate for the unilingual medical volunteers. They even built a shower so the medical staff could bathe in privacy. And, in typical Canadian style, promised to bring them a cooler of beer from the ship. Then, too cap it off they delivered a baby Tuesday night.

I am equally proud of the crew from HMCS Halifax, who cleared a road and an airstrip and started to deliver supplies in Jecmal, on the south coast of Haiti.

CANADIAN volunteers who opened a medical clinic in a field next to a ruined school on Wednesday and treated several hundred desperate patients in the blazing heat, cleaning infected wounds and mending fractures that have gone eight days without care.

Unlike several other emergency medical clinics in Leogane, where doctors are forced to do amputations without anesthetic, the Canadians have personnel capable of doing nerve block anesthesia so terribly wounded Haitians were treated with far less pain.

But they haven't stopped there.

CANADIAN SAILORS and soldiers have established a beachhead of hope in the port city of Jacmel, cleaning up, delivering aid, medical care and even toys, and laying the groundwork for a more ambitious effort in the weeks ahead.

Sailors from HMCS Halifax and members of DART, the military’s Disaster Assistance Response Team, have taken over the concrete pier and waterfront lot in the shadow of the ruined town, where lovely French colonial buildings have fallen to rubble.

They have cleared streets of debris, dug latrines for Haitians living in a new shantytown, delivered medical care in unbelievably chaotic conditions and extended a runway and are working to establish a proper medical clinic.

On the first day ashore, three sailors worked so hard clearing concrete rubble with their hands that they collapsed from heatstroke.

I am proud of the 200-plus Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) which received the call 12 hours after the quake and immediately deployed to Port-au-Prince with a reconnaissance crew . And precious little idea what they would be in for when they landed.

I am proud of Quebec's Vandoos, which complemented the 500 soldiers aboard the Halifax and the Athabascan. The Vandoos are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next December, and many of the troops preparing to leave for Haiti are volunteers who've just returned from the war. This new contingent, tired but happy to be helping, brings along engineering units, and almost enough medical staff and supplies to man a field hospital. In the blistering heat Thursday afternoon, they were sweeping the grounds to get ready for the medical clinic that DART will set up.

I am proud that Hercules cargo aircraft that are flying in supplies and personnel, even though the airstrip isn't really big enough for the aircraft. When chainsaws used to cut back trees got fouled by palm wood, the sailors ended up cutting them with bowsaws. Perhaps that is why they're now known to the locals as the Canadian lumberjacks.

And apparently I'm not the only one proud of the quick response of the Canadian Forces.

IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, the Canadian Forces have deservedly earned themselves glowing praise and helped to inspire a sense of nationwide pride.

When they’ve been in need of it in the past, I’ve been the first one over the boards, dropping the gloves and pounding on their helmets, but in this instance I’m prepared to give credit where credit’s due, to both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay. They were uncharacteristically quick off the draw in pledging large-scale aid and mobilizing a military response effort.

What was even more impressive was the fact that our heavily engaged armed forces, which are supporting both the expeditionary force in Kandahar and the Olympic security operations in Vancouver, were able to mount such a major effort so quickly. Within just hours of the tragedy, the reconnaissance party from the Disaster Assistance Relief Team was airborne and en route to Port-au-Prince.

The highlight of the rapid response, however, was the deployment of Canada’s new C-17 heavy-lift aircraft. Their tremendous cargo capacity enabled the air force to transport two helicopters, complete with ground crew and equipment, to Haiti and begin ferrying out hundreds of Canadian nationals seeking evacuation home.

Which leads to me admitting that this one of those rare occasions when I am even almost proud(sorry, that one is a bit hard to swallow) of our current Conservative government. Both for its quick reaction (or at least getting out of the way of the Armed Forces) and increase in desperately needed aid to Haiti.

And, of course, I am proud of my fellow Canadians for doing what they can.

And yet, through all that pride I can't hlep but wonder ...

(to be cont'd)

Canadian, Please

This should solve all your problems.



Seriously, eh?

Yeah I know that you wanna be Canadian, please
Even if in winter things tend to freeze
We've got the world monopoly on trees
And our country's bordered by three different seas

Yeah I know that you wanna be Canadian, please
We invented the zipper, we've got expertise
We made insulin to combat disease
Yeah I know that you wanna be Canadian, please

CHORUS
Brits have got the monarchy
The US has the money
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

The French have got the wine and cheese
Koalas chill with the Aussies
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

Et si ce n'était pas assez
On a deux langues officielles:
L'anglais et le français
Ooh la la

Yeah I know that you wanna be Canadian, please
Where else do you find mounted police
Or go to the hospital and not pay fees
Yeah I know that you wanna be Canadian, please

And when freshwater is in high demand
We've got the world's largest supply on hand
So you know that we could make a pretty good friend
But it's even better if you can be...

CHORUS

So you're thinking to yourself,
"How do I live in this beautiful country?"
Well we've got some steps for you to follow...

STEP 1: Lose the gun
STEP 2: Buy a canoe
STEP 3: Live multiculturally
STEP 4: You're ready, there is no more!

We got beavers, caribou and moose
We got buffalos, bears, and Canadian goose
And we're sorry about Celine Dion
But she did do that good song for James Cameron...

CHORUS
Brits have got the monarchy
The US has the money
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

The French have got the wine and cheese
Koalas chill with the Aussies
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

The Greek chilled out with Socrates
Can't build a wall like the Chinese
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

In Kenya they have safaris
We've missed lots of other countries
But I know that you wanna be Canadian

Quintessentially Canadian

I had been following this story in the newspaper over the last few days but never bothered to go find the YouTube video until a friend emailed the link.

Now having viewed the vid, I have no choice but to blog it. Not because I particularly like the song (it's a little too country for me) but because it's so quintessentially Canadian.



Some people, they say, get mad.

And some, they say, get even.

But Canadians, well, we'll get even eventually. In a round-about sneaky nice kind of way. When and how you least suspect it.

Just ask United ... $3,000 later. After all, doing the right thing and repairing the guitar in the first place would have only cost them $1,200.

But all is not lost for United. Apparently, the video is now going to be one of their training tools. According to Rob Bradford, managing director of customer solutions at United, “It could be used to improve the way passengers are treated around the world”. You think?

One Taylor guitar ... $3,500

Repairs for said guitar ... $1,200

Amount of United's donation to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz ... $3,000

Publicity generated for Dave Caroll's band (after over 2,000,000 hits on YouTube) and the sight of United's mad scramble to save it's public face ... Priceless!

Sixty-Five Years Ago

D-Day. The invasion of Normady.

We have heard those words bandied around a lot today as the 65th anniversary of the "liberation of Europe".

A day with many fine speeches.

But let us never forget Juno Beach.

Juno Beach, an eight-kilometre-wide stretch of sand and bucolic fishing villages, was where 14,000 soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division battled their way ashore against fierce resistance from 7,100 Germans of the 716th Infantry Division.

The Canadians overran the port of Courseulles-sur-Mer, France and two smaller villages to the east - Bernieres and St. Aubin. By nightfall on June 6, 1944, they penetrated further inland than either the Americans - or the British.

And although I'm no fan of the man, I must say that I did appreciate his words today.

"On this stretch of beach, code-named Juno, Canadian soldiers undertook what would prove to be one of the defining operations of our proud military history," Harper told a crew of dignitaries and veterans at Juno Beach.

"Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen had pushed further inland than any other allied troops.

"Together they had breached Hitler's . . . Europe and effectively turned the tide of a war as bitter and bloody as any the world has ever known," said Harper.

The prime minister said that the soldiers fought for peace and freedom, the same things Canadians today are fighting for in Afghanistan.

It is no exaggeration to say that the course of history itself changed that very day," Harper said. "A triumph of this magnitude was not without sacrifice, of the 15,000 Canadians who took part in that initial assault, nearly 1,000 were killed or wounded. Over the course of the Normandy campaign, over 5,000 had paid the ultimate price.

"Through their bravery, skill and sheer determination, the shackle of the Nazi oppression was shattered and humanity was rescued from a future of tyranny, racism and cruelty."

All of them.

And might I suggest that you take a few minutes to peruse the first few videos to the far right of this page. And end with this nice piece from the UK Guardian.

By the by, as to Sarzosky's apparent desire to have today's ceremony limited to only President Obama and himself, to the exclusion of Canada and Britain, might I remind le president that his country was happy enough to see us there in 1944.

Something which the French people themselves do not seem to have forgotten, even if their leader has.

Passchendale

Ever hear of it?
The place. The battle. The movie.

I saw Passchendale at the theatre last summer. I'm not much *into* war movies. In fact, I tend not to like them at all. It's all that blood, guts and gore stuff. Too loud. Too many people getting blown away.

But I wanted to see Passchendale. First because it was a Canadian movie. Loosely based on the true story of one Canadian soldier during World War I. Canadian war movies, let alone those based on a true story, are pretty rare. As in rare to none.

So it was that I was rather intrigued.

Part war story. Part love story.

Inspired by director, Paul Gross's, relationship with his grandfather, we are introduced to Sergeant Michael Dunne, a decorated veteran of the 10th Battalion, CEF. Sent home from Europe as a neurasthenia patient, he meets nurse Sarah Mann in Calgary, Alberta, where he enlisted.

Mann is cashiered banned from military service because her father had left Canada to rejoin the German Army in 1915, where he was killed at Vimy Ridge. Her younger brother, is ineligible for military service due to asthma and desperate to win the respect of his girlfriend's father in a time when military service was expected of all young males.

A series of events places him in the trenches in France, with Michael Dunne returning to France to watch over him, and Sarah returning to duty. The three arrive in Europe in time for the Third Battle of Ypres, and the fighting near Passchendaele.

Last night, the movie swept the Genie Awards, winning six awards including the Golden Reel as most popular film of the year.

But more impressive than that, at least for me, were Gross' reported comments on the movie.

“We have a very funny perception of ourselves, which is: ‘We’re peacekeepers.’ Well we are, and we’re extraordinarily good at it, we to some extent invented it, we teach the world how to do it. But, we’re also warriors. And we were the most feared fighting corps in the British order of battle.”

Gross dedicated the movie to all the brave men and women of the Canadian military, past and present, for all they do to keep us safe. Nice.

And yet there remains the sad commentary which inspired the thoughts of my brother, expressed as we were walking out of the theatre, that this was the first movie he had ever seen that made him feel proud of the Canadian military.

Because, at least until now, no on had bothered to make one.

'Don't Let Them Down'

Although this video was clearly made for the American military, it applies equally to our own brave Canadian soldiers. And it seems even more appropriate when we consider that we are only a few short days away from voting for the future of our country.

I found this video deeply touching. Hope you do, too.


H/T to Fuzzilicious Thinking

Democracy And All That

The Year: 1758

The Place: Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Event: The Birth of Democracy in Canada

Pretty cool, no?
Well, I thought so, but apparently they didn't quite get it.

TATTOO'D

Yup, that's right. I've been TATTOO'D.

No, not that kind of tattoo, silly.

Picture a dazzling array of marching and pipes and drums bands (both civilian and military) from Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom. Picture amazing displays of gymnastics and acrobatics. And as an aside, I will say one things for those Trinidians ... they do like to have fun!

Think singers, a multitude of dancers of all disciplines, ranging from the Amethyst Highland Dancers, through the Acadian Baie en Joie dancers, to some spectacular African dancing, accompanied by the Atlantica Gymnasts. Think performers from Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Canada and the UK.

And let's not forget the military - with obstacle race teams, a Tri-Service Guard and a Naval Boarding Team in action as just a few examples. (Oh yeah, the Ceremonial Guard destroyed the Air Force in the obstacle course competition. Now, if it works anything like it does in the US, why aren't I surprised?)

And what could be more iconically Canadian, with more international recognition, than the sight of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Ceremonial Troop?

But perhaps, most of all, think Pomp and Circumstance.

Hey, the amazing light show on the floor, by itself, was nearly worth the price of admission.

It's the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.

Tattoo Defined The Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines “tattoo” as 1. an evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters; 2. an elaboration of this with music and marching, presented as entertainment; 3. a rhythmic tapping or drumming.

In Dutch towns and villages during the 17th century, drummers marched through the streets, summoning the soldiers who were spending a little down time in local taverns or inns. A drumbeat–coming from the street–would signal the owners and keepers of the establishments to “turn off the taps” or “doe den tap toe.”

In time, the message was shortened to “tap toe”, and finally “tattoo".

It's the second year we have attended. And although not quite as good as last year (a little too many marching bands, a little not enough military and not as many humorous acts as last year), it was still an amazing show.

This year the Tatoo also commemorated the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War and celebrated the 250th Anniversary of Parliamentary Democracy in Nova Scotia. Halifax, Nova Scotia ... the site of the very first parliamentary democracy in Halifax. Who would have thunk it?

By the way, have you ever seen people do acrobatics and cartwheels through nine turning skipping ropes, laid out like the spokes of a wheel? Pretty cool, I tell ya.

My favourite part of the show, though? When all those in the audience who have served Canada , in any branch of the military or in law enforcement, are asked to stand to be recognized and honoured. Yeah.

Without a doubt, a good time was had by all.

Canada Daze

My Little Spot In Cyber Space To Kick Back And Contemplate Life, Politics, Raising Kids while Raising Parents And What It Means To Be A Canadian In A Topsy Turvy World

So what does it mean to be "Canadian" in a topsy turvy world? I think I may have a little better idea of that now, having surfed my way through the fascinating world of the blogs for the past few years.

One thing in particular I've noticed is the difference in attitude or perception (I'm not quite sure of the best word) between Canadians and Americans (as a good counterpoint).

I love my country. I am proud of my country. Most of the time anyway. Although I love to travel and there are many places I might like to spend lengthy times visiting, I wouldn't want to actually live anywhere else. Most people probably feel that way about their country. But what I've noticed in my interactions with Americans online is this. In many of their views, the US is THE BEST Country in The World. Bar None. The Best Place to Live and THE BEST Country. Some (many?) go so far as to say that it's the world's only true democracy, the world's only true ... fill in the blank...

I must confess that I have had a bit of a hard time with that. Sure, I would categorize some countries as better than others. I certainly don't see them all as the same. As equal. But I would never place my country (or any other) at the top of the heap. That's always struck me as pretty egotistical. Pretty dismissive of everybody else. And quite frankly, it's a value judgment that I don't believe I am in any position to make.

Perhaps if I had lived for a significant period of time (not visited, not read or heard about but actually lived) in just about every country on the face of the earth, I would feel that I had the right to make such a judgment. But how can I legitimately judge that which I honestly do not know? And when I use the word "know", I mean really "know", as in intimately, not just think that I know.

But I have come to think that this is a fundamental difference between us and them. Perhaps this American phenomena is not really so much egotistical, at least not in the way I usually think of the word, as it is simply a product of their own unique brand of patriotism. Perhaps they are not trying to be so dismissive of everyone else but are simply speaking their reality, as they see it. In other words, it's not an attempt to be nasty or callous, it's just telling it as (they honestly believe) it is.

Yes, Canadians are patriotic. But not the same way as Americans are. I'm not so sure that we're any less patriotic now (I think prior to 9/11, we may well have been) than they are, I think we just show it in a different way. And that different way is influenced, moulded even, by the fact that we are Canadians. By how we perceive ourselves. How we perceive the rest of the world. And how we perceive our place in that world. The very fact that we are Canadians, what it actually means to be a Canadian, not only shapes what our patriotism looks like but actually defines the very meaning of the term for us.

I'm not sure that I can verbalize it or express it beyond this. It's a strange place for me to be, a place where I *know* what I want to say but can't quite seem to find the words I need to express my thoughts clearly.

Moving on to a lighter note, it appears that a recent survey that I can't now seem to lay my hands on shows that Canadians define ourselves by things like the Maple Leaf, our flag, hockey, the beaver and the Canadarm. So make of that what you will.

And if you're so inspired you can take a quiz and see how you stack up in your opinions against your fellow Canucks, if you be one of us, or just against those strange creatures in the Great White North, if you are not so fortunate as to be from here. And if you don't want to take the quiz, but might like to look at all the results, you can take a gander here.

Results like

• in a choice between doctors, firefighters, pilots and pharmacists, 94% of Canadians would put their trust in a firefighter, 91% in pharmacists, 85% in doctors and 81% in airline pilots


• 43% of Canadians feel the world is changing too quickly and this is a major cause of stress


• If we won $10 million, 50% of us would share with family, 39% would donate to charity, 35% would travel and 23% of us would use it to pay off debt. But only 10% would quit their jobs!


• 33% of us hide what we have paid for something from our spouses.


• More people have suffered a broken heart in my home province of Saskatchewan than anywhere else. The place where you are least likely to get a broken heart is Quebec.


• Over one-third of Canadians think Newfoundlanders have the best sense of humour. 13% think Quebeckers are funny while only 1% think Prince Edward Islanders can get a laugh.


• And perhaps most interestingly, British Columbians are most likely to say we are different from the Americans. The province whose residents are least likely to think so is Alberta.

So what does that tell us? Hell if I know, I only live here!

~ HAPPY 141st BIRTHDAY ~

~ CANADA ~

The Home of My Heart ... Cape Breton