The beaver is a proud and noble animal
Notes from a bemused canuck
Vacation’s over. Time to get back to reality, the normal routine. We had a great time, better honestly that I had expected. A huge thank you to my family, who hosted the Bean on sleepovers, so that Katy and I could have some date time. A huge thank you to my wifey, who entertained the Bean while I got my shiny new tattoo.
Now it’s time to pay the bills :D
It’s been over 10 years since I had the 1st of July off ☺
Buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon… all smothered in maple syrup (the good shit, too!)
A statue honouring “In Flanders Fields” poet and Guelph, Ontario native son Lieut.-Col. John McCrae was unveiled today in Ottawa to mark the 100th anniversary of the poem. It was written on May 3, 1915 amid the plethora of poppies and graves that sprouted after the Second Battle of Ypres near Flanders, Belgium.
Lest We Forget.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
I’ve just sent off the paperwork to renew Bean’s English passport and that got me thinking about the paperwork to register him as a Canadian citizen, which never got sent off for various reasons. Looking at the website now:
Processing of routine applications for Canadian citizenship currently takes up to 12 to 15 months. The initial processing takes place at the Canadian High Commission. Original documentation submitted with an application is returned to the applicant after the initial processing in London (6 to 8 weeks). The application is then forwarded to the Registrar of Canadian Citizenship in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Forward planning is strongly recommended as processing can sometimes take as long as two years
.
Thanks, Harper.
As much as the current government is pissing away Canada’s international reputation, the country itself, and the people, are great.
Canada’s image has changed on the international stage, and not for the better, believes former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
At a conference at Concordia University, Chrétien deplored the climate of fear fed by the Conservative government, who wants to pass its anti-terrorism bill as soon as possible.
He co-signed an open letter with other former first Canadian and former judges of the Supreme Court ministers to denounce C-51, which could undermine public protection and human rights. “It’s a slippery slope. And it’s easy to use the emotions and fear of the people to remove certain freedoms, that are sometimes difficult to regain,” he commented during a news briefing.
“When I travel, I am always asked, ‘What happened in Canada?’. We lost our image. We were an example to the world,” laments the former prime minister.
Chrétien recalled that he had refused to commit Canada to war in Iraq in 2003, when the fear of a terrorist attack after September 11 was indeed real. But the country is already at war against the Islamic state, he had said in an interview on CBC. “We were the guardians of peace, now we are the target!” he said Wednesday.
“We developed an image of Canada. We became a member of the G7. When we wanted a seat on the UN Security Council, there was no problem.” In 2010, Canada had to concede victory to Portugal to obtain a seat on the Security Council, which was a hard setback for the country on the international stage.
Chrétien has repeatedly touted the country’s ability to deliver equality for all, since Canada is an “example of diversity and unity.”
“Immigration has changed. We had a lot of immigrants from Europe, especially, and at one point, we had people from Asia, South America … Here is what Canada was and what he is today.”
“Avoid giving in to fear”, he said, “since the population is more likely to be struck by lightning than to die in a terrorist attack. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There are 1.3 billion Muslims on the planet. They are not all terrorists!”
Bank of Canada is pleading with Star Trek fans to stop “Spocking” its five dollar bills. Since Leonard Nimoy’s death, Canadian folks have been “Spocking” the hell out of the five dollar bill that features a portrait of Canada’s seventh prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Sir Wilfrid now sports, on certain bills at least, pointy ears, the signature Vulcan haircut and eyebrows and Spock’s mantra “Live long and prosper.”
According to Bank of Canada it’s not illegal to do this but:
“…However, there are important reasons why it should not be done. Writing on a bank note may interfere with the security features and reduces its lifespan. Markings on a note may also prevent it from being accepted in a transaction. Furthermore, the Bank of Canada feels that writing and markings on bank notes are inappropriate as they are a symbol of our country and a source of national pride.”
