Random Thoughts-55
May 4th, 2009
I became an Uncle when I was six years old. Now, I am an Uncle to twenty-six nephews and nieces, a Great Uncle to twenty-nine of their children and a Great Great Uncle to two more. Of course, I always thought that I was a great great great Uncle to all of them.
I guess my point is that I have always been surrounded by babies. I grew up with them. I even had three of my own. Not alone, mind you, my wife had something to do with it, but I have always been very comfortable around babies.
This experience will come in very handy as I recently became a Grandfather when our oldest daughter delivered a bouncing baby boy! Yeah I know, GRANDPA.
In talking to my siblings about their Grandparent experiences it sounds like it’s going to be a blast. How does that bumper sticker go? “If I had known how much fun Grandchildren would be, I would have had them first!!” Ain’t it the truth?
I think many children are hard-wired to buck the authority of their parents. There seems to be a delayed timing mechanism built into them that makes them realize that their parents were right only after they have made the same mistakes that their parents had warned them to avoid. Make sense?
At least that has been my experience as both a child and as a parent. I know that somewhere my late Father is laughing away because he knows that I am raising me, if you know what I mean!?
I am trying hard to practice what I preach as I try to avoid the “Can hardly waits”, as in: “I can hardly wait until…he can walk, he can talk, he can skate,…” But I can hardly wait to spoil him and send him home to his parents!
Unfortunately, for me, I never had the chance to really get to know my Grandfathers. My maternal Grandfather passed away when I was three years old and my paternal Grandfather lived on the coast and passed away before I was ten. My children’s Grandfathers both left this earth far too early for our kids to fully appreciate their presence.
We humans have little or no control over how much time we have to live this life, so I for one am going to do my best to cherish each and every moment that I can spend with Treyton Perry Laverdiere and all the other grandchildren that may come my way.
“There is nothing like a newborn baby to renew your spirit-and to buttress your resolve to make the world a better place.”-Virginia Kelley.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Random Thoughts-54
April 6th, 2009
Do you know who must really love Saskatchewan? Clothing manufacturers. As a wise person recently stated, “In Saskatchewan, there’s no bad weather only bad clothing”. How true. That’s why we need lots of it. Clothing, that is.
Here in good old Saskatchewan we may have any one of the four seasons break out on any given day of the year so your wardrobe better be adequate and accessible at all times.
You will, of course, have to have your standard set of parkas. A heavy one, a heavier one and the heaviest one. Ditto for head gear and footwear.
Especially at this time of year, (late winter or early spring or whatever it is), one may have to put on or take off, depending on the temperature, one, two or three layers of clothing during the course of a day.
“Honey, have you seen my ____________ coat?” (fill in the blank with fall, winter, spring, hoody, waterproof, windbreaker, fur-lined or hockey, which, of course, will be all of the above), is a question you will hear at many a Saskatchewan home.
This question is usually followed by the scary answer, “It’s in the front closet”. Which will then be immediately followed by a huge groan.
Which brings us to the other manufacturing group that must love Saskatchewan: the distributors of closet organizing products. Coat hooks, shelving, clothes hangers, boot racks and closet rods must be sold by the millions here. Whether they are ever installed and used as directed is another question.
I have never spent any time in a place like Arizona but can you imagine how little the residents would have to own there?! I would think that a couple of pairs of pants, a few shirts, a pair of flip-flops, some shorts and 100spf sunblock are about all that would be required.
I’m thinking that a single closet would probably hold all of their stuff. Here, we need a few closets, a couple of dressers, a trunk, a box in the basement for winter boots, a box in the basement for summer shoes, a box in the basement for rubber boots, a box in the basement for cleats, skates, ski boots, flippers, curling shoes, snow shoes, a box in the basement for…I know, I know, you get the drift!
Aaahhhh Saskatchewan, ya gotta love it! If “variety is the spice of life” then we’ve got plenty of spice! Think of how boring it would be to live in t-shirts, cut-offs and sandals all of the time. When would you ever get the chance to show off your new turtleneck, or bathing suit, or parka, or shorts, or touque, or thongs…
“Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn’t start a conversation.”-Kin Hubbard (1868-1930).
April 6th, 2009
Do you know who must really love Saskatchewan? Clothing manufacturers. As a wise person recently stated, “In Saskatchewan, there’s no bad weather only bad clothing”. How true. That’s why we need lots of it. Clothing, that is.
Here in good old Saskatchewan we may have any one of the four seasons break out on any given day of the year so your wardrobe better be adequate and accessible at all times.
You will, of course, have to have your standard set of parkas. A heavy one, a heavier one and the heaviest one. Ditto for head gear and footwear.
Especially at this time of year, (late winter or early spring or whatever it is), one may have to put on or take off, depending on the temperature, one, two or three layers of clothing during the course of a day.
“Honey, have you seen my ____________ coat?” (fill in the blank with fall, winter, spring, hoody, waterproof, windbreaker, fur-lined or hockey, which, of course, will be all of the above), is a question you will hear at many a Saskatchewan home.
This question is usually followed by the scary answer, “It’s in the front closet”. Which will then be immediately followed by a huge groan.
Which brings us to the other manufacturing group that must love Saskatchewan: the distributors of closet organizing products. Coat hooks, shelving, clothes hangers, boot racks and closet rods must be sold by the millions here. Whether they are ever installed and used as directed is another question.
I have never spent any time in a place like Arizona but can you imagine how little the residents would have to own there?! I would think that a couple of pairs of pants, a few shirts, a pair of flip-flops, some shorts and 100spf sunblock are about all that would be required.
I’m thinking that a single closet would probably hold all of their stuff. Here, we need a few closets, a couple of dressers, a trunk, a box in the basement for winter boots, a box in the basement for summer shoes, a box in the basement for rubber boots, a box in the basement for cleats, skates, ski boots, flippers, curling shoes, snow shoes, a box in the basement for…I know, I know, you get the drift!
Aaahhhh Saskatchewan, ya gotta love it! If “variety is the spice of life” then we’ve got plenty of spice! Think of how boring it would be to live in t-shirts, cut-offs and sandals all of the time. When would you ever get the chance to show off your new turtleneck, or bathing suit, or parka, or shorts, or touque, or thongs…
“Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn’t start a conversation.”-Kin Hubbard (1868-1930).
Random Thoughts-53
March 22, 2009
A few weeks ago I had an idea that I thought was pretty good at the time. You see, I had been watching a fair amount of curling and kinda got the bug to get out on the ice. I’ve only really played a few games in my life but, what the heck, how hard could it really be, you know?
Deb and I called our good friends Max and Shelley and convinced them to enter a team with us in the Kipling Open Bonspiel. Little thought was given as to how we were going to make a team out of a Third, two Leads and a couch potato. In order, that would be Shelley, Max, Deb and me.
We had actually entered the event to “Bonspiel” and hoped that the curling wouldn’t get in the way too much, if you know what I mean? Well, it turns out that we are damn good at one and not so bad at the other.
They made us play six, that’s right SIX, games over four days and we actually won as many as we lost. Not too shabby, in our humble opinions.
The curling, of course, was always secondary to the social nature of the event. If there was ever a “Ring of Honour” for time, (and money), spent in the Curling Club Lounge, we belong on it! Our team is confident that the Curling Club will put the proceeds from our self abuse weekend to good use.
I guess the game is like many other televised games for two reasons. One, it looks so damn easy on TV and two, it’s not! I have a newfound appreciation for the pro’s shot making skills, the strategy of the game and the physical demands of the sport.
I awoke muscle groups that I forgot I even had! And most of that was from climbing the stairs to “The Lounge!”
One of the great things about this event was the variation in the age groups taking part. The youngest participants were in their very early teens and the oldest participants have been cashing in Canada Pension cheques for a while now. And the competence level ranged from very, very good to “what were you thinking?”
Regardless of the level of competence the one element that bound every participant together was the level of fun. On a scale of 1-10 it was a 10 for me and I am sure it was for many others, too. I know that our team had a blast.
I won’t lie to you; there were a few moments during the weekend (like the 10:30 draw on Saturday morning!!) when I wondered if my great idea wasn’t so great. But then again, the pain reminded me that I was still alive and, in the end, the fun factor far outweighed the pain factor.
“Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”-Unknown.
March 22, 2009
A few weeks ago I had an idea that I thought was pretty good at the time. You see, I had been watching a fair amount of curling and kinda got the bug to get out on the ice. I’ve only really played a few games in my life but, what the heck, how hard could it really be, you know?
Deb and I called our good friends Max and Shelley and convinced them to enter a team with us in the Kipling Open Bonspiel. Little thought was given as to how we were going to make a team out of a Third, two Leads and a couch potato. In order, that would be Shelley, Max, Deb and me.
We had actually entered the event to “Bonspiel” and hoped that the curling wouldn’t get in the way too much, if you know what I mean? Well, it turns out that we are damn good at one and not so bad at the other.
They made us play six, that’s right SIX, games over four days and we actually won as many as we lost. Not too shabby, in our humble opinions.
The curling, of course, was always secondary to the social nature of the event. If there was ever a “Ring of Honour” for time, (and money), spent in the Curling Club Lounge, we belong on it! Our team is confident that the Curling Club will put the proceeds from our self abuse weekend to good use.
I guess the game is like many other televised games for two reasons. One, it looks so damn easy on TV and two, it’s not! I have a newfound appreciation for the pro’s shot making skills, the strategy of the game and the physical demands of the sport.
I awoke muscle groups that I forgot I even had! And most of that was from climbing the stairs to “The Lounge!”
One of the great things about this event was the variation in the age groups taking part. The youngest participants were in their very early teens and the oldest participants have been cashing in Canada Pension cheques for a while now. And the competence level ranged from very, very good to “what were you thinking?”
Regardless of the level of competence the one element that bound every participant together was the level of fun. On a scale of 1-10 it was a 10 for me and I am sure it was for many others, too. I know that our team had a blast.
I won’t lie to you; there were a few moments during the weekend (like the 10:30 draw on Saturday morning!!) when I wondered if my great idea wasn’t so great. But then again, the pain reminded me that I was still alive and, in the end, the fun factor far outweighed the pain factor.
“Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”-Unknown.
Random Thoughts-52
March 9, 2009
As if our extremely cold winter, the bombardment of gloom and doom news regarding the current recession and the “Taxman Cometh” weren’t enough for you to consider multiple depression medications here’s another little tidbit of news to push you over the edge. I hope you’ve had your flu shot because this will likely make you sick.
According to Forbes Magazine, Will Smith was the top earning Hollywood star taking home some $80 million dollars last year. That’s right, 80 freakin’ million dollars!! It’s not Will Smith’s fault, he’s just livin’ The American Dream, but somehow, to my way of thinking, all the free market, capitalistic dogma cannot justify those kinds of numbers.
To put that into perspective, if you were to be paid $20.00 per hour and worked a regular 40 hour week, earning the Canadian average annual salary of $40,000.00 per year, you’d have to work 2000 years to make 80 million dollars. 2000 years!! That’s 104,000 weeks! Here are some more mind-boggling numbers for you. Keep in mind that these are annual salaries.
JK Rowling (Harry Potter creator/author) $300 million=7,500 years!
Oprah Winfrey $275 million=6875 years!
Hannah Montana/Miley Cirus (16 YEARS OLD!) $25 million= 625 years!
Tiger Woods $115 million=2875 years!
David Beckham $50 million=1250 years!
The above people are either in the entertainment field or sports celebrities but excessive earning power isn’t restricted to them. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives the top-earning Canadian CEOs earned more than the average annual salary before 9:30 am on January 2nd! Can you imagine? More than $40,000.00 before the first coffee break of the year!? How do you justify that?
When you compare these excessive, outrageous compensation packages to the salaries of our world leaders it’s not hard to think that the Apocalypse is upon us. Our Canadian Prime Minister makes a little over $300,000.00 per year and the president of the United States makes $400,000.00 per year. Do you think our priorities are straight?
When numbers like trillion dollar bailout packages and two-year baseball contracts worth $45million are bantered around its very hard for us simple folk to keep it all in perspective. At least it is for me.
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit my lack of knowledge when it comes to world economics but do you think that maybe with a little bit more restraint and a little less greed some of this doomsday economic meltdown may have been avoided? I know I don’t have any of the answers but with these kinds of numbers it sure raises a lot more questions.
“Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.”-French Proverb.
March 9, 2009
As if our extremely cold winter, the bombardment of gloom and doom news regarding the current recession and the “Taxman Cometh” weren’t enough for you to consider multiple depression medications here’s another little tidbit of news to push you over the edge. I hope you’ve had your flu shot because this will likely make you sick.
According to Forbes Magazine, Will Smith was the top earning Hollywood star taking home some $80 million dollars last year. That’s right, 80 freakin’ million dollars!! It’s not Will Smith’s fault, he’s just livin’ The American Dream, but somehow, to my way of thinking, all the free market, capitalistic dogma cannot justify those kinds of numbers.
To put that into perspective, if you were to be paid $20.00 per hour and worked a regular 40 hour week, earning the Canadian average annual salary of $40,000.00 per year, you’d have to work 2000 years to make 80 million dollars. 2000 years!! That’s 104,000 weeks! Here are some more mind-boggling numbers for you. Keep in mind that these are annual salaries.
JK Rowling (Harry Potter creator/author) $300 million=7,500 years!
Oprah Winfrey $275 million=6875 years!
Hannah Montana/Miley Cirus (16 YEARS OLD!) $25 million= 625 years!
Tiger Woods $115 million=2875 years!
David Beckham $50 million=1250 years!
The above people are either in the entertainment field or sports celebrities but excessive earning power isn’t restricted to them. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives the top-earning Canadian CEOs earned more than the average annual salary before 9:30 am on January 2nd! Can you imagine? More than $40,000.00 before the first coffee break of the year!? How do you justify that?
When you compare these excessive, outrageous compensation packages to the salaries of our world leaders it’s not hard to think that the Apocalypse is upon us. Our Canadian Prime Minister makes a little over $300,000.00 per year and the president of the United States makes $400,000.00 per year. Do you think our priorities are straight?
When numbers like trillion dollar bailout packages and two-year baseball contracts worth $45million are bantered around its very hard for us simple folk to keep it all in perspective. At least it is for me.
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit my lack of knowledge when it comes to world economics but do you think that maybe with a little bit more restraint and a little less greed some of this doomsday economic meltdown may have been avoided? I know I don’t have any of the answers but with these kinds of numbers it sure raises a lot more questions.
“Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth.”-French Proverb.
Random Thoughts-51
February 22, 2009
I was going to do a rant about the Negative Nillies that inhabit every community. You know who I’m talking about; all of the Chicken Littles of the world who think the sky is falling and they only see what is bad about a situation, never what’s good about it. But, alas, what good would it do? You see, they’re a stubborn lot, and regardless of how sound one’s argument against their attitude is, you can never change their minds.
While their numbers are small their voices are loud making it difficult to ignore the negative rhetoric. No matter how hard one tries to ignore the negativity it always surfaces with half-truths and rumours.
Now, I know that I am sounding a little negative myself so that’s all I am going to say on that matter. If you give them too much attention they might just think their way of thinking is right.
I will say that the negativism that I am talking about is regarding the shooting of the film Rust. I have stated in this column before and I’ll get on my soap box any time to proclaim my staunch support for this project. It’s great for Kipling, it’s great for rural Saskatchewan and it’s great for any project that starts with the words, “They’ll never do it.”
Well, they are and they did. I was an eye witness. Yes, we were asked if they could use our house, warts and all, for some scenes in the movie. We immediately said “Yes”, then immediately said, “Whoops”.
For you know that “A guest sees more in an hour than a host sees in a year”. That, coupled with the facts that our handyman has been on hiatus for a while and the empty nesters, that occupy the house, have been relaxing a little bit more than they ever used to, so we were a bit worried about what we were exposing our home to.
But, what the heck, how many people do you know that have had their house used in the making of a movie?
So, on Sunday the 22nd, in they came and transformed our humble home into a sound stage. There had to be close to forty people involved in the fourteen odd hours of shooting in our house. We were fortunate observers to the amazing process of movie making. There aren’t enough pages in this paper for me to properly verbalize my feelings on the events that took place throughout that day. In the risk of being redundant it was, again, simply amazing.
The cast, crew, producers, directors and support staff were respectful and gracious guests in our home. Permission was asked for everything. They used a mixture of our stuff and theirs to get their required effects and when they left there was no evidence (other than the pictures on our camera) that they had even been there at all! Everything was returned to its original spot, down to the tiniest knick knack.
I know that the vast majority of the town of Kipling, and its surrounding area, are very supportive of this project and I think the whole production staff are genuinely happy with the local support and the results that they have had. My family is thankful that we could be of service in this unique adventure and the only gratuity that is required is to see our house in the finished product of this film.
I read an article about the film project in the January 27th edition of “The Globe and Mail-Canada’s National Newspaper” and a few readers’ comments were published after the article. I will leave you with a quote from one of those readers:
“Is this the next “Slumdog Millionaire”? Good job, Kipling, for showing the gumption to do something like this. And well done, Mr. Bersen for taking the “leap of faith” on a small town.”-Michael Cawthra from Lakewood, United States.
February 22, 2009
I was going to do a rant about the Negative Nillies that inhabit every community. You know who I’m talking about; all of the Chicken Littles of the world who think the sky is falling and they only see what is bad about a situation, never what’s good about it. But, alas, what good would it do? You see, they’re a stubborn lot, and regardless of how sound one’s argument against their attitude is, you can never change their minds.
While their numbers are small their voices are loud making it difficult to ignore the negative rhetoric. No matter how hard one tries to ignore the negativity it always surfaces with half-truths and rumours.
Now, I know that I am sounding a little negative myself so that’s all I am going to say on that matter. If you give them too much attention they might just think their way of thinking is right.
I will say that the negativism that I am talking about is regarding the shooting of the film Rust. I have stated in this column before and I’ll get on my soap box any time to proclaim my staunch support for this project. It’s great for Kipling, it’s great for rural Saskatchewan and it’s great for any project that starts with the words, “They’ll never do it.”
Well, they are and they did. I was an eye witness. Yes, we were asked if they could use our house, warts and all, for some scenes in the movie. We immediately said “Yes”, then immediately said, “Whoops”.
For you know that “A guest sees more in an hour than a host sees in a year”. That, coupled with the facts that our handyman has been on hiatus for a while and the empty nesters, that occupy the house, have been relaxing a little bit more than they ever used to, so we were a bit worried about what we were exposing our home to.
But, what the heck, how many people do you know that have had their house used in the making of a movie?
So, on Sunday the 22nd, in they came and transformed our humble home into a sound stage. There had to be close to forty people involved in the fourteen odd hours of shooting in our house. We were fortunate observers to the amazing process of movie making. There aren’t enough pages in this paper for me to properly verbalize my feelings on the events that took place throughout that day. In the risk of being redundant it was, again, simply amazing.
The cast, crew, producers, directors and support staff were respectful and gracious guests in our home. Permission was asked for everything. They used a mixture of our stuff and theirs to get their required effects and when they left there was no evidence (other than the pictures on our camera) that they had even been there at all! Everything was returned to its original spot, down to the tiniest knick knack.
I know that the vast majority of the town of Kipling, and its surrounding area, are very supportive of this project and I think the whole production staff are genuinely happy with the local support and the results that they have had. My family is thankful that we could be of service in this unique adventure and the only gratuity that is required is to see our house in the finished product of this film.
I read an article about the film project in the January 27th edition of “The Globe and Mail-Canada’s National Newspaper” and a few readers’ comments were published after the article. I will leave you with a quote from one of those readers:
“Is this the next “Slumdog Millionaire”? Good job, Kipling, for showing the gumption to do something like this. And well done, Mr. Bersen for taking the “leap of faith” on a small town.”-Michael Cawthra from Lakewood, United States.
Random Thoughts-50
February 8, 2009
My guess is that there were about fifty people witnessing history being made on the night of February 7th, 2009. These people, film makers, film crew, Kipling Film Production members, Kipling Volunteer Fire Department members, local residents and people with good and bad connections with the building, had all gathered at an old farm house to film and watch it burn down. The burning of the house is a very integral part of the story being told in the movie “Rust”, which is currently being filmed in and around Kipling.
For many reasons, and for many people, it was a very emotional event.
Exhilaration, sadness, awe, excitement, closure, contempt, fear and even anger were felt at different times by the different people that had gathered there. To me, it was amazing to watch so much history evaporate, for the most part, in about an hour and a half.
Unfortunately, the house’s most recent human history involved a demented pedophile and the abhorrent acts he performed on his captured victims. Those actions erased the years of family history that had, no doubt, lived out in a home to people that had experienced all of the same emotions as the witnesses gathered to watch it burn.
We (the human race) tend to humanize inanimate objects. The house did not kidnap anyone. The house did not cook Christmas dinner. The house didn’t even have a say in its occupants. But for some who gathered in that yard, that night, the house burning was another step in the healing process for his victims and their families.
For others, it was the end of an era. The disappearance of an icon as one interested observer put it. Yes, the flooring and the rafters, the floor joists and shingles, the windows and the doors are all gone, but like any building, the memories of the past occupants and their activities remain.
I hope that the sacrifice of burning this old house for the movie will satisfy the needs of the families of the victims while honouring the memories of the families that had made the house a home.
Regardless of one’s relationship to the house and its former occupants our (again, the human race) fixation with fire is universal. Talk to anyone and they will tell you how fascinated they are with fire and, as I stated earlier, this fire was amazing.
Not only were we witnessing an awesome display of the power of fire but we were also witnessing the making of a movie. Yes, a movie! Right here! Right now! The reality of this much-anticipated event was brought home in a spectacular way. The scenes that were being filmed during the house burning are the first shots recorded for the movie “Rust”. You know, it wasn’t just real…it was surreal.
I think the last time that I had feelings like that it was during the long weekend in September 2006 during “Saskatchewan’s Biggest House Warming Party Ever!”. I don’t know for sure if it ever left, but it seems like the magic’s back.
“So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.”-Author Unknown.
February 8, 2009
My guess is that there were about fifty people witnessing history being made on the night of February 7th, 2009. These people, film makers, film crew, Kipling Film Production members, Kipling Volunteer Fire Department members, local residents and people with good and bad connections with the building, had all gathered at an old farm house to film and watch it burn down. The burning of the house is a very integral part of the story being told in the movie “Rust”, which is currently being filmed in and around Kipling.
For many reasons, and for many people, it was a very emotional event.
Exhilaration, sadness, awe, excitement, closure, contempt, fear and even anger were felt at different times by the different people that had gathered there. To me, it was amazing to watch so much history evaporate, for the most part, in about an hour and a half.
Unfortunately, the house’s most recent human history involved a demented pedophile and the abhorrent acts he performed on his captured victims. Those actions erased the years of family history that had, no doubt, lived out in a home to people that had experienced all of the same emotions as the witnesses gathered to watch it burn.
We (the human race) tend to humanize inanimate objects. The house did not kidnap anyone. The house did not cook Christmas dinner. The house didn’t even have a say in its occupants. But for some who gathered in that yard, that night, the house burning was another step in the healing process for his victims and their families.
For others, it was the end of an era. The disappearance of an icon as one interested observer put it. Yes, the flooring and the rafters, the floor joists and shingles, the windows and the doors are all gone, but like any building, the memories of the past occupants and their activities remain.
I hope that the sacrifice of burning this old house for the movie will satisfy the needs of the families of the victims while honouring the memories of the families that had made the house a home.
Regardless of one’s relationship to the house and its former occupants our (again, the human race) fixation with fire is universal. Talk to anyone and they will tell you how fascinated they are with fire and, as I stated earlier, this fire was amazing.
Not only were we witnessing an awesome display of the power of fire but we were also witnessing the making of a movie. Yes, a movie! Right here! Right now! The reality of this much-anticipated event was brought home in a spectacular way. The scenes that were being filmed during the house burning are the first shots recorded for the movie “Rust”. You know, it wasn’t just real…it was surreal.
I think the last time that I had feelings like that it was during the long weekend in September 2006 during “Saskatchewan’s Biggest House Warming Party Ever!”. I don’t know for sure if it ever left, but it seems like the magic’s back.
“So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.”-Author Unknown.
Random Thought-49
January 25th, 2009
My wife and I, like millions of other people on the planet, watched the United States President Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration speech on the 20th of January. Our curiosity was piqued by the significance of the event, his undeniable charisma and the hope that his positive vision will inspire our troubled world.
A co-worker wondered aloud why so many Canadians, especially younger Canadians apathetic as they are about Canadian politics, are being caught up by Obamamania. Judging by the reaction of many Canadians being interviewed, you’d have thought Canadians actually had some say in how he was elected.
It has been my observation that American influence on Canadians is as old as the relationship between the two countries. Our preoccupation with life in the “Excited States”, to quote former Regina Leader Post Editor Bob Hughes, preceded the electronic media age, but since radio, television and now the internet allows unlimited access to what’s happening south of the 49th parallel, one would have to be a hermit to not know what’s going on down there and be influenced by it.
For many years now many people, mostly from the mass media, have been trying to define what a Canadian is. While never being able to exactly establish what we are; we continually state what we are not…and that is Americans.
I, too, am caught up by the nationalism displayed in things like the “Joe Canadian Rant” ad that was made by Molson Breweries a few years ago and nothing makes me feel better than to see a Canadian team or individual athlete defeat the Americans on the international stage.
While expressing my great Canadian pride, right down to my maple leaf tattoo, I am also very aware of America’s influence in the many facets of our daily lives, be it through television, music, movies, the vehicles we drive or the clothing we wear. Commodity prices, foreign affairs, imports, exports and political leaders all have some influence on Canadians in varying degrees.
In keeping with my great Canadian pride I am a huge fan of the CBC, (not just on Saturday nights during hockey season either), and one of my favourite shows is “The Rick Mercer Report”. Coincidently the first post-Christmas Rick Mercer Report show happened to be on the 20th of January and he succinctly summed up the answer to my co-worker’s question in his rant regarding the current climate in both American and Canadian politics.
Customarily, I close my column with a short quote appropriate to the subject matter so this week’s quote is from Rick Mercer’s rant from that episode.
“Think about it. In the last American election, the defining themes were “change is possible” and “hope”, and they had the highest voter turnout in 40 years. In our last election, the defining themes were “stay the course” and “destroy the enemy”, and we had the lowest voter turn out in our entire history. Cleary we are on two different tracks.”-Rick Mercer (b.1969- ).
January 25th, 2009
My wife and I, like millions of other people on the planet, watched the United States President Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration speech on the 20th of January. Our curiosity was piqued by the significance of the event, his undeniable charisma and the hope that his positive vision will inspire our troubled world.
A co-worker wondered aloud why so many Canadians, especially younger Canadians apathetic as they are about Canadian politics, are being caught up by Obamamania. Judging by the reaction of many Canadians being interviewed, you’d have thought Canadians actually had some say in how he was elected.
It has been my observation that American influence on Canadians is as old as the relationship between the two countries. Our preoccupation with life in the “Excited States”, to quote former Regina Leader Post Editor Bob Hughes, preceded the electronic media age, but since radio, television and now the internet allows unlimited access to what’s happening south of the 49th parallel, one would have to be a hermit to not know what’s going on down there and be influenced by it.
For many years now many people, mostly from the mass media, have been trying to define what a Canadian is. While never being able to exactly establish what we are; we continually state what we are not…and that is Americans.
I, too, am caught up by the nationalism displayed in things like the “Joe Canadian Rant” ad that was made by Molson Breweries a few years ago and nothing makes me feel better than to see a Canadian team or individual athlete defeat the Americans on the international stage.
While expressing my great Canadian pride, right down to my maple leaf tattoo, I am also very aware of America’s influence in the many facets of our daily lives, be it through television, music, movies, the vehicles we drive or the clothing we wear. Commodity prices, foreign affairs, imports, exports and political leaders all have some influence on Canadians in varying degrees.
In keeping with my great Canadian pride I am a huge fan of the CBC, (not just on Saturday nights during hockey season either), and one of my favourite shows is “The Rick Mercer Report”. Coincidently the first post-Christmas Rick Mercer Report show happened to be on the 20th of January and he succinctly summed up the answer to my co-worker’s question in his rant regarding the current climate in both American and Canadian politics.
Customarily, I close my column with a short quote appropriate to the subject matter so this week’s quote is from Rick Mercer’s rant from that episode.
“Think about it. In the last American election, the defining themes were “change is possible” and “hope”, and they had the highest voter turnout in 40 years. In our last election, the defining themes were “stay the course” and “destroy the enemy”, and we had the lowest voter turn out in our entire history. Cleary we are on two different tracks.”-Rick Mercer (b.1969- ).
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