Happy Birthday USA

Happy Independence Day USA! Happy 231st Birthday.

I hope all my friends and neighbours to the south have a wonderful holiday tomorrow.

From and including: Thursday, July 4, 1776
To, but not including : Wednesday, July 4, 2007

It is 84,370 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 231 years excluding the end date

Alternative time units

84,370 days can be converted to one of these units:

• 7,289,568,000 seconds
• 121,492,800 minutes
• 2,024,880 hours
• 12,052 weeks (rounded down)

picture source

Last Day for Tony Blair

Today is the last day in office Tony Blair. He was the British Prime Minister for 10 years.

I Need a Vacation

I haven’t been on a true relaxing vacation in a few years. Sure I’ve taken a little time off here and there. This year I took time off for my Brother in Law’s wedding, but it wasn’t for ‘me’ or relaxing/refreshing/rejuvenating like sitting on the white sands of a tropical paradise with a fruity drink dressed with an umbrella.

I need some time off for myself (and Colin)

In August Colin and I have booked a week off, we will drive up to Sudbury for a few days to see P&K and their house and hopefully head off to a cottage for the rest of the week.

I’m looking forward to no internet, no laptops, no phones, no cellphones, no Blackberry. I am far too attached to these items day to day. . . . .

How Duckie! Anaheim Wins the Stanley Cup

With 4 wins in 5 games, the Ducks win their first Stanley Cup.

Poor Senators.

Memorial Day

This picture ran in today’s New York Times. See the slide show here

I think it is a moving reminder of the true meaning of the day.  Remember Mary when you are drinking your beer.

 Mary McHugh visited the grave of her fiancé, Sgt. James J. Regan, who was killed in Iraq in February. He is buried in the new Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Capital!

You Really Know Your State Capitols

You Got 20 State Capitols CorrectYou’re either a geography buff… or you have an excellent memory.

Do You Know Your State Capitols?

I’ve gotten to know my American capitals during my current job talking on the phone all day to Americans. I got ALL the questions right, many of them I already knew beforehand though, but still, I wonder how many Americans would get the Provincial Capitals of Canada Correct????

Here is a list of the Canadian Provinces and Territories, and the Capitals. . . . I’ve also included Canada, which has its own National capital. Can anyone match them up correctly??

Provinces & Territories

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. New Brunswick
5. Newfoundland (and Labrador)
6. Nova Scotia
7. Ontario
8. Prince Edward Island
9. Quebec
10. Saskatchewan
11. Northwest Territories
12. Nunavut
13. Yukon Territory
14. Canada

Capitals

• a) Iqaluit
• b) Fredericton
• c) Victoria
• d) Winnipeg
• e) Whitehorse
• f) Charlottetown
• g) St. John’s
• h) Ottawa
• i) Yellowknife
• j) Toronto
• k) Edmonton
• l) Quebec City
• m) Halifax
• n) Regina

NYC Yellow Taxis to Go Green by 2012

The New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, plans on having all yellow taxis replaced with hybrid cars by 2012.  He released his plans today, and I must say I’m well impressed and hope other large cities take note.

The plan is to replace 1000 yellow cabs by 2008, with the rest (13 000 in total) being phased out by 2012.  NYC already has over 300 on the streets now, more than any other metropolitian city in the USA. New York City law states that all commerical taxi cabs must be replaced every 5 years at max.

There are numerous and obvious benifits to this plan, but the negatives include cabs that are still not accessible to wheelchair and other handicaped riders and this scheme will also not govern call-for-hire cars (which moreso work in Brooklyn and Queens, opposed to the yellow cabs of Manhatten).

8 Year Old Finds a bag of Marijuana in McDonald’s Happy Meal

At the end of April I found a story about a child finding a condom in a McDonald’s Happy Meal (thankfully not used). . . . now another child, this time an 8 year old from Illinois, has found a small bag of marijuana (with various drug paraphernalia) in their happy meal.

Even though no one was hurt, in true American style, the family who received the ‘special meal’ will probably sue McDonald’s.  This is even after the true ‘owner’ of the drugs was fired and arrested for drug possession.

Story below.

A Salute to a Brave & Modest Nation : CANADA

Today I was invited to a FaceBook group called “The Amazing Race:Canada” – the idea of this facebook group was to get as many Canadians to join, there are similar groups for Britian and the USA.  The goal was to reach X amount of people in the group by a certain date, and ahead of the other countries participating.

On the ‘wall’ of the group, there was a link to the story below.  It is ‘thank you’ to Canada, who is always a thankless participant in many of the world’s conflicts.  Please take a moment to read it.  Thank you.

Virgina Tech ::: Thoughts and Prayers as the Victims are Named

Things will never be the same.

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Our poor Engrish Lanuage

This is going to be ranty, so if you’d like to avoid all the rantiness – the moral of this story is, Please. . . .

. . . SPEAK CLEARLY and SPEAK AUDIBLY 

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I spend my day talking on the phone, from CEOs and Senior Purchasing Directors for large paintball companies, to stores and fields, to teams, to end users.

Everyone basically.

Let me start off this little rant by saying, I love talking on the phone and conversing with our customers.  I get a lot of complements and positivefeedback from various people about my phone manner.

One of the large segments of phone calls I receive right now is for Sponsorship.  Young, up-and-coming paintball teams seeking assistance.  I wrote earlier about steps a team should take when trying to obtain Sponsorship.  This was written to help teams out, and was not written as a surefire way to get sponsorship.   Its also a bit of a rant in itself.

Anyways. . . .

When I speak to these teams, I go through my spiel, letting the team know their options – and how to get the team’s details to our Sponsorship Department etc.  I’m always polite, courteous and give as much information and assistance that I can.  I do it with a gritted smile and grinding teeth. 

I do not understand how such a proud nation of patriots can spawn children who can’t even speak English as a FIRST language.

I’m not talking about immigrants, or people who speak English as a second or third language – these people have the right to be less than perfect in their verbal skills

 . . . . I’m talking about the 12 year olds from some thick accented state, who speak in “shizzle speak” or “ebonics” slurring and mumbling their words while speaking very quietly in a crowed room or playground, saying “uhhhh” or “yoooo” between every word.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU.

Don’t be angry at me when I ask you to repeat yourself.  I don’t understand what you are saying.

No need to be rude when I ask you to say that again.  I don’t understand the words you are speaking. 

I don’t advise yelling at me.  Your the one speaking in some bastard English, that people can’t be expected to understand
At time poor English can be funny, the written word in my opinion.  Think of the website www.engrish.com, (but again we are talking about people who don’t speak English as a first language. . . .  )  The way these kids speak is no laughing matter,  its downright appauling.

 Who teaches kids to speak like this? Surely it can’t be allowed in the classroom.  Or is it???  I can just see it now:

Teacher : “Yo, De Von, is Shizzle like uhhh a verb, or izzzz it a noun, aiiiiight?

I remember when I taught dancing and the little kids (I generally taught 4-6 year olds) would tell me a story, and they would say

“me and my friend. . . .” .  I would correct them, “My Friend and I. . . . “

I wouldn’t let them continue until they corrected themselves.  By the end of the year, I could have semi-adult conversations with the six year olds.  Why talk down to them?

I will be the first to admit my spelling and grammar are sh*t and my vocabulary is definatly not Ivy League – but people do not question or have trouble understanding me.

When I took my first job when I lived in England, I re-learned how to say words, and how to fully pronounce words out so that the people I talked to on the phone everyday understood what the heck I was saying.  It was only fair and just that I did that.

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How did our kids end up speaking like this?  How can we change it or is the damage done.

Is there a dictionary, or translator I can use so I can understand what the heck these kids are saying to me?

Praying to a False Idol ::: Why do you like American Idol & Stop Voting for Sanjaya, Jesus Says So!!

I didn’t think after blogging about the “Novelle Star” Idol show that I would do it again. Hahaha. . . round two.

I was in England when Will Young won the very first Pop Idol competition, I had been rooting for him all along.  At that time I was still living in Canada and only visiting the UK a few times a year to see Colin.     I followed the show (which was a whole season then) by reading “Hello” and “Ok” magazines.  It was such a new and different concept for a reality show.  Week after week the rating numbers climbed and jumped.

 

(Download a song or two of Will Young’s – you won’t be disapointed!)

Talking to Americans.

Recently on Skywindows & on Juggling Cats both highlighted a farce Environment Canada Wildlife Federation video. . . .

And I thought I would defend my great land by poking fun at my neighbours to the south, and my friends in historic Virginia. . . .

Check out this page for more TALKING TO AMERICANS with Rick Mercer from the popular tv show This Hour Has 22 Minutes

I don’t speak Starbucks

I am about to admit something I can imagine I might get some flack for.  Espeically from one of my (four) faithful readers, Penseroso, who lives in Seattle. 

I don’t like Starbucks.

Perhaps this dislike is simply brought on by the fact that even though I adore the smell of fresh brewing coffee – I can’t stand the taste of the stuff. 

I’ve tried to like coffee, and I’ve given it every opportunity to like me too.  And every once in a while I give it another second chance.  I believe coffee has at least 10 second chances in as many years.  We still agree to disagree on liking on another.

I remember my first day of college going to the on campus Tim Hortons and ordering an extra large regular coffee and thinking to myself, “I better learn to like coffee, how will I survive college if I don’t?”  I took two sips of the bitter concoction, and threw it away.

Over time I’ve sampled esspressos, lattes, vanilla this, carmel that. . .  .I just can’t feel my way through the bitterness to the angelic delectable flavours of a good cuppa that everyone keeps telling me about.

As the rampant infestation of Starbucks weed their way into every mall, high street, book store and street corner I have felt that I needed to give this life giving exilir even more second chances.   The sweet breads, cookies and other baked goods working just like the gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel luring unspecting non-coffee drinkers like myself into their fold.

Recently I went to lunch with some Starbucks Addicited co-workers.  We stopped off at the local for a brew.  They asked me what I wanted.  I could feel the globuals of sweat beading and pooling on my brow, my breath shortened, panic set it.  “I don’t know, uh, well, how about a hot chocolate.  . . . . . “

The lady with the spiky pink hair, horn rimmed glasses and the lip ring behind the black laquered counter said something about Ventis and Grandes.  I grunted and pointed to the smaller of the two cups she was holding out in front of me.

She Says, Foam or no foam?   I Say, Pardon?

She Says, Blended or Stired?  I Say, Uhmmm. . . .

She Says, Double blended? I Say, Double who?

She Says, One shot or Double Shot?  I Say, So early in the morning?

She Says, Wipped Cream or None?   My eyes drew thin, scanning the expansive wall of options – desperatly looking for a picture on which to base my uncharted caffeninated beverage on.

She Says, Milk or low-fat-non-dairy-creamer-subsitute?  I Say, Whats the difference?

She Says, Drizzled liquid carmel or chocolate shavings?  My heart beating hard against my chest.

She Says, White or milk chocolate?  I Say, what about the carmel?

With a smug look and furowed brow I think to myself, does that come in “fair trade”?

AHGGHGHGHGHGHGHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I took a deep breath and exhaled with effort.  “Excuse, can I change my mind and just order a tea please?”