Why our kids don’t know Canadian History…
Do you know why? Partly our education system is to blame as it places emphasis more on computers and less on social studies.
Partly is thanks to our multi-channel universe where we have niche TV channels that cater to such fragmented segments of the market that there are no “broad-strokes” painted where people might just exposed to something different. What’s the viewership of the CBC like now that you can watch Retro-Teletoon, Teletoon, Cartoon Network, Teen Cartoon Network, Nick Kids, Bob Kids, Boo this and so on??? Not so great. It’s pretty sad when those old Hinterland “Who’s Who” commercials are run as for a gag like old Soap Commercials instead of for their education values.
One of the biggest issues is what I saw today in a Chapters Book Store in Ottawa. A big huge book store with racks of magazines (four double-sided 40 foot long racks, seven feet high), large sections dedicated to this segment or that. Books for those on a budget, lots of fiction, business, self-help books, books to help you pick self-help books, you name it. There kids section that looks more like a high-end toy store than a book store, a big music section (people still buy CD’s?) and then the history section. This is the section that I always gravitate to and here is what I saw:
Three, count them three, four foot wide shelves on one book case with Canadian History… That’s it. Just three. The two selves underneath were part of a more general history (US). 12 feet of Canadian History. Now I know for a fact there are more than 12 feet of Canadian History books written; this was just insulting. More so when I started comparing. Five 5-shelf book cases dedicated to US History or, 100 feet; Three 5-shelf book cases dedicated to World Wars One and Two (US and British, one book was Canadian) or, 60 Feet.
I thought, “This can’t be right?” So I looked around more. Chapters has things segmented so finitely that there was a “Political Science” section, eight more feet of Canadiana. Not bad, that brings use to 20 feet total but oh wait, there’s 80 more feet of US Political Science including four feet dedicated to Barack Obama.
I counted only three titles in the sections on our current or former Prime Ministers, Harper, Chretien and Trudeau, and I ran out of fingers and toes to count on for the US Presidents. Heck there were more on British Prime Ministers (4) than Canadian ones and this book store is in OTTAWA ONTARIO CANADA!!! The Nations Capital!!!
Not to beat a now dead horse called “Canadian History”, I looked at some of the “HOT” titles. Eight Feet of Books on, about or by Celeb Chef Jamie Oliver, 10 feet on Gordon Ramsay. 10 feet on Oprah, six on how to build a deck, 24 feet on Pokemon and 30 feet on how to get the rock hard abs I’ve always wanted (unlike the keg I have now).
So to quote Sybil Fawlty, “what does it all mean Basil?” What does this all mean? I am not saying that the country will lose it’s identity by people shopping at Chapters, however their lack of exposure and promotion of Canadian History means collectively we lose one more chance to hook someone into learning more about our country. Chapters stores and their parent Chapters-Indigo own Smith Books, Coles, Chapters and Indigo or in otherwords a virtual monopoly on the bookstore front. With the exception of the odd independent bookseller, there is no other player except for the Internet. What they (Chapters) puts on the shelves is what people see, period!
That’s one more reason why we have less and less younger people every November 11th at a cenotaph;
One more reason why the maple leaf is more a fashion statement than a source of pride in our country;
One more person who can rhyme off who the last 10 Presidents of the United States were but can’t say who our Prime Minister is.
Sad, eh.
Define the word “Idiot”
Websters defines the word as:
1: usually offensive : a person affected with extreme mental retardation
2: a foolish or stupid person
I would like to append the definition with the addition of:
3: US Vice President, Joe Biden
Why? For the lovely quote of the day from July 16, 2009:
‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt’
WHAT?!? We have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt. THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!! If one does not have money (ei, US Government) then how can you SPEND MONEY?!?
This fiscal theory makes about as much sense as: “What do you mean I have no money, I still have cheques left!”
I doubt Websters will take my changes, but a lot of US Taxpayers may agree.
Finally people are getting it. Screw Toronto
First John Baird, federal Transport Minister tells Toronto to F-Off, now Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario does the same.
http://www.thestar.com/unassigned/article/661841
In the article it says that McGuinty has told everyone to solve their own problems. This from the man who knows how to say F-You to a lot of Ontarians (Health Tax, BST).
In this case, Rightly so. Toronto residents voted in David Miller and then re-elected the man. The guy is THE most left-leaning Mayor of Toronto EVER. He has given the unions everything in their demands when times were good. Now that times are not so rosy, he cannot understand why the Union wont cave on their demands.
Meanwhile Toronto Stinks! - Something I’ve been saying for years.
Message to Toronto Residents: Next year, DON’T put an X beside the name Miller.
Bet you wished you still had Mel Lastman around… NOOOOOOOooooOOOObody! 
What would you do for 7.5 million a year?
There may be other reasons why Heatley wants out of Ottawa, but we haven’t heard what those reasons are. What we have heard is he’s unhappy about his playing time, being on the second power-play line and he doesn’t like how the coach tells him what to do.
Honestly, it’s not his place or job to worry about that. Heatley’s place is on the ice, shooting that black thing called the ‘puck’ between these two connected pipes called the ‘net’.
Let’s look at Heatley’s stats shall we:
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 50 | 53 | 103 | 86 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | ||
| 2006–07 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 50 | 55 | 105 | 74 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 12 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 71 | 41 | 41 | 82 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 39 | 33 | 72 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 507 | 260 | 283 | 543 | 456 | 34 | 11 | 25 | 35 | 31 | ||||
2006-07 was his best season ever. 105 points, 50 goals, 55 assists and only in 74 Penalty Minutes. To top it off, he had 22 points, 7 goals, 15 assists in 20 playoff games ending in the Stanley Cup Final.
2008-09. Down 22% in goals compared to 06-07; Down 20% in assists, same period. Total production down 31% while increasing his Penalty Minutes by 19%. And there are no playoff stats because… The Sens didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. While it is not all Heatley’s fault in not making the playoffs, he is part of the team that FAILED.
Now the money:
In 2006-07 he made 5.5 million, in 2008-09 he made 7.5 million; An increase of… 2 million or 27%.
What it means:
For 27% more salary, the Senators got 31% less of a player who took 19% more penalties.
In conclusion:
Heatley’s coach wants more out of him, don’t blame him. Scoring 50 goals in a season once is a stroke of luck and good timing. Scoring it twice in a row is a sign of talent, we know Heater has it. As for ego… Someone forgot to check it at the door.