Quote of the Day/Week/Month/Year

[August1991]

Yes...the USA sucks for them but only a small minority of Canadians know their own height or weight in metric units, as the Imperial (what a lovely name) system remains in use for many things.

True.

And we still use 2x4s for joists, put up 8x4 plywood or gyproc and use 8 1/2 x 11 paper. (A4?)

Trudeau is hated by some for having at least made us think that it's hot when it's 30 degrees - or having road signs that falsely indicate the distance. (I happen to be proud that my car gets 7 litres per 100 km, as long as I drive less than 110. This knowledge is useful when travelling abroad.)

But some English Canadians will seize on any minor detail to distinguish themselves from Americans. They like the metric system not because it's better but because it distinguishes Canada from America. Trudeau knew his English-Canadian market well.

Edited May 9, 2010 by August1991

[Guest American Woman]

Commonly known as the Imperial system.

And it's commonly known that it's commonly known as the Imperial System, but thanks just the same.

Yes...the USA sucks for them but only a small minority of Canadians know their own height or weight in metric units, as the Imperial (what a lovely name) system remains in use for many things.

Not sure why they would care what unit of measurement the U.S. uses, but it's true that it's even more ironic that some care when so many Canadians do still refer to our system so often.

....some English Canadians will seize on any minor detail to distinguish themselves from Americans. They like the metric system not because it's better but because it distinguishes Canada from America.

And that's why said Canadians have to think that everything about the U.S. sucks.

Just watched a movie about tourists in Greece (My Life in Ruins):

Tour Guide #1: Good morning, Nico.

Tour Guide #2: Yeah? I have a headache in my head. The bus air conditioner, it break, and these American idiots never stops the complain, complain, complain.

Tourist: Wait a minute! Did you just call us Americans?

Tour Guide #2: Americans, Canadians. What's the difference?

Mob of angry tourists: You jerk!

Edited May 9, 2010 by American Woman

[Guest American Woman]

Smallc said: "Smallc thinks that Shady should watch Question Period before criticizing Greece. Greece is not the problem, the US is."

Of course the U.S. is the problem. Everything going on in Greece is the U.S.'s fault. Greeks rioting in the streets is the fault of the U.S.. Everything bad that happens in the world is the U.S.'s fault. The U.S. is always the problem, no matter where the problem exists. But when all's right with the world, it's not to the credit of the U.S. Oh, no. Quite the opposite. It's proof of how much better everyone else is than the U.S.

[kimmy]

We still do a lot of work in imperial for legacy reasons. Existing surveying and land titles and standards and all sorts of things were done in imperial units and the work to convert them to metric would be both monumental and pointless.

We use inches and pounds for our height and weight because our parents did, and possibly because our bathroom scales are old or American and only have pounds. And possibly because our professional sports heroes compete in American leagues where their heights and weights are given in inches and pounds. English athletes are still weighed in "Stones", btw.

However, anybody who has ever attempted scientific calculations in imperial units understands why metric is a much nicer system.

-k

[jbg]

From this New York Times article, Andrew McCarthy, former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York (link).

"A war is a war. A war is not a crime, and you don’t bring your enemies to a courthouse.”

[August1991]

Laura Bush, 63, US ex-First Lady:

"There are a lot of people who have trouble coming to terms with that because they see marriage as traditionally between a man and a woman. But I also know that, you know, when couples are committed to each other and love each other, that they ought to have, I think, the same sort of rights that everyone has."

Mrs. Bush said she and the ex-president "disagree" on legalizing same-sex marriage.

"I understand totally what George thinks and what other people think about marriage being between a man and a woman. And it's a real, you know, reversal really for [them] to accept gay marriage," she said.

When King asked if she could accept gay marriage, the first lady said: "I think we could, yeah." "You think [legalization of same-sex marriage] is coming?" asked King.

"Yeah, that will come, I think," she replied.

CNN

[August1991]

Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons:

Following careful consideration, the Auditor General will not be invited to conduct a performance audit of the House of Commons.

According to the Auditor General’s Act, the proposed audit would go beyond the scope of the Auditor General’s mandate, which allows her to audit government departments and various Crown agencies as identified in the Act, but does not include the legislative branch, which includes the House of Commons and its Administration.

The House of Commons’ external auditors have reported to the Board that appropriate oversight practices and procedures are in place at the House. All past audits have resulted in an unqualified audit opinion, which is the optimal situation.

Examples of the control mechanisms that are in place include:

Since the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the Individual Members’ Expenditures report has been posted on the Parliament of Canada Web site.

The House of Commons’ Financial Statements and the results of an audit of those Statements by an independent accounting firm are posted on the Parliament of Canada Web site.

Under the Parliament of Canada Act, the Board of Internal Economy establishes by-laws, policies and guidelines relating to expenditures and resources. They are provided to

- Members in order to carry out their parliamentary functions.

- Implementation of the Chief Financial Officer model envisaged by the Federal Accountability Act.

- The Audit and Review Directorate of the House carries out impartial audits and reports its findings to the Board of Internal Economy and the Clerk’s Management Group.

The Board of Internal Economy is composed of Members of each party in the House of Commons, thereby further ensuring compliance by all Members of by-laws, policies, guidelines and decisions of the Board.

National Post

[August1991]

Wajiha Al-Huwaidar, a Saudi women’s rights activist:

“To see resistance from a woman means a lot. People are fed up with these religious police, and now they have to pay the price for the humiliation they put people through for years and years. This is just the beginning and there will be more resistance.”

“The media and the Internet have given people a lot of power and the freedom to express their anger,” she said. “The Hai’a are like a militia, but now whenever they do something it’s all over the Internet. This gives them a horrible reputation and gives people power to react.”

Media Line Edited May 17, 2010 by August1991

[Moonlight Graham]

Laura Bush, 63, US ex-First Lady:CNN

That;s a pretty awesome quote. You gotta wonder what else they have disagreed on LOL. I`ve always liked her, she seems like a smart, calm lady.

[Shady]

Phil Jones, scientist:

"If they ever hear there is a Freedom of Information Act now in the UK, I think I'll delete the file rather than send to anyone."

[Oleg Bach]

And that is why I will be taking a job as a bureacrat. The non-comliant go extinct - the compliant become stool pigeons - and I just love free bread in the park.

[August1991]

Roman Hamrlik, 36, hockey player:

“The first two games, we didn’t do things as a team,” said defenceman Roman Hamrlik, the first star whose one-fight, two-assist, two-hit, three-shot, three-block, plus-4 night surely was his best game as a Canadien.

“We don’t have any superstars. We need 20 guys working hard together to win games, especially in the playoffs.”

Vancouver Sun

[August1991]

Mick Jagger, 66, rock musician:

"But I have a take on that - people only made money out of records for a very, very small time. When The Rolling Stones started out, we didn't make any money out of records because record companies wouldn't pay you! They didn't pay anyone!

"Then, there was a small period from 1970 to 1997, where people did get paid, and they got paid very handsomely and everyone made money. But now that period has gone.

"So if you look at the history of recorded music from 1900 to now, there was a 25 year period where artists did very well, but the rest of the time they didn't."

BBC

[August1991]

Michael Yon, 46, embedded journalist in Afghanistan:

"For the record, before some writers inevitably start blaming me for Brigadier General Daniel Menard's firing, I accept full responsibilty. I accept as much blame as can be heaped upon me. And a huge thanks to those who stood beside me while untold numbers headed for the safety of the hills, or wor...se.

"Did any publication see this coming? Did any resist Menard? Anyone? I would submit that writers such as Matthew Fisher have been allowing people like Brigadier General Menard to carry on even while troops die every day. If writers like Matthew Fisher did not see Menard's incompetence underneath their very noses, they should surrender their pens. If they will not stand up, they should not cover war."

Facebook

[Jack Weber]

"I gotta fart!!"

Me...Right now!

[August1991]

Joe Biden, 67, US Vice-President:

Look, you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not and the – but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know – they're at war with Hamas – has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in. And up to now, Charlie, what's happened? They've said, "Here you go. You're in the Mediterranean. This ship – if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we'll get the stuff into Gaza." So what's the big deal here? What's the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it's legitimate for Israel to say, "I don't know what's on that ship. These guys are dropping eight – 3,000 rockets on my people."

The Guardian

[August1991]

Bernie Madoff, 72, founder of NASDAQ and Ponzi financier:

Fuck my victims, he said, loud enough for other inmates to hear. I carried them for twenty years, and now Im doing 150 years.

New York Magazine Edited June 6, 2010 by August1991

[jbg]

Bernie Madoff, 72, founder of NASDAQ and Ponzi financier:New York Magazine

What a guy.

[August1991]

HRH Prince Charles, 61, heir to the British throne and Defender of the Faith:

'This ignores the spiritual teachings of traditions like Islam, which recognize that it is not our animal needs that are absolute; it is our spiritual essence, an essence made for the infinite. But with consumerism now such a key element in our economic model, our natural, spiritual desire for the infinite is constantly being redirected towards the finite.

'Our spiritual perspective has been flattened and made earthbound and we are persuaded to channel all of our natural, never-ending desire for what Islamic poets called "the Beloved" towards nothing but more and more material commodities.'

The Times

This critique of materialism from a guy who flies around the world not in commercial or even First Class. He flies private. "Do what I say and not what I do."

Edited June 19, 2010 by August1991

[capricorn]

Obama declares war on the oil spill.

"This is an assault on our shores, and we're going to fight it with everything we've got. That includes mobilizing the resources of the greatest military in the world."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/06/obama-on-oil-spill-this-is-an-assault-on-our-shores/1

[August1991]

Pierre-Karl Péladeau, 48, President and CEO of Quebecor:

“English Canada today is ill-served by the incumbent specialty news channels,” Peladeau, Quebecor’s president and CEO, said. “As a result, far too many Canadians are tuning out completely or changing their dials to American all-news channels.”

Macleans

[bloodyminded]

BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg

"I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people."

[Oleg Bach]

Obama declares war on the oil spill.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/06/obama-on-oil-spill-this-is-an-assault-on-our-shores/1

YAH fire a cruise missle at the globule of oil...They can not even convince a foreign power to shut off a run away well - then again they can not find their friend Bin Laden either - to many conflicts of interest going on.

[August1991]

Lindsay Blackett, 49, Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Spirit:

"I sit here as a government representative for film and television in the province of Alberta and I look at what we produce, and if we're honest with ourselves … I look at it and say, 'Why do I produce so much shit? Why do I fund so much crap?'" Blackett told the panel, to ripples of laughter.

"Why do the broadcasters not pick up more Canadian content? Because the Canadian content isn't what it should be," he continued.

CBC Edited June 17, 2010 by August1991

[August1991]

Nicolas Sarkozy, 55, President of France:

"Et voilá. Une question bien positive," replied Mr. Sarkozy sarcastically, as if dreading the question. He then went on to make a bold declaration that could come back to haunt him in 2011.

"I thank my Canadian friends for their contribution. I don’t know how it was organized,” he said in French. “I can tell you we are in a hotel where the comfort is extremely sufficient and extremely reasonable. I haven’t seen anything sumptuous."

"As for the French G8/G20, even though I can't confirm the Canadian numbers, they will be 10 times less. Exactly."

G&M Edited June 27, 2010 by August1991