FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010
Here are some witty definitions for you on a July day.
A hypocondriac is one whose claims to being an invalid are invalid.
- Frank Tyger
Global peace: The world coming to a mend.
- Merry Browne
Paralyze: A couple of fibs.
- Buck Tracy
Bankrupt corporation: Red Inc.
- Buck Tracy
I hope you enjoyed these witty definitions. I promise to share more of them with you soon.
RANT OF THE DAY
As someone who has worked in a library for many years, a column in yesterday’s Toronto Star caught my attention. It really hit home for me and I feel compelled to comment on it.
The column was written by James Travers and it laments the Harper government’s decision to no longer make mandatory the long form of Canada’s census. I strongly agree that the government has made a foolish and short-sighted decision. I am astounded at such pettiness and lack of awareness.
Approximately 20% of the population receives the mandatory long form of the census. I happen to be quite familiar with the long version as I was required to fill it out in 2006 and in 2001. It is a bit time-consuming and tedious, but the effort is well worth it. When one considers the usefulness of demographic information, there is no doubt that the benefits far outweigh the drudgery of answering about 50 census questions.
As Travers puts it, ``Conservatives are pandering to the fringe conspiratorial notion that big government is prying too deeply into private lives.`` When I filled out the long-form census, I never felt that my privacy was being invaded and that Big Brother was watching me. I realized that I was contributing to a self-portrait of my country.
James Travers is right on the money with his criticism of what he calls the ``dumbing down``of Canada. Any librarian will tell you how valuable and how necessary census material is to researchers, journalists, students and countless others. Nothing else provides such a vital and accurate snapshot of our country. As Travers points out, that snapshot will be distorted and incomplete without the long version.
Thank you, Jim Travers, for exposing this travesty. Canada and its people deserve better.
SPORTS
What a circus surrounding LeBron James' departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers! He's off to Miami to play with former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh. Good riddance to both of them!
I'm cheering for the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup. No, I don't have any Dutch blood, but I want the Orange to win because of their warm relationship with Canadians.
The Blue Jays won their series with the Minnesota Twins last night in magnificent fashion. They defeated the twins by a score of 8-1 and slammed 5 solo homo runs. The Jays are the major league leaders in homers. I am inpressed with the ability of this team to hit the long ball. Unfortunately, the Jays have been hampered by their inability to hit for average. Their batting averages are pitifully low. They need to hit some more singles in addition to homers. When the home runs go dry, the Jays are in trouble, as was evident in their recent series in Cleveland. They did not hit one home run in that nightmare of a series and they lost all four games.
The Jays begin a new series against the Boston Red Sox and I will be at the dome tonight to cheer them on.
- Joanne
