Happy Not Canada Day

[thoreau]

I've been in Santa Barbara for a conference the past few weeks, so we went to the beach to see fireworks. There wasn't much wind, and the fireworks were low to the ground, so the smoke blocked out a lot of the show, providing everyone with a graphic reminder of the air quality that Southern Californians take for granted. On the walk back from the beach, a bunch of guys who seemed to be of South Asian descent kept shouting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" Some bitch near us muttered "They don't even live here" even though they gave no evidence of being foreign. She gave a great example of why guys of South Asian descent might feel the need to make ostentatious displays of American patriotism.

Anyway, while I'm not a patriot, I think that the President of the US should celebrate July 4th in the following manner:
1) Drop off a thank-you gift at the French Embassy.
2) Drop off a sympathy note at the Canadian Embassy.
3) Drop off a flaming bag of poop at the British Embassy.
4) Invite some random tourists to barbecue with him at the White House, and then get into an argument over how to stack the coals. Because that's about as American as it gets.

[nicole]

The bill making "O Canada" gender-neutral has passed the Senate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem- ... -1.4513317

(It passed the House in 2016.)

[Aresen]

The bill making "O Canada" gender-neutral has passed the Senate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem- ... -1.4513317

(It passed the House in 2016.)

I still use the version from before Trudeau the First changed it.

[nicole]

Chef kiss:

[Ellie]

How very outre of them!

[JD]

The bill making "O Canada" gender-neutral has passed the Senate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem- ... -1.4513317

(It passed the House in 2016.)

I'm surprised nobody has gotten around to changing the French lyrics, which are both more warlike ("your arm knows how to wield the sword") and more religious ("your arm knows how to carry the cross").

[Warren]

The bill making "O Canada" gender-neutral has passed the Senate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem- ... -1.4513317

(It passed the House in 2016.)

I'm surprised nobody has gotten around to changing the French lyrics, which are both more warlike ("your arm knows how to wield the sword") and more religious ("your arm knows how to carry the cross").

That's a non-starter. The French Canadians won't accept any language change.

[Ellie]

The bill making "O Canada" gender-neutral has passed the Senate: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem- ... -1.4513317

(It passed the House in 2016.)

I'm surprised nobody has gotten around to changing the French lyrics, which are both more warlike ("your arm knows how to wield the sword") and more religious ("your arm knows how to carry the cross").

I can't find the exact transcript, but I heard an interview on PRI's The World, with a politician who was the main proponent of changing the lyrics. The interviewer asked about changing the French lyrics and she basically cracked up and said, "I'm not touching that hornet's nest."

[thoreau]

I can only assume that Prime Wokister Trudeau will demand gender-neutral language in all government documents.

Including documents printed in French.

Right?

Um, right?

[Sandy]

I'm hoping that his Indian tour has peaked his popularity, hard.

[Warren]

May the Forth be with you!

[Aresen]

May the Forth be with you!

Should be in the "Powerful Mice in Space" thread.

[Fin Fang Foom]

All the dorks walking around in Star Wars gear yesterday. The storm trooper thing creeps me out more and more.

[Kolohe]

All the dorks walking around in Star Wars gear yesterday. The storm trooper thing creeps me out more and more.

If you're the generation that grew up on the cartoons (which I don't think either of us are), the stormtroopers are the good guys in those.

[Dangerman]

I mean, unless you're the droid they're looking for, you don't have anything to worry about.

[Warren]

Tag and Bink

[thoreau]

I mean, unless you're the droid they're looking for, you don't have anything to worry about.

AM I BEING DETAINED?

[Andrew]

Today is no longer Star Wars nerd day. Now it's white people getting drunk on tequila day.

[Jennifer]

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure out why there were so many Jedi and Star Wars jokes on my Twitter feed yesterday.