Tag: canada

ISS Astronaut Chris Hadfield sings with the Barenaked Ladies!

ISS_Hadfield_BNLFans of The Big Bang Theory, or anyone who has lived in Canada for the last 20 years, ought to be instantly familiar with the Barenaked Ladies. However, what is not common knowledge is that Chris Hadfield, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, is himself Canadian and apparently, quite the musician! Not only can he sing, he can play the guitar in zero-gravity and even execute some sweet moves. Quite the ensemble!

And in this rare treat, which took place back in February, Hadfield, the Barenaked Ladies, and the Wexford Gleeks children’s choir all collaborated to create the world’s first space-to-earth musical collaboration. The song they sang was an original creation, entitled “I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)”, which was commissioned by CBCMusic.ca and The Coalition for Music Education with the Canadian Space Agency to celebrate music education in schools across Canada.

So if you have a few minutes, I recommend you cue up this video, turn the volume up, and enjoy a truly heartwarming and breathtaking song that celebrates Canada, music, planet Earth, and the wonder of looking down at it all from space. It’ll give you goose bumps, I swear!

The True North: Strong and Zombie Free!

"Cerrrrveaux!" said the Quebecois zombie
“Cerrrrveaux!” said the Quebecois zombie

Last Wednesday, during question period in the House of Commons here in Canada, a rare and interesting thing occurred. It came when in response to a disaster relief scenario, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird assured the House of Commons that Canada remains a zombie-free zone. One has to wonder if he was holding something back though, like maybe it remains free for the time being, as in, that could change soon?

For some time now, governments and health agencies around the world have been using zombies as a way of teaching about disaster preparedness and disease control. So the fact that it is now making its way into mainstream politics shouldn’t come as a surprise. The exchange began when Winnipeg New Democrat Pat Martin raised the matter of a recent Quebec government disaster planning exercise that used B-movie templates of an invasion of the “living dead” as its premise.

zombies_houseofcommonsTongue planted firmly in cheek, Martin said “I don’t need to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that zombies don’t recognize borders.” He then went to ask if the foreign minister was working with our American partners “to develop an international zombie strategy so that a zombie invasion does not turn into a zombie apocalypse?”

Baird, in an equally cheeky manner, responded by saying he was “dead-icated” to the matter, and that “Under the leadership of this prime minister, Canada will never become a safe haven for zombies, ever.” And steering back to a conventional conservative talking point, he was sure to add that the NDP’s fictional carbon tax would raise the cost of zombie-related emergency provisions —including monster trucks — for all Canadians.

zombies_huntingNaturally, the exchange became an immediate hit on Twitter and other social media, with one user suggesting we check the Senate for any sign of zombies. Ha! And personally, I’d say that if a zombie outbreak had to happen, it out to take place in the Great White North because Canada would be prepared. Not only does this country have a plethora of firearms and a long tradition of hunting, we would be sure to regulate the process and make sure it was done right.

What’s more, our universal health care would be on hand to ensure that everyone still uninfected was tended to, and those that got bit were mercifully quarantined. We may be hunters and gun enthusiasts, but were not impolite! And if we didn’t succeed in killing all the zombies before summer was out, we could just sit back and let the cold weather take care of them.

zombies_canhunterBoy its good to know these people get paid the wages they do to discuss this sort of stuff doesn’t it? I feel safer already! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go stockpile canned goods and ammunition…

Source: CBC.ca

Going to Seattle!

Space_Needle002Hi folks. Just a heads up from your humble blogger to say that I will be out of town for the next few days, and therefore quite AFK! In fact, it seems I’ve been away-from-keyboard quite a bit these past few weeks. But it’s been that kind of month. Plenty of drama, tragedies involving old friends, injuries and illnesses, and lots of lots of tiring work.

Naturally, this weekend is expected be a reprieve from most of that. The family, which includes my mother, father, sister and brother-in-law, are all getting together in Seattle to celebrate the birthdays of my darling wife, mother and myself. Ah, perhaps I should explain that better. You see, our three birthdays all fall within a few days of each other. And as my sister lives down in Oregon, we find it is difficult for large-scale family gatherings.

As such, we do our best to convene the six of us whenever we can as close to the days of January 21st to 26th as possible. As usual, there is to be shopping, visits to local places of color and culture, and hopefully a good long walk in the Pike Place Market. Always a good time down there, and this year I wonder if I will run into half as many crazies as last year. I tell ya, within the space of a block, there was a man yelling “I didn’t do it!” at me, a woman handing out pamphlets of how RFID chips were the “Mark of the Devil”, and a Church of Scientology offering free IQ tests. I’ll leave it to you to guess which I found the nuttiest!

Pike Place Market SeattleAnd, assuming I get my way, we shall also be taking a tour of the Pike Place Brewery this year, one of North America’s oldest and most venerated craft breweries! As a beer snob with his own website (check it out here), I always enjoy sampling new and exciting beers and this place has been a very good source of Pacific Northwest brews over the last few years. It, like much else about the Northwestern US, makes me think that a Cascadian Republic could really work. Or failing that, that the great states of Washington and Oregon should be invited to become part of Canada. It’s not so crazy, many people say they are practically the 11th and 12 provinces anyway! 😉

In any case, I look forward to seeing my sister again, as we get so few chances to get together anymore. Hoping to score some decent swag and give my sister the presents she’s been waiting on for the past few birthdays and Christmases as well. I shall be back on Sunday, so whatever editing, writing, and articling I have promised or committed to shall resume by then. Hope you all have a great weekend too, cuz I know we’ve all earned one! I look forward to us all being well-rested, relaxed and alert come Monday!