What have the Canadians ever done 4 us

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 12:57 AM

He'd already culturally overwhelmed Canada by 1962, Ebbie. He needed to boldly go where no Canadian actor had gone before...in the dramatic sense, I mean...and that required a career in American TV and movies. It was inevitable.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 12:00 AM

"The birth of Velcro®, yet another unique plastic product which has impacted nearly all of our lives occurred in 1957. A Swiss engineer named George de Maestral was impressed with the way that cockleburs - a type of vegetation - would use thousands of tiny hooks to cling to anything with which they came into contact. He devised a product, using nylon, that replicated this natural phenomenon. The result, Velcro®, could be spun in any required thickness, would not rot, mold or naturally degrade, and was relatively inexpensive."

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 10:41 PM

Didn't stay home, though, did he. *G*

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 10:38 PM

I've probably mentioned this before... but we gave you William Shatner! All else pales before that splendid contribution.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 10:23 PM

Zipper and Velcro History

Years ago we made fun of the Russians- they were claiming credit for every conceivable invention known by man. Is that what is going on here? For instance, the zipper and the product Velcro. These are the only two listed that I checked but I must say it does not augur well for Canada.


The Full Story

The Zipper

"The zipper was patented on August 29, 1893 by Whitcomb Judson, a Chicago mechanical engineer.

"One big problem - it didn't work. Not only did it not work, but no one wanted it, either. Judson displayed it at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to a potential audience of 20 million people.

"How many did he sell? Twenty. Not enough to retire on. All to the U. S. Postal Service to close their mailbags.

"In 1913, a new guy, Gideon Sundback, produced a better model - the modern zipper (its only drawback was that it rusted closed after washing). His first order went to the U. S. Army for clothing and equipment (after all, WWI was going on).

"It may seem obvious to us today, but people couldn't figure out how to use the zipper. It actually came with directions. (Something like - make sure your private parts are not hanging out and pull up?) Still, no one wanted them.

"Along comes the savior - B. F. Goodrich himself. In 1923, good old B.F. (as those of us close to him called him) ordered 150,000 of them for his new product - rubber galoshes.

"Until this point, they were called hookless fasteners. B. F. liked the z-z-zip sound they made and coined the term zipper. "

Velcro

"In 1948, a Swiss mountaineer named George de Mestral was walking through the woods and was very frustrated by the burs that clung to his clothes. While picking them off, he realized that it may be possible to use this principle to make a fastener to compete with the zipper.

"Everyone laughed at him, except for a weaver at a textile plant in France. Together, they designed what they called "locking tape". It was made from cotton.

"The biggest problem that they faced was mass producing it. Sophisticated equipment was needed. He searched for a solution. Accidently, de Mestral discovered that nylon, when sewn under infrared light, formed indestructible hooks, and the design was finished.

"Next problem - the name. Somehow 'hookless fastener' or 'locking tape' did not seem right. If I were there, I would have suggested a name like 'man made bur tape that sticks to the other side and fastens things together' - a much catchier name.

"He liked the sound of "vel" from velvet and "cro" from the French word crochet (meaning hook). And the name Velcro® stuck, just like those annoying burs. (their legal department wants you to know that Velcro is a trademarked name of Velcro USA and not a generic name - in other words, they don't make the imitation hook and loop fasteners - they make the original, high quality stuff)"

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 08:36 PM

A great Canadian   http://jwgibbs.cchem.berkeley.edu/CFGoodeve/cfg_index.html

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: number 6
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 08:25 PM

Brucie .... thanks for that link.

This week I restored an old picture of my uncle who was with the 48th Highlanders and was kia in Bari Italy. I posted this picture it on the virtual memorial on the Canadian Vetrans Affairs website. Going thorough some names, it appears (unfortunately) a lot of these gallant men have been forgotten.

sIx

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 08:10 PM

Brucie...That was one of the most intelligent and sensitive posts/links ever on Mudcat. Thanks.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 07:19 PM

I hear you, buddy. My grandfather was at VR, and truthfully, he changed forever after that I'm told. There are two places in that part of Europe I want to visit before I die: Vimy Ridge and Dieppe. Just to pay my respects, leave some flowers and a few poems--and no doubt, as you said, some tears.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 06:37 PM

Thank you brucie. One can post, as I did, about Vimy early in this thread, but nothing brings it home like this. Unfortunately, this is but a snippet of what the Canucks endured at Vimy. And what they endured at Vimy is but a snippet of what they endured throughtout both of the wars in Europe... Dieppe... shite... enough. Tears are enough. In Flanders Field...

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 06:16 PM

Where Canada became a Nation

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 05:50 PM

sIx... oddly enough, many of my friends don't recall all the political thrillers, the spy mysteries, etc, etc. What they remember is the dope smoking Canuck tank commander after the gold. We'se just a bunch a rednecks from "Down Home".

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: number 6
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 05:39 PM

gnu ..... i think it is a combination of "raised on Moosehead" and spending your formative years in Saint John's South End. !!!

Thanks for mentioning Donald Sutherland, he is a class act, even though he has portrayed some strange characters, including his role as Dr. Norman Bethune.

sIx

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 03:34 PM

Why do so many people not remember that Donald Sutherland, one of the all-time great actors, is Keefer's old man ? Yaeh, he's played some pretty strange characters but, hey, when you're raised on Moosehead, you're pretty much game for anything.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: bobad
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 03:24 PM

Canada geese

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 03:18 PM

Michael J Fox

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 03:05 PM

Alanis Morrisette became a US citzen toady (yesterday?). Unfortunately, she's keeping her Canadian citizenship. I thought you Yanks demanded that your immigrants renouce their past citizenship(s). If so, somebody rat her out, eh?

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 02:44 PM

Vinegar Tars, Cape Breton Pork Pies (sans pork) The Rankins, Natalie MacMaster.George Eliot Clarke, Laura Smith, Mary Jane Lammond, John Kenneth Galbraith, Robert MacNeil,Alistair MacLeod,Buddy Mac Master, Propellor Beer, Day Light Saving Time (Sir Sanford Flemming) Portia White,Robert Goulet, Celine Bloddy Dionne, Alanis Morrisette,Peter Gzosky,Trudeau,Larry Walker, Ferguson jenkins, Mary Pickford,Clear Toys, Ribbon Candy, Tarbush and last but not least..Tommy Douglas, grandfather of Kiever Sutherland.............and THE Greatest Canadian.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 10:57 AM

Alex Trebek

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 10:12 AM

harpgirl: I promised you and six other people copies of the album I did in 1980. It has been six weeks now. The problem has been that the one tape I have left IS the one tape I have left--I'd thought I had more but when I got there the cupboard was bare. I began to look for someone to duplicate the tape to CD and finally a generous mudcatter said he'd do it (two actually). When I get the CD, I will then be able to make more CDs (that is relatively simple I'm told) and get them to those I promised them to. I apologize to you for not telling you about the delay. Thank you.

Murdoch

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: harpgirl
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 07:58 AM

I have hurt brucie's feelings. So I sincerely apologize for saying this and I take it back:

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: harpgirl - PM
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 11:50 AM

If they're like brucie, they break their promises....

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 07:00 AM

Cheap potash. Which is kind of a trade, really. You guys got a lot of sunshine. We got a lot of potash. We sell you the potash. You use it for fertilizer and grow all kinds of delicious fruits and vegetables all year round and sell them to us. A few days ago, with four feet of snow in my front yard and the windchill at -38C, I marvelled at the assortment of fresh produce at the grocers'. All fresh and delicious and a lot of it grown in desert soil fertilized by potash from Sussex, New Brunswick. And from Saskatchewan, of course... big potash producer.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 06:38 AM

A lot of blame, and maple syrup.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 12:44 AM

Yup. You can buy a peerage with enough money, Dianavan. Here's hoping he NEVER comes back. I wonder if Penelope Rutledge and Barbara Amiel have had a chance to dine together yet and compare notes?

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST,John O'Lennaine
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 12:12 AM

When I left school my first job was in a factory. It was 1969 - the tail end of the golden age when it was not important to be actually doing anything, but it was expected that you should at least make an effort to appear to be doing something.
I worked with a Canadian who advised me to take very small steps, so that you seemed to be walking fast but were actually going nowhere fairly slowly.
For having received this invaluable bit of information at the very start of my working life I will always be grateful, so thank you Canada for sending that bloke my way.

BTW
That same bloke also told me about McDonalds. Where I grew up (The Sutherland Shire), we had just gotten our first Kentucky Fried outlet, and this guy told me "Wait 'til McDonalds gets here." He explained the hamburger outlet and the clown, and I said "What? Hamburgers and clowns? You're kidding."
Seems so long ago...

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: dianavan
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 07:33 PM

The British made Conrad Black a Lord! I hope that means he will stay there forever. Canada does not want him back.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: CarolC
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 03:52 PM

I've only heard them live once, Number 6, and that was in Columbus, Georgia a couple of years ago. They were great. A couple of them even came over to our table and hung out with us for a while during a break in between sets. They were very friendly and a lot of fun.

Does Monica play the accordion, Rapaire?

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Mooh
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 02:40 PM

Guest Mike...Secord's home at Queenston is preserved as a museum or monument isn't it? It's been a while since I've been there obviously. She was born in Massachusetts I think and didn't come to Upper Canada until after the American revolution. She lived into her 90s, largely by the skin of her teeth, with little recognition of her deed by the crown.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 02:07 PM

Has anyone yet mentioned Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker? Or Monica Mapsalak (Geez, CarolC, you haven't heard of her?)?










(When I was checking out Ian & Sylvia the search engine kicked up:

Ian And Sylvia Sale
New & used Ian And Sylvia. Check out the deals now!

Okay..........)

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 12:10 PM

The world's longest border, defended only from mad cows.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST,mike_in_st_c
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 11:06 AM

One I forgot, John Acorn of, "Twits and Pishers", currently on the Life network. He even sings :-).

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 10:59 AM

Canada has also given the UK Conrad Black. And you can bloody well KEEP him too!

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: number 6
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 10:46 AM

Here's another Canadian contribution specifically to the UK (if not the world) .....   Eric Clapton

If not for his Canadian father, well there would be no 'ol Slowhand !

sIx

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST,mike_in_st_c
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 10:12 AM

I don't know if this has been mentioned, James Cameron from Chippewa,ON outside Niagara Falls, ON. Hence, the reference in, "Titanic", to "Chippewa Falls".
As to the above mentioned Winnie the Pooh--the Winnipeg connection!
Mooh, Laura Secord's home is located between Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines. Although, I must admit, I haven't seen it yet. Driven by many times.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: number 6
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 09:32 AM

What have the Canadians ever given the UK?

Well:
Lord Beaverbrook

Lord Thompson of Fleet

Boots Pharmacies

Winnie the Pooh (the bear that provided inspiration was Canadian)

Many sacrificies (as Gnu stated), specifically the Dieppe raid which greatly inflated the ego of Lord Mountbatten.


sIx

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: gnu
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 08:36 AM

Gaia... "not very much for the UK." ???!!! We backed you up in every war you ever fought. Above was a post saying Canada had a whole beach to themselves on D-Day. Well, there would have been no D-Day without the Dieppe Raid by the Canucks. What about Vimy ? It was the Canucks who finally drove the Gerrys back at Vimy and changed the course of the war. I could go on and on... we even supplied you with our cold weather gear and tactical advice during The Falklands.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Micca
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 08:25 AM

Gaia in reply to your post 100 two words and one word
"Vimy Ridge"
"Dieppe"

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Mooh
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 08:03 AM

Number6...You're welcome. I used to take great pleasure in Mendleson Joe's letters to the editor of the Toronto Star. If I ever become prime minister, you know who I want to do the official portrait!

Add to the list, sorry for any dupication:

Nellie McClung

Emily Carr

Pauline Johnson

Shawnadithit...though I'm sure she never thought of herself as Canadian.

Laura Secord...born American but hero to Canada.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 06:04 AM

100 and not very much for the UK.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 06:03 AM

99

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 10:56 PM

It's hard to bash people who chug maple syrup, wear toques, and say "Oh, heck!" when they get mad. :-) Canada is a very civil country. I like it.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Peace
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 10:50 PM

"Canada's involvement in United Nations peacekeeping dates back to 1948, when it contributed to the force sent to the Middle East to monitor a ceasefire between Israeli and Arab armies. Over the years, Canadian peacekeepers have participated in 66 missions in the Middle East, the Balkans, India-Pakistan, Africa and Central America."

The above is from

UN Chronicle | Peacekeepers' Day in Canada



The present number of Canadian military lives given to peace is 110. Of this as a nation we can be proud.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: number 6
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 10:44 PM

What is amazing with this thread is the total lack of Canuck bashing. Makes me even more proud to be a Canadian.

Carol C. .... the Down Child Blues Band ... many fond memories of them at the great (now gone) Canadian landmark and institution, the El Mocambo!

Another great Canadian instition is Grossman's Bar on Spadina.

Mooh .... thanks for mentioning Mendelson Joe (they call him the belt maker) !!

SiX

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 08:13 PM

Im with Little Hawk ! All of the Band (except levone Helm ) . What an amazing group.
            
             What a polite neibourgh Canada has been . quite an inspiration really .
             I hope we all learn from their medical system as well. I know they have problems but try having a Cancer servivor for a child and an Autuistic kid with Insurence . We are uninsurable .
               
                Oh yes nobody mentioned Little Neophite or for that matter Banjo Bonnie ..
               All the best , Guy

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: dianavan
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 07:19 PM

Canada gave me a wonderful daughter and friends that became family.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Micca
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 07:00 PM

Good North American Beer ie
Upper Canada Rebellion!!!
some really nice people
and if they had done NOTHING else for us
then they gave us
CET and Charmion!!!

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: CarolC
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 05:37 PM

Oops. I forgot to mention also... some of my best friends.

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: CarolC
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 05:35 PM

My paternal grandfather, my wonderful husband, all of my in-laws, The Downchild Blues Band (the band that was the inspiration for "The Blues Brothers".

LadyJean, if you ever go to Newfoundland, you'll want to pronounce that "NewfoundLAND" (emphasis on the last cyllable).

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: Weasel Books
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 05:31 PM

The White House......

Subject: RE: What have the Canadians ever done 4 us
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 02:47 PM

better beer