Thursday, July 21, 2005

Elephantime Problems

So last night I was watching the National and they were doing a story on the implications of the US's decision to extend Daylight Saving Time for Canada. I actually heard the reporter say, "Time is a Provincial responsibility". Yes, indeedy, those politicians you elected within the last five years have the authority to change the hour the sun rises and yet they have difficulty with numbers already. Prime example is Ontario's own Dalton McGuinty who, prior to being elected, promised that residents in Long-Term Care Facilities would get three baths a week. After the election, far too long after, it was upped to two and called a victory. If three is equal to two....well I just can't wait to see how they fuck this one up. Not that it would be better if the feds were in charge of "time". Never mind not being able to count, they'd just lose it entirely. Or give it to some ad agency in Quebec.

Reminds me of the great Canadian joke. Lots of versions are on the web, all slightly different, but here's one that captures the point well:

You have perhaps heard the story of the four students - British, French, American, Canadian - who were asked to write an essay on elephants. The British student entitled his essay "Elephants and the Empire." The French student called his "Love and the Elephant." The title of the American student's essay was "Bigger and Better Elephants," and the Canadian student called his "Elephants: A Federal or Provincial Responsibility?"

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