In all thy sons command
So is it a done deal with our national anthem?
Have they changed the lyrics or not? I’m always a few furlongs behind.
I hope it’s not true. I’ll never be anybody’s
son, but I am not the least bit offended by the current wording. Anyone with an
understanding of classical English knows that “in all thy sons command”
includes sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. The proposed
change, “in all of us command,” sounds far less poetic. If we must change it, I
say, “in all our hearts command” would ring true to the spirit of the message
while remaining gender neutral. Why didn’t someone already suggest it? Maybe
because it would alienate the heartless?
Making O
Canada gender-neutral is not a hill I’m prepared to die on, but what really
surprises me is that they haven’t taken God out of the song yet. If that day
comes, I’ll stand stubbornly among the rebels. I will sing “God keep our land
glorious and free” until my last breath, no matter how they might politically
correct it. How about you?
Invented by Canadians
I’m proud to be a Canadian, and to celebrate
this Canada Day I snooped around for some interesting items invented by our
own. I’m sure you know about the telephone, the zipper, and the development of
insulin to treat diabetes. But here’s a few that might be new to you.
In the world of food, Canadians take credit
for poutine, Nanaimo bars, Pablum, the bloody Caesar, Crispy Crunch bars and Coffee
Crisp bars. Looks like we’re doing our bit to add to the general ill-health and
obesity of North America. Thankfully, we can also take credit for John
McIntosh’s development of McIntosh apples, although one a day may not be much
help if you’re also ingesting those other things at the same rate.
In entertainment, did you know Superman was created
by Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932? Or that Canadian Reginald
Fessenden invented the AM Radio in 1906? A Cnuck named Roman Kroitor was a
co-inventor of IMAX in 1968, and the game of Trivial Pursuit was invented by
Chris Haney and Scott Abbott in 1979.
In the sports arena, it’s not surprising that
ice hockey, goalie masks, and instant replay were all invented by Canadians.
But did you know Basketball and Five Pin Bowling also have Canadian roots?
And in the general field of making our lives
easier, the alkaline battery was invented by Canadian chemical engineer Lewis
Urry in 1954, the caulking gun by Theodore Witte in 1894, the Jolly Jumper by
Olivia Poole in 1959, the garbage bag by Harry Wasylyk in 1950, and the paint
roller by Norman James Breakey in 1940.
I could list more. Canadians are ingenious,
imaginative, and inventive people. I suppose if we weren’t resourceful and
creative, we wouldn’t survive the unforgiving climate of our home and native land. But I can think of two
more inventions Canadians should devise: something to make us permanently and
safely unattractive to mosquitoes, and a national anthem which pleases
everybody. Good luck with that.
Happy Canada Day!