I wonder if this will lead Canadian broadcaster Rick Mercer to now do a segment called “Talking with Canadians.” It appears that our good friends to the north aren’t as well versed in their own history as they perhaps should be. From Canada’s Globe and Mail:
A national survey has found that more than two in five Canadians could not identify Sir John A. Macdonald as the country’s first prime minister.
The Dominion Institute also found that only one-quarter of people surveyed could identify Sir Wilfrid Laurier as Canada’s first francophone prime minister.
More people in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario got the Laurier question right than in Quebec.
Marc Chalifoux, the executive director of the Dominion Institute, says it’s disheartening that Canadians know so little about great nation builders.
Mr. Macdonald’s birthday is on Sunday, and the survey also found that only 13 per cent of Canadians could identify the significance of Jan. 11.
The survey of 1,000 adults in Canada was conducted by telephone between Nov. 5 and 9, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Israeli forces pounded rocket-launching sites and smuggling tunnels in Gaza Saturday and planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation in attacks, as Palestinian militants fired at least 15 more rockets at Israel. More from the New York Times:
Israel warned Gaza residents on Saturday that it was preparing the next phase of its war against Hamas — a deeper ground force operation — as diplomatic efforts to end the 15-day assault and Hamas rocket fire into Israel faltered.
Tank and artillery fire pounded Gaza all night and day, with plumes of black smoke visible especially in the eastern part of Gaza City. A tank shell landed outside the home of a family in Jabaliya, northeast of the city, killing eight members of the same family who were sitting outside, hospital officials said, bringing the death toll to more than 820. Nearly half of the dead were reported to be civilians.
United Nations relief operations resumed after a daylong suspension prompted by fears for the safety of the drivers. On Thursday, a United Nations driver was killed and two others were wounded from what the agency said was Israeli fire. Israel issued a statement on Saturday saying it was certain that the shooting had not come from its forces, adding that the drivers were treated in an Israeli hospital. It also redoubled its assurances to the United Nations on holding its fire around aid convoys.
Bob McDonnell is the Attorney General of Virginia and so far the only candidate for the Republican nomination in the race for Governorship of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This ad is Internet-only and it is a two minute spot. Don’t you just love the jail scenes. Lock’em up baby!
The top ad was released today. It is a 30 second spot and Internet-only. The bottom ad was released in late October of 2008. It is a 90 second spot and Internet-only.