Sweetpea Baby Food and Organic Snacks. Have you tried their cookies?

When was the last time you ripped open a bag of Sweetpea Organic Cookies, served them for family, friends or guests, and had any leftover to be eaten later?  Probably not very often.   These cookies, if you have not tried them before, are addictive.  They are great for what they have as much as for what they do not have.  If you have not tried them before, you might want to have a quick read below, to see what makes these cookies so unique, which will probably lead you to run out and pick up a bag of any (or all) of the 3 flavours of these cookies;

Sweetpea Baby Food Organic Cookies

1) They are for ages 1-101.  Really they are.  The cookies are flavourful, but certainly not overpowering.  If you freeze them, young kids can teethe on them, and if you put them out on a plate, the pretty flower pattern makes them look appealing.

2) The cookies are organic.

3) They are made from 100% whole grain organic ingredients.

4) They are dairy-free.

5) They were made without salt.

6) They do not contain eggs, preservatives or additives.

7) They are certified Kosher.

8) They are made in a peanut-free facility.

9) They come in resealable bags – so you might not want to “rip” open the bag unless you know there are not going to be any cookies left over.

Whew.

And the three flavours they currently come in are; Banana Pear, Pumpkin Spice and Sweet Apple.

As a parent, you can be comfortable having your nanny leave out cookies for your children and for their playdates because they do not have much of what children are allergic to – nuts, eggs, dairy and they also cover off dietary restrictions by being certified Kosher.  The fact they taste great is secondary to their appeal across the masses, but is also what keeps people from buying them over and over again.

Did I mention that the packaging rocks!

Have a look;

What parent wouldn’t want these in their house?

If all the information I provided above has not convinced you to try these cookies, I dropped by the Sweetpea website, and pulled off some nutritional information which you certainly will find interesting as it relates to the flavours and ingredients chosen to go into the cookies.

Sweet Apple:

• When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage.
• Whole grain spelt flour has a higher protein content than normal wheat grown under similar conditions
• Eating organic snacks ensures your child’s diet is free from harmful herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

Banana Pear:

• Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and magnesium
• Pears are an excellent source of water-soluble fiber
• Canada’s new Food Guide recommends that at least half of your grain consumption daily is whole grains – which contain phytonutrients (plant chemicals that fight disease).

Pumpkin Spice:

• Pumpkins are a rich source of potassium
• Spelt is a nutritious source of B2, manganese, niacin, thiamin and copper.

You can follow Sweetpea Baby Food and Organic Snacks on Facebook here.

I’m ready for some cookies right about now, but cannot choose between the flavours, so I think I’m going to have to open a bag of each flavour, mix them all together and just enjoy what comes next, one cookie at a time.

2012 Canadian Weblog Awards: I’ve been nominated!

My blogs, The Urban Daddy and In-tax-icating have been nominated for the 2012 Ninjamatics Canadian Weblog Awards. What a great way to end up 2012.

I have always felt that as Canadians we need to speak up more and promote our own blogging talents.  We live in the best country in the world and we’re a little on the shy side, a lot on the polite side – not as in your face as some other countries (ahem: America).  :)  So it’s really great that the kind folks at Ninjamatics are doing all of us bloggers a favour by creating and hosting these awards.

It’s always an honour to be nominated, which I have before, but as these awards grow in popularity it seems even less likely that I will ever win because the talent in each category is out of this world.  I’ve been going through the nominations in each category and with each blog I check out I am more and more impressed.  We’ve got some great bloggers up here in Canada, eh?

The Urban Daddy has been nominated in three categories;

Family & Parenting,

General Interest,

and Lifetime Achievement.

In-tax-icating has been nominated in the Business & Career and Topical categories.

The Ninjamatics’ 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards are a juried competition which means — no voting – so I don’t have to ask (or beg) people to vote for me.  Yay.

The nominees shortlist will be announced on January 15, 2013, and the winners will be announced on January 31, 2013.

A running blogroll of the nominees is kept on the Ninjamatica website throughout the year so that they can continue to highlight Canada’s blogging talent. 

O’ Canada: I know you changed the name of a Province not too long ago… Right?!?

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve got to stop making bets with my wife that I lose.  She tells me that she never makes a bet that she will lose, however I try time and time again.

Now I’ve got more than her to challenge me.  I’ve also got Linus to fare with.  He likes to interject his opinion on the world – whether he knows what he’s talking about or not – when he says; “Actually”…Then he throws out his 2 cents worth.    For example he is studying the Provinces and their capitals in school, and while I was testing him, he corrected me and said; “Actually, Toronto is the Capital of Canada and Ontario is the Capital of Toronto.”

Yup.

So after my wife and I set him straight (with a little help from Siri to reinforce the point) we decided to have a discussion about the provinces and territories in Canada as a family.  Note: I think he gave in because he 100% trusts what his mother tells him, clearly more than what I have to say, because mummy is a teacher, and teachers know everything!

In our discussion I mentioned that recently – within the past 10 years – Canada added a territory and changed the names of a province and a territory and that I did not believe it was Newfoundland, but I was not sure.  So we discussed, they called me crazy, we discussed some more, they were convinced I was crazy and we left it at that.

Later that evening we had friends over and with all 7-children in the basement playing I again brought this up to our distinguished guests and after my explaining that there was a recent name change or 2, there were now 4 additional people calling me crazy.

The sticking point here for my wife was that when she was in school she was taught that the province of Newfoundland was really Newfoundland and Labrador and if this was the name change I was thinking of, then I cannot say it occurred “recently” because 1949 was not recent.   I agreed.

So I went to Wikipedia and provided this update for my wife and guests:

On January 4th, 1999, Nunavut split from Northwest Territories.  Nunavut was assigned “NU" as its province code in mid-2000.

That we knew.

On December 6th, 2001, an amendment to Canada’s federal Constitution Act officially approved a name change from the easternmost province of Newfoundland to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The move for change began in the early 1990s to provide “symbolic but important recognition of Labrador’s status as a full and vital partner within the province, with its own unique geography, history and culture.”   On October 21st, 2002, NL was recognized as the provincial symbol for Newfoundland and Labrador, replacing NF.

Insert huge smile here.

But there was more…

On January 1st, 2003, The name of Yukon Territory was changed to Yukon.

So Dads, if you ever decide to Google the term, “I was right”, you will probably come to this post.  Not only was I right, but I educated 5 adults, 7 children (and myself).

Now you know too.

Related articles

• What is the top tourist attraction in Canada? (lfpress.com)
• Newfoundland’s food revolution (matadornetwork.com)
• Targa Newfoundland: To drive and survive in a 2006 Mini Cooper S JCW rally car (motortrend.com)

11.11.12. 11:11am. Remember…

Canada remains one of the best countries in the world in which to live.  From its politics to its economy to its geography, this country has a tremendous amount to offer its citizens who are blessed with freedom, opportunity and a comparatively high standard of living. But much of what Canadians enjoy today is also owed to history, in particular the men and women who persevered through good and bad towards a future defined by creativity and commitment. This trait is especially evident in our military history which on the whole needs to be better understood to be appreciated.

“The truth is that we are a country made by war and composed in some important measure of warriors,” notes the preface in the Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History. Indeed, from the time of the First Nation empires through the Plains of Abraham, the War of 1812, South African War, the world wars, Korean War and the war in Afghanistan, the long and braided storyline of our military history runs through costly lessons learned as well as moments of unparalleled pride.

These words come to us from the Royal Canadian Legion, in a teaching package they provided in order to educate students on the history and importance of Remembrance Day. 

I went through the document, and I am a huge supporter of those who have fought for our country, our freedoms, and to protect our land, or to protect others.  Those who lived, those who died and those who were injured deserve our respect.

The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans organization) which was founded in 1925.  Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of members and also affiliated members.

Here is the link to the teaching package and I strongly recommend you go through it as I did and share it in order to help educate fellow Canadians about the role that the military played in the creation of this country and protecting and helping others.

http://www.legion.ca/_PDF/Teachers/TeachingGuide2012_e.pdf

We Will Never Forget.

Related articles

• More Canadians to attend services this Remembrance Day: Survey (sunnewsnetwork.ca)
• Royal Canadian Legion’s Virtual Wall of Honour and Remembrance (canadafreepress.com)

Have You Heard About the C.C. Mixed & Ready Canadian Cover Challenge?

Let me first get something off my chest.

I love Canadian music!

There.  I said it.  From Platinum Blonde to Colin James, Bryan Adams to Shania Twain, Alanis Morisette to Amanda Marshall.  Old, new… Headstones, Nickleback, Andrew Scott, Tragically Hip, Gowan, Our Lady Peace, rock, pop, country, jazz… I love Canadian music and support the artists where possible by buying their music on iTunes and in the olden days, buying their CD’s (and even older their records and 45′s).

So when the Canadian Club, C.C.® Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge launched June 29th, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this wonderful event which provides a platform for undiscovered Canadian talent to cover one of 5 unique Canadian songs and compete to be noticed for doing the best cover.

I checked out the uploads last week and I have to be honest, these bands are fantastic!   It’s going to be a great contest!

The songs being covered are;

• Steal my Sunshine by Len
• Superman’s dead by Our Lady Peace
• Striptease by Hawksley Workman
• Fat Lip by Sum 41
• Pullin’ Punches by the Arkells.

Here is how the C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge works:

Beginning June 28^th, 2012, Canadian bands are invited to submit their covers on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CanadianClubCanada).  They have until August 27, 2012 for the chance to win an opportunity to have three of their demo songs recorded, mixed and mastered in Toronto, plus $3,000 for band gear and / or transit to Toronto for the recording session.

Winners will be selected based on a combination of Facebook voting (25%) and C.C. Mixed & Ready’s judging panel (75%), consisting of music industry experts and brand representatives of which I will proudly be involved.

The winning submission will be announced by September 15, 2012.

The Canadian Club Canada’s Facebook page will contain, in addition to the clips, comments on the bands, feedback, tweets on the event by Canadian Club insiders and the general public, as well as information about some C.C. Mixed & Ready live music events being held in Ontario and Alberta in August featuring some great Canadian bands.

C.C. Mixed & Ready Music Events:

Ontario:

• Thursday, August 16^th to Sunday, August 19^th: The Havelock Country Jamboree, featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lynyrd Skynyrd -  Havelock, Ontario
• Saturday, September 1^st and Sunday, September 2^nd: Saugeen Summer Nights featuring Hawksley Workman – Clifford Ball Park Arena, Clifford, Ontario

Alberta:

• Thursday, August 2^nd to Sunday, August 5^th: Big Valley Jamboree, featuring Blake Shelton , Toby Keith and Rascall Flatts, Camrose, Alberta
• Saturday, September 1^st: X-Fest, featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Calgary, Alberta
• Sunday, September 2^nd: Sonic Boom featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Edmonton, Alberta

C.C. Mixed & Ready will wrap the summer at a special concert event in Toronto, headlined by an exciting Canadian band.  Details on this concert to be revealed in late-July.

About the Product:

As a bonus to being involved in this contest I received a care package from the fine folks at Matchsticks.ca which contained a product I have never heard of, the Canadian Club’s new C.C. Mixed & Ready drink, designed to expand Canadian whisky into the ready-to-drink market and capture interest from consumers who are new to the world of whisky.    The brand focused on the most popular mixes – Ginger Ale and Cola – to create a convenient, refreshing ready-to-drink option.  CC and Ale happens to be my go to drink, so this was a welcomed treat and a fantastic product considering Ready-to-drink beverages are becoming increasingly popular, having risen in volume by almost 4% globally in 2011 over 2010.

In case you are wondering how you missed this product, Canada, it’s because it was test-marketed in Alberta in 2011 and is currently available in Ontario and Alberta in 473 mL cans for approximately $2.95 and 355 mL 6-packs for approximately $12.95.

Feel free to join and follow the conversation: #mixedandready.

The Fine Print:

C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge contest is open to residents of Canada (not including Quebec) who are of legal drinking age, of course.

So if you are interested in uploading a song, you had better get moving!   And if you appreciate Canadian music and wish to check out some up and coming bands and lend some support and encouraging words, come by.

Related articles

• Canadian Club toasts history and tradition (lfpress.com)

Quiznos: What happened to you???

Quiznos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Quiznos…

What happened to you? You used to be so cool, “Toast that tastes great!” was the tag line Don Cherry used to blast out in the commercials.

But now?!? Damn.

In December, in the office, we tried to order online for an office function, but after placing the order – so we thought – instead of showing us the shopping cart, the website instead prompted us to “place our order” and removed everything in our cart.  The 15 minutes we spent getting all the details together was wasted.

Also of concern at that time was the fact that the website doesn’t list the prices of the food.  To be sure I was not pointing out incorrect information, I went to http://www.quiznosdelivers.ca/ and low and behold, no prices.  I actually had a hard time finding the menu – I found the button to buy a franchise, however I was thinking of spending a little less than that.

So we tried again, held our breath and ordered.  No dice.

So we called the local Quiznos in Richmond Hill and were dumbfounded at what we were being told over the phone. 

The pizza we wanted to order was not available as there was no cheese and get this, the person taking the orders on the phone had such poor english that after ordering 4 of their specials, we ended up with 4 regular priced sandwiches.

No cheese???

So I went to their website to locate the feedback or contact us section so I could complain about the lack of prices on the website and why the online ordering was not working but there is nowhere on the site to send an email, or an address to tweet to.  Just a phone number?  REALLY?

Are we in 2012 (then late 2011).

And they don’t deliver, and their idea of ”bottled drinks”… Cans.

The soggiest toasted sandwich ever.

All-in-all, a very disappointing experience. Someone needs to pull the CEO aside and let them know that the quickest way to being out of business is to not keep up with technologies and providing less than exceptional customer service and getting the orders right.

Is this not common sense?

Anyone else experience this?

I think we need an Undercover Boss, Quiznos episode.  At the very least, with my MBA, I can come in and clean up the process… Forget that dude who lost weight eating your competitors products, bring back Don Cherry and with him and the Urban Daddy, you’ll be back on track in no time!

Related articles

• ♩♫ Where have all the Quiznos gone? ♬♪ (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Quiznos Turns to Former Friendly’s Exec (blogs.wsj.com)

If you want to be a MP, shouldn’t you at least know (to the nearest 5 million) how many Canadians there are in Canada?

Quick:  How many Canadians live in Canada?

Come on.

Give me your best guess… We’re a big country… 20 million?  25 million?  30 million?  If you said 33 million people according to the last census, you would be correct!

If you guessed “almost 9 million people”, well not only would you be WAY off base, but you would also be Scarborough NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan.  At a conference on “Human Rights Abuses in Sri Lanka” last Wednesday, Rathika, while speaking about her struggles as a young Tamil child in Sri Lanka, uttered the following comment about the number of Tamils in Canada, and the number of Canadians in Canada; 

 ”Tamils united, in Canada we’re about 300,000 strong, But Canadians united in Canada we’re a huge force to be reckoned with. We’re almost 9 million if I remember the number correctly. That’s 9 million Canadians strong. Standing together to fight for human rights.”

Screeeeeeech….

She was then interrupted by an audience member who pointed out the number was actually 33 million at which point she tried to hide her error by making the following comment;

“You know what I was thinking of.  I was thinking of the people that came out and voted in the past election.”

… Oh boy…

14.8 million people voted in the last election.

Granted after watching the YouTube video I could tell she was guessing at the numbers of Canadians when she paused trying to collect her thoughts and then referred to the vast number of Canadians before throwing out a number hoping to be close.  She wasn’t close.

More than 9 million Canadians live in Toronto and Montreal.

So while I appreciate that not every Canadian knows the number of Canadians - my guess was just under 30 million, this shows what happens when voter sentiment determines a change needs to be made and does so by electing a party to opposition status (thank goodness not to be the ruling government) who are not prepared to be in that position.  Dare I add that if this was a conservative, the left-wing media would be all over them and asking for them to apologize to Canadians.

But some good has come from this fiasco.  We all know there are 33 million Canadians living in Canada and it’s projected to be 34.7 million by the next census.  As well, some news outlets pointed out that because she’s such a pretty young lady, this non-issue will help her grow in her political career.  Hey!  Nothing surprises me in Canadian politics anymore.   

So since the Liberals were obliterated from power in that election that had only “9 million” voters, maybe they can start working on a training package for all rookie MP’s to help them with some of life’s greatest mysteries.  Population of Canada is today’s issue, the next issue might be the number of provinces in the country, or possibly Canada’s location in North America… or worse, the number of Canadian hockey teams.  (There are 7 now that Winnipeg is back in the league).

Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg.

Here is a link to an article by Yahoo Canada with the YouTube video so you can see it for yourself.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/ndp-mp-rathika-sitsabaiesan-population-math-may-fine-213352701.html

Related articles

• Scarborough MP ‘rammed’ in hit-and-run (thestar.com)

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Iconic Canadian Bands according to Supernova CEO Elliott Hurst and me!

 

I am a born and raised Torontonian and as a result, I grew up listening to AM and FM radio which under Canadian regulations were required to play a percentage of Canadian music.  Due to that ruling which I believe is still in place, I became fond of Canadian acts such as; Platinum Blonde, Glass Tiger, Gowan, Mitsou, Triumph, the Box, TPOH, and the list goes on.

When discussing music around my office, with so few people as, ahem, aged as I am, and so many 1st and second generation immigrants, they have no idea who Canadian bands are, so I thought about creating a list – checking it twice with the help of Supernova CEO Elliott Hurst, and sharing some Canadiana with my readers.

If you are Canadian, you should recognize at least half of this list regardless of what kind of music you listen to.

If you are a non-resident of Canada, you should recognize 3 bands on this list.

Can you guess which ones?

So here are the 13 most iconic Canadian bands, and some honourable mentions.  For each band I have attached a YouTube link to probably their most memorable song and the name of that song;

1. Rush – http://youtu.be/U7DFsBcVMDA - Tom Sawyer

2. The Tragically Hip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2joQsWXJg - Ahead By A Century

3. Guess Who – http://youtu.be/gkqfpkTTy2w - American Woman

4. Arcade Fire – http://youtu.be/NNfWC4Sgkcs - Rebellion (Lies)

5. BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive) – http://youtu.be/NCIUf8eYPqA - Takin’ Care of Business

6. The Band – http://youtu.be/-WoI95PTizs - Don’t Do It.

7. Max Webster / Kim Mitchell – http://youtu.be/WUhc8-vUp8o -> Max Webster’s Paradise Skies.  Kim Mitchell’s Go For Sode –> http://youtu.be/ymORCbgSyEA

8. April Wine – http://youtu.be/hoSVPiuNqHM - Could Have Been a Lady

9. Triumph – http://youtu.be/yahBtp_1jWE - Follow Your Heart (LOVE this song!!!)

10. Steppenwolf – http://youtu.be/xm5DPlNCmtk - Born to be Wild. 

11. Barenaked Ladies – http://youtu.be/wPh_6_u98tI - 7, 8, 9.

12. Blue Rodeo – http://youtu.be/7vw3jUZo9FQ - Try

13. Our Lady Peace – http://youtu.be/O94CW_tIEzU - Starseed

 

Honourable Mentions:

Chilliwack – http://youtu.be/yahBtp_1jWE

Trooper  – http://youtu.be/STiuregSvHg 

Billy Talent – http://youtu.be/RPg63uxYwN0

Saga – http://youtu.be/gx7XbV82JfQ

I Mother Earth – One More Astronaut – http://youtu.be/8cZT4vYiMxU

Sloan – http://youtu.be/tirqAVBoHFI

Honeymoon Suite – http://youtu.be/1_1AhimnRT0

Glass Tiger – http://youtu.be/Dl1DtF_5dkU

The Pursuit of Happiness – http://youtu.be/pSDF8VvU13M

My personal favourite band – Platinum Blonde – http://youtu.be/I4SOnBDe7qs

The Headstones.- http://youtu.be/BukWT54Cv4U

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider - http://youtu.be/uqUa_G1h3pw

Great Big Sea – http://youtu.be/f-oC-kNtPTs

Nickelback – http://youtu.be/BxgeSv88c2w

So, what do you think?  Have you listened to any of these songs?  Did you recognize the bands?  Who makes your list?

67th Anniversary of D-Day – Canada’s role in the liberation of Europe.

Today, June 6th, is the 67th anniversary of the greatest seaborne invasion in history as Canada took part in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.  Canada’s role on this D-Day: to take one of the five designated beaches where Allied forces were to land.  The Americans had Utah and Omaha beaches in the west, then came the British at Gold beach, the Canadians landed at Juno Beach and finally the British arrived at Sword beach all across a stretch of about 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast in France.

The bombardment of the beaches began at 6 a.m.  Two hours later, the German defences at Juno Beach had been shattered and Canada had established the beachhead.

The victory was a turning point in World War II and led to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on his day.  The fighting they endured was fierce and frightening and the  price they paid was high, costing 340 Canadian lives, wounding 574 more.

Unfortunately I did not learn about this in school, neither did my wife.  Instead we learned the best life lesson about D-day in a rather unique way.  We travelled to Normandy as part of our honeymoon. 

For those of you who are new readers of my blog, my wife and I took 5 weeks honeymoon, flew into Paris, France then rented a car and drove up to Normandy, then around the entire country, ending in Paris for the last 3 days.  It was a wonderful trip, looking back at what we saw and where we went.  We stayed in a lot of bed and breakfasts all over the country and enjoyed the countryside and the locals.  Outside of Paris, life in France was wonderful.  Sunflowers, lavender, wheat, mushrooms, and a very small car called a Twingo (which we named Twinga). 

Yes, there were some hiccups like getting extremely sick the last 3 days in Paris, both of us spending each and every second in the hotel hoping to feel better, and my exploits with a manual car.  I realized you can’t push a car over 100km/hr in 3rd gear.  Who knew?  It was also on this trip that I introduced my wife to camembert with fresh tomatoes on a baguette, something we still enjoy - on this past weekend for example.  Top this off with marinated mushrooms and it’s something you cannot beat for flavour.

So what does this have to do with D-day.

Well, as I mentioned our first stop was Normandy to the north-west of Paris.  It was sunny on the drive up there, however, as we settled into the region, it quickly clouded over and started to drizzle.  It was fitting weather as we experienced a piece of history that neither of us understood at that time. 

The beach and water leading up to the beach in Normandy is filled with markers and monuments reflecting the points where the allied forces landed in their attempt to remove the Nazi’s from France and put an end to World War II.  It’s an eerie site.  Then very close to the beach is a giant cemetery.  Row after row of crosses indicating where a Canadian, American or British soldier died.  There was, to the best of my knowledge, a Canadian cemetery and in that cemetery there were some grave markers with Stars of David on them reflecting where a Jewish soldier died.   As is custom, we picked up some stones and placed them on those headstones.  I believe that is done to show others that someone came to visit these people, and if I remember correctly there were more than 30, but less than 50 Jewish Canadian soldiers who died at Juno beach. 

As we were putting the final stones on the graves we noticed another couple wandering around the cemetery.  The rest of this story is a little sketchy because I do not exactly remember what happened from here – and I checked with my wife, but I remember chatting with them and finding out they were locals who upon finding out we were Canadian thanked us very much for saving their country.  That I was able to verify with my wife.  It was 10 years ago, or 57 years after the invasion.

I remember being choked up standing in the cold rain in the middle of a cemetery, with Canadian soldiers who died so far away from home and who are laid to rest in a foreign country.  They died freeing the French from Nazi rule.  We can to see Normandy, we saw the beaches where the allied forced landed and we saw the carnage that remains.  We also saw the soldiers who perished and some locals who were happy to see us.  It was quite surreal.

After that we decided to read up on D-day and to learn a little bit about Canadian history that far too often gets ignored.  Sure it seems that our military is still using equipment from 67 years ago, but not enough attention and respect are paid to our armed forces who risked their lives to assist others – both here in Canada and abroad.  It’s a thankless task.  Imagine if there was a socialist government in Canada at that time?  France would be part of Germany.

So with that, I wish to take a second this D-day to encourage each and every one of you to google either “Normandy”, “D-Day”, “Juno Beach”, “Canada in WWII” or anything relating to Canada’s presence in France and be proud to be Canadian (if you are), or proud of the fact that the Americans, Brits and Canucks came to help out.

It is with great sadness that I mark this anniversary of D-day as I recall standing in a cemetery in the middle of a cold, wet, almost empty beach proud as heck to be a Canadian!

Thursday Thirteen – a little late.

Guest blogger Elliott Hurst, CEO of interactive music technology company Supernova (www.supernova.com) strikes again with a surprise Thursday thirteen.

Here is @supernovelliott

 

As the owner of a growing business, we frequently talk about how to not only build the business, but build the brand of the business as well.  A brand is a promise.  A brand is something that the customer has certain expectations of, and above all, trust.  So it got me thinking of great brands to emulate and take notes from.  And being a proud Canadian, I thought I’d start with Canadian brands.  Brands that are uniquely Canadian.

Top 13 Canadian Corporate brands (not including individuals ie Wayne Gretzky).  What / Who would make your list?

In no order:

1. Tim Hortons
2. Blackberry (RIM)
3. Canadian Tire
4. Toronto Maple Leafs / Montreal Canadiens pick one or both
5. Cirque du Soliel
6. Lululemon
7. TD / RBC pick one or both
8. Roots
9. Air Canada
10. Rogers
11. Muchmusic
12. Molson Canadian / Labatt Blue pick one or both
13. Shoppers Drug Mart

Making this list was not as easy at it appears.  Originally I had Just for Laughs in my list as well as Supernova but removed them for other, better know brands.

 

So?