Tomorrow is Independence Day so let me start off this post with the most patriotic image ever!

Next, let me remind everyone that fireworks can be hazardous!  Take this safety recall notice as an example (this is real btw):

Black Cat® Fireworks Recalls Fireworks Due to Injury Hazard

Hazard: The firework can produce a loud bang and unexpectedly scatter debris, posing an injury hazard to the user and bystanders.

Apparently the Consumer Product Safety Commission is now issuing safety recall notices for products that do exactly what they were intended to do!

Be safe this weekend and be sure to blow something up to celebrate your independence!  God Bless the CPSC…I mean America (the country that funds the CPSC).

I had no idea that today was Canada Day, being that I’m not in or near Canada, but my boss is a very proud Canadian, so of course our department is decked out in the red and white maple leaf flag today.

So let’s all take a moment to recognize the many invaluable contributions that our kindly neighbors to the north have made that better our lives from day to day:

• Bob and Doug McKenzie
• Rush
• Those counterfeit nickels and pennies that always turn up in the change compartment of my car, but aren’t accepted by any American vending machines.
• A handy scapegoat in the event that we want to blame some random country for the world’s troubles and attack it mercilessly without fear of reprisal.

And so much more. So when you see your Candanianese brothers and sisters today, be sure to wish them a happy Canada day, and use words like “knob,” “hoser,” and “eh” a lot, to make them feel at home.

**ADDENDUM**
Atticusser astutely reminded me that he and I only recently engaged in a chat about the many gifts that come from Canada. So for more reasons to love our neighbors to the north, click here.