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Currently at Toronto Pearson: 27. High today: 33. First interestingly hot day of the year. EC is calling 35 for tomorrow.
Haven't seen Jo(e) since I bopped Jo(e) on the nose. I planted the rest of my squash and pea seedlings today, and most of the rest of my beans--having dug myself some more garden in the interesting heat--so I expect I'll be seeing Jo(e) tomorrow, although the raccoons also really enjoy sitting on my peas for some reason.
Yesterday, in honour of the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812, the Globe and the Post both had War of 1812 quizzes. I took the Globe's online first. Question 2 is this: "British forces occupied Washington, D.C. and burned public buildings during 1814 in retaliation for what act by the Americans?" I, like any Torontonian with half (but only half) a clue, picked "The burning of York in 1813". (Similarly, Canadians with half, but only half, a clue, will tell you with great confidence that the White House got its name from the whitewash applied to cover the smoke damage after we (sic) burned it.) The quiz has it that this is wrong, and the correct answer is "The destruction of Port Dover in 1814". Later, I took the Post's quiz, free promotional Posts having been dumped on our street yesterday. Question 8 there is: "The White House in Washington, D.C. was burned in retaliation for what?" There is nothing to do with Port Dover among the options offered; there is, however, "The burning of York", which this quiz deems to be the correct answer. (Uncle Wikipedia, incidentally, unsurprisingly, sides with the Globe.)
Playing the Buzztime (nee NTN) Trivia down the pub lately has had me frequently pondering how there are two basic kinds of people: people who know facts, and people who work things out. People who work things out are more intellectually virtuous in obvious ways--they are "critical", they tend not to hold contradictory beliefs, and so on. But people who work things out are also much more likely to give you the wrong answer when you're playing a trivia game. (I think much that goes on in Plato's dialogues is warning against falling in love with working things out.)
( Here's today's bugs: )
Haven't seen Jo(e) since I bopped Jo(e) on the nose. I planted the rest of my squash and pea seedlings today, and most of the rest of my beans--having dug myself some more garden in the interesting heat--so I expect I'll be seeing Jo(e) tomorrow, although the raccoons also really enjoy sitting on my peas for some reason.
Yesterday, in honour of the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812, the Globe and the Post both had War of 1812 quizzes. I took the Globe's online first. Question 2 is this: "British forces occupied Washington, D.C. and burned public buildings during 1814 in retaliation for what act by the Americans?" I, like any Torontonian with half (but only half) a clue, picked "The burning of York in 1813". (Similarly, Canadians with half, but only half, a clue, will tell you with great confidence that the White House got its name from the whitewash applied to cover the smoke damage after we (sic) burned it.) The quiz has it that this is wrong, and the correct answer is "The destruction of Port Dover in 1814". Later, I took the Post's quiz, free promotional Posts having been dumped on our street yesterday. Question 8 there is: "The White House in Washington, D.C. was burned in retaliation for what?" There is nothing to do with Port Dover among the options offered; there is, however, "The burning of York", which this quiz deems to be the correct answer. (Uncle Wikipedia, incidentally, unsurprisingly, sides with the Globe.)
Playing the Buzztime (nee NTN) Trivia down the pub lately has had me frequently pondering how there are two basic kinds of people: people who know facts, and people who work things out. People who work things out are more intellectually virtuous in obvious ways--they are "critical", they tend not to hold contradictory beliefs, and so on. But people who work things out are also much more likely to give you the wrong answer when you're playing a trivia game. (I think much that goes on in Plato's dialogues is warning against falling in love with working things out.)
( Here's today's bugs: )
