James Gosling Appointed to the Order of Canada

Andrija Ifkovic writes "James Gosling, the creator of Java language and a VP of Sun has been appointed to the Order of Canada. 'The Order of Canada recognizes outstanding lifetime achievement and contributions to society and the country by Canadians from all walks of life.' This is the highest honor Canada can bestow upon its citizens."

Re:Congrats

[Keith Russell]

Yeah, because comedy can't possibly contribute anything to a culture, ya hoser.

Freedom Medal

[javamann]

As opposed to our 'Freedom Medal' which you get if you really fu*k up badly.

Re:Pamela Anderson too

[danpsmith]

Pam's from up here. At least we're not responsible for Anna though. Only Texas could produce a trainwreck of that magnitude.

There, fixed that for you.

Re:Highest Honor

[hey]

Almost. The highest honoUr is the Stanley Cup itself.

Honor isn't measured in dollars

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't say "the best that Canada can offer", it says "the highest honor Canda can bestow". Maybe your honor system uses dollars as its measure, but Canada's does not.

Re:Canada? yeah right or is it UK?

[WillAffleckUW]

Well, no. See for well over a century we have been an independent country up here in Canada.

Not only that, but unlike the US, Canada has equal rights for women, permits gay marriages, and solved the whole abortion debate decades ago.

Plus, they have Nelly Furtado. Think about it ...

And, at one point, I happened to be away from my Army unit on back-to-back training courses when the Queen visited - and so was the only member of my unit not to have a medal from that visit. Dang.

Re:Canada? yeah right

[crabpeople]

American money has the symbol of the illuminati and an oath to an imaginary supernatural being. I think canada wins here.

Re:That would explain "Dubya"

[multisync]

I thought "Dubya" was born in Connecticut.

Re:Canada? yeah right

[esme]

...you US folks have this pre-conditioned distrust of Royalty for some unfathomable reason...

call me crazy, but as an atheist and devout (small-r) republican, i find the idea that someone is worthy of being my head of state by dint of their lineage, and ultimately because of divine right, to be not just preposterous, but offensive.

i know it doesn't make much practical difference. i lived in england for a couple of years, and i never had to make any profession of fealty or bow to royalty in any way. but still i find it bizarre that such progressive countries should allow such a remnant of despotism to linger for so long.

-esme

Re:Canada? yeah right

[fyoder]

Someone has to be head of state. Personally, I think it's best if that figure has little real political power, since they will attract a lot of misplaced emotional projection. There are Americans who think, for example, that it's unpatriotic to criticize the president. Citizens should be critical of those who wield power. Let them feel that it's unpatriotic to criticize the king, and feel free to throw tomatoes or garlands at their elected officials as deserved.

The founding fathers of the US should have made Benjamin Franklin king. Again, let the king have no real political power, but as a figurehead head of state for the US, King Ben the first would have been great.

Re:You Oughtta Know

[Max Littlemore]

Yeah the song is called 'Ironic' and it isn't actually ironic. It's kind of ironic isn't it. Oh yeah, you wouldn't get it :-P

Re:Canada? yeah right

[gobbo]

The concept of "Royalty" is a history-encompassing scam where brigand families who murdered and backstabbed their way to political dominance, then established the fiction that they were fundamentally superior by the grace of genetics and edict of God, and used that fiction to claim right to subjugate and torture their "subjects" when not embroiling them in self-enriching wars.

I wholeheartedly agree! Off with their heads! That's what's so great about the land of the brave: Americans don't have royalty, the same way they don't have an Empire.