Greatest Dutchmen

[LadyC]

Andem...
I don't know if it's part of a funky BC sense of humour, or simply just my own brand... but it was most definitely a joke.

Didn't you see the smiley at the bottom?

 

[peapod]

Lady C admen is a easterner...they do not understand us...because they breathe smog all the time...we breathe nice clean air...so there is alway good oxygen running through our brains....thats explains why we are so funny...right? and there are dutch deli"s all over the island

 

[peapod]

Oh ya...vancouver island is loaded with europeans that leave europe and move here...They are everywhere...Who do you think owns all the land around tofino and long beach and sproat lake...germans... we got an entire island founded on finish people just off Port Mcneil. We got dutch people everywhere. We got brits and the irish...I love hanging with the irish...I love the way they talk...and don't forget the scottish...and I have some good friends from bosina...and we got french...and many americans...lots of west coast hawaiians (east indian, good food) and the philiphines...those women can dance...and I could go on..but we are very multi cultural here on the island...and yes we have boat people to...very sweet people...and arabs to...This place is just a hub bub of different people..we could probally build the tower of babylon if we wanted to...and of course there are lumberjacks And now a couple of lesbos are moving back to the rock...we got the makings of a real good party. ah...well on that note..time to pack up and go home....

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

I know Rick is going to be in here like a flash, saying it ain't so, but that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

Exactly (OK, that was not in a flash, my apologies ...)! You are wrong! :wink:

Thinking about it, who are the real great Canadians? Ehm I sorta only can think of some Hollywood stars (Michael J. Fox, Donald Sutherland, Pamela Anderson ....), but they're must be better ones ... Bryan Adams, thinking of it ... Celine Dion (not a fan of her, but I assume she is a great Canadian :wink: ) ... Avril Lavigne ... Shania Twain ... Nelly Furtado ... wow you Canadians are real good when it comes to music, aren't you? ... and Alanis Morrissette (I'm using a website as source now by the way) ... wow didn't know Leonard Cohen is also a Canadian ... and Neve Campbell too! ... Jim Carrey??! Is he too a Canadian? ... Dan Aykroyd too? OK, gotta stop now, before I get an overdosis famous Canadians here ... :wink:

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Exactly (OK, that was not in a flash, my apologies ...)! You are wrong! :wink:

Thinking about it, who are the real great Canadians?

Ha, I knew when I whispered it that you'd be around soon enough. If not in a flash, in a nanosecond. Hmm, which is faster, the 'flash' or the 'nanosecond'?

Anyway, Pierre Elliot Trudeau gets my vote as the greatest Canadian of all time, far and away ahead of any others. There are many reasons why, but one stands out at the present time: He knew what it was to be Canadian as opposed to being American, and he understood the importance of keeping a healthy distance from our unruly overpowering right-wing neighbours to the south.

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

I've heard about Trudeau yeah.

According to his website, "Pierre Trudeau was a flamboyant and charismatic political giant who led the country through some of its most tumultuous events".

 

[LadyC]

We also have Terry Fox and Rick Hansen.

 

[peapod]

Terry fox gets my vote along with trudeau 8)

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

ehm terry fox?

 

[LadyC]

Terry Fox was a young Canadian who lost a leg to cancer. He decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research... his goal was $20,000,000, or $1.00 from every Canadian. He died before completing his run, but he realized his dream. Today the Marathon of Hope, or "The Terry Fox Run" is held in over 60 countries worldwide.

Marathon of Hope

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

Wait a minute, I've heard of him ...

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

Hey it seems they have the half-time scores available (...) doesn't look good (not for the ones who voted Van Gogh ...). Here it is (these are only half-time scores, don't forget that!):

1. William of Orange
2. Pim Fortuyn
3. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
4. Desiderius Erasmus
5. Willem Drees
6. Johan Cruijff
7. Anne Frank
8. Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter
9. Rembrandt van Rijn
10. Vincent van Gogh

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

The half-time scores have slightly changed:

1. Willem Drees
2. William of Orange
3. Pim Fortuyn
4. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
5. Desiderius Erasmus
6. Johan Cruijff
7. Anne Frank
8. Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter
9. Rembrandt van Rijn
10. Vincent van Gogh

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

And the Greatest Dutchman is .... Pim Fortuyn! Though, not exactly ...

Here's the official list:

1 ) Pim Fortuyn
2 ) William of Orange (Willem van Oranje)
3 ) Willem Drees
4 ) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
5 ) Desiderius Erasmus
6 ) Johan Cruijff
7 ) Michel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter
8 ) Anne Frank
9 ) Rembrandt van Rijn
10 ) Vincent van Gogh

Now, as I said, Pim Fortuyn was elected the Greatest Dutchman, but not quite. Due to some technical difficulties, some 100,000 votes were not counted. If they had been counted however, not Pim Fortuyn, but William of Orange would have won, with some 30,000 votes more. Now, Pim Fortuyn won with 4,000 votes more compared to William of Orange.

 

[LadyC]

Why weren't the votes counted? If they know for sure the votes made enough of a difference that it would change the outcome of the election....

What are you, the Florida of Europe?

 

[Rick van Opbergen]

Haha, yeah sounds a bit like Florida .... well point is, people could vote even during the programm, by normal phone or cellphone (sms it is called here, do you have that in Canada too?), but the computer couldn't handle a lot of votes, because they had to check whether people hadn't voted more than 7 times (that was the limit). The KRO - the broadcasting company which broadcasted the program - had already said at the beginning of the program that only those votes which were counted DURING the programm (not afterwards) were used to decide who would be the winner. Now, because of those computers, 100,000 votes weren't counted on time. That's why Pim Fortuyn won. Of the 90,000 cellphone messages, only 10,000 (!) were counted on time, just to give an example ... If all the votes had been counted on time, William of Orange would have won.