# The CanaDoper Café (2012 edition of The great, ongoing Canadian current events and politics thread.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014 "2012-01-01T03:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1262 "2012-06-05T22:27:44Z")
My job has posters all over the place saying “Microsoft Office 2010 is coming!”… what were we saying again, about cutting-edge technology? They also haven’t figured out how to set up my login/email/permissions… this after they’ve done it for me 3 times before and after a 45 minute phone call with the help desk. Oh, speaking of desks… I don’t have one. Literally, they don’t actually have a place for me to work from. Nor a computer (I’m using the one from a guy on vacation), nor a phone. They say it’s going to get sorted out. I’m trying to believe them, but there isn’t an empty desk on the floor. This all sucks so much more because the job looks like fun and I’m really excited to start learning how to do it… if only I actually could. Kind of hard to CAD without a computer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1263 "2012-06-06T02:25:10Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > My job has posters all over the place saying “Microsoft Office 2010 is coming!”… what were we saying again, about cutting-edge technology? > > They also haven’t figured out how to set up my login/email/permissions… this after they’ve done it for me 3 times before and after a 45 minute phone call with the help desk. > > Oh, speaking of desks… I don’t have one. Literally, they don’t actually have a place for me to work from. Nor a computer (I’m using the one from a guy on vacation), nor a phone. They say it’s going to get sorted out. I’m trying to believe them, but there isn’t an empty desk on the floor. > > This all sucks so much more because the job looks like fun and I’m really excited to start learning how to do it… if only I actually could. Kind of hard to CAD without a computer. > > ☹ Our department just finished installing Office 2010 for all users in March. They expect to have Windows XP replaced by next year. Government departments tend to be \*very \*conservative with any major software upgrades. The main reason we are upgrading now is that technical support is being ended for the old versions. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1264 "2012-06-06T18:04:36Z")
Not just governments. Larger companies tend to have a number of databases and applications that get tested out and modified over time against a particular OS/Office Suite. Moving the entire population onto a new one and making sure nothing breaks or gets lost in the transition can be really daunting. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1265 "2012-06-06T22:57:37Z")
Today was a little better…it only took 3 calls to the help desk to get all my passwords/accesses working…well, not all, but the basic ones at least. Department-specific stuff still isn’t up and running. I have a phone extension - they just added a second phone with a splitter for the same desk, as it seems I’m there for 4 weeks. The first one they brought up to plug in didn’t work…they had to go get a second one. :smack: I also now have a crackberry, which is weirding me out. It’s kind of cool to get gadgets (even obsolete ones) because of your job, but a little disturbing to think that someone might feel they need to reach me so badly that they can’t wait until I’m at my desk! And I did one tiny little actual-job-related task today. A bit of research and the answer is “nope, can’t do it, you’ll have to go through other channels.” Not all that great, but it’s a start! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1266 "2012-06-07T18:39:25Z")
So, a thing on CNN referred to Luka Magnotta as a Canadian porn star, like there is nothing else to differentiate him from the rest of Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1267 "2012-06-07T19:32:26Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So, a thing on CNN referred to Luka Magnotta as a Canadian porn star, like there is nothing else to differentiate him from the rest of Canadians. Well, they needed to differentiate him from the hockey players who routinely murder, cut up, and mail body parts around the country. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1268 "2012-06-07T20:43:10Z")
I’m not even sure he was a “porn star” - I thought the movies he was in were basically amateur things shot in somebody’s basement. Yeah, I know, that’s the important thing here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1269 "2012-06-07T22:51:32Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So, a thing on CNN referred to Luka Magnotta as a Canadian porn star, like there is nothing else to differentiate him from the rest of Canadians. Why would being a porn start differetiate him from the rest of Canadians. All Canadians are porn stars, albeit only a few are on video, let alone publicy viewed. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1270 "2012-06-08T00:56:26Z")
♬Bow chicka bow bow…♬ ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1271 "2012-06-08T02:05:55Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Why would being a porn start differetiate him from the rest of Canadians. All Canadians are porn stars, albeit only a few are on video, let alone publicy viewed. Many of us are primarily spectators. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1272 "2012-06-09T02:17:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m not even sure he was a “porn star” - I thought the movies he was in were basically amateur things shot in somebody’s basement. Nitpick: it was his apartment, not the basement. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1273 "2012-06-15T14:05:40Z")
Shooting at the University of Alberta; three dead: [Globe and Mail story](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/armoured-car-robbery-at-university-of-alberta-leaves-three-dead/article4265619/). Wow! I got my law degree at the U of A, and know the area where the shooting occurred very well. I used those ATMs often. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1274 "2012-06-15T14:24:32Z")
How awful! I hope the murderers are caught quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1275 "2012-06-15T14:26:04Z")
Yeah, it’s obviously all over the news this morning. What can you say? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1276 "2012-06-16T13:20:03Z")
_The following has been cleared for posting by the SDMB mods - thanks!_ There’s been a lot of black humour in this thread about the murder of Jun Lin, but the terrible reality is that a guest in our country, a young man who came here for an education, has been brutally and senselessly murdered. His family from China have come to Canada for the wrenching duty of looking after their son: [Jun Lin family’s Montreal arrival ‘heartbreaking’](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/06/06/montreal-jun-lin-family.html?cmp=rss): > [@](#): > > Family members of Jun Lin, the Chinese man allegedly killed and dismembered by Luka Rocco Magnotta, have arrived in Montreal under intense media attention, while the victim’s friends rally to support them. > > Yan Shi, head of Concordia University’s Chinese Student Association, was among the delegation of people that greeted Lin’s family at the Trudeau airport. > > He described their “heartbreaking” arrival as Lin’s mother openly struggled with her grief. > > “She was not even able to even walk straight, so we had to carry her,” Shi said. "When we tried to understand what she was saying, all we could make out was, ‘We come here to take you home.’ " The Concordia Chinese Students Association and Concordia University have set up two funds: one for the family, to help defray their travelling expenses from China and their living expenses here in Canada, as well as a memorial scholarship. Donations to the scholarship fund are tax-deductible. Information on the two funds is available on the Concordia University website: [In Memory of Jun Lin](http://www.concordia.ca/alumni-giving/giving/areas-to-support/in-memory-of-jun-lin/) Nothing can erase these terrible events, but please consider giving to either of these funds. The family has released a [statement](http://www.vancouversun.com/news/family+remembers+pride/6768699/story.html) indicating how much the outpouring of support has meant to them: > [@](#): > > “This horrific tragedy has had a destructive blow to our family,” the family wrote in the letter translated by the network. > > “But it inspired a powerful outpouring of sympathy and charity in people, bringing together all the good people in society through which we saw real sincerity and goodness, allowing us to be deeply moved and gratified in our time of deep sorrow.” Please consider making a donation to assist the family in this terrible time. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1277 "2012-06-16T22:31:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Shooting at the University of Alberta; three dead: [Globe and Mail story](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/armoured-car-robbery-at-university-of-alberta-leaves-three-dead/article4265619/). > > Wow! I got my law degree at the U of A, and know the area where the shooting occurred very well. I used those ATMs often. Police are pretty sure it was an inside job - they’ve now declared an “international manhunt” for the suspect. [Detailed link here](http://www.globalnews.ca/edmonton+police+reveal+more+information+as+international+manhunt+for+baumgartner+underway/6442662550/story.html). They say he has a “significant amount of money” (but haven’t released the total amount stolen from the truck), and his gun and body armor are missing so he probably has them with him. Given the lead time he had to get away, he could be hiding locally or tried to leave the province, and they say they have US Customs on the lookout. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1278 "2012-06-17T18:05:48Z")
Update on the Edmonton shooter: He’s been arrested. He was trying to enter the US at Lynden, Washington, which is 25 kilometres southwest of Abbotsford, BC. US customs personnel realized he was the one that Edmonton police and the RCMP had been looking for, and detained him; while at the same time, calling Canadian officials. He is in custody in Canada now. [Globe and Mail link](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/suspect-in-edmonton-heist-homicide-arrested-at-border-with-330000/article4299094/). ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1279 "2012-06-24T15:53:02Z")
Happy St. Jean Baptiste day, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1280 "2012-06-24T16:22:46Z")
So, after watching the Weather Channel, I have come to the conclusion that the entire country is flooding. Does that sound about right? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/1281 "2012-06-24T19:11:51Z")
No, today is the first cloudy day in Toronto in quite some time. We’ve had a lot of sun, and our first real heat wave this last week. Not to rub it in, but much of June has been hot and sunny in the daytime, but has cooled off enough that open windows have been all that’s required to cool the house down. It’s been sunny enough that my daughter has lost 3 of the 4 sweet pea vines on her deck garden through too much sun, not enough water. The Morning Glories are doing well, though. I’d happily send a bit of it out your way - friends back home in Brandon are pretty sick of cool and rainy as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014.md?page=65)