Our home and native...stuff

While civic duty dictates that I should be reading up on candidates in the upcoming Toronto municipal elections, I've come across a far more interesting democratic process in which to participate, and that is CBC's The Greatest Canadian Invention. 50 candidates have been selected, and you can vote on your favourite on the show's website. The results will air in early January 2007.

Here's a brief list of some of my preferred nominees:

1. The CPR mannequin: Not only integral to life-saving instruction, but also to making the swimming classes of one's youth a hell of a lot less awkward.

2. The fog horn: One of the greatest sounds ever, second only to the "Dixie" car horn.

3. The synthesizer: Need I say more?

There are also some inventions that could arguably be nominated as teams, such as:

1. The retractable beer carton handle and the Ski-Doo

2. The Wonderbra and the zipper

3. Poutine and the Bloody Caesar (OK, that one's pushing it)

Even if you don't get around to voting, be sure to check out the TV ads that the CBC is currently running to promote the show. They feature Margaret Atwood stating that the greatest Canadian invention is the caulking gun. Rad.