Two Brief and Unrelated Thoughts

Well, thoughts that are related only by being in my head.

Thought #1 - The Canadians Are Invading

I don't watch a lot of TV, but my parents do, so when I'm with them or they are with me, the TV gets turned on more. Via my parents, I've noticed two Canadian TV shows on US primetime TV: Rookie Blue and Flashpoint.

What's noteworthy about them is that they are "stealth" Canadian shows - shows that go out of their way to hide the fact that they are in Canada. I didn't realize "Rookie Blues" was Canadian (filmed in Toronto) until I saw a crown on a police sergeant's uniform. "Flashpoint" is set in Vancouver, and is a little less stealthy, but again, your key clues to location are subtle uniform details. It's exactly the opposite of most fiction, where one tries to develop a sense of place.

Thought #2 - The Great Debt Ceiling Debacle

So, much of the political news is about various attempts to raise the US Government's debt ceiling. My thoughts track very closely with John Scalzi's. For those not clicking through, we think that:
1) yes, the debt ceiling will be raised
2) yes there's political posturing going
3) the "dogmatic morons ideologues who are either too ignorant or too stupid (or both!) to realize what a very bad thing it is for the United States to default on its debts" AKA the Republicans will raise a ruckus
4) If one encourages others to vote for "dogmatic morons ideologues," one has to deal with the consequences thereof.