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I've been to Canada twice in the last ten years, I've got relatives there, and I never knew until today... that the Canadian one-dollar coin is called "the loonie". (See this page on the Snopes urban legend site for some interesting info on the loonie.) Even more interesting is that the loonie was introduced at about the same time Looney joined the Warriors... there's got to be a cosmic signficance there somewhere.

-- Bob
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Quote:

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the Canadian one-dollar coin is called "the loonie".

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It's got a loon on one side, and some sort of waterfowl on the other!
(Ba-dump, ching.)

Bob Writes:
> I've been to Canada twice in the last ten years, I've got
> relatives there, and I never knew until today... that the
> Canadian one-dollar coin is called "the loonie". (See this
> page on the Snopes urban legend site for some interesting
> info on the loonie.) Even more interesting is that the loonie
> was introduced at about the same time Looney joined the
> Warriors... there's got to be a cosmic signficance there
> somewhere.
The two dollar coin is allegedly called the "Two-nie" thus making a one and a two a 'Loonie Two-nie'

Take your imagination where it will.

Skitz

A Loon is a kind of water bird, there also called divers and there are five species spread all the around the world at high latitudes, here's a page about the only species nesting in the USA outside Alaska: animaldiversity.ummz.umic...immer.html

The loon is so named, as I recall, because of its raucous cry, which sounds somewhat like insane laughter. Or something like that.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Yes - I've heard loon cries up in The Wilds of Maine(tm), and it does sound kinda like maniacal laughter, albeit filtered through a recorder or some similar woodwind. Actually rather pretty when you're floating down a river in the middle of nowhere...
Offsides
Drunkard's Walk Forum Moderator and Prereader At Large

I've never heard it, myself, not even a recording.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

I live up in the Wilds of Maine (tm) in the summer, and in the not-so-wilds of the same state for the rest of the year, so I have seen and heard several loons.
They are beautiful birds, we were excited to spot a mating pair hanging around in the ocean in front of our cottage.
To be honest, I think their call is beautiful, and not very crazy sounding at all.
Here is a good sound link for you:
www.junglewalk.com/popup....dioID=1829

I have to agree. I live in Florida (and go to college in South Carolina), but I went to several high schools in Connecticut. While I wasn't aware of the species of the bird I heard at the time, the whole 'lunatic' thing never occured to me. Frankly, real mental patients sound a heck of a lot different. I speak from first-hand experience about that one (No, I've never been committed or even voluntarily checked myself into a loony bin. Frankly, though, whatever idiot city planner thought that it would save money to have my local public high school share a cafeteria with one should be shot).