And since there is limited concert venues, you have to travel! :D

!! the Ford Escape comes in a hybrid version. I've been eyeballing this particular vehicle, waiting for the $5,000 premium to come down.

This is it precisely... plus the fact that we all leave the lights on when we leave a room. :D


Signing Kyoto aside, I would argue that Canadians are not that different from Americans in their use/waste of energy.

True, however this is one of the worst rated hybrids ever. I wish I could find all of my sources for you.....but I watched a news report just the night before last and the escape is basically considered a BAD prototype that they were forced to market because of import compitition. Another big mistake for Ford. I have owned about five Fords in my life......do yourself a favor and look elsewhere....they can not even make regular cars right!

Ford and GM honestly thought that Americans did not care about the environment and put just about ALL of their assets toward SUVs. With last years sales numbers in.....they realized how behind their thinking was. SUVs are dirt cheap now, and used hybrids are selling for more than their original selling price.

Please don't buy Ford.

This month's issue of Wired had a breakdown on all the available Hybrids on the market... The Escape didn't rate will with them either... fuel efficent to a point but not really when you look at some of other hybrids out there...


I see the hybrid as the answer to emmissions... The hydrogen economy just isn't going to happen soon enough. With more improvements in battery tech I can see Hybrids making another rise in fuel economy.

From a consumption side, I would agree with you. However our production of energy is far more "green".

That's what I meant... mostly because I don't know how the US generates most of its power.

bummer. But i like the styling. anyways, the price of hybrids puts it out of my reach. I will prob buy the regular Escape. The only other car i like the styling of (i.e. not over styled, not rounded, and looks like what it is supposed to be) is an old blazer (1990's) or bronco.... (again old)

Yeah the styling is what led me to buy so many Fords........they don't look quite the same when they are sitting in your driveway broken.

Alberta has semi-deregulated utilities; and there is a series of wind turbines in southwest Alberta. There is a surcharge for this 'green power'; it costs the end consumer more per kilowatt hour to use electricity from the turbines; even though it is on the same grid that is primarily fed by coal or NG plants. This was also the case prior to deregulation. While there are acedmic efforts (the new Natural Resources and Energy Facility here at the UofA, there has been little provicial effort to become more green, which is understandable when you consider where most revenue for Alberta (and in considerable amounts, federal Canada) comes from.

So our engergy transmission monopolists and our government openly do not support green energy.

On a federal level, there are some energy initatives. "Take the One-ton challenge", aimed at reducing consumption. And on the municipal level, here in Edmonton, there are efforts, such as the CORE program. (Carbondi Oxide Reduction Edmonton).

In the big picture though, I think that the mentality around here is "I can afford to heat my home and drive my truck, so who cares". However, I don't support this frame of mind. With the rising cost of crude and thereby NG, coal generation has stepped up, but current technology in the current plants doesn't agree with Kyoto. I don't know what this means in the short term, but it will become a larger public issue before long.

Wow. I've never known about the CO2RE program. *goes to find stuff out*

edit: thanks a lot for the links :)

p.s. I would like to see rebate programs for green energy sources,personal or corporate. (solar, water, wind, etc.)

http://www.co2re.ca/

and

http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english/

http://www.enmax.com/Energy/FAQs/Ser...ackground+.htm

20th Question.

Recommended Camping/Canoeing Trips. I am an avid adventurer who has salivated over the idea of the Boundary Waters for as long as I can remember. Wisconsin is just a hop, skip, and a few hour drive from there. With that distance in mind do you have any recomendations or stories of that area. As the sun get warmer.....all I can think about is my canoe.

Start on Great Slave, and head on up the river. Incredible sites, and I absolutely gaurantee you there is no better fishing in North America. The air is clean, and some of the places you go may have only been seen by a few people in the world before you.

Bring a gun for the mosquitoes though. Or a dog as bait.

The Frasier river is intense (BC)

The Churchill river system, like the voyageurs used to do (Fur traders) is pretty intense too. Do you like or dislike portages?

There is just soooo much great canoeing up here that asking that question is like asking if there is any good brewries in Germany, any good shopping in LA, any good wines in Bourdeaux.... you get my meaning.

Did you know that in order to be a Canadian citizen, you must build a birch bark canoe and do a class 4 with it? It's true.

Canoeing is like our national anthem, our flag, our hockey, everything rolled into 1.

I did a 15 day canoe trip once. I loved every single day. No, I did not get tired/bored/homesick/sore. It was awesome.

Camping too. We have camp spots here that will take your breath away, but anything that you can drive a 5th wheel to is just parking away from home. Camping, on the other hand, is hard to get to, beautiful, and rugged. I have noticed our provincial and national campgrounds get more and more crowded over the years. There are still fantastic spots IF YOU CANOE IN!!!

We are so spoiled here that what is okay to me is probably heaven to you.

Oh man! You have just named my favourite outdoor sport... My cottage is nestled in the South Eastern corner of Algonquin Park... Algonquin Park is teeming with canoe well maintained canoe routes...

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/campcan.html

21st Question.

FOOD! What are some traditional Canadian meals.......if there is such a thing? I have never heard of any kind of Canadian food other than canadian bacon....which.....well.....isn't.......you guys know. I think the national food of the states is FAST.




Still dreaming about canoes though.......so share those stories.

As far as I know, the Canadian bacon that Americans are going on about is the sliced ham that you find in egg mcmuffins. To me, Canadian bacon has always been the normal strips of side bacon.

Now for a traditional Canadian meal, let me illustrate with what I cooked last night for dinner: scalloped potatoes, baked maple smoked ham with peaches in a brown sugar sauce, steamed veggies: corn nibblets, sliced zucchini & carrots. dessert was lime jello, that was mixed with cool whip so that it was like a mousse.

tastey eh? and in typical Canadian fashion, i had a bottle of Australian red wine too.

When camping, do not lay out a pattern of toilet paper, sprinkle kerosene on it, and then light it afire.

There are some interesting Canadian food quirks.

Vinegar (white) on French Fries.
Poutine
Tortiere
Saskatoon berries
Nanimo bars
Dulse
Raw Arctic Char/Carabou
BBQ Seal

Miss any?

Ketchup flavoured potato chips.
Salt and Vinegar potato chips.

While poutine, Nanaimo bars and vinegar on fries are wide spread the others are all regional foods. I've never had Saskatoon Berries, Dulse or the others (but did know they exist - thank you CBC radio!).

I would say that we don't have all that different of a diet from what you would find in Wisconsin.

The one thing I will say, is that living in multicultural Toronto I am exposed to cuisines from around the world. The retaurants here are amazing in their diversity. I would say the same is true of say... Sault Ste. Marie or Cochrane.

We have saskatoon berries growing in our backyard, our neighbour's yard, all over (east toronto). they are very tastey have a sort of vanilla like aftertaste. I think that they are also known as serviceberries. they will be in fruit in about 7 weeks:

links:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...ry_041115.html

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/cro.../bld01s00.html

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.c...=J1ARTJ0007163

No, I refuse to allow you to call Saskatoons by any other name. I challenge you to a duel!

Saskatoon Berry Pie is killer. Unbelievable.

We also have that whole "Beaver Tail" thing which is just another name for deep-fried pastry. It was real tasty.

What about our maple sugar foods? Candies and the like?

I eat a lot of wild meat compared to other nationalities. I don't think other countries kill and eat their fauna with quite the same passion...

I think we take our quisine from the immigrant cultures that are dominant to our different regions. Ukranian food is all over here. I can't get a Donair to save my life. If someone wants to make 20 million bucks, come to Saskatchewan and open a good Donair place.

It's funny, the donair was big in Ottawa but not so much in Toronto (sure you can get them here but they aren't as ubiquitous). I guess there is a bigger Lebanese community in Ottawa (or Ottawa is smaller and they stick out more than here).

Maple cookies and those pink coconut mashmallow cookies are really big in Quebec...

Vachon cakes: 1/2 Lune/Moon, Billot Logs, etc. They are the Canadian equivalent of Hostess twinkies and the like...

Saskatoons are great. Notice how I don't write berry. To me, it is like tuna. No one I know says 'tuna-fish' or 'saskatoon-berries'. Just saskatoons. Also chokecherries. I'll take chokecherry over maple syrup any day. I've had my share of moose and BC salmon.

I've spent some time in Old Quebec; I'm not a fan of sugar pie or maple taffy. Every five years or so I can go for a good poutine. The only place I've had dulse was in newfoundland, and I think the only reason it was palatable was the screech I had been drinking that evening.

As an Alberta boy with a rural upbringing, I have to mention Alberta Beef. I would argue it is the best in the world. I'm not yet a global traveller, but my dad was and my uncle is, they agree. I've never had a prairie oyster, nor do I intend to. I learned to grill a steak as soon as I was as tall as the bbq. I suppose beef is big all over the place, but I don't think it gets better then a summer afternoon with a thick steak, a pot of young potatos with dill and carrots, and a cold beer (Canadian proof).

I'll echo the mulitculturalism (as opposed to american melting pot). Within a 10 minute walk, I can get world class Greek, Lebanese, Italian, French, Schezwan, Cantonese, Japanese/Tepan/Sushi, etc. And a couple pretty good donairs. The 'Taste of Edmonton' festival is a highlight every summer.

As far as traditional food is concerned, much as to be expected, it is a reflection of the pioneer. Stong local Ukrainian heritage. My irish/british grandma used to make some pretty great stew and some amazing yorkshire puddings. My German/French grandma used to make some great strudels and some incredible pastries. My fiance's grandma makes perogies that helped motivate me to propose.

the first donair that I had was on the left bank of Paris. Of course I had no idea what it was at the time. At least not until I went to university in Kingston, and found a great student hangout called the Donair Shop. good salty food, a lot like a gyros. I see a few shops around TO, but the spelling of Donair is all across the board (donor, danair donare).

I agree that Alta beef is the best. I tried a filet mignon steak at Ruth's Criss in Toronto, and in Tampa, and they don't compare to the alberta beef. Not even close. It's like how our chocolate bars taste better.

Oh yes. Canadian chocolate bars are by far tastier than their watered-down american cousins. Plus i love the coffee crisp and the crispy crunch bars.

Good call on the Chocolate Bars (we don't call them Candy Bars by the way)... I am always running into people at the airport loading up on Canadian chocolate bars that they can't get in the US.

Smarties are the best.

22nd Question.

FRIDAY, work is almost done, day dreaming bout beer.........so......How do the Canadians let loose. I am looking for drinking traditions, drinking games, local drinks, anything in the realm of Canadian drunkeness.

Bottoms Up!

Tetley tea. Just kidding (the tagline in an old set of commercials was "only in Canada you say ... pity.") When I was a kid my buddies sometimes went on a road trip to Quebec to buy Brador beer in tallboy cans - some kind of high-test brand I think - not a beer drinker so I really don't recall.

Some friends of mine who went to school out east (read: maritimes) claim that nothing is a donair like a halifax donair.

The Maritimers Scream "SOOOOCIABLE!" Aned everyone replies the same. Then they all have a good chug out of the pint.

Those BC boys, well, lets just say they don't necessarily get drunk... *wink**wink*

Quebecers love thier food. They eat all the time, really slow and small portions. They love to talk over a plate of something.

Ontarians, they just like to party. The 19 and 20 year old yanks are always crossing the border to go to the bars, so I think it rubs off, that northern US attitude to partying.

And the Prairie Boys.... they only party when their sports teams win. When they do though, hold on Bessie.

The Folks up north (way up there) like the booze, and just hanging out in someones living room can turn into a party if enough people find out. Just try to make it someone else's living room, and not yours and you'll be okay.

Anything I missed, I'll let the others fill in. I have to go party.

Pour moi, I like about 9 or 10 pints of Keiths, followed by a good pita wrap.

mmm drinks..
Well each region has there own microbrews, so depends on where you are.
Canada wide:
Rye and Coke. Rye is the type of whisky you find up here.
Ceasers: Vodka and Clamato juice. Kinda like a bloody mary, but different.

And speaking of Donairs, thats one thing I can't find here in Taiwan:(

As far as I know, we're immensely proud of our ice wines.

As you cannot drink legally until you're nineteen in Ontario, and I've only been to Quebec once when I was in grade seven, I don't know too much about the drinking scene...

But I figure that not much can beat a good drink and smoke around a bonfire on any clear night.

The simple truth :thumbsup:

23rd Question.

Canadian inventions........are there any? Throughout my life I have heard of countless inventions that Americans have come up with to aid everyday life. I have never heard of anything Canadian.......or Austrailian, Mexican, Irish, for that matter. So have you guys made anything that changed the world?

HERE IS A FUN FACT......it is common to hear white Americans talking about Canadians while at work. Except they are not refering to you. This name has been adopted by bigots to refer to BLACK PEOPLE without sounding racist. Example "tell those Canadians to pull their pants up and turn that rap music down"

I just thought you should know.

why is that??? give us the reasoning behind that. Plus how old is this trend?


some Canadian inventions ( i would have to google some for more):

robot arm for the space shuttle (Canadarm)

bowling (5 - pin)

Insulin

the zipper

snowmobiles

Trivial Pursuit game

many things hockey (the mask)

basketball

football (gridiron - actually a co-invention US & canada)

the flight suit (for pressurized flight)

IMAX film technique

Pablum (baby food)

telephone ( special thanks to Scotland for birthing Alexander G. Bell, and the US for funding the research)

Hrm.

James Naismith invented basketball.

Still the most effective bug repellant, Muskol with DEET is a Canadian invention.

Java, the programming language, (java.sun.com) was first written by Gosling, a Canadian.

Bell is credited with the telephone and was arguably Canadian. While Edison is credited with the lightbulb, it was invented by a Canadian working for him, Henry Woodward, and was patented first by Woodward.

The zipper was invented by a Canadian.

The electron microscope certainly helped further science.

Lots of chemical engineering processes; I understand most plastics were developed in Canada. I don't have a source for this, but have been told so by my uncle-in-law who is fairly high up in DOW. It has been echoed by Engineering profs. Other refinery processes too, like kerosene.

Insulin is pretty popular these day. Pacemakers are handy as well.

I know I should be able to put more names on these inventions. I'm certain I could at one point. All said, I understand that Canada is very well represented, inventions per capita. (At least 1/10 as many inventions as the US, consistantly about 1/10 the population)

As far as other Canadian or Austrailian inventors, many were actually British and didn't recieve credit under the commonwealth. Before the Burne(sp?) agreement which made patent protection international it was rather difficult for a non-american, especially British Loyalist Canadians to get a patent, so they just went back to England and were duly credited there. I can't speak for Mexican or Irish, but neither were very high on the econimic scale from 1750 untill recently, when inventions were booming during the industrial revoltion and following.

I Googled...

Some of these I knew and some I didn't... what is interesting is the number of communications related things... living with such great distances makes neccessity the mother of invention.


Abdominizer ...the infomercial exercise darling invented by Dennis Colonello in 1984

AC Radio Tube ..invented by Edward Samuels Rogers in 1925

Acetylene ...Thomas L. Wilson invented the production process in 1892

Anti-Gravity Suit ...invented by Wilbur Rounding Franks in 1941, a suit for high altitude jet pilots

Chocolate Nut Bar ...Arthur Ganong made the first nickel bar in 1910

Canada Dry Ginger Ale ...invented in 1907 by John A. McLaughlin

Electric Car Heater ...Thomas Ahearn invented the first electric car heater in 1890

Electric Cooking Range ...Thomas Ahearn invented the first in 1882

Electric Light Bulb ...Henry Woodward invented the electric light bulb in 1874 and sold the patent to Thomas Edison

Garbage Bag ...(polyethylene) invented by Harry Wasylyk in 1950

Heart Pacemaker ...invented by Dr. John A. Hopps in 1950

Hydrofoil Boats ...co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell, & Casey Baldwin in 1908

Mcintosh Apple ...invented by John McIntosh in 1796

Music Synthesizer ...invented by Hugh Le Caine in 1945

Newsprint ...invented by Charles Fenerty in 1838

Odometer ...invented by Samuel McKeen in 1854

Paint Roller ...invented by Norman Breakey of Toronto in 1940

Plexiglas ...(Polymerized Methyl Methacrylate) invented by William Chalmers in 1931

Screw Propeller ...a ship's propeller invented by John Patch in 1833

Snowblower ...invented by Arthur Sicard in 1925

Snowmobile ...invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in 1922

Standard Time ...invented by Sir Sanford Fleming in 1878

Television ...Reginald A. Fessenden patented a television system in 1927

Television Camera ...invented by F. C. P. Henroteau in 1934

Telephone ..invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876

Telephone Handset ...invented by Cyril Duquet in 1878

Undersea Telegraph Cable ...invented by Fredrick Newton Gisborne in 1857

Walkie-Talkie ...invented by Donald L. Hings in 1942

Wireless Radio ...invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1900

Methinks Canucks tend to quietly create the instruments, and the rest of the world then uses these instruments to make noise :)

how about the mighty Butter Tart???

(and the Nanaimo bar)

Ok, this is fascinating. I googled too. there are so many that we missed. Check out this website:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/taniah/Canada/things/

Pictionary?? Yachtzee??? Margarine??? wow. I'm in awe.

"tell those Canadians to pull their pants up and turn that rap music down"
I really don't know too much about this. I first heard it about three years ago, when I worked as a forklift operator. The reasoning is, as I stated before, to mask their prejudice. I guess one way to look at it is like this. Blacks have tried to adopt the word nigga to take away the evil of the word nigger. They changed its meaning into something positive for them, theoretically. Well white bigots took a word that has no negativity (Canadians) and are turning it into something negative. Basically it boils down to.....you can't be fired or arrested for calling someone a Canadian.

sick sad world

24th Question.

Now this is more of a prompt for dialog than a question but here goes....First of all, I am an artist......more specifically an illustrator. Currently I design t-shirts for Harley-Davidson digitally, however I was muralist for a while and also dabbled in stained glass. I am just kind of generally wondering what your thoughts are on art in Canada. ANY THOUGHTS? I have been to Toronto and picked up the strong artsy vibe and I hear that B.C. is artist friendly. Remember I am in Wisconsin......not exactly New York or LA. So even if the only artist you know is the crazy lady down the street that sells paintings of her cats to church goers......I want to hear about it. Again I have no direct question in mind here. I am looking for what you think of art in Canada.

P.S. Thanks again guys you are teaching me a lot!

I notice that in the different interest courses I take and in the various small galleries scattered about here in the boondocks that you will see interesting and strong work everywhere. Unfortunately unless you end up in an area with a well developed artistic community (not where I am, unfortunately) those gems are scattered rather widely. Lots of grassroots interest all over the place, leavened with some exceptional talent here and there. If you like to hang out with senior ladies wielding watercolour brushes you are in for a treat :)

Like Kramus said, it really depends on where you are and what you're looking for.

We have a lot of "Canadian Art" which pretty much means "based on nature or animals or native culture, and is the least shocking stuff you'll ever see, ever." But outside of this, Toronto (the only real city I've been to :() has an awesome art scene. We even do pretty well as far as street art goes.

25th Question.

Hrmmmmmmm. Did art talk scare you guys off? Anyway on to the next question. Structures in Canadian High School. What classes are elective and what are required to graduate? The should be slightly different by region. Are arts and music being cut to keep sports? What else is going on in education?

I don't know what's happening in High School these days... I haven't been in high school for almost 20 years... I will ask around.


With regards to the art question... the more urban you get the more "artsy" you will find it... by this I mean you can find thriving artist communities (much like you would in LA, San Fran, LA, etc.

There are also alot of rural areas with great artist communities (some are artisans and some are craftspeople). In the hills around my cottage, near the small towns of Killaloe and Wilno (in the Ottawa Valley) there is a thriving community where you can find a number of galleries and studios with everything from photography and paintings to sculpture, glasswork and pottery.

Cheap rural housing can let artists live a good life off their work.

WOOOHOOOO! I can answer the high school question. It's different in every province. In Alberta, you need 100 credits to graduate. Credits vary depending on the length of a class. The average 5 credit course is 6 times a week. In Grade 12 you need 5 30 level courses to graduate. I have Art 30, Biology 30, Math Applied 30, Social Studies 30 and English 30-1. The Math program in Alberta is split into two streams, Pure and Applied. Pure is the difficult math, like calculus? algebra? and Applied math is hands on, life skills math. The English is in two streams as well, -1 and -2. The -1 is the higher end one, you NEED this to pursue post secondary. What I described is what you need to graduate and go onto post secondary. There are lower level courses you can take which will get you your diploma. Elective courses, well, all I can think of are things like Foods, Business Management, Shop, etc. As far as Arts and Music goes, EVERYTHING is being cut. In my old school however, sports teams earned their own money for travel and expenses. My old school also had a budget for the musical programs and anything above that budget was fundraised for. There are schools here that focus less on academics and more on Art. That's just Alberta however, high school education differs A LOT from province to province.

Arts are big in certain areas and not as much in others, just like any other part of the world. Montreal is a big art town and you got the right impession of Toronto. They both have a jazz festival every year and are generally pretty artist-friendly. In my town, which is very industrial, art takes sort of a back seat.

In terms of high school, I don't know what it is in Ontario anymore. It's just recently been changed so that there's no grade 13 and I know they have to do community service now, but apart from that I don't know what the requirements for graduation are.

In Ontario's highschools you need to have thirty credits to graduate. The manditory ones are as follows:

1 PhE
1 French
1 "Art" (music, drama, visual, etc)
1 Geography
1 Canadian History
3 Science (one upper year)
3 Math
4 English

I believe the rest are options. The options include:
religion, fashion, writer's craft, other histories, philosophy, literature, languages, technology courses, soc/anthro/psych courses and a bunch of other things as well.

Just to add to the Ontario points above, the curriculum has been going through a change for the past few years, so that the 5th year of highschool (old grade 13, or the OAC year more recently) has been dropped. Students graduating from Ontario highschools now have to conform to the new curriculm with it's mandatory credits as described by cellophanedeity.

In addition, all students must pass a Grade 10 literacy exam to get their diplomas. they have 3 attempts to pass (note the grading on this exam is pass/fail). If they do not pass it in 3 attempts, no diploma.

also mandatory, is the 40 hours of community service, alluded to by martian. All students receive a 'passport' or log, in which they keep track of community volunteering, all activities which have to be approved by the principal of their school. the hours are logged, and signed off. If they do not have 40 hours by the end of grade 12, they do not get their diplomas.


One of the big impacts of reducing the number of years in highschool to 4 (grade 12 matriculation) has been universities grappling with the influx of young frosh. It's not rare to see kids who are barely 16 in first year, with adults because they have progressed quickly through highschool. But the majority of frosh are now 17 instead of 18.

Inhalo, the black font is nearly unreadable with the default TFP skin -- or at least the TFP skin I'm using.

Artists: well, there is alot of potters in Waterloo, and over in Stratford there is an 'art in the park' tourist-trap thing near the festival.

HS: I don't know the current system around here. =) Typically it changes every 5 or so years as a new administration head comes in and wants to leave a mark. =p~

26th Question.

Plain and simple. What makes you most proud to be a Canadian?

Our fair country, Canada, is north of USA.
Our Maritimes are lovely and our prairies give us hay.
Oh, you might think you Yankees are better than us Canucks.
Well, we don't need no microchips inside our hockey pucks.

We know that you've got Disney World,
and you keep it very clean.
Well we don't have Bob Dole,
but we can drink when we're nineteen.
We may watch your TV shows for hours and hours and hours.
We'll give you Alan Thicke, but Shania Twain is ours.

Chorus:
We're proud to be Canadian.
We're awfully nice to strangers, our manners be our curse.
It's cool in many ways to be Canadian.
We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse.

Your beer's not too tasty and your weather can't be beat.
We all fly south in the winter time to escape the snow and sleet.
We're pleased to say that we've enjoyed all your southern charms.
But we get sunburnt when we exercise the right to bare our arms.

(Chorus)

Alanis Morrisette she is our latest pride and joy.(ohh)
She used to sing about high school dances and chasing after boys.(yeah)
But now she is fed up(fed up) and about as angry as can be.
She's got one hand in her pocket, and the other's on guard for thee.

We're proud to be Canadian.(Proud to be Canadian)
We're awfully nice to strangers, our manners be our curse.(we're just to darn nice)
It's cool in many ways to be Canadian.(it's cool cause its cold up here)
We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse.

We're proud to be Canadian.(proud to be Canadian)
We're awfully nice to strangers, our manners be our curse.(Can I get the door for you ma'am?)
It's cool in many ways to be Canadian.(it's cool cause it's cold up here)
We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse.

(Proud to be a Canadian, arrogant worms)

When i look around me, i can't believe what i see
it seems as if this country has lost it's will to live
the economy is lousy, we barely have an army
but we can still stand proudly because canada's really big
we're the second largest country on this planet earth
and if Russia keeps on shrinking, then soon we'll be first!
(as long as we keep quebec)

The USA has tanks, and switzerland has banks
they can keep them banks, they just don't amount
cause when you get down to it, you find out what the truth is,
it isn't what you do with it, it's the size that counts
most people will tell you that france is pretty large
but you can put fourteen france's, into this land of ours!
(it'd take a lot of work, it'd take a whole lot of work)

we're bigger than malaysia, we're most as big as asia
we're bigger than australia and it's a continent
so big we sell them butter, to go see one another
but we often go to other countries for vacations
our mountains are very pointy, our praries are not
the rest is kinda bumpy, but man do we have a lot!
(we've got a lot of land, we've got a whole lot of land)

so stand up and be proud and sing it very loud
we stand out from the crwod, cause Canada's really big

(Proud to be a Canadian, arrogant worms)

But, honestly, I'm proud of my country, not for being a citizen of it. Pride for being a Canadian -- I was just born here, that is no virtue.

I don't hold pride in something I had no choice in.

Staying is your choice, is there pride in you choice?

Staying isn't a choice, as it's hard to leave when for the vast majority of your life you've been under the 'control' of your parents.

That said, since I don't know any country any differently how can I have pride in staying? I did not create or construct Canada. It's just land with political borders. Pride in your country is as misplaced as pride in your sex, or race.

That's a good question. Even though it is hard for me to express my proudness in word form, the best example is when I am in other countries and am asked where I come from. I inherently feel proud of my country and proud to be apart of my country as a whole.

I think it is the different cultures and ethnicities that make up Canada. Sounds strange but whenever every culture in the world can live in a space and all get along, I feel there is alot of worth in that.

Of course there are things I'm not proud of in my country, but that is mainly political and/or bureaucratical. And that's minor lack of proudness.

One area I am not proud of, and no offence to anyone, is the rampant pro Canadianisms attached to sporting events. Someone winning a medal in the Olympics or a hockey team winning a world championship means nothing to me. Great individual or team efforts to win and good for them, they deserve it. But I get really tired of people accusing me of not being patriotic or proud of my country because I couldn't give a rat's ass about sporting events. Wanna make me a proud Canadian. Fucking get off your asses and VOTE. That's it.

the last provincial election here was a really exciting time. People were abuzz. Everybody was talking about finally getting rid of the party in power (insert your choice of small L liberal or small C conservative - they are so much similar, that you might as well call them the Conserverals).

Finally people had a chance to get up and excercise their right to change the government. As a Canadian I am extremely proud of our long standing peaceful tradition of democracy. It had been a long long stretch of PC mandate and the populace was ready for a change, to vote in another government, maybe one that did not keep every promise like the incumbants did successfully.

And Voila! election day arrived, and Ontario did it! we changed the government! (well in name only - there is very little different between the red & blue boys). But wait, could it be true??? THE LOWEST VOTER TURNOUT IN HISTORY??? WTF???

I'm with you OFKUO. We have a country that is the envy of the world. yet, the majority of people are too bloody lazy to take an interest in voting.

I'm glad when I hear westerners whine about the federal elections and how their votes are meaningless after Ontario votes anyways, at least it shows some electoral intelligence. There is absolutely no excuse for not excercising your duty to vote.

- climbing down off of my rant-box.

I don't mean to pry or instigate, I come from similar beliefs......but I also remove myself from beliefs a lot and play devils advocate. So I must delve further in my response. First off, the hardness of leaving does not equal lack of choice. It may sway your choice but it does not make it. If the control your parents keep is forcing you to stay it must be because you take pride in your family. If not, you would have no problem abandoning them. Being a Canadian is enabling you to be close to your family......is there no pride in that?

I do not believe that having pride in being a Canadian has to be the misplaced pride that you speak of. I could be, but unless you are in the military, government, or sports why would it be? I am looking for YOUR reason for being a proud Canadian.

Perhaps you are like me. I do not feel proud to be American in most senses. What I am most proud of was that I grew up in poverty with a single mother on welfare.......and my Mom was able to get an education, and then pass that privilege on to me. This can not happen everywhere. At the same time I hate almost everything that outsiders associate with American pride.

Being a slow responder, I would like to give an answer to Question 24. There are vibrant art communities in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria that I know of. The size and acceptance of a wide variety of art and media seem to be based on size of population. If you want a better sense of what is doing, look up galleries in each city and see what type of work they are exhibiting. This may omit the smaller galleries that will exhibit lesser known artists, but a little Internet research should give you an idea of what is going on.

I am not always proud of Canada but there are a lot of things that we do that make me very pleased...

Some of the things that make me proud:

*Our progressive politics (even our right wing is more left than the mainstream US).
*Universal healthcare
*That we are a mosaic rather than a melting pot... this is a very tough way to run a nation and is the main reason for much of our hand wringing over what it means to be a Canadian. Canada is the only nation in the world like this and as a result, I see us as the great nation building experiment. (I see us as less like the Europeans in this case than the Americans could ever dream of being).
*The fact that we have solved our differences peacefully. We are a nation without a civil war, born of diplomacy and compromise (the issue of Quebec is a work in progress as I see it and will be resolved amicably in the end). Not really all that many newly minted nations that can say this about themselves.

28th Question.

If you were to pick one person (or animal or thing) that best represents YOUR opinion of Canada.......What would it be?


Why?

Well, Tommy Douglas, the whole "Father of Medicare" thing;

But I would pick my great grandfather. Coming from Ireland, running from the law, and homesteading on the prairies. Living in a sod hut, breaking ground, making a new home from nothing.

We are a tough stock, Inhalo. We don't show it, and we like to downplay our strengths. We are ready to party as soon as the music starts, and then get ready for another day of work when the sun comes up...

Those newfies are fucking crazy though. Stay away from the coast. You will thank me later.

The stereotype is the beaver and it isn't as bad as one might think...

Beavers are:

1) Very quiet. You rarely notice them until you are right on top of them and then they slap their tale on the water, warning everyone else that there is danger
2) They work... like... well... beavers. We are a hard working nation
3) When cornered and when neccessary, beavers will fight. They are not to be messed with...
4) They know how to keep warm in winter...

I think that Pierre Elliot Trudeau was a classy world-class leader. He showed intelligence, style, humour, independance and grit.

I think I'm going with kramus on this one. I'm really sad I missed Trudeau, he seemed like a really cool guy.

I don't think Canada can be related to any one person or animal. Trudeau isn't a bad choice, but even then I don't think it's quite right. There's just too rich and diverse a cultural heritage here to boil it all down so simplistically.

I know, it's not a fun answer, but that's just how I feel.

29th Question.

Perhaps this is the best question I can think of.....If you you had no family, no friends, and nothing tying you down....where in the vast land of Canada would you live......then tell me why?

Oshawa. It's just so damned exotic!

I would love to live in the Muskokas or Kawarthas and have an apartment in downtown Toronto.

I love BC but Vancouver just doesn't have the culture I crave (unless I decide I want to kayak and rock climb for the rest of my life).

Alberta is nice but suffers the same issue as BC.

Montreal runs a close second to Toronto but hands down I love my city. That said, I still want to live on a lake in the country... preferably one that doesn't allow powerboats and my nearest neighbour is a lake away

Can you elaborate on this "culture" you crave, so I can get a better idea of where you are coming from?

I would live in the north for the summer. There are pike there that are the size of my leg... no shit. There are some incredible fly-in fishing camps up north that you are actually the only one on the lake! You like rugged, you will never see anything like it again.

Too cold in the winter, though. I would have said Vancouver until a couple of months ago. Beautiful place, and everybody is soooo laid back. I have recently changed my mind, when in Montreal at the end of March. It was exotic, vibrant, european, cozy, every warm and welcoming pronoun you can think of.

Two of you have already used the word exotic in describing places in Canada. I guess when I think of exotic places...I think of places like Thailand, Seychelles, and Madagascar. What the hell is so exotic up there?

I love Montreal too, I could spend time there. I have lived in Vancouver, and I do not find it laid back at all. There seems to be eco-angst going on, where everybody is trying to out-green each other, to the point of actually refusing the insulated cup guard on their Starbucks, regardless of the way the cup wobbles in the holder of the Acura SUV...

All kidding aside, even though Van is gorgeous, I could only take it for about 6 months a year. After that I would live in a city like Montreal, where the laid back attitude is old and established. Laid back in the sense of live and let live.

Toronto is a good choice too, cause i am living here now. But I would enjoy the weather here more in the summer and fall.

Not enough live theatre, clubs, museums, etc... It is just too eco-centric... not a bad thing, just not my thing.


There is a lot that is exotic in the North. I am not familiar with West's north but in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec you will find the Canadian shield and it is just awesome in a lot of places... I would put some of the areas head to head in a beauty contest with Thailand any day...

Janey - Tell me you're joking about Oshawa.

Oh, wait. I mean -

Come see the awe-inspiring GM plant and the majestic smoke stacks. Spend time with the friendly homeless population! Revel in the glory of the Oshawa Centre, a whopping two storeys of mall-rat packed, Old Navy clone store fun!

Anywhere in Canada? Well, it's a tough call, as there's a lot of places I haven't been, but there was some really nice country in the Algonquin direction when a buddy and me took a road trip up there last week. I suppose that would be a good place to settle down.

Oshawa is the great unappreciated city of Canada... It is my favouritre place to bypass on the 401... (I like the bridges).

I've been told (many times) that I have a cornball sense of humour. I think that was just a polite way of saying 'annoying'.

having said that, martian, you paint a pretty picture of the might and majesty of GM by Lake...

Where is question 27?

That Sticky... such a stickler.

Question 27 is only for those of us who are cool enough to rate being asked question 27... sorry to hear you didn't stack up Stinky...


:lol:

I think I'd also do the seasonal traveller thing. Summer in northern Ontario on a lake with no one around, Fall in Toronto, Spring in Montreal, Winter in BC.

Mind you... I've only ever been to Toronto and up north. Once I actually do travel, I'm sure I'll get a better plan.

27.5th Question.

As Sticky pointed out there seems to be a lack of question 27. Perhaps one day we will know why. It may have went to that place where lost lighters and socks go. So anyhoo, I bet you are wondrering what the question of the day is... well... here goes...

One of Canada's biggest exports that I can think of is comedy......Do you guys have any idea why you are so funny?

*scratches head

eh?

fall in Toronto is stunning. Labour day to thanksgiving is usually just gorgeous, with blue skies, clear air, temperatures at around 20 degrees, the fall leaves are just starting to appear. wandering around Uof T campus at that time with the trees, and the old buildings, the enthusiastic young students.

the film festival happens then too. I find that winter in toronto , although it is our mighty season, is too slushy. I've spent winters in Barrie, and that's how it's supposed to be.

spring in Toronto is cruel. Look at this year. May 4 and still teasing us. summer is stupendous, in all the big city ways, but weather wise, it's a gamble if it's going to be hot hazy & humid, or just not appear at all. Like last year, I turned on our air conditioner once only.

so I would do spring in Vancouver (because it starts around Valentines day), winter in Montreal (with quick jaunts to the Mediteranean, or Carribean. Ah hell, since I'm day dreaming, make it Bora Bora!) summer and autumn in Toronto with weekend trips to the maritimes or Vancouver Island to sail.

We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you...

Canada is a nation of overeducated slackers who speak the most common language in the world natively.

Wouldn't it be shocking if we didn't export comedy?

The cold.

Studies have show that cold makes you funny.
- Pee you name in the snow
- Convince someone to lick a metal pole
- Hockey movies

Of course it could just be the beer. The beer here has a higher alcohol content.

I wanted to touch on that for a second... My buddy just said that Canadian and American beer have the same alcohol content, but that the measuring systems were different! Canada uses a per volume method, and the yanks use a per weight method. I guess it makes a 2% difference or something.

I looked at him like he was insulting my religion, "Then how come I can drink 18 yank beers and feel nothing more than the urgent need to piss?"

"Hey, man, I'm just telling you the truth. Look it up if you want."

/end threadjack

Canadians have a sense of humour because of our environment, and in this case it is our cultural one!

We are bombarded with american imagery constantly, and therefore we understand what makes them laugh and incorporate it.
We are also part of the British Commonwealth, and therefore we enjoy Bennie Hill and Monty Python, and incorporate it.
The European styles of comedy come from our Quebecois brothers and sisters, and we incorporate it.
Finally, our politicians are crazy enough to be funny but not to powerful to fear. We incorporate it. :thumbsup:

I bet your pot is better too :D

World Renowned, mon.

There is so much weed in BC, the primo stuff goes by the pound what you pay by the ounce.

I don't smoke de 'erb myself, but when Bill C-38 passes, I'll light a bowl. I am a firm believer of following the law, and sometimes that must include the stupid laws to avoid turning into a hypocrite like my parents.

My tree-planting buddies had WASH BASINS full of bud, and it was a free-for-all. Smoke as much as you want, just be ready to plant trees in the morning. They came back with dreadlocks, wicked tans, and a powerful tolerance to the ganja.

You'd have to clear that with flyman... but I'd say you are about right in that assesment.

What is the bill?

It is the bill to decriminalize marijuana... Most likely it will not pass into law before our current government is deposed.

ya, here is a link to some details: http://safeaccess.ca/library/c38handout.htm

and the actual bill:

http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/c...8_cover-E.html

ddry reading, really need to take a hit before you attempt it...

:lol: I caught a buzz just from that last line of yours Janey :lol:

30th Question.

What serious question is left to ask?

I will sleep on it.

My God, that is brilliant.
Can I quote you on that?
/over-educated slacker, right here!

31st Question.

Here is a serious question. Rank and provide your top 5 canadian beers, eh. Who is the fairest of them all?

this one was really hard, by the time i got my 5 favourite beer in the list, there was no room for the corporate-brew. I like to drink beer in VERY small amounts (too many close calls at Alfies Pub in Kingston) so I want to err on the side of flavour. My tastes run to hearty styles (i.e, I cannot stand Corona). So my list includes darker beer. Note that some of these breweries are now being purchased by the big corps such as Molsons (Creemore).


5) Muskoka Cream Ale: http://www.muskokabrewery.com/
4) Mill Street tankhouse ale (this one comes in Stubbies!) http://millstreetbrewery.com/
3) Creemore Springs Premium lager:http://www.creemoresprings.com//v2.0/
2) Sleeman's Dark Ale: http://www.sleeman.com/splash.html
1) Cameron Brewery (auburn ale in a 9 pack) http://www.cameronsbrewing.com/