Corey spake thus:
As a Canadian, I object ot your statement that Canada is the land "God gave to
Kain." I live in the only livable portion of the country, unless of course,
you like snow. That is Victoria in British Columbia of course.
===================
** Corey, are you sure you're a Canadian? How can you say "unless of course,
you like snow."? Any proper Canadian can't conceive of a year passing without
at least six months of winter, white stuff up over the height of the front
door, and hockey for at least nine months of the year. Heck, without all that
snow and subzero temperatures, how would I dogsled to work in our Nation's
Capitul, Inuvik? And if it got too warm, my Igloo might melt soaking all of my
monopoly money. Sheesh. You sound more like a displaced
Californian than a real frozen-to-the-ice Canuck.
<I'm kidding! Victoria is a nice place:) >
I concur with your objection to calling Canada the land God gave to Caine.
Anyone who has seen the Alberta and BC Rocky Mountains, Long Beach on
Vancouver Island, The Thousand Islands, Radium Hot Springs, Copper Lake, The
Fraser River, Drumheller, The Rideau Canal System, or any of the other wonders
of Canada (many of which are natural) would certainly not call this the land
God gave to Caine. We've a wonderfully variable climate (not boring like some
places that are twenty odd degrees C all year round), not much that is lethal
(unlike Oz, in Canada most small creatures ARE safe to ignore
- its the big ass ones you have to fear), and a reasonably disaster free
environment - few tropical storms, only a small number of tornadoes, not
many dangerous earth tremors, and only the occasional flood.
All in all, not the land God gave Caine. More like the second largest country
in the world, the first nation of hockey, and the best part of North America
(and no, my name isn't Joe....but I am Canadian and not one of those Vancouver
Island softies...).
:)
To put this vaguely on-topic, we keep hypothesizing that we're gonna
find all these awful worlds where the mosquitos are lethal etc. etc.
What about the chance we find that Earth like worlds aren't that uncommon,
that hospitable worlds and compatible ecologies aren't that rare, and we end
up finding places of bountiful resources, natural beauty and easy
habitability? No doubt these worlds would be keys to human expansion into
space. And of course, fought over, as anything good in the GZGverse
is....
:) Tom
I am not a Vancouver Island softie. I just have 50% South African blood and
like the warm. And I can't skate.
Mr.Barclay opined:
> and the best part of North
Eh, sorry. None of the countries on our fair continent can lay claim to
that. to make that delineation, you're going to have to erase the
Canadian-American border and throw up a fence along the Rockies. Having
lived on both sides, I'll stay out West, thanks. Besides, I understand
B.C.
Folk better than I do New Yorkers and such.
> and the best part of North
You mean "along the Mason-Dixon line", of course.
> lived on both sides, I'll stay out West, thanks. Besides, I
No one understands New Yorkers. Even most of the NYers I've talked to don't
quite know why they haven't moved to the South.
However, let's table this OT thread before we get carried away with the "save
your Confederate money, boys, the South will rise again!" comments.
From: "Thomas.Barclay"
> (unlike Oz, in Canada most small creatures ARE safe to ignore
That reminds me of an ad here... one bloke stays on shore while another wades
out into a flooded plain to retrieve (what else) a crate of Beer. The wader
pauses, then calls out "There aren't any sharks here are there?"
> From: "Thomas.Barclay"
At which pint the man on shore hears another voice that say "Yeah, But the
crocs mostly stay in the water due to the bears that feed on them..."
From: "John Fox" <jfox@verity.com>
> > That reminds me of an ad here... one bloke stays on shore while
> From: "Laserlight" <laserlight@quixnet.net>
> You mean "along the Mason-Dixon line", of course.
What you easterners do to each other is no concern of mine....
> However, let's table this OT thread before we get carried away
Agreed. We all have our regional preferences.
What, pray tell, is a "Drop Bear"?
BB
G'day Brian,
> What, pray tell, is a "Drop Bear"?
Think koala bear with massive teeth and killer attitude, ambush predator
that drops out of trees on you, another reason why Aussies always carry sharp
sticks... also actually a very long running joke we play on unsuspecting
overseas visitors just to make them extra jumpy when they go
plodding around our wilder areas - like the snakes, scorpions and
spiders hadn't already done that;)
Cheers
Beth
Beth Fulton explained:
> >What, pray tell, is a "Drop Bear"?
Sounds like a lovely idea for some Xenobiology on a colony world.
On Fri, 26 May 2000 10:35:09 +1000, Beth Fulton
<beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au> wrote:
> Think koala bear with massive teeth and killer attitude, ambush
> sharp sticks... also actually a very long running joke we play on
The SAS Survival Manual lists bears as the most dangerous predator on the
planet. Not only are they big and fairly fast, they can climb, they have
stamina, and they are smart.
Polar bears, for instance, have been known to hunt with a paw over their nose.
Why? Because they know that their nose is black and breaks up their colour
scheme. It's not the first unsuspecting hunter that's gone after polar bear
and never been seen again.
I still think we need some formal SG2 and DS2 weather rules! It's important to
remember, in Canada, that you CAN die from just being outside! My friends in
Southern Mississippi can hardly believe, though, that while it's Subarctic in
Toronto in the winter (and no hissing and booing from those in other, colder,
parts of the country!), it's Subtropical in the summer. I want to see snow
rules! *S*
Oh, and for that "best part of North America" part in Tom's post, it's from a
beer commercial that is surprisingly (for Canadians) very patriotic sounding.
I have the URL if anyone wants to see the QuickTime movie of the ad.
Non-Americans on the list will get a kick out of it, especially the "I
speak English and French, not American" and "It IS pronounced "zed". Not
"zee",
"zed"! lines. *S*