[quote=“Doctor Evil”][quote=“Jaboney”]East Hastings? Expensive? That would be a cheat. 
That place has got to be one of the most public failures. 
[/quote]
So…what’s the going rate for a short-time?[/quote]
I’ve no idea.
“Short-time” is outside my ken.
I think that as a Canadian, the good qualities that we have are that we are more accepting of others. This is necessary in our multicultural society. So many different people from so many different countries. I also think that our educational system has helped us be more tolerant of others you know like the customs and beliefs. We have the welcome mat out and people are free to do what they like in the way that they like to do it. That is why we are usually scoring high on tables that rate theses things. When Canadians travel abroad, they take those values and that open-minded spirit with them and I think that makes them good people to travel with.
Welcome Derek, I’d shake your hand and welcome you to the thread more appropriately but I’m busy looking for my helmet and a place to hole up for the coming barrage. 
HG
Thanks Derek. And thanks Jaboney for your explanation at p 1 of this thread. I found them both interesting, including this:
I wonder if many/most Canadians would agree with that. We’ve got lots of great things in the US, but have our share of problems. Consistently pretty good might not be so bad, though I suppose one would get cravings from time to time for something outstanding.
As for geography/population, am I correct that much of the Western half of the country is basically like Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming (or at least how I envision them): wide, vast, empty lands, fairly sparsely populated, largely by ranchers, cowboys and good ole country boys who like fishin, huntin and driving trucks, without much culture, diversity or urban amenities?
Why do they all live so close to our border ? At least most of the Mexicans still living in Mexico don’t have all their cities along the border.
Does any good weather come from Canada or is it always a low pressure cold front?
I think their coins should be square as there is nothing worse that ruins my day then when someone palms off a Canadian quarter.
[quote=“Derek Rithms VIP”]I think that as a Canadian, the good qualities that we have are that we are more accepting of others. This is necessary in our multicultural society. So many different people from so many different countries. I also think that our educational system has helped us be more tolerant of others you know like the customs and beliefs. We have the welcome mat out and people are free to do what they like in the way that they like to do it. That is why we are usually scoring high on tables that rate theses things. When Canadians travel abroad, they take those values and that open-minded spirit with them and I think that makes them good people to travel with.[/quote]Welcome Derek -
Hail Fellow Well Met!
That’s really sweet.
Want a cookie and milk?
Get a friggin’ room
[quote]Thanks Derek. And thanks Jaboney for your explanation at p 1 of this thread. I found them both interesting, including this:
It’s a first-rate country that consistently coasts through. It’s made a virtue of middling value: everything’s pretty good. There are flashes of real excellence and incidents of abject failure, but overall, everything’s safe, better than good, and less than it could be. I wonder if many/most Canadians would agree with that. We’ve got lots of great things in the US, but have our share of problems. Consistently pretty good might not be so bad, though I suppose one would get cravings from time to time for something outstanding. As for geography/population, am I correct that much of the Western half of the country is basically like Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming (or at least how I envision them): wide, vast, empty lands, fairly sparsely populated, largely by ranchers, cowboys and good ole country boys who like fishin, huntin and driving trucks, without much culture, diversity or urban amenities?[/quote]
I don’t think that Canada is middling in any way. We usually score tops in terms of social and human development and culturally the country has lots of richness because of all the different groups from all over the world. These days, I am not sure what would be outstanding about the US, but I get the economy being the biggest in the world at least for now. There are lots of different groups even in the West and I do not think that Canadians are the same as the good ole country boys that you might be thinking of in the US because there would not be that history of racial problems.
[quote=“Derek Rithms VIP”]
I don’t think that Canada is middling in any way.[/quote]
I hear the dope is ok and you have good hockey teams. Your maple syrup isn’t half bad either. Another Canadian here seems to think your whores are too expensive though. And most of your music sucks bigtime.
I guess it does have its pluses. A Taiwanese friend of mine moved to BC about 10 years ago…he said the reason so many Taiwanese like it there is because Canadians are so much like Taiwanese.
[quote]I hear the dope is ok and you have good hockey teams. Your maple syrup isn’t half bad either. Another Canadian here seems to think your whores are too expensive though. And most of your music sucks bigtime.
I guess it does have its pluses. A Taiwanese friend of mine moved to BC about 10 years ago…he said the reason so many Taiwanese like it there is because Canadians are so much like Taiwanese.[/quote]
I have no idea whether the dope is good and yes we have good hockey teams and maple syrup. What do you mean though that the music sucks? Do you know of any Canadian groups or singers?
I think that the reason many Taiwanese moved to and adapted well in Canada was because they both like strong communities, families, education and lifestyle.
No, I think it’s because like NZ, it’s relatively easy to migrate to Canada.
HG
To the OP,
When you ask anout Canada and what is like I think that you may be asking about our culture, and whether or not we have one. Yes, it is true that when you think of France, China, Italy etc… you can definitively pinpoint there culture. Which mostly comes from there history and how they build there traditions. As Canadians we have traditions and we have a history but it is not as “vivid” as some other countries, namely the USA (some other members here may disagree with me on this).
If you were to ask any Canadian you know here about Canadian culture and what it is, I think you would be hard pressed to find a definitive answer. Whereas if you asked a Chinese person they might say something that is the oldest civilzation in the world, their philisophical advancements through Confucianism and Taoism, and even their use of architecture and art. The list goes on for many “cultures” Italian, American, French…
As a Canadian when I think of Canadian culture I inherently believe that we are not a country of just one culture, we are as others have said a multicultural country. In addition to our traditions of enjoying hockey and having a big backyard to play in. I also think that part of our culture is not really knowing what our culture really is. You can’t really pinpoint it.
To answer your other question. Yes, there are parts of Canada that are pretty boring, flat, cold, uninviting. But it is our home and we like it that way. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Not sure if this answered your question.
stare
Canada is a great place to be if you’re a person with no ambition who just wants to coast through life without actually…well, living.
[quote=“Derek Rithms VIP”][quote]Thanks Derek. And thanks Jaboney for your explanation at p 1 of this thread. I found them both interesting, including this:
It’s a first-rate country that consistently coasts through. It’s made a virtue of middling value: everything’s pretty good. There are flashes of real excellence and incidents of abject failure, but overall, everything’s safe, better than good, and less than it could be. I wonder if many/most Canadians would agree with that. We’ve got lots of great things in the US, but have our share of problems. Consistently pretty good might not be so bad, though I suppose one would get cravings from time to time for something outstanding. As for geography/population, am I correct that much of the Western half of the country is basically like Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming (or at least how I envision them): wide, vast, empty lands, fairly sparsely populated, largely by ranchers, cowboys and good ole country boys who like fishin, huntin and driving trucks, without much culture, diversity or urban amenities?[/quote]
I don’t think that Canada is middling in any way. We usually score tops in terms of social and human development and culturally the country has lots of richness because of all the different groups from all over the world. These days, I am not sure what would be outstanding about the US, but I get the economy being the biggest in the world at least for now. There are lots of different groups even in the West and I do not think that Canadians are the same as the good ole country boys that you might be thinking of in the US because there would not be that history of racial problems.[/quote]
Not against blacks, no, but against Chinese certainly. No offense Derek but you seemed to have swallowed the multi-cult propoganda wholesale. Canada is not tolerant because we are multi-cultural. Vancouver has had Chinese since the 19th century but house sellers could still stipulate in their contracts in the 1960s that the buyer could not resell to anyone “colored” in the future. Canada is tolerant because of historical forces that have shaped all modern western countries.
But there are still lots of rednecks out there, lots of racists, and lots and lots of fundamentalists. BC politics, much like the US, would be very different without the Bible belt.
[quote=“Muzha Man”]
But there are still lots of rednecks out there, lots of racists, and lots and lots of fundamentalists. [/quote]
Isn’t it true many live in Chilliwack?
[quote=“Derek Rithms VIP”]
I think that the reason many Taiwanese moved to and adapted well in Canada was because they both like strong communities, families, education and lifestyle.[/quote]
Taiwanese move to Canada because we have a long history of Chinese in Canada and many places have large Chinese communities where these immigrants feel welcome and comfortable. Jesus, the malls in Richmond have bilingual signs and you have to be bilingual to even work in most shops.
Lucky Pierre and the Beavers
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]Thanks Derek. And thanks Jaboney for your explanation at p 1 of this thread. I found them both interesting, including this:
I wonder if many/most Canadians would agree with that. We’ve got lots of great things in the US, but have our share of problems. Consistently pretty good might not be so bad, though I suppose one would get cravings from time to time for something outstanding.[/quote]
I don’t know if many would agree with that or not, at least off the top, but after a good deal of talk, a Royal Commission or two, and a CBC program or three, I think most would come around. There’s always the chest-thumping "We’re #1! 
" crowd. There’s also the “This place sucks! I hate paying taxes! Do you know that there’s no speed limit in Montana? I’m moving south, man! :America:” crowd. I don’t have much time for either. I love my country, know that it’s one of the best places on earth, and think that it may be the best country. I appreciate the international reputation and wish that it were still entirely deserved. We have fantastic achievements and a few real disgraces, but typically look askance at the excesses you lot engage in. 
Geography’s funny in Canada. The country’s actually taller than it is wide, but something like 85-90% of the population lives within 200km of the border. As much of it as I’ve seen, is all beautiful. Save for the interior plateau and coastal valleys, B.C. is all mountains.
Downtown Vancouver now seems to be all glass.
Alberta goes from peak to plate.
In Sasketchewan and Manitoba, for two days, you can watch your dog run away, but they’ve also got those gorgeous residual glacial lakes.
Northern Ontario I could do without–save for in the fall.
Quebec is somewhat like B.C., but gentler and somehow the communities feel more organic… more like they grow there rather than being carved out of the woods.
Again, Montreal’s all good.
Can’t speak about the Maritimes or north.
You’d be surprised, I think, about the good ole country boys and girls on the prairies (properly not even the middle third of the country). Lots and lots of communities dominated by 3rd and 4th generation German descendents (including the more influential part of my own heritage), but a fair bit more to do on a Friday night that shoot gophers. If you want a goofy look at really small town prairie life, see if you can get ahold of episodes of Corner Gas. If you want another goofy look at small town yuck-yucks, try The Trailer Park Boys.
Carumba!!! Sounds alot like Mexico…but without the tequila.