Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: ITSec on November 13, 2016, 11:39:21 PM
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Some people wondered why I was so concerned with the loss of Leonard Cohen - so I wrote the following.
People often ask what makes Canadians different - more often than not, it's Canadians themselves asking, but there's more to the question than most people realize. Canadian identity is more than hockey, beer, maple leaves (and syrup), and making fun of Newfoundlanders (our most loved targets of internal humor, and a replacement for ethnic jokes). It's more than being the nicest people on Earth (hard work, but we're committed to it!).
More than anything else, Canadians are defined by a fairly small group of very talented people, concentrated in just a few professions - almost all performers or writers or other creative types. Leonard Cohen was one of the foremost of them.
But if you want to define a Canadian, or see how conscious they are of being Canadian, ask them about any of these people or groups who helped form the modern Canadian identity - roughly from the oldest to the most recent. This list is missing many who are worthy - but who just didn't help make Canadians think about what it was to be Canadian.
- The Friendly Giant (Robert Homme - and I'll call Rusty!)
- Wayne and Shuster
- The Group of Seven
- Chief Dan George
- Dave Broadfoot and the rest of the Royal Canadian Air Farce
- Gordon Lightfoot
- Stompin' Tom Connors
- Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and Great Speckled Bird
- Joni Mitchell
- Stephen Stills and Neil Young along with most of Buffalo Springfield
- The Guess Who
- Daphne Odjig, my friend Jackson Beardy, and the others in the Professional National Indian Artists Incorporation, better known as the Indian Group of Seven
- Rush, especially their lyricist Neil Peart (motorcycle content!)
- Most of the members of Second City Television (SCTV)
- CANO (Cooperatif des Artistes de Nord-Ontario), Perth County Conspiracy, The Box, Bim and Valdy, and k.d. lang
- Margaret Atwood
- Bruce Cockburn
- Kim Mitchell (and the rest of Max Webster)
- David Suzuki
- Ian Thomas
- Farley Mowat
- The Tragically Hip
- Red Green
- Sarah McLachlan
- The Northern Pikes
- Mike Myers, and Russell Peters
- The team at 'This Hour has 22 Minutes', especially Cathy MacDonald and Rick Mercer
- and for now and always, the NFB - the Canadian National Film Board
If you don't recognize a lot of these, it's probably because you're not Canadian. :laugh:
To reiterate - I've missed many, and others I've left off because no matter how much they are remembered, they didn't make Canadians think about being Canadian the way these people did. Like Leonard Cohen, many of them are no longer creating new work - but they are always going to be here, their voices, words, images and glances as permanent as the granite of the Canadian Shield.
Who can't help thinking of a small home in a secluded part of Montreal, perched on the banks of the St Lawrence, when they hear Leonard Cohen sing...
"Suzanne takes you down, to her place on the river; You can hear the boats go by, and you can spend the night forever."
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Canada is high on my list of countries I'd love to visit.
(PS. I think Stephen Stills is from Texas)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Canada is high on my list of countries I'd love to visit.
(PS. I think Stephen Stills is from Texas)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yep ,Dallas , although if Canada would come and retrieve that bleeber kid we will let them claim Stills :laugh:
Dusty
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I'm a Canadian and I'm not different.
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Don Harron as Charlie Farquharson ...
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/CharlieFarquharson_zpsikzp8hvp.jpg)
:boozing:
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Doesn't being born in Canada make you Canadian?
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/18/91/78/64/image17.png)
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Doesn't being born in Canada make you Canadian?
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/18/91/78/64/image17.png)
No, but it gives you a head start :wink:
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I don't see Celine Dion in that list.......
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Doesn't being born in Canada make you Canadian?
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/18/91/78/64/image17.png)
Yeah, I thort that too but might extend it to having a Canadian passport/citizenship as, like Oz, the US, NZ, most other places, people come and go in droves often not having been born anywhere near the place!
Look at our mate Ray, he's DC Tanzanian and "black as coal" boy did the pub go quiet first time he wandered in! :grin: He bought a mate down from Sydney last week! Two VERY black blokes in the back bar! I was waiting for the sound of exploding heads!
Bungendore is VERY white! :grin: :grin: :grin:
Pete
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I'm a Canadian and I'm not different.
Same here, eh
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I've traveled to Canada many times and truly love it.
Every area of North America has regional differences. However, whether you like it or not, Canadian and US people are damn near the same. Going into Canada for me is no different than me traveling to Ohio as far as everything is concerned.
Wonderful place and so easy to experience because we are so closely linked.
NOW- the most attractive part of Canada that I have visited regularly is ---- NEWFOUNDLAND.
The people there are the most genuine and hospitable of anywhere I've found. I find them similar in many ways to the Deep South in which I live.
Stop making fun of them! You only make yourselves look bad! lol
Good grief, you left out Captain Kirk!!!!
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Good list, IT.
I had a dual citizenship as a kid, spent all my summers on PEI, still have the accent. More to it than music, or even a decent cup of tea!
Did you leave out Good Company on purpose? Stan Rogers?
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Yes..good list...and you forgot that they all have to sing......."O' Canada!" (LOL) :thumb: :cool: :grin: :wink:
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Two of the greatest jazz musicians that ever lived were Canadian; Maynard Ferguson, trumpet, and Oscar Peterson, piano. Both from Montreal.
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Tommie Chong , in real life one of the great gentleman alive .
Dusty
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How about Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message, and David Suzuki, "We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit."
Pete
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Eh?
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Uh, Nick, it isn't so simple. More than that I will not say on the forum but my experience is quite different.
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I would hate to be defined by artists and entertainers (which includes sports players).
I don't dislike any people unless that person shows a tendency to enslave or otherwise harm others. Has nothing to do with international boundaries.
Being Canadian is no different than being American or German or Italian, etc, etc. In most cases it is simply where you live.
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No politics fellas .
Dusty
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Yeah, I thort that too but might extend it to having a Canadian passport/citizenship as, like Oz, the US, NZ, most other places, people come and go in droves often not having been born anywhere near the place!
Look at our mate Ray, he's DC Tanzanian and "black as coal" boy did the pub go quiet first time he wandered in! :grin: He bought a mate down from Sydney last week! Two VERY black blokes in the back bar! I was waiting for the sound of exploding heads!
Bungendore is VERY white! :grin: :grin: :grin:
Pete
Pete, have you ever come across any of this?
Listen to the interview, pretty funny:
'Australian politician says use of the word 'Canadian' as derogatory term will no longer be tolerated'
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thisisthat/montreal-hard-hats-meatme-canadian-in-australia-running-of-the-bulls-1.3293190/australian-politician-says-use-of-the-word-canadian-as-derogatory-term-will-no-longer-be-tolerated-1.3293251
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I don't see Celine Dion in that list.......
There are some who help us define being Canadian by what they are - and we are not. See Wikipedia under "Justin Bieber' for further info. :evil:
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Good grief, you left out Captain Kirk!!!!
Yup - and Lorne Greene too! Actors that were a big effect on our younger lives, but not ones who really made us think of what it meant to be Canadian.
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Good list, IT.
I had a dual citizenship as a kid, spent all my summers on PEI, still have the accent. More to it than music, or even a decent cup of tea!
Did you leave out Good Company on purpose? Stan Rogers?
I was trying to stick with people who had a lot of influence across the whole of the country, rather than being regional (though of course I had to throw in The Box even though they were much stronger in Quebec than elsewhere - special status for Quebec is also part of being Canadian! :laugh: )
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Two of the greatest jazz musicians that ever lived were Canadian; Maynard Ferguson, trumpet, and Oscar Peterson, piano. Both from Montreal.
They were on the list when I started - along with Holly Cole and Diana Krall - but they got dropped when I did serious weeding to remove people who might BE Canadian, but who didn't help create a 'Canadian identity'. Again, just my humble opinion. I have albums by all four of these artisists, as well as some lesser known jazz artisists from Canada, like Winnipeg's Ron Paley and his band Paleyentology.
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Tommie Chong , in real life one of the great gentleman alive .
Dusty
He is - I've met him twice (briefly) and he was gracious and funny. But outside of his home base in Vancouver, he didn't have a lot of influence on Canadian culture - probably less than he did in the US. Just watch out for Sister Mary Elephant!
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How about Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message, and David Suzuki, "We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit."
Pete
David Suzuki's there in the list - I skipped McLuhan, as important as he was and is, because while Canadians are justifiably proud of him he didn't have a huge effect (IMHO) on what it is to be a Canadian.
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I would hate to be defined by artists and entertainers (which includes sports players).
I don't dislike any people unless that person shows a tendency to enslave or otherwise harm others. Has nothing to do with international boundaries.
Being Canadian is no different than being American or German or Italian, etc, etc. In most cases it is simply where you live.
I understand how you might have that perspective - but (as I mentioned) one of the things that is most 'Canadian' is to ask 'what is it that makes us Canadian?'. It's something Canadians do (a lot) and always have. Likely it comes of being next door to an overwhelmingly dominant culture. PM Pierre Trudeau once described life in Canada as 'sleeping with an elephant'.
As for how I presented this and the examples used, it was for two reasons - the first, it was inspired by the recent death of a famous Canadian artist. Second, it was a way to talk about this without introducing politics. I lived near the Ozarks for years, and had relatives there; I can describe the area in terms of its music, the landscape, how people live and the communities they share, without ever getting into discussion of things that are divisive. That's the approach I wanted here.
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No politics fellas .
Dusty
Sorry Dusty - feeling froggy. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Nick
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My cousin became a Canadian thanks to the Vietnam War. :grin: :grin: :grin: This Canadian thing seems, at least with your dog breeds, to be very cloak and daggerishish - with the Labrador Retriever coming from Newfoundland, and the Newfie coming from Labrador. Don't really know about the people of Newfoundland, but the Landseer Newfie is possibly (all right, definitely, the greatest dog ever!). :boxing:
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A nation's culture can in fact often times be reflected and shaped by its artists . Steve Smith as Red Green gave us a glimpse of Canadian sensibilities , often times self deprecating in a way that is refreshing , while still not apologizing for being Canadian . One of my favorite scenes from the show involved a manhole cover that Harold discovered near the lodge . Harold was concerned it might be something important , and asked if they should contact the Air Force . Red asked if he meant the USAF , and Harold replied no the Canadian AF . Red looked at his watch and stated it was after
5:00PM , the Canadian AF had already gone home :laugh:
Dusty
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While I mentioned The Box (I absolutely love 'L'Affaire Dumoutier'!), I likely was a bit light in failing to include some additional important French-Canadian influences. Though to be broadly influential, they were often presented in English, or in both languages.)
An important one of these that I remember from the 60s was an incredibly funny radio series about a mixed couple from Montreal - he was working class French-Canadian, she from the upper crust Anglo neighborhood of Westmount. Like most marriage comedies of the day, the couple loved each other dearly - but argued because of their dramatic differences. It was called 'Les Anglaises". Think of The Honeymooners - if Alice's family were wealthy, and had disowned her when she married a French Jackie Gleason!
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A nation's culture can in fact often times be reflected and shaped by its artists . Steve Smith as Red Green gave us a glimpse of Canadian sensibilities , often times self deprecating in a way that is refreshing , while still not apologizing for being Canadian . One of my favorite scenes from the show involved a manhole cover that Harold discovered near the lodge . Harold was concerned it might be something important , and asked if they should contact the Air Force . Red asked if he meant the USAF , and Harold replied no the Canadian AF . Red looked at his watch and stated it was after
5:00PM , the Canadian AF had already gone home :laugh:
Dusty
I added Red Green (Steve Smith, who also had an earlier show with his wife) and Don Harron to the list after I had posted it here. I also thought long and hard about adding the cast of The Beachcombers, but I'm not sure how much impact they had out in the Maritimes.
One of my favorites from the Red Green Show was the quintessentially Canadian Gordon Pinsent, who played Hap Shaughnessy. Hap was a water-taxi operator, but he'd tell you he was canada's answer to James Bond - at least, until he retired. :wink:
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Canada?
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/car-in-snow-garage_zpsm7p84r6m.jpg)
Just add Polar Bears.
:grin:
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I added Red Green (Steve Smith, who also had an earlier show with his wife) and Don Harron to the list after I had posted it here. I also thought long and hard about adding the cast of The Beachcombers, but I'm not sure how much impact they had out in the Maritimes.
One of my favorites from the Red Green Show was the quintessentially Canadian Gordon Pinsent, who played Hap Shaughnessy. Hap was a water-taxi operator, but he'd tell you he was canada's answer to James Bond - at least, until he retired. :wink:
Graham Greene's character Ed the explosives expert was also a favorite of mine . Graham also played an Indian wise man on Northern Exposure , love how dead pan he plays everything :bow:
Dusty
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Stompin' Tom Connors - Moon Man Newfie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUFHX5CbHiQ
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/dancing_zpszg49oqd9.gif)
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You left out one of my favorite Musicians, Stan Rogers.
Oh, the year was 1778, HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
A letter of marque come from the king,
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Ufe0jF-AE
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I also forgot to mention - Red Green wears suspenders. Guzzi content! :grin:
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or for all you Fred Heads out there - you know who you are!!!
"Time to get a gun
That's what I've been thinking
I could afford one
If I did just a little less drinking"
Fred Eaglesmith
G
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My cousin became a Canadian thanks to the Vietnam War. :grin: :grin: :grin: This Canadian thing seems, at least with your dog breeds, to be very cloak and daggerishish - with the Labrador Retriever coming from Newfoundland, and the Newfie coming from Labrador. Don't really know about the people of Newfoundland, but the Landseer Newfie is possibly (all right, definitely, the greatest dog ever!). :boxing:
I graduated from High School in 1961 and got called to report for the draft but signed up into the Navy Reserves just in time to avoid that and to finish getting my AA before reporting for active duty in `66 to `68. .......... After I did my time in the Navy I used my GI Bill to finish my education getting a BA in Business/Marketing. Over time also bought 4 houses with my Veteran benefits.
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More than anything else, Canadians are defined by a fairly small group of very talented people, concentrated in just a few professions - almost all performers or writers or other creative types.
I read and re-read what you said above but ...
I really disagree with the idea that you can characterize an entire nation consisting of First Nations people, Labrador fishermen, Toronto urbanites, Vancouver 'hippies', Alberta wheat farmers, Saskatchewan uranium miners, and South Asian new immigrants by saying
"Canadians are defined by a very small group of ...".
You certainly wouldn't say that about any other nation, like "Slovakians are defined by a very small group of ...." or "Americans are defined by a very small group of ....".
It's not even accurate as a gedankenexperiment .... On the other hand, as a piece of Wild Guzzi fotting around, like "Could Chuck Norris whip Seraph?", I suppose it could waste an afternoon ...
Lannis
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I read and re-read what you said above but ...
I really disagree with the idea that you can characterize an entire nation consisting of First Nations people, Labrador fishermen, Toronto urbanites, Vancouver 'hippies', Alberta wheat farmers, Saskatchewan uranium miners, and South Asian new immigrants by saying
"Canadians are defined by a very small group of ...".
You certainly wouldn't say that about any other nation, like "Slovakians are defined by a very small group of ...." or "Americans are defined by a very small group of ....".
It's not even accurate as a gedankenexperiment .... On the other hand, as a piece of Wild Guzzi fotting around, like "Could Chuck Norris whip Seraph?", I suppose it could waste an afternoon ...
Lannis
Yeah, but do the Slovakian have Hockey Night in Canada?
https://youtu.be/LJkHm2WtSsk
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I read and re-read what you said above but ...
I really disagree with the idea that you can characterize an entire nation consisting of First Nations people, Labrador fishermen, Toronto urbanites, Vancouver 'hippies', Alberta wheat farmers, Saskatchewan uranium miners, and South Asian new immigrants by saying
"Canadians are defined by a very small group of ...".
You certainly wouldn't say that about any other nation, like "Slovakians are defined by a very small group of ...." or "Americans are defined by a very small group of ....".
It's not even accurate as a gedankenexperiment .... On the other hand, as a piece of Wild Guzzi fotting around, like "Could Chuck Norris whip Seraph?", I suppose it could waste an afternoon ...
Lannis
Fair enough, Lannis - no extrapolation is ever going to be perfect or complete.
This was more a matter of bringing forward some examples of people who are widely known (as Cohen was) who have helped influence how Canadians feel about themselves. I avoided political and sociological examples, because I didn't want to get into something that would make Luap and the team uncomfortable - I provided examples most people view as positive - and mostly people who weren't even trying to influence others, but were just presenting something of themselves that ended up striking a sympathetic chord with many Canadians. The list of examples of Canadian stereotypes you provided, true as they are, are if anything less common than their opposites. But even the people you mention are largely part of the list and subsequent discussion - Tommy Chong (Vancouver hippie), my personal friend Jackson Beardy (First Nations artist, who I met while living at Garden Hill First Nations reserve), Alberta farmers (the songs of Bim, Valdy and The Tragically Hip), Toronto urbanites (The Hip again, Bruce Cockburn, Margaret Atwood).
I lived on First Nation reserves in Canada for years, and learned to speak a dialect of Objibwa. I speak French-Canadian, and I understand Quebecois (a Canadian knows the difference!). I've paddled a canoe over the Grand Portage and down (or worse yet, up!) many of the rivers in the west, and marched in the parade at the Festival du Voyageur in St Boniface. I lived on the prairies, and while many of my friends came from farming families, more still came from many other professions. I was deeply involved in Canadian politics for decades, and worked with people from every possible background. I was an immigrant to Canada myself, and I'm hugely sensitive to how Canada handles differences in history, culture, values, and ways of life. I've been to every province, and to two out of the now three territories.
For me, this was just a way of recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating some of the key influences that have shaped how Canadians feel about being Canadian. As a dual citizen, I can do the same for the USA. For a discussion like those on Wildguzzi, I might include Buddy Holly or Brian Wilson or Pete Seeger or Mark Twain - but I'd likely leave the social or political persons and groups for another place and time.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuVsHt3rBnc
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuVsHt3rBnc
That's a nice song and a well-done video.
I'm glad to be able to note, however, that you could have substituted the name of almost any northern US state for "Canada", and the scenery, lyrics, etc would still have been appropriate!
Lannis
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That's a nice song and a well-done video.
I'm glad to be able to note, however, that you could have substituted the name of almost any northern US state for "Canada", and the scenery, lyrics, etc would still have been appropriate!
Lannis
True, Lannis, but it might not have rhymed as well. :grin:
Great folks on both sides of the 49th, for sure, with more similarities than differences. However subtle, though, the differences are worth celebrating, on and with both sides, just like the differences in each individual.
Cheers,
Shaun
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Thanks to the loonie, give a gal a $1 bill in a dark gentleman's club and she thinks you're giving her a deuce.
(Or so I've heard)
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Red Green is all you had to say! What an actor!
I have an appreciation for the Canadian people, my dad fought along side the Canadian army in WWII in Italy.
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Thanks to the loonie, give a gal a $1 bill in a dark gentleman's club and she thinks you're giving her a deuce.
(Or so I've heard)
Nope - smallest bill in Canada is a five. A loonie is a single, a toonie (two-nie) is a two-dollar coin - a bit larger, two different metals, polar bear on the back instead of a loon.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ef/Canadian_Dollar_-_reverse.png/220px-Canadian_Dollar_-_reverse.png) (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d2/Toonie_-_front.png/220px-Toonie_-_front.png)
When the gals in Canada get paper, they know they're getting something worthwhile :wink:
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When my grandfather came to the States he had trouble with getting change, what with all the American money being the same color. He was accustomed to $1 bills being green, $2 was reddish, $5 was blue and so on.
All before Loonies of course.
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When my grandfather came to the States he had trouble with getting change, what with all the American money being the same color. He was accustomed to $1 bills being green, $2 was reddish, $5 was blue and so on.
All before Loonies of course.
In England in 2005 when I was there, a pound was $2.15 - really rough exchange rate.
The coins were hard to get used to. In the US, when I have a small handful of coins, it might be 6 quarters, 4 dimes, 8 nickels, and 5 pennies, or about $2.35. That's all I'd expect to see here at home.
Over there, they had 2 pound coins. A small handful of coins might be six 2 pound coins, 5 one-pound coins, 4 50p pieces and a few pence. But that's over $40!
I was chucking money around like a drunk GI out on the town and didn't even know it ....
Lannis
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Ummmmmmm, yeah....I was about to contemplate all this, but went for a ride today instead. Sunny & 12 degrees C in November, don't take it for granted.
While I mentioned The Box (I absolutely love 'L'Affaire Dumoutier'!),
Saw them perform this summer, great show. Their new stuff sounded good - in the Yes/Genesis vein, but the old stuff is why I went. They played Dumoutier and, since Jean Marc used to be a member of Men Without Hats, this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs)
:laugh:
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Growing up and living in Michigan I have always felt a kinship to our northern neighbor. While travelling in Canada in the 1960's and since, I was treated as if I were one of them. I am humbled by the treatment I have received in every part of Canada from PEI to BC.
I can relate to most of those on the list. I have almost always been able to watch Canadian television either over the airwaves or through the cable box except for the last two years with ATT, I miss it. Thanks for reminding me. I would add Megan Follows and Richard Farnsworth to your list.
Brian
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this is an older vid but i still believe it represents what exists between Canada and the USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrA4V6YF6SA
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this is an older vid but i still believe it represents what exists between Canada and the USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrA4V6YF6SA
Lol, it doesn't look like that video is available in Canada. :grin:
Edit:. I found another copy on YouTube. Good one, thanks.
Cheers,
Shaun
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Whenever I ride back up to Washington State in the summer I meet some Canadian Guzzisti @ our MGNOC campout. We all have a good laugh together teasing each other of our different ways, eh? :grin:
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Margo Timmins and the Cowboy Junkies are cause for my eternal gratitude to our northern neighbors.
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In 1970 I was hitchhiking outside of Vancouver trying to get home. I was picked up by RCMP who gave me a ride to a safer, more well lit spot. It was a very courteous act which I appreciated all the more when my first ride got me almost to Alberta. Shortly after I got stuck in Regina, but that was probably my own fault.
I don't know if it is still the case, but my image of the RCMP is respectful and polite (and well dressed!), which I think is (was?) a fine reflection of the Canadian persona.
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I have had a couple of Canadian crew members on boat. They seem normal enough and go in noticed until they put mayonnaise on their French fries and fried chicken revealing their secret identity.
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I have had a couple of Canadian crew members on boat. They seem normal enough and go in noticed until they put mayonnaise on their French fries and fried chicken revealing their secret identity.
Lol! That's a regional thing, I think. I've certainly seen mayo on french fries, but not the fried chicken part. I don't doubt that it's true, though.
How about putting white vinegar on french fries? I clearly remember the looks we got at fast food joints when we asked for that back in 1976 on the way south to Disneyland. "Well, we might have some out back for cleaning....". Oh, and we should warn our American cousins to be cautious in ordering 'tea' in Canada. If you are seeking cold tea, ask for 'Iced Tea', and make sure to taste it before adding any sweetener. It almost universally comes pre-sweetened here. It's more closely aligned with soft drinks than with regular tea (hot tea).
Cheers,
Shaun
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Canadian TV and film is one export I appreciate, some excellent sitcoms can be found on youtube.
I liked the Corner Gas series, and the very low brow Trailer Park Boys they are a hoot. Turns out the
folks living up there and a lot like folks living everywhere else. If I had the bucks I'd buy you all a monkey.
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Please stand by.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/max%20headroom_zpsbeyprkyu.gif)
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/nuts2_zpse22jmlr5.gif)
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No one has yet mentioned Dave Thomas or Rick Moranis . Not sure if Canada claims them , but they are certainly less trouble than that bleeber kid :evil:
Dusty
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Yeah that Bleeber can take off eh? DonG
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Yeah that Bleeber can take off eh? DonG
We tried to send him back , but you guys were too smart to accept :evil:
It is funny , the only real noticeable difference that most Americans notice when traveling in Canada, Canadian sales people are much less pushy . Probably reflects on the culture overall .
Dusty
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We begin most conversations with an apology
" Sorry to bother you but could you tell me......."
And we thank the Police when they hand us a speeding ticket
" thank you officer, have a good day"... and mutter under our breath $@*!!
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No one has yet mentioned Dave Thomas or Rick Moranis . Not sure if Canada claims them , but they are certainly less trouble than that bleeber kid :evil:
Dusty
They were in the original list - see "SCTV" reference, which also covers John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and others...
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They were in the original list - see "SCTV" reference, which also covers John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and others...
In the spirit of this Canadian thing , I apologize :laugh:
One other thing that was apparent during my last visit , Canadian Jr league hockey is incredibly intense . Attended a game in Regina , Wholey Schmidt , the place was rockin' ! We have a long established CHL team in Tulsa , so we are familiar with the game , but the enthusiasm exhibited in Regina was stunning .
Dusty
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In the spirit of this Canadian thing , I apologize :laugh:
One other thing that was apparent during my last visit , Canadian Jr league hockey is incredibly intense . Attended a game in Regina , Wholey Schmidt , the place was rockin' ! We have a long established CHL team in Tulsa , so we are familiar with the game , but the enthusiasm exhibited in Regina was stunning .
Dusty
Hockey below the NHL in Canada is like high school football in TX and OK. 'Nuff said!
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We tried to send him back , but you guys were too smart to accept :evil:
Dusty
If you try to send him back, we're building a wall... :grin:
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Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:
https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M (https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M)
Nick
(see, I avoided the 'R' word)
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Being born north of the 49th parallel makes you Canadian...The link explains the rest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxGVfk09lU
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The funny thing about the Molson Canadian commercials,like all good humor its based in fact
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Being born north of the 49th parallel makes you Canadian...The link explains the rest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxGVfk09lU
Of course, that would be a western Canadian definition - since if you travel east of Lake of the Woods, the 49th is well north of almost all populated areas in all the eastern provinces! :grin:
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The funny thing about the Molson Canadian commercials,like all good humor its based in fact
I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .
Dusty
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Entertainers and artists reflect the society they live in; especially good comedians. I think it's a feed back loop, one reflects the other, then the other identifies with the former. Kinda crazy, but an excellent way to get the pulse of a society. Well, it beats digging through their garbage....... :rolleyes:
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I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .
Dusty
I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.
Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!
(http://www.stubby.ca/images/full/stubby_beer_bottle_carling_okeefe_247.jpg)
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I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.
Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!
(http://www.stubby.ca/images/full/stubby_beer_bottle_carling_okeefe_247.jpg)
Only when it was really cold...
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Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:
https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M (https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M)
Nick
(see, I avoided the 'R' word)
funny!
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Only when it was really cold...
I lived in Winnipeg at the time - 'really cold' was a way of life! Besides, my doctor prescribed them for me to help me gain weight. :wink:
The other good alternative (at least before it was bought out and ruined) was Club Beer. Remember their radio commercials where the announcer would interview people about their hobbies? There was a guy who trained cardboard boxes - and another where the subject of the interview tore telephones in half. One of the best was this one:
Interviewer: "And you, sir, do you have an interesting hobby you'd like to tell the folks at Club Beer about?"
Subject: "I read secret messages in street signs."
I: "Really? What about that sign over there?"
S: "You mean that one that reads 'No Left Turn'? Well, that's a message in the Patagonian Naval code, which I cracked in 1973 on a Tuesday."
I: "And what does it say?"
S: "I can't tell you. It's a secret!"
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Of course, in reality all Canadians are like this:
https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M (https://youtu.be/F-glHAzXi_M)
Nick
(see, I avoided the 'R' word)
I barely understood any of that. But then I often have that trouble with music videos. I couldn't make head nor tail of this one from China either. I mean it is seriously WTF on every level. Is it, do you think, representative of Chinese culture?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxzgwJ8tSE0
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Lol! That's a regional thing, I think. I've certainly seen mayo on french fries, but not the fried chicken part. I don't doubt that it's true, though.
How about putting white vinegar on french fries? I clearly remember the looks we got at fast food joints when we asked for that back in 1976 on the way south to Disneyland. "Well, we might have some out back for cleaning....". Oh, and we should warn our American cousins to be cautious in ordering 'tea' in Canada. If you are seeking cold tea, ask for 'Iced Tea', and make sure to taste it before adding any sweetener. It almost universally comes pre-sweetened here. It's more closely aligned with soft drinks than with regular tea (hot tea).
Cheers,
Shaun
One of my favourite smells wafts out of a good chip wagon in the summer, complete with white vinegar. And yes, I like mayo on my chicken. Burgers too, for that matter.
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I have a beef with Molson . They stopped making Molson Ale , have never forgiven them for doing so .
Dusty
You mean Molson Stock Ale? :shocked:
http://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/molson-stock-ale
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I have a beef with Molson - I would like them to make beer.
Just because it's better than American mass-market stuff is not enough reason to call it real Canadian beer. Ah, for the days of classic stubby bottles of Old Stock!
(http://www.stubby.ca/images/full/stubby_beer_bottle_carling_okeefe_247.jpg)
Molsons went all to hell when it merged with Coors :sad:
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Edmonton Oiler fans singing...."O Canada" :wink: :grin: :laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk
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I don't know for certain what makes me Canadian beyond being born here and having lived here all my life, but I do know that I only need about 10 minutes conversation anywhere with a Canadian or an American, I can tell who is which even after the American has lived in Canada for many years.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/merlehaggard/brew2.png)
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I don't know for certain what makes me Canadian beyond being born here and having lived here all my life, but I do know that I only need about 10 minutes conversation anywhere with a Canadian or an American, I can tell who is which even after the American has lived in Canada for many years.
That's so interesting! I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are. If they are too charged, feel free to PM.
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That's so interesting! I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are. If they are too charged, feel free to PM.
A good ear for regional accents helps.
Of course, as a Canadian, I have absolutely no accent, even though I get laughed at in WI every time I visit :laugh:
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That's so interesting! I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are. If they are too charged, feel free to PM.
When I'm in Canada, a few people always think I'm American. When I'm in the US, a few people always claim they can tell I'm Canadian. I don't say 'eh' or 'aboot', though I also may not say 'ruff' when I talk about the top of a building. It's a sofa or a couch, not a chesterfield - but every once in a while I'll say 'you betcha!". And my life in the south has had some impact, and inflections of San Antonio, Nawlins and St Louis (it's NOT St Looee!) will sneak in there too.
I'm so confused! :shocked:
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When I was a kid I loved The Beachcombers....
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When I was a kid I loved The Beachcombers....
Of course, one of the most Canadian things was to adopt television programmes (spelling from Britain!) from other Commonwealth countries. Our down-under readers will no doubt recall this famous theme song:
"Skippy, Skippy - Skippy, the bush kangaroo!
Skippy, Skippy - Skippy, the friend ever true!"
Think of an Aussie clone of "Flipper' - except there was no ocean, the marine biologist was a bush ranger, and substitute a junior boomer for a finny friend. Somebody tell me - how many different times has Lassie been remade? :rolleyes:
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I'm not Canadian but being from Minnesooota we feel some kinship with our close northern neighbors, by the way we don't have a accent either. I have been noticing lately a Canadian import creeping over the border and I'm not sure what to think about it. Some of our restaurants have began to serve Poutine!
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"Whats that Skip? There's a girl and a baby stuck down a mineshaft 6 miles past the juction of 3 Mile and 4 Mile Creek?"
As an Aussie, I grew up right next to Brisbane Waters National Park which has very similar, really identical scenery to where Skippy was filmed....it was great. :laugh:
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When I was a kid I loved The Beachcombers....
Yep, hard to believe Bruno Gerussi has been dead 21 years, now. I've been up to Molly's reach a few times, and have enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Shaun
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One advantage of growing up in the 50-60's were the telephone operators. As a weirdo in 8-9 grade, I used to call long distance operators late at night 11-2amish around the country. Most were bored and I could chat with them for 5-10 minutes. Between regional accents and local colloquialisms (like cabinet (R.I.) for milkshake for frappe) I could usually locate a person to at least his state, often his local city. E.g. in central Mass especially west of Worcester(around Leicester), a double t (butter) is a glottal stop t, rather a rare pronunciation. Can't hear crap now that I'm 70. Some of those operators had incredible voices, Like gently flowing honey. Could even distinguish a Quebecois from a Alberterian. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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Could even distinguish a Quebecois from a Alberterian. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Ummm - you could probably do that even with your current hearing! Un Quebecois parle avec la tonalite de la nez, where an Albertan sounds sort of like somebody from Montana, or Texas without the drawl. Et aussi, le Quebecois parle en francais while the Albertan most likely speak English (unless he's from Girouxville or Fahler!).
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Ummm - you could probably do that even with your current hearing! Un Quebecois parle avec la tonalite de la nez, where an Albertan sounds sort of like somebody from Montana, or Texas without the drawl. Et aussi, le Quebecois parle en francais while the Albertan most likely speak English (unless he's from Girouxville or Fahler!).
Or one of the many Acadian transplants from the maritime provinces. I know some folks who tried to move a call center from Montreal to Calgary and staff it with Acadians, mostly from New Brunswick, to handle the calls for Quebec. Apparently, this was not well-received by the customers in Quebec!
Cheers,
Shaun
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Or one of the many Acadian transplants from the maritime provinces. I know some folks who tried to move a call center from Montreal to Calgary and staff it with Acadians, mostly from New Brunswick, to handle the calls for Quebec. Apparently, this was not well-received by the customers in Quebec!
Funny! A local Bell Telephone repair guy here in Ontario once told me that when calling the Bell call centre for service, it was better to select French as your language of choice from the automated menu. Selecting English got you an off-shore call centre whose staff spoke an English so heavily accented it was almost impossible to understand, whereas the Francophone call centre staff based in Quebec spoke perfect English. He was right. We agreed that it was a sorry state of affairs that Canada's "communications company" couldn't communicate with its English-speaking customers.
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That's so interesting! I'd be interested in your ideas of what the distinguishing characteristics are. If they are too charged, feel free to PM.
Slight language use differences are obvious: Phrases like "tell ya wut", "zip" (instead of postal code), "y'all", and clear straightforward phrases like "you know what your problem is", which is a phrase you'd rarely hear come from anyone Canadian are dead giveaways. Regional accents, too, are clues.
Americans go to college. Canadians to university.
Manners, as others have already noted, are different. Canadians seem more apologetic in many circumstances. When I was in Arizona once visiting my sister, an elderly lady on the airport shuttle kept calling me "sir". So did many young people in stores. You don't hear that much in Canada. It made me think Americans might be more respectful of their seniors than are Canadians.
In my experience, food portions in restaurants are larger in the US, so a comment about small portions sometimes is a clue.
And while news about what goes on in the US often scares the hell out of me, I've found individual Americans to be generally more personally open and friendly upon first meeting. That view goes all the way back to my childhood, as I think about it. When we holidayed (sp?) in the US at various campgrounds, it was easy to find a kid to play with. Not so much when holidaying in Canada. Even now, whenever I go south, most American folks are open, friendly and more inviting initially than is commonly Canadian. It takes a few minutes longer, with Canadians, to dance about and feel whether a conversation is worth continuing or whether one wishes to be a bit more personally revealing. I like testing this theory a lot by just plunking myself down beside a stranger and saying hello.
So, those are just a few thought off the top of my head.
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Slight language use differences are obvious: Phrases like "tell ya wut", "zip" (instead of postal code), "y'all", and clear straightforward phrases like "you know what your problem is", which is a phrase you'd rarely hear come from anyone Canadian are dead giveaways. Regional accents, too, are clues.
Americans go to college. Canadians to university.
Manners, as others have already noted, are different. Canadians seem more apologetic in many circumstances. When I was in Arizona once visiting my sister, an elderly lady on the airport shuttle kept calling me "sir". So did many young people in stores. You don't hear that much in Canada. It made me think Americans might be more respectful of their seniors than are Canadians.
In my experience, food portions in restaurants are larger in the US, so a comment about small portions sometimes is a clue.
And while news about what goes on in the US often scares the hell out of me, I've found individual Americans to be generally more personally open and friendly upon first meeting. That view goes all the way back to my childhood, as I think about it. When we holidayed (sp?) in the US at various campgrounds, it was easy to find a kid to play with. Not so much when holidaying in Canada. Even now, whenever I go south, most American folks are open, friendly and more inviting initially than is commonly Canadian. It takes a few minutes longer, with Canadians, to dance about and feel whether a conversation is worth continuing or whether one wishes to be a bit more personally revealing. I like testing this theory a lot by just plunking myself down beside a stranger and saying hello.
So, those are just a few thought off the top of my head.
Insightful. Your post also highlights another subtle difference in language. 'Holiday' vs. 'Vacation'. Generally, when I mention that I have holidays coming up, my American friends think I am referring to a special statutory holiday (similar to US Thanksgiving), rather than that I am 'going on holiday' in the British sense. In my experience, people south of the border generally use the word 'vacation' to describe taking time off work, rather than 'holidays'. Our British influence showing, likely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AE9Fucqe_w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AE9Fucqe_w)
Cheers,
Shaun
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Slight language use differences are obvious:
What like the slight difference between English and French ?
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There are differences in language between say, PEI and Ontario. But that is only to be expected.
And the open/friendliness thing is something I've observed, my area of PEI was quite tribal back in the '60s though much less so now.
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I know nothing of the French Canadians.
However, other Canadians, do have a semi Scotts inflection, mainly when they mention the words : Out & House .
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Scots the noo!! Fit like? :cool:
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I know nothing of the French Canadians.
However, other Canadians, do have a semi Scotts inflection, mainly when they mention the words : Out & House .
Scots inflection my arse. I don't know where you come from but Canadians can not tell the difference between a Jock and a Cockney.
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Folks, please keep politics out of this, or the thread will be gone.
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Folks, please keep politics out of this, or the thread will be gone.
Yep , no matter how many times we say "no politics" some folks seem to have a compulsion and just can't resist . Great thread , don't ruin it please .
Dusty
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Edmonton Oiler fans singing...."O Canada" :wink: :grin: :laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk
I was in the old Edmonton Northlands Coliseum when Paul Laurio was alive and singing the Canadian Anthem raising the microphone up to record the fans singing, a very proud moment. The guy belting out the Anthem at the one minute mark is Joey Moss the team equipment man since Gretzky first joined the Oilers. When Wayne first arrived here he dated Vicky Moss and Wayne being the great guy he is got Joey a job with the Oilers, Joey has Downs Syndrome. Joey is still with the Oilers and he still proudly belts out O Canada at each game. The Oilers moved into a new barn this year and I was lucky enough to be at the season opener to see Wayne Gretzky and Joey Moss at the opener reunited some 30 years latter.
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Yep , no matter how many times we say "no politics" some folks seem to have a compulsion and just can't resist . Great thread , don't ruin it please .
Dusty
Dusty,
Just tell 'em ta shaddap and eat a poutine on the Chesterfield while waiting on the pogey.
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Dusty,
Just tell 'em ta shaddap and eat a poutine on the Chesterfield while waiting on the pogey.
Oddly enough I understand all of that :shocked: :laugh:
Dusty
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Yep , no matter how many times we say "no politics" some folks seem to have a compulsion and just can't resist . Great thread , don't ruin it please .
Dusty
That's a bit of a difficult rule to adhere to in a thread discussing what makes people of a certain country different from others.
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That's a bit of a difficult rule to adhere to in a thread discussing what makes people of a certain country different from others.
We had 90 some odd posts that successfully avoided politics and insults , doesn't seem so hard to do .
Dusty
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Yep , no matter how many times we say "no politics" some folks seem to have a compulsion and just can't resist . Great thread , don't ruin it please .
Dusty
Thanks for that thought, Dusty - I started this by framing the discussion in a way that I hoped would allow discussion of the ways people are and how they live, without having to get into positives and negatives. It's very Canadian to say that different doesn't mean 'better' - or 'worse' for that matter. It's also a rather Guzzi way of thinking, I believe - or at least, I hope!
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I was in the old Edmonton Northlands Coliseum when Paul Laurio was alive and singing the Canadian Anthem raising the microphone up to record the fans singing, a very proud moment. The guy belting out the Anthem at the one minute mark is Joey Moss the team equipment man since Gretzky first joined the Oilers. When Wayne first arrived here he dated Vicky Moss and Wayne being the great guy he is got Joey a job with the Oilers, Joey has Downs Syndrome. Joey is still with the Oilers and he still proudly belts out O Canada at each game. The Oilers moved into a new barn this year and I was lucky enough to be at the season opener to see Wayne Gretzky and Joey Moss at the opener reunited some 30 years latter.
Great story!
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What a load o' Hoser hoo-ha... It's all aboot the Molson, Moosehead, Maple syrup and Mounties.
Todd.