Happy Canada Day!

**CeciliaH** · 07-01-2007, 08:08 PM

I know its late - but happy Canada day for any other canucks out there

**Don McLeod** · 07-02-2007, 02:34 PM

Thanks Cecilia - you got it in under the wire and much appreciated! Personally, the day was celebrated quietly but still a good day to appreciate our country. We were in Ohio a month ago and had a great visit - met some very nice folks there. Between the two countries, it's hard to imagine a better place to be in this troubled world - we are very fortunate!

The only thing I might ask for right now is a bit of that Texas sized rain shower. For over a month we have had Texas style sunshine and drought, minus the heat. Maybe we could share a little?

Q to any of the staff that keep a handle on stats: how many Canadians are hooked up with JaguarPC?

**olokiop** · 07-02-2007, 06:19 PM

I've been thinking of getting dual citizenship for a while now. Anyone out there have it or want it and can recount your story?

**CeciliaH** · 07-03-2007, 05:48 AM

You havent gotten any rain either Don? Its been horribly dry in my area too - Niagara Falls. Go figure! So much water around yet haven't had any rain whatsoever for about 2 months now. We had to cancel having a garden this year - and I've taken to watering our trees in the backyard.
Not to mention our lawn is burnt. ^_^

**Don McLeod** · 07-03-2007, 07:02 AM

It seems more like August when we usually get brown grass and long stretches of sunny weather. Looking at the weather forecast, we may have some relief in sight, rain on Wednesday - hope they're right!

Dual citizenship appears elusive from this end. Most Canadians wishing to live/work in the States have a tough time getting the papers unless they work in a field that is in demand. Another route is through marriage to a US citizen. And before you can apply to become a US citizen, I believe you have to live in the US for 3 years?

An example at the College where I work is the Drilling & Blasting Program which is one of a kind up here. Their grads have a fairly straightforward time getting into the States to work. Whether any of them have been able to pick up US citizenship, I don't know for sure, but I assume that by now some have.

Personally I an happy with my Canadian citizenship and the privilege of free access across the border to visit. Both countries have a lot to offer and see, although some Americans might argue that our lakes in Canada have more fish!

**Ron** · 07-03-2007, 07:24 AM

54' 40" or fight!

**jason** · 07-03-2007, 07:34 AM

Happy Canada Day from the other side of the lake.

I need to get back to the Falls sometime soon...I haven't been in a couple of years now.

Oh...and yeah, we're just as dry down here in Rochester, too.

--Jason

**Don McLeod** · 07-03-2007, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Ron

54' 40" or fight!

Ron - sounds like a fish story - do tell!

**Ron** · 07-03-2007, 07:59 AM

Manifest destiny!

There were proposals ~~160 years ago to take for the US all you hold near and dear.

54 40 or fight was the campaign slogan for future president Polk who nearly immediately compromised with England over the boundary line between the US and Canada in the west. The compromise set the boundary where it is... but I think that was just west of the Rockies.

We should have agreed to the same for the whole border. You can have the tip of Maine, we'll take all the inahbitable parts.

**Don McLeod** · 07-03-2007, 07:55 PM

Being a bit of a fish nut, I was really hoping for a whopper of a fish tale - maybe I got one anyway

Good history lesson. I must admit not being familiar with the details but looked them up out of interest. When you think about it, makes a lot of sense that there should be a continuous landmass to Alaska. Oregon to 54'40" would have come close or got there. Mind you that would make all my family in BC citizens of the USA.

Taking that border clear across the country would take in about 30,000,000 new Americans, but lots of resources in the package. What you would miss out would be the major oil sand deposits in Alberta and the Newfies from Labrador, two of Canada's greatest resources! 54'40" is too far from Maine to make the dip, but why you would want to give up on Maine is lost on me - beautiful place!

With that new border I would become an American and would be just as content as I am now. Which brings me back to my original point - the US and Canada are both great countries to live in.

BTW - if you go back another two centuries, France had claims on land from Quebec to New Orleans. Now wouldn't that have been interesting if it had held true!

**Ron** · 07-03-2007, 08:59 PM

That's an interesting path you lay out; the land that France held in North America two hundred years ago was a little more to the west then down south, but the direct route from Louisiana to Quebec would go through areas that I don't recall France claiming. However I'm really not a geography and/or history major at all.

It did hold true (sort of), the US purchased a lot of that land from France in a transaction we call "The Louisiana Purchase" but it was further west. Here's a pretty good map

http://www.washington.edu/uwired/out...0Purchase.html

**Don McLeod** · 07-04-2007, 06:37 AM

I was referring to a "bit" further back in time, another 200 years earlier than Polk. During the 1600's France claimed a large territory, advancing as far as New Orleans, that lasted to as late as the mid 1700's. They blew it by being spread too thin ( not enough settlers) and making the Iroquois mad, who then sided with the English. Here is what the map looked like before the claim started to collapse through a series of skirmishes and war. The Louisiana purchase happened later in the 1800's.

http://www.canadiana.org/citm/imagep...nf-1759_e.html

**CeciliaH** · 07-04-2007, 07:07 AM

Don - Got the rain today? I woke up to its pitter patter this morning. I hope it keeps going all day- its pretty light.

**Ron** · 07-04-2007, 07:11 AM

Wow. Good thing I will have studied Français in school!

**Don McLeod** · 07-04-2007, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by jason

Happy Canada Day from the other side of the lake.

I need to get back to the Falls sometime soon...I haven't been in a couple of years now.

Oh...and yeah, we're just as dry down here in Rochester, too.

--Jason

On a clear day, and if we travel 15 minutes south to the lakeshore, we can see Rochester on the other side of Lake Ontario. So it's not surprising that you have similar conditions. Although I thought you got a couple of wicked thunderstorms last week? Are you getting this rain today?

Originally Posted by JPC-Cecilia

Don - Got the rain today? I woke up to its pitter patter this morning. I hope it keeps going all day- its pretty light.

Rain is falling but like you say - pretty light. Hope we get more!