Conference kaosws::canada

    Re .0,
    
    	Does this mean the grand canal will end nowhere, leak and be
    polluted?
    
    Jean
    

<<"The Country that could have had English
<<Government, American Technology and French culture,... but ended
<<up with French Government, English Technology and American Culture"
    
Typical of the poms to get it wrong.  American Culture?  Sure looks
like it, at a glance, doesn't it?  English Technology?  You mean
our 'phones go 'ring-ring', or our television system uses PAL, or
everyone has an Amstrad PC, or we use 'CeeFax' on TV?
French Government?  I didn't know Canada operates under the Napoleonic
Code, and that we had a President.  We do have a Common House filled
with very common people, but no Chamber of Deputies (not even a posse).


Strange how people see us from afar.

Pat

    Pat's right, of course.
    
    That's an exceptionally silly line, and could only have been written by
    someone utterly ignorant of the nature of this country.
    
    

	I think someone is taking literally something that was meant
	metaphorically.

	Comparable epigrams on other parts of North America are:

	The United States is the only nation to pass from barbarism to
	decadence without an intervening period of civilization.

	and

	Poor Mexico - so far from God, so near to the United States.


	Tony

	<<The United States is the only nation to pass from barbarism to
	<<decadence without an intervening period of civilization.
	<<Poor Mexico - so far from God, so near to the United States.

	Lovely stuff, Tony.  Have no fear about my retort...no one ever
	takes me seriously in this NOTESfile, so why should you?

	The Times comment about Canada isn't far from the truth, though;
	they perceive Canada as having the worst of three worlds rather
	than the best.  ly I don't think the best of technology is
	necessarily American.


	Pat

	Insulting witticisms about Canada could be composed that would be both
telling and amusing.  This was neither, and betrayed, as I suggested, a lack of
understanding of the country its author sought to mock.

	The tone of my reply may have been inappropriate; I apologize to anyone
who was disturbed by it.  

	Stephen  (continuing over-heavy and humourless, perhaps)

>shoddy British journalism

Yep.  Same British journalism that decided (incorrectly, I might add) that
there was something wrong with JFK's "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement.

/john

    But John, I have seen U.S. publications that also claimed that
    what JFK said was
    	"I am a jelly doughnut".
    
    Tony

Then they're just as shoddy as the British ones.

In Berlin, a Berliner is _not_ a jelly doughnut.

Some people, claiming knowledge of German, point out that if you ask someone
where he's from, a Berliner would say, "Ich bin Berliner."  Without the "ein."

However, under the circumstances of the quote, the "ein" is perfectly correct,
because it indicates being "one" of the many Berliners in the world, as opposed
to being "from" Berlin.

/john

    Following on from the 'shoddy' British journalism jibe...I'm interested
    as to how much 'choice' there is on a 'typical' Canadian newstand...
    
    Over the past couple of years there has been somewhat of an explosion
    of titles and revamps in the UK Press.  On any weekday there is
    a choice of at least 15 national papers, roughly split low/middle/high
    brow, plus local daily and evening titles.
    There is both a 'political' choice and 'quality' choice.
    
    I found little variety on the style/content of the mainstream North
    American press (a little bland ?)
    
    Any comments ?
    
    

    There is also an old story about who reads what paper...
    
    Those who think they run the country read the Mail or the Express.
    (depending on if they hate Lynda Lee-Potter more than George Gale)
    
    Those who run the country read the Times.
    
    Those who would like to run the country read the Guardian
    
    Those who think the country is run the way it used to be read the
    Telegraph (owned by Canadian Conrad Black)
    
    and the people who read the Sun don't care who runs the country
    as long as she's got big t**s....

Your first statement about North American papers being bland is
accurate.

In Canada, there are only two 'national' papers, 'The Globe and Mail' and
'The Sun' (yes, we have the Sun as well).  However, the small town papers
do provide local flavour without challenging the intellect; a few good
examples are the 'Almonte Gazette', the 'Eganville Leader' and the 'Flower
Station Screech and Howler'.

Some of us colonials subscribe to the Guardian's Canadian edition which
includes excerpts from the Guardian, the Washington Post and Paris' Le Monde.
At least our pet cockateil loves it and puts it to got use, but it has a
tendency to leave him pooped-out.

Pat