You likely know the connection between Winnie the Pooh and Winnipeg, but I will refresh you. the actual bear that Winnie is based on is named after Winnipeg, which is the home of Winnie's original owner, and Winnie was the mascot for one of the then Winnipeg based regiments in World War II. The bear was left in Britain when the soldier went to land in France on D-Day, and ended up in a zoo where the author of the books and his son(??) found him, leading to the stories. There, a concise explanation.
That said, did you know that it is suspected that the character of James Bond is suspected to have been shaped after a Winnipeg native? Yup. Sir William Samuel Stephenson, better known at 'The man called Intrepid'. He was a great spy in the days of World War I. His birthplace was Point Douglas, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended high school in Winnipeg, left at the outbreak of the First World War, and was almost 19 when he served in the trenches. Point Douglas is now a part of the City of Winnipeg, but then it was not.
A lot of people say that Winnipeg is a no where town in the middle of Canada, a prairie city that is the next best thing to no where. I say to them that next time you think Winnipeg, or Canada for that matter, are nothing, something to be hated and insulted, think back to the stuff we and our citizens have done. Winnipeg is my home. Canada is my nation.
I will not put up with people calling us protectors of terrorists, fund raisers of bin Laden, or accusing us of knowingly sheltering those who wish to do harm to our neighbors, or others in the world. The US sheltered terrorists for years. They likely continue to do so. does that mean they are evil? Well, ok, that was a given. too easy I'll admit.
I don't know if this hatred of Canada comes from the fact we build great things, or that we are better educated about ourselves and other countries in the world, or maybe it is simple lack of education and unreliable sources, but I do know it is very disturbing. I am not usually the kind of person who sits by and let's people insult him.
I did because the person insulting me was someone I considered a friend. That I no longer claim, and will not put up with the crap that person is dishing out. I will not link or mention who it is, for he knows who he is, but you know you have gone too far. I could look past our disagreements over the Arab Jewish conflict. I could even look past the disagreements over this past season of Buffy.
Unfortunately I cannot in good conscience continue to read the crap you dish out as fact. I hope no one reads your blog as you read others who attack my nation, one that is a much better one then yours by all international standards, because you quote and pass off as fact by your own belief in what you quote. I could write that Hitler is alive and living below Elvis in Wyoming, but that doesn't mean it is fact.
John Ashcroft said that anyone not agreeing with his requests for anti privacy laws in the wake of 09.11 was unpatriotic. does that mean that it is true since Ashcroft is such a authoritative source? no. It means it is words by a man with his own and his boss's interests in mind. Just because the Taliban said that they were the rightful government, and the only ones speaking for the people of Afghanistan, does that mean that they were right since they were the authoritative voice? I sure as hell hope not.
I don't know much about CSIS, in fact until about 3 years ago I and most Canadians had heard little or nothing about them, but I have heard that they are losing funding because they are a useless organization. Why the hell do we need our own spy organization when the CIA and FBI have enough agents spying on us and can do a much better job of it with the funding they have from their government.
Do I know that those two American organizations spy on my country? I have no doubt. Do I have proof? Nope. Is there proof? No. Do I have an article to back me up? No. I have logic. If my country is such a haven for terrorists as you say it is, I can't see how the CIA could say they are doing their job without heavily monitoring my country.
It just makes sense. An idea you may want to grasp before you attack based on lies and unfounded accusations. Oh, and I would begin to look at other sources then the one that you quote and attribute to 99% of the time on such subjects. That site is obviously a bad source, and is only quoted because obviously you buy their side hook line and sinker. If it was worth the effort, which it isn't, I would actually look to more then one source.
Yeah OK, Canada's cool and all. You did give us hockey, so I gotta give you props for that, but you can never, ever make up for unleashing Celine Dion on us you bastards! *L*
Not to mention Bryan Adams, Alanis Morrisette, and Peter Jennings. :)
Of course, you probably feel the same way about Britney Spears and N'Sync don't you?
Ok, ok. I'll give you that. Celine was a little overboard, but after disco and the boy bands we had to do something. I mean NKOTB? Why man, why? Do you all hate us that much? We at least gave you Neil Young, The Guess Who and Great Big Sea, all excellent exports.
Geek, I'm a little frightened that you used the initals for New Kids (and not just b/c it took me back to signing yearbooks in jr. high school).
I agree that Canada has provided the world with some good stuff- Canadian bacon is magnificent, Candian mounties are gorgeous, BNL's music makes me giddy with happiness and though Mike disagrees Alanis is pretty cool too.
I just ask that you guys promise not to mess with football anymore - leave this to the experts please.
Ohhhhh, I was gonna just leave this, since you were complimenting, but I just couldn't leave it at that. Mess with Football? Excuse me? The NFL began in 1930's. The CFL(by far the better league, though without the pathetically high priced 'athletes' and fanfare) began in the 30's. What makes you think that the NFL is better? CFL players have to play their big game in, usually, snow and frequently in blizzard conditions.
I would love to see the players of the NFL, especially the more Southern teams, play in even one Grey Cup. I mean even your northern teams, like those in Minnesota, play in covered domes so they don't have to deal with the rigors of harsh weather. I suspect if the Super Bowl were played in heavy, thick fog, or blinding snow, that the game would be called or postponed.
Not here, the CFL teams have played their game in all conditions, and even played in multiple extra quarters. Is NFL football better? Nope. Even ask any CFL player, like Doug Flutie, who has gone to the NFL. He has admitted that compared to CFL football, the NFL is a kid's game. It has always been said by those who have played here that the CFL is the better league to start in because if you can play here, you can play anywhere.
The comment was not meant specifically as a NFL is better than CFL argument as much as it was football as a whole in America is better than football as a whole in Canada. It is wrong to neglect the powerful tradition of high school and college football when looking at the whole picture of the American version of the sport. I am sure you would agree that any look at Canadian hockey that did not include juniors would be incomplete.
But I digress, let me simply respond to the specific arguments in your comment:
The first NFL championship game was played in 1933, the first Grey Cup was in 1936 - not a major time difference but a difference all the same.
Yes, Minnesota plays in a dome. Green Bay and Buffalo do not, would you agree that they are prone to a spot of bad weather?
Secondly, just because southern teams do not have snow and ice the northern teams (and CFL teams) face, they are plagued by horrific heat and humidity something that does effect the game and heavily padded players.
And as for Doug Flutie if he feels that the NFL is just nursery school compared to the CFL I would encourage him to head back to the great north and seek employment. I guess he was just too busy smirking at the petty attempts of the NFL's defensemen to lead his team to a championship - yeah surely that must have been it.
Let's just agree to disagree on this one.
Dude, being from Winnipeg you may not have come across this particular phenomenon before, so you can be forgiven. Or you may not realize that Angela is originally from the southern US. But, just as you never argue hockey with a Canadian, you also never argue football with a Southern woman. It's a religion, just like hockey is to Don Cherry. :)
Trust me on this!
"American" Football was invented in Canada at McMaster University!
i love your story
i always watch wiinnie the pooh
yo how u doin
dude no argument about it that canada is a bad ass place to be... living in texas now yet originally from toronto, i am proud to say that i am a lover of hockey, and even though americans hate on us all the time, we are aware of our qualities, and no ignorant person can take that from us.
canada always was, and always will be the best country!!!
it doesnt matter what any one else says canada always has been, is and always will be the best country in the world to live in! GO LEAFS!!!
Guy check out.