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All I have to say on the matter is,I "am" an American and in watching the idiotic behavior of selected people in this country,including it's soon to be exiting president,
I don't blame some for hating them. (No Char,not you).

I don't have to actually see the people on this site,or it's moderators to know they're good peole or not. Those that are not good,show it fully in their postings as do the ones that are good.

If a moderator like Char or Florian were hateful,they certainly wouldn't care about this site or any of us in general. I've been here for nearly 6 years Jennifer and at no time have they made me feel unwelcome either personally or because I reside in the USA.

Last and most certainly,Gordon Lightfoot knows of this site and if things like that were going on,he'd want no association with it and I'd bet $$$ that he'd ask the site to be removed.

I think you'd have better things to do with your time & emotions J. than harbor a grudge or childish resentment. Move on and get over it,life's too short for this kind of thing.

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Fine. jj, do you happen to recall your whereabouts on or around 1-30-08 ?

Do you know anything about this post from Patti ?

"For some reason, my internet security says that this place is unsafe. There's some nice people here, but I never really felt like I belonged here anyway. Please unsubscribe me."

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i can't even tell ya where i was 10-30-08! not cos i've anything to hide, i simply can't remember...i think char's got that same gene, must be a dumb canuck thing :)

well i can see that as well as it being a glorious day for the USA (as an outside, the significance of the event really just hit me today) it's also left a good portion of citizens concerned about change..that said, i guess it's not a good day for tom or jj foolery on this board, agh

that's an actual post, eh, rm? seems long ago and i think i came back here from a unintentionally imposed internet hiatus shortly before Massey 08, so i guess i missed a few walking on pins and needles stints here...otherwise, i know nothing of patti except she seems as fun as the next gal or guy here and i think her post about Canada over the USA was a bit of clever wit...as far as the last line, it beats me but is a bit of a puzzle however this old mind has to save it's puzzle solving energy for steveo quizzes :)

i usually come here to lighten the mind load...the news has sucked lately (or maybe i'm just paying more attention as i wrinkle) but today a truck fell off on overpass right into my usual commute path, myself unscathed of course...as well as a cute little dude being found in a wooded area after a full 'citizen forces' search for weeks...i know reality has this type of story happening all over the contintent and worldwide at time, but this one left me a little wilted http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/531082

my point it, this is a place to celebrate Gord and our common interests and I can't relate to the whole instigating conflict motive by any members.... my experience has been merely noticing only 2 or 3 folks here (other than the early morning porn spam, lol) that have come across to me as mean spirited...considering the lrge membership here, that's a pretty impressive ratio...either that, or most things just go over my head....with all that said, I plea no contest! (steveo's lyric game competition aside) ...now, rm...can i get something slightly stonger than a coffee? :)

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I'm sure JJ would like to plead his innocence..

Can't help it if folks feel they don't belong. It says more about them than about the other people who post here..

case closed..
10-4 good buddy..

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OK OK OK, I've been busy for a couple weeks with the whole family thing but as the kids say WTF ???

The moderator of this website is fair and balanced. The moderator is not a hater but a wonderful, friendly, caring person who routinely welcomes us Americans up to her lovely country. (as an aside I considered briefly last night of moving next door to Char but let's not discuss American politics, LOL)

I have had the experience of meeting Char at least 3X and each time she was nicer than the previous time. (I say "at least 3" because I killed a few brain cells in my mis-spent youth add that's my best guess).

One of my nicknames over the years here has been "tough old Bill or mean old Bill or something equally nutty" and I can say without a doubt that I have had to tangle with a number of trolls that invaded here. I have been mean and hopefully helped to run a few of them off. As a self-appointed enforcer I would like to offer my services to Detective RM. But I never knew the nationality of any of the creeps so I don't think I was being anti- American, I was being anti-creep, LOL.

But things have been fairly placid here for the longest time and I don't get your rant Jennifer. Care to elaborate a bit so we can bury the hatchet (that's sarcasm not anti-Americanism btw)

And as that great American Rodney King used to say (no not ouch, ouch !) "Can't we all just get along ?"

Gotta love corfid, eh ?

All in peace and fun of course,

Bill :)

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Ok......jj, you're free to go. There's a full bar in the Detective's lounge, the first door to the left. Just tell 'em RM sent you.

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Football (real Football, LOL) on Thanksgiving gives a wonderful point of focus for the day. While I am somewhat in the minority I usually attend church on Thanksgiving morning and then back to the party. If your whole family & some friends are attending you need multiple focus points. Many of us like to cook and/or help cook. Some folks like to belt back adult beverages and chit-chat. All good.

There are multiple conversations in multiple rooms and there is a nice ebb & flow going on. And for those who like a little sports a TV here and there is tuned to the game. There are only two games every Thanksgiving, sometimes they're good and sometimes they are not so much.

And like this year... I can't travel because I have to work Friday morning so we've been taken in by my wife's friend who is also a co-worker. They're nice people but I don't know all their relatives. Believe me I'll be nice (sincerely) and have a nice time but the game that's on while we're there will give me a nice out when I run out of things to share. And nothing says manly and bonding like "hey that was a helluva tackle, no?" and then hit the guy in the shoulder.

I guess you'd have to be there but having something in common that at least a few people like helps. But believe me when I say some folks can't take the combo of turkey and violent sport. Oh well some folks don't like East Of Midnight or Canary Yellow Canoe, LOL.

Peace,

Bill :)

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Yes ! It's wonderful. I know I'll be able to take a seat, and then ask "Are the Lions behind by 28 points yet ?". Where that opening line may lead has endless possibilities. The last time I used it, I found myself engaged in a conversation about shoe factories in China.

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I think you're on kitchen detail this year..
;)

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Oh, that's lame. I KNOW how to work that room. I volunteer my help, somebody asks me to stir in 3 teaspoons of salt, and after teaspoon 17 they ask "What are you doing ?!". I respond with " Stirring in 30 teaspoons of salt".

Next thing you know, I watching football.

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aha! - a "seasoned" pro in the kitchen!!..
lololol

:clap:

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yes, too much measoning

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thanks...i'm saying to myself the same thing barack said to himself Tues night ... "can't believe they bought all that crap" :)

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hi bw:) well i stand corrected then cos that's how many we have on tv (back to back) also...i thought you have several on every channel during the 3 or 4 day stretch...i might be thinking of Xmas day and/or new years' day...i'm not into the college stuff but maybe that's what those games are mostly...i certainly watch the NFL playoff ones...also, i have never got into the march madness...anyhow, i hear you guys, sounds like a great time coming up and well deserved holiday for Americans:) ...i've always been in a rural setting for our thanksgiving and it's always possibly the latest dose of good outdoor weather before a 5 month freeze so usually nobody is indoors until it get's dim out...then it's board game time

i gotta say enough time has passed that i conclude that Jen has atleast been back to lurk and ultimately copped out on giving specifics...where her comment really belongs is under the thread which it applies to back when the misunderstanding occurred so it could be cleared up promptly...it's like me making a vague random post with no reference claiming 'bw, you really suck":)

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:) Ring-a-ling!

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JJ - I've lost track of what and who belongs where .. and why......
lol

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I think my computer was probably just doing that. At first I thought someone was messing around. As far as not belonging here, that was a separate issue and it didn't have anything to do with anyone here.

Many people here have made me feel welcome, and I hope I do the same for others.

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" I ....see...internet people!" :eek:

Oh wait! :rolleyes:
I can't "see" these people so why should I feel negative about them?? :p Duh!!!!!

LOL! :biggrin:

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Myself, I don't think that I'll ever understand folks who, for reasons known only to theirselves, get a bug up their nose about anything & then let themselves get so wrought up that they take their bad mood out on others. Having said that, that also means that I have YET to figure my own self out.:)

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This topic has obviously sparked some serious controversy about the way things can go awry on the internet and create possible unnecessary bad feelings about others without having an opportunity to meet them in person and I say this because of an experience that really opened my mind to the way the wired world is going that I want to to share.
Jennifer I hope you read this because being a Gordon Lightfoot fan as the rest of us I sincerely wish you no ill will as it's his music that's built this wonderful network of fans and once again I extend the hand to you join us in person at the earliest opportunity so we all can feel much happier.
So, on with the story:

When my son was twelve years old I took him to a comic convention in downtown Toronto as he was an aspiring artist and into comic art at that time.
The convention was being held in the Westin Hotel and on the main floor there was a room where the latest thing in comic art was about to be shown on a big screen and we took seats in the room.
My interest was drawn more to the way comments were being thrown around the room by several of the folks watching, most of who were much younger that me, and my son was also watching and threw in his two cents also. There was a serious conversation going on there but nobody really knew just exactly who they were talking to.
After about twenty minutes the video was over and everyone walked out of the room and no one knew who it was that they had spoken to and didn't even seem to care.
It was to me a totally abstract experience.
Now that really, really freaked me completely out and still does to this day.
My son at the time had difficulty understanding why I was troubled but I had to explain to him that the absence of personal contact with those who were communicating with each other was a loss to all those who took the time to sit there for the twenty minutes and watch the show.
Everything was just bounced off the big screen and that's where all eyes were glued and the lack of personal contact I found very troubling.
I told him that if I got that involved in the commentary I would at least like to have had the opportunity to make personal contact with those folks to whom I'd spoken, introduce myself, shake hands and try and in some way try and stay connected.
But the way the world is going with all the toys out there, just about everyone walking down the street these days seems to be plugged into something or other.
The wonderful thing about connecting with Gordon Lightfoot fans in the concert hall is once that first chord is struck, once that first lyric comes out, once the songs begin to roll, all comes together and the party is on. That's what this group is all about and the shortcomings that come in between us well, may they stay forever, very short. Sincerely, Ron Jones.

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Very well said Ron,

I guess it's like the Michael Jackson song: "Man In The Mirror," that would sum it up pretty good.

As for Char I had not posted anything about the remarks made by Jennifer or who ever this person is, but I will say that I dont know Charlene personally, never met her. But from her posts here, I'd dare say she does not hate Americans... She's just " A Proud Canadian,"... just like me... :biggrin: ;)... nothing wrong with that. :)

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yeah, great analogy, Ron...articulated and crafted in poetic fashon as only you know how

OK, i think Jess just might have hit the nail on the head...if Canadians tooting their horn is taken as anti 'any other country' then i understand now...i gotta say i kinda preferred when some of canada's nice features or talents were the world's best kept secrets...i think eveyone worldwide can relate to being able to see a local performer at there own small pub but once that talent gets discovered, all of a sudden you have to buy a ticket to a big arena show to see 'your boy' along with the rest of the masses...i could be off track...but a neat thread would be for all to contribute stories where a local talent of their was previously enjoyed on the small stage (they in attendance) before making it bigtime...i think John Fowles is one who saw our Gord on the small stage before he made it bigtime...Gord i mean:)

i think at times, some of us use this Small Talk area to post Canadiana similar to canada.com discussion boards...it's hard to say if non-canucks find any of it interesting or notice differences or similarities....maybe we need some more non-canuck horn tooting going on as well...i think Pam can certainly author one of those patriotic threads with the best of them...she should probably go head to head against Palin in 2012:)

and I'd be char's sidekick (I'm starting to look like abnd even slip up, like Biden) if she went up against Harper whenever our next election is...i still havent figured out when our elections are, i think they are on demand ...which sounds like a pretty good system to me ....actually char would make a good great of the IOC and UN:)

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For Sir John Fowles, I've always said that he was very privilege to have seen a young Gordon Lightfoot @ EXPO 67 in Montreal.

I was about to start a new thread asking, "Where is "SIR John Fowles" ? But I found him this morning on "The Yahoo Gordon Lightfoot Fan Club" arguing with Robots... lol ! Hey Sir John you really make me laugh sometimes :biggrin: Your a good Brit tho ! Err Umm ! :)

All in good fun ! ;)

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It's amazing how so many walk around these days so totally unplugged from the actual world they inhabit but are literally plugged into the electronics of the day, listening to chatter/music and watching small screens with texts/videos etc..

I like to walk around, make eye contact, smile, say HI, how are you? to people. When you are unaware of what and who is around you the tendency to be polite and friendly is diminished, doors are not opened, banging into people while walking around occurs all the time, the tendency to be short tempered happens more often..it makes for a disengaged and sometimes surly population amongst those who don't engage in the hi-tech gadgetry.

I too would have found that experience way too weird RJ..but kids are used to so much TV from such a young age in some cases that voices coming at them with no person attached is normal I guess..lol

I'll never get used to folks walking around with their hands free phones, talking out loud, and sometimes TOO loud, having conversations in public that are totally inappropriate.

There seems to be an epidemic all over the world of the 'if you say something 'pro' or in praise" it automatically makes you 'anti' something..that speaks more to the listener than the speaker I think.
If I am 'anti' something I'm more than capable of making it crystal clear.

I must say, with thanks, that for the most part I have found folks quite appreciative of hearing/learning some facts/trivia about Canada/Canadians, be it posted here or in private e-mails. We here in Canada have U.S. news as front page coverage in our papers, the top story on our nightly news - our national magazine - Macleans, was just delivered with Obama on the front cover. Were there any U.S. magazines with our PM on it when he won the election a month ago? That's a rhetorical question by the way..
;)
Yet Canada is the largest trade partner of the U.S.:
As of December 2007 and according to the US Census, the ten largest trading partners of the United States represented 64.87% of U.S. Imports, and 58.67% of U.S. Exports in goods. The largest partners with their total trade in billions of US Dollars are as follows:

Canada: $561.55
China: $386.75
Mexico: $347.34
Japan: $208.13
Germany: $144.02
United Kingdom: $107.19
South Korea: $82.27
France: $69.00
Taiwan: $64.66
Saudi Arabia: $46.03

I try my best to hold a high standard of decorum here, for myself and hopefully for all posters. I have stated before that I always imagine that Gordon Lightfoot may at any time tune in so the deep respect I have for him must be reflected in the atmosphere of this board.

When he sees me he asks "Char! - what's new on the web?" I always tell him that his fans here send their hugs and love and are looking forward to the concerts coming up and hope he's doing great.

Yes JJ - we have 'election on demand' - channel 0 on the dial..lol
You can be my finance minister..I'll give everyone all the money they need to get to Lightfoot concerts..that's my election platform!..
;)
I ain't a gun totin', moose killin', snomobile ridin' hockey mum tho.
BUT from Toronto I CAN see the state of New York across Lake Ontario!
lololol

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Therein lies the problem. You folks need to make more noise. Start a war or something. That'll get you some coverage.