Calling all Americans...

[PerfAdv]

I think central and south Florida pwns california in desirable residency and natural beauty, real esate is cheaper, cali's beaches can't touch the clear carribean clear water white sand sea beaches, minutes away from the bahamas, the florida keys (islands) are like an early extension of the bahamas, the great all aoroung weather minus hurricanes...etc.

No doubt, there's no competing with the beaches in Florida. The beaches in California have more of a rugged beauty. Also, the water is too cold, unlike Florida's tropical waters. This doesn't really bother me but it is a big plus for beach-goers. What does suck about California are the real estate values. But as it stands, California is the most populated state and the high prices limit even further growth. Sucks because even small homes are $500+K in nicer areas, so either it's a crap commute or rent...

On the pros-side, CA has decent surfing beaches, mountains for skiing and driving the passes, deserts for speeding, rolling praries, Nappa valley, Disneyland, Universal studios, Hollywood, and also Mulholland drive. Also, some of the best driving roads in the Americas. Oh, San Francisco, San Diego and their unique attractions...

Also, if measured independantly of the US, CA has the 5th biggest economy in the world.

[Nerys]

Well the smarties on the right are British....Nestle

The smarties on the left arent proper smarties from Britain

Thats what makes Canada and US different, The Commonwealth!

Nestle isn't from Britain, the central office is in Switzerland. And yes, I'm a smarty-pants

[carbrochuretom]

Lol, Staten Island is a safehaven compared to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and even Queens, specifically, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Washington Heights, Harlem, et. al.

Oh yeh I forgot...I got followed by a strange man in Brooklyn, he was pissed and kinda looked like Al Capone actually except without the hat and the fat cigar. Maybe I was a bit harsh on Staten Island I was only there for an hour but I must have just been greeted with the Islands loonies. The NY State government should really consider relocating them lol...Canada lol jokes

[carbrochuretom]

Nestle isn't from Britain, the central office is in Switzerland. And yes, I'm a smarty-pants

Bugger! My firends mum works for Nestle whytf didnt I know that lol well its still different lol

[Egg Nog]

mosaic as in small areas of different cultures as opposed to all mixed together? i remember going to vancouver and there was a distinc indian/middle eastern area?

Here's a bit from Wikipedia - I typed out a response but deleted it because this is way easier to understand than what I attempted to write

"Cultural Mosaic":

Cultural mosaic is a term used to describe the "patchwork quilt" of ethnic groups, languages and cultures that co-exist within Canadian society. The idea of a cultural mosaic is in contrast with that of a melting pot, which is often used to describe the United States' ideal of assimilation.

"Melting Pot":

The melting pot is a metaphor for the way in which homogenous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures and religions) are combined so as to lose their discrete identities and yield a final product of uniform consistency and flavor, which is quite different from the original inputs. This process is also known as cultural assimilation.

[Nerys]

Bugger! My firends mum works for Nestle whytf didnt I know that lol well its still different lol

We had to learn at school the history of many German contrivancers. It was awfully boring and I'm only delighted that I can finally tell someone this nonsense...

[Matra et Alpine]

Sorry, but your misconceptions about California are atleast 10 years old.
No water shortages, or electrical, or sunshine for that matter.

So why does the California DWR predicts that by 2020, California will experience water shortages of 2.4 million acre-feet (an acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, a one-year supply for two families ) ?
Oh and STILL California is taking 25% MORE out of the Colorado River than was agreed !!!
Or has that been resolved since the last time I visited ?

San Diego was on warning of rolling power shortages last year, was htat also resolved ?

I've lived in both WA state and CA, and California is definitely the more desirable place to live.

Funny, almost EVERY WA person is happy that Californians dont' want to coem to WA and they have no intention of going to CA
But individual cases will vary

[nota]

From the net

Smarties were invented by Rowntrees in York (UK) in 1937 and renamed as Smarties in the following year. Nestle bought the company (by then called Rowntrees Macintosh) after an earlier merger in 1988. Smarties are still manufactured in York


On 25 October, 2003, Kathryn Ratcliffe set a Guinness World Record by eating 138 Smarties in three minutes using chopsticks

[Nerys]

From the net

Smarties were invented by Rowntrees in York (UK) in 1937 and renamed as Smarties in the following year. Nestle bought the company (by then called Rowntrees Macintosh) after an earlier merger in 1988. Smarties are still manufactured in York

Yes, smarties are British (former I thought it's from the U.S. ) but Nestlé not.

On 25 October, 2003, Kathryn Ratcliffe set a Guinness World Record by eating 138 Smarties in three minutes using chopsticks

[Matt]

The real reason Americans and Canadians has nothing to do with wars, logging or anything like that. It's a simple neighborly rivalry. Similar to having a rivalry with the next town over during football season. From what I've experienced, among the mass population (obviously there are psychos who hate Canada just for being liberal and not doing the bidding of the US), we like to poke fun at Canadians but have no real animosity.

[PerfAdv]

So why does the California DWR predicts that by 2020, California will experience water shortages of 2.4 million acre-feet (an acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, a one-year supply for two families ) ?
Oh and STILL California is taking 25% MORE out of the Colorado River than was agreed !!!
Or has that been resolved since the last time I visited ?

California has a chronic overuse problem not so much shortage...same difference. Granted water's always been in short supply, much is done to collect and bring water to the cities. LA wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for aquaducts bringing in water from surrounding mountains.

I remember when they'd have to ration water; no washing cars, no watering of lawns, etc. I haven't seen any evidence of shortages for years. Even roadside shrubery is watered almost daily...

Still, California is mostly likely to always have somewhat of a shortage as inland it is mostly arid, if not desert.

San Diego was on warning of rolling power shortages last year, was htat also resolved ?

It hasn't really made the news recently but yes SD did have rolling blackouts 4-5 years ago. It might happen again this summer...according to a Googled article I just skimmed. Part of the issue may lie in wanting to deregulate and privatize the energy industry...Swartzy is pushing for dereg. Still, I'm no expert of San Diego power issues...

Funny, almost EVERY WA person is happy that Californians dont' want to coem to WA and they have no intention of going to CA
But individual cases will vary

Washingtonians don't want Californians to come up but really CA couldn't care less if the webbed-foot greenies came South. WA's anti-CA stance might be a slight case of sour grapes.

Seattle is WA's biggest city and with the technology influx it was bursting at the seams. Metro-WA really can't accomodate any more people. The freeways and roads can't be expanded easily because of the terrain and numerous bridges. Also, with the increase in population came the CA style real estate balooning.

[Matra et Alpine]

Seattle is WA's biggest city and with the technology influx it was bursting at the seams. Metro-WA really can't accomodate any more people. The freeways and roads can't be expanded easily because of the terrain and numerous bridges. Also, with the increase in population came the CA style real estate balooning.

yeah friends in Bellevue and Everett way.
one with views from well up Mt Cougar
CA not that pretty ever ( and I include Sausalito and further north -- more friends )
Course as we often say we are always biased to "like" countryside we are used to. Washington State is like Scotland with a few extra degrees in summer and best of all no midgies

[zeta]

No doubt, there's no competing with the beaches in Florida. The beaches in California have more of a rugged beauty. Also, the water is too cold, unlike Florida's tropical waters. This doesn't really bother me but it is a big plus for beach-goers. What does suck about California are the real estate values. But as it stands, California is the most populated state and the high prices limit even further growth. Sucks because even small homes are $500+K in nicer areas, so either it's a crap commute or rent...

On the pros-side, CA has decent surfing beaches, mountains for skiing and driving the passes, deserts for speeding, rolling praries, Nappa valley, Disneyland, Universal studios, Hollywood, and also Mulholland drive. Also, some of the best driving roads in the Americas. Oh, San Francisco, San Diego and their unique attractions...

Also, if measured independantly of the US, CA has the 5th biggest economy in the world.

But Cali's economy is great tho,. california's has the most maufactoring of all the states, the massive entertainment industry, the #2 media center of the country, most of the auto design studios in the country,...

[carbrochuretom]

On 25 October, 2003, Kathryn Ratcliffe set a Guinness World Record by eating 138 Smarties in three minutes using chopsticks

Im struggling to understand why anyone would actually want to do that lol

[Pando]

Those are rubbish reasons, in comparison the British and french almost have legitimate reasons to hate eachother.

...and you don't? That's news to me.