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Re: mythology

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erilar

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Feb 10, 2012, 11:29:22 AM2/10/12
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In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>,
David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:

> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
> is...mostly uninhabited.

I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .

On the other hand, I remember reading a book once long ago that
mentioned the Red River and thought of the same one.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist


David Dyer-Bennet

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Feb 10, 2012, 12:43:36 PM2/10/12
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erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> writes:

> In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>,
> David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>
>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>
> I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .

They'd be wrong.

The majority of the Canadian population lives *south* of me, and I'm a
few hundred miles south of that border. If you go up to Winnipeg
(where the Red River feeds Lake Winnipeg, I believe), there's really
very very little north of there.

> On the other hand, I remember reading a book once long ago that
> mentioned the Red River and thought of the same one.

I was quite sure it wasn't the one he meant, and the idea that there are
many rivers using that name is not surprising -- but it's the only one I
could actually think of, so I decided to just go with that.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, dd...@dd-b.net; http://dd-b.net/
Snapshots: http://dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/data/
Photos: http://dd-b.net/photography/gallery/
Dragaera: http://dragaera.info

Michael Stemper

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Feb 10, 2012, 1:00:50 PM2/10/12
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In article <ylfkhayy...@dd-b.net>, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> writes:
>erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> writes:
>> In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:

>>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
>>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
>>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>>
>> I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .
>
>They'd be wrong.
>
>The majority of the Canadian population lives *south* of me,

The majority?

About ten years ago, somebody from Canada worked out, right here, that
about one-third of Canada's population was south of the Twin Cities.
To get half, you'd need to move to Duluth.

I'll see if I can find it somewhere.


> If you go up to Winnipeg
>(where the Red River feeds Lake Winnipeg, I believe), there's really
>very very little north of there.

This is correct.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
This email is to be read by its intended recipient only. Any other party
reading is required by the EULA to send me $500.00.

David Dyer-Bennet

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Feb 10, 2012, 1:32:58 PM2/10/12
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mste...@walkabout.empros.com (Michael Stemper) writes:

> In article <ylfkhayy...@dd-b.net>, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> writes:
>>erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> writes:
>>> In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>
>>>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
>>>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
>>>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>>>
>>> I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .
>>
>>They'd be wrong.
>>
>>The majority of the Canadian population lives *south* of me,
>
> The majority?
>
> About ten years ago, somebody from Canada worked out, right here, that
> about one-third of Canada's population was south of the Twin Cities.
> To get half, you'd need to move to Duluth.
>
> I'll see if I can find it somewhere.

We're north of Toronto (6,054,191) and Montreal (3,824,221) and Ottawa
(1,451,415). (Using metro area measures for cities.)

The total for 2011 (same year for two of those figures, the third wasn't
yearstamped) was 33,476,688. That's pretty much exactly 1/3 -- but
based only on large metro areas (Vancouver is definitely north of us).

And Vancouver is only 2.3 million; there are 22 million other people to
account for not in the really big metro areas. I suspect a lot of them
are clustered around and between Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, and
hence very probably south of me.

Manitoba as a whole is 1,208,268. Saskatchewan is 1,033,381. Alberta
is 3,645,257. British Columbia is 4,400,057. Totaling just over 10.
So there are just under 10 million *somewhere*; my earlier theory about
near Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa is looking pretty decent.

Could come out as high as 1/2 being south of me pretty easily.

Greg Goss

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Feb 12, 2012, 4:14:15 AM2/12/12
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erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:

>In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>,
> David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>
>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>
>I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .

I have a friend who borrows our guest bed twice every summer -- once
on the way to his mother's retirement cabin on the lake north of that
river and once on his way back. So I guess his mother negates that
uninhabited.

But he said ... mostly. I have another friend from China who thinks
of my entire country as mostly uninhabited.
--
"Recessions catch what the auditors miss." (Galbraith)

Gene Wirchenko

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Feb 13, 2012, 1:56:49 AM2/13/12
to
Considering the Arctic, that could be technically accurate but
misleading.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Walter Bushell

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Feb 13, 2012, 10:04:18 AM2/13/12
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In article <ovchj7dtvrn951gjv...@4ax.com>,
Don't something like 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US?
(They have to to get American TV.)

Actually the line was drawn near where wheat can be grown.

--
It is the nature of the human species to reject what is true but unpleasant
and to embrace what is obviously false but comforting. -- H. L. Mencken

David Dyer-Bennet

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Feb 13, 2012, 10:31:19 AM2/13/12
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Hmmm; I haven't asked the Chinese or Indian people at work how they feel
about that.

Gene Wirchenko

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Feb 13, 2012, 8:17:53 PM2/13/12
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On Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:31:19 -0600, David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net>
wrote:

>Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> writes:
>
>> erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>In article <ylfky5sb...@dd-b.net>,
>>> David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
>>>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
>>>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>>>
>>>I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .
>>
>> I have a friend who borrows our guest bed twice every summer -- once
>> on the way to his mother's retirement cabin on the lake north of that
>> river and once on his way back. So I guess his mother negates that
>> uninhabited.
>>
>> But he said ... mostly. I have another friend from China who thinks
>> of my entire country as mostly uninhabited.
>
>Hmmm; I haven't asked the Chinese or Indian people at work how they feel
>about that.

I live in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. If you take the
latitude and longitude of Kamloops and change the longitude from west
to east, the resulting point is in China. It is in northern China,
extreme northern China. There is an area where the border bulges
north. In the middle of that area is the corresponding point.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

djinn

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Feb 13, 2012, 9:15:20 PM2/13/12
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On Feb 14, 9:17 am, Gene Wirchenko <ge...@ocis.net> wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:31:19 -0600, David Dyer-Bennet <d...@dd-b.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> writes:
>
> >> erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:
>
> >>>In article <ylfky5sbbd00....@dd-b.net>,
> >>> David Dyer-Bennet <d...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>
> >>>> Now you're *really* confusing me. The Red River flows mostly north, up
> >>>> out of Minnesota and eventually into Canada. So *north* of that
> >>>> is...mostly uninhabited.
>
> >>>I suspect there are Canadians who would argue that. . . .
>
> >> I have a friend who borrows our guest bed twice every summer -- once
> >> on the way to his mother's retirement cabin on the lake north of that
> >> river and once on his way back. So I guess his mother negates that
> >> uninhabited.
>
> >> But he said ... mostly. I have another friend from China who thinks
> >> of my entire country as mostly uninhabited.
>
> >Hmmm; I haven't asked the Chinese or Indian people at work how they feel
> >about that.
>
> I live in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. If you take the
> latitude and longitude of Kamloops and change the longitude from west
> to east, the resulting point is in China. It is in northern China,
> extreme northern China. There is an area where the border bulges
> north. In the middle of that area is the corresponding point.
>
China's population is concentrated iin the East and south. if you
look at a population map, the population fades off until in the north
and west are Big Empty Spaces.

Walter Bushell

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Feb 13, 2012, 10:00:52 PM2/13/12
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In article
<3166948e-32db-47a0...@rz3g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>,
No water? AFAIK, that and cold are the big reasons for big empty spaces,
because if it were possible to farm somewhere there will be people
there. If raising animals but not crops fewer people. Antarctica is the
biggest empty space and the failure to colonize it, indicates the lack
of incentive for colonizing the Moon, for example. I mean if you want
lebensraum, it would be preferable and it probably has copious natural
resources like coal, IIUC. No coal or oil on the Moon or Mars, methinks.

Greg Goss

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Feb 13, 2012, 11:29:36 PM2/13/12
to
Walter Bushell <pr...@panix.com> wrote:

>No water? AFAIK, that and cold are the big reasons for big empty spaces,
>because if it were possible to farm somewhere there will be people
>there. If raising animals but not crops fewer people. Antarctica is the
>biggest empty space and the failure to colonize it, indicates the lack
>of incentive for colonizing the Moon, for example. I mean if you want
>lebensraum, it would be preferable and it probably has copious natural
>resources like coal, IIUC. No coal or oil on the Moon or Mars, methinks.

I always wondered at The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. The colony seemed
to spend too much of its time looking for ice for water. If you're
going to build a colony living off mined ice, dig it into Antarctica.
Sure makes prospecting for ice easier.

Robert Carnegie

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Feb 14, 2012, 6:07:26 AM2/14/12
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But then we wouldn't have had that story.

And please don't give the powers that be ideas about a prison-ay on
Antarctica-ay!

Michael Stemper

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Feb 14, 2012, 8:52:35 AM2/14/12
to
The same is true of Canada, I believe.

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
If it's "tourist season", where do I get my license?

Michael Stemper

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Feb 14, 2012, 12:48:58 PM2/14/12
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In article <42da7360-84e3-44f5...@ge5g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>, Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> writes:
>On Feb 14, 4:29=A0am, Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
>> Walter Bushell <pr...@panix.com> wrote:

>> >No water? AFAIK, that and cold are the big reasons for big empty spaces,
>> >because if it were possible to farm somewhere there will be people
>> >there. If raising animals but not crops fewer people. Antarctica is the
>> >biggest empty space and the failure to colonize it, indicates the lack
>> >of incentive for colonizing the Moon, for example. I mean if you want
>> >lebensraum, it would be preferable and it probably has copious natural
>> >resources like coal, IIUC. No coal or oil on the Moon or Mars, methinks.
>>
>> I always wondered at The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. =A0The colony seemed
>> to spend too much of its time looking for ice for water. =A0If you're
>> going to build a colony living off mined ice, dig it into Antarctica.
>> Sure makes prospecting for ice easier.

I don't think the PTB were very interested in making life *easy* for
the convicts/political prisoners/general exiles. Also, I'd guess that
Antarctica might have been seen as too readily escapable.

>But then we wouldn't have had that story.
>
>And please don't give the powers that be ideas about a prison-ay on
>Antarctica-ay!

Oops-way! Oo-tay ate-lay!

--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
Economists have correctly predicted seven of the last three recessions.
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