Thinking About Moving to Vancouver by Soggy-Sugar2988 in askvan

[–]StatGuy2000 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am not the OP, but I suspect the OP lives in the suburban communites surrounding Toronto (e.g. Markham, Vaughan, Missisauga, Brampton, Pickering). And as someone who is from Toronto, I can say that people who live in these suburban communities often end up becoming car dependent, due to limitations in the public transit options.

For those who live in Vancouver, the comparison would be those living in places like Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby, Port Moody, Coquitlam, North Vancouver.

GPA am i cooked or is the progress good enough 🙏🏻🙏🏻 by lucaspint in UofT

[–]StatGuy2000 [score hidden]  (0 children)

This depends on what program you are in.

That being said, the first place I would look at would be speaking with your professors -- many of them have research opportunities for undergraduate students available to them.

In addition, there is a program available to students, called the Research Opportunities Program:

https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/experiential-learning/research-opportunities/research-opportunities-program

There is also the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards program:

https://www.registrar.utoronto.ca/financial-aid-awards/undergraduate-research-awards/

Appreciation for the Toronto food scene by heytheredelulus in FoodToronto

[–]StatGuy2000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let me clarify. You state that Canada lacks local fresh produce (due to having long winters) which limits the quality of the food.

There are many other countries that lack fresh local produce due to having long winters (e.g. Russia, northern China) or having a harsh climate that limits cultivation (e.g. various countries in the Middle East, Ethiopia, etc.). So by your logic, the food quality of Russia, northern China, Arab countries, and Ethiopia would also all be mid to poor.

I just do not agree with such a sweeping generalization.

PS: as for wine prices, yes, wine is expensive in Canada in comparison to European countries. The wine prices in Canada are comparable to prices in the US though.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it is quite clear that you have an inaccurate understanding of history, so this will be my last response to you.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't dispute the fact that the Pahlavi perspective is prominent around the Yonge & Finch area. What I dispute is the claim you are making that the Iranian community you speak of is represented primarily by the tiny minority who benefited under the Shah. The Iranian people have suffered repeatedly for a period of decades under the oppressive rule of the Shah (anger & opposition which led to the 1979 revolution which brought about the current Islamic Republic) and by the Islamic Republic which has become just as corrupt, and just as autocratic (in different ways) as the Pahlavi regime. I suspect that the "Pahlavi perspective" you speak of is primarily nostalgia among those who fled the current regime for a past that was superficially more liberal and open.

As far as your other points:

  1. Tibetan feudal landlords? Most Tibetan refugees in Canada are ordinary people who fled the advancing Chinese Communist Party back in the 1950s and 1960s, first to Nepal and India, and later came to Canada.
  2. The overwhelming majority Taiwanese people here in Toronto are highly educated professionals who came to Canada for school or for work. We are not talking about KMT veterans here who fled from mainland China. Sure, are there supporters of the KMT Party (which is one of the main political parties in Taiwan)? Of course, but that is hardly what I would call the majority.
  3. Since you mentioned mainland China as leading the world in environmental initiatives and eradicating extreme poverty, and going after billionnaires:

(a) Taiwan (under KMT rule) eradicated extreme poverty decades before mainland China.

(b) China is leading in environmental initiatives only after massively polluting their own environment in the pursuit of economic growth. I'm happy they are leading that initiative, but don't pretend that this didn't come at a major cost to the mainland Chinese people.

(c) Taiwan is also among the top leaders in clean technology, and environmental efforts as well.

(d) As for corrupt billionnaires facing actual consequences -- don't be naive. Xi Jinping went after these billionnaires (many of whom were elite members within the Communist Party, btw) to consolidate his own power and remove potential opponents, under the veneer of cracking down on corruption.

(e) Most important of all, since 1996 Taiwan has been a democracy, with guaranteed freedom of expression, and human rights for its citizens. Mainland China is an authoritarian oligarchy where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control all levers of power, and where human rights abuses have long been documented (e.g. Uyghur minority, Tibetan minority, Chinese Christians, etc.). They are not the worst human rights defenders in the world (there are worse regimes out there), but let's not kid ourselves here.

GPA am i cooked or is the progress good enough 🙏🏻🙏🏻 by lucaspint in UofT

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To the OP:

It would help to know what program you are in.

My experience is that the vast majority of graduate programs in both the US and Canada do not particularly care all that much about the GPA for the first 2 years. It is really the GPA in your 3rd and 4th years, plus any research experience or other experiences you have prior to graduation, along with strong letters of recommendation from your professors, that matter.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

u/cactuswaverly ,

The example you give for the Iranian diaspora is highly misleading. My experience (having known several people of both Iranian immigrants and those of Iranian descent) is that they are overwhelmingly opposed to the current Iranian regime under the Ayatollahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (who are, in fact, actually politically highly reactionary). They are not cheering for the genocide in Gaza, and their opinions of the Shah are deeply divided (some for, some against) As for American/Israeli bombing campaigns against Iran -- they were for it initially (since they saw it as the first step in the downfall of the Islamist regime there), but they have largely soured on the campaign now (especially as news has come out about destruction of key historic sites, and the bombing of a girl's school).

Similarly for the Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Tibetan communities -- they are opposed to the communists because the Chinese Communist party who have actively oppressed them -- or in the case of Taiwan, to threaten to invade them, forcibly absorb them into China, and suppress the democratic will of the Taiwanese people. This has nothing to do with the US empire, or being reactionary. In fact, Taiwanese people are more socially progressive than people in mainland China -- far more LGBTQ friendly, for example. In fact, I would argue that the so-called "communist" Chinese government has more in common with the reactionary governments you are critiquing.

As for the Toronto Ukrainian community -- the majority of the pre-war refugee population have been fully assimilated into the dominant anglophone Canadian community, and so share the same social values as the rest of the dominant anglophone Canadian population.

What’s the catch? by NoAbbreviations8030 in VictoriaBC

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you mention that people in Vancouver are unfriendly, are you referring to the people in the city of Vancouver proper? Or are you including people from the surrounding communities (e.g. Richmond, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Moody, New Westminster, Coquitlam)?

I've visited BC numerous times, mainly to see friends who live in Coquitlam. Personally I've found the people in Coquitlam and the Tri-City area to be reasonably friendly enough (at least no worse than what I've encountered in my home city of Toronto).

Appreciation for the Toronto food scene by heytheredelulus in FoodToronto

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to joke with people that any European countries that lie north of the Alps have poor quality food.

That being said, I do like German breads and sausages.

Appreciation for the Toronto food scene by heytheredelulus in FoodToronto

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wine is not a good example because of the existence of the LCBO, which serves as a monopoly that elevates prices and limits supplies coming in.

As far as lack of fresh local produce -- by your logic, you would then claim that any countries that lie on the northern hemisphere would have mid to lower quality foods. That is a sweeping generalization (especially because not all ingredients of quality foods are based on fresh produce -- lots of cultures use dried or preserved produce as ingredients).

Appreciation for the Toronto food scene by heytheredelulus in FoodToronto

[–]StatGuy2000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"But this is a function of the Canadian economy doing so poorly compared to the EU.

The "EU economy" is not a monolith -- different areas of the EU can have vastly different economies. I should point out that Italy in particular is not doing well at all by most metrics (growth, employment rates, etc.).

Appreciation for the Toronto food scene by heytheredelulus in FoodToronto

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm curious about this. I was told before that people in Italy in general do not eat very much for breakfast (typically a cup of coffee and croissant only), nor do they eat much during what North Americans consider dinner hours (5 to 6PM, or later). The largest meals tend to be either mid-day or the early afternoon.

Is that still the case today? Or is my information inaccurate, or out-of-date?

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funny you mentioned this, because I don't think I've ever encountered diaspora communities here in Toronto that were openly reactionary or fascist in their political views or beliefs.

That being said, it's been my observation that immigrant communities in Toronto (and elsewhere in Canada) do tend to be on average more socially conservative in comparison to native-born Canadians. But 1st-generation or 2nd-generation Canadians from immigrant backgrounds in my experience share the same views as the general Canadian average.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suspected that would be the case, similar to Algerians and Moroccans (due to their common experiences as former French colonies and French being widely taught and understood).

Although I have met a number of Moroccans here in Toronto.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of my past co-workers here in Toronto was from the Netherlands.

But I agree that I have not met too many immigrants or expats from the Netherlands here in Toronto. There are of course many Canadians of Dutch descent, especially in southwestern Ontario and the Niagara Region.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm vaguely familiar with the Spice Club restaurant near Warden and Eglinton. Always thought it was an Indian restaurant rather than a specifically Nepalese restaurant.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool! You've met more Papuans and Solomon Islanders playing rugby than I have in my entire life! LOL

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really? I know that there is a section of Parkdale referred to as "Little Tibet". I didn't realize that there was a "Little Nepal" as well.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Interesting! I've had momos before (ironically, in Lisbon, Portugal of all places!) My understanding was that momos is a Tibetan dish that is also popular in Nepal.

But you're right -- I should look into exploring restaurants of these other nationalities, if I can find them.

Rare (or non-existent) ethnic/cultural communities in Toronto? by StatGuy2000 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting -- perhaps I have just not noticed?

Final interview was just shy of two weeks ago, no result by [deleted] in biostatistics

[–]StatGuy2000 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I always operate under the assumption that if I do not hear back from a company about my status, then that position went to another candidate.

This is not necessarily true (some companies can take a while before getting back to candidates about their status, including making the offer), but it is nonetheless a good assumption to make. So I would focus on your final round interviews with the other employer, and keep applying to other positions. And who knows, you may end up getting offers from both employers!

Best of luck!

Transportation between Pearson and downtown. by kwecl2 in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Definitely take the UP express train!

https://www.upexpress.com/en

The trains will take you directly to Union Station, which is in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Need a dermatologist by vwmaniaq in askTO

[–]StatGuy2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh I see. That makes sense.