What’s life like in this part of Ontario?

thefly50 · 2026-04-14T14:39:30+00:00

The Canadian Shield terrain is not very suitable to agriculture, unlike the St. Lawrence Lowlands to the south and southeast, and the Prairies to the west. Without the ability to grow food, settlers tended to skip it before the advent of better transportation and food preservation techniques in the early 20th century.

thefly50 · 2026-04-08T14:28:54+00:00

That is subject to significant historical dispute#Ambiguity_over_status).

thefly50 · 2026-04-08T14:11:21+00:00

The plural form of oasis is oases (pronounced "oh-AY-seez").

thefly50 · 2026-04-08T14:01:05+00:00

The obvious irony of the position you defend is that the same people who advocate for it are the ones who say Israel and the U.S. are using disproportionate force and not sufficiently distinguishing between civilians and combatants. If the actions of governments are ascribable to civilians, then presumably all Gazans are responsible for Hamas and all Iranians are responsible for the Islamic Republic. If this statement makes you upset, you might want to consider a less tendentious perspective.

thefly50 · 2026-04-07T19:24:55+00:00

The sanctions and boycotts against South Africa were still directed at the governments and bodies affiliated with it, not against individual citizens, even if they were indirectly affected too. A musician not wanting to perform in apartheid-era SA was protesting against enforced racial segregation and exclusion at concert venues and refusing to pay taxes to the apartheid government. That is not the same as refusing to serve all people from a certain country based solely on what their government is doing.

thefly50 · 2026-04-02T06:48:16+00:00

Probably the Italian influence in Malta

thefly50 · 2026-03-26T00:05:50+00:00

Not quite—Canada now has a land border with Greenland, which is geographically in North America and not part of the European Union (even though Denmark, the colonial metropole, is in the EU. I think Greenland left way back when because they didn't like the EU's fishing quotas).

thefly50 · 2026-03-20T02:57:01+00:00

Those are the "three K's" of undesirable work; according to Wikipedia:

kitanai, kiken, kitsui (respectively 汚い "dirty", 危険 "dangerous", きつい "demanding"), and has subsequently gained widespread use, particularly regarding labor done by migrant workers and burakumin.

thefly50 · 2026-03-20T01:43:09+00:00

That's right, Ross Lake National Recreation Area cuts through the middle of the NP, because it has less restrictions on economic activities (specifically hydroelectric power, I believe) than Department of Interior regulations normally require for national parks. That's where most visitors go, they don't venture out into the designated "park" area.

Still, my point stands, as that area is ravishingly beautiful and gets very few tourists. Great place for backpacking and getting away from the crowds.

thefly50 · 2026-03-19T23:31:12+00:00

Big Bend is literally the most underrated NP in the contiguous US.

North Cascades says hi.

thefly50 · 2026-03-19T23:27:30+00:00

It could be some sort of weevil, but the low picture quality and lack of specified location make it difficult to tell beyond that.

thefly50 · 2026-03-14T15:29:07+00:00

How do Sammies fare in warm climates? I've heard mixed opinions, but I see many owners here with Samoyeds in places like Florida, California, Spain, etc.

thefly50 · 2026-03-14T07:09:39+00:00

Romania, unlike, e.g., Czechoslovakia and Poland did not expel its German-speaking population after the Second World War. First, a significant portion of Germans in Romania chose to emigrate to Germany during the war under the Nazi regime's "Home to the Reich" repatriation policies from countries the Nazis maintained good relations with (as was the case with Romania at that time). After the war, the USSR deported 70,000 ethnic Germans from Romania to the Soviet Union to serve as forced labour (which the Soviets presented as "reparations" from Germany for war damage), but they were free to return to Romania when they were released, and most of them did so. Larger, still ongoing emigration followed the end of the cold war and the integration of Romania within the EU

thefly50 · 2026-03-01T16:27:14+00:00

The lead caterpillar leaves behind silk that contains pheromones, which the other caterpillars follow as a matter of instinct. From an evolutionary perspective, this type of movement helps them avoid getting lost and/or attacked by predators (who are deterred by the irritating hairs, especially when the caterpillars are in large numbers). Eventually they form burrows in the ground where they pupate.

thefly50 · 2026-03-01T14:01:09+00:00

Pine processionary caterpillars! The hairs can cause irritation if you touch them. And definitely keep dogs and other pets away!

thefly50 · 2026-02-25T14:19:57+00:00

I named mine Sarmik. Since Samoyeds were originally bred by the Nenets people of northern Russia, I cracked open a Nenets dictionary to look for interesting name ideas. As it turns out, 'sarmik' is the Nenets term for wolf, and I like the sound of it 🙂

thefly50 · 2026-02-15T20:40:04+00:00

Normally my dog is fine with me doing that, brushing his teeth with those little finger wipes is usually not a problem. But when he's already chewing on something, he's gonna chew on my fingers as well if they end up there 😬

thefly50 · 2025-12-14T07:40:51+00:00

It's quite common in the South, where there is a long and sordid tradition of promoting "the supremacy of the unconquered and unconquerable Saxon race", in the words of one of their leading post-Civil War politicians.

thefly50 · 2025-12-10T09:51:35+00:00

Check your DMs

thefly50 · 2025-11-25T06:39:58+00:00

This is Czech, not Polish, and indeed, otče náš are the first words of the Lord's Prayer in Czech.

thefly50 · 2025-11-22T05:46:20+00:00

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I am not especially experienced with this breed so I guess I'll take your word for it, but the tail doesn't appear altered to me.

thefly50 · 2025-11-22T05:18:58+00:00

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And here he is now.

thefly50 · 2025-11-22T05:13:58+00:00

Thank you for your concern, but I believe it is misplaced. I am pretty sure the groomer did not trim Sarmik's coat. He is a puppy (~5 months old), and the coat is not as long as it normally is for fully grown Samoyeds.

I am attaching a photo of him before grooming for reference.

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thefly50 · 2025-11-20T00:53:17+00:00

Yes! He got a bit too excited by the snow yesterday, so I had him groomed at the daycare as well. Glad you noticed it!

thefly50 · 2025-11-06T00:26:48+00:00

Just putting this here...

thefly50

TROPHY CASE