[sthompson]

Yeecch, I try to avoid fast food anyway. Why eat a McHeartAttack when I can just bring a sandwich? <br /> <br /> Which reminds me to post some info about the international Slow Food movement, which is not about eating slowly <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/smile.gif' alt='Smile'> . Slow Food is about opposing "fast food" as a concept and way of life, and one of the tenets is to eat local food purchased from local producers. It fits pretty well with the be/buy/Canadian concept.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.slowfood.com/">www.slowfood.com</a><br><br /> <br /> Article on the US movement from the Tyee:<br /> <a href="http://www.thetyee.ca/Citizentoolkit/2004/06/09/Speeding_the_Slow_Food_Movement/">Speeding the Slow Food Movement</a><br /> <br /> There are a couple of Canadian chapters as well, one for sure in Edmonton, and one in <a href="http://www.slowfoodvancouver.com/index.php/C7/">Vancouver</a>. There is also a movement for slow cities and slow sex <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/wink.gif' alt='Wink'> . <br /> <br />

[Spud]

Good links.<br /> Slow down everbody.Relax.<br /> McFast is not good <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/cry.gif' alt='Cry'> <br /> Slow is best. <br /> Even Spud doesn`t eat 'those' spuds <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/wink.gif' alt='Wink'>

[cmab]

Go to Zellers instead of WalMart lol.

[Marcarc]

Slow sex? Only at first <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/wink.gif' alt='Wink'>

[Armageddon]

Hm, may be a stupid question, BUT isn't buying most Canadian-made products, compared to Chinese ones, more expensive?<br /> Also, is it hypocritical to want less integration with the U.S. but then work for one of their corporations (Wendy's)? lol

[Kevan Taylor]

It is not if you look at the long term or at a wider picture. Buy american made products and some of the profit goes to american workers and american companies that support the american empire. Buy Canadian made products and the money goes to your neighbour. If your neighbour makes more money it helps your neighbourhood so on and so on.<br /> <br /> It is like paying taxes, you pay them for a better life, you may not like it but not paying them leads to, well, an american way of life.<br /> <br /> As for jobs, well my friend, you often don't have a choice and but my purchases produce Canadian jobs and yours would as well, if you bought Canadian made products.<br /> <br /> And by the way, it is very very easy to do that if you get in the habit of reading labels. The only trouble I have is vegetables, batteries, and razors.<br /> <br />

[michou]

[QUOTE BY= Armageddon] Hm, may be a stupid question, BUT isn't buying most Canadian-made products, compared to Chinese ones, more expensive?<br /> [/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> Buying Canadian usually is more expensive but even if you have the money to pay for it, the problem is about finding anything you need that is actually "Made In Canada". <br /> <br /> My 17 year old loves to shop as much as her mom does, that means as much as getting her wisdom teeth pulled out. She came back completely disgusted a few weeks back, after spending an entire afternoon going through every shop at the local mall, looking for two pairs of work shorts that she wanted 'Made in Canada' or 'Fabriqué au Québec'. None were to be found anywhere, so she patched up her old ones instead.

[4Canada]

Michou, <br /> <br /> It sounds like I would like daughter. She must have a great mom. I could knit her a pair of work shorts from Canadian yarn, I know where I can get that, or maybe I can't get made in Canada or Quebec fabric but I could manufacture them for her? Maybe she knows how to manufacture her own?

[whelan costen]

4Canada, that's what I was thinking, maybe people like Michou's daughter could start a new fashion craze, homemade clothes, made in Canada,with Canadian fabric, which would snowball into manufacturing etc etc. <br /> <br /> When I was a teenager, a million years ago, we always bought plain, gwg scrubbies, they were $19.99 forever it seemed, and we embroidered them, patched them, made purses out of cut-off shorts, after we wore them for awhile, tie-dyed them, beaded them, you name it we did it, jean jackets too! Nobody paid big bucks for jeans, and everybody admired everyone elses handiwork, brand name clothes were not our thing. For me they still aren't and I shutter at the price these kids are paying for one pair of jeans today,- $225.00 and that is cheap the saleswoman told me one time, I laughed and left the store.

[Armageddon]

Well, one can easily find cheap pants these days at like 20 bucks. Not bad, especially since they can last you for years. That is, if you don't get fat or anything, lol.<br /> However, I don't think teens these days would be much interested in say, designing their own clothes. With hw, parties, the net, the cell, and such, there isn't much interest in doing custom-pants. <br /> You'd just have to hire a couple of immigrants to do the job for ya in Canada.

[wadestock]

Before I purchase anything, I look where it is made. This is one thing any responsible consumer must do.<br /> <br /> I do almost all my own auto repair and am a fanatic about the Ford Supercoupe (many Canadians agree)...and have found the ability to buy America vs Chinese is going fast by the wayside. I can still, however, find some Canadian made parts (just put a Canadian made gas tank in my Blazer)...and if they are available, I buy them because they are of superior quality.<br /> <br /> I will be spending in the thousands for one or two Lentech transmissions as soon as I can save up the money. This is a patented improvement for the Ford AOD automatic transmission found in many Mustangs and Thunderbirds.<br /> <br /> I do not buy Chinese anymore unless it is an absolute necessity. If you don't have the Walmarts like US does shoving cheap Chinese products down your throat consider yourselves lucky. The Chinese are on record as rejecting the notion of quality that the Japanese once so fervently supported (and are they now themselves giving in?). Now that Sony and others have succumb to Chinese facilities, can you get any quality electronic products anymore?<br /> <br /> I just bought out of necessity another piece of crap Chinese CD player because it was desired as a birthday present by someone. My son still covets his Japanese made Panasonic CD player which is still playing after being abused for 4 years. Not one other Chinese CD player I bought ever lasted more than about a year or two. <br /> <br /> I have several US made TV sets that are over 20 years old still working, and upgrade our living room set to a 32 inch Japanese made Panasonic about 6 years ago...still running fine. <br /> <br /> Does anyone have a US made Macintosh? EVERY single US made Macintosh computer I ever bought is still working, and I have an original brown box that’s 20+ years old. My son just was lucky to get a discontinued Mac Mini for $300, and I suspect it may not be US made….although it has the parts from National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, etc…but this still breaks my heart.<br /> <br /> If you dig, you’ll find innumerable articles written about the problems with Chinese products. I’ve read about iPods that had problems coming off the line in China vs. Taiwan for instance. One might think that almost anything can be made anywhere (as many cheap business managers most fervently think) but the PROCESSES that go into a quality product are often very difficult to define and duplicate. The quality inspection that goes with a quality product might also drive up the cost of the item and be skimped on. <br /> <br /> If you as Canadians believe in your own products, define quality products and processes, and continue to perfect these products/processes….you’re on the right track. <br />

[Perturbed]

[QUOTE BY= wadestock] Before I purchase anything, I look where it is made. This is one thing any responsible consumer must do.<br /> <br /> I do almost all my own auto repair and am a fanatic about the Ford Supercoupe (many Canadians agree)...and have found the ability to buy America vs Chinese is going fast by the wayside. I can still, however, find some Canadian made parts (just put a Canadian made gas tank in my Blazer)...and if they are available, I buy them because they are of superior quality.<br /> <br /> I will be spending in the thousands for one or two Lentech transmissions as soon as I can save up the money. This is a patented improvement for the Ford AOD automatic transmission found in many Mustangs and Thunderbirds.<br /> <br /> I do not buy Chinese anymore unless it is an absolute necessity. If you don't have the Walmarts like US does shoving cheap Chinese products down your throat consider yourselves lucky. The Chinese are on record as rejecting the notion of quality that the Japanese once so fervently supported (and are they now themselves giving in?). Now that Sony and others have succumb to Chinese facilities, can you get any quality electronic products anymore?<br /> <br /> I just bought out of necessity another piece of crap Chinese CD player because it was desired as a birthday present by someone. My son still covets his Japanese made Panasonic CD player which is still playing after being abused for 4 years. Not one other Chinese CD player I bought ever lasted more than about a year or two. <br /> <br /> I have several US made TV sets that are over 20 years old still working, and upgrade our living room set to a 32 inch Japanese made Panasonic about 6 years ago...still running fine. <br /> <br /> Does anyone have a US made Macintosh? EVERY single US made Macintosh computer I ever bought is still working, and I have an original brown box that’s 20+ years old. My son just was lucky to get a discontinued Mac Mini for $300, and I suspect it may not be US made….although it has the parts from National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, etc…but this still breaks my heart.<br /> <br /> If you dig, you’ll find innumerable articles written about the problems with Chinese products. I’ve read about iPods that had problems coming off the line in China vs. Taiwan for instance. One might think that almost anything can be made anywhere (as many cheap business managers most fervently think) but the PROCESSES that go into a quality product are often very difficult to define and duplicate. The quality inspection that goes with a quality product might also drive up the cost of the item and be skimped on. <br /> <br /> If you as Canadians believe in your own products, define quality products and processes, and continue to perfect these products/processes….you’re on the right track. <br /> [/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> <br /> I agree with what you said.....I know many people with Chinese-made Panasonic stuff that broke VERY quickly.<br /> <br /> My parents have owned an old American Zenith television made in a Canadian branch plant--this lasted well over 20 years.<br /> <br /> My parents also owned an old Toshiba television, made in the U.S.A. that is still going strong after 20+ years.<br /> <br /> <br /> --I would as a Canadian buy Canadian first, then American or European, then Japanese, in that order.....I would much rather support American or European or Japanese made products than Chinese.<br /> <br /> <br /> I would also recommend that people who can AFFORD it to support local electronics stores, and pay a bit more, rather than going to Future Shop, Best Buy, and so forth.<br /> <br /> You can also find Canadian, American or european made furniture with little trouble if you look. Right here where I am in Toronto there is at least one leather-furniture company.<br /> <br /> One question: is there any way to avoid a Chinese or Mexican-made TV when buying? Can one still find a Japanese or European TV, if not one made in Canada or the U.S.?