# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 261
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5202 "2025-01-09T15:45:37Z")
_Soy Estadounidense_. I wouldn’t mind if Canada joined as multiple states, if and only if an overwhelming number of Canadian voters approved of it. Quebec and Puerto Rico should probably be made independent countries. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5203 "2025-01-09T16:47:27Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > _Soy Estadounidense_. I wouldn’t mind if Canada joined as multiple states, if and only if an overwhelming number of Canadian voters approved of it. [I want Canada to remain Canada] If all Canadian provinces were to join the US as state equivalents, what would their electoral college makeup be? I don’t know much about Canadian politics, except that Alberta is red (by US standards), but how might that impact the current US political system? Would they tilt the EC blue? How about Congressional representation? I would think an influx of Canadian senators and house members would push our Congress to blue as well? For that matter, how about adding Greenland as a state? Might that be an unintended consequence of such an asinine hypothetical? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5204 "2025-01-09T17:02:42Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > My truck has the fuel filler on the left/driver’s side and my spouse’s car has it on the right/passenger side. They are both Fords 🙄 IIRC, the Ford Fiesta/Focus/Fusion were all actually designed by Ford Europe. So I wonder if the engineers were following the apparent European practice of putting the fuel filler on the right. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5205 "2025-01-09T17:09:09Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > > [@Zyada](#): > > > > I remember seeing cars where you had to move the license plate to gas up. Don’t remember whether the plate flipped up or down > > Down, on the car I had. My AMC Hornet had the gas tank behind the license plate. Pulled it down to access. Many could not find it. (I had to remember to tell friends who borrowed the car) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5206 "2025-01-09T17:09:11Z")
Total population of Greenland is 56,865 according to a quick Google. This is about 10% of the population of the current least-populous state (Wyoming), and on par with American Samoa. Canadian population by province/territory (2021 census): Ontario - 14,223,942 Quebec - 8,501,833 British Columbia - 5,000,879 Alberta - 4,262,635 Manitoba - 1,342,153 Saskatchewan - 1,132,505 Nova Scotia - 969,383 New Brunswick - 775,610 Newfoundland & Labrador - 510,550 Prince Edward Island - 154,331 Northwest Territories - 41,070 Yukon - 40,232 Nunavut - 36,858 The big ones should fit in just fine but the little ones might screw up the electoral calculations. Which I will leave to someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5207 "2025-01-09T17:28:37Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I’ve also seen, as I said above, ‘reserved for emergency personnel’ (I forget the exact wording; fire and ambulance crews), on one side of a lot adjacent to a firehouse A lot of your suburban/rural firehouses (the ones that were typically volunteer) also had a social hall that one could rent. If you have outsiders going to visit, whether that’s a wedding, a b-day party, a blood drive, or just a meeting you don’t want them parking in the closest spaces, reserved for the firemen, in case they get a call & have to rush to the station & get the apparatus out ASAP, where literally seconds count. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5208 "2025-01-09T17:35:42Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > A lot of your suburban/rural firehouses (the ones that were typically volunteer) also had a social hall that one could rent. If you have outsiders going to visit, whether that’s a wedding, a b-day party, a blood drive, or just a meeting you don’t want them parking in the closest spaces, reserved for the firemen, in case they get a call & have to rush to the station & get the apparatus out ASAP, where literally seconds count. The lot I was thinking of is also a general downtown shopping area parking lot, on its other side; but yes you’re correct – I’m not sure whether that firehouse has a social hall, but the one somewhat closer to me contains in the same building a social hall and the village offices; both blood drives and voting for the two relevant local districts are held in the social hall, and I’m pretty sure you can rent it. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5209 "2025-01-09T17:54:53Z")
I went ahead and identified rough US state population equivalents for Canadian provinces and territories, and how they might have electoral and congressional representation: Ontario - 14,223,942 (Pennsylvania, 19 EC, 17 Rep, 2 Sen) Quebec - 8,501,833 (Virginia, 13 EC, 11 Rep, 2 Sen) British Columbia - 5,000,879 (Alabama, 9 EC, 7 Rep, 2 Sen) Alberta - 4,262,635 (Oregon, 8 EC, 6 Rep, 2 Sen) Manitoba - 1,342,153 (Maine, 4 EC, 2 Rep, 2 Sen) Saskatchewan - 1,132,505 (Montana, 4 EC, 2 Rep, 2 Sen) Nova Scotia - 969,383 (Delaware, 3 EC, 1 Rep, 2 Sen) New Brunswick - 775,610 (North Dakota, 3 EC, 1 Rep, 2 Sen) Newfoundland & Labrador - 510,550 (Wyoming, 3 EC, 1 Rep, 2 Sen) These would likely be treated as US territories\*: Prince Edward Island - 154,331 (Assume 0 EC, assume 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) Northwest Territories - 41,070 (Assume 0 EC, assume 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) Yukon - 40,232 (Assume 0 EC, 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) Nunavut - 36,858 (Assume 0 EC, 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) Greenland - 56,895 (Assume 0 EC, 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) \*Non-voting representatives can advise on committees, but cannot vote on legislation. Territories have no Electoral College votes, and no senators. So for those provinces that would end-up with Electoral College votes and congressional representation, how do Canada’s entities sort into our binary (Democrat/Republican - Blue/Red) political system? We don’t have a sorting hat, and I know Canada has more than two political parties, but hey, if you are coming into our tree house, you gotta play by the rules. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5210 "2025-01-09T19:30:03Z")
My birthday is ambiguous if written out in DD/MM/YYYY format so unless I’m sure that nobody who needs it would think it was the US style, I would always write 3 letters for the month. Verbally I’d always say the full month. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5211 "2025-01-09T19:57:32Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > Verbally I’d always say the full month. The way the poll was worded, “do you **say** the name of the month” made me think it meant verbally, in which case I would say the name of the month, and that was how I voted. But if I was writing it down, like on a form, I’d usually use the number. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5212 "2025-01-09T20:07:11Z")
Most of my life, I would have said the name of the month. However, in the last few years, I have nearly always been giving it to someone who was typing it into a computer, so they want a number. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5213 "2025-01-09T20:17:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The big ones should fit in just fine but the little ones might screw up the electoral calculations. Which I will leave to someone else. Yeah, really ten states, But altho if they came willingly, I wouldnt mind, no muscling or threats. > [@snowthx](#): > > Yukon - 40,232 (Assume 0 EC, 1 non-voting Rep and 0 Sen) Could join Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5214 "2025-01-09T20:26:33Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > _Soy Estadounidense_. I wouldn’t mind if Canada joined as multiple states, if and only if an overwhelming number of Canadian voters approved of it Yeah. I voted that I’m fine with Canada staying Canada, but if they actually wanted to join the USA, I wouldn’t mind. I would however wonder why the hell they wanted to do that, especially if we were all in anything like the current situation. It is my distinct impression that Canada, in the sense both of the inhabitants and of the government, definitely doesn’t want to do that. Didn’t we already have a war over that once? – well, [more than once, apparently, the number depending on how you define “war” and probably, at some points, how you define “Canada” and “the USA”](https://www.history.com/news/7-times-the-u-s-canada-border-wasnt-so-peaceful). – if I’m being asked my birthdate at the doctor’s office or some such, I say it as m/dd/yyyy. (I presume they’re using US style because we’re in the US.) If I’m being asked my birthday by a friend, I’ll say [month] [date]. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5215 "2025-01-09T20:29:44Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I used to live near a hospital. The ambulances were loud and constant. I always reminded myself that if I ever needed medical help, it was close by. I spent Christmas Day in the ER (and the next three days in the hospital), and I was surprised at how few ambulances I heard. I was sleeping sporadically and badly, so I wasn’t just sleeping through them. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5216 "2025-01-09T20:59:16Z")
Yes. There’s a difference between birthday and birthdate. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5217 "2025-01-09T20:59:29Z")
Stable patients don’t get lights & sirens; we stop at all lights/stop signs for them just like a normal car should. Even for those runs were lights are used, time of day matters, as well as amount of traffic & traffic flow. The hospital we went to most frequently there was a traffic light about ½ mile away but other than that, it was a straight shot with only one or two lightly used residential streets T’ing onto the street that we were driving over (so they had a stop sign, while we didn’t). If the traffic ahead noticed the lights & pulled over I wouldn’t necessarily put the sirens on. If we took someone to the Trauma Center in the city, with city grid streets that siren was on the whole way, even in the middle of the night. Less noise makes patients less anxious & less noise makes it easier for the medic to hear things like breathing sounds. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5218 "2025-01-09T21:05:13Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It is my distinct impression that Canada, in the sense both of the inhabitants and of the government, definitely doesn’t want to do that. Definitely? My Sask relatives have pondered it, but not seriously. Certainly not under duress or under the next administration. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5219 "2025-01-09T21:10:35Z")
It would really suck if you moved to Canada to escape the next four years and ended up living in the 51st state. mmm ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5220 "2025-01-09T21:16:29Z")
Cats and catpans poll: there were no options for our situation: 2 pans, 2 cats. All of the “2 catpans” options were for 1 cat, or more than 2. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5221 "2025-01-09T21:25:32Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Less noise makes patients less anxious & less noise makes it easier for the medic to hear things like breathing sounds. Interesting and smart. My room was almost directly over the ER, so I guess most patients coming in were stable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=260) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=262)