# The Great Wall of Canada/America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669 "2005-01-26T00:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/21 "2005-01-26T05:58:56Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Yeah, I wanna see video footage of the entire city of Buffalo trying to find the edge to get out from under it after the thing blows over onto them. Lake effect. Yeah, that’s the ticket! ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/22 "2005-01-26T06:41:26Z")
It occurs to me that all that ‘cold’ that used to hit north-central and north-east America is now going to hit the eastern Atlantic. Which, eventually, would start to freeze, yes? After some time, wouldn’t we get an ice bridge form from, say, Newfoundland over to Ireland? Wow! This of the new sports records waiting to be set! Fastest snowshoeing time! Fastest skating crossing! The ultimate dog sled race! Cross-ocean skiing? Heck, we could probably get a big chunk of change towards the construction costs by selling coverage rights to CBS sports! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/23 "2005-01-26T06:52:43Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > …blocking transmissions from Canadian radio stations, which, last I read, were still required to fulfil Canadian-music quotas. :: metaphorically pats **The Scrivener** ’s head :: Suuure… Just go on thinking that Canadian radio is bad. I’ll be snickering at the next ten threads that complain about Clear Channel owning 110% of the stations in someone’s home town and eliminating the last good free-form rock station in favour of lip-synched Spanish klezmer music or something, because, you know, that’s what the advertisers want, and who cares about the music anyways… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/24 "2005-01-26T07:48:43Z")
You do realize that there are a bunch of american citys , that are north of the continous border don’t ya. Or do we get those in trade , special economic zones. Declan ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/25 "2005-01-29T14:09:59Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > You do realize that there are a bunch of american citys , that are north of the continous border don’t ya. > > Or do we get those in trade , special economic zones. > > Declan As long as you take Detroit along with anything else. ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/26 "2005-01-29T14:53:30Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > :: metaphorically pats **The Scrivener** ’s head :: > Suuure… Just go on thinking that Canadian radio is bad. > > I’ll be snickering at the next ten threads that complain about Clear Channel owning 110% of the stations in someone’s home town and eliminating the last good free-form rock station in favour of lip-synched Spanish klezmer music or something, because, you know, that’s what the advertisers want, and who cares about the music anyways… 🙂 2 words: Ashley Simpson ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/27 "2005-01-29T14:58:22Z")
It’s Saturday morning, I’m bored. From [here,](http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/ibcpg2.htm) the total distance of the land border is as follows: Maine 611m New Hampshire 58m Vermont 90m New York 445m Penn 42m Ohio 146m Michigan 721m Minnesota 547m North Dakota 310m Montana 545m Idaho 45m Washington 427m Total: 3987m Or, 21,051,360’ (feet) So, if we build this wall to a height of 40,000 feet, then we have a total area of 842,054,400,000 square feet. Let’s pick a brick. I’ve decided on red brick for the wall, because I like red brick. It’s the Chicagoan in me. Anyway, I think I’ve settled on a Berwick Blend Red Brick (3-5/8"D x 2-1/4"H x 8"L) It looks nice, trust me. So, if we add to those dimensions 1/2" for mortar, we get a height of 2.75"H x 8.5"L. I’m not a mason, so correct away as required. That’s a total area of 23.375" or 1.94’ 842,054,400,000 square feet /1.94’ means you’ll need 434,048,659,793.81 bricks. And a lot of mortar - I’m not even going there. Plus, as the US wants the wall, the US is building the wall. You know what that means: Union labor. So the costs and completion times are unfigureoutable. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/28 "2005-01-29T15:28:05Z")
But what about the migration of birds and the regal Monarch butterfly? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/29 "2005-01-29T15:28:48Z")
You’re all silly. All you need for a wind fence is a farmer from Southern Alberta who lives on the edge of a coulee. He’ll figure it out soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/30 "2005-01-29T15:32:32Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > 842,054,400,000 square feet /1.94’ means you’ll need 434,048,659,793.81 bricks. And a lot of mortar - I’m not even going there. > > Plus, as the US wants the wall, the US is building the wall. You know what that means: Union labor. So the costs and completion times are unfigureoutable. Oh yee of little faith, 434,048,659,793 bricks seems like a big number to you doesn’t it? Well consider that there are around 6,000,000,000 people in the world. If we force all of those people to “donate” 72 bricks each then that would provide all that is necessary. Obviously, not every person will be able to do it so will do it by country and just say the average for that country will have to be 72 bricks per person. What if they don’t want to comply? Well, that is why we have spent all that money on nuclear weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/31 "2005-01-29T15:34:18Z")
> [@Rodd Hill](#): > > But what about the migration of birds and the regal Monarch butterfly? We will fly them over on specially fitted 747’s. No first-class though. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/32 "2005-01-29T16:02:35Z")
Birds and butterflys… pffft. We’re talking about our comfort here, people. > [@Shagnasty](#): > > Oh yee of little faith, 434,048,659,793 bricks seems like a big number to you doesn’t it? I’ll just phone in our order to the good folks at [The Belden Brick Company.](http://www.beldenbrick.com/onlinecat/ColorDetail.asp?ProdId=98&Color1=reds&Color2=) They may consider the the “Standard” Berwick Blend, but the “Modular” is in stock! It’s a little shorter, and we’ll need a few more, but hey - hurdles are a part of progress. Who’s got a credit card I can use? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/33 "2005-01-29T17:01:09Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Instead, install super-huge heater fans all along the border that blow a hot air dam up! There’s no infrastructure that will collapse and fall, and it can be shut down for at least half the year. And when an unusually dangerous Artic blast approaches the border, it should be relatively easy to increase the strength of the air dam at that location and bounce that sucker back over the Pole to the Ruskies. Hell, no need for the DEW LIne anymore. The really cool part about this idea is that the fans could be powered by wind turbines driven by that self-same Canadian wind. So the whole thing operates for free! ---
**Author:** ![Augie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@Augie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Augie)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/34 "2005-01-29T17:23:56Z")
I’ve read that Denmark has laid claim to the North Pole while Canada on watch duty was snoozing. Anyway, I figured the brisk cold air from the north was necessary to air out the USA. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/35 "2005-01-29T17:38:42Z")
Hah! Build your wall, you fools. You cannot stop our evil plans! Bwahahahahaha! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/36 "2005-01-29T19:25:08Z")
> [@Augie](#): > > I’ve read that Denmark has laid claim to the North Pole while Canada on watch duty was snoozing. > Anyway, I figured the brisk cold air from the north was necessary to air out the USA. 😃 Actually, Canada flexed its muscles by doing some destroyer exercises around the contested spot. We’re learning from you, America ;)! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/37 "2005-01-29T19:51:42Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > Actually, Canada flexed its muscles by doing some destroyer exercises around the contested spot. We’re learning from you, America ;)! Yeah, but you didn’t catch the defector who noticed you Canadians were snoozing at the switch and phoned the Danes. Agent Triple-Ho-7 himself… ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/38 "2005-01-29T21:19:04Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Hah! Build your wall, you fools. You cannot stop our evil plans! Bwahahahahaha! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! O 291619Z JAN 05 FM OFFICE OF STRATEGIC WEATHER ENHANCEMENT ACTION TEAM (SWEAT) TO CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF//CJCS// BT SECRET //N01710// SUBJ: IMPLEMENTATION OF OPERATION “IMMENSE MAN MADE AIR DAM” (IM MAD) A. REPORT DATED 21DEC04 ON STRAINED US/CANADIAN RELATIONS DUE TO WEATHER(TS) 1. BACKGROUND: AS OUTLINED IN REF. (A), THE RELATIONS BETWEEN CANADA (CA) AND THE U.S. (US) HAVE BEEN SEVERELY STRAINED DUE ARCTIC AIR MASSES WHICH ARRIVE US FROM CA. IT IS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY INTEL SOURCES THAT THIS ACTIVITY IS AN INTENTIONAL, ON GOING OPERATION BY CA AUTHORITIES, IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE CA DOMESTIC WEATHER FROM “MISERABLE” TO “EH”. 2. DISCUSSION: INTEL SOURCES ARE REPORTING THAT EFFORTS TOWARDS THIS END ARE INCREASING. CANADIAN CITIZENS HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED TO SPEED UP THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH COLD AIR MASSES ENTER US AIRSPACE (NFI). IT IS NOW BELIEVED THAT THEY KNOW THAT WE KNOW, AND VICE-VERSA. 3. TASKING: UPON COMPLETION OF OPERATION “BIG DIG” IN BOSTON, BUT NO LATER THAN 2015, IMMEDIATELY RE-DEPLOY ALL CONSTRUCTION/CONTRACTOR ASSETS IN SUPPORT OF OP “IM MAD”. 4. DIRECTOR, SWEAT TEAM SENDS. BT NNNN ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/39 "2005-01-29T23:40:27Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Hah! Build your wall, you fools. You cannot stop our evil plans! Bwahahahahaha! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :smack: Agent K! Ixnay on the illingspay the eansbay! ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669/40 "2005-01-29T23:54:42Z")
Can’t we just genetically engineer a wall of giant sunflowers? Awwwww… Pretty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-wall-of-canada-america/286669.md?page=3)