What's behind Canada's improving crime stats?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It was $10-$11 a pack when I lived in Quebec in 2002/2003. I'm sure they are way more than that now. You do get 25 to a pack though. Although they are DuMarier or some other brand I couldn't stand. You couldn't get Marlboros in Quebec for some reason. I've been to some real $hitholes in the world, and I could always get Marlboros. Marlboros are running about $6 a pack here in Texas currently.

OK, so what I hear is this. Canada requires all sorts of special packaging for all sorts of reasons. The packs are designed to be larger so they cannot be carried so easily in a shirt pocket and they have to have the special photos of diseased lungs and stuff and they cannot be longer than 75mm (tobacco tube) and Marlboro just says "screw that" too much BS and not enough market share. So the story goes. May not be true but it sounds good enough. You cannot get Marlboros there.

If you look closely, a lot of those "brands" are just the same cigarettes in different packages.

Marlboros are the most popular cig in Ukraine and Russia by far. You have the REAL ones for $1 per pack, made under license in Switzerland...and then you have the counterfiet Bolshevik Marlboros for like 60 cents per pack.

The openess of how counterfiet merchandise is sold in Ukraine has always been a hoot for me! I know it is not funny, but it is SO obvious. Sometimes they even mis-spell it "marlburo" (something in transliteration I guess) or the label is a photocopy of a real label.

[GandD 5,966]

The US is full of news you just can't make up. I don't remember any news from the US when I was living in Canada, other than the major stuff that made worldwide news.

But generally Canadian news is boring.

It would be hard to talk about world news without hearing about the US. The US is either expected to or expects to weigh in on many of the international crisis. The EU has similar obligations. It just takes them longer to say nothing.

[Karee 4,190]

OK, so what I hear is this. Canada requires all sorts of special packaging for all sorts of reasons. The packs are designed to be larger so they cannot be carried so easily in a shirt pocket and they have to have the special photos of diseased lungs and stuff and they cannot be longer than 75mm (tobacco tube) and Marlboro just says "screw that" too much BS and not enough market share. So the story goes. May not be true but it sounds good enough. You cannot get Marlboros there.

If you look closely, a lot of those "brands" are just the same cigarettes in different packages.

Marlboros are the most popular cig in Ukraine and Russia by far. You have the REAL ones for $1 per pack, made under license in Switzerland...and then you have the counterfiet Bolshevik Marlboros for like 60 cents per pack.

The openess of how counterfiet merchandise is sold in Ukraine has always been a hoot for me! I know it is not funny, but it is SO obvious. Sometimes they even mis-spell it "marlburo" (something in transliteration I guess) or the label is a photocopy of a real label.

Yeah I remember all those disease photos. My favorite was the one showing a cigarette as a limp ####### with the explanation that impotence could occur if you keep smoking.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

What do you think is the reason for low gun crime in other countries, if it has nothing to do with the guns themselves? Honestly curious.

That's what should have happened. There's no reason as to why it didn't. GZ had the opportunity.

Gah, I'd gone so long without talking about this too.

Okay, maybe like three days.

OMG thousands of reasons, but a few good ones...

Mostly culture in general, respect for people. Homogenous societies tend to have less crime. Japan has very low crime...even crime that has nothing to do with guns...and they are a homogenous society, one of the most homogenous in the world. Diversity sounds nice and that is how our country is, but it does not contribute to low crime. That is just a fact.

Crime and punishment and government. UK has much swifter justice than the USA, so does Canada. Holy #######, you let some kid get run over on a bicycle in Quebec and the Premier calls a special meeting of the Parliment to get to the bottom of it! There will be a barrier there next week to prevent that from happening again! In the USA we launch into congressional investigations and in the end...do nothing. But our government is designed that way. Our government is designed to prevent swift action as our founders did not want action by government. We are supposed to take care of that ourselves...but we don't. This is why socuialized medicane will not work here, our government is designed to be non-functional, we cannot abdicate to them...but we do.

WE are supposed to be trusted to prevent crime ourselves but we don't.

In socities with a lot of guns...Sweden, Switzerland, Isreal...crime is low. Have you ever been to Switzerland? OMG the people clean the toilets after they use them in public restrooms! They have spray bottles of cleaner and paper towels and a trash can for that! They all have a machine gun but they clean the toilet for the next guy! Wonder why their crime is low? Wonder why Hannibal was the last giy to try and invade them?

Sweden...holy #######, I shot at a rifle range in Sweden where the targets were on the other side of a road! We shot OVER the road, literally, the road ran below the range and you went uphill to the shooting positions and the targets were on a hill on the other side. No one has a problem with this. Everyone has guns, hunting is very popular (moose hunting particularly) and crime is low. It is very clean and friendly..and homogenous. I have never seen so many 6 ft tall blonde women in one place. Sweden was never invaded since the days of the Vikings, it is an armed camp.

Isreal has some problems with terrorism as you may have heard...but they can and do carry guns and they have very low crime (not counting obvious terror attacks...mortar shells do not count as "crime")

Jamaica, an island nation that bans guns. has horrendous crime problems. And it isn't like the criminals are buying guns in the next state over. But they havea a huge illegal drug trade and those people can outfit an army if they want.

Mexico has out of control crime and heavy restrictions on firearms ownership.

The bottom line is that crime rates vary around the world for hundreds of factors and guns have little to do with it. Trying to solve crime problems with guns laws is stupid.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Yeah I remember all those disease photos. My favorite was the one showing a cigarette as a limp ####### with the explanation that impotence could occur if you keep smoking.

That's why I quit.

a friend had one of the "sleeves" that showed a pregnant woman...it was a rather non offensive photo and he just used that sleeve over his other cigarettes so he did not "have to look at diseased lungs"

[Danno 1,228]

I've never felt safer than when I'm in Canada. The people are respectable, the streets are clean and I don't think twice about some twisted nut going off with a gun. It's a beautiful country. I bet people are flocking there.

From what I understand Asians are flocking there..... which in itself might be helping lower crime.

[Ban Hammer 13,344]

Yeah but what is considered a violent crime in Canada? Kicking over someone's snowman?

the leafs winning the stanley cup?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

the leafs winning the stanley cup?

Luckily there isn't any chance of that happening in our lifetime.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

It's certainly not without its flaws, no country is, but it IS a great place to live.

How do you know, you're from Great Britain?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

How do you know, you're from Great Britain?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

America hater.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

[spookyturtle 9,466]

If Canada is so great why are all the women marrying American men and moving to the US?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

If Canada is so great why are all the women marrying American men and moving to the US?

To spread the good word about Canada.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

To spread the good word about Canada.

I don't believe you. You gals are all moving here because it is better here.