MI Explorer

I think I found the inspiration for the SimCity 4 jail. It may be based on the Monroe County Jail in Monroe, MI. Here is an aerial view of the jail on Google Maps:

I understand that Simtropolis is not the most ideal of places to start a topic like this, but because most if not all of you on here probably reside in Canada, hopefully you guys can give me some advice. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would have to explore the possibility of leaving the United States for Canada. Well, now...here I am...with that thought floating in my mind. As this country becomes more divided by the day, it could soon become reality. I don't want to get too political, so let me summarize it this way. The U.S. Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the highest court in our nation, is now a 200% pure political organisation, and they are already on track to reversing and taking away the most basic, common sense, and fundamental of human rights. Sooner than later, they could start targeting our voting rights also. Now, there will come a time when the Supreme Court and the Trump Party (which is on the cusp of successfully hijacking our government) will have reversed enough regulations and human rights to the point where it will tick nearly everybody off down here and get us more motivated than ever to oust our potential fascist regime, but I worry that by the time America finally wakes up, it will be too late. Our voting rights will have already been stripped from us, our "leaders" will have made it nearly impossible for us to bring them down, and our country will have officially fallen into an authoritarian theocracy, perhaps permanently. I very much fear that the USA will be Russia 2.0 by the end of this decade if not sooner. As a result, my country could soon start experiencing a mass exodus of its most talented and most educated people (including myself). Fortunately, for me, I reside in Michigan, and most of my family members, including my parents, live here. This means that I am in close proximity to the U.S./Canadian border, and should I decide to immigrate to Canada (the province I am eyeing is Ontario), it will not be too difficult for me to have to travel between Michigan and Canada (Ontario) to visit my family. This means that I will have to obtain a passport, of course, but this will not be a problem. Now, first and foremost, before I begin, let me declare the following: I could care less about Canada's gun laws. I have never had an interest in owning or using guns and never will. I am not affiliated with any religion. I have zero tolerance for bigotry and discrimination. We are all people, and we are all entitled to equal treatment regardless of our beliefs or physical characteristics. I could care less about the cold (sometimes brutal) winters. As I said before, I live in Michigan, so I am used to it. We get it a LOT here also. Plus, I own a small collection of kigurumis, which are Japanese "stuffed animal suits" that are often worn as pajamas (I took pictures of myself wearing these...if anybody wants to see them, let me know and I can post them here). I can manage! Here is what I do know about Canada, so far: Canada has universal healthcare. Canada's overall cost of living is significantly higher than the United States. Canada's standards of living are much higher than the United States. Canada uses the metric system. (Metres/litres/grams as base units; kilometres per hour for speed; degrees Celsius for temperature; hectares for measuring tracts of land.) Canada has a universal motorcycle helmet law. All motorcycle riders must wear helmets regardless of the province they are traveling in. In order to immigrate to Canada, you have to meet a specific set of requirements regarding your overall health. You have to declare what diseases or illnesses you have, and the Canadian government reserves the right to deny you citizenship if you have any transmissible diseases that can jeopardize the overall health and well-being of Canadian citizens. In order to immigrate to Canada, you have to be proficient in English and/or French, the two major national languages. The healthcare, education, public services, and roads are all funded by the taxpayer. Canada is a nation with a rich diversity and is home to all kinds of different people of different races and different cultures. Canada's legal age to purchase liquor is 19 (18 in some provinces, including Ontario). Unlike most Americans, Canadians are much more open-minded and well aware of the existence of a world beyond their nation's borders. You can marry whoever you want. You can make fun of Donald Trump and his cronies as much as you want without ever having to worry about your right to free speech coming under attack. Let me see if I can name all of the provinces of Canada without having to look at a map (I'm being serious here): Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick...shoot, there is one more...hang on, let me think...Newfoundland, that's the one I was missing. (Well, let me openly admit...I tried doing them in alphabetical order at first, until I just started listing them as they came to mind.) Canada's landscape is scenic and beautiful...high mountains to the west, vast wilderness and bodies of water to the north, and plains in the south and centre of the country stretching to the east (eventually becoming extensive woodlands with occasional rolling hills). Canada has a police force called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Canada is famous for a dish called poutine. It is a savory dish of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds. I have never had it before, but I have heard that it is delicious. Canada is well-known for Nutella as well as maple syrup (hence the red maple leaf on the national flag). Canada is also famous for a treat called a beaver tail. It looks like it might be a fried sweet pastry rolled and/or coated in sugar, and in some pictures, I have seen them topped with Nutella and Reese Pieces? (In the USA, we have a similar treat called an elephant ear.) Tim Hortons exists on every block in every neighbourhood in Canada (literally). At least I won't have to worry about finding one should I want a vanilla cream cold brew or a box of Timbits! I know of several store chains in Canada...Canadian Tire, Mark's, SportChek, Party City, The Brick, Ashley Homestore, Walmart Supercentre, Costco, Giant Tiger, Winners, Marshalls, HomeSense, Dollarama, Dollar Tree, Mastermind Toys, The Home Depot, Lowe's, Sobeys, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Michaels, Best Buy, Staples, PetSmart, Hudson's Bay, and...oh yes...Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us (which brings me to #22 below)! Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us are still open in Canada (but there is no telling how much longer). So, Geoffrey is still out there, at least for now... Target did exist in Canada but was VERY, VERY short lived (bummer). Zellers was also a national tragedy (that's all I am saying about them). As for my personal background: I have a high school diploma. I also possess a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, which is one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions. I am an adjunct associate professor of mathematics at a community college in southeast Michigan, and I have been working as one since 2015. My part-time work experience in this profession is equivalent to more than one year of full-time work (possibly two). I am fully vaccinated against COVID-19, plus a booster shot. I will continue to get boosters as recommended, as I am the type of person who is not willing to gamble with my life. Also, to this day, I am still very strict about masking up when going out in public. I think I have a condition called metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. I am also borderline obese. However, this should NOT be a barrier, as this is not a transmissible disease. I have a clean arrest record with no previous offences. I have been driving for nearly two decades, and I have a clean driving record with no previous driving offences (not even one ticket/citation). So, applying for a driver's licence in Canada should not be a problem. What I am thinking about doing is starting off small, and applying for dual citizenship first. I could rent an apartment in Windsor and then cross over into Michigan to work for the time being. I think one instructor at my college does this, and s/he has an Ontario licence plate on his/her car. Perhaps, I could work for the money in Michigan and bring my paycheques over into Ontario; then, I can pay my taxes there and take advantage of the universal healthcare. Eventually, I can slowly but gradually phase out my U.S. citizenship once I am offered a position elsewhere in Ontario. I am sure there is a community college or university somewhere around the greater Toronto area or in another nearby city like Hamilton, Guelph, London, or Kitchener that would be happy to hire me as a lecturer, instructor, or adjunct professor. Additionally, what I can do is apply for Canada's Federal Skilled Worker program through Express Entry. As stated above, I already have enough part-time work experience to meet the full-time work experience requirement. I feel that I am proficient enough in English, and I am certain that I will pass the English language ability test without a problem. I also have plenty of money stashed in my bank account to meet the sufficient funds requirement (while I will not say exactly how much, I can safely say that I have more than enough). Who knows, maybe I am being too pessimistic about the direction of my country? Maybe the committee who is investigating Trump's role in the 6th January 2021 Capitol riot, along with our attorney general, will do the right thing and prosecute Trump and/or disqualify him from holding any level of office again in our government? There is a slim chance that this will happen, but I am not holding my breath. And, even if it does happen, the threat of authoritarianism will still very much be alive in a post-Trump America. We have plenty of politicians that are very capable of it. Now, I am not saying that Canada's government is perfect. Far from it. If there is one word that most Canadians would say that sums Canada's politics up perfectly, it is probably "boring." Nevertheless, I will take boring politics ANY DAY over fascist politics. Moreover, I would not mind shelling out extra taxpayer money from my pocket just to have basic necessities (namely healthcare). As of right now, emigrating from the United States is not carved in stone. I may change my mind later. There is a chance my country will get back on its feet. Right now, it is walking on broken glass (as in the famous song by Annie Lennox). Since this is the case, I am exploring the possibility just in case I need a back-up plan. It never hurts to have one. Perhaps, if I ever decide to immigrate to Canada, and some U.S. citizen has the gall to come up to me and say to me, "Proud to be an American" (now a highly infamous statement in Canada), I can respond in a snarky way and say, "Proud to be a former American!" Or, better yet, "Proud to be a Canadian!" Your advice and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this and respond!

The Lower Peninsula of Michigan

Q: What is the difference between Donald Trump and a flying pig? A: The letter F. (Get it? Flying pig)

Here is our cat, Lilli. We call her so many different nicknames that the poor thing probably doesn't even know what her actual name is...

My faith in Windows has gone down ever since they introduced Vista. That version was awful, and all of the versions newer than that one have not been much better, perhaps even worse. Windows 7 is just so-so (probably the best one since Vista), Windows 8 looks like something straight out of a kindergartner's colouring book, and Windows 10 is kind of yucky, too. The laptop that I am using right now is a Lenovo ThinkPad with Windows 10, and for the past six months or so (possibly longer), I have received countless offers from Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 11. I have declined all of them so far and will continue to do so. I think my laptop does have the TPM module that is required, but I do not believe upgrading is truly worth it. Not worth the potential headache(s).

I have to go with Jamil Herd, the transportation advisor. He's a cool dude in a loose mood. Whenever he gets unhappy or concerned about something, he is mild and keeps his cool. He has that "Hey, hey...come on now" kind of attitude. My second favourite is Jonas Sparks, simply because of his catchy humour. My least favourite is Bettina Dean. She looks sad all the time and acts like she is suffering from depression. Poor lady...

Chong Inc. may be inspired by the Mizuho Bank Head Office Building in Tokyo (built 1980). I don't have a good picture of the game building, but it is that really UGLY high-rise in the Houston CO$$ office set with the navy blue columns and teal-coloured windows.

Cameron Cameras: Carbide and Carbon Building (now the Hard Rock Hotel), Chicago (built 1929). Cahalane Communications: As others have suggested, Three Logan Square in Philadelphia. Another possibility is the JPMorgan Chase Tower in Dallas (built 1987). Van Prooijen Trading: Appears to be loosely based off of Heritage Plaza, Houston (built 1987).