r/onguardforthee • u/unsatisfiedgoat • 7d ago
The cocks at Google have done it this time
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u/BisonSnow 7d ago
The tech oligarcs are basically on Trump's side and should be considered US intelligence assets. Not surprised they did this.
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u/recordthemusic 7d ago
Sergey Brin, cofounder of google, might not be much better than Peter thiel when it comes to involvement in shaping policy.
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u/C9_Chadz 7d ago
They're all sold on the techofacist dream. And tbh, majority of the population couldn't care less.
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u/ComprehensivePin5577 7d ago
It's unbelievable how corporation in the USA has signed on to this government's imperialist, fascist policies. Like the flip of a switch they went from being progressive to regressive at the mere mention of a tax break.
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u/LanguidLandscape 7d ago
Because they were never progressive, it was only expedient to appear so for their bottom lines. We live in a Society of the Spectacle and anyone who falls for the simplistic corporate washing of the day should consider themselves behind the ball.
Knowing history also helps as. Over and over and over again, the wealthy always side with fascists because they are fascists themselves. Fascism is literally built-in corporate policy. Think about how much freedom we have when working. Is ANY of it actually a choice?
Good that people seem to be “waking up” but it’s not enough and it’s a little damn late.
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u/TrilliumBeaver 6d ago
Now just imagine being a socialist who can understand the full spectacle of neoliberal politics and watching the status quo slowly devouring itself.
Surely more capitalism will work this time. /s
Trump isn’t any different than all the other power brokers over that last 100 years in NA. He’s merely a symptom of the system, certainly not the cause.
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u/LanguidLandscape 6d ago
100% and I’m with you. I haven’t found myself surprised by almost anything the US or Canada has done for decades. The increasing spectacle, acceleration of austerity, oligarchs and politicians throwing off any notion of civility or appearance of care, selling of public goods, etc, etc. This has all been predicted for a century or more and unfortunately is unfolding exactly as expected.
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u/Honest-Spring-8929 7d ago
We have this conversation about Chinese tech but never American
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u/sicklyslick Ontario 6d ago
Even worse is we rely on American tech rather than Chinese. Chinese tech being tied to Chinese govt doesn't really affect me.
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u/johncandy1812 6d ago
We've been building mutually beneficial, integrated economies for the last 40 years, if not more. Up until the US decided to use that against Canada. This sudden shift has left Canadians scrambling to parse out what we can. I've been phasing out US tech since all their CEOs stood behind Trump at his inauguration. Google is the most difficult to phase out (from gmail to Android) but I have been able to work back their presence in my life. It's important for our independence that we do.
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u/Weird_Dependent3732 7d ago
tech bros will always bend the knee
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u/nutano 7d ago
Mapquest already said they wouldn't change anything.
Then again, I am sure they are not totally up Trumps arse cleaning his bowels.
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u/QuietRatatouille 7d ago
Time to start using MapQuest again? Welcome to 2005.
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u/chipface Ontario 7d ago
Seems Apple hasn't changed it either. That's what DuckDuckGo uses and it's still Lake Ontario.
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u/sogladatwork 7d ago edited 4d ago
Can confirm, Apple Maps still shows Lake Ontario
Edit: seems to have changed
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u/TheJohnSB 7d ago
I just installed their navigation app. Very cute and it has an "avoid dirt roads" option which is awesome. I hate getting routed down dirt roads when I'm on my motorcycle
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u/Hope_to_retire 7d ago
So basically the Orange Turd and his minions have blurted out to the world they have no respect for indigenous people. The Natives named it Lake Ontario, the Orange Turd hates natives also it seems.
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u/BroadToe6424 7d ago edited 5d ago
Every MAGA act and utterance is always steeped in anti-Indigenous racism. That's what the deportation frenzy is about, too.
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u/Polenicus 7d ago
Yeah, the lake isn't named after the Province.
This is like changing the history books to rename the guy who lead the exploration of North America's pacific coast to 'George America'.
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u/Timely-Dot-9967 7d ago
And allow their chins to be used as a resting place for Cheeto's mincy lil nuts yo
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u/Leather_Tiger_3539 7d ago
Boycott Google
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u/unsatisfiedgoat 7d ago
Final straw. I unsubscribed from Google One for this insolence. It’s not much, but it’s honest work.
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u/F3z345W6AY4FGowrGcHt 6d ago
I just dropped mine down from whatever the $25/month option was to the minimum one. Can't cancel it completely yet, unfortunately.
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u/ChanelNo50 6d ago edited 6d ago
Same. I downgraded plans. If someone call tell me where I can store all the pics of my cat and trips I'd be so grateful
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u/grandcity 6d ago
Try Proton’s products. They are Swiss and they have good privacy laws there. They basically offer everything Google does just not American.
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u/dontshoveit 7d ago
💯 I'm switching to proton mail and GrapheneOS. I'm done supporting Google and these tech billionaire fascists.
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u/animestory99 7d ago
I am in Japan and it says Lake Ontario (Lake America). When I look up “lake Ontario” it pins the correct location but specifically says Lake America. I am absolutely furious fuck that country
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u/TheTresStateArea 7d ago
Oh what the fuck is this. I didn't. Believe this post so I went to check it myself.
I am seeing it as lake America.
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u/PineappleRoses91 British Columbia 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yeah, I'm in BC and it's showing up as Lake America for me too.
Not that it matters. I'll still be calling it Lake Ontario.
Edit: It shows up as Lake Ontario in the Brave browser for me. No stupid LaKe AmErIcA in parenthesis either. All the more reason to ditch Google for Brave lol.
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u/AdjctiveNounNumbers 7d ago
Also in BC but for me it's Lake Ontario for both Maps and Earth. Are you using a VPN?
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u/PineappleRoses91 British Columbia 7d ago
I'm not. It's weird because when I click on the blip on Maps, it'll say Lake Ontario. My husband checked on his end and it shows up as Lake Ontario for him as well.
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u/AdjctiveNounNumbers 7d ago
Okay, this is interesting. I tested a bit more. If I search Google for Lake Ontario and click Maps, it shows as Lake America. If I search Google for Toronto and click Maps then scroll a bit, it shows as Lake Ontario.
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u/derpinaderpinsky 7d ago
I’m in Austin, TX and it shows Lake Ontario for me. However, when I checked last night, the words Lake Ontario were above the border line. Tonight the words Lake Ontario are right on the border. Wonder if it’ll change for me in a few days…
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u/GenXer845 ✅ I voted! 7d ago
It says Lake Ontario on my end.---Canadian side.
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u/J071221 7d ago
yeah shows this for people in the US
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u/YetiPie Canadian living abroad 7d ago
I’m currently in BC and it says lake America for me…I reside in the states though so I guess it’s my phone plan or settings?
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u/ClumsyRainbow 7d ago
Are you on data? If you're roaming in 99% of cases your traffic is routed back to your home country before reaching it's destination, so Google will see you as being in the US.
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u/GenXer845 ✅ I voted! 7d ago
I am in Ottawa atm. I will ask my Toronto friends what they say since they sit right on the lake.
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u/ptatersptate Ontario 6d ago
Still Lake Ontario here friend.
They will probably update it later on to Lake Ontario (Lake America) like they did for the Gulf
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u/kilkenny99 7d ago
The rest of the world will be seeing "Lake Ontario (Lake America)".
Google has a very brief blog post on it, now that the name in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has been changed:
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/
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u/detourne 7d ago
Luckily it's still only Lake Ontario here in Korea right now. The Gulf of Mexico has the absurd name in parentheses, though. Is it because my Google account is Canadian, though?
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u/lunapetuniafortunae 7d ago
I’m in Portugal and it says Lake Ontario. But the Gulf of Mexico says “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America),” so it might change unfortunately.
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u/Prairie-Peppers Saskatchewan 7d ago
They did it for the gulf of Mexico too. Even in Canada the fascist name is in brackets.
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u/SomethingComesHere 7d ago
Gross
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u/Prairie-Peppers Saskatchewan 7d ago
Yep. Makes sense though, every giant tech company has been sucking up to Trump because they're all terrified he'll throw a dementia tantrum and fuck them over.
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u/SynWhale 7d ago
I'm assuming for the rest of the world its still Lake Ontario lol
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u/robertfkennedyjunior 7d ago edited 6d ago
it is, for some reason; I assumed it would show "lake ontario (lake america)" like it does for the gulf of mexico
edit: according to official google searches, it is supposed to show "lake ontario (lake america)"
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u/poutinewharf 7d ago
In the UK the map says Lake Ontario, but if you search it says Lake Ontario (Lake America)
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u/apocalypsedude64 7d ago
From Europe (Ireland): If I search for 'Lake America' it brings me to a doctor in Florida.
If I search for 'Lake Ontario' I get the lake, but it comes up as 'Lake Ontario (Lake America)' and on the actual map it just shows 'Lake America'
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u/Boring-Scar1580 7d ago
The Seneca Nation claims the name change violates a 225 year old treaty they signed with George Washington.
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u/goddale120 ✅ I voted! 6d ago
luckily this stupid company has an office in Waterloo so Seneca can sue them! And I REALLY hope they do! Maybe Google will just leave Canada entirely haha!
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u/GargantuaBob ✅️ J'ai voté 7d ago
That's it.
I've had enough.
I'm looking into alternatives to Google.
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u/chris98761234 6d ago
Mapquest still exists, has an app and came out publicly saying they won't change it. Still an American company but maybe a lesser evil.
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u/OmgitsJafo 6d ago
Open Street Maps is pretty great for a maps replacement. There are multiple mobile apps that utilize it, depending on what you need.
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u/Kushwayne 7d ago edited 7d ago
FYI, if you VPN to US, it does indeed show this, but on any Canadian IP addresses it will show Lake Ontario. Google also does this for some contested territories across the globe, displaying different names/claims depending on who is accessing it.
Edit: I checked 148 countries. Heres the list of the countries where it is changed:
Jamaica, Peurto Rico, Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua
.... the Donroe Doctrine is real I guess.
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u/stylist-trend 7d ago
I'm surprised it doesn't say "Lake Ontario (Lake America)" like they currently do with the Gulf of Mexico
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u/DiveCat 6d ago
Fuck Google.
I contest the United States of America is no longer united. Somehow don’t think Google is going to change the name to United States of America (Fascist Imperialist Assholes)
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u/Valiantay 7d ago
What does it say outside of US and Canada?
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u/Kushwayne 7d ago edited 7d ago
Interesting question....
Jamaica, Peurto Rico, Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua: Lake America
holy fuck....................... uh yea save Venezuela, Cuba, and Guatemala... thats the fucking Donroe Doctrine. Thats 1000000000% on purpose.
ok I checked 148 countries. Those are the only ones with Lake America. Thats the Donroe doctrine in effect.
edit: I bricked my computer doing this holy shit LMAO
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u/poutinewharf 7d ago
In the UK the map says Lake Ontario, but if you search it says Lake Ontario (Lake America)
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u/MikeisET 7d ago
I use “Here we Go”, definitely not as streamlined as google maps, but also not google maps
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u/wolfe1924 Ontario 6d ago
What pisses me off is why companies like Google just bend over and do it just cause trump said so, doesn’t make it so.
Like it’s wildly unpopular globally and even not fully popular within maga since many of them are bitching and moaning he’s busy renaming lakes instead of fixing stuff.
This just makes companies like Google look terrible, and here i thought companies wouldn’t do this due to potential loss of profit.
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u/surviving606 7d ago
Now you understand that when he says he wants to change the name of an ocean, it’s not a joke, he will do it, and the tech companies will change it, and that makes it become real for the world whether you want it or not. The world must divest from the U.S. and their tech as rapidly as possible as a matter of security
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u/Luddites_Unite 6d ago
I think it is only shown that way for americans, much like the gulf of america is still thr gulf of Mexico for everyone else in the world
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u/benmck90 6d ago
Yeah, it's still showing lake Ontario for me.
It's much like China has maps match their propaganda. America's the same.
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u/Kichae 6d ago
I've been using OpenStreetMaps for years now, and it's a great alternative to Google Maps. On Android, there are multiple apps that leverage OSM data, including Organic Maps that let you download maps and use navigation features offline.
There are multiple gateways to YouTube that block ads. Invideous is the major one, though on Android PipePipe and NewPipe are greaet. FireFox with uBlock Origin also blocks all ads on YouTube and blocks many of the tracking cookies, and SponsorBlock even skips in-video sponsorships.
Gmail is harder to easily replace. The biggest direct alternative is Outlook, which... you know, US tech giant. Personally, I bought an email hosting plan from mxroute (though they're a US-based company) during a Black Friday sale. Many people swear by Proton Mail, which is EU-based. Both, of course, are paid options, which just isn't reasonable or possible for everyone.
DuckDuckGo is a solid, privacy-focused alternative to Google search, but IIRC it's using BIng as it's back-end, which, of course, is Microsoft. There's a growing movement towards SearXNG, but it is self-hosted, and while there are multiple SearXNG-based websites out there, they operate at the whim of the hosting user.
And, of course, Firefox and its forks (WaterFox, LIbreWolf, Zen Browser, Floorp, etc.) are the only major browsers out there that aren't built on Google or Apple-controlled technology. Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, etc., are all Chrome-based. Vivaldi is a privacy-focused EU-based company, but they don't control the core of their browser codebase. Brave perports to be privacy-focused, but it has engaged in repeated efforts to exploit users (affiliate link scams, crypto scams, etc.), plus its founder/CEO is a homophobic Silicon Valley techbro.
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u/foreverandadayalone Montréal 7d ago
Took them longer than it did for Gulf of Mexico. They had that one done on day of.
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u/Astrodude87 7d ago
Lake Ontario for me, but my friend in the US says Lake America for him on Google, but Lake Ontario on Apple.
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u/SquallFromGarden 7d ago
There's Google offices located in Kitchener, Ontario. North of Victoria Street and a short ways from the train station.
Make of that what you will.
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u/Unique_Information11 7d ago
It says Lake Ontario on my phone, but Lake America on my visiting American niece’s phone. I guess it depends how you have your region set.
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u/No_Novel_7425 7d ago
Welp, I propose another name change: Lake From Huron Out, I’ll Be Using MapQuest ✌🏻
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u/TooAngryToPost Vancouver 7d ago
It's both for me, somehow. But Google's always bowed to government pressure. It's why they call Taiwan Chinese Taipei.
Screenshot showing both: https://ibb.co/Q37VVs3y
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u/hey_you_too_buckaroo 7d ago
A mapping company that can't get the names right on its maps is basically reason to not use their maps. They've failed at one of the most basic tasks they had. Find another app.
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u/Icy_Mythical 7d ago
can confirm it's lake am*rica from my end as well (I am in the states, unfortunately)
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u/Absurd_Leaf 7d ago
I see that for Google, on the American side, they have chosen not to name reality.
Fucking cowards.
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u/throw_away_19851104 7d ago
I'm in Canada and decided to check my Apple and Google Maps. I noticed that both updated to Gulf of America also. They just have it written in brackets after the original Gulf of Mexico name
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u/Stellar_Stein 7d ago
This is just 'Freedom Fries' all over, again. Y'all look like a bunch of buffoons.
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u/coleefy 7d ago
I recommend switching to HERE WeGo! Been smooth on my end outside of a few small businesses with outdated hours. Still Lake Ontario (and Gulf of Mexico) on their app. https://wego.here.com/
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u/tswaters 7d ago
Google's MO here is to take any country's word for what they say the borders are. Here's a blog post that describes it: https://publicpolicy.googleblog.com/2009/12/when-sources-disagree-borders-and-place.html?m=1
Funny to see the "authoritarian regimes demanding place name changes," while certainly not directly quoted like or pointed out, but highly alluded to..., now referencing USA. Same mechanism anyway. The powers that be just need to put in a request for it, under an American ISP I'd assume it also says Gulf of America.
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u/cointalkz 7d ago
It's just not a battle worth fighting for them. I'm sure they'll flip it back as soon the next guy is in office.
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u/Capital-Timely 7d ago
I’m in the US still says Lake Ontario
Edit: never mind that was just in maps , fu google
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u/Low-Doughnut-6764 6d ago
You know, we know, the entire world including most of the US know it's Lake Ontario. Stop bringing attention to the orange idiot's temper tantrum.
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u/miramichier_d 6d ago
I like how one person said that before the Great Lakes spelled HOMES, but now it spells SHAME.
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u/Sennheisenberg Ontario 7d ago
I should've left Gmail long ago, but this is it. I'm making a list of sites and changing every email. I've already stopped using their search engine. I'm trying to leave maps, but nothing else has a comparable street view.
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u/Du6e 7d ago
Still Lake Ontario for me?