With the world’s attention focused on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, commentators everywhere are talking about Canada — Canadian life and culture, how Canada compares to the U.S., and more.

Here’s a sampling:

Forbes.com asks: Is this The Canadian Century?

“…The 21st century is shaping up great for the Canucks,” thanks to a stable banking system, plenty of natural resources, and a strong housing market, among others. See all “10 reasons why Canada is cheering.”

Is Canada too modest? Commentator Timothy Egan, blogging for the New York Times Opinionator, writes:

Why the lack of self-esteem? Canada — snap out of it! You’re gorgeous, baby, you’re sophisticated, you live well.

….Vancouver is Manhattan with mountains. It’s a liquid city, a tomorrow city, equal parts India, China, England, France and the Pacific Northwest. It’s the cool North American sibling. If only, and this holds true for the rest of Canada, it didn’t feel the need to blush.

In Village Green: Vancouver’s medal-worthy Olympic Village, The Huffington Post says that the place to live post-Olympics will be in Vancouver’s new Olympic Village neighborhood:

Vancouver’s civic leaders believe that the athlete’s village built for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and the planned neighborhood that will surround it, will be one of the very greenest neighborhoods in North America.  I am inclined to agree.

And it’s not just Vancouver, says Shelter Offshore, which asks Could You be Happier Retiring in Canada?

If you’re looking for a decent standard of living for a fair price, a laid back yet sophisticated country, a place where you can grow old gracefully and with dignity, a nation with lively towns and cities and plenty of stunning natural attractions – then yes, Canada could be the right choice for you.

(Want more about retirement in Canada? Here’s our earlier post on the Top 10 Places to Retire in Canada.)

And on the lighter side, the New York Times also weighs in with It’s Not Political, but More Canadians Are Lefties:

What is the difference between a Canadian and an American? The old question is coming up again here at the Olympics, with answers involving eagerness for war, ketchup, the pronunciation of toque or the ability to identify poutine and the Tragically Hip.

But none may be so simple as how one holds a hockey stick. According to sales figures from stick manufacturers, a majority of Canadian hockey players shoot left-handed, and a majority of American players shoot right-handed.

No reason is known for this disparity, which cuts across all age groups and has persisted for decades.

Happy reading!

Photo ©Carolyn B. Heller