Barack Obama. Hey, what can I say? Every time the man opens his mouth things don’t seem quite as bad as they might be. He is the American Dream incarnate. I have no illusions though. All the slick rhetoric in the world won’t solve what ails the Americans; however, just having someone who sounds intelligent at the helm is better than someone who is clearly beating around the Bush for answers.
Tag Archive: Awards
Jan 01
Looniest Story of the Year 2008
The morning after the American Congress votes to piss away $700+ Billion dollars, thereby increasing their already burgeoning $9 trillion national debt by a factor of 8%, an already strong Canadian Loonie… plummets 12 cents from 96US to US0.84??!@!?
Related lunacy: Canada, a country the world’s banking elite agrees has the soundest banking infrastructure in the world, decides it needs to entice it’s banks to extend credit to people that they might not normally deem to be “prime” candidates for such loans. Without parliamentary debate (remember the American senate rejected their bailout and spent another 5 days of debate before they buckled under pressure), Canada extends a 20 Billion dollar gift to their banks plus a ½ point reduction in interest (interestingly, the Canadian banks neglected to fully transfer that cut to their ailing patrons – they gave us ¼% ).
Jan 01
Innovation of the Year 2008
A hospital gown designed to actually cover your ass.
Bill Kirkland of Vernon B.C. has designed a new-wrap around hospital gown that actually covers your butt. I am guessing the moon is the limit for what this will mean to the dignity of man.
Runner Up: A “Pay as you go” hospital funding model piloted in four British Columbia Hospitals improves their levels of service and reduces wait times by 25%.
The current nationwide model where hospitals are given their funding up front introduces the mindset, real or implied that each new patient that comes along is just using up their funding. Under the new model Hospitals are paid per procedure performed with bonuses for speedy care – e.g. if a broken bone is set in less than four hours, the hospital will receive an extra $100.
Jan 01
Revelation of the Year 2008
The next time you are lamenting the fact that you cannot find a doctor, consider this before you claim the system has gone over to the dogs: Rover will see an oncologist within days while you will wait five weeks for a consultation. A bum hip will bum you out for a year and it will take you three months to see(?) a specialist for cataract surgery. Spot can get both fixed tomorrow. It is now painfully clear that although you may work like a dog, you can only dream of qualifying for their health care benefits. While on the subject of pain: Students at your average Canadian medical school study pain management for 16 hours. Students at Veterinary Schools spend 87 hours on pain management.
Jan 01
Statistic of the Year 2008
The average Canadian family is 30% wealthier than their American cousins.
This is mainly because Americans carry far more debt than we do. The per capita personal debt in the U.S. is $40,250 (US Dollars) whereas in Canada the number sits at $23,460 (US Dollars). On average they live in bigger houses (2,520 sq. ft to our paltry 2000sq.ft) and they drive nicer cars than we do, but look where that has taken them. Note: These statistics all predate the housing and financial market meltdown of this year. More than 1 in 10 Americans now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are actually worth.
Source: http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080625_50113_50113&page=1
Jan 01
Dirty Little Secret of the Year 2008
Flat Screen TV manufacturers & Sales Outlets are not in a hurry to tell consumers that their brand new flat screen plasma televisions are already obsolete even as they are parading out the doors (faster than our retirement savings are evaporating) because the screens on those TVs are … too flat. They will not be able to be used for the new improved 3-D video productions that are expected sweep Hollywood and major sports productions over the years to come.
Jan 01
Movie of the Year 2008
This one was wall to wall action with lots of special effects and more than one or two scenes that were (gasp!) actually shot during the light of day. It is the story of how things can get out of hand in a world that is becoming more and more invasive through the advent of automation and digital surveillance
Runner Up: “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”
Not so much for its story or acting, but more for it’s unveiling of a new 3-D venue that could be the biggest movie innovation since the introduction of sound.
Jan 01
Book of the Year 2008
“Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein
A real eye opener that became more poignant as the events of this year progressed. Synopsis: ‘In order to push through profoundly unpopular economic policies that enrich the few and impoverish the many, there needs to be some kind of collective crisis or disaster – either real or manufactured. A crisis that opens up a “window of opportunity” when people and societies will be too disoriented to protect their own interests…’ Despite what sounds like a dry and boring subject this is actually an excellent and easy read for the average person on the street. Regardless of political lean, you should read this book even if it is the only book you ever read. There will definitely be some revelations (at least one per chapter) as it describes the underbelly of some of the most newsworthy global disasters of our time and how they were used by hook and by crook to further the economists’ dreams of a free market utopia that is, well…you be the judge.
Jan 01
Song of the Year 2008
“Stop and Stare” by One Republic
Honorable Mention:
“When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls;
“The Little Things” by Danny Elfman;
Jan 01
My “Accidental Prophets Award” goes to… the talking heads of Canadian news.
They spent most of October and November warning Canadians that the sky was about to fall with their 24/7 reports that went something like, “danger Will Robinson the sky is falling and no-one in the world is ever going to buy anything ever again so you might as well just sign all of your money over to the bankers and crawl into a hole until the bankers foreclose on that too” message. Then suddenly, on the night that the Toronto Stock Exchange reported its largest one day loss since Black Tuesday on 1987, a meteor hurtles out of the sky and smashes into Saskatchewan. Holy Chicken Little batman, they were right! The global financial market meltdown has gone galactic!