Tag Archive: Awards

The first sign of freedom and democracy in Iraq is widespread liberation of national treasures, kitchen sinks and everything in between.  Local police are trained to combat this chaos; however, it proves difficult when many are shot by American troops who mistake them for terrorists. In spite of all of this, there are now fewer murders in Baghdad than there are in New York City.

Prior to the War in Iraq gas could be purchased for a paltry 57cents per liter.  With the outset of war the price rocketed to as high as 80 cents a liter.  Weeks later, after one third of the world’s oil reserves were “liberated” without loosing a drop (of oil), the price drops to the 62 cents per liter.  Later in the summer, on the heels of the Great Northeastern Blackout, the price of gas spikes to 82 cents per liter.  As life gets back to normal in Ontario it falls to 70 cents per liter.  Well oil be! Even Newton would struggle with the gravity of this situation – i.e what goes up, must not come too far back down.

One week after Canada negotiates the release of a Canadian national, Maher Arar, from Syria, news breaks that the last suspected terrorist claiming Canadian citizenship (aptly called “Al Canadi” – The Canadian – by his pistol toting pals) who our Prime Minister went to bat for and had released by Pakistani authorities in 1996, was killed in an Al Queda shoot-out with Pakistani soldiers.  As fate would have it, “The Canadian” actually escaped and it was his son who was killed in the shootout. Another of his sons is languishing at Guantonamo Bay, Cuba.  And it was yet a third son who, upon release from Guantonamo Bay by the Americans, claimed foul when Canada refused his re-entry into Canada.

No-one knows what happened despite the fact that it has happened before.  In 1965 the cause of what is now North America’s second biggest power failure, was quickly isolated and experts said it should never have happened but, now that the cause has been documented, it definitely would never happen again (Headitors Note: Unless they want it to?).  More recently the great state of California deregulated electricity amid promises that privatization would usher in price efficiency – not gouging.  After prices rocketed skyward by 300% what will go down in history as only the second case (the Boston Tea Party was the first) of widespread American civil disobedience occurred in San Diego.  As a result of these riots the California government stepped in and placed a lower cap on the price of electricity.  Shortly, thereafter, rolling blackouts and brownouts (not experienced prior to deregulation) became more common than earthquakes in California. Flash forward: Ontario deregulated it’s electrical utility in 2002, but after price hikes and public outcry the Provincial government was forced to step in and set lower price caps.  Then comes the great blackout of 2003 and it’s aftershocks (rolling black-outs and the threat thereof).

After the alleged power failure, they ask kids not to watch Television, Play on their Nintendo or tinker with their computers.  They then proceed to close all those electricity guzzling libraries, but… (wait for it) … they keep their refrigerated Liquor Stores open.  At best someone has their priorities mixed up. At worst, they are experimenting with drugs before the new law becomes official.

When asked what they were doing to prevent a power blackout from happening again, he responded something to the effect that – our plan is already in place and working, what with consumers setting an energy conservation record, today.  The reporter noted that that was what their consumers were doing to cope.  She then asked again if the government was planning to: raise the price of energy; build more power stations; get excited about the re-tooling cost and time overruns at the existing nuclear power station in Pickering; and/or revisit the concept of deregulation. To this he responded no, nothing like that.

At the end of 2003, with an average consumer debt load of 115% of their disposable income, Canadian consumers are deeper in debt than ever before.  Despite this, major retailers go out of their way to make it easier for people to purchase more (with debit cards and don’t pay a cent events), and harder to make payments (with gift cards and certificates that cannot be applied against outstanding debt).

Honorable Mention:  Universal Pictures for developing a means of disabling the menu and skip options on DVD players until such time as their other movie previews and any other advertisements that they think we do not to want to see have run their course.

Despite collecting a 21% surcharge on the price of blank CD’s and tapes designed to cover the costs of people using these devices to copy music, this not so industrious (if you measure industriousness in quality of product) industry unveils plans to sue teenagers who use them to do just that.