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Clock-changing Holiday
 Posted 3/12/2010 7:18:00 AM
The annual ordeal
takes place this weekend.
Time change. Fall
ahead and spring behind. Whatever... And why is it now in March? Just because
the Americans changed! They never even asked us what we thought.
Years ago my dad made
a semi annual ceremony of resetting the
big clock on the mantle. There were only two clocks in the house...that one and
the kitchen clock. And his big gold pocket watch.
I estimate that
including computers, cell phones, car radios, video equipment, thermostats and
assorted watches, clocks, timers and gadgets, I have to reset 26 timepieces.
Okay the Windows computers reset themselves. But I forgot the stove and the
microwave on my first count. Oh... my digital camera and my video
camera...We’re getting pretty close to 30... The clock on the porch. And the
deck... Probably up to 35...
There are a couple of
clocks I ...
No Foreign Broadcasters
Posted 3/11/2010 7:28:00 AM
One aspect of the
throne speech that got little attention was the notion of opening up Canadian
telecommunications to foreign ownership.
Bad bad idea! And yet
another slice of our sovereignty served up to the Americans.
We are a branch plant
economy now. Two exceptions to that are banking and broadcasting. The Liberals
wisely squelched a move to foreign ownership of our banks. But the Conservatives
seem intent on selling off our radio and television.
Even with the
requirement that no more than 25% of a broadcasting company can be owned by
foreign interests, television is awash with American crap and radio bleats
American “music.” But at least the decisions, even when they’re bad ones, are
made in Toronto,
not New York.
Building cars and
selling widgets is one thing. But radio and television involve our already
fragile culture. As polluted as they may be already ...
Disaster-free Country
Posted 3/10/2010 7:34:00 AM
Quite rightly we all
took huge pride in the success of the Vancouver
Olympics. But there is something else we should take pride in.
We don’t suffer the
natural disasters and tragedies that plague most of the world.
Already in this young
year there have been two horrendous, huge earthquakes. There were floods in Portugal, fires
in Australia.
Those things don’t
often happen in Canada
and, when they do, they’re mild. True, the Red River
floods very few years. We get the odd tornado and the tail end of the odd
hurricane. There’s never been a serious earthquake. Compared to most of the
world, we live a pretty stable existence.
Then there is war and
violence. We haven’t had armed conflict inside this country since the Riel
rebellion in 1885. Our streets, for the most part, are safe. And we have not
been the targets ...
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