Wednesday, April 30, 2008

More bad news: Ontario sinks to "has been" status

Say it ain't so! Ontario has now officially slipped in to "poor cousin" status with federal equalization payments coming our way for the very first time.

The fingers are already pointing at Dalton McGuinty and his mishandling of the manufacturing meltdown. No easy answers but it did make me wonder (fear) what impact this will have on my industry (newspaper media) which is already staggering to its' knees from changing social habits and vanishing advertising.

Should be an interesting couple of years.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Catching up on all the news that's fit to barf.

Lots of negative news in the world these days. Ah happy spring. Where is the good news? Is there such a thing as good news?

Well here is at least one piece of good news.
Ontario pesticide ban looking like a go. And on first glance the ban looks pretty comprehensive. "Ontario's proposed ban on the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides will be the toughest in North America once it becomes law, supporters said Tuesday."

But really so what? We ban pesticides but will there be enough food?

Food prices soaring out of control. "we're plunging headlong into a world food crisis. Rocketing prices are squeezing billions and triggering food riots from Bangladesh to South Africa." Says avaaz.org

Apparently humans were almost extinct 70, 000 years ago.

Gas prices continue their upward trajectory like growing corn at a biofuel farm.

And the loss of high paying, once-secure manufacturing jobs at companies like GM continue to devastate Ontario's manufacturing sector. No wonder considering they still continue to build trucks and suvs that spit in the face (blow smoke up the arse maybe) of peak oil and pretend there is no environmental crisis. Come on people.

But at least the sun is shining today ;-)