Labour Day signals a lot of things to people. If you are a student it means you are about to start school. If you are fashion conscious it means you stop wearing white. It is often considered the end of summer. However, if you are a fan of Canadian football it means its time to party like a rock star.
Labour Day week-end is the second biggest time in the Canadian Football League season. If you ask some people it is bigger than the Grey Cup. It is full of rivalry, tradition, beer, cheering, fun, taunting, winning, and losing. Ultimately the week-end is about getting together with friends and family to watch football. People travel to different cities and make it a big event. Many Labour Day week-ends are carried out in a booze induced fog, and it seems perfectly normal.
I think this epic event is a reflection of what we find important, being around people you like. When you look past everything else, it is a reason for people to get together. It is a reason to have pride in your team and city. It is a reason to have fun.
The timing of Labour Day helps. It is right before students go back to school. It is easy for a lot of people to make time for it. People are not away on vacation. They can make it to the event. People plan their summer around Labour Day.
It's Labour Day again, and like always I had enough fun to last a long time.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Harvest Time
I went for a drive in the country today. Primarily south west of Winnipeg. I don't go out that way very often as I have no particular reason to go there. I have no aversion to the area just not much of a reason to be there.
Harvest is in full swing out there. I do not profess to be an expert on agriculture but since I grew up in a farming community, I know a bit. Maybe just enough to be dangerous. I would never attempt to farm with my current level of knowledge.
I did notice a few things as I drove through the Manitoba countryside.
A lot of the crops looked rather short. About two-thirds the height that I am accustomed to seeing.
In fields that were cut, the swaths looked small. It may be related to a lot of the crops being short.
There was a fair amount of inconsistency from field to field. Some were being straight cut while the next one looked like it was cut while it was a bit green.
The last point is a bit of a concern for me. The Manitoba economy is well diversified but does rely on agriculture to a point. If there is significant inconsistency between producers then there will be significant inconsistency between returns for producers. The ones that did well are probably going to do very well, the ones that did not do well, may be in a world of hurt.
As much as a lot of people look at farming as a way of life it really must be approached like a business, especially if you are going to provide for people who depend on you by farming. I hope most farmers do. The inconsistency I observed within a few miles of each other, several times over leaves me concerned that some producers may be forced to give up at this point.
I don't know if corporate farming is the answer, but possibly it may be in some situations. I don't know if family farming is the answer either as one family bearing all the risk of bad weather, disease, and pests is wise in every case. There is insurance, however it is really designed to limp you to the next year and who wants to limp from year to year.
Farming has changed since my parents grew up on farms. There is no way to go back to the way it was and I don't know if we want to. Farming has progressed and stagnated at the same time. We need to produce food. We need to be efficient while we do it, so we can provide a fair and reasonable living to the people who produce food.
We also need food to be affordable so everyone can afford to eat a basic balanced diet. This could be in conflict with the quality of life for the producers. We could have a $5 loaf of bread and very comfortable grain farmers, but I don't think that's the solution.
Industries come, go and change with time. There are parts of food production that cannot change. The food must grow. It must be harvested. Much of it is very dependant on the weather. Weather contributes to risk. Risk predicts failure. Food production cannot fail. So we are stuck in a interesting loop.
South west of Winnipeg the harvest is in full swing. From what I saw some will do well and others will not. Is this how we choose to produce food?
Harvest is in full swing out there. I do not profess to be an expert on agriculture but since I grew up in a farming community, I know a bit. Maybe just enough to be dangerous. I would never attempt to farm with my current level of knowledge.
I did notice a few things as I drove through the Manitoba countryside.
A lot of the crops looked rather short. About two-thirds the height that I am accustomed to seeing.
In fields that were cut, the swaths looked small. It may be related to a lot of the crops being short.
There was a fair amount of inconsistency from field to field. Some were being straight cut while the next one looked like it was cut while it was a bit green.
The last point is a bit of a concern for me. The Manitoba economy is well diversified but does rely on agriculture to a point. If there is significant inconsistency between producers then there will be significant inconsistency between returns for producers. The ones that did well are probably going to do very well, the ones that did not do well, may be in a world of hurt.
As much as a lot of people look at farming as a way of life it really must be approached like a business, especially if you are going to provide for people who depend on you by farming. I hope most farmers do. The inconsistency I observed within a few miles of each other, several times over leaves me concerned that some producers may be forced to give up at this point.
I don't know if corporate farming is the answer, but possibly it may be in some situations. I don't know if family farming is the answer either as one family bearing all the risk of bad weather, disease, and pests is wise in every case. There is insurance, however it is really designed to limp you to the next year and who wants to limp from year to year.
Farming has changed since my parents grew up on farms. There is no way to go back to the way it was and I don't know if we want to. Farming has progressed and stagnated at the same time. We need to produce food. We need to be efficient while we do it, so we can provide a fair and reasonable living to the people who produce food.
We also need food to be affordable so everyone can afford to eat a basic balanced diet. This could be in conflict with the quality of life for the producers. We could have a $5 loaf of bread and very comfortable grain farmers, but I don't think that's the solution.
Industries come, go and change with time. There are parts of food production that cannot change. The food must grow. It must be harvested. Much of it is very dependant on the weather. Weather contributes to risk. Risk predicts failure. Food production cannot fail. So we are stuck in a interesting loop.
South west of Winnipeg the harvest is in full swing. From what I saw some will do well and others will not. Is this how we choose to produce food?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tumbleweed
I was in a shopping mall in a rather affluent part of Winnipeg today. There were almost no customers in there. I understand that 5:15 pm on Tuesday September 1st is not the biggest shopping day of the year but nearly all the stores had no one buying in them.
They, whoever they are, are saying this recession is over and we are on the long road to recovery. I have never seen sales this sluggish in my adult life. The lowest of the low was not as weak as things appeared today.
When I think back to my entry level economics class I remember that economics is the study of human behavior in the face of scarcity and money is a means of exchange. Thinking about this not much acquiring behaviour was happening and money exchanging.
This worries me. Winnipeg faired quite well during the recent economic down turn, but it seems that it has slowly caught up with some of the harder hit areas of the country. There just seems to be less going on. We may be slowly and innoculously slipping into a worse state. The only way to turn around an economy is to spend money, increase tranactions by both value and frequency. I think everyone is sitting back and letting others fix the economy. I am tending toward saving. It seems right to take care of myself, but it doesn't help stimulate things.
I realize things will not be as hot as they were for a long time and there are parts of the country that are in much worse state than Winnipeg, but it makes me worry.
The mall seemed rather empty, I hope it was an anomoly, but I don't get that feeling.
They, whoever they are, are saying this recession is over and we are on the long road to recovery. I have never seen sales this sluggish in my adult life. The lowest of the low was not as weak as things appeared today.
When I think back to my entry level economics class I remember that economics is the study of human behavior in the face of scarcity and money is a means of exchange. Thinking about this not much acquiring behaviour was happening and money exchanging.
This worries me. Winnipeg faired quite well during the recent economic down turn, but it seems that it has slowly caught up with some of the harder hit areas of the country. There just seems to be less going on. We may be slowly and innoculously slipping into a worse state. The only way to turn around an economy is to spend money, increase tranactions by both value and frequency. I think everyone is sitting back and letting others fix the economy. I am tending toward saving. It seems right to take care of myself, but it doesn't help stimulate things.
I realize things will not be as hot as they were for a long time and there are parts of the country that are in much worse state than Winnipeg, but it makes me worry.
The mall seemed rather empty, I hope it was an anomoly, but I don't get that feeling.
Monday, August 31, 2009
We Have It So They Want It .... Maybe
Last night I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher. I don't normally watch it as it normally consists of a panel being moderated by Bill Maher. The discussion usually deteriorates to mindless bickering and name calling. Near the end of the show it often reminds me of a wrestling schmoz. A lot of confusion to distract the audience from realizing that nothing is really being accomplished. However from time to time Bill has one guest on at a time. Usually these shows are quite good, of course this is dependant on the guest that he is speaking with and about what they are speaking about.
Last night he had Bill Moyers as one of his guests. He is an author and newsman. He came across as a very intelligent man and had some very key points to bring up. For a considerable part of the the interview he spoke on universal health care.
Being a Canadian I know it is easy speak on the subject. In my country we have it and have had it for a long time. We also have to pay for it, and here is what is holding up Americans from adopting a universal health care system.
I will admit that I am comforted with the knowledge that if I or, anyone in my family, get sick we go to the doctor and it is taken care of. I am comforted knowing that no Canadian will not be treated because of how much or how little money they make.
I would like to believe that in a Utopian world people would only use public health care when it is truly warranted.
If this were the way it is, I think Americans would be on par with the rest of the western democratic world and have a universal health care system.
I think there are two big fears that Americans have:
They believe that their ability to choose to spend their money on better health care will disappear. This may or may not be true, depending on how they set up their system. This is the easier flag to wave as it has undertones of capitalism of democracy.
They also believe that the system can be easily abused and can become very costly if it is.
This is true and a real cost of universal health care.
It is difficult to control abuses of the system. There are many. It can prevent people from getting the care they need faster. It can cost a lot of money. It provides very little incentive to live a healthy lifestyle, (like preventative maintenance on your car.) although Americans as a group live the least healthy of any western democracy, even tough they have the most to gain from it. It can lead to under staffing and resource deficiencies since you cannot use the market forces of the demand of a few to provide opportunity for many.
America is about democracy and capitalism, which really means it is about choice. With any choice you make there are benefits and costs. With universal health care the benefits and costs are clear.
It is up to Americans to decide if, for them, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Last night he had Bill Moyers as one of his guests. He is an author and newsman. He came across as a very intelligent man and had some very key points to bring up. For a considerable part of the the interview he spoke on universal health care.
Being a Canadian I know it is easy speak on the subject. In my country we have it and have had it for a long time. We also have to pay for it, and here is what is holding up Americans from adopting a universal health care system.
I will admit that I am comforted with the knowledge that if I or, anyone in my family, get sick we go to the doctor and it is taken care of. I am comforted knowing that no Canadian will not be treated because of how much or how little money they make.
I would like to believe that in a Utopian world people would only use public health care when it is truly warranted.
If this were the way it is, I think Americans would be on par with the rest of the western democratic world and have a universal health care system.
I think there are two big fears that Americans have:
They believe that their ability to choose to spend their money on better health care will disappear. This may or may not be true, depending on how they set up their system. This is the easier flag to wave as it has undertones of capitalism of democracy.
They also believe that the system can be easily abused and can become very costly if it is.
This is true and a real cost of universal health care.
It is difficult to control abuses of the system. There are many. It can prevent people from getting the care they need faster. It can cost a lot of money. It provides very little incentive to live a healthy lifestyle, (like preventative maintenance on your car.) although Americans as a group live the least healthy of any western democracy, even tough they have the most to gain from it. It can lead to under staffing and resource deficiencies since you cannot use the market forces of the demand of a few to provide opportunity for many.
America is about democracy and capitalism, which really means it is about choice. With any choice you make there are benefits and costs. With universal health care the benefits and costs are clear.
It is up to Americans to decide if, for them, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
All Roads Lead to....
I spent most of Thursday and Friday driving in Saskatchewan. I have done this trip before and will do it again. As I was travelling through my neighbouring province I remembered something that I had noticed in the past.
The directional signage at major intersections very often indicate that highway that the one you are on is intersecting leads to Prince Albert. I have noticed this in other areas of the province as well. I have noticed this leaving Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, North Battleford, and Regina.
It seems rather quirky that Prince Albert is always the city on the sign. I'm sure these roads go to other communities. They never seem to be mentioned. When you are leaving Moose Jaw for Saskatoon, you have to take the Prince Albert exit. There is no mention of Saskatoon. Seems strange to me.
I have never been to Prince Albert. It may be a very nice place. I quite a few know people who have lived there. I believe they have all moved away. It is just rather peculiar that so much directional signage leads you to Prince Albert.
Maybe they are trying to convince people to go to Prince Albert. Maybe the person who planned this signage was from Prince Albert and felt it was important to tell everyone how to get there. Maybe it is somebody's idea of a joke. I really don't know.
I just find it strange that when you are in Saskatchewan all roads lead to Prince Albert.
The directional signage at major intersections very often indicate that highway that the one you are on is intersecting leads to Prince Albert. I have noticed this in other areas of the province as well. I have noticed this leaving Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, North Battleford, and Regina.
It seems rather quirky that Prince Albert is always the city on the sign. I'm sure these roads go to other communities. They never seem to be mentioned. When you are leaving Moose Jaw for Saskatoon, you have to take the Prince Albert exit. There is no mention of Saskatoon. Seems strange to me.
I have never been to Prince Albert. It may be a very nice place. I quite a few know people who have lived there. I believe they have all moved away. It is just rather peculiar that so much directional signage leads you to Prince Albert.
Maybe they are trying to convince people to go to Prince Albert. Maybe the person who planned this signage was from Prince Albert and felt it was important to tell everyone how to get there. Maybe it is somebody's idea of a joke. I really don't know.
I just find it strange that when you are in Saskatchewan all roads lead to Prince Albert.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I'm Back
Summer is a very busy time for me. I work a lot and I don't blog about work. That's too easy. I'm done with the busiest part of the year and should have more time to look at the world around me and write about it.
Regular observations and commentaries are resuming.
Enjoy
Regular observations and commentaries are resuming.
Enjoy
Monday, August 17, 2009
This Dude is Smart
I was just watching an interview with a Peruvian economist named Hernando de Soto. He was brilliant to listen to. His ideas on solving the global credit crunch were spot on. We should be listening to him.
This raises a point to me. How come I had never heard of him?
We know everything about Michael Jackson and Brittany Spears. They are good at what they do, or did, as the case may be. We don't even know about some of the smartest people on the planet. They should be recognized and recognizable. They will fix the big problems. They will make the world a better place.
I think to be an informed member of society we should seek out smart people and find out what they have to say. When it is a good idea we should take heed and do it. We should promote their ideas.
I don't know if society can change their information consumption patterns in the near future, but we should. There are probably others out there that we can say that this dude is smart.
This raises a point to me. How come I had never heard of him?
We know everything about Michael Jackson and Brittany Spears. They are good at what they do, or did, as the case may be. We don't even know about some of the smartest people on the planet. They should be recognized and recognizable. They will fix the big problems. They will make the world a better place.
I think to be an informed member of society we should seek out smart people and find out what they have to say. When it is a good idea we should take heed and do it. We should promote their ideas.
I don't know if society can change their information consumption patterns in the near future, but we should. There are probably others out there that we can say that this dude is smart.
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