Where's a Gravol When You Need One?

After a strong start to the week, the markets have taken a turn for the worse once again, as profit takers took their early week gains and the remaining panicked lemmings continued to dump their investments at what in many case, are likely losses.

While the credit markets remain frozen, there is some evidence that there is some thawing around the edges. The US rescue package will need some time to work, but this will be the main issue that needs to be addressed.

What is bothering me most is the market reaction to the word - recession. Recessions are a painful, but necessary part of the economic cycle. Even prostate exams don't last, and neither do recessions. Both the IMF and the Conference Board of Canada are predicting that Canada will avoid a recession, but that has done little to quell investors' fears. Since Canada has not experienced a recession since the early 90s, I think that most Canadians have forgotten that the world didn't end back then and are now overreacting to all the drama that the media has created.

We're very likely nearing the bottom of this market crash/correction but it will be some time before we see true stability. If recession fears are realized, the next few years won't produce a new bull market, but it still should generate a number of very good bargains. For those who have the courage and patience, this crisis could be a gold mine. Be cool, everybody be cool.

Until Next Time

The results from Quebec West aren't in yet, but no surprises on the Canadian election to this point. Barring some major unforeseen event, Harper's Conservatives look to be on their way to winning a second minority. Not that he'll be all that happy - the Conservatives flirted with majority territory early in the campaign, but after a few small gaffes and the plebs blaming their government for the American financial crisis, his chances of winning a majority have all but disappeared.

During the past two years, Harper was able to manage the country fairly well from a minority position. His mistake was calling an election two years too early when the opposition parties really hadn't done anything to disrupt his mandate. I guess Harper felt that there was no better time to go for the kill against the Liberals, considering how weak and ineffective Dion has proven himself.

Some people will be happy, others upset...but all in all, I don't think Canadians have much to worry about. None of the opposition parties will be too anxious to trigger another early election and unless Harper shows tremendous strength in three or four years time, I don't think we'll see him repeat this error. Next time around, it's very likely the Liberals will have a new leader and if we're lucky, we won't have the NDP chihuahua around next time.

Yawn. In comparison to the American election extravanganza, ours is really pretty boring. Not that it's a bad thing...but it is boring.

Obama vs. McCain - Round Two

I didn't make updates after last weeks VP debate because I was goshdarn laughin' too hard and feelin' all mavericky inside. And I was lazy and to be honest, I didn't think the Disasta' from Alaska really deserves any more attention here.

Last night's presidential debate was a decent affair, once again McCain performed reasonably well, even though I disagree with his platform, and Obama, who wasn't supposed to be a strong "town hall" debater, did extremely well, held his own under attack, and looked a lot more comfortable than his counterpart. The real loser of last night's debate was the format. It stifled what could have been some interesting exchanges...and as I have a biased opinion, I think it would have allowed Obama to really call out McCain on some of the bullshit his campaign has been behind.

Some issues are gray, while others are black and white. The sad reality for John McCain is many of the stands he takes are simply the wrong ones. I know he's been trying his hardest to spin his tax policy as a good one, but it's just stupid. Rich people do not need tax breaks. Multi-billion dollar profit generators don't need them either. The middle class, on the other hand, does. This isn't rocket science, people. Same with health care. In a First World nation, people should not lose their homes and life savings because they needed their appendix out. That is ridiculous and it's shameful. As for foreign policy, Obama is dead-on once again and only an ostrich with their head buried in the sand would miss this. If Osama bin-Laden is in the target scope in Pakistan...damn right you take him out! You don't need to invade Pakistan to do it...a cruise missile would suffice, and not one country in the entire world (Pakistan excluded) is going to complain. And Iraq......McCain is stuck on the "surge" working. Yeah...great. Bribing the insurgents with money and adding tens of thousands of more troops isn't a brilliant strategic maneuver. I'm sure Obama knows that yes, fewer people are being slaughtered daily in Iraq, but his point is what the hell were any of those troops doing in Iraq in the first place??!?!

Anyway, a 10-8 round to Obama...no knockdowns, but I'm giving Obama an extra point after seeing how fast McCain fled the debate hall. He knows it, you know it...hell, even GOP whores like Rush Limbaugh know it. The strategy now? I don't think any of us want to know.

Are We Really This Simple?

If you've been following the recent market turmoil closely, a big headline today was the united actions of several international central banks to lower their prime lending rates. The Bank of Canada lowered its overnight lending by half a percent, while the charter banks only dropped theirs by a quarter. This has sparked outrage from the usual suspects, namely those Canadians who love to bitch yet know nothing about why any of this was done.


I'd probably have more luck convincing my living room wall, but once again, it seems very few people actually understand what is happening and why...and even fewer people seem to have any interest in finding out. After all, trashing banks seems to be a typical Canadian passtime. Banks aren't charity organizations and no one is forcing anyone to borrow money...and if borrowing money at 4.5% rather than 4.25% is going to cause you to lose sleep at night, you've all got problems.

In the meantime, I and the millions of Canadians who have directly invested in Canadian banks and indirectly through their pensions/RRSPs owe a debt of gratitude to the Canadian banking sector for not falling into the same trap as many international banks fell into. Our "fat cat" CEOs are bargains with their few million dollar/yr salaries as opposed to gentlemen like the CEO of Lehman Bros. who grossed nearly half a BILLION dollars in a few short years.

Quit your whining people....it's tiresome. If you don't like it, vote for the NDP. Taliban Jack is going to take on our banks and make them and our economy as unprofitable as possible. Won't it be nice to all be poor?

McCain vs Obama - Round One

Just a quick commentary on the first Presidential debate which finished just over an hour ago.

I didn't see any knockout punches thrown by either candidate and didn't see a lot that surprised me from either one.  McCain looked weak, as expected, on the economy and was unable to give any specifics on what he'd do to improve life for the average voter and what he'd do to help solve this economic crisis.  Obama, on the other hand, did seem to be more comfortable on the topic and made it clear that his plan will benefit the American middle class...a demographic that McCain made no reference to during the entire debate.

When it came to foreign relations, McCain looked far more comfortable and was more assertive in his answers.  Obama more than held his own, but it was clear that the two men have definite differences in opinion.  I personally agree with Obama's position on the majority of the issues, although I wasn't comfortable with either candidate's blind allegiance to Georgia, who in my mind, had a great deal of responsibility for instigating their recent conflict with Russia.

At any rate, I score this round 10-9 Obama....thus far, it appears that some of the immediate reaction following the debate scored it the same way.  Next week's Biden-Palin debate should be called a no-contest already...I wouldn't be surprised if Palin's trainers throw in the towel before she even gets in the ring.

Let Them Eat Cake

I don't know why Marie Antoinette's infamous line came to mind...but it seems to me that Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to have that attitude today. The proposal to bail out Wall Street seemed to be a go today...that is, until House Republicans turned their meeting today at the White House into a circus.

There are various schools of thought on whether or not the US government should prop up the failing banks on Wall Street. Some oppose the idea of using public monies to save them from collapse while others think it critical to protect the American financial industry. I personally support the bailout proposal as long as there are safeguards in place to protect the necessary public investment, which is huge at 700 billion dollars. The way I see it, if taxpayers don't want to foot the bill now, they will certainly foot it later when they see their retirement savings and pension plans evaporate. That may not mean as much to younger voters, but for anyone planning to retire in the next few years, it could be devastating. And not only to Americans, but to investors worldwide.

What I can't understand is why House Republican, John Boehner, decided to stir up dissent now. President Bush, who has done very little right in his eight years in office, now is unable to even rely on the support of his own party in moving forward on the one of the few correct decisions he's made. My only theory is that this is a staged response, one that will allow John McCain to waltz in and take credit for bringing the dissidents to the table.

Sadly, this is utter bullshit. McCain, who has been a strong supporter of bank deregulation has zero credibility when it comes to battling this crisis. His "suspension" of his campaign was nothing but a political stunt after seeing his poll numbers sliding and watching his VP pick continue to flail around like an elephant in a china shop. I don't buy into comments suggesting he's scared to debate Obama, but I don't doubt that he'd like to delay the confrontation. Worse yet, suggesting rescheduling this debate on the date that the VP debate was supposed to fall was an even larger gaffe. Whether intentional or not, it gave the appearance that McCain's campaign is desperately worried about watching Palin drag down their support even further.

By all accounts, McCain said very little today aside from commenting that the US economy was in crisis. Uh...yeah. No frigging shit, John. You just figured that out? Barack Obama, while not an economic genius either, at least contributed to the discussion and had a few important points that will likely be included in the final proposal, if it ever comes to light.

In the meantime, while President Bush and his administration and Democrats attempt to solve this crisis in a timely manner, McCain sits silent, unable to offer anything useful, and House Republicans have chosen to politicize our retirement. Let them eat cake, eh? Thanks for putting the country first, jerkoffs.

Laugh Before Bed

Even Mad T.V. isn't this funny. The Palin trainwreck continues. Yikes.



Watch CBS Videos Online

Commitment to Quality

I've recently discovered that my incoherent ramblings have actually been read by a few people who live outside of my postal code.

After the initial shock wore off, I realized that it might be a nice idea to try and keep this blog updated fairly regularly and keep the content fresh, innovative, and relevant. I also thought that I should tone down on coarse language, but I don't want to get too radical. One step at a time.

At any rate, I will attempt to mimic the "saintly" figure displayed here and be a good blogger. Both the American and Canadian elections will be over in the next couple of months, so please bear with me if my halo tarnishes every now and then.

G'night all!

Stop the Bleeding Already!

More bad news from Wall Street again, followed by the usual frenzy of a sliding market. Both New York and Toronto, as well as other world markets, have experienced some major dips in the past couple of weeks, making investors even more nervous and worried than they already were.

There's no question that the bailout of the world's largest insurer, the collapse of the fourth largest investment bank in the U.S., and woes suffered by a number of others is clear evidence that there are some serious issues in the American banking industry. Unfortunately, the punishment for their sins is being passed on us...in our investment portfolios, retirement plans, and pension funds.

As with every other period of market turbulence, eventually it must come to an end, and if history repeats itself, world markets will be at record high levels within the next five to ten years. It is critical that investors do not lose their cool and make rash decisions that simply add more gas to this fire. Already, hundreds of companies who have very little connection or correlation to the financial services industry are trading at 52 week lows and have seen their market capitalization hammered. Has anything changed in the last week that would cause a pharmaceutical company to be worth half what it was seven days ago? The answer is no, and believe me, once the aftershocks start dissipating...large institutional and personal investors will start shopping for bargains...and that's a train I want to be on.

Stay cool....everybody stay cool.

Rants on Music

Just a few minor issues to get off my chest.

Is it just me or does Rihanna suck? Back when her first single hit the airwaves and I had no idea who it was, I remember asking friends why radio would give someone with no vocal talent airplay. I'm no music expert, but I do know that singers with bad voices tend to sound more nasal or whiny to disguise their lack of ability. Lo and behold, I actually know what her name is and now that I've heard a few more of her "songs", I'm blown away that this is what passes for music today.

Then again, I say the same thing about Canadian supergroup, Rush. Even though they get more radio airtime than they deserve due to CRTC rules, every minute they do get makes me wonder when strangling cats was legalized. Terrible vocals and the most un-melodic music ever arranged. And to top it off, I'm 35 and I've never met a single person who likes them...or actually has a single Rush CD...or music on their IPod. Yeah, Rush sucks too...period.

I guess the bottom line is that there's a lot of music that sucks. That record labels convince 12 yr olds is cool, that peer pressure in university convinces 19 yr olds is cool, and that dumb-ass music award shows convince forty somethings is "hip". My simple rule is that as far as music is concerned, it should be played with instruments...not synthesizers or mixers. There should be musicians....people who play instruments and don't necessarily dance. The music should have some sort of melody...and not just be a bunch of different notes and chords jammed together because it's hard to do. And unless you're the lead singer of a band, where band members actually have some talent, don't consider yourself a vocalist if you can't really sing. And shouting out "rhymes" while waving your hands around....uhh....not singing....not music.

I can score a 99% on Rockband on easy or medium....but I am not a singer or a musician. But if Sony Records wants to sign me, I'm game.

Laugh Before Bed

If you want to some more opinion on the upcoming election, that's more detailed and more biting, check out my brother's blog.

However, for another laugh before bed...from last night's Saturday Night Live.

You Know It's Bad When...

I have no love lost for Karl Rove, the architect of the modern American election campaign, where bullshit, lies, and groin kicks are more important than little things like the issues. That's why I was shocked when CNN reported today that even Rove thinks McCain's campaign has gone too far with the lies and mistruths in their ads. Amazing when the stench of bullshit prompts the bullshit master to make a comment.

Hopefully, the Big Lie technique will remain a relic of the past and die a quick death in modern election campaigns. Enough is enough.

Thar She Blows - Part 2

The upcoming American election is sadly more interesting than the Canadian one...and for all the wrong reasons. The Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin has taken the old Bush strategy of misleading the public one step further by flat-out lying. Lying about their own records, lying about Barack Obama's and lying about pretty well everything they can lie about.

You can't just make shit up!

I repeat, you can't just make shit up!

Up to this point, the media has been pretty lax in holding them accountable, but Paul Krugman of the New York Times had a pretty good op-ed piece out today. According to the GOP ticket, not only did Sarah Palin not support the Bridge to Nowhere (bullshit), and not only did she not go after earmarks (bullshit), but Obama supports giving sex-ed to kids (bullshit) and plans on increasing taxes to 95% of Americans (also bullshit). The recurring theme of bullshit stinks. And what's worse is that Republican strategists think this is a good way to run a campaign...and what's even worse than that is that some Americans are actually falling for this.

How can two candidates running for the most powerful office in the free world be allowed to get away with this? How can their supporters tolerate this insult to their intelligence? Considering the utter failure of the Bush regime in nearly every area from the economy to foreign relations, it is unbelievable that a Republican ticket that is this out of touch with reality is even in the game. I sincerely hope and pray that the American people are not this easily manipulated and make the right decision. At this point, conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, whites and blacks, men and women, and rich and poor need to get past these stupid labels and in a collective voice, tell the GOP to stop making shit up.

Thar She Blows!

The big news today, of course, is the impending landfall of Hurricane Ike. We're in the midst of the busy hurricane season and we've probably got a few more to go before it's all over. From where I'm sitting, in a nice dry living room in Eastern Canada, it looks like the poor folks in Texas are going to be in for one hell of a night.

What I can't understand are those people who insist on staying put, knowing full well that if they're lucky, only their homes will be lost and not their lives. Having survived Hurricane Juan several years ago...and considering that was only a Category 1 storm and our lives were not in real danger, I can't even imagine sticking it out through one of these. I guess people who live along the Gulf Coast are more accustomized to this sort of thing, but I still wouldn't test Mother Nature. Godspeed.

Hate to State the Obvious

I know, I know. I'm a bad blogger. I get excited for a day or two...sometimes only for the odd hour, and then you don't hear from me for a month. Not that I have a huge audience to begin with, but my brother claims that keeping your blog up to date is one way to attract readers.

I've had a few things on my mind, so I won't waste anymore time and will get to it!

Phelps Wins 18th Gold!!!

You know, perhaps I should be less sarcastic, but unfortunately the Olympics bring out the worst in me. As many of you know, by this time next week, American swimmer, Michael Phelps, will likely have won more medals than 90% of the countries competing in the Games. So, to put that in perspective, Phelps will have more medals than a country like...say....Nigeria. That wouldn't be a big deal if Nigeria were the size of the Cayman Islands, but Nigeria is actually the eighth most populous country in the world with a population of 140 million people.

I've seen enough of Phelps on TV to know a couple of things. One, he seems like a really nice guy...someone who you would cheer for to do well, and two, he's the best swimmer in the world today and is certain to be a legend in the sport. But eight gold medals? Come on. Why not ten...or fifteen...or twenty? The Olympics has become such a marketing juggernaut that it has lost it's soul. When a team of athletes (ie. basketball, water polo) or an individual (ie. boxing, tennis) has to endure a grueling two week competition to win ONE medal...doesn't it seem a little unbalanced that one athlete can come home with eight? Obviously, if you're Michael Phelps, you're a damn good swimmer....but do we really 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter, medleys, team relays, butterflies, freestyle, etc., etc., to prove it again and again? Some people will disagree, pointing out that you'd train differently for each event, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference to a multi-medalled Olympian.

Personally, I hope Phelps wins his eight...and I hope they add a 150m race for him to win a ninth...why not? He's a great swimmer, a great athlete, and he deserves to take pride in his accomplishments. But the IOC really needs to take a hard look at itself and decide if the Olympics are to be a world showcase of amateur sport...or a commercial venture designed to ensure mass numbers of medals going to a few select nations with near professional athletes fighting to be Coca Cola's next ad campaign.

The Damn Wife Comment

Back on my July 9th's post, I made reference to the damn wife. That may have been unfortunate as the damn wife has insisted that I do not refer to her as the damn wife anymore. In fact, I am to refer to her as Her Majesty or Her Royal Highness to give proper respect to her position. In referring to Her Majesty as the damn wife, I nearly forfeited my privileges at court and was forced to work very hard to obtain an audience with her where I could apologize for my improper syntax. Afterwards, I was taken to a dark room and beaten. Severely.

In all fairness, my damn wife of just over two months is indeed a true princess and did not deserve such an uncouth reference. On a sidenote and to update that post, I finally did finish Assassin's Creed and am now working on an oldy, but a goodie, GTA: Vice City!! So, I'll let you know how that works out when I finally finish it in early 2011!

Laugh Before Bed

I had a few really good things to bitch about this week, but I've been stuck doing home renos and haven't had any quality to sit down and tell you about them. I did see Miami Vice last night for the first time and it sucked. It really sucked. I don't know what the hell Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx were thinking when they signed up for that mess.

At any rate, here's a laugh before bed - another classic Kenny Rogers skit.

Damn You, Bill Gates!!!

I think we can agree with very little argument that Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, is one smart dude. In fact, I think it's safe to say that not only is Bill one smart dude, but he's a really nice, smart dude who changed personal computing forever, made a fortune from it, yet had the good heart to give a lot back though his charitable works. Bill is the kind of guy that I'd like to have over for supper some evening, maybe a BBQ, and listen to his take on the future of home electronics and maybe have a few laughs about the good ole days when the Commodore 64 ruled homes everywhere and kids like me simply didn't see a need for a better machine.

But somewhere along the way, I'd have a few too many drinks and start talking about the good ole days of Windows XP, maybe even go back in history to Windows 98. Bill would rightly tell me we've moved beyond those ancient operating systems and I drunkenly would beg for his charity in putting Windows Vista out of it's misery. After all, if I wanted my Windows to crash unexpectedly, lag my computer to death, be completely incompatible with software and be incompable of netwkorking with any degree of ease...hell, I'd go back to Windows 95. At least in 1995, I had a blue screen of death to worry about...not pretty looking Vista screens that give me faint hope that something might be working. I've never had a version of Windows that looked so good, yet that is so frustrating to work with. Granted, I'm no IT expert and don't claim to be, but with previous versions, I just bashed the hell out of it until I got it working the way I needed it to. Vista, on the other hand, just seems to want to bash the hell out of me until I accept that sooner or later, it's going to ruin my computer and all of the files that are important to me.

Mr. Gates, I respect you immensely, but please tell me that better days are coming...that the three times I had to boot up my computer in the last two hours because of one, my network not working; two, my mouse not working; and three, new Windows Update...tell me that this will all be worth it. Because right now, the old fashioned pen on my desk is looking awfully good.

Hours I'll Never Get Back!

In complete honesty, one of the reasons why I've been behind on everything since the honeymoon is that Rockband is completely consuming my life. Instead of unpacking, paying bills, giving my new wife quality time, etc., I've been on road playing gigs all over the world with my band, and sadly, in many cases, by myself. If I'd devoted half the time I've been playing this bloody game to real guitar...or real drums, I might actually be able to make some money in the music world. Rather than make money, I've been spending it on many of the downloadable songs that are available and despite recognizing this as the addiction it is, I'm salivating knowing that Rockband 2 will be available this fall. Yeah, and I haven't even finished Assassin's Creed or Oblivion, have Drake's Fortune still in the plastic, and also plan on getting GTA IV asap. All things that a married man working a full-time job really needs to be concerned about. I'd be playing it now, except the damn wife is hogging the TV for something else. Grrrrr.

Back After a Long Delay!

My apologies.

What can I say? I recently was married a month and a half ago, disappeared for a little over two weeks to Europe for my honeymoon, and spent a few weeks getting caught up at work and in life. I know that still doesn't explain the rest of the time I've been idle, but examining belly button lint is a nice way to procrastinate. Before I add a post with substance, I'd like to show off my favorite picture from my honeymoon. I think I missed my calling in photography, as you'll be able to see below.



And the worst part? That wasn't even the most disturbing thing we saw at the Madrid Zoo. If you have an attractive significant other, don't bring her within sight of the monkey cages. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about.

Sorry for the Delay - Part 2

Wow, what a frantic few weeks I've had! Was married on May 24th, left on the 29th for Europe on our honeymoon, and now back home and back to work. I'll be back to regular updates this week once the jet lag wears off and I find out what happened in North America while we were gone. Talk to you soon!

Sorry for the Delay

Sorry for the lack of updates over the past week. Just got married yesterday and the days leading up to it were pretty frantic. Happy to say that my beautiful bride said 'YES' and that all is well. I'll get another update done soon before we embark on our European tour this Thursday!

Laugh Before Bed

Still awake? Here's the first of what I hope to give you weekly...this week some classic MAD TV.

The Trouble with Fonts

Before the advent of the printing press, the vast majority of the written word was passed on in books skillfully written by the hands of monks working in the many abbeys across Europe. These men did not have the happiest of lives, forced to live in poverty and chastity. They were not allowed to own robes of different colours, had to pray twelve times a day, and as a final insult, had to walk around with funny looking haircuts that villagers and serfs made fun of whenever they went into town to see the latest hanging or witch-burning.

So, you can imagine the rage and anger that one of these devout men of God would have had if after weeks of painstakingly writing a thousand page Latin text by hand, their abbot were to come waltzing in and say, "Brother Giovanni, you wrote this text in Lucida Grande, I explicitly said VERDANA!!"

When I first started using a computer for word processing, I used a computer with a green and black monitor - different font options were certain to be a thing of the distant future. Yet, less than two decades since we made contact with fellow humans over the Internet, my new version of Microsoft Word has over 1600 different font options that I can use to make my documents look pretty. Well, actually it's a bit less than 1600, but I usually stop at Arial because I get bored looking further down the list. I like my documents to look as sharp, polished, and professional as the next guy, but is this really necessary. Lately, it's been taking me more time to figure out what font selection to use than to type up my document in the first place....and trust me, at this point in my life...anything that confuses my 35 year old brain is an abomination, a scourge that must be destroyed whatever the cost.

Let's put this in perspective for a minute - not only do I need to choose fonts for my Word documents, I have to choose them for my blog, for Windows, for my Playstation 3, for my DVD player, even for my stupid cell phone. The time that I have spent selecting them is time I'll never get back! Sure, my text messages are easier to read, and my PS3 does look kinda cool, but by the time I get things where I want them, Microsoft will just roll out a new version of their software, my cell phone will get flushed down the toilet, and my PS3? Well, nothing will come between me and my PS3...heh heh. Heh heh...err...what was I saying?

I still this is an issue that begs to be discussed further, but in the interim, please gaze at the Playstation 3.

Shameless Plug

Just before we get to my next important rambling on topics that concern each and every one of you, I've decided to add a shameless plug for my little brother's blog, A Quiet Corner of Sanity. When I first saw it, I was shocked he could write, even more shocked that it was in English, but mostly shocked that he actually has a pretty sharp take on politics and current events. I mean, look at him! Granted that picture was taken at age 2, but he hasn't changed that much...just more hair. He even has some video clips posted that will make you laugh out loud. So, if you're anxiously awaiting my next musing, don't fret - no need to suffer withdrawal, just change the channel for a wee bit and get a good laugh on his blog. You have no idea how excited he gets when he sees more hits on his Site Meter. Plus, it keeps away from the TV when I want to watch my shows. Thanks.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood!

May 17, 2008 - yeah, you see it. I see it. Are you laughing? I'm not laughing.

Well, actually I am...because this was actually taken a few years ago after the worst snowstorm ever seen in Halifax. I still thought it was a fitting addition to my blog considering that it supports one basic argument - that the weather on the East Coast of Canada is rotten.

Today, just one week before I get married to my beautiful bride, we're getting a dose of a typical Maritime spring...non stop rain, fog and drizzle. Both my fiancee and I are hoping that come next week, the mildew won't show up in our wedding photos. At any rate, we'll be leaving on our honeymoon on May 29th, after which there will be a two week hiatus of blog updates. We're going on a European vacation...Paris....Rome... and Madrid, after which point, there will be an avalanche of posts on how much Europe is than North America.
I'll be back later today with an opinion of substance...perhaps on why I prefer waffles to pancakes, or a deep discussion on why Darth Maul isn't really dead and is in fact, Luke's real father. Until then, for those of you living south of say...the Canadian border...feast your eyes on the hell that we Canucks live in.

Can't you see the resemblence?

I thought this was a particularly nice photograph of Mr. Maul.

The End is Near...what the hell?

You know, when I hear people talking about the end being near, I get suspicious. Damn suspicious. Do they mean the end is near for them? Or are they trying to convince me that my number's up? The naysayers want to spoil everything for everyone else... and dammit, I'm not going to take it anymore!

For almost a year, anyone who's tuned into any of the financial news networks has been bombarded with enough doom and gloom to make the Grim Reaper blush. Yes, the evil credit crunch is on the verge of turning Canada and our southern neighbour into Third World countries with nice ski resorts and better late night TV. In the financial services business that I'm in, I've listened to client after client complaining about the massive losses their investments have taken and I've watched wide-eyed new anchors say the word recession in such dramatic fashion, you'd think they just marched down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments.

Well, crunch this.

The Toronto Stock Exchange closed today at a new record high of 14984.20 and if oil and mining stocks continue in the direction they're going, we're going to see new record highs next week too. The polar ice cap might be crumbling, but the economy isn't. Even the Dow Jones is bouncing back after a rough fall and winter...but people, this isn't the news story of the millenium. Check out an Andex chart and you'll see that on average, we get hit by a recession at least once a decade...and over the past 50 years, we've seen dozens of major world events that will give your investment portfolio a good body shot, but like any good boxer, it will weather the storm, keep punching, and eventually do just fine...and it won't even look like Rocky Balboa after fifteen rounds!

It's true that what's happening in the American economy is not good, but the powers that be have a good habit of learning from their mistakes and not repeating those particular ones. They'll just find new, fun and wacky ones to create yet another crisis. The best possible thing to come out of this one is that if you've been wondering how your greasy, unemployed neighbour just bought the $300,000 house next door to you...rest assured that in another year or two, his ilk will be lucky to find a flea infested apartment to rent. And buy bank shares. They started this mess, their shares values dropped as a result, but happy cigar-smoking times are just on the horizon...once this recession comes and goes.

As a financial advisor, I hate seeing people make rash decisions that put them in a worse position or cause them to lose their hard earned dollars. So, my recommendation remains the same - stay invested, invest regularly, and if you're young...start early. That yacht that's waiting for you in the Caymans will thank you for it. Just don't forget your sunscreen.

When 35 years old is old

I used to think that being 35 years old wasn't so bad. That was until an hour ago when my little brother decided to teach me everything I needed to know to make my blog more popular and accessible to the masses. I'm about to go to bed now...with a headache...heartburn...and certain to have nightmares about Feedburner, Autopinger, and Technorati. I have no idea what he did or what any of those websites mean....but he claims you'll read what I have to say.

I don't believe him.

In fact, he's probably linked this blog to some sort of practical joke website.

I wish I was an only child.

Bush opens his mouth...again

The countdown has been on for...nearly eight years? Well, that's not completely fair. In all honesty, G.W. Bush spent the early months of his Presidency on vacation...and the world's worst terrorist attack occurred early on his watch. So, even if the countdown to the end of the United States' worst presidency began seven years ago, the good news is that the ticker is winding down and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But instead of riding off in the sunset quietly, el Presidente continues to display his glaring deficiencies in high definition. Today, as widely reported by every media outlet on the planet, Dubya made a very thinly veiled attack against Democratic front-runner Barack Obama, likening his willingness to speak to America's opponents to "appeasing" terrorists and repeating the same mistake Chamberlain made with Adolf Hitler in 1939. The Hitler reference is especially interesting considering he made this statement to the Israeli Knesset on the 60th year marking Israel's independence.

Now...some might say that it was inappropriate to inject partisan politics into a speech made in a foreign country, marking such an historic occasion. Others might say that Obama's stance on dealing with unfriendly nations is just an example of his inexperience on diplomatic etiquette. And those others might be right....

But what is undeniably right is this - how can the single worst "decider" in U.S. history, the man who has made a mockery of his country to the international community, who has inspired a whole new generation of rabid suicide bombers, who sent Iraq and its people back to the stone age based on a lie, who sent Afghanistan and its people even further back to the stone age and forgot about them, and who is singlehandedly responsible for making the world a much less stable place....how can this man have the testicles to give anyone a lesson on how to conduct diplomacy?

Breathe in....breathe out....in....out.... OK, now that my blood pressure has retreated to a less lethal level, I personally think Obama has the right idea. If the West hadn't been willing to negotiate with Soviets, the war against terrorism would never have replace the Cold War. I don't believe a President Obama would talk to terrorists...however, I do think that he would be open to communicating with the leaders of hostile foreign countries, which is a completely different matter. This administration's foreign policy has done nothing but continue to isolate their enemies, embittering their populations, and widening the gap to normalcy. Today's attack was incredible coming from the likes of Bush...and seeing John McCain's immediate favourable reaction is a strong signal that the GOP will continue to feed on fear and ignorance. Guess no one has told them that while it's good to keep your friends close...it's wiser to keep your enemies closer.

Welcome to the One Sided Argument

Thanks for visiting and welcome to the One Sided Argument, your one stop shop for biased opinions, fiery rhetoric, and sometimes humorous ramblings on a variety of topics in the news and sometimes, simply in the news in my own fantasy world.

There are two sides to every argument...the wrong one...and mine. I don't like admitting I'm wrong (just ask my beautiful bride-to-be) but on occasion, I'm forced to eat my words. In fact, I argued for years that blogs are stupid. They're dumb. Only people with no lives have the time to burn on them. And since my brother had one, it meant that he was stupid, dumb, and had no life. Well...here we are and I realized that my little brother is none of the above and actually has won a fan following on his blog, so in no way was I about to be outdone by the kid I used to bodyslam and suplex all over my house in the nineties...when wrestling was cool.

Please enjoy the time you spend here - I hope you agree with me...or else I'll have to hunt you down. Well, no I won't do that...but if you do have to disagree with me, please ensure that your argument is weak and is one that I can easily overcome. I'd appreciate that. Thanks.