Goodbye Bush, hello Historic President. I wanted to find one simple link that sums the moment up. How's this? Give it up for number 44.
(More here.)
1.20.2009
1.19.2009
Government Demands Auto Industry Cut Wages
Apparently, according to industry minister Tony Clement, if GM and Chrysler want to tap into the $4 billion bailout fund the government has set aside for them, they have to slash their labour costs.
Now, hang on a second... weren't we told the whole problem with the North American auto industry was that the cars they were making were... well, maybe not crappy, but... inappropriate? You remember. It was that thing about American cars not being fuel efficient or environmentally responsible. The Big 3 were making big ol' gas guzzling SUVs and everybody agreed that just didn't make sense any more. Wasn't the bailout supposed to be tied to a commitment that they'd make better cars and start to take things like CO2 emissions and high fuel prices seriously? That way people would want to buy their cars again. I don't recall wage cuts being on the table back then.
And, another thing... in a period of recession, isn't the idea to keep as much money in the pockets of the public as possible so they can go out and spend it? Isn't that what you're supposed to do if you want to stimulate the economy?
So, wouldn't our government demanding that an industry cut their employees' wages do exactly the opposite of stimulate the economy? Mightn't that make it more flaccid?
I'm just saying...
Now, hang on a second... weren't we told the whole problem with the North American auto industry was that the cars they were making were... well, maybe not crappy, but... inappropriate? You remember. It was that thing about American cars not being fuel efficient or environmentally responsible. The Big 3 were making big ol' gas guzzling SUVs and everybody agreed that just didn't make sense any more. Wasn't the bailout supposed to be tied to a commitment that they'd make better cars and start to take things like CO2 emissions and high fuel prices seriously? That way people would want to buy their cars again. I don't recall wage cuts being on the table back then.
And, another thing... in a period of recession, isn't the idea to keep as much money in the pockets of the public as possible so they can go out and spend it? Isn't that what you're supposed to do if you want to stimulate the economy?
So, wouldn't our government demanding that an industry cut their employees' wages do exactly the opposite of stimulate the economy? Mightn't that make it more flaccid?
I'm just saying...
Bush's Boring Last Day
Whelp, looks lawk Dubya has done pardoned hisself out. Two ex-border guards convicted of shooting an admitted drug smuggler in the ass will soon be out on the streets, their sentences commuted. The move is expected to delight the law 'n' order/anti-immigration crowd.
The non-pardons are expected to be the closest thing to last-minute pardons before Bush leaves office, though he can technically pardon anyone he wants until Obama is sworn in.
Bush previously issued 14 pardons before Christmas when nobody was paying attention, but sadly, nothing and no-one monserously controversial. In fact, at a piddly 189 pardons, Bush trails Clinton (457), Reagan (406) and one-term wonder Jimmy Carter (563).
Even worse, Bush isn't issuing dozens of controversial, pre-emptive pardons for war criminals and torture-boosters his administration was home to.
And here I was hoping to type up an easy afternoon cheap shot against the outgoing Worst American President Ever.
Oh well.
The non-pardons are expected to be the closest thing to last-minute pardons before Bush leaves office, though he can technically pardon anyone he wants until Obama is sworn in.
Bush previously issued 14 pardons before Christmas when nobody was paying attention, but sadly, nothing and no-one monserously controversial. In fact, at a piddly 189 pardons, Bush trails Clinton (457), Reagan (406) and one-term wonder Jimmy Carter (563).
Even worse, Bush isn't issuing dozens of controversial, pre-emptive pardons for war criminals and torture-boosters his administration was home to.
And here I was hoping to type up an easy afternoon cheap shot against the outgoing Worst American President Ever.
Oh well.
The Fly-Tanic
We know by now what happened in the Miracle on the Hudson. Here's a pilot's eye view, courtesy a British news agency and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
But there's two extra-special reasons to celebrate the successful controlled landing just offshore of Manhattan. First of all, as the blogger emptywheel notes, everybody involved in the emergency and rescue -- from the pilot and co-pilot to the New York ferryworkers and firefighters involved in the rescue -- are unionized workers.
Secondly, the captain of the stricken Airbus is 57 or 58 years old. Usually, airlines try to pension off guys as old as Sully, because pilots with less experience are cheaper. Sure, an airline might save a few thousand bucks if you let someone with experience go. And if the end result is a smoking hole in Midtown because of that ...
But there's two extra-special reasons to celebrate the successful controlled landing just offshore of Manhattan. First of all, as the blogger emptywheel notes, everybody involved in the emergency and rescue -- from the pilot and co-pilot to the New York ferryworkers and firefighters involved in the rescue -- are unionized workers.
Secondly, the captain of the stricken Airbus is 57 or 58 years old. Usually, airlines try to pension off guys as old as Sully, because pilots with less experience are cheaper. Sure, an airline might save a few thousand bucks if you let someone with experience go. And if the end result is a smoking hole in Midtown because of that ...
Why Rod Pedersen Hates Me, Volume 3008 ...
Rod Pedersen’s mad at me and prairie dog. I would imagine most people in
See, book reviews and interviews with authors have become the red-headed stepchild of a newspaper’s arts coverage. Newspapers have less and less space for even the most important news, and what passes for ‘arts’ coverage in most newspapers (prairie dog and Planet S excepted) has degenerated into tabloid press releases – what Tysonian level has Britney/LiLo/Amy Winehouse/et cetera achieved in their state of mental breakdown for the sheer fact that they are famous for, well, being famous.
Given this state of affairs, it’s hard – very hard – for editors to make room for book reviews. If I strode into the office tomorrow and announced that Sharon Butala or Ken Mitchell had just authored an opus that was worthy of comparisons to Hemmingway and Shakespeare, Whitworth would barely lift his eyes from his desk before intoning, “400 words. Max.” (EDIT: this isn't, or shouldn't be a slight against Whitworth. Unfortunately this is happening to everyone who's reviewing, or promoting, books. Before Conrad Black bought the paper, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix once devoted two pages every Saturday issue to local book reviews. Today, it's a half-page of canned copy.)
Don’t feel bad, Rod. You could be Jim Pitsula. His publishers gave prairie dog two books this year … and in the end I had about the same amount of space allotted for their reviews as I had for yours.
Six In The Morning
Here's your a.m. news, as filtered by prairie dog:
1 GETTIN OUT OF GAZA Israel's troops depart, devastation is terrible, Hamas vows to rearm.
2 DEATH AND TAX CUTS Grits tell Harper the road out of recession is through spending, not slashing taxes. We'll agree with that though we suspect the Liberals are a little conflicted on this one.
3 CHILD SHOT IN SASKATOON Ugh.
4 FOUR YEARS? NO PRESSURE Scientist says Obama has only four years to save the planet.
5 OFF THE HOOK The George Bush pardon countdown is on. What criminals will the outgoing prez protect?
6 GOAT TRAGEDY Rare animal dies in Calgary zoo accident. Mouth to mouth is unsuccessful.
1 GETTIN OUT OF GAZA Israel's troops depart, devastation is terrible, Hamas vows to rearm.
2 DEATH AND TAX CUTS Grits tell Harper the road out of recession is through spending, not slashing taxes. We'll agree with that though we suspect the Liberals are a little conflicted on this one.
3 CHILD SHOT IN SASKATOON Ugh.
4 FOUR YEARS? NO PRESSURE Scientist says Obama has only four years to save the planet.
5 OFF THE HOOK The George Bush pardon countdown is on. What criminals will the outgoing prez protect?
6 GOAT TRAGEDY Rare animal dies in Calgary zoo accident. Mouth to mouth is unsuccessful.
1.16.2009
Condo Conversions Continue Despite Low Vacancy Rate
Wednesday night, after over two hours of presentations and discussion, Regina Planning Commission decided to approve the application to convert the Viva Apartments on 2141 Rae Street into condominiums.
The recommendation for approval comes despite the fact that city staff drafted a strongly-worded report recommending denial; and despite the fact that city policy and provincial legislation indicate that conversions should be denied when the vacancy rate drops below 3% (as reported on this blog back on Dec 11, the present vacancy rate is 0.5%); and despite the fact that five tenants appeared before RPC to express their opposition to the conversion; and despite the fact that according to the city's survey of tenants, 64% of them are opposed to the conversion (when vacancy rates drop below 3%, city policy requires 75% of tenants be in agreement with an application); and despite the fact that two members of the Cathedral Area Community Association and one from the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry appeared before RPC to oppose the conversion.
In short, the 2141 Rae application has failed every test put before it, official and unofficial, and yet the RPC has recommended approval.
The reasons for the approval? There seem to be two.
On one hand, it was pointed out that at the time the application was made (early last year) the vacancy rate for the central area was 3.5% (the citywide rate was around 1.5%). It was felt by some that because the 2141 Rae application has taken so long (this its third time before RPC) the applicant shouldn't be punished because of the delay and the older area rate should be used (and the older citywide rate ignored). This, of course, ignores the fact that the old area vacancy figure was based on October 2007 data which was already several months out of date at the time the application was made. Assuming the rate was dropping over that time (it had to have been to get from 3.5% to 0.5% in a year) then it's unlikely the actual vacancy rate for the central area was above 3% at that time.
The second reason cited was that the applicant -- DR Realty which is being represented by property manager, Nicor Developments -- is willing to let tenants who moved in before the application was submitted to stay for up to five years (or for life if the tenant is over 70 years old). Also, those tenants will have rent controls in place while they live there. RPC noted that if the conversion is not approved, the property owner will still go forward with renovations to the building but would be forced to finance those renovations by raising rents. Seeing as there are no rent controls in Saskatchewan, the applicant could simply price the apartments out of reach of the current tenants.
Sound to you like a case of a developer holding its tenants and the RPC hostage with threats of massive rent increases? Yeah, to me too.
After 2141 Rae, there are presently in the neighbourhood of 19 more condo conversion applications to be considered before Councillor Clipsham's conversion moratorium comes into effect. That means there are 500 more rental units that will likely be lost to the market and that's going to be a disaster for anyone who rents in this city --- not only will they find it hard to move if they have to, there's also the problem that, as anyone who has taken Econ 101 will tell you, constricting supply while there's an increase in demand is going to lead to a spike in rents.
When this was pointed out during the Wednesday meeting, RPC chair, Coucillor Fougere, remarked that each of the remaining applications will be judged on its own merits so no one should assume that all of the applications will be recommended for approval.
That's reassuring. Because clearly, considering all the opposition and all the factors working against it, if the RPC couldn't bring itself to say no to 2141 Rae, they'll definitely start rejecting applications any day now.
And, as if to put that to the test: shortly after the 2141 Rae conversion was approved, RPC voted to approve another condo conversion on 15 Coventry Road with hardly any debate whatsoever (and that despite the fact that city staff again recommended it be denied on account of the low vacancy rate).
Both the 2141 Rae and 15 Coventry Road conversions will go before city council on Monday January 26 for final approval.
The recommendation for approval comes despite the fact that city staff drafted a strongly-worded report recommending denial; and despite the fact that city policy and provincial legislation indicate that conversions should be denied when the vacancy rate drops below 3% (as reported on this blog back on Dec 11, the present vacancy rate is 0.5%); and despite the fact that five tenants appeared before RPC to express their opposition to the conversion; and despite the fact that according to the city's survey of tenants, 64% of them are opposed to the conversion (when vacancy rates drop below 3%, city policy requires 75% of tenants be in agreement with an application); and despite the fact that two members of the Cathedral Area Community Association and one from the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry appeared before RPC to oppose the conversion.
In short, the 2141 Rae application has failed every test put before it, official and unofficial, and yet the RPC has recommended approval.
The reasons for the approval? There seem to be two.
On one hand, it was pointed out that at the time the application was made (early last year) the vacancy rate for the central area was 3.5% (the citywide rate was around 1.5%). It was felt by some that because the 2141 Rae application has taken so long (this its third time before RPC) the applicant shouldn't be punished because of the delay and the older area rate should be used (and the older citywide rate ignored). This, of course, ignores the fact that the old area vacancy figure was based on October 2007 data which was already several months out of date at the time the application was made. Assuming the rate was dropping over that time (it had to have been to get from 3.5% to 0.5% in a year) then it's unlikely the actual vacancy rate for the central area was above 3% at that time.
The second reason cited was that the applicant -- DR Realty which is being represented by property manager, Nicor Developments -- is willing to let tenants who moved in before the application was submitted to stay for up to five years (or for life if the tenant is over 70 years old). Also, those tenants will have rent controls in place while they live there. RPC noted that if the conversion is not approved, the property owner will still go forward with renovations to the building but would be forced to finance those renovations by raising rents. Seeing as there are no rent controls in Saskatchewan, the applicant could simply price the apartments out of reach of the current tenants.
Sound to you like a case of a developer holding its tenants and the RPC hostage with threats of massive rent increases? Yeah, to me too.
After 2141 Rae, there are presently in the neighbourhood of 19 more condo conversion applications to be considered before Councillor Clipsham's conversion moratorium comes into effect. That means there are 500 more rental units that will likely be lost to the market and that's going to be a disaster for anyone who rents in this city --- not only will they find it hard to move if they have to, there's also the problem that, as anyone who has taken Econ 101 will tell you, constricting supply while there's an increase in demand is going to lead to a spike in rents.
When this was pointed out during the Wednesday meeting, RPC chair, Coucillor Fougere, remarked that each of the remaining applications will be judged on its own merits so no one should assume that all of the applications will be recommended for approval.
That's reassuring. Because clearly, considering all the opposition and all the factors working against it, if the RPC couldn't bring itself to say no to 2141 Rae, they'll definitely start rejecting applications any day now.
And, as if to put that to the test: shortly after the 2141 Rae conversion was approved, RPC voted to approve another condo conversion on 15 Coventry Road with hardly any debate whatsoever (and that despite the fact that city staff again recommended it be denied on account of the low vacancy rate).
Both the 2141 Rae and 15 Coventry Road conversions will go before city council on Monday January 26 for final approval.
Travel Advisory
As a favour to anyone who may be traveling in the New York area by air in the near future I'm posting this warning that Secretary Michael Chertoff [pictured] of U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued today.
Orange Alert: Recent information has reached this office that an insidious group of terrorists with roots in Canada have begun operating in the New York area. With ruthless efficiency, our sources inform us, they are targeting domestic flights taking off from La Guardia airport on suicide missions that pose tremendous risk to Americans. To combat this threat, our office will be pressing Congress to introduce heightened security measures at all border crossings with Canada, including the possible creation of a series of camoflaged outposts manned by drunken louts equipped with shot-guns. In the meantime, anyone with information on this terrorist cell, which is believed to be headed by an individual with the code name Branta Canadensis , is urged to contact Det. Andy Sipowicz of the New York Police Department immediately. God Bless America.
1.15.2009
TV is Dead, Long Live TV
Just read this interview. It's with Jeff Macpherson and Tosca Musk of Tiki Bar TV. (Yes. I realize I'm a little obsessed.) It's a pretty thorough behind-the-scenes look at how the show came to be. Lots of fun for anyone who's a fan.
But it's also worth reading for what it has to say about new media.
I found it very interesting to learn how internet-based shows like Tiki Bar are devising new business models for creative content. Basically, they're managing to make a living even though they give their show away for nothing. (Which is kind of like the prairie dog, come to think of it. Holy crap. We're cutting edge!)
Compare that to the dinosaurs in the mainstream media. The media conglomerates are wringing their hands over their intellectual property being pirated and everyday they're coming up with new, more draconian measures to hinder the free flow of content and punish those who circumvent them. And they're losing market share as a result.
Meanwhile, people like Macpherson and co. are making some truly inspired creative content, giving it away, and rewriting the rules of entertainment commerce as they go. Personally I'm pretty excited to see where this will all wind up.
One thing I think is pretty clear is television is going to be an early casualty in all this. Not being able to get shows on demand and for nothing (or next-to-nothing) is just not going to cut it much longer. (On top of that, switching to digital this year and making millions of televisions obsolete isn't going to help their situation any.) And I have to say, after being inundated over the xmas holidays by my parent's prime-time viewing choices, the networks aren't exactly churning out quality material.
Maybe the networks won't go black, but they might become the exclusive domain of reality shows while all the cutting edge drama and comedy wind up online. Kind of like what happened to radio when television took over.
But it's also worth reading for what it has to say about new media.
I found it very interesting to learn how internet-based shows like Tiki Bar are devising new business models for creative content. Basically, they're managing to make a living even though they give their show away for nothing. (Which is kind of like the prairie dog, come to think of it. Holy crap. We're cutting edge!)
Compare that to the dinosaurs in the mainstream media. The media conglomerates are wringing their hands over their intellectual property being pirated and everyday they're coming up with new, more draconian measures to hinder the free flow of content and punish those who circumvent them. And they're losing market share as a result.
Meanwhile, people like Macpherson and co. are making some truly inspired creative content, giving it away, and rewriting the rules of entertainment commerce as they go. Personally I'm pretty excited to see where this will all wind up.
One thing I think is pretty clear is television is going to be an early casualty in all this. Not being able to get shows on demand and for nothing (or next-to-nothing) is just not going to cut it much longer. (On top of that, switching to digital this year and making millions of televisions obsolete isn't going to help their situation any.) And I have to say, after being inundated over the xmas holidays by my parent's prime-time viewing choices, the networks aren't exactly churning out quality material.
Maybe the networks won't go black, but they might become the exclusive domain of reality shows while all the cutting edge drama and comedy wind up online. Kind of like what happened to radio when television took over.
Football and politics
What do you say when you meet up with someone who you really respect, but in a very public work, you want to tell them – and fail to tell them – that they’ve missed the point? That’s the dilemma I faced at a Conexus Credit Union branch when I ran into Rod Pedersen, CKRM’s sports director, play-by-play guy for the stations’ Pats and Riders broadcasts, and author of Green Magic, a book about the 2007 Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The book, originally (at least in my mind) was to have been the subject of an 800 word review, which got cut down further and further into a squib of a review that appeared in the pre-Christmas edition under recommended gifts (the same thing happened to two other books, by Jim Pitsula, that I wanted to review for prairie dog). Space considerations and other stories thwarted my and Whitworth’s attempts to publish anything else.
The worst I can say about Pedersen’s book is the best that I can say: inside a good book is a great book struggling to get out. Green Magic was written because the Riders couldn’t or wouldn’t publish a commemorative DVD of the 2007 season (something about not being able to secure broadcasting rights). Pedersen’s book is good at describing the 2007 season, but he’s a sports guy, not a political studies major, sociologist or historian. And the REAL story of the Saskatchewan Roughriders – how they went from a mom-and-pop organizations where the season ticket drives could have been themed by Pete Droge and the Sinners to the flagship not just of the CFL but also of, for lack of a better term, Saskatchewan Inc., has yet to be told. I think Steve Mazurak (former Rider receiver, local boy, ran for the Liberals in the same riding where I ran for the Rhinos in 1984, currently the Rider’s VP of marketing) is the Riders’ unsung hero for putting the Riders on a much more stable financial footing.
The Riders took everything in the Al Ford business playbook, made a photographic negative out of it, and succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. No more frantic pack the park days that revealed the Riders then-true purpose (not to win football games, but to get 20K or so in the city to buy meals at the restaurants and bars and sleep off the hangovers in the hotels). After Hillsborough, these were acts of madness. As well, the Riders lifted the home blackout policy, got ‘retro’ third jerseys,’ and otherwise gave the Riders a massive warchest.
Somebody writing a story like that could have given the
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