“Last year, crude oil prices were around $140 per barrel and the gas price at the pump was $1.35 per litre. Now, a barrel of crude is $98 and the pump price is at $1.41,” says our Industry Minister. What happened to this unregulated, open market industry where in a state of perfect competition, prices […]
The Economics of Greed and Fear Read More »
The global shift to the right has resulted in governments of countries trying to run themselves like corporations; Dubai and Singapore are examples that come to mind. Privatization, less government, less taxes, and less social benefits are in fashion. And yet some governments are on the verge of bankruptcy, if not broke already. Is this
Can a government run like a corporation? Read More »
It’s election time in Canada again and I can’t avoid pondering matters political. Nothing much has changed from the last election it seems, and therein lies the question. Will there be voter apathy this time too? Too many people saying, “Well, it’s the fourth election in seven years and it will end up with another
To vote or not to vote – that is not a question anymore Read More »
Having lived at various times of my life in different places, I’ve often wondered where home really is. Is it where I live right now as a suburban transplant in a small town by a large lake? Is it back in Toronto or in some large city where everything is more or less the same:
Home – where is it? Read More »
I’ve begun to see the “small publisher” (SP) value proposition diminish. In cutting back on editing and marketing support, in losing ground to technology that makes it possible to go direct from author to reader today (i.e. e•books), in having no better alternative to online distribution offered by the likes of Amazon, and in still
Changing Publishing Models Read More »
I have been watching events unfold in North Africa and across the Middle East and I am wondering if this is a well orchestrated attempt to drive up the price of oil, or a cheaper alternative to “Shock and Awe” that got bogged down in “It’s Draining Our Money Away.” The formula is simple: pick
Is Social Media only Social Mania? Read More »
Presidents for Life (PFL) are in the news these days, and last week it was Hosni Mubarak’s turn. Let’s see, we have had out share of the Shah of Iran, Ferdinand Marcos, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega and others, all lifers, until destiny caught up with them. What makes these creatures? Western powers have
Presidents for Life Read More »
A reader recently asked me why I swung both ways, i.e. played on the other team as well. I reminded him that I was heterosexual and played only on one team. “But you write book reviews,” he reminded me. “So?” “But you are a writer yourself.” “So?” Then he went onto clarify that writers should
Swinging both ways Read More »
On a beach in a Caribbean island, I ran over my usual list of New Year resolutions: manage the weight, exercise regularly, save money, save the trees, go e•books, write more, read more, work less, drink less, shamelessly self promote, keep building my online platform etc., etc., etc. As nudists on the adjacent beach strutted
New Year Resolutions – short and sweet Read More »
Christmas brings out mixed feelings in me. Will it be good or bad, white or green this year? There were the Christmases of childhood when I cradled a lonely Roy Rogers annual while my more fortunate cousins flashed multiple gifts received from doting parents. The Christmases of Pyrotechnics followed, when my bachelor uncle would buy
Christmas Over the Years Read More »