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Sobering Thoughts
Comments on politics, the culture, economics and religion by Paul Tuns -- in short, everything about the human endeavour from a non-hyphenated conservative perspective. I am Toronto-based writer and editor, whose articles, columns and reviews have appeared in more than 35 publications. I am editor-in-chief of The Interim, Canada's life and family newspaper, author of Jean Chretien: A Legacy of Scandal and a regular contributor to the book pages of the Halifax Herald.
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
Questions only journalists give a shit about
Canadian Press: "In a tight election, will Harper rethink approach to the media?" Jennifer Ditchburn reports:
Nine years after the Conservatives took power, not much has changed in Harper's general approach to managing the media — be the party in minority or majority status.On Monday in Calgary, print reporters were barred — as usual — from watching a photo opportunity unfold, this time between Harper and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Questions are always strictly prohibited by Harper's team at such events.But will the thinking shift in an election that is perceived to be much closer, a pre-campaign that is stretching out for months?
Not many people sans press passes care about this. There are all kinds of ways the Conservatives can communicate directly to voters and the lack of access has not prevented journalists from reporting on the Prime Minister and his government.
The National Post's Jen Gerson is correct to chastise her colleagues for making themselves part of the story:
In a more civilized era — one already ruled by an unjustified tinge of nostalgia — journalists lived by codes. Among them: Don't let yourself become the story. Also: Don't complain about what you had to go through to get the story.There's a certain common-sense decency to these rules — although exceptions are inevitable. The press has always fought with bureaucrats, waded — literally and figuratively — through muck and trash to report on the issues of the day. That's the job.The reader shouldn't worry about this trouble any more than I fret about the number of splinters a carpenter earns while building a table. The public neither notices nor cares about your personal trials, Ms. Reporter. Just bring back the goddamn news.To complain, publicly, about the treatment from this politician or that is, then, not only unprofessional, but self-aggrandizing.
She says that in a column questioning the wisdom of Harper to keep journalists at a suitable distance. She, too, falls victim to thinking that voters might not like the supposedly shabby treatment of journalists. In all likelihood, members of the conservative tribe will defend Harper's actions and members of the oppositions tribes will find the PM's actions anti-democratic. But the issue is not whether Harper will talk to reporters but how the Tories communicate with voters. Print and broadcast reporters are displeased they no longer have a monopoly as the the middleman.
Canada's milk production: stuck in the '60s
William Watson writes in the Ottawa Citizen about Canada's milk marketing boards. These boards don't market milk, they limit its supply, thereby increasing the price paid to producers, and cost to consumers. Watson reports that in 2013, Canada produced 78.2 million hectolitres of milk, enough to fill the Rogers Centre in Toronto six times. That seems like a lot, but its less than Canada produced nearly five decades ago. Watson says:
Anyway, 78.2 million hectolitres wasn't actually the number that struck me. The number that struck me was 78.8 million hectolitres. That's how much milk we produced in 1967, 48 years ago. That was shortly after our all-time high milk production of 80.8 hectolitres, which occurred in 1964. That's right. We were producing more milk in the 1960s than we are now, even though in 1967 our population was only 20.4 million, compared to 35.7 million now. Population has almost doubled. Milk production is the same.Are there any other industries where production is less than in 1964? Formica tabletops, maybe. Cat's-eyes sunglasses. Unfiltered cigarettes. Suede shoes. Not much else.
You might say this makes no sense, but that depends. If the goal is to produce enough milk to meet market demand, no it's not. But the goal is to artificially maximize profits of milk producers by limiting competition with tariffs of 200% or more (277% on ice cream) and limiting the domestic supply through quotas that marketing boards sell to farmers. Producers want to keep supplies artificially low to keep prices high. Then, as Watson says, we, mere consumers, get milked.
Our trade partners want us to dismantle this unjust system. So should every Canadian who buys milk or milk products.
Are there lessons from the Greek referendum for a Canada ready to vote NDP?
David Akin writes in the Toronto Sun about NDP MP Niki Ashton:
And, on her Twitter feed, she wasn't shy about letting the world know how she would have voted. "NO to austerity! YES to democracy!" she tweeted.And while re-broadcasts of things others say on Twitter are not necessarily endorsements, Ashton also tweeted out to her followers comments from left-leaning rabble rouser Naomi Klein who wrote "So many Greeks voting no to blackmail and terror."Blackmail? Terror?C'mon. The government of Greece for years failed to address bureaucratic corruption and tax avoidance and ran up huge deficits all paid for by money it borrowed in foreign markets. Now that those foreign creditors have declined to lend the country any more money until the government cleaned up its act, that's approvingly called "blackmail" and "terror" by a New Democrat?More importantly for the referendum facing Canadians on October 19: Are Ashton's tweets part of mainstream NDP thinking these days? Ashton, after all, would be sure to be named to Thomas Mulcair's cabinet if Mulcair becomes PM after Oct. 19.
That the unserious Niki Ashton could be in the NDP cabinet is reason enough to vote against the NDP. And she proves her unseriousness. Not that one couldn't support the 'no' side in the referendum, but her silly rhetoric exposes that she has neither the temperament nor the mind to serve in the cabinet. Thomas Mulcair, Akins correctly says, must publicly acknowledge "that governments in developed countries, here or abroad, must be responsible for the debts they incur." A senior NDP MP, Pat Martin, has said Ashton's comments were "a personal opinion" and not necessarily indicative of party policy. Mulcair must distance himself from Ashton's comments by publicly repudiating them. He won't, and that should be something voters keep in mind when they vote in October.
Fellow PostMedia columnist Anthony Furey also tackles the Greek crisis and the Niki Ashton/Naomi Klein reaction to it. In short, it ignores that the Greek debt crisis is largely self-inflicted:
Their debt-to-GDP ratio jumped every year until it got to the point where their ability to repay debts was considered so shaky that traditional lenders wouldn't help them. Greece was downgraded to junkbond status.That's when the IMF and others jumped in. Simply put, that's other nations' taxpayers' money. It's redistribution. So you can understand why the lenders wanted Greece to agree to clean up their act ...Greece behaved badly and is paying the consequences. After you've proven you're fiscally reckless, you can't expect to get multi-billion-dollar loans from your neighbours without them placing a few conditions on you.
Expanding the vocabulary
Normally I'm overjoyed to learn new words. Not today. Via Salon, I discovered "clitorate."
That said, there is good advice in the article:
While you don't need to be able to recite a detailed, bullet-pointed list of every sexual kink or desire you've ever had, you do need to be able to sum up your turn-ons and turn-offs, any no-fly zones or triggers, and to know yourself well enough so you can verbally or physically guide your partner to whatever gets you to cloud nine.
People, communicate.
WTF? Libertarians suspend candidate
Jay Currie had a post last week on the Libertarian Party of Canada suspending candidate Lauren Southern:
It turns out that Miss Southern is, or rather was, a Libertarian candidate for Parliament. She was suspended for, and I quote Breitbart which quotes the Libertarian Party leader, the deeply unknown Tim Moen as saying "According to Moen, Southern's actions had "broken message discipline" and undermined the party's efforts to "connect hearts and minds to the message of liberty and achieve a tipping point of 10% of the population adopting an unshakable belief in Liberty."Now this clown has obviously missed the key rule of politics: people who have 750,000 You-Tube views are connecting to the hearts and minds of which you speak. Miss Southern is willing to take a message to the 3rd Wave Feminists. She's willing to stand up for the truth. If you needed to know why the Libertarian cause is an electoral disaster Tim's genius move dumping Miss Southern is pretty much the story.
Southern's sin is telling the Vancouver slut walk there is no rape culture.
Shouldn't the Libertarian Party eschew nixing candidates for their politically incorrect view? Isn't that what libertarianism is about?
Currie concludes his post:
Mr. Moen needs to get over himself. He needs to tell his Party President that Libertarians ignore the two minutes of Twitter hate the feminist SJWs can summon. He needs to tell his Executive that he will sign Miss Southern's nomination papers and, if he has the wit God gave a rock, he needs to apologize to Miss Southern for being such a gormless pussy.Mis Southern is destined for great things, Mr. Moen? At the moment, not so much.
'Not since the war have Europeans hated each other this much'
Klaus-Peter Willsch, a member of the Bundestag and part Angela Merkel's ruling CDU party, writes in the Daily Telegraph:
The euro bailout is a continued and institutionalised violation of law. And disregarding the no bail-out clause has led to deterioration, rather than improvement, of the situation in Europe. At no time since Second World War the European peoples have been so negative in their assessments of each other as in the last five years, since the beginning of the "rescue measures".In the northern Member States, the image of lazy southern Europeans is increasingly pervasive. People in the countries being bailed out, meanwhile, feel as if they are being bossed around. This is completely absurd, since Greece has benefited from unprecedented solidarity from its European partner states.
Ontario downgraded by credit agency
The Canadian Press reports:
Standard & Poor's has lowered Ontario's financial rating to A+ from AA-, citing its heavy debt burden and budgetary "underperformance" compared with peers in other jurisdictions.S&P said Monday that while Ontario continues to beat its fiscal targets and expects to close its operating budget gap by fiscal 2018, it will still have to contend with sizable yearly after-capital deficits given its large net capital spending plans.
This kind of big news is typically buried deep in the paper, but it's important.
Road trip!
Amazing Maps: "The shortest driving route through all 48 contiguous US states (Takes 113 hours)." The tweet has the map.
Monday, July 06, 2015
Obamacare: boon for health insurance industry
The Washington Examiner's Tim Carney reports:
Aetna and Humana, two insurance giants, announced Friday they plan to merge "in the wake of the federal Affordable Care Act and other changes in the healthcare industry."Anthem and Cigna, two other insurance giants, renewed their merger talks, in an effort "to be more competitive in a healthcare landscape dramatically altered by the Affordable Care Act and other developments."And insurers across America "are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected," the New York Times reported.These developments paint an unsurprising picture: more government--in the form of mandates, regulations, and subsidies--is yielding more consolidation, higher prices, and less consumer choice.
Japan wants Canada to eliminate B.C. log exports -- and Ottawa should oblige
The Canadian Press: "Canada, Japan at odds over B.C. timber in TPP trade talks, documents show." CP reports on negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
Japan is pushing Canada to eliminate or modify the controls it imposes on B.C. log exports — a practice that is heavily restricted by the federal and provincial governments, and which drives up their cost to foreign buyers.Details of the forestry impasse with Japan are contained in documents from Canada's Foreign Affairs department that are marked "secret" and that have been obtained by The Canadian Press.
Jack Mintz, who retired from the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary last week, wrote in the Financial Post recently against trade distorting policies such as log export restrictions, noting "The current system has federal and BC governments in cahoots with each other to restrict log exports so that logs are sold to BC wood producers at a discounted price." Mintz explains:
Log exports are restricted by a "surplus test," which applies in British Columbia and not other provinces (the federal government has a memorandum of understanding with BC). An exporter advertises logs on a bi-weekly notification to give opportunities for log processors to offer a domestic price for the logs. If no offer is made, the logs are determined to be surplus and could be sold to the international market. BC further restricts exports from its land by applying an export tax that is 12 to 16 per cent of the domestic selling price.Logs are not auctioned off to processors. Instead, a government-appointed committee determines whether an offer is "fair." This Soviet-type approach to price determination is largely based on historical prices and is advantageous to the processors.For some forest companies, domestic sales are below cost today – they make money only on exported logs. Chinese landed prices in Vancouver have been twice domestic prices in the past three years. Both federal and BC export restrictions have therefore imposed a large "tax" on value-added that would accrue to workers and owners of BC forestlands.An argument in favour of restricting log exports is that it subsidizes the forest processing industries and employment. However, Peter Pearse, who headed a Royal Commission on forest industry, argued in 2006 testimony that log export restrictions do not improve economic performance. As he states, "in a predominantly market economy, you cannot get more value out of something by restricting the market for it."
Mintz notes that a School of Public Policy study by Trevor Tombe found that Wood and paper products have less value-added than the forest and logging industry, thereby harming the Canadian -- and British Columbian -- economy. Mintz is rightfully a fan of using the TPP to rid Canada of log trade restrictions.
'Angela Merkel is seriously overrated'
Cap X's Iain Martin descents from the conventional wisdom about the German chancellor:
While I can certainly admire her electoral dexterity and guile, I'm afraid I must dissent from the accepted view, considering the mess that she has made of handling Greece.More than that, Angela Merkel is a seriously overrated leader and after all those years in power it is extremely difficult to think of anything she has done that explains her exalted reputation. On Greece, she has failed. On the need for European Union reform, she has been all but useless. Her major achievements on the European stage are hard to discern. She has been good at watching Germany win at football, and that is about it.
Later Martin observes, per a recent Der Spiegel profile, "What matters to Merkel, it seems, is that no-one blames Merkel."
Next Big Day for Greece
The Financial Times, via Twitter: "The next key date in Greece's crisis is now July 20, when it needs to repay €3.5bn on a bond held by the ECB http://on.ft.com/1NHLQuc "
The thing about every next big deadline is that there are almost always more impending big deadlines, until all-of-a-sudden they disappear.
How the NDP wins government
Eric Grenier in the Hill Times on the NDP path to government, which includes 50 seats in Quebec, 20 seats in BC (halfway there), urban seats in Atlantic Canada and Ontario, and growth potential in the west:
But it is in the West where this coalition starts to get more interesting for the New Democrats. The unpopularity of Greg Selinger's provincial government limits the party's potential in Manitoba, but new boundaries in Saskatchewan could deliver several seats in Regina and Saskatoon. Rachel Notley's stunning victory in Alberta opens up a large number of ridings to the NDP in that province, particularly in Edmonton and Lethbridge.
I'm still skeptical.
Winnipeg will be interesting. The NDP and Liberals could battle for the anti-Harper vote and pickups seem likely, but the Selinger-drag and federal Liberal decline make it tough to predict. (That said, will the Liberals do worse under Justin Trudeau than they did under Michael Ignatieff, whose leadership almost certainly kept many Liberals at home?) The NDP might pickup 2-3 seats in the city if they look likely to displace the Tories as government because it could get some former Liberals back in the voting booth. But if the NDP backslides a bit in the polls, Trudeau's shtick might work there and the Liberals win a few more seats in the Manitoba capital. Joyce Bateman won Winnipeg South Centre by less than a 1000 votes over the Liberals (defeating incumbent MP Anita Neville) which probably means a Grit pickup. But Bateman has the advantage of incumbency. Lawrence Toet picked up Elmwood—Transcona from the NDP last time (won by 300 votes) in what is always a close riding. But a Liberal uptick in the city could help Toet keep his seat. Most of the Conservative victories in the city in 2011 were by rather comfortable majorities. That said, Kevin Lamoureux won Winnipeg North over the NDP by a few dozen votes. The most probable NDP pickup in the city is from the Liberals.
In rural Manitoba, Niki Ashton will keep Churchill, but the Tories won the other ridings by at least 15,000 votes except Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette which Robert Sopuck won by almost 11,000. If the NDP win Sopuck's seat, there is probably a national wave that boots out an additional 50 Tories that no one saw losing.
The redrawn map should help the NDP pick up seats but predictions of four new NDP MPs in urban Saskatchewan seem far-fetched -- pen in the NDPers for two (one each in Regina and Saskatoon). Liberals should remember that Ralph Goodale's margin of victory (about 1600) was the second closest in the province. The Tories could actually lose seats in Saskatchewan to the NDP and slightly make up for it by gaining a Liberal seat in Regina. Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River is the rural riding most likely to flip from Conservative to NDP in the entire country (and it'll look impressive on the map because it cover the entire northern half of the province). Rob Clarke won by about 800 votes and the redistributed 2011 votes in the new riding have it closer. It is one of the few ridings where First Nation votes (and turnout) are likely to affect the outcome.
Grenier and others think the NDP is picking up seats in Edmonton and perhaps Lethbridge. Don't see it. In Lethbridge and all but two Edmonton ridings the federal Tory vote comfortably exceeded the combined NDP and Liberal vote; it was equal to the opposition vote in Edmonton Centre and the NDP won Edmonton—Strathcona. Maybe the NDP picks up Edmonton Centre with redistribution, but it seems a longshot.
When you look at the vote totals in the previous election, it is very difficult to find the growth necessary for the NDP to win many new seats between the British Columbia and Ontario borders. With big gains in B.C. and Ontario (at the expense of the Tories), a half dozen seats might make the difference of who forms government ... but will the election actually be that close?
The Wall Street Journal has an editorial on the Greek referendum, about which the Journal says, " the Greeks were given two bad choices, but they still chose the worst." They editorialize:
It's true the Greeks were given two bad choices, but they still chose the worst. Europe was offering more money to forestall a crisis in return for pension cuts and other reforms. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras claimed a "no" vote would help him extract better terms—by which he means even higher growth-killing taxes in return for fewer pension cuts. The Greeks chose the Tsipras ultimatum strategy, so they can't blame the Germans for what comes next.The big question now is whether German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other Europeans will flinch. Mrs. Merkel has not wanted to be seen as driving Greece from the eurozone, and the referendum means that the Greeks will have driven themselves out, if that's what happens in the coming weeks.
Tyler Cowen says the choice will be painful with more immediate spending cuts, although Tsipras has hinted he wants more revenues (i.e. higher taxes) to do the heavy lifting of reducing Greece's deficit. His very brief post seems apocalyptic, but Ricardo Hausmann shares Cowen's pessimism: "The Greeks may be as euphoric with this "victory" as Europeans were in the summer of 1914." Hausmann takes on several "progressive" economists (Jeffrey Sachs and Paul Krugman), for their advice, as doe the WSJ:
The world's leading progressive economists— Joseph Stiglitz, among others—have been cheerleading a "no" vote and claiming that an exit from the eurozone would allow the magic elixir of devaluation to let Greece recover. It's gracious of them to volunteer the Greeks for this experiment, and they should now accept responsibility for the suffering that poor Greeks in particular will endure on the road to this promised land of the new drachma.
Many of us on the Right will be happy with the political problems facing a spend-happy socialist Greek government and an undemocratic European Union, but there will many people in Greece will see a decline in their standard of living in the near-future, and the economic uncertainty will lead to some losing their savings and while others will be forced to emigrate. Politics aside, there will be human suffering even if the reckoning is warranted.
Sunday, July 05, 2015
While everyone is paying attention to Greece ...
The big global economic story might be happening in China. Reuters: "China rolls out emergency measures to prevent stock market crash." Reuters reports:
The government is anxiously awaiting the market opening on Monday to see if the new measures will halt a 30 percent plunge in the last three weeks, or if panicky investors who borrowed heavily to speculate on stocks will continue to sell.In an extraordinary weekend of policy moves, brokerages and fund managers vowed to buy massive amounts of stocks, helped by China's state-backed margin finance company which in turn would be aided by a direct line of liquidity from the central bank.China has also orchestrated a halt to new share issues, with dozens of firms scrapping their IPO plans in separate but similarly worded statements over the weekend, in a tactic authorities have used before to support markets."After the 28 companies suspended their IPOs, there will be no new IPOs in the near term," the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement on Sunday night.
Last week's restrictions did nothing to halt China's stock market slide. Reuters reports:
A surprise interest-rate cut by the central bank last week, relaxations in margin trading and other "stability measures" did little to calm investors, who sent shares down another 12% in the last week alone.
Quartz's Matt Phillips says that China's markets are normally volatile, although 2015 is more volatile than usual:
Since June 12, China's Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen index are down 29% and 33% respectively. That decline comes after a remarkable surge that put those very same indices up more than 60% and 120% at their highest points this year. And despite the sell-off, the Shanghai index remains up 79% over the last year. The Shenzhen is up 89% over the same period.
The Financial Times story on the new measures to rebuild confidence in the market has two noteworthy quotes. Fraser Howie, an expert on China's capital markets, who is skeptical of the new limits, said: "Almost every one of these measures reeks of panic and is very short-sighted. It's going to be another crazy week." And, Zhang Ming, an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said there are larger implications than the stock market and IPOs: "If the market doesn't climb after all these measures, it means investors have lost confidence in the government." Of course, these two quotes could be both correct, with the former (new regulations based on panic) contributing to the latter (lack of confidence in the government).
Meanwhile, according to the South China Morning Post the Hong Kong stock market could get a boost from the mainland's limits on initial public offering.
Greece says no
It appears that about six in ten Greeks said no to the bailout conditions. The conventional wisdom is that this means Greece will leave the euro zone, but that is still some way down the road and it will be a difficult (and not straight) road to Grexit. More immediately, the euro is going to decline in value slightly, expect stock markets in Europe to decline, and the European Central Bank will try to quell fears, although what it can do is far from certain. In fact, the ECB is probably the most important player right now. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, is calling for an emergency summit as soon as Tuesday. As the Wall Street Journal reported, no one in Europe seems to know what to do in the fallout of the no vote.
For most observers, it is difficult to separate one's view of Europe as a political project and the economic consequences. Remember that the euro and European Union are not the same thing, although both will take a reputational hit this week based on the political reaction. Whatever happens not what Tyler Cowen said: "things can go badly under either a yes or no vote." Scott Sumner has eight insta-reactions, the most important being that minor tweaks to the bailout are no longer on the table (presumably because of the size of the vote against) and Grexit is not a foregone conclusion: "Greece may join it's neighbor to the north Montenegro in being a de facto euro member, but not a de jure member."
Fixed election dates
The Canadian Press reports:
The first fixed-date election in Canadian history is just around the corner, but some observers are raising concerns about overspending because of a law they say is flawed.When the Conservatives introduced a fixed election date nine years ago, political financing rules were not adjusted accordingly, says Elections Canada boss Marc Mayrand."We must not be blind," said Mayrand. "As much as it is easier for Elections Canada to plan for the election, it's just as easy for political parties and third parties" to plan their spending before the election.Those expenses generally go "beyond the rules outlined in the electoral law," he added.
Three points.
1. Whatever the rules are governing elections and campaigns, political parties will try to game them.
2. If political financing outside the writ period is not against the rules, perhaps Maynard should shut the fuck up about it.
3. Does anyone outside the Queensway care about this?
Your penis shouldn't have a name
Writing in The Guardian Robert Myers urges men not to name their penis:
Seven out of 10 men, this survey claims, name their penis. We are unreliably informed that 72% of men go for a masculine name for their penis, such as Hercules or Troy, while the remainder opt for a wacky identity such as "Russell the Muscle". The bravado of any man prepared to risk a joke name for his penis has to be fleetingly admired, but the desperate awfulness of naming it after an ancient warrior has all the predictability of a used-car showroom. Just as Mitsubishi aren't really selling a hereditary military commander from the days of Japanese feudalism, so your pants don't contain a divine hero capable of slaying a nine-headed hydra or cleaning out the Augean stables in a limited timeframe.
Why is this the UN's business?
CBC: "Canada Without Poverty charity challenges Harper govt. audits at UN in Geneva." The state broadcaster further reports: "Ottawa anti-poverty charity in Geneva this week arguing before UN that political-activity audits are an abuse." This is an issue worth debating but not in front of an international organization. Harriett McLachlan, president of Canada Without Poverty, said the 10% rule limiting charities to spend no more one in ten dollars on political activities has groups such as hers fearful they are stepping over the bounds when they organize protests or petitions in what they call attempts to hold the government accountable. But under Canadian law holding the government to account is not a charitable purpose. If Canada without Poverty wants to take part in those activities they can forego the charitable tax status. There is no human rights abuse in preventing charities from taking part in politics; the group and individuals involved with it can still exercise their political rights, they just can't issue tax receipts if they do.
Natalie Solent at Samizdata: "Victim status is a lousy substitute for real status." She says:
What is it like to be the object of this code?– Lonely. You will feel surrounded by enemies. And all outside your exact caste must be enemies: it is impossible for friendship to develop across the divides of privilege when every mundane interaction that might in other circumstances have led to friendship is fraught with tension. Thus one one of the main benefits claimed to accrue from diversity on campus is lost.– Exhausting. You will be continually on the defensive, and for all your obligation to be constantly angry, passive and unable to control your own destiny. How could it be otherwise? You have chosen to centre your life on how your enemies perceive you. If black, your constant concern is what whites think of you; if female, what males think of you; whatever category you belong to defines you.
The full post is worth reading.
Will finds a kernel of goodness in Roberts Obamacare decision
George Will says that critics, "including this columnist, may have missed a wrinkle in Roberts's ACA opinion that will serve conservatives' long-term interests." Will examines Roberts' language in both his dissent in an Arizona redistricting case and the majority opinion of the Affordable Care Act, concluding:
Construing the Constitution in the Arizona case, Roberts said the Framers' language was as clear as their purpose, to which deference is due. Interpreting the health-care statute, Roberts said Congress's language was "inartful" but, read in the context of the ACA's structure, was not ambiguous and should not defeat Congress's purpose, to which the court owes deference.Roberts's ruling advanced a crucial conservative objective, that of clawing back power from the executive branch and independent agencies that increasingly operate essentially free from congressional control and generally obedient to presidents. If conservatives cannot achieve their objectives, including ACA repeal, through the legislative branch, conservatism's future is too bleak to be much diminished by anything courts do. If, however, conservatives can advance their agenda through Congress, they will benefit from Roberts's ACA opinion, which buttresses legislative supremacy.
Saturday, July 04, 2015
Rauch on Greece
Jonathan Rauch tweets: "Germany (of all countries!) repeats the errors of Versailles."
Summer reading
National Review Online has various contributors recommend some books to read this summer.
I recommend Canadians read -- or at least buy -- The Dauphin: The Truth about Justin Trudeau. And tell their friends about it. You can get The Truth about Liberals, a package consisting of The Dauphin, my 2004 book Jean Chretien: A Legacy of Scandal, and Daniel Dickin's Liars: The McGuinty-Wynne Record, for $50.95 including shipping. The Dauphin is also available for Kindle.
And for something completely non-political, two good baseball books: Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-Year Losing Streak by Travis Sawchik and Strangers in the Bronx: DiMaggio, Mantle, and the Changing of the Yankee Guard by Andrew O'Toole. I hope my summer reading will include Split Season: 1981: Fernandomania, the Bronx Zoo, and the Strike that Saved Baseball by Jeff Katz.
The book I'm most looking forward to reading this summer is Donald Creighton: A Life in History by Donald Wright, my old University of Waterloo history professor. Wright will probably focus on Creighton's political views (decidedly Tory by the end of his life) but Creighton should be remembered for more than his late-life crankiness; he was a beautiful writer and influential political historian.
Greece and Puerto Rico
Scott Sumner looks at the similarities between Greece and Puerto Rico, and some important differences (German policy may not hurt Greece as much American policy harms Puerto Rico). Sumner might be under-estimating the harm done to the Greek economy by the austerity imposed upon it from foreign powers, including Germany, but it is nonetheless an interesting post with a provocative title, "Does Germany 'care' about Greece more than America 'cares' about Puerto Rico?" The U.S. federal minimum wage is probably doing serious harm to employment in the island territory than does not compare to any of the deleterious effects of German policy and Greece.
Gay marriage vs. religious freedom
William Galston in the Wall Street Journal:
Nor does the court's decision restrict the right of faith communities to establish their own criteria for membership and leadership, or to discipline and even expel individuals who no longer meet those criteria. Each denomination is free to decide whether those who enter into same-sex marriages are fit to serve as its leaders or to remain as members.
For now. Eventually rights bump up against one another -- the rights of gays versus the rights of religious organizations -- and the courts will decide who wins and who loses? Does anyone really believe that courts will uphold the right of churches to discriminate against homosexual individuals? Not a chance.
'The Left makes you show ID for everything -- except voting'
In this Rebel Media video Brian Lilley says the Left loves ID laws on smoking or to buy alcohol, but not to prove one is qualified to vote. Lilley wonders is the double standard due to the fact the Left wants to cheat?
Is Alberta in play?
The Canadian Press reports:
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the Alberta NDP win over the Progressive Conservatives could be a sign the New Democrats and the Liberals are poised to challenge Stephen Harper in his home province."It may well be that this city is in play for the first time in my lifetime," Nenshi said Friday."It doesn't necessarily mean Thomas Mulcair is going to find super fertile ground here, but I think it means Calgarians and Albertans have said we can do different things."I think in a number of ridings in Calgary and Edmonton where you've got very strong Liberal or New Democrat candidates there may well be a breakthrough here so we'll see what happens in the fall."
The vote for the NDP is taken as a proof that Albertans will vote for someone other than the Tories. That's one narrative from the provincial election and perhaps not the correct one, but even if it is true provincially it might not be true federally. Another narrative is that the voters punished the provincial Tories because they were arrogant or abandoned their principles (raising taxes, for example) or began to cut spending (holding the line below population growth and inflation). The Harper Conservatives are hardly a forty-year dynasty waiting to be upended, they haven't raises taxes, and they aren't threatening beloved social programs.
The problem with very recent political history is that some people learn the wrong lessons.
I will be surprised if the total number of NDP and Liberals seats in Alberta after the October 19 election is more than three, or either opposition party wins seats in Calgary.
Most underrated presidents
The National Interest has the "5 Most Underrated U.S. Presidents of All Time." Robert W. Merry's list is not a bad one. William McKinley is definitely underrated with a case for being in the top ten presidents, and Calvin Coolidge is a favourite of mine. That said, Ulysses S. Grant is probably overrated when he's rated as high as average.
Great nerdy joke
On a license plate.
Friday, July 03, 2015
Canada might be in recession: who does that help politically?
It's a little crass to reduce a recession and the difficulty it causes for ordinary Canadians to its political consequences, but if Canada is in recession as one economist says -- although others believe we're headed there -- it will be part of the federal campaign headed to October; an economist at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch even predicts the Canadian dollar will fall to 70 cents U.S. by the end of 2015. Pundits will assume that a recession hurts the incumbent Conservatives. I'm not so sure. A little economic anxiety might benefit the Tories because Justin Trudeau doesn't look like a serious adult who can be trusted to manage the economy -- as Abacus Data found earlier this year, Canadians prefer Stephen Harper for economic advice and other money matters even if they prefer Justin Trudeau to pick out a good movie or watch their dog. At the same time voters might not entrust an economy already slowing down to the NDP. If people are hurting -- losing jobs, experiencing declining wages, and, yes, paying more to visit the United States -- the Conservatives will face a political backlash, but (mere) economic anxiety might be to their benefit. But if many voters are feeling the recession personally rather than reading headlines about it, then who benefits? My guess is that the NDP does because Thomas Mulcair is the serious adult with a plan that doesn't look too threatening, especially when compared to the radical Trudeau who has been busy buttressing his left-wing credentials in what he expected to be a campaign for the progressive vote.
How to spend the July 4 weekend talking to your family about Obamacare
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided talking points about the Affordable Care Act so you can correct the "misinformation" loved ones might have when they are not properly obliging to Obamacare this holiday weekend
Here is the first scenario the HHS imagines:
Situation: Uncle Ted claims Obamacare is a train wreck and has cost jobs.You say: Uncle Ted, you've gotten ahold of some old talking points. With greater access to affordable, quality health insurance, the Affordable Care Act is helping individuals and strengthening our economy!Since the main components of the law went into effect, we've reduced the number of uninsured by 16.4 million, the largest increase in the insured in decades. Before the ACA, the U.S. economy faced rapidly growing health costs that put enormous pressure on businesses and consumers. We paid more than any country without better health results, and millions of Americans were one illness away from bankruptcy. Today, we've seen the slowest growth in health costs in half a century, improved patient safety has saved an estimated 50,000 lives and $12 billion, and employer premiums for family coverage grew just 3 percent in 2014, tied with 2010 for the lowest on record back to 1999.Meanwhile, since the ACA was signed, the private sector has added 12.8 million jobs over 64 straight months of job growth, extending the longest streak on record. The increase in employment over that period is due almost entirely to higher full-time employment. The number of people working part-time who would prefer to be full-time has fallen by 2.6 million from March 2010 through May 2015, including a decline of 1.1 million since December 2013.Now, would you like more corn?
But might have job-growth been more robust without the ACA? I also find it amusing that anyone would be expected to remember that talking point (including the line accusing Uncle Ted of using "old talking points").
And then there's this:
Situation: Your brother has a great idea for a start-up, but he's afraid to lose benefits when he leaves his current job.You say: The Affordable Care Act can help! (Note: The exclamation point denotes enthusiasm about the ACA, not an instruction to scream at your family.)
The "Tips for Talking to Your Family about the Affordable Care Act this Fourth of July" is ludicrous. Would anyone check out the HHS website for Independence Day conversation? Do they need the instruction about the exclamation point. It's all so cheesy. This is American tax dollars at work. It was someone's job to come up with this.
(HT: Hit & Run)
I guess this is from those days of non-negative campaigning in 1943
Via David Artemiw on Twitter:
Thursday, July 02, 2015
Buyer's remorse
The Calgary Herald reports on a Mainstreet poll which finds, "the Wildrose in the lead with 40 per cent support, ahead of the NDP with 31 per cent, the PC Party with 24 per cent, the Liberals with 3 per cent and the Alberta Party with 2 per cent." However, Premier Rachel Notley's personal popularity is still ahead of the other leaders.
American states and cities could be the next Greece
The Daily Caller reports that the city of Chicago is laying off current workers to pay for former workers:
About 1,400 Chicago public school teachers and staff are expected to lose their jobs in order to finance a pension debt of $634 million, the city announced Wednesday.The layoffs are part of an aggressive $200 million budget cut to help finance the pension payment, which is required of Chicago Public Schools by Illinois law. The rest of the pension payment is coming from heavy borrowing, as the district already has a massive $1.1 billion budget deficit.
Market Watch reports that Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the Windy City's credit rating to junk status because of Chicago's pension problems (borrowing about a billion dollars to make its June 30 pension payment). The fear, Market Watch reports, is that pension costs "might push these public entities into insolvency, wiping out much of the holdings of municipal-bond investors." Market Watch reports:
Once a sleepy corner of the municipal bond market — often not even properly reflected on cities' balance sheets — public pensions have recently turned into the biggest headache for taxpayers and municipal-bond investors, threatening to bring down the finances of U.S. cities and states.In some places, like Puerto Rico, Illinois, New Jersey and Chicago, entire balance sheets of cities or states hang in the balance.Detroit, as well as three Californian cities — Vallejo, Stockton and San Bernardino — had to declare bankruptcy because of their overwhelming pension costs.In those cases, the courtroom turned into a brutal battlefield pitting bond investors trying to save the money they invested in those cities' municipal bonds on one side. And on the other side have been public employees trying to save the dwindling pensions that were promised to them.Recent cases have shown that bond investors are clearly losing this battle.
Pensions are remaining intact (82%-100%) as bondholders have faced losses of 40%-99%. Many states have laws against significantly reducing pension benefits. It all adds up to a likely financial crisis, probably sooner than later.
The cure for a politicized court is not further politicizing the court
George Will writes about the role of the courts and the reaction by some Republicans to the same-sex marriage decision. He especially criticizes Ted Cruz who favours what he calls "judicial retention elections" which he describes as:
Every justice, beginning with the second national election after his or her appointment, will answer to the American people and the states in a retention election every eight years. Those justices deemed unfit for retention by both a majority of the American people as a whole and by majorities of the electorates in at least half of the 50 states will be removed from office and disqualified from future service on the court.
Will says:
It is, therefore, especially disheartening that Cruz, who clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and who is better equipped by education and experience to think clearly about courts, proposes curing what he considers this court's political behavior by turning the court into a third political branch. Imagine campaigns conducted by justices. What would remain of the court's prestige and hence its power to stand athwart rampant executives and overbearing congressional majorities?
Hollywood Walk of Fame
It's bullshit, of course, and I say that for two reasons. The first is that the celebrities both campaign and have to pay for "installation." Also, the standards seem pretty low; among the two dozen additions this year include Allison Janney, Tracy Morgan, Debra Messing, and Kevin Hart, all of whom seem pretty C-list celebrity. Cyndi Lauper and Itzhak Perlman are just receiving theirs but they'll be joined by Bruno Mars.
Candidate for headline of the year
New York Post: "Hulk Hogan can wear his bandana in court for sex-tape trial."
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Police seek to divvy up proceeds of (probably) bogus drug bust: the continuing problem of civil asset forfeiture
The Washington Post reports:
In February 2014, Drug Enforcement Administration task force officers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport seized $11,000 in cash from 24-year-old college student Charles Clarke. They didn't find any guns, drugs or contraband on him. But, according to an affidavit filled out by one of the agents, the task force officers reasoned that the cash was the proceeds of drug trafficking, because Clarke was traveling on a recently-purchased one-way ticket, he was unable to provide documentation for where the money came from, and his checked baggage had an odor of marijuana. (He was a marijuana smoker.)Clarke's cash, which says he he spent five years saving up, was seized under civil asset forfeiture, where cops are able to take cash and property from people who are never convicted of -- and in some cases, never even charged with -- a crime. The DEA maintains that asset forfeiture is an important crime-fighting tool: "By attacking the financial infrastructure of drug trafficking organizations world-wide, DEA has disrupted and dismantled major drug trafficking organizations and their supply chains, thereby improving national security and increasing the quality of life for the American public."
The police too often treat drug users as drug dealers, an obvious attempt to inflate charges.
The Post also reports:
Two local agencies were involved in the seizure of Clarke's cash: the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police, and the Covington Police Department, which is the home office of the DEA task force officer who detained and spoke with Clarke. But according to the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit civil liberties group now representing Clarke in court, 11 additional law enforcement agencies -- who were not involved in Clarke's case at all -- have also requested a share of Clarke's cash under the federal asset forfeiture program. They include the Kentucky State Police, the Ohio Highway Patrol, and even the Bureau of Criminal Investigations within the Ohio Attorney General's office.
Civil asset forfeiture, critics say, leads to policing for profit. The larger problem is taking away private property without a guilty verdict, or even charge. It has no place in a free society.
What I'm reading
1. State, Class, and Bureaucracy: Canadian Unemployment Insurance and Public Policy by Leslie A. Pal. A good book from 1988 on the role of the public service in the development of policy.
2. The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the Worst Job You'll Ever Love edited by Jonathan V. Last. A review will probably appear in the August edition of The Interim.
3. Scandinavian Unexceptionalism: Culture, Markets, and the Failure of Third-Way Socialism by Dr. Nima Sanandaji and published by the Institute of Economic Affairs and available free online. There is a good summary at CapX.
4. "Fiscal Policy Lessons for Alberta's New Government from other NDP Governments," a Fraser Institute study.
5. The Summer 2015 edition of the Cato Institute's journal, Regulation.
6. The July/August edition of Foreign Affairs. It's focus is robots.
2016 watch (issues edition)
Dan McLaughlin tweets: "I'd give maybe 1 in 4 odds that the #1 issue in the 2016 election will be a foreign policy event that hasn't happened yet." That, and economic anxiety and "change."
Primer on Greek crisis
Anil Kashyap, an economist at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, has a good primer on the Greek crisis. And Tim Worstall clarifies the issue(s) by correcting an egregiously wrong Heidi Moore's explainer on Grexit.
People should chill a bit with the over-the-top predictions and reactions. Few people know what is happening because the range of possibilities -- actions and reactions -- is very large.
Let's keep the state out of the circus troupes of the nation
The Toronto Star: "Canadian government approves Cirque du soleil sale to group headed by U.S. private equity firm." It was okayed because the Industry Ministry deemed the deal an overall economic benefit for Canada. Why the fuck is this government's business?
Gay athletes in the pro sports locker room
People who have never played pro sports are always saying homosexual players would never be accepted in the locker room, that it would be a distraction. Scott Baker, a former Major League Baseball catcher, says that a gay pro baseball player would cause initial awkwardness in the clubhouse but would eventually be welcomed. Baker says:
The locker room is a great homogenizer. Players come from all over the globe, united by their ability to throw, catch or hit a ball. Multiple languages are spoken and learned, international friendships are cultivated and perspectives are shifted. For the better part of eight months, we spend most of our waking hours in close quarters.We make fun of each other. A LOT. We also make fun of things we can't control: baldness, height, nose size, et cetera ... nothing is off limits because nothing is taken seriously. We say awful things to each other that if said by anyone else would likely result in a fight. You can't call him that; only we can. Faulty logic? Probably. We don't care ...[I]t's easy to predict how a baseball team would treat a gay teammate: It wouldn't be perfect, but he would be welcomed.And eventually the locker room would find humor in the situation. Sexual orientation would finally take its place alongside the other things we have no control over, like nose size or height. The kind of things a team jokes about with each other. You can't call him that. Only we can.Full acceptance, though? Ah, yes. That would finally be achieved during a road game, when some dummy in the stands has one too many beers and screams out a homophobic slur. The collective defense mechanism built on the field and in the locker room would engage. Someone other than the player would respond to that idiot.
The long season forces camaraderie.


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Airborne Texas 'pursuit' redefines high-speed
US pilot Kirby Chambliss tests his speed with the help of the Fort Worth Police.
Join the discussion
PoliceOne top 5
- 1 2nd inmate in prison break shot, captured
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- 3 Former LA cop involved in OIS shares lessons on deadly force
- 4 Colo. officer sings to young girl after fatal accident
- 5 NY Gov. Cuomo: Escaped prisoners planned on Mexico

subset: commoncrawl


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Preview: Easton Heist 30 Wheelset
Wheels have gotten stupid expensive. While Easton's Heist wheels aren't going to qualify as "cheap" or "inexpensive" in anyone's book, they sell for less coin than a lot of wheelsets these days. More to the point, they have a hell of a lot going for them.
All wheels
Bible Teaser: SRAM Rise 60 Wheels
SRAM recently launched a preview video for its Rise Wheels. To find out what we thought of the wheels, check out our full review of the Rise 60 wheels in the upcoming Bible of Bike Tests issue. The Bible of Bike Tests will go on sale everywhere January 17th.
Fresh: Stan's NoTubes ZTR Race Gold
Stan's NoTubes ZTR Race Gold $950 / notubes.com If you like looking for excuses, these 1,345-gram wagon wheels are probably not for you. The ZTR Race Gold wheels were designed around being the lightest, and consequently fastest, wheel system possible. Leave the heavier UST-specific tires behind, because these were made for lighter, standard-bead tires. Oh, and you might want to lose that spare tire too, as these have a rider weight limit of 170 pounds.
Fresh: Mavic CrossMax ST
Mavic has done some major renovations on its venerable 'trail' wheelset. The most noticeable feature is, perhaps, the quicker hub engagement—improved from 17 degrees to 7.5 degrees. The wheels are also now convertible to fit any axle standard front or rear. On top of all that, the rims lose about 20-grams apiece and have been tweaked for easier tubeless setup.
SRAM's New Super Wheel – the Rise 60
At 1,330 grams (that's with old school QRs, front and rear), these things aren't rockin' a spare gram anywhere.
Interbike: Rolf Prima Ralos Mountain Bike Wheels
After a long absence from the mountain bike world, Rolf Prima is back. The company, which is famous for its paired-spoke lacing patterns, rolled out its new Ralos XC/trail wheels at Interbike. These hoops will be available in both a 26-inch and 29-inch version (the Ralos6 and Ralos9 respectively). The Ralos9 wheelset, shown here, tips […]
Easton Havoc And EA70 XCT Wheelsets
The Havoc is Easton's latest DH offering, and claims to be the lightest dedicated downhill wheelset currently on the market. At 1,870 grams, this is impressive, as the wheelset features an ultra-wide, 23-millimeter internal rim width and UST compatibility. The wheelset is designed around 150-millimeter dropout spacing, but adaptors are available for frames that utilize […]
Gear: A-Class VXD3 Wheelset
By Kevin Rouse A-Class VXD3 Wheelset – $749 aclass-wheels.com Stock and bond markets be damned—gold is where it's at. The designers over at A-Class obviously think so at least. Well, as far as aesthetics go anyway. For their VXD3 wheelset, they chose aluminum instead to help keep weight and (at roughly $1700 an ounce for […]
Preview: Easton Havoc UST 150
At a media event during Crankworx, Easton took a group of editors to ride its new DH wheelset on the burly trails of Squamish, BC. We were all excited about the rumor of getting to see and ride the carbon downhill wheels that Easton has been working on, however Easton said that these were not […]
First Impressions: 2012 Shimano Deore XT
By: Kevin Rouse Last week the folks at Shimano took the time to herd a group of journalists around Lake Tahoe and let us get our hands on the 2012 Deore XT M780 groupset for the first time. While first impressions aren't everything, we can definitely say we were quite pleased. In fact, nearly all […]
Sea Otter Products: DT Swiss
Words: Kevin Rouse Captions: Ryan LaBar Photos: Kevin Rouse and Ryan LaBar Video: Kevin Rouse DT Swiss came to Sea Otter with some noteworthy new product offerings in the wheel department, with their all-new XRC 950 T, a 1200-gram tubular 29er wheelset definitely garnering some attention. The wheelset uses DT Swiss' proprietary Tricon system to […]
Easton Haven Carbon Wheels — Part one
All-mountain goes bulletproof The use of composites in bicycle manufacturing is hardly a new idea; frame builders have been utilizing bonded carbon fiber tubes since the mid-1970s, and as carbon-composite technology advanced, wheels and components were quickly embraced by the skinny-tire world. Composites also drew the attention of the weight-conscious XC crowd, but the high-impact […]
Race Gear: Jeremiah Bishop's Cannondale Scalpel 650-6er
Words: Ryan LaBar The 650B wheel is finally getting some love. The unconventional wheel size—between a standard 26-inch wheel and the larger 29er—has been hanging around for a few years, but hasn't received much attention. Until now. While at the US-Cup Pro XCT opener in Fontana, California, last weekend, Bikemag snatched some photos of Monavie-Cannondale […]
Review: Continental Mountain King 29er 2.4
Many 29-inch devotees, citing the increased traction delivered by larger wheels, believe they can run skinnier, faster-rolling tires without sacrificing performance. In a way, this is like putting all-season tires on a monster truck—they might work fine on a dirt road, but would lose their grip while smashing over a row of cars. Likewise, even […]
Tested: FSA XC-290 NINER 29er wheels
XC-290 NINER 29er wheels FULLSPEEDAHEAD.COM $550 The XC-290 NINER wheels represent FSA's first stab into the 29er market. The first thing most riders will notice about these wheels is that they use proprietary spoke nipples. Normally, non-standard components can be a pain–replacements parts and the proper tools are always hard to find when you need […]
Tested: Syncros DS28 All-Mountain Wheelset
Syncros' DS28S are billed as all-mountain wheels—light enough to be ridden all day, yet stout enough to handle any terrain without turning into an aluminum taco. They are respectably light (2,000 grams), but about 100 grams on the hefty side of the all-mountain pre-built wheel market. Then again, these hoops are solid. The 28-millimeter wide, […]
7-24-08 // Tested: FSA Gravity Wheels
FSA Gravity Wheels // $590 425-488-8653; ridegravity.com When your friendly neighborhood bike shop can lace any hub to any rim with as many of whatever spoke you choose, a pre-packaged wheelset needs to offer a little more than matching stickers. Enter FSA's Gravity Wheels. Aside from looking downright moto, they sport straight-pull spokes, which offer […]
7-23-08 // Tested: Bontrager Rhythm Elite 29
Bontrager Rhythm Elite 29 // $539 920-478-2191; bontrager.com Overgrown 29-inch wheels have a pesky way of upsetting the balancing act bike makers must tackle: creating bikes and parts that are lightweight and durable. Big wheels are heavier, no way around it. But there are advantages to be found. The engineers who created the 1,950-gram Rhythm […]
Affordable Disc Hoops
WHAT: Cane Creek Terros Disc HOW MUCH: $350 WHERE: www.canecreek.com Leave it to Cane Creek's design team in the Smoky Mountains to make performance wheels so affordable. With 28 high-tensioned spokes, sealed cartridge bearings and sturdy hubs, the Terros have the features of wheels twice their price. Plus, the all-black components make a low-profile, stealthy […]
TESTED Sun Ringle 8 Track
WHAT: Sun Ringle Eight Track WHERE: www.sun-ringle.com HOW MUCH: $565 to $585 The Eight Track, like all Sun Ringle wheels, is littered with options. Consumers can choose from 32 or 36 spokes, 24- or 26-inch rims, quick release or thru-axles and three rear hub spacings–standard 135 millimeter, 150 millimeter or a 165 millimeter. The extra-large, […]


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Saco Canoe Rental Company will be offering shuttle service from Fiddlehead Campground. Service is available for registered Fiddlehead Campers only. If you are not staying at Fiddlehead there is Free Camping along the sandy shores along the Saco River. Fiddlehead Campground is 3 miles of river frontage just past Canal Bridge.
Fiddlehead Campground
Fiddlehead Campground in Fryeburg, Maine offers some of the best Canoe/Camping in New England. Fiddlehead Campground is the perfect base for a multi-day excursion on the Saco River. Fiddlehead Campground is a primitive campground that is 3 miles along the banks of the Saco River. "Primitive" means you get a large site with a picnic table and a nearby privy, to go with the great scenery and that "away from it all" feeling. You carry in your water and other supplies. Our week-end clients tend toward the younger, party-on-the-beach crowd. From Sunday to Thursday, the Saco River is much quieter - an ideal time for family camping.
WEEKEND RESERVATIONS ARE Required
Fiddlehead Reservations 877-343-3534
Fiddlehead Campground Rates
Rates Are Per Person Per Night.
Saco Canoe Rental Company Trips from Fiddlehead Campground.
We will pick your group up at Fiddlehead Store.
Weekend Trips
Day 1
Day 2 Paddle
Canoe Cost
Swan's Falls
4 mile Paddle to Fiddlehead
10 Mile Paddle To Lovewell Pond
5 or more canoes $75 per canoe
*Supersaver Trip leaves Friday and picked up on Saturday.
Fiddlehead Day Trips (2 canoe Minimum)
Kayak Cost
$60 Saturday
$45 Sun-Friday
$45 Saturday
$30 Sun-Friday
Unfortunately Saco Canoe Rental Company will not be allowed to access Walker's Bridge Summer of 2014
All rates include transportation from fiddlehead, lifevest and paddles.
Saco Canoe Rental Company Trips from Fiddlehead Campground.
We will pick your group up at Fiddlehead Store.
Trip 1 Two day 10 mile canoe outing starting at Swan's Falls and ending at Walker's Bridge.
Day one is a 4 mile paddle back to Fiddlehead Campground. Day two would be a 6 mile paddle to Walker's Bridge
Trip 2 Two day 14 mile canoe outing starting at Swan's Fall's and ending at Lovewell Pond. This is a 14 mile two day trip.
Day one is a 4 mile float/paddle back to Fiddlehead Campground. Day two would be a 10 mile paddle to Lovewell Pond.
Fiddlehead Day Trip
Trip 1. Four mile paddle from Swan's Falls to Fiddlehead
All rentals include life vest and shuttle.
$75 per canoe
All above trips do not include camping at Fiddlehead Campground. Individuals must make individual reservations at Fiddlehead. Saco Canoe Rental Company has no affiliation with Fiddlehead Campground.
Looking for Winter fun!
Snowmobiling in New Hampshire-
Northern ExtremesSnowmobile Rentals
558 White Mountain Highway Conway, NH 03818 -
Designed by North Country Graphics


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Does advertising or engagement build stronger brand equity among Millennials?
The concept of brand equity (i.e. the perceived value a brand) firmly arrived in the 1980's when consumer goods' companies reacted to a surge of cutthroat discounting with a new search for a more sustainable way to boost sales and profits. The answer was to pour money into well-crafted brands, increase pricing, and highlight distinctive product features: all designed to create a more favorable brand image that would lead to greater loyalty. As David Aaker wrote in his book in 1991, "Managing Brand Equity," aggressive marketing is needed to generate awareness, create a positive perception of key brand qualities, and grow loyalty. These are the three pillars of brand equity.
My experience at Seagrams in the 1980's demonstrated the validity of this approach. Seagram had just hired Phil Beekman, the president of Colgate, to take over all this respected spirits and wine business. He immediately set out to change the overall business culture from sales intensive to brand building, by increasing prices and advertising. The resulting sales and profit growth was remarkable, as well as the stronger brand equity for its key products.
While traditional advertising is still important for building brands, it is viewed more and more as a primary driver for creating awareness and/or reminding consumers of brands. What is different today is the impact of the internet, especially for the 86 million Millennials. Mass marketing died several years ago, replaced by more targeted advertising in a highly fragmented marketplace. The key issue with advertising for this Generation Y is trust and credibility. Their behavior is not influenced as much by advertising any more, but by online feedback and the experience of their peers and other respected sources:
- Only 6% of Millennials consider advertising to be credible (source: Edelman Research)
- Instead, 95% say friends are the most credible source of information.
- 92% say trust is the most important influential factor, and most advertising lacks this trust.
Social engagement via the internet is the key driver for building brand equity today, more than advertising (e.g. television viewing is down 9% so far this year, more among younger people). A positive perception of a product or service brand is best developed by sharing one's experience, ideally from friends who have a track record for honest, objective and non-commercial opinions.
A recent Boston Consulting Group study detected a notable shift among Millennials away from advertising as a source of brand advice. The internet is more influential, as Millennials are significantly more trustful of social media. For purchasing decisions among Millennials, 5 people (mainly friends – 59%) are usually contacted for advice versus only 3 among non-Millennials. On average, 49% of Millennials say they trust retailer websites, compared to 35% of non-Millennials.
The importance of interactive engagement was recognized by Gallup in their 2014 report on the "State of the American Consumer", saying connecting online is most critical for developing a strong, loyal relationship with customers and even employees, which is the heart of branding. According to Gallup, companies that fully engage customers saw a 240% boost in their performance.
While online engagement is primarily a vehicle for communication, what is shared (i.e. the content) is critical for making final decisions and ultimately building brand equity. Millennials identify with brands more personally and emotionally than do older generations. This BCG study found that 59% of Millennials buy brands that reflected their own style and personality. Related to this, 40% said they were willing to pay extra for a brand that reflected the image they wished to convey, compared to only 25% of non-Millennials.
Millennials view brands as extensions of their own values and status, so what is most important to them? The most influential value shaping their brand preference involves companies that are actively supporting social causes and show concern for the environment and sustainability (48%). Other key drivers are brands that available 24-7 and are viewed as having a personality. In contrast, older generations are driven mainly by brands that (1) "resolve conflicts with products quickly," (2) "have a long history and heritage," and (3) "resolve conflicts sufficiently."
These Millennial attitudes reflect their growing trust of the internet as an interactive medium. Credibility and authenticity are realized when consumers can openly engage with their friends, in contrast to traditional advertising. The big challenge for companies today is how to create greater brand trust, and hence build more sustainable brand equity, especially among these Millennials with different values and beliefs.
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About Jay Gronlund
Jay Gronlund is President, founder of The Pathfinder Group, a business development firm specializing in emotional branding, ideation facilitation and international expansion. His background has focused mainly on marketing and new product development with executive positions at reputable companies in the US and abroad – Richardson Vicks/P&G, Church & Dwight, Seagram and Newsweek. Jay has also been teaching a branding course at NYU since 1999 and recently wrote a book on the "Basics of Branding", published by Business Expert Press. Jay has a BA from Colby College and MBA from Tuck at Dartmouth.


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ALL ARTICLES ABOUTRinger
Justin Bruening Lands Role on ABC Family Series
on Thursday, August 29, 2013 @ 4:12 PM
TV Movies
Nic Robuck's 'Dark Desire'
on Friday, November 16, 2012 @ 5:21 PM
Airdate for Gellar's Return to 'All My Children' Announced
on Monday, August 15, 2011 @ 12:58 PM
Comings and Goings
Sarah Michelle Gellar Returns to 'All My Children'
on Thursday, August 4, 2011 @ 2:30 PM
first reported that Sarah Michelle Gellar was interested in returning to her roots for a guest appearance in May. Today, the same day that film-star Josh Duhamel first aired on "All My Children" in his return stint as Leo du Pres, it was announced that Gellar's interest had come to fruition. Early this afternoon, Soap Opera Digest broke the news that he 34-year-old actress will appear on "AMC" for one episode before the September 23 finale on ABC.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Returns to Primetime; But is a Return to Daytime Next?
on Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 2:30 AM


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Add pizzazz to your look with TuffRider® Polka Dot Socks. Bright neon peach polka dots delight the eye whenever you slip off your boots. Yet these tall boot socks are more than just fun. In stretchy fabric with bamboo fibers, they're comfortable, moisture-wicking and odor-resistant, too.
Fill your sock drawer with fun and color with the TuffRider® Print Socks Three-Pack. These fun boot socks are supportive, comfortable and durable in a resilient stretch blend with cushioned sole construction. One pair boasts fanciful flamingos, one pair has topsy-turvy sailboats and one races with galloping horses.
Contrast details give TuffRider® Sport Rider Breeches eye-catching athletic style. This low-rise ladies' breech has a wide waistband, belt loops and soft stretch CS2 bottoms. UltraGripp™ knee patches for grip.
TuffRider® Neon Ventilated Socks feature breathable construction to keep your feet comfortable. In vivid colors that add punch to your wardrobe, these tall boot socks have a padded sole, reinforced toe and heel and bold branding.
Stay cool in this Under Armour® HeatGear® Alpha Short Sleeve Tee. With its super-breathable, super-light HeatGear fabric, this sporty top provides great coverage without weighing you down. It wicks moisture away from your skin while antimicrobial technology helps fight odor. A comfortable shirt for any activity!
The Under Armour® Men's UA® Performance Polo 2.0 combines a polished look with the comfort of HeatGear® fabric to keep you cool and dry. Durable, anti-pill fabric with 4-way stretch works as long and hard as you do. This wickable men's polo fights against odor and offers 30+ UPF protection.
Under Armour® Men's Performance Socks feature Charged Cotton® for quick-dry performance. Moisture-wicking technology keeps your feet dry while ArmourBlock® helps prevent odor. These socks for men have embedded arch support, comfort tops and seamless toes.
The Under Armour® Pure Stretch Hipster features laser cut edges for a smooth and flattering fit. This tagless, comfortable Under Armour® underwear is made of super-soft stretch fabric and has a fuller back cut for coverage. Cotton gusset.
The Ultimate Compact Event Watch performs double-duty for cross-country riding and daily wear with its easy-to-read 5/8" LCD display. On the course, choose whether to count your time up or down, and listen for the beep when you reach your optimum time.
Noble Outfitters™ Ultimate Support Boot Socks are designed for comfort and a stay-put fit. These breathable, moisture-wicking, compression socks have strategically-placed Ankle Shield padding to prevent discomfort. Unisex.
The UA® Armour Bra™ has bonded seams that eliminate painful rubbing and chafing. This sports bra features removable molded cups that deliver modesty, support and a streamlined silhouette. Made with four-way stretch construction, it wicks away perspiration and provides cooling ventilation.
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text:
1. Peel and crush the garlic.
2. Pick and finely chop the tarragon leaves.
3. Put all the ingredients into a clean bowl and mix well.
4. Season the tarragon dressing to taste.
5. Cover and store the tarragon in the fridge until required.
6. Serve with garnish as desired.


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News and notes on health, medicine and fitness
Labels mislead about trans fats, paper finds
A new paper in the American Journal of Health Promotion raises questions about current labeling laws, which allow food with less than 0.5 grams of trans fats to be listed as containing 0 trans fats. The paper was authored by a student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Eric Brandt.
While 0.5 grams may sound tiny, the daily recommended intake of trans fats is only 1.11 grams, meaning that consumers could exceed the recommendation without realizing it. A person eating three foods, each labeled as having 0 trans fats, could actually end up ingesting 1.47 grams of trans fats.
In his paper, Brandt recommends that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revise its labeling requirements in order to avoid putting out misleading information.
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text: OverviewBack to top New Wave Enviro Products - Water Bottle BPA Free Assorted Colors - 1 Liter Item# :78569UPC# :796515877830 Brand:New Wave Enviro Products Size/Form:1 Liter Ship Weight:0.50 Click here to read a PDF brochure on this product New Wave Enviro Products - Water Bottle BPA Free Assorted Colors - 1 Liter New Wave Enviro Water Bottles are BPA Free and are available in a rainbow of designer colors - Blue, Purple, Mint Green, Glacier Blue, Pink, and Turquoise. Sorry, due to manufacturer policy, we cannot guarantee which color you will receive. We apologize for any inconvenience . These extroardinary water bottles are glass-like, only stronger and almost break-proof. The ingredients used to make the New Wave Enviro Bottles have been FDA approved and NSF 51 Certified.The best feature of this water bottle is reusable qualities. All you need to do is rinse after each use and the bottle will be as good as new. Once you have used the bottle long enough and decide to purchase a new one, you can recycle this bottle. New Wave Enviro Water Bottle is environmentaly friendly and has a number 1 recycle code. Also, these bottles are BPA free and are so durable that they can withstand both extreme heat and cold. Glass-Like & Almost Break-Proof BPA-Free FDA Approved NSF 51 Certified How does New Wave Enviro promote Green Living?Founded by the need to contribute to green living and sustainable earth friendly products, New Wave Enviro offers practical individual solutions to health and environmental issues facing us today. New Wave Enviro addresses and solves two critical problems: Chlorine is used in municipal water supplies to deliver water to our homes, free of microscopic contaminants. However, it serves no useful purpose on or in our bodies. New Wave Enviro designs, patents and manufactures environmentally friendly filters that remove harmful chlorine and other contaminants from shower, bath, and everyday drinking water. Plastic litter is filling up America's landfills at an alarming rate. Most plastic drinking water bottles are designed for one-time use and then thrown away. Every cheaply made disposable bottle produced uses up oil (which is non-renewable) and sends money out of America into foreign oil producers' pockets. Enviro Products addresses this issue by producing only BpA Free bottles that can be used again and again. FAQ's Does this material contain BPA? No, it is BPA Free! Is the bottle rigid?Yes, it is a glass like material that holds its shapes and will not shatter. Is it easy to drink from with a sports cap? Because the material is glass like, it cannot easily be squeezed. In order to achieve a smooth water flow, New Wave Enviro offers this product with its unique air intake cap.Does this material carry a "7" recycle code? No, although it is reusable and glass like, it is wholly unique in that it carries a "1" recycle code. If these bottles are discarded, they are easily recyclable. How do I clean the bottle?Hand wash the bottles with detergent or a cap full of white vinegar, baking soda, or dish soap and tap water. Dishwashers with heat in excess of 120 degrees may warp the bottle. The cap can be cleaned in a dishwasher.I'm not sure I want to use plastic of any kind? This has become a growing concern. New Wave Enviro's goal lies in providing litter free alternatives to single use or limited use plastic bottles. These BPA Free bottles provide an inexpensive reusable alternative for eco-conscious consumers. If however you want non plastic alternatives New Wave Enviro offers a complete line of 304 food grade stainless steel bottles and a corn resin (PLA) bottle that will degrade in a commercial compost in 80 days.Will the color leach into the water? No, the color is a standard consumer tint that is embedded inside the plastic and will not leach.Can I put the bottle in my freezer? Freezing is not recommended, as frozen water expands and could crack the bottle. The 48mm mouth is large enough to put ice cubes in. Who is New Wave Enviro? New Wave Enviro is a family owned company, wholesaling environmentally friendly products since 1993. The complete line of Enviro Filters, BPA Free Enviro Bottles, Seriously Safe Stainless Steel Bottles and Litter Free Lunch Products help to improve the quality of life while creating earth-friendly alternatives. ---------------------------------------DISCLAIMER--------------------------------------Sorry, due to manufacturer policy, we cannot guarantee what color will be received. You will receive whatever is in stock.


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text:
Video: NYPD officers rescue injured hiker from cliff
Members of the NYPD Aviation Unit flew a helicopter alongside the steep cliff and hovered about 50 feet above the woman
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Members of the New York Police Department have used a helicopter to rescue a hiker with a broken ankle from a cliff near the Hudson River in New Jersey.
Police say the injured woman was found stranded on a cliff about 200 feet from the ground in Alpine, New Jersey, about 15 miles northwest of Manhattan. It happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Members of the NYPD Aviation Unit flew a helicopter alongside the steep cliff and hovered about 50 feet above the woman while an officer was lowered to her. She was placed in a rescue basket and taken to Nyack Hospital, where she is in stable condition with a broken left ankle.
Seven members of the Aviation Unit participated in the rescue.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press
Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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text:
I have been reading this page here from MSDN regarding the XOR operator and its usage.
Half way down the page I read the following code:
// Bitwise exclusive-OR of 10 (2) and 11 (3) returns 01 (1).
Console.WriteLine("Bitwise result: {0}", Convert.ToString(0x2 ^ 0x3, 2));
Now, I cannot figure out for the life of me how 10 equates to 2, or how 11 equates to 3. Would anyone mind explaining this in simple terms so that I can clearly understand the concept here?
Thank you,


text:
We traveled with our 2 children over spring break with another couple. We all loved the house. We grilled a couple of times, eating outside in the back patio area. Our 14 year old boy spent seemingly hours trying to photograph the friendly geckos that would occasionally visit back there. Up in the front of the house, we occupied the... more
Typical Luquillo town house - plaza a few steps to the right, La Pared Beach a few steps to the left


text:
Players tried to kick A-Rod out of the union, threaten him with beaning when he returns
Jan 21, 2014, 12:58 PM EDT
I don't know if the union did everything it could in defending Alex Rodriguez in his arbitration, but it is apparently doing a piss-poor job of explaining to its players that threatening other union members for exercising their legal rights in appealing discipline from the league is a pretty dumb precedent for a union to set.
That's what, according to this report from Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo!, MLBPA players reps attempted to do when Alex Rodriguez filed his lawsuit against the MLBPA following the arbitrator's decision handing him a 162-game suspension. Player reps voted to have him expelled, only to be told it wasn't legally possible. Then one of them told Passan and Brown that, if A-Rod plays again, he should be hit "and hit hard" He then compared A-Rod unfavorably to Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta because, unlike A-Rod, "they took their medicine." Moreover:
"[Rodriguez] needs to be scared of coming back and facing people he sued. If he can't fear the wrath of getting kicked out or not being included, he's going to be forced out."
This is crazy. As I noted two weeks ago, suing the MLBPA is a legal prerequisite for having his suspension overturned pursuant to Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act. Rodriguez has an exceedingly small chance of success, of course, but if he or any other player who ever wishes to appeal an adverse arbitration result to federal court has any shot of winning, he has to name the union in the lawsuit.
Is A-Rod being a jerk? Yeah, probably. Do players have a right to hate him? Sure, who doesn't hate him at this point? But there's a big difference between hating a guy and actually attempting to blackball a guy from the union and then suggesting he'll be physically harmed simply because he is exercising his legal rights in a labor fight with management. That's the kind of thing that, no matter how good it feels to do when someone like A-Rod is involved, seriously undermines a union's power and legitimacy and hampers its efforts to help less unpopular players who find themselves wanting to exercise their rights in the future.
- freedomfork - Jan 22, 2014 at 1:12 PM
Fyi, a union is not an indispensable party to a 301 action. In a 301 suit, the employee must demonstrate a breach of the union's duty of fair representation, but the union does not have to be a party to the action.
See Carrion v. Enterprise Ass'n, Metal Trades Branch Local Union 638, 227 F.3d 29, 33 (2nd Cir. 2000) ("An employee may sue either his employer or the Union, or both, in a hybrid Section 301/fair representation claim").
- chris6523 - Jan 23, 2014 at 9:26 AM
Union members going rogue on another member. Wow, that's never happened before.
- johnnycantread - Jan 24, 2014 at 7:35 PM
He's painted himself into a corner… It's come down to A-Rod against the world… I'm betting on the world.
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