Daily Archives: 22 March 2007
Killing it Softly
Reason no. 1 to like Stephen Harper. Despite strong public support for it, Harper is doing the best he can to kill the Kyoto Protocol. Not only that, but he’s actually getting away with it. Of course, the US and Australia have already dealt it a critical hit. I think Canada junking it might kill the dumb idea for good. It’s not that I don’t think global warming is real. The way I understand it – the scientific consensus is that (a) it’s definitely happening and (b) man-made pollutants certainly play a role. They study it and I don’t, so
North Korean Economy Watch
This is my new favorite website. It’s called “North Korean Economy Watch,” and it’s an amazing repository of information on how that screwy country “operates.” I’m really interested in things like this. That is – every economic and political system ultimately compiles down to an implementation in terms of how people live and what they do from day-to-day. So I’m fascinated by systems that seem obviously broken but nevertheless manage to solider on. North Korea is definitely such a place. For anyone interested in politics, it’s the place to watch – because I will be shocked if it doesn’t collapse
McJob
Here is a gleaming log of solid gold bullshit if I’ve ever seen one. McDonald’s is once again attempting to get the Oxford English Dictionary to drop “mcjob” from its inventory of words – or at least change the definition. Currently, a “mcjob” is apparently An unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector. I don’t actually use the word myself, but that’s more or less what I’d assume it meant if I heard it. Of course, McDonald’s thinks differently. Jim Cantalupo, former CEO of McDonald’s (he died suddenly of a heart
