Stud Lee

2003-06-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

Drug Industry

Colby Cosh links and comments on this article by Derek Lowe about how a lot of Americans are going up to Canada to buy the same drugs there because they are cheaper. He basically suggests that we shouldn’t follow the Canadian drug plan model because it doesn’t lead to ingenuity in the end.

Well, I think he does a good job of explaining this position and I agree with him in several respects, except for one major point: to my knowledge, the Canadian Government does not subsidize drugs. At least, that is what a pharmacist friend told me. I may have to double check on that, but I was always under the impression that lower liability insurance was the cause of the lower prices in Canada.

Colby also ends with a good point:

Perhaps we'll legislate the drugs to be cheap as they are in Canada, oh happy day. But before we do that, I'd like for people to know that I work with a number of talented Canadian researchers. We have folks from Newfoundland to Vancouver; all I have to do is go up and down the hall to cover the whole country. Doubtless several of them would prefer to have stayed and worked in the country they grew up in. It's not like Canada lacks the infrastructure--there are plenty of high tech companies up there, of course. But those companies are allowed to charge what they think the market will bear. What Canada doesn't have, for some reason, is a drug industry.

I couldn’t agree with this any more. Canada, for as advanced a nation as it is, has little drug industry. I’m speaking as someone who used to work in the Canadian healthcare field and who still has contacts (i.e. family members) in it. I’ll give one example. My father is good friends with a CEO of a Canadian start-up drug company based in Edmonton. For the sake of anonymity, I will not mention the name of the company. This firm had some really promising research, especially in the cancer field. The problem was the lack of funding. They just couldn’t get enough capital from within Canada to fund their research, so branched out to the US and Europe for money. While the company is still based in Edmonton, they do a lot of their R&D in the US (in Central New Jersey, to be more specific) now.

Point is that Canadian start-ups don’t have the right climate to thrive up there, so they must branch out or even relocate to other places to garner more success. Canada does lag behind other nations when it comes to drug-related research; the US, Europe (more specifically Germany, the UK and Switzerland) and even Japan have been doing some great things in the pharmaceutical industry. Quite a tragedy, really, considering it’s a waste of so much potential.

Update: Just heard from a very reliable source that the company is in a lot of trouble and has been losing a lot of money since its conception. Also, they never really had a large US presence to begin with, just an office to attract investment.

Now, in no way shape or form am I suggesting that the fact that the majority of this company’s operations are in Canada is the cause of its financial malaise. But I do find it somewhat interesting that a pharmaceutical company can be losing so much money as they are traditionally stable and profitable. This is, indeed, perplexing.

2003-05-26T12:36:00.000-04:00

Apologies

Sorry again for taking this long to post something. Last week was quite hectic.

In any case, it is a completely miserable day here in New York. It’s absolutely drenching with rain, and we’re talking about the heavy downpour type. Not only that, I recently found out that I did not get that one job I had the interview for. I thought the interview went well, though brief as I only met up with the human resources manager, but I guess they didn’t think I had the right background for the job. I’m somewhat bummed out about it as it was a good job, but I didn’t particularly want to work in Lower Manhattan again. At least not until the new WTC is on its way to being completed.

Also been having some girl troubles recently. That’s probably been downing me the most.

2003-05-16T18:08:00.000-04:00

Leaving Paradise?

This is a great link from Marmot’s Hole about South Korean emigration to Western countries like the U.S. Having spent a great deal of time in Korea last summer and knowing quite a few Korean friends, I can say with pretty good certainty that the contents of this article are indeed true.

My trip to Korea last summer was eye-opening on many fronts. Not only was it the only place where I experienced overt racism, but it was also the only other place (aside from Canada) where I saw the clearest examples of blatant hypocrisy.

Koreans, as a whole, are atrociously culturally aware and very proud people. This pride often borders xenophobia, especially among the younger generations. The “anti-American” protests that plagued South Korea last fall are case and point. I have a difficult time believing this sentiment is merely based on past actions by the “American imperialists” as most foreigners (I’m a Canadian national as well) of any background do feel somewhat uncomfortable and have felt in some way the racist tendencies of many in Korea.

This is what makes this article ever the more ironic – if Koreans are supposed to be a proud people and proud of their culture (and those protests alluded to this), then why are so many of them leaving in drones?

Upon closer inspection of the article, you’ll notice that the people who are emigrating are of the upper class and of about middle age. Indeed, most of my friends remaining in Korea fit this category.

Some of my best friends in college were from Korea and were pretty well-to-do. I went to Korea to visit one of them last summer and I was quite shocked at their reactions and feelings towards his homeland. Most people of that group I spoke to were completely fed up with the way of life there. Indeed, Korea can be a stressful place. In a nutshell, it’s crowded, working there entails long hours and it’s an extremely competitive place. And I won’t even go into the details of the rigorous school system there which has led to a fairly high suicide rate among the youth. Ultimately, most of my friends there longed for an easier pace of life and wanted to leave. My friend from college only went back because his parents cut off his funding because they were worried that he would never leave Canada and go back to Korea.

Again, one of my friends here is a paralegal for a Korean immigration lawyer in Flushing, Queens, which has large Korean population. He tells me that almost all of the people who come in on education visas overstay their visas. Because the INS (I guess now the Department of Homeland Security, since they took over that agency) doesn’t perceive Koreans as a threat to national security and because Koreans are generally hard-working, productive and law-abiding people, they don’t really care about the overstay and they let them be.

Personally, I don’t really view it as a problem for the US. In fact, it’s probably a great boon to this society as I feel Koreans have much to offer and will ultimately make this country a better place. I admire them in many ways and, of course, I absolutely love Korean food and think Korean girls are attractive.

This is a problem for Korea, however. With the wealthy, innovative and most educated class leaving the country, it doesn’t bode too well for Korea's future. This especially true if you’re left with the dregs, such as those protestors.

It’s very indicative of Korea today and one of the reasons I think Roh Min-hyun was elected.

This is bitter-sweet for me. I love Korea as a country and think it’s an incredible place with a lot of potential and I am saddened to see some of the best of that nation leave. On the other hand, I completely welcome them into this country with open arms. As I mentioned above, I believe they have much to offer to this society and will make the US and whatever other country they choose to go to a better place in the short term and long. The fact that it is now the upper and innovative class rather now than the lower coming here only will only improve our fortunes.

Welcome aboard!

2003-05-14T19:48:00.000-04:00

A Little Warning!

And if you guys wanna see what I look like, here is a pic. Don't say I didn't warn you!

2003-05-14T19:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry!

Apologies, my friends, for not posting for such a while. Things have been atrociously busy the last little while and I’ve been in and out of town for the last two weeks.

Unfortunately, it seems that the move to Newark has fallen through, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be moving to NJ solo in the near future. It has to do with my friend not wanting a roommate and wanting to go on his own. Sucks, but that’s life.

In other news, I have an interview next week with a company that does financial services research. That’s cool because research is more up my ally and I vastly enjoy doing that more than anything else, especially if it puts me out of the spotlight -- I like being in the background more than anything. This company seems really good, but it is based in Lower Manhattan and I am, admittedly, paranoid about working there again. Chalk it up to obvious bad memories (i.e. 9/11). I would prefer working in New Jersey or Long Island, but if this turns out to be a good opportunity, I would be stupid to turn it down. Then again, this job deals mostly with communications technology, which I know next to nothing about. I just hope the interview goes well and that is all I can ask for.

But much has gone on in my absence. Apparently, my favorite columnist, Mark Steyn, was fired by the National Post, which was my favorite Canadian daily. I guess I won’t be checking it out as often anymore. It’s sad because it was once the lone bastion of common sense in the Canadian media, but that has quickly changed since Leftist media mongrel Izzy Asper bought the paper. So much has been said about Steyn’s dismissal that I won’t bother commenting further.

Also, Pieter talks about Canadian and US competitiveness. I agree with his comments wholeheartedly and will not be adding any more to what he’s already said because he’s done an outstanding job of touching base on everything already.

So, you will see more posting. Apparently, much has been going on in Korea and I will try to comment on that.

2003-05-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

Ewwww!

Got this link from Tony. I think my title says it all...*shudder*

2003-05-01T19:29:00.000-04:00

Tit for Tat

Much has been made about the new motion by France, German, Belgium and Luxemburg to create a new defense arrangement (Link via. Steven Den Beste). Quite honestly, I am not too surprised that they would go ahead with such an idea. After all, these were vehemently against the war and France, the lead instigator of this, pulled out just about all stops to prevent the war from happening. They’re pissed and this is probably the best way to vent themselves. Besides, it’s difficult to say whether their intentions are serious or half-hearted.

This, however, comes as a complete surprise. The gist of this article is that Italy, Spain and Britain are alarmed by France and her friends’ proposal and are threatening to form a defense alliance of their own.

All is not well in the EU “family”, it appears.

Personally, I find France’s actions to be hypocritical and downright divisive. They, for one, publicly chided EU members (and prospective members) for siding with the US in the Iraq crisis. One of their major complaints was that theses “rogue” nations were not acting as party of the “family”.

So what is the EU “family”?

From Chirac’s earlier remarks, it seems to be anything that revolves around France and the EU’s ability to act in France’s whim. Hardly the multilateral and cohesive engine that it was first conceived to be.

Many have mentioned that France has lost a lot of say in the world and they’re using multilateral institutions like the UN and EU to magnify their power. France is a veto-wielding Security Council member, but it only has something like 55 million people. India, Bangladesh, Japan, Brazil and Pakistan have around a hundred million people or more, yet they have little say of what goes on in the Security Council and are, in effect, powerless in the UN mold. Australian PM John Howard is even quoted as saying (links don’t work anymore) that France should be replaced by another country (he suggested either India or Japan) which has a large population and a more relevant and realistic approach to world affairs.

The UN and the Security Council are products of WWII and really need to be restructured to represent the changing face of threats in this dynamic, yet unstable world. India, though still poor, has grown into a technological powerhouse and possesses a powerful army, as well as nuclear weapons. Japan is an economic superpower and contributes more to the UN than any other nation aside from the US and their generosity should be rewarded accordingly.

What has France done and what do they contribute today?

Well, France’s (continuing) actions seem to threaten European and world stability. I don’t recall a time when the EU was as divided as it is today. If it gets to the point where two groups of nations within a single political union are proposing to create two different and, by definition opposing, military unions, then you know something is amiss.

I find both proposals to be quite silly, in all honesty. I think it’s just the result of a lot of accumulating hot air and rhetoric and it needs to be blown out in some way. After all, they are just proposals and negotiations and, so far, nothing has been set in stone.

But it all remains to be seen. If this “tit for tat” behavior continues in the long term, I don’t like the prospects of the EU surviving.

2003-05-01T17:22:00.000-04:00

New Blogs Added

Just added three new blogs the last couple of days: Madderblog (conservative Canadian who is an excellent writer and presents his views very well), Bigwhiteguy (a Canadian expat living in Hong Kong -- he's hillarious! A must read!!) and Marmot's Hole (American expat in Korea -- I'm totally enthralled with Korea and Korean politics, and he does an outstanding job of commenting on life there). Links are on the left, so do enjoy!

2003-04-29T20:57:00.000-04:00

SARS in Toronto: Continued…

I just found this blogger called Maderblog. I’m assuming he’s Canadian because he has a lot of topics on Canada. Anyways, he says that it’s not really a surprise that Toronto was affected much worse than other Western cities with huge Asian populations because the GTA area health officials didn’t really pay attention to the warnings about the disease sent out in February. He even links a Mark Steyn editorial on this topic.

Most of my family in Canada works in the healthcare field. For the most part, I think they’re quite competent in what they do. I do have this one cousin who is a doctor in BC that I’d never, ever, under any circumstances, even if it would save my life let treat me. I just don’t trust him and I don’t think he’s competent enough should be a doctor. But I’d feel very safe if cared by the rest.

One of my uncles is a leading neurological specialist in Toronto. He’s damn good at what he does. I haven’t heard from him in a while, so I don’t know the gist of the feeling among the Toronto medical community regarding SARS. I’d be curious to hear from him if Maderblog’s comments have any merit.

Nonetheless, given my experience with many Torontonians’ “my shit don’t stink” demeanor, Maderblog’s claims would not come as a complete surprise. Their reaction to the WHO’s travel advisory was pretty poor. And you can’t laud the Canadian Government’s handling of the case, which was atrocious. It also makes me wonder why the disease is so bad there compared to Vancouver, which has almost as large (larger in terms of proportions) an Asian population as Toronto. Maybe the BC health authorities paid better attention to begin with?

Makes you wonder…

2003-04-29T20:41:00.000-04:00

Correction

I spoke (stupid links not working again) the other day about the funding of Canada’s healthcare system. I basically said that the Federal Government wields too much control by attaching too many strings on the funding they provide. Well, I stand somewhat corrected. I spoke to my father -- a healthcare economist -- the other day and he told me that while the Federal Government does have some say in how the money should be spent, it isn’t nearly as much as the provinces claim. This is somewhat exaggerated by some of the premiers to reinforce public opinion to their camp. There are still some outstanding issues that must be solved and the provinces still want a greater say, but this isn’t as big an issue as it should be.

My father did mention though that provinces seem to be carrying a much greater burden of the healthcare costs these days compared to before. So maybe a burgeoning issue to be dealt with? Time will tell.

2003-04-27T23:45:00.000-04:00

Places in Newark, New Jersey?

One more thing to add for tonight. I mentioned before that I might be moving to New Jersey later this summer. Well, that "might" has turned into "definitely". I need some help finding an apartment. It looks like I'll be moving in the beginning of August. I’m specifically looking for a place in the city of Newark, preferably the Ironbound neighborhood, close to Seton Hall University. My future roommate will be going there for law school, so it’s more his request than mine, but Newark is much cheaper than Queens and I’d like to cut my rent bill substantially. Furthermore, Newark’s a pretty central location in Northern New Jersey and a good place to commute from.

Problem is that Newark has a bad reputation for crime and I’d like to be in a decent area of the city. If there is anyone familiar with that area of the city and its real estate, especially the Ironbound, please contact me!

Thanks!

2003-04-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

Been out of town for a few days and I just got back. I'll try to resume some posting tomorrow, but I've come back to a new host of responsibilities that must be taken care of by early this week.

Also, anyone know of a quick way to quit smoking? I'm been doing this much too heavily lately and I think it's about time to kick the habit. It’s also way too expensive in New York City now and I’m tired of having to go all the way to New Jersey to stock up.

Thanks!

2003-04-24T20:25:00.000-04:00

New Hosting

Also, some “administrative” news: I just found a free (just noticed I wrote "fee"!) web host and am in the beginning process of transferring my blog onto that site. It could take a few days (or possible weeks, if I get motivated enough!), but rest assured, you won’t be needing to gaze upon this hideous design again!

2003-04-24T20:20:00.000-04:00

In Addendum

Just adding to what I said below, Nicholas Packwood talks about the hypocrisy of the Canadian media and Canadians in general when dealing with international organizations:

CBC Newsworld has thrown all its anti-American driven support for the United Nations down the memory hole now that this same source of all international legitimacy should dare to question Canadian public policy. "Ha ha!" as Nelson might say. Less amusing is just how quickly this about face in Newsworld bias can go completely unremarked in whatever is left of Canadian independent media. Still less amusing is the impact on Toronto jobs from restaurants to theatre to hotels to cultural institutions and on and on.

I couldn’t agree with his words more.

Colby Cosh also comments:

For the individual traveller Toronto is obviously still a safe place to visit, but avoiding large gatherings there is probably not a bad idea; and the WHO has no mandate or reason to protect the economy or the reputation of any individual city. Isn't that sort of the idea behind having a World Health Organization? Funny how Canadians love squishy institutions of global governance until one of them acts the least bit peremptory towards them.

Yes, indeed!

Now why did Canada officially stay out of the war in Iraq? Because it didn't have UN approval. But when an international organization of just as big stature goes against something Canadian, it’s deemed “unacceptable”. Hmmm…double standard here?

And they say Americans are rogue? Pu-leeze!

2003-04-24T17:46:00.000-04:00

Canadian Healthcare: Unity and Identity

I’m a keen reader of the well-written and extremely thoughtful Innocents Abroad blog collective, which includes Canadian (and to my surprise, former fellow Albertan) Colin May. Colin is a Canadian blogger residing in Paris doing his PhD in Political Science, if I’m not mistaken. He tackles issues with wit and insight, combined with beautiful writing. It’s hard for me to disagree with many of his points as I see eye-to-eye with much of his commentary.

His latest essay on Canadian unity and identity is no exception and I think he is bang-on on with his assessment of the current Canadian political situation. I really have no need to comment on much of what he says because he does a much better job of outlining it than I ever could.

I would, however, like to add a few things regarding his comments on the Canadian healthcare system as I have some past work experience working in the field. I was a data analyst back in Canada and though I don’t consider myself intimately knowledgeable of the system and its innate workings as I worked mostly with individual case data, I think I have an idea of the general workings. I would leave the more detailed analysis to my father, a health care economist, or some of my other relatives who are employed in the Canadian medical system.

Constitutionally, healthcare is the province’s burden, but the reality is that the Federal Government has a large say in how funds are to be spent. But the basic premise is that the Federal Government gives the provinces money and by law, the Provincial Government must match the funds equally. In some cases, the Provincial Government actually spends more than the Federal contribution, but I don’t know any examples now as I’ve been out of this industry for some time.

This method of fund matching varies from province to province -- Alberta, for example, has the public pay monthly premiums, while some other provinces like Quebec cover the costs completely.

Colin is correct that Canada’s much touted health care system is experiencing problems right now. As a result of years of federal healthcare funding cuts and mismanagement, waiting lists can be quite long, hospitals are understaffed, research has dwindled and hospitals are lacking the latest medical equipment. It’s very telling when polls show that healthcare is the issue concerning most Canadians.

This is quite ironic as recent polls suggest Canada’s healthcare system as Canadians’ most identifying cultural feature.

The point is, the system is having problems and needs urgent care. The fact that SARS has been as problematic as it has in Toronto only reinforces this. The denials of the SARS problem also reinforce the denial of Canadian health officials of dealing with these issues.

How does this deal with unity and identity? Well, as Colin points out, the provinces now want an even greater say in how to run their systems. The Federal Government wields too much control over how to spend their money. As a concept, it is fair; after all it is their money, right? But what if the money for the provinces isn’t being spent in their best interests? And what if this is against the Canada Health Act? Alberta’s Premier Ralph Klein has been at the forefront demanding changes in provincial-federal relations on certain issues. While he mostly focuses on energy matters, healthcare spending has often come up. With the declining Canadian healthcare system and the inability of the provinces to deal with it, I can understand why this has spouted regionalism.

I completely sympathize with the province’s concerns. They’re not happy with how Ottawa is administering this system and demand a greater say. Indeed, I think it would be vastly more efficient if the provinces had a greater say in how to administer their funds. On the flipside, I can see the argument that the provinces having greater say in their own affairs undermines Canadian unity and identity and promotes regional factions. But if a bullying and controlling Federal Government is what represents the concept of Canada then is it not completely a sham?

People outside Alberta often criticize Ralph Klein for promoting Alberta’s interests over those of greater Canada. They claim he is a “threat to the nation” and “dangerous”. But what of the overzealous Federal Government’s aggressive jockeying in energy matters and healthcare spending? After all, in terms of health spending, it is the province’s job to administer the system, right?

1. Public Administration (section 8)
The public administration criterion, set out in section 8 of the Canada Health Act, applies to provincial and territorial health care insurance plans. The intent of the public administration criterion is that the provincial and territorial health care insurance plans be administered and operated on a non-profit basis by a public authority, accountable to the provincial or territorial government for decision making on benefit levels and services, and whose records and accounts are publicly audited.

Regional infighting is endemic in Canada today. At first it was Quebec, but now it’s spreading west to Alberta and Saskatchewan. The sad truth remains that many in Canada’s power corridor (Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal) are grossly ignorant to what’s going on outside their confines. While people there maybe content, elsewhere they are not. And it all goes back to the healthcare system, Canada’s biggest source of pride. If this troubled system, which is causing much regionalism and infighting, is the biggest identifier of a nation, then it certainly speaks volumes of “unity” and does not bode well for the future.

2003-04-23T22:28:00.000-04:00

Pariah City: Toronto and SARS

Just Today, the WHO recommended that people avoid going to the city of Toronto unless absolutely necessary for fears of contracting that dreaded SARS virus. The Toronto and Canadian reaction were typical. Of course, this announcement sparked outrage and many Toronto and Canadian health officials are condemning the WHO and accusing them of jumping the gun. Why? “Because it could never happen in Canada. Nothing bad ever happens in Canada, especially Toronto.”

This latest announcement evokes mixed emotions for me. For one thing, my sister lives in Toronto for nine months of the year as she attends university there. I also have quite a few family members and friends residing in that city. On the other hand, I find many Torontonians to be conceited and arrogant and this warning might put them in their place a bit.

I have a like-hate relationship with Toronto. I lived there for a few months a couple of years ago. Toronto is regarded as the “center of Canada” where “everything happens”. And indeed, it is in many respects. It is the commercial, media, financial, philosophical and transportation hub of the country. Virtually everyone who is anyone in Canada happens to be based in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Indeed, Toronto’s importance to Canada has promoted the sense of self-aggrandizement to stratospheric proportions. There is even a saying over there that “Toronto is the center of the universe.”

I first liked Toronto. Indeed, there are many things admirable about it and it isn’t all bad. It’s relatively clean; safe; quite multicultural; has nice restaurants; has a nice harbor front; everything is relatively new; the infrastructure is very good; great strip clubs and prostitution; has a decent public transportation system and an efficient though increasingly clogged, road system. It’s basically Canada’s version of New York and Torontonians like to term themselves as “New York run by the Swiss.”

Sounds like a paradise, right?

On the other hand while it’s not a horrible place, Toronto isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The city has become increasingly congested; the public transportation system is inadequate for a city of that size (almost five million); the homeless problem is astounding (much worse than anything I’ve seen in New York and we’re supposed to be in “crisis mode” here); the weather is awful in the winter; it’s outrageously expensive; lacks any real “culture” or identity; can be boring as there isn’t that much to do; it’s “ghettoized” in the sense that the multicultural groups don’t really mix too much; it can be dangerous (Jane and Finch intersection quickly comes to mind); the dating scene sucks; and the people…oh, don’t let me get started about the people!

You could say that my main problem with Toronto is the people who live there and their self-righteous smugness. I travel a lot and I think I can get a good sense of the people in each place I go to and, in my opinion, I have never met a more arrogant bunch than I have in Toronto. Now don’t get me wrong, I have met some great people there, but the prevailing attitude I find is one of self-importance, haughtiness and ostentation.

With that attitude, it’s safe to assume that the rest of Canada somewhat views Toronto as a pariah. And, indeed, that is the case, especially out West in Alberta and Saskatchewan. You can say that there’s not much real love lost between the GTA and the rest of the country. It’s somewhat similar to the US’s love-hate relationship with New York, but it runs much deeper than that because deep down inside Americans don’t really hate New York and there isn’t as much regionalism here compared to Canada. We are all Americans, after all.

I can go into countless reasons for this, but that would involve writing a major essay. But to sum it all up, the rest of the country does not like Toronto’s smugness and considers the city to be a leech on their resources without giving much in return.

Now we have this SARS epidemic and it seems to be hitting the GTA quite hard. If it wasn’t that bad, then the WHO and numerous foreign governments wouldn’t have issued advisories against travel. Toronto officials claim to have a handle on the problem, but today’s latest fatality seems to prove otherwise.

This has all but embedded Toronto’s perception as a recluse city. They were hated enough before, but now things will increase multifold.

Unlike New York after 9/11, people, especially Canadians, won’t feel the desire to go into Toronto and support their Canadian “brethren”. It could be that SARS is a continuing event and there are the risks of contagiousness. It also might revolve around the fact that there really isn’t anything to do in Toronto, nor much to see. Toronto also doesn’t have any real historical value for Canada In many ways; Toronto doesn’t really represent nor have any symbol that is “Canadian” for fellow Canadians to go and flock to and support. Sure, there’s the CN Tower, but that’s just a stupid pole and many Torontonians themselves are aghast by the structure’s phallic repulsiveness. This is a fake city that tries to manufacture an image for itself.

And then, of course, it could all be about the people

I can’t say I feel all that sorry about it. I feel bad that people are dying and I am concerned about my friends and relatives living there. On the flipside, however, I can’t help but think of the comments I heard from many Canadians suggesting that my city, New York City, was deserving of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Yes, I know many, many Canadians and Torontonians were supportive of the US after 9/11. But there were a good deal of them who were not and Toronto is the epicenter of this type of thinking. Think GTA Liberal MP Carolyn “Americans are bastards and I hate them all” Parrish. She wouldn’t have been elected if the majority of people in her riding didn’t agree with her views.

The effects well be hard felt, but maybe -- just maybe – it will open Torontonians’ eyes and get them to change their attitudes to unfasten themselves from their “high morality” perch. But, alas, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

Welcome to “Pariah City”.

2003-04-22T21:22:00.000-04:00

US-Canada Relations

I’m somewhat back from my hiatus. I’ll comment on something that Tony said in his wonderful blog (nice new design, by the way!) about the state of US-Canada relations.

However, I don't think the Liberal Party should feel any surprise that it's currently being snubbed by Washington. And it's not due to some sort of personal pique, as this column would imply. Instead, there appears to be a growing perception down here, whether true or not, that the Liberal party is rife with anti-Americanism of near-endemic proportions.

[…]

During all this, I never noticed Chretien reining in any of the remarks by his party. I figure Chretien would have more power to impose party discipline, in light of Canada's parliamentary system. But, he has chosen not to exercise it.

Far as I'm concerned, Canadian-American relations can pretty much run on autopilot until next February, when Chretien retires.

I agree with much of what Tony says. Chretien did not make any attempt to quell the outspoken anti-Americanism prevalent in his cabinet. If anything, he did quite the opposite. Anyone who knows anything about Canadian politics knows that party loyalty reigns supreme and that these comments wouldn’t have been made if they weren’t approved or at least agreed upon by the man in charge. This isn’t just about a few loud backbenchers – it’s more to do with the party culture and the genuine feelings of the Prime Minister.

It also doesn’t help, nor say much, that Chretien went out of his way to quash any comments directed against his decision.

Chretien and Bush have had cool relations since day one. There are many reasons for this, but it’s probably largely due to ideological differences. Chretien is extremely liberal while Bush is a staunch conservative. Chretien also made comments before Bush’s election victory that he wanted to see Gore as the winner. It’s poor politics and it’s come back to bite him in the ass.

Where Tony and I differ in opinion is that he suggests (though not overtly) that US-Canada relations will probably improve once Chretien retires. I disagree with that. Personally, I think the damage is done and it will take a while to heal this rift. I don’t think that things will improve when the “big man” leaves office, if he ever does. Chretien is a megalomaniac and he absolutely loves power and isn’t afraid to wield it. Why do you think he sacked of Finance Minister Paul Martin after he criticized Chretien? The man will not stand dissent and I’m hardly convinced that he’s really ready to leave office, especially since over half the population actually approve of the way he’s handled the Iraq situation, regardless of how slimy and dishonest it was.

A lot of Canadians think that Paul Martin, largely assumed to be the man to replace Chretien, will be the “savior” of Canada. Since when? Martin has largely agreed with Chretien since his dismissal. I also have trouble with someone who believes he is entitled to be a leader. The man suffers from “Al Gore” syndrome, if you ask me. It is very dangerous to have such a person in power.

As I mentioned before (blogger links are messed up, so I won’t bother linking right now), I think Canada’s only shot of repairing relations is to go with the Canadian Alliance. They are more ideologically similar with the current US Administration than any other party in Canada, especially the Liberals. Sure, there are some conservatives and moderates in the Liberal Party like John Manley, who is also gunning for the leadership position, but they don’t have a voice in or much influence in the grand scheme of things. I said below (sorry about not providing the link again, but I’m still trying to switch over to MT) that I if I would have one person in the Liberal Party lead Canada, it would be Manley. But, alas, I am a realist and I see the chances of this happening as slim to none.

I think that Bush should just let relations slide and assume that things won’t improve with Paul Martin in charge. Bad US-Canada relations would be really hurtful for Canada (it would hurt us too, but much less so), but it is something that needs to happen for Canadians to wake up and realize who their friends are. A lot of Canadians actually believe in the Liberal Party mandate, and that includes these silly outbursts by dim-witted Liberal and NDP MP’s. You’d be surprised how quick many Canadians jump to believe even the most nonsensical conspiracy theories if only to place the US in a less than favorable light. And these are supposed to be our friends? Don’t think so!

I’m saying this as a Canadian who still has family there. I don’t want to see Canada suffer as it would affect my family, but something needs to happen to wake Canadians up and get them to their senses. I haven’t seen anything recently to suggest they are about to do so. If anything, it’s been quite the opposite.

2003-04-15T18:53:00.000-04:00

Apologies for not writing so much the last few days! I’ve been sick – again – and I’m only now starting to feel better. Besides, there's not too much else to discuss with the war virtually over and the fallout being covered by so many others in far more eloquent and intelligent ways than I could ever do. I also had trouble with my taxes and that’s taken a lot of time. I’m still not sure I did it right either, but we’ll see. I’m not getting as much of a return (if any) as I thought I would. This is surprising considering that I didn't work the salaried job the full year and if you don't you usually get a massive refund. I must have done something wrong! Luckilly, I have e-filing.

It was a busy week-end for me and I was in New Jersey for much of it. I’ve decided to move to New Jersey over the summer. I love Queens and all, but Jersey rent is just so much cheaper, the taxes are lower and the job prospects and that much better. Besides, my friend got a good deal on an apartment over there and I’ll probably end up rooming with him. It’s the first time I ever had a roommate, so it should be interesting. He’s a really cool guy and we get along great so everything should be fine.

Anyways, I have until the end of the month to make my decision if I will room with my friend and it’s most likely that I accept. So that means I will probably move there in August as that’s when the apartment becomes available.

Life won’t be too different, I suppose. I like New Jersey and think it’s a good place to live. And where I would live is actually closer to the City than when I am right now. I will miss my neighborhood a lot though.

In any case, blogging will be light for the next few days until I get some shit together.

2003-04-12T00:54:00.000-04:00

SARS: Worth the Fuss?

I found this website that goes into some of the details about SARS and shows that the disease doesn’t really live up to the hype that the media is giving it. Apparently, in Hong Kong, most of the fatalities have been elderly with the average age being 65 and of those the majority have had some history of previous chronic illness.

We also know from the comments of Dr Margaret Chan (Director of Department of Health) to Amcham (American Chamber of Commerce) – sorry, no online link available – that of the first 17 deaths 11 were aged 65 or over, and 14 had pre-existing chronic illnesses. The three without pre-existing illnesses delayed seeking treatment until after having symptoms for more than a week. Dr Chan noted that for those seeking treatment within the first days of showing symptoms and who had no pre-existing chronic illness the treatment regime has been show to be extremely effective.

Doesn’t seem to be cause of much concern, does it? I don’t know, perhaps not. Maybe this has been blown totally out of proportion by the media and this disease isn’t half as bad as it’s made out to be.

I can’t confirm or deny either way as I’m not a health and disease expert, but I can say something from someone on the inside. A family friend is an administrator at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Kowloon. He says that most of the medical staff has contracted the disease and that all non-medical personnel are required to work at home now. The press hasn’t really mentioned anything about it, maybe because they don’t know. But if this fact was brought up, it would cause even more chaos than what we’ve been seeing already.

This is news that Hong Kong doesn’t need more of, but it’s difficult to imagine things being even worse than they already are. Indeed, I heard that the world famous Peninsula Hotel is currently at 4% occupancy. That’s horrible!

I cannot stress enough how sad I am to see Hong Kong in this state, especially since it really isn’t their fault. Like I’ve said below (linking doesn’t seem to be working as I write this), the PRC is completely to blame for this crisis. Again, I heard from my family friend that China is sending a lot of the people who contract the disease there over to Hong Kong and making the Hong Kong authorities deal with them. A criminal way of shunting the blame – and the disease at the same time – from them.

Thing is, they’re having a more than difficult enough time stopping the disease from spreading within their own borders. I also heard from my friend that they’ve closed two hospitals in Beijing (something else not reported in the media) and the disease is spreading like wildfire there. Now their government must do something.

I’m not that optimistic, unfortunately.

In any case, I think Hong Kong needs all the support it can get and reading that article above has given me some solstice about the disease and its transmissibility. So much so, that I’m thinking of heading over there in the summer for a little vacation. I was actually planning on taking a trip to South America, but Hong Kong really needs our support and tourist dollars now, so there is more urgency to go there. Besides, with nobody going, I’m sure I’ll find outstanding deals on world class hotels, discounts with the already world famous shopping and bargains on tickets to get there. Win-win-win as far as I’m concerned!

China, another country I love, will not be getting one red cent from me.

2003-04-10T02:40:00.000-04:00

And They Say Today's Immigrants Have No Loyalty?!

Eat this, mutherfuckers!

The world watched Wednesday as a Marine corporal clambered up a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and covered its face with an American flag just before the monument was pulled down and torn to pieces by cheering Iraqis.

Also looking on raptly was Cpl. Edward Chin's family in New York.

"I thought, 'Oh, my son, you are making history, you are part of the Iraqis' liberation," his father, Stanley Chin, said after watching the image of his son broadcast on television all over the world.

Shortly after wrapping the flag around the towering Saddam's face, military officials _ highly conscious of anything that could be interpreted as a sign of American occupation _ ordered Chin, 23, to take it down. He then replaced it with an Iraqi flag.

His fiancee, Anne Fu, said she knew Chin meant no disrespect.

"He wanted to show the Iraqi people that they were free, that they were liberated, that the U.S. was there to help them and that Saddam is over," she said outside the family's home.

Emphasis was added! Ed Chin has served his country well. He raised the US flag as an act of patriotism. That shows what colors he bleeds. Best part of all, he's frm New York! Gotta represent! And it proves all the naysayers who question the loyalty of recent immigrants wrong! It's also very telling that 40% of those serving in the marines are Hispanic.

Welcome this country and God bless you guys! And God bless America!

2003-04-09T01:24:00.000-04:00

Troubles in Hong Kong...Continued…

My father called me up today. The topic of the SARS crisis in Hong Kong came up and I asked my father how a family friend living there was doing. I was especially concerned because he works at the Prince of Wales Hospital, which is considered “ground zero” for Hong Kong SARS. He said that they’re making all non-medical staff work at home now and that most medical staff there has been infected by the disease. This isn’t widely reported in the media, if it is at all.

Not very reassuring; if anything, this is downright scary.

It doesn’t appear that Hong Kong has been able to control this problem. This is adversely affecting their economy. People are canceling business trips, expats are rushing out and nobody is traveling there anymore. Cathay Pacific, which is widely regarded in the business as one of the premier (and most profitable), if not the premier airline in the world, is in horrible shape right now – they only average a 30% occupancy rate! This is, obviously, much lower than their usual high yields.

I say this all with a very heavy heart because I truly love Hong Kong. As I mentioned here, I went there a few years ago and completely fell in love with the city. I’ve been to a lot of places and seen many beautiful cities, but none have the combination of sheer physical beauty, extreme intensity, stunning architecture, textbook capitalism and the air prosperity like Hong Kong coalesces. Indeed, I truly believe it is the most physically beautiful city on this planet and I was hoping to move there one day and amass my fortune there.

But, alas, it doesn’t seem like that will happen…yet. I am hoping to be optimistic.

What really irks me is that this situation isn’t really the city’s fault. I put full blame on the Chinese Government who has immorally bungled their way through this crisis. They knew that this SARS problem was severe and that it originated within their borders, but they refused to acknowledge this. This is absolutely criminal and there should be an investigation into this. But knowing how the PRC works and the insane blockades they shunt to outsiders who demand any form of accountability, this will never happen. We will never know how bad this disease was, is or could be. I think the Chinese know more than they are letting on and it seems, from my perspective at least, that they are only doing a half-assed job and trying to rectify it.

And this is a country that’s longing to be a “responsible” superpower. If this is how they’re going to act, I’d be worried about this planet’s future if/when they reach superpower status. And people say the US is bad? China is downright reckless and dangerous.

Again, this goes back to the conversation I had with my father (he’s an economics professor…apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, in my case). He was telling me that people are now going to ignore China and divest from her since they now see who they are dealing with. I beg to differ. In this new realm of globalization, for better or worse, China has become integral. Indeed, we living in the West rely on their cheaply-made goods (most times from Western companies with factories there) to buttress our high lifestyle. I have no problem with this as it is part of the global capitalist system I devotedly believe in and this is something we must accept. My qualm is that we must rely on such a partner who is just plain irresponsible.

It is this high irresponsibility that is destroying the city that I love and that infuriates me.

2003-04-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

"A Guilty Conscience Needs No Accuser..."

I've been really sick lately, which explains the lack of posting. I'm still not feeling all that great, actually.

These extreme climate changes are incredible! It was beautiful on Sunday, but yesterday's weather was shitty. Not much better today either...

Anyways, I think this article explains this topic's headline perfectly. (hat tip to Sgt. Stryker)

2003-04-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

I've been having problems with blogger. I am in the midst if getting a new domain and transferring everything to it and starting my blog anew. I'm good with coding now, but I don't get domains too well. I have a few registered (fateback and cjb.net), but I can't figure out how to transfer MoveableType or PMachine on to them.

As for the publishing format, I think I will opt with PMachine. Mrs. du Toit (she's such a sweetie!) suggested that I use PMachine over MoveableType and Greymatter. I've looked at PMachine and downloaded it and it seems much easier to use and install than MoveableType. Format seems more palatable to me as well. But like I said, I am really bad at the domain thing and I need some suggestions! If anyone has any advice, please, please let me know! I'd prefer something free at the moment, but eventually I will upgrade to something else.

Anyways, I'll be in New Jersey for the rest of the week-end, so no blogging until I get back.

Cheers and have a greet week-end all!

2003-04-02T22:47:00.001-05:00

A Heartfelt Thank You and Air Canada

I would like to thank Colby Cosh for linking my blog to his page. Colby has one of the more popular conservative blogs on the web and is, incidentally, from Edmonton, which is where I grew up. He’s a brilliant mind and I generally agree with most of what he has to say. I wish I could have met him or more people like him when I was still living in Edmonton.

This blog is just a venue for me to express my thoughts. I don’t mind that others read my writings (or lack of it, given my poor writing skills), but it’s not like I’m actively courting for people. Of course, it would be nice if people read what I had to say! But anyways, the link is really appreciated and I would like to welcome everyone who has found their way to my corner through Colby Cosh.

Now back to ranting! Colby Cosh comments on Air Canada’s decision to file for bankruptcy. I won’t post what he says here since there’s the link already.

For those who don’t know already, I am a commercial aviation enthusiast. I don’t claim to be an expert in the industry, but I follow it closely and I try to have an idea of what’s happening. Also, if any of you readers work in the field and are looking to hire, contact me! I’m dying to get into the industry! Anyways, this news did not come as a huge surprise as Air Canada has been in financial woes for a little while now. I did, however, expect them to file a bit later because I didn’t think they were doing that bad. Air Canada was the only major airline in North America to post a profit, and they were profitable until six months ago, but the last two quarters were absolutely brutal to the company and air travel in general. I guess their problems and the losses were much worse than I anticipated.

Air Canada filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday. This means that they can continue to operate as an airline while they try to make arrangements to pay off their debt. It should be noted that Canadian bankruptcy protection laws are a bit different than those here in the US. When people think of bankruptcy protection, which United filed for last December, they think of Chapter 11, which is the US version. Admittedly, I am not too familiar with Canadian bankruptcy laws. To my knowledge, they are less ridged in the terms of refinancing. Chapter 11 generally favors the creditors, but I think the Canadian equivalent does not favor them as much. For example, under Chapter 11, United slashed union contracts and salaries. The same cannot be done in Canada as unions have more sway up there. This will make Air Canada’s proceedings all the more intriguing as their unions are very, very powerful.

The causes. There are plenty of causes for Air Canada’s current financial misery. For some history, Air Canada was a crown corporation (that’s the Canadian term for a government-run business) up until 1987 when it was privatized. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Conservative Government went on a privatization spree selling of a lots of crown corporations. The transportation sector was among the most profoundly affected and today all airports and even the air traffic control system is private. When the Government was running Air Canada, they were vastly inefficient. Indeed, Air Canada used to fly to some of the most exotic routes and they based a large hub out of Montreal, which was a declining economy compared to Toronto. Furthermore, their aircraft fleet was diversified and operating and maintenance costs surrounding it were enormous. Not to mention that Air Canada had a huge swash of orders for planes, which they are still paying for this day.

After privatization, Air Canada started to streamline their operations a bit. They started ordering Airbus aircraft, which has more commonality among its own variants (and rumor had it that the Conservative Government was bribed to take those orders – a charge that was never proven…nor disproved), axed a few routes and increased operations in Toronto and Vancouver, which were two booming economies at the time.

Good strategies, in my opinion. They should have been a recipe for success, but the recession in the early 90’s absolutely killed the company then.

Time went on, things picked up, and I won’t go into a full history, but in 1999, the rival Canadian airline, Canadian Airlines International, went bankrupt and the Government sort of pushed Air Canada to engulf it…in its entirety. Air Canada was already suffering from the enormous debt accumulated the pre-privatization days and now they had to take on a larger debt load, more employees and a different operating structure than what they had been used to. Already, the airline industry was starting to decline and Air Canada’s profits were declining, but this, in many ways, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Air Canada was in no position to absorb all these new variables and it really made for an interesting, and discouraging flying experience within Canada.

To sum things up, the merger did not go well because operating costs skyrocketed, the employees from the two airlines did not get along, and the debt load ballooned. It also didn’t help that Air Canada wasn’t allowed to lay-off more employees – probably because of government pressure. The quality of service declined, ticket prices skyrocketed (Canada used to be a very cheap place to fly to or fly out of) and customers grumbled. There was also no competition.

The economy started to tumble, 9/11, the war and the loss of monopoly due to new entries, like WestJet and JetsGo, have only decreased demand and depressed profits.

What it basically gets to is that huge debt (pre-privatization and post CP merger days, as well as buying back their own stock to fend off a hostile takeover from another company), a shaky global economy, weak consumer demand, high labor costs, unrelenting unions, strict labor laws, shoddy service, increased competition, excessive government taxes and a bickering staff have lead Air Canada to their present ailment.

A lot of people blame CEO Robert Milton. I don’t and I actually think he’s a brilliant guy. Milton saw these difficulties coming, as well as the trend of increased competition from low-cost carriers like WestJet. Milton branched Air Canada into two separate low cost brands – Tango for continental flights and Jazz for flights to the East – and kept the mainline service as well. Tango was an immediate hit, but Jazz was not because of the difficulties in the Maritime economies. Actually, it was because of Tango that Air Canada remained profitable even after 9/11. Obviously, they aren’t profitable today. But, anyways, I consider Milton to be a revolutionary man in the airline industry. Setting up a low-cost subsidiary from the mainline appears to be the wave of the future as low-cost carriers are the only ones that seem to be doing well in this environment. It’s really popular here in the US with JetBlue and Southwest, in Europe with EasyJet, and it’s picking up in Canada with JetsGo and WestJet. Delta has recently copied his strategy as they are set to launch their own low-cost division. Milton is even contemplating launching an all-cargo division of Air Canada. He knows the trends and he has the vision, but he inherited a dog shit situation. If you want to blame him for anything, blame him for the rocky merger, but nothing else. Ok…I just remembered – and added above – the Onex attempt to buy off Air Canada and Canadian. Milton made the company buy back their stock on borrowed money to fend off takeover. That was dumb, but I’m not convinced it led to the problems they have today.

So what next? GE Capital has given Air Canada a $700 Million loan to continue operations. Most likely, they will trim staff and cut some routes, probably in the US and overseas. Air Canada’s biggest problem operation-wise is productivity and they will have to improve that if they want to be competitive. I also think the Government will assist Air Canada. They have to. This was their baby and they would hate to see it go under. Besides, much of the current malaise is their fault – from the huge debt, to the forced takeover to the excessive fees they levy on each ticket. It should be their job to clean it up.

I think Air Canada will come out of this OK. I don’t believe their situation is as precarious as United’s or some other airlines. I believe that Milton is doing this because he can’t get his unions to budge on anything and this will give him more leeway over them. Could be another excellent strategy from him again, but that remains to be seen. For sure, Air Canada will come out of this with less market share than before, but I don’t think they will go under. United, on the other hand, I am worried about. But maybe I’ll talk about them later.

2003-04-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

test