In the lead up to, and wake of, the US Presidential election, Canadians have had no shortage of opinions about the state of affairs of our southern neighbors. Judging by the comments to phone-in shows from local talk radio to the CBC’s nationally broadcast Cross Country Checkup yesterday, many are rather smug.
The assumption that our economy is stronger is based on some valid arguments – running consecutive surpluses at the federal level is one of them, the “strengthening” Canadian dollar is another. However, Canadians seem blissfully unaware of what the falling US dollar means for our trade based economy. Many seem to believe that the most important consequence is less costly vacations in the US.
In reality, the huge competitive advantage a 65 cent dollar gave exporters is beginning to change. Canadians are going to have to become more productive and efficient to make up the difference. We’re already about 25% less productive than the average American – with a 25% lower standard of living to show for it. Unless you’re one of those vacationing civil servants, you’re probably going to feel the effects.
The most common misconception is that the USA is suffering from high unemployment and a crushing national debt. It’s not really our fault – this been the steady mantra of ill-informed news media too lazy or unmotivated to do a little fact checking. In fact, unemployment rates in the US today are around the same level as during the Clinton years. It helps to place US data up against our own.

(Figures from gov’t sources, Stats Can, etc.)
Most industrialized countries have debts hovering around the 100% of GDP mark. Historically, the US federal debt was at an alltime high during WWII when it reached 125% of GDP.
Is the current deficit and military spending high? Yes and no. There is cause for concern in any deficit spending, but then again – the US is at war and we’re not. And as military spending goes, the US is currently a far cry from their peak (1945), when they spent 38.5% of GNP on the military. Today, the US spends 3.6% of GDP on the military, lower than the average of 5.7% spent during the post-war years of 1940- 2000. *

I originally heard about this case from friends who helped in grooming the dogs from the Trinidad, CO seizure. Read it all, but park your stomach at the door.
Some advice to follow up:
If you have to surrender a pet for adoption, be extremely careful about where you are sending it. Many of the animals seized in these disasters were “saved” by hoarders who offer “private rescue”. Legitimate private and club rescue organizations exist, and in most cases, they are highly preferable to even government-supported humane societies and dog pounds – but they will be recognized and endorsed by a national breed club or local kennel club. Spend an extra few days and check them out, before you surrender your animal to them. With the availability of information on the internet, there are plenty of resources out there.
Some hoarders breed the animals (or more accurately, collect the puppies that are accidentally produced and lucky enough to survive) to support their compulsion. If you are purchasing any purebred or “designer mix” puppy, you should be able to visit and see the conditions that all the dogs live in. Don’t buy the excuse that kennels are off limits for fear of introducing disease. Large breeders bring dogs in and out all the time – this is where disease risk is high, and it certainly doesn’t stop them from buying or attending auctions. (Though home visits are not always a guarantee – some puppymills actually meet buyers at a different “home” location, where a few clean and cared for animals serve as surrogates for the factory breeders in the barn down the road. )
Finally, it helps reduce the risk of buying a puppy or dog from such conditions if you ensure that rescuers or breeders are members of a national or local breed club. A disclaimer, though – clubs can be large and members scattered, meeting only on occassion at dog shows. Or they may have lost control with age and formerly good conditions and policies degenerate without the knowledge of those who know them. Many hoarders are quite competent in their “real life” – and do a very good job of creating a false impression to their peers.
Bottom line – do your homework, trust your instincts, and be prepared to say “no”.

I followed a link left by a commentor and came on his blog and this very useful information on oil production. Go read the whole thing. A great overview on production and cost breakdowns.
Country Rank & Production1999– Early 2002 Rank and Production

1. Saudi Arabia 7.7 million barrels/day– 3. 7.7 mb/d
2. Former Soviet Union 7.1 million barrels/day– 1. 8.6 mb/d
3. USA 5.9 million barrels/day– 2. 8.1 mb/d
4. Iran 3.6 million barrels/day– 4. 3.7 mb/d
5. China 3.2 million barrels/day– 7. 3.3 mb/d
6. Norway 3.0 million barrels/day– 6. 3.4 mb/d
7. Mexico 3.0 million barrels/day– 5. 3.6 mb/d
8. Venezuela 2.8 million barrels/day– 8. 2.8 mb/d
9. United Kingdom 2.7 million barrels/day– 10. 2.6 mb/d
10. Iraq 2.5 million barrels/day– 11. 2.4 mb/d

(Canadians who have been advocating a “turn off the oil tap” retaliation for BSE border closure, take note…)
The larger chart is here.
update – Roo has pointed out in the comments that he’s now put a piece on refinery facts.

Velociman assists his readers in interpreting the election maps;

For those of you who keep pointing me to red state/blue state maps and telling me Bush won Hawaii: the “big island” you keep directing me to is fucking Alaska! They just put it next to Hawaii for purposes of convenience! I will admit the Aleutian Islands did go Bush. “Look at the big red island” indeed.

Kevin Steel has provided a handy map, along with advice for disillusioned Democrats.

First of all, you’ll notice that you should probably best stay out of Western Canada, lots of red there. Ontario (just to the right of the red blob) is your best bet, though you certainly can check out the eastern seaboard, which is much like your northeastern seaboard. New Yorkers in particular should feel right at home in, say, Labrador. That’s what I would recommend.

To which I’ll add, Churchill may appeal to the yachting crowd.

EPA: Looking at Growth and Emissions
Each year EPA looks at emissions that impact the ambient concentrations of these pollutants. These annual emissions estimates are used as one indicator of the effectiveness of our programs. The graph below shows that between 1970 and 2003, gross domestic product increased 176 percent, vehicle miles traveled increased 155 percent, energy consumption increased 45 percent, and U.S. population grew by 39 percent. During the same time period, total emissions of the six principal air pollutants dropped by 51 percent.

Feel free to email this graph to David Suzuki and every Kyoto supporter you know…

A close associate hints: There’s a secret compartment in Kerry’s briefcase. He carries the black attach� everywhere. Asked about it on several occasions, Kerry brushed it aside. Finally, trapped in an interview, he exhaled and clicked open his case.
“Who told you?” he demanded as he reached inside. “My friends don’t know about this.” The leather was a little mildewy.
“My good luck sea monster skin,” Kerry said, happy to see it. “Given to me by a sanpan fishermen as we went in for a special mission in Cambodia.”

http://www.johnkerry.com source for all photos.
So if you don’t think it’s funny, tell them to get better material.

Heh.

Kerry Pushes Plan to Re-Import Canadian Bacon

“I have a plan to get every American hooked on Canadian bacon,” said Mr. Kerry during a campaign stop in Jacksonville, Oregon. “All we need to do is get American farmers to export their hogs to Canada, where the government could impose price controls, then we re-import the processed Canadian bacon to the United States at prices lower than those available here on ordinary bacon.”

Contraversy rages.

Julian Sanchez presents Bushy Rabbit.
Language warning. And if you didn’t see 8 Mile you’re not going to get this. But it’s priceless, if you have.
hat tip = Let It Bleed

Jaegar reveals the latest evidence of sinister operations by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.
MWWWAAAHHHAAA!!!

Sydney Morning Herald [subscription required];

People have flocked to a small village on the outskirts of Cambodia’s capital after a man claimed that his ten-year-old pet dog has defied nature and the ancient tradition of her species reviling cats and given birth to a kitten.
Owner Te Huot told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that his dog, called Knou, gave birth to a grey tabby kitten after he was visited by a forest monk who claimed that the dog had mated with a tiger. He said it was only the second time in the dog’s life that she had given birth, and that the first time, five years earlier, she had produced normal canine puppies.
However, he claimed that last Tuesday, Knou went into labour at his Chhbar Ampou village home and produced a single kitten.
The phenomenon has brought crowds thronging to Te Huot’s home to burn incense and give donations towards the dog and its tiny kitten, which Te Huot says is a sign from the gods.

The region is also known for its invisible flying dogs.

As much as I hate to concede a point to Kerry supporters, I have to admit this dog don’t hunt.

“I have always had pets in my life, and there are a few that I remember very fondly,” Mr. Kerry replied. “When I was serving on a Swift Boat in Vietnam, my crewmates and I had a dog we called VC.
“One day as our Swift Boat was heading up a river, a mine exploded hard under our boat,” he continued. “After picking ourselves up, we discovered VC was MIA (missing in action). Several minutes of frantic search followed, after which we thought we’d lost him. We were relieved when another boat called asking if we were missing a dog.”
Said Mr. Kerry: “It turns out VC was catapulted from the deck of our boat and landed, confused but unhurt, on the deck of another boat in our patrol.” J.J. Scheele, program director of Humane USA, confirmed yesterday that her organization did, in fact, receive the above statement from the Kerry campaign.
No military records on Mr. Kerry’s Web site, which aides say is a complete accounting, mention a mine exploding under his boat or any dog. The only report of a mine detonating “near” Mr. Kerry’s PCF 94 was March 13, 1969, when Mr. Kerry says he was injured and a man knocked overboard.”

However, doing a little googling, I found corroberating evidence.
And, eh ….

Suddenly the boat comes under an attack. Clean gets shot :
CHIEF “Chef, check out Clean ! Captain, he�s hit, he�s hit ! Clean’s hit !”
LANCE “Where did the dog go ? We gotta go back to get the dog !”

In retrospect, my choice in a winning entry probably goes a long way to explain my singleness.
Oh well, it’s surely silver polish fetching the tertiary paradox, senseless plundering and whatnot.

Sean has found his dream job. Sort of.

There are only three things standing between myself and a job like this. First, it’s only open to those living in the Ottawa and Quebec regions – not good-for-nothing Westerners like myself. Second, French is a requirement and I’ve let mine atrophy to the point where I struggle with reading my old French language Asterix cartoon books. Lastly, I’m pretty sure that my sponsor in a certain 12 step program that I may or may not belong to would kick my ass into low orbit if he even thought I was serious about applying for the position.

Salary: $61,312 to $66,287. It’s a 3 – 6 month position.
Sean, don’t give up hope. We lowly Western wine connoisseurs�may yet be able to apply for the job of cleaning the spiffy new granite curbs in Ottawa.
“Excusez moi, monsieur! Permit moi to polishez les gutter pour vous!”

There’s a pattern in the mainstream Democrat-cheering media these days. Just like the poll numbers that go unreported when Bush is ahead of Kerry, they remain curiously muffled on economic good news.
Larry Kudlow, at NRO;

If it’s not bad enough that rapid economic recovery has neutered Sen. Kerry’s principal domestic criticism of President Bush, now comes even worse news for the Democratic campaign: The budget deficit is starting to substantially shrink.
The latest budget numbers show a $19.1 billion surplus for June, $3 billion higher than the $16 billion Wall Street expectation. It seems that a flood of new tax collections, spurred by fatter employment payrolls and corporate profits, is rapidly reducing the federal budget gap. Tax receipts from businesses rose an astonishing 38 percent over the past twelve months and personal income-tax collections increased almost 9 percent. What’s happening? Could it be that stronger economic growth from lower tax rates is producing more tax receipts? I believe it’s called supply-side economics.
Just as the 1.5 million new jobs created since last August has terminated talk of a jobless recovery, the chatter over widening budget deficits will end. The fiscal-year 2004 budget deficit now looks to come in around $435 billion, less than 4 percent of GDP. This would be almost $100 billion below early-year estimates from the Office of Management and Budget and about $50 billion less than Congressional Budget Office forecasts. The administration is also getting its arms around federal spending. Fiscal year to date, domestic discretionary program spending has slowed to 2.7 percent from 6.8 percent a year ago.

This will come as surprising news to Canadians, who have been sold on the notion that tax cuts undermine revenue. Or, at least it would if there was a snowball’s chance in Hell that they’ll hear about it.
hat tip – The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

According to John Gormley this morning, Saskatoon will be seeing its first ever speed-dating night at one of the local hot spots. Think drive-thru meat market.
During your 8 minute interview, you aren’t to ask age, phone number or occupation. Okey dokey.

“Is that your Porsche out there with my breast prints on it?”
“If you were a horse, would one say you were ‘hung like a human’?”
“What if I told you I can breathe through my ears?”
“Do you have an older brother?”
“Is that oxygen line permanent?” [if you can’t afford a private nurse, you can’t afford me]

Add your own suggestions in the comments section. If I decide to do this, I’ll need material of all types…. Let’s make it a contest. I’ll announce the winners Friday.

What would we do without headline writers?
ALZHEIMER: NEW GENETIC RISK FACTOR DISCOVERED IN BOLOGNA

(AGI) – Bologna July 9 – Professor Federico Licastro of the experimental pathology ward of the University of Bologna has discovered a new factor to value the genetic risk of Alzheimer, related to the metabolism of cholesterol. His study was conducted in collaboration with the Don Gnocchi Foundation and the San Raffaele hospital in Milan and involved 327 patients (335 checks were carried out). The genetic component (a polymorphic form of the HMGCoA gene) and other known genetic factors can be used to estimate the individual risk of the illness before it starts to develop.

When this hits the mainstream American media I fully expect half the headlines will include speculation about the recall of luncheon meat.

Plus the power take-off, the cobalt bomb, and circus porn