A Wakeup Call for the US? or Just another chance to press the snooze button?

It seems like the US is trying to blame everyone else for it's problem.  If American politicians could solve their debt problem with the same passion and vigor that they attacked the downgrade of American debt, there wouldn't be a debt problem. The basic answer is that American politicians are attacking the S&P because it's put the spotlight on them.  S&P has said it's not about the short term ability for the US to pay it's debts,  it's about the US ability to, in the long term, solve it's dependence on borrowing money.



One thing that has come out of all this is that S&P has been criticized for getting it wrong on subprime mortgages before when they rated them as AAA right up to the very end.  I guess I would say that maybe they're just being more realistic now and rating things as they see them rather than getting caught up in the hysteria or excitement of the moment as they did in the past.

Of course it's not as if the S&P is the only one calling the US government on the carpet for it's dependence on debt.  China, the US's largest creditor, has also criticized the US dependence on debt.  While the S&P downgrade is a problem, one would wonder what would happen if China suddenly pulled the plug and showed up to collect?

The American Peso?

I have nothing against the Peso of other countries such as Mexico and the Philippines but if the US doesn't get it's act together the US Dollar isn't going to be valuable enough to buy 1 of either.  While the US is in an ideological game of chicken, the value of it's currency is slipping away.  It seems obvious to the American public that both raising taxes and cutting spending is necessary but all of this is lost on the Republicans and Democrats as they try to stake their positions and prepare to get elected again in 2012.  Though what will be left to get elected to lead is hard to imagine if this doesn't get sorted out. While they talk again and again about an August 2nd deadline the world has already given up.  Right now traders a fleeing the dollar like so many rats leaving a sinking ship raising the price of gold and driving up other currencies like the Canadian dollar.  As this flight from the US Dollar accelerates it may not matter whether a solution on the "debt crisis" is found or not. By the end the dollar might be worthless and inflation might already be accelerating to a point where the US economy can never recover.

Of Course failing to find a solution to the debt crisis is unthinkable.  If a solution is not found social security checks won't go out, soldiers won't be paid and millions across the country will be out of work as hundreds of federal agencies will be forced to close. 

The suggestion that this is all just "an American Problem" is pure fiction.  If the American economy sinks the rest of the world is going to go down with the ship.

Shaw delays wireless launch

CBC News - Calgary - Shaw delays wireless launch

Shaw is delaying the launch of their wireless product by 3 months. Unfortunately that means you still have a year to wait till you can ditch your current provider for another. Shaw still hasn't announced much detail on it's wireless network such as coverage, plans or the type of hardware it will be supporting. So it's difficult to know how much you would be able to save with a switch but it will likely be just enough to temp customers away from rival carriers. The one advantage of being last to market is that you get to see everyone else's hands. It's like being the last person on the price is right you can say 1$ or 1001$ to allow you to sneak in an poach someone else's bid.

An Evening Walk

A walk is something that is more difficult than sitting in front of the tv, however it can be more relaxing.  There is something nice about a walk on a crisp fall evening.  You get to experience the sunset and see the leaves falling from the trees.  You can see people finishing up their yard work for the year and getting ready for a long winter to set in.  Sometimes we miss out on the opportunities to take a walk, get outside and experience the world though something other than a computer or a tv.

Sportsnet One

Yay, finally Canucks, Flames and Oilers fans will be able to see their Team on Sportsnet One this year, (provided they live in the right market of course) as Shaw has picked up the channel.  Oh yeah and Blue Jays fans, if there are any left, will also be able to watch their team. It is hard to know whether any other companies will pick up the channel or how much Shaw will charge for the channel once the free preview is over on October 3rd, but for the moment anyways, balance has been restored to the world.  The Channel is on 225 in HD and channel 159 in SD on Shaw Cable in Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary with other cities arriving shortly.

Developers and poorly worded documentation

Today I found out that even reading the fine print doesn't always matter.  The developer for my area apparently has a thing against cedar trees and rather than list this type of tree in the list of unacceptable trees it assumes that every tree that looks like disallowed tree (a Juniper) will be recognized as not allowed.  I complained about this oversight and was provided with documentation from other areas saying that Junipers and Cedars are really just bushes.  I complained some more and was provided with a "well not much we can do" look. So now i have a week to find and plant a different type of tree and find a place to put my cedar, which can go in the yard but is not acceptable as my landscape tree.