I won't do your research for you, but I will concede that your points are valid re: economy consisting of more than just IT.
Here's what I've noticed in the past 1-2 years:
- record low interest rates to boost spending due to low retail demand.
- record personal debt rates
- record high back-inventory for major manufacturing industries, including technology and automanufacturers (see: unprecedented purchase offers and financing for new autos from Ford, GM, etc)
- questionable job 'recovery' statistics. recovery is most likely through McJobs vs careers.
- flat stockmarkets; rollbacks in ALL sectors eliminating modest gains from late 2003.
After 3+ years of downturn (e.g. wasn't there an article detailing the net-loss of 400,000 IT jobs in North American just a few days ago here on slashdot?) it will take more than a one-time modest increase to give the Bush administration credit.
If things do turn around over several successful quarters, you can ask this question again and expect a fair answer.
Given the relatively bleak outlook on the economy right now, I don't think that this is likely. Typically there is a modest boost in economic output during an election year due to American optimism, but even THAT effect is heavily muted this year.
Your numbers are very compelling. I will actually go and do more research to see if I get similar numbers, with comparable values, from different sources to confirm their accuracy. I have never seen numbers to suggest Canada had anything more than half the gun-death rate than that of the US, but your sources are at the very least neutral in nature.
I will challenge your argument, however, that Canada has a greater distributed population between urban/rural areas. The vast majority of our population (80%+) lives within 100 miles of the US border, and most of these are urban areas: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnpieg, Windsor, London, Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, and Halifax -- there's not much to Canada outside of these areas aside from space.
I think it goes beyond Clinton's economic policies. The IT boom of the late 90s was a 'perfect storm' of activity in technology that had to slow at some point. What happened in IT between 1995-2000 that was so unique?
1. Y2k crisis. it didn't become a crisis, but only because BILLIONS of $ was spent retrofitting and replacing systems.
2. Death of client server, rise of internet. Booms in networking, servers, and application development.
3. Establishment of Microsoft as a monopoly. Microsoft established is true dominance starting with Windows95. Lots of heavy investment in Microsoft over this timespan -- Office, Outlook, divestment of MS-DOS era.
This downturn was inevitable. The question is, have our economic leaders done everything they can to pull us out of it? I'd argue no, but it is probably a relative measure...
He'd be a fool to respond with the same snarky sarcasm present in some of the questions that were posed, but at the same time he showed a sense of humour in his responses. His "when did you stop beating your wife" reference was bang on and yet he still answered the question as directly as could be expected.
Just asI would not expect a defense attorney to prove the prosecutor's case, I would not expect a CEO to criticise or make apparent weaknesses of his own company. However, I think he was at least forthright in his arguments in favour of their strategy, and was honest in assessing his competitive position in comparison to Apple and Windows. I found his analogy to Netscape relevant as to why they haven't opensourced the whole shop.
I'm using Real 10 and do agree its alot less intrusive than previous version. Its not my prefered media format, but I do not hestiate to view/listen to Real Media streams online anymore. Hopefully the company has learned its lesson.
I think its RIDICULOUS that you can copyright or trademark an object that occurs in nature. Yes yes yes, its only regarding music-based companies with the name "Apple", but this ranks right up there with McDonalds suing the McDonald clan in Scotland for mis-use of their copyright...
BTW, I'm working on my trademark of the world 'The'. I'm hoping the courts will also extend my title to mispellings like 'Teh' so that I can assume title of the internet through spurious lawsuits...
Good collection of stats, and I agree with your top 10 recommendations to improve safety.
One point re: sexual assault. Having taken some sociology courses at UofT during my degree (graduated '97) one point one of my profs constantly made was how loosely based the 'sexual assault' definition was in Canadian law vs US. For the US sexual assault almost always requires some form of penetrative sex; in Canada it can be as minor as a single incident of groping a clothed person. Assault is also, as you mention, broken down into numerous categories based on severity which makes an apples-to-apples comparison very difficult.
On thing I remember finding interesting was that brawling is much more common in Canada, especially in rural areas, than in the US. So there's lots of violence here (just look at hockey!) but it takes different forms.
You're more likely to die of accidental gun deaths, than to be killed by a home invasion. Or a mugging. Or a car-jacking. Or actually, take all those three together, and you're still much safer NOT having a gun in the house.
Be open minded, do the statistical math, and you'll know that owning a gun is no solution.
Asnwer this then: 1/5th the gun deaths in Canada compared to the US. We watch your shows, we listen to your music, we buy the same cars, food, etc. Except we have very strict handgun laws, and you don't. We even have the same % of rifle ownership as the US per capita, its just the limited access to handguns and assualt-style semi-automatics that makes up the difference.
As for criminals being afraid of armed citizens, I am too -- and I'm not a criminal. That statistic has no relevance.
Re:I think they should give Ken Alex's job.
on
They Killed Ken!
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Don't underestimate Trebek... he's a pretty smart guy himself. If for no other reason than he's read trivia questions for 20 years straight.;)
Seriously, he's more than a stuffed shirt that you see on most other gameshows.
I don't think things are as dire as you portray. For one, the US wouldn't need to boycott China alone... it would try to convince the WTO and other organisations that it would be in their best interest to force China to support their own currency (e.g. like every other non-3rd world country in the world). US sanctions = limited. WTO sanctions = universal. I think that there is enough fear of China to accomplish this.
Second, China's economy is still relatively basic in the sense that it is manufacturing based, and relies primarily on selling to foreign customers. If the US is doing poorly, China will suffer. China does not have a culture of innovation expressed on an international statge at this time -- what has China produced that is compelling, or would indicate that they are a world leader? It is a country that has difficulty feeding 2/3 its population, and has experienced an economic boom solely based on their ability to compete on price (e.g. India will eat their lunch, then Indonesia, then Africa or South America). China also suffers from a lack of natural resources...they import alot of their materials, which makes them very susceptible to a trade imbalance swinging against their favour.
I understand your concerns, and I too anticipate nervously the next world power to challenge the US' supremacy. However, it won't happen overnight, and there is a long way to go before the US is displaced as the undisputed #1 economic and miltiary global superpower.
If things really get bad, I expect the US to force (via sanctions if necessary) China to stop from valuating their currency against the USD. Right now China is booming, but they haven't had to put on the brakes because by tying their currency to the USD, they can avoid apparent inflation. China isn't having to make all the hard economic decisions that free markets have to make day after day. While Walmart and other companies continue to enjoy the low low wages for manufacturing, this will eventually catch up and work in the US' favour.
My $0.02 as a armchair canadian macroeconomist wannabe.
Given the example of 'cognac glasses', i think it subtly shows just how out-of-touch Valenti is with the consumers. His example would have been just as relevant if he was talking about bottles of Coke.
For what its worth, Pauline Kael agreed with you. I believe she refered to it as "Kubrick's trainset"...implying an adolescant director's mindset.
I disagree, as does Ebert. But at least this movie is worth arguing about.... god forbid this turns into a discussion about the finer aspects of meteorite #61231-A from Armagedon.
I'd like to point out that it has not been proven whether we have the right to legally share copyrighted music. The point proven in a court of law was that the standard of evidence presented for copyright infringement by the CRIA was insufficient to proceed with copyright infringement charges against individuals (basically the John Doe approach was rejected by Canadian courts).
The argument that 'sharing music online was like a photocopier' was in favour of treating the technology as a neutral medium, and that it was the activities of the users that needed to be questioned. ~Another~ A+ for common sense...
However...
I'm glad that our courts are more prudent and careful with judgements, but I'm less confident that our government will pass laws that are more open than the US. Just take a look at the joke called CRTC...
ok ok ok, i got a bit excited with my hyperbole...
My point was that sci-fi writers write on the basis of 'what if'.
Alot of, most of, the writers and works you identified are communications vehicles for social commentary. People analysing the environment around them and asking "why is this the way it is?". they use literature or the printed word to communicate ideas and to gradually evolve soceity. Also, the concepts discussed are not HARD CONCEPTS or PHYSICAL OBJECTS. They are discussing social trends, abstract theories that are not definitively 'right' or 'wrong'. they're contributing to a shared dialogue about the society they live in.
Sci-fi writers, on the other hand, invent concepts or devices that don't exist, then extrapolate what they can do. They're INVENTING. The objects they conceive of change society merely by being. SF includes trends about social engineering too, but in this way they're more in common with the previous works you identified.
I'm an english lit/history major, so I'm well aware of the works you've cited. I just see SF as a unique experience in literature that doesn't get the credit its due.
One of the great things about sci-fi as a thematic backdrop (be it literature or movies/tv) is that it alone of all the genres has the possibility of inspiring a tangible effect upon the real world.
I remember an interview with James Doohan where he said his greatest pride that came from his career was that he inspired other people to pursue careers where they could make a difference to the world. How many engineers became engineers or went into sciences because of Star Trek?
I'm familiar with the Arthur C Clarke suggesting satellites; I doubt a similar cause/effect with Star Trek IV happened here. However, the similarities are cool, and at least with this genre there is the POSSIBILITY of changing the world for the better.
PS Fortunately such transitions from sci-fi fantasy to real world are few and far between. 90%+ of tv SF and pulp SF is dreck, and I myself and not looking forward to a Brave New World...
I would rather have the university subsidize my textbooks rather than get an iPod.
Don't delude yourself into a second into not thinking that this is self-serving on both Apple's and Duke's part... the students are consumers of both of their services.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
on
Star Wars on DVD
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Completely different kettle of fish here.
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Second, the previous version is still availalbe in print. Some editions of The Hobbit include both chapters so that the reader can make the difference. There has been no active attempt to surpress or prevent the distribution of the original version.
Finally, I'd argue that a popular, visual, commercial medium that is available for a 20 year period because a culturally shared product. I fear that just like people are still trying to rebuild/recreate the original version of Metropolis (Fritz Lang) or The Magnificent Ambersons, down the road a high-resolution version of Star Wars/Empire/ROTJ won't be available and it will be lost to the ages.
Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success.
Slashdot Mirror
I won't do your research for you, but I will concede that your points are valid re: economy consisting of more than just IT.
Here's what I've noticed in the past 1-2 years:
- record low interest rates to boost spending due to low retail demand.
- record personal debt rates
- record high back-inventory for major manufacturing industries, including technology and automanufacturers (see: unprecedented purchase offers and financing for new autos from Ford, GM, etc)
- questionable job 'recovery' statistics. recovery is most likely through McJobs vs careers.
- flat stockmarkets; rollbacks in ALL sectors eliminating modest gains from late 2003.
After 3+ years of downturn (e.g. wasn't there an article detailing the net-loss of 400,000 IT jobs in North American just a few days ago here on slashdot?) it will take more than a one-time modest increase to give the Bush administration credit.
If things do turn around over several successful quarters, you can ask this question again and expect a fair answer.
Given the relatively bleak outlook on the economy right now, I don't think that this is likely. Typically there is a modest boost in economic output during an election year due to American optimism, but even THAT effect is heavily muted this year.
With a -85C ambient temperature, think of how much you could overclock your Athlons...
Your numbers are very compelling. I will actually go and do more research to see if I get similar numbers, with comparable values, from different sources to confirm their accuracy. I have never seen numbers to suggest Canada had anything more than half the gun-death rate than that of the US, but your sources are at the very least neutral in nature.
I will challenge your argument, however, that Canada has a greater distributed population between urban/rural areas. The vast majority of our population (80%+) lives within 100 miles of the US border, and most of these are urban areas: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnpieg, Windsor, London, Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, and Halifax -- there's not much to Canada outside of these areas aside from space.
I think it goes beyond Clinton's economic policies. The IT boom of the late 90s was a 'perfect storm' of activity in technology that had to slow at some point. What happened in IT between 1995-2000 that was so unique?
1. Y2k crisis. it didn't become a crisis, but only because BILLIONS of $ was spent retrofitting and replacing systems.
2. Death of client server, rise of internet. Booms in networking, servers, and application development.
3. Establishment of Microsoft as a monopoly. Microsoft established is true dominance starting with Windows95. Lots of heavy investment in Microsoft over this timespan -- Office, Outlook, divestment of MS-DOS era.
This downturn was inevitable. The question is, have our economic leaders done everything they can to pull us out of it? I'd argue no, but it is probably a relative measure...
He'd be a fool to respond with the same snarky sarcasm present in some of the questions that were posed, but at the same time he showed a sense of humour in his responses. His "when did you stop beating your wife" reference was bang on and yet he still answered the question as directly as could be expected.
Just asI would not expect a defense attorney to prove the prosecutor's case, I would not expect a CEO to criticise or make apparent weaknesses of his own company. However, I think he was at least forthright in his arguments in favour of their strategy, and was honest in assessing his competitive position in comparison to Apple and Windows. I found his analogy to Netscape relevant as to why they haven't opensourced the whole shop.
I'm using Real 10 and do agree its alot less intrusive than previous version. Its not my prefered media format, but I do not hestiate to view/listen to Real Media streams online anymore. Hopefully the company has learned its lesson.
I think its RIDICULOUS that you can copyright or trademark an object that occurs in nature. Yes yes yes, its only regarding music-based companies with the name "Apple", but this ranks right up there with McDonalds suing the McDonald clan in Scotland for mis-use of their copyright...
BTW, I'm working on my trademark of the world 'The'. I'm hoping the courts will also extend my title to mispellings like 'Teh' so that I can assume title of the internet through spurious lawsuits...
I saw lots of comments on this, so I'll clarify that my comments were on a per-capita basis. I thought my measurement was implied, but it was not.
...to the inevitable discovery of a monolith and a solar baby.
Good collection of stats, and I agree with your top 10 recommendations to improve safety.
One point re: sexual assault. Having taken some sociology courses at UofT during my degree (graduated '97) one point one of my profs constantly made was how loosely based the 'sexual assault' definition was in Canadian law vs US. For the US sexual assault almost always requires some form of penetrative sex; in Canada it can be as minor as a single incident of groping a clothed person. Assault is also, as you mention, broken down into numerous categories based on severity which makes an apples-to-apples comparison very difficult.
On thing I remember finding interesting was that brawling is much more common in Canada, especially in rural areas, than in the US. So there's lots of violence here (just look at hockey!) but it takes different forms.
You're more likely to die of accidental gun deaths, than to be killed by a home invasion. Or a mugging. Or a car-jacking. Or actually, take all those three together, and you're still much safer NOT having a gun in the house.
Be open minded, do the statistical math, and you'll know that owning a gun is no solution.
I'd prefer K-9, but only if I lived in a single floor bungalow...
Asnwer this then: 1/5th the gun deaths in Canada compared to the US. We watch your shows, we listen to your music, we buy the same cars, food, etc. Except we have very strict handgun laws, and you don't. We even have the same % of rifle ownership as the US per capita, its just the limited access to handguns and assualt-style semi-automatics that makes up the difference.
As for criminals being afraid of armed citizens, I am too -- and I'm not a criminal. That statistic has no relevance.
Don't underestimate Trebek... he's a pretty smart guy himself. If for no other reason than he's read trivia questions for 20 years straight. ;)
Seriously, he's more than a stuffed shirt that you see on most other gameshows.
Can someone just mod this whole 'story' as Insightful?
I don't think things are as dire as you portray. For one, the US wouldn't need to boycott China alone... it would try to convince the WTO and other organisations that it would be in their best interest to force China to support their own currency (e.g. like every other non-3rd world country in the world). US sanctions = limited. WTO sanctions = universal. I think that there is enough fear of China to accomplish this.
Second, China's economy is still relatively basic in the sense that it is manufacturing based, and relies primarily on selling to foreign customers. If the US is doing poorly, China will suffer. China does not have a culture of innovation expressed on an international statge at this time -- what has China produced that is compelling, or would indicate that they are a world leader? It is a country that has difficulty feeding 2/3 its population, and has experienced an economic boom solely based on their ability to compete on price (e.g. India will eat their lunch, then Indonesia, then Africa or South America). China also suffers from a lack of natural resources...they import alot of their materials, which makes them very susceptible to a trade imbalance swinging against their favour.
I understand your concerns, and I too anticipate nervously the next world power to challenge the US' supremacy. However, it won't happen overnight, and there is a long way to go before the US is displaced as the undisputed #1 economic and miltiary global superpower.
If things really get bad, I expect the US to force (via sanctions if necessary) China to stop from valuating their currency against the USD. Right now China is booming, but they haven't had to put on the brakes because by tying their currency to the USD, they can avoid apparent inflation. China isn't having to make all the hard economic decisions that free markets have to make day after day. While Walmart and other companies continue to enjoy the low low wages for manufacturing, this will eventually catch up and work in the US' favour.
My $0.02 as a armchair canadian macroeconomist wannabe.
Given the example of 'cognac glasses', i think it subtly shows just how out-of-touch Valenti is with the consumers. His example would have been just as relevant if he was talking about bottles of Coke.
For what its worth, Pauline Kael agreed with you. I believe she refered to it as "Kubrick's trainset"...implying an adolescant director's mindset.
I disagree, as does Ebert. But at least this movie is worth arguing about.... god forbid this turns into a discussion about the finer aspects of meteorite #61231-A from Armagedon.
I'd like to point out that it has not been proven whether we have the right to legally share copyrighted music. The point proven in a court of law was that the standard of evidence presented for copyright infringement by the CRIA was insufficient to proceed with copyright infringement charges against individuals (basically the John Doe approach was rejected by Canadian courts).
The argument that 'sharing music online was like a photocopier' was in favour of treating the technology as a neutral medium, and that it was the activities of the users that needed to be questioned. ~Another~ A+ for common sense...
However...
I'm glad that our courts are more prudent and careful with judgements, but I'm less confident that our government will pass laws that are more open than the US. Just take a look at the joke called CRTC...
Shipping options:
1. Cash'n'Carry @ Minas Tirith ("Boromir rate")
2. Airmail via Tolkien's Macguffin Delivery Service ("Just use the damn eagles")
3. Ground delivery a.k.a Redundant Hobbits
ok ok ok, i got a bit excited with my hyperbole...
My point was that sci-fi writers write on the basis of 'what if'.
Alot of, most of, the writers and works you identified are communications vehicles for social commentary. People analysing the environment around them and asking "why is this the way it is?". they use literature or the printed word to communicate ideas and to gradually evolve soceity. Also, the concepts discussed are not HARD CONCEPTS or PHYSICAL OBJECTS. They are discussing social trends, abstract theories that are not definitively 'right' or 'wrong'. they're contributing to a shared dialogue about the society they live in.
Sci-fi writers, on the other hand, invent concepts or devices that don't exist, then extrapolate what they can do. They're INVENTING. The objects they conceive of change society merely by being. SF includes trends about social engineering too, but in this way they're more in common with the previous works you identified.
I'm an english lit/history major, so I'm well aware of the works you've cited. I just see SF as a unique experience in literature that doesn't get the credit its due.
One of the great things about sci-fi as a thematic backdrop (be it literature or movies/tv) is that it alone of all the genres has the possibility of inspiring a tangible effect upon the real world.
I remember an interview with James Doohan where he said his greatest pride that came from his career was that he inspired other people to pursue careers where they could make a difference to the world. How many engineers became engineers or went into sciences because of Star Trek?
I'm familiar with the Arthur C Clarke suggesting satellites; I doubt a similar cause/effect with Star Trek IV happened here. However, the similarities are cool, and at least with this genre there is the POSSIBILITY of changing the world for the better.
PS Fortunately such transitions from sci-fi fantasy to real world are few and far between. 90%+ of tv SF and pulp SF is dreck, and I myself and not looking forward to a Brave New World...
I would rather have the university subsidize my textbooks rather than get an iPod.
Don't delude yourself into a second into not thinking that this is self-serving on both Apple's and Duke's part... the students are consumers of both of their services.
Completely different kettle of fish here.
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Second, the previous version is still availalbe in print. Some editions of The Hobbit include both chapters so that the reader can make the difference. There has been no active attempt to surpress or prevent the distribution of the original version.
Finally, I'd argue that a popular, visual, commercial medium that is available for a 20 year period because a culturally shared product. I fear that just like people are still trying to rebuild/recreate the original version of Metropolis (Fritz Lang) or The Magnificent Ambersons, down the road a high-resolution version of Star Wars/Empire/ROTJ won't be available and it will be lost to the ages.
Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success.