Fun With Crayons

Looking for fun (.PDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) on a rainy day? Throw away the rest of those Crayolas, but keep the grey. Lawyers. Who says we don't know how to a good time?

If you have a really sick sense of humour, you may also enjoy the collections at Coloring Book.

Do Skyrocketing Prices Signal The End Of An Age?

I hate to say I told you so. I really do. In this instance, I would have much preferred to be wrong.

The price of oil continues to skyrocket and gas prices are rising in step. The price of a barrel of crude sits at $65.45 USD and the average price at the pumps in Ontario is approximately 20 cents higher than at this time last summer.

How long can this upard trend possibly last? "The general view is that anything like this would be temporary," says John Hamilton, a spokesperson for Petro-Canada. "But we've got to watch to see where the commodities market goes." Of course, if you've read my previous post on peak oil, you'll know that it's my opinion that there will be no permanent price relief. Globally, the easily accessible crude has already been tapped and there is little or no surplus refining capacity. As oil investors come to terms with this new reality, they are growing increasingly sensitive to any sign of regional instability and other factors that threaten to even temporarily disrupt production. The price of crude is being driven up accordingly. The market will become even more sensitive as supply stagnates and eventually begins to dwindle. I hesitate to offer the following prediction, as I’m far from an industry analyst, but it seems to be a safe bet that gas prices in Ontario will hit $1.20 CAD by the end of the summer and then either level off or climb in small spurts throughout the winter months. Even if the market does temporarily equilibrate, those expecting a return to the days of the three digit gas station sign will be disappointed.

Up until now, demand has been fairly elastic. People are loath to acknowledge the beginning of the end of the age of oil. After all, in addition to keeping us on the move, petroleum keeps our bellies full, our bodies healthy and our credit cards constantly maxed out. Still, consumers are starting to feel and react to the impact of ever-increasing fuel costs. Airlines have increased their fares and, in some areas, year-over-year gasoline consumption has been showing a decline. The reality is that consumers can expect an increasing burden from rising fuel costs, not only at the pump, but the shopping mall and grocery store too.

Since this spike isn’t being driven by an artificial constriction of supply, as it was in 1973, the only solution to rising energy costs is to fully develop a range of alternative energy sources. Though nuclear may enjoy a resurgence, such plants are expensive and take a long time to build. Not to mention that no one has yet to figure out what to do with spent fuel rods. The future lies in renewable energy, especially solar and wind. Unfortunately, humanity has so far chosen to sleepwalk into the future rather than acknowledge the looming energy shortage. Even if we were to simultaneously awaken from our collective slumber, no alternative energy program, no matter how vigorously pursued, would allow us to avoid the major and possibly catastrophic consequences of the end of an age.

My Therapist Says I Shouldn't Bottle This Stuff Up

Do you know how to use an elevator? You may think you do. It's likely, however, that you're one of the depressingly large number of people who are clueless when it comes to efficient human-elevator interaction. Nothing grates my nerves more than watching an otherwise fully functional adult walk onto a 'down' elevator when they really want to go 'up'. Take a tip from me, people. If your button's still lit up, then your elevator just plain ain't here yet.

Canada Must Learn To Speak The Only Language The U.S. Understands

With a bitch slap heard from coast to coast, the United States has given it to us good with their refusal to acknowledge a recent decision (.PDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) by the NAFTA Extraordinary Challenge Committee (ECC) concerning the long-running softwood lumber dispute between our two nations. The ECC, a top-level NAFTA panel, unanimously agreed that Canada has not been violating the international trade agreement by subsidizing lumber producers. The U.S. now owes us a whopping $5.5 billion plus interest in collected duties. In the place of a large novelty cheque, however, the U.S. has decided to offer us a quick punch to the gut. Classic playground bully.

With this brash and complete dismissal of a key NAFTA dispute resolution mechanism, the U.S. has put the future of free trade in the Americas in jeopardy. Any international agreement is only as strong as the commitment of the parties involved. As things now stand, NAFTA is effectively neutered. Worse than that, the treaty has become a mechanism for a country drunk on its own delusions of empire to take advantage of what it sees as a quiet and vulnerable friend.

There’s only one course of action open to us if we’re to protect ourselves from this diplomatic date rape. It’s time for an ultimatum. The U.S. must turn over the entire $5.5 billion or see its largest trading partner withdraw from NAFTA all together. In other words, it’s time to scream ‘rape’.

I know such a response seems extreme, even dangerous, but it's the only language the current U.S. administration understands. The threat of severely restricted access to our enormous stores of oil and gas and to our $200 billion market for American goods will cause an otherwise out of control administration to sober up and take notice. Canada is now the largest supplier of oil to the U.S., ahead of Saudi Arabia. The cost of access to such an abundant natural resource is sincerity, trust and respect. If Canadians feel they are being taken advantage of then the taps turn off. That’s a message any energy-loving American can understand.

P.S. It’s been exactly four weeks since my last post. My absence is the result of a mid-summer change in priorities -– a shift towards family, friends and full-time work. Still, the itch to write has been a constant companion this past month and I’ve finally decided to sit down and scratch it. I hope to write regularly, but will only do so only when inclination and free time coincide.