9.21.2007
Calamity List
It's time for the weekly look at what is going to Bring Down America. They say that sex sells, but so does impending doom.
1. The Loonie
The Canadians are gonna take over the world! Ok, maybe not, but that was my Pavlovian response to the latest drudgereport headlines.
So, what is the real deal behind this parity with the Canadian dollar? No more cheap prescriptions for the old folks hightailing it to Thunder Bay. No more cheap Molson. More Canadian tourists at Disneyland.
On a serious note, parity doesn't mean much of anything. When looking at the currencies individually, it may be a bit unnerving to see a weaker US dollar. When looking at those dollars in a macro sense, the US dollar is light years beyond the Canadian dollar in terms of purchasing power, personal income, and over economic influence worldwide.
In addition, the Canadian dollar is inflated in value due to the decline in the US dollar, not because of exponential growth in all things Canadian. When the US dollar bounces back, the loonie will return to normal levels rather than maintain parity.
2. Ahmadinejad vs. Ground Zero
I may be missing the point about all this hoopla surrounding Ahmadinejad's desire to visit Ground Zero. There are two major memes floating around the internet that are quite disturbing. First of all, Iranians are Persian. Are they Arabian like the internets seem to believe? No. Second of all, Iran has never been complicit in the events of 9/11. The current thinking seems to be Osama=Iraq=Iran. Not only is this a major fallacy in thinking, it is a deep misunderstanding of world cultures.
However, I do have misgivings about Iran in that they are supporting terrorism in their own right. How can we rightfully allow this man to visit the most sacred memorial on American soil - a site that is a direct result of terrorism?
The answer is that we allow him to visit because we are America. Despite our tensions with Iran, we are still America. Just the thought of us allowing a diplomat from a terrorist-supporting nation to visit Ground Zero is a testament to our openness and freedoms. Are we the land of the brave or the land of the meek? By not allowing Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero, we have given in to our fears.
3. OJ Simpson
The Great American Bogeyman is back, but not with the same flare as before. I guess robbery just doesn't capture the zeitgeist as a good old-fashioned murder.
Despite the overall indifference from everyday Americans, the media is trying their best at hyping this is OJ Trial 2008.
There are just too many "wtf?" moments about this entire episode. Why did Riccio call up OJ, suggesting they go get his stuff, then turn around and stab him in the back a la TMZ.com? Setup much? What the heck is going on with that other guy that stormed the breach with OJ, pretending to be a cop? Wasn't OJ just trying to get his stuff back? All these questions and more will most assuredly be answered in the coming weeks.
Until then, as Tupac once said, "...free like OJ, all day."
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