Stories and Commentary

Stories and Commentary

One thing the Internet seems to encourage is the desire to write down every stupid idea that the writer thinks is clever or novel. It also seems to encourage everyone to think that they're competent writers...

Ok, so I'm not immune either. :)

Editorials

The View from the Middle

Everyone on the Internet has an opinion about something - these are mine. I read a lot of strange ideas and opinions about computers and I've tried to drop in a comment from time to time, but I'd rather just say what I want to say without having to jump through an editor's hoop.

Fiction

Nocturnesque

I wanted to write a werewolf story which was different - not a dreary unhappy thing where the werewolves are all miserable and doomed... and I also wanted to try something odd in the way the story worked. This is what I came up with. It's long... and the whole thing was written in a way contrived never to reveal the names of our main characters (which isn't easy, let me tell you...). Not a brilliant work, I'm afraid, but I enjoyed it.

Immolate Recall

This story is about a possible future where businesses take the concept of copyrights a little too far. When I originally wrote this, I had been reading an article on how memory is stored and then had read the copyright in a British novel - something clicked.

A Flaw in Capitalism

This is a small essay about a mathematical weakness in capitalism. It shows that there is a basic flaw in the way traditional (or idealistic) capitalism works. It also discusses a serious problem with employment and shows why welfare is actually a good idea - even though it can't work.

This essay always generates a lot of angst in people which is unfortunate, but is to be expected - I'm challenging a religion here, but if you read it and feel angry and want to write a couple of pages of insults and expletives, feel free - the beauty of electronic mail is that I can delete it in one click.

Essential Reading

I strongly recommend reading Jeremy Rifkin's "The End of Work" (ISBN 0-87477-779-8 G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishers 1995). I found this book in Jan 1996, and it was reassuring to see that someone else has noticed the trends I had - even if we disagree on some of the details.

Another excellent book is Angus Reid's "Shakedown" (ISBN- 0-7704-2761-8 McClelland-Bantum Inc 1996) . He discusses the trends in Canada which stem from systemic changes in the culture in Canada over the past twenty years, mostly because of American cultural and economic influences on Canada. He offers a number of interesting views and possible solutions as well. Reid is the founder of Angus Reid Polling, one of the most respected polling agencies in Canada, which has been taking the pulse of Canadian opinion for several decades and as such has access to upfront insight about how Canadian think.

John Ralston Saul's "The Unconsious Civilisation" (ISBN 0-88784-5762 House of Anansi Press, 1995) provides a similar view to the future of Canada that Shakedown does, but presents it from a philosophical standpoint and offers some very different solutions. He is the only author of the one's I cite who is daring enough to say that perhaps we should just not play the Global Economy game. He also offers ways to make Canada work even if we do stay in the game.

Finally, a must for all Canadians who want to know where this is all heading and more importantly, where it all came from, check out David Orchard's "The Fight for Canada: Four Centuries of Resistance to American Expansionism." (ISBN 0-7737-5569-1 Stoddart Press 1993) . This is a rivetting and more than a bit disturbing account of the American "Manifest Destiny" concept as it applies to Canada and Mexico. He recounts repeated military actions against Canada by the US starting in 1613 and ending in the War of 1812 to be followed by economic and cultural attacks continuing to this day, the most recent of which being the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA).

To understand why I think the NAFTA agreement is flawed and favours the US unfairly, compare NAFTA to the European Community (EC). One major difference is that in the EC, workers are considered to have the same status as businesses. As an EC citizen, I can, as a worker, travel to all countries in the EC and sell my skill and time as I see fit without even having to apply for special access - I just move to where I want to work and work.

However, as a Canadian citizen (or worse, a Mexican citizen) in the NAFTA, no such general movement of workers is allowed. Only people with degrees or who are in professional associations (which generally require a degree or a degree level of education) can move, and then only with appropriate documentation. The NAFTA agreement continues a long standing distinction between a worker and an employer while the EC, for the most part, does away with this distinction.

Since the US has the largest market and strongest economy of the three current NAFTA members, it's not surprising that there would tend to be a flow of people seeking employment to the US. Yet, there is little to stop the flow of businesses out of the US into Canada and Mexico where workers are generally paid less. The agreement clearly favours American businesses at the expense of Canadian and Mexican workers.

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Comments? Mail me.


			Stories and Commentary

			One thing the Internet seems to encourage is the desire to write down every stupid idea that the writer thinks is clever or novel. It also seems to encourage everyone to think that they're competent writers... Ok, so I'm not immune either. :) Editorials The View from the Middle Everyone on the Internet has an opinion about something - these are mine. I read a lot of strange ideas and opinions about computers and I've tried to drop in a comment from time to time, but I'd rather just say what I want to say without having to jump through an editor's hoop. Fiction Nocturnesque I wanted to write a werewolf story which was different - not a dreary unhappy thing where the werewolves are all miserable and doomed... and I also wanted to try something odd in the way the story worked. This is what I came up with. It's long... and the whole thing was written in a way contrived never to reveal the names of our main characters (which isn't easy, let me tell you...). Not a brilliant work, I'm afraid, but I enjoyed it. Immolate Recall This story is about a possible future where businesses take the concept of copyrights a little too far. When I originally wrote this, I had been reading an article on how memory is stored and then had read the copyright in a British novel - something clicked. A Flaw in Capitalism This is a small essay about a mathematical weakness in capitalism. It shows that there is a basic flaw in the way traditional (or idealistic) capitalism works. It also discusses a serious problem with employment and shows why welfare is actually a good idea - even though it can't work. This essay always generates a lot of angst in people which is unfortunate, but is to be expected - I'm challenging a religion here, but if you read it and feel angry and want to write a couple of pages of insults and expletives, feel free - the beauty of electronic mail is that I can delete it in one click. Essential Reading I strongly recommend reading Jeremy Rifkin's "The End of Work" (ISBN 0-87477-779-8 G. P. Putnam's Sons Publishers 1995). I found this book in Jan 1996, and it was reassuring to see that someone else has noticed the trends I had - even if we disagree on some of the details. Another excellent book is Angus Reid's "Shakedown" (ISBN- 0-7704-2761-8 McClelland-Bantum Inc 1996) . He discusses the trends in Canada which stem from systemic changes in the culture in Canada over the past twenty years, mostly because of American cultural and economic influences on Canada. He offers a number of interesting views and possible solutions as well. Reid is the founder of Angus Reid Polling, one of the most respected polling agencies in Canada, which has been taking the pulse of Canadian opinion for several decades and as such has access to upfront insight about how Canadian think. John Ralston Saul's "The Unconsious Civilisation" (ISBN 0-88784-5762 House of Anansi Press, 1995) provides a similar view to the future of Canada that Shakedown does, but presents it from a philosophical standpoint and offers some very different solutions. He is the only author of the one's I cite who is daring enough to say that perhaps we should just not play the Global Economy game. He also offers ways to make Canada work even if we do stay in the game. Finally, a must for all Canadians who want to know where this is all heading and more importantly, where it all came from, check out David Orchard's "The Fight for Canada: Four Centuries of Resistance to American Expansionism." (ISBN 0-7737-5569-1 Stoddart Press 1993) . This is a rivetting and more than a bit disturbing account of the American "Manifest Destiny" concept as it applies to Canada and Mexico. He recounts repeated military actions against Canada by the US starting in 1613 and ending in the War of 1812 to be followed by economic and cultural attacks continuing to this day, the most recent of which being the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA). To understand why I think the NAFTA agreement is flawed and favours the US unfairly, compare NAFTA to the European Community (EC). One major difference is that in the EC, workers are considered to have the same status as businesses. As an EC citizen, I can, as a worker, travel to all countries in the EC and sell my skill and time as I see fit without even having to apply for special access - I just move to where I want to work and work. However, as a Canadian citizen (or worse, a Mexican citizen) in the NAFTA, no such general movement of workers is allowed. Only people with degrees or who are in professional associations (which generally require a degree or a degree level of education) can move, and then only with appropriate documentation. The NAFTA agreement continues a long standing distinction between a worker and an employer while the EC, for the most part, does away with this distinction. Since the US has the largest market and strongest economy of the three current NAFTA members, it's not surprising that there would tend to be a flow of people seeking employment to the US. Yet, there is little to stop the flow of businesses out of the US into Canada and Mexico where workers are generally paid less. The agreement clearly favours American businesses at the expense of Canadian and Mexican workers.

			Click on images to see full sized versions Want to use these images? Click here. Comments? Mail me.