Occasionally Wright

Yo-Yo Dollar

Want to make some money on the currency exchange markets? Just ask me when I'll be going to Georgia and when Meg will be coming up to Canada. Without fail the Canadian dollar takes a hit shortly before I go down south and goes on a tear right before Meg visits Ottawa. Case in point- I'm going to Georgia and Tennessee two and a half weeks and the Canadian dollar is a at a seven-month low. An election call might stop the bleeding as Paul Martin can't give away billions of dollars in government surplus once Parliament is shut down. On the other hand Meg might be coming to Canada in late August/early September. Plan your investments accordingly.

Getting Noticed

I'm a bit slow in mentioning it but Lana Stewart of Place + Thyme was featured in Saturday's Citizen, as was Mike of Ottawa Sports Blog. That makes me the only member of the Axis of Islanders to not be interviewed by the local media. Lana has also launched a portfolio site where you can view (and buy) some of her prints. Check it out.

What's to Become of Disc Golf on PEI?

You'd be hard pressed to find an official announcement anywhere on a PEI Parks page but the provincial government is closing Strathgartney Park for budgetary reasons. It makes perfectly good sense since it's only the most picturesque provincial park I've been to on the Island. With easy access from the Trans Canada, a central location close to Charlottetown and camping, hiking and disc golf available why would you want to keep it open? Afterall, PEI's not really known for tourism or its scenery so why support the provincial parks system? What will become of PEI's best disc golf course (which played host to the annual silverorange frisbee golf tournament for charity)?

I'm counting on Crapaud-Hazelgrove MLA Carolyn Bertram to fight the good fight. If she can politic as well as she played clarinet (or was she a flautist?) back when we were in band together in high school then Strathgartney is in good hands.

Dose

As of yesterday there's a new free paper in Ottawa and unlike Xpress this one is issued daily. Dose is put out by CanWest Global (although you won't find that information on the site) and targets 18-34 year-olds. While it's hard to get a good feel for what they're doing when they've only put out two issues they seem to be going for short, short articles that are big on information and opinion, not so big on elaboration. So far Dose is available in printed form in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa.

I'll be keeping an eye on them. If nothing else it makes for interesting bus reading.

What's Family For?

Somehow I don't see my brother (or my sisters) paying me to not change my middle name. What a great scam. Now that I think about it the list of things people could pay me not to do is pretty long...

Craft Chaos

The PEI Crafts Council is crying foul because their government funding has been cut by half and they've been told this is the last year they'll be getting provincial funding. Apparently craft shopping is the second most popular activity undertaken by summer tourists so this is presumably to be seen as a major slight to craft makers all across the Island. How could the government possibly have the nerve to cut support to such a major player in the PEI economy? Talk about disrespect.

According to the Crafts Council executive director, Barb Boss, the craft industry on PEI is worth $30 million! Pretty impressive, huh? That's why it boggles my mind that they're complaining about losing a $20,000 grant. That's right, $20,000.

If the craft industry is so important and lucrative and actually is worth $30 million annually you;d think they'd be able to support their own council instead of depending on a government handout.

Queen Street Commons

If there was something like the new Queen Street Commons in Ottawa I'd be signing up tomorrow. Basically it's office and meeting space at an incredibly good price for people who aren't in a position to pay for regularly priced office real estate. All that and the use of the kitchen, shower and office equipment for $35 a month. Fantastic. Well done silverorange.

Flag Day

Happy 40th National Flag of Canada Day. Our flag is such a strong part of our identity that it's hard to beleive that it's only been around a dozen or so years longer than I have. The Toronto Sun has a brief piece on Canada's Betsy Ross for your reading pleasure.

Food Freedom Day

You've probably heard of Tax Freedom Day- that magical day in June or July when the amount of income you've earned is enough to pay off what you pay in a year in taxes. Well according to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture tomorrow, February 8, is Food Freedom Day in Canada. Canadians spend about 10% of their yearly income on food, so by the end of the day tomorrow the average Canadian will have earned enough money to cover their grocery bills for the year.Hooray for food!

Take That Michigan!

Ontario has passed Michigan and taken the title of vehicle production juggernaut from their grimy hands for the first time ever. Actually, we just barely beat them out and it was on the strength of plant retooling in Detroit so odds are Michigan will take the title back next year. Enjoy the glory while you can Ontario.