"good vs evil", or "marketing vs holisticity"

finally some sense!
now we have to start asking the coffee industry how they correctly predicted that so many people would be willing to pay $2 a cup for something delivered in a recipient destined for a landfill site, even when it can can be brewed at home for less than 30 cents and without producing any non-compostable garbage?
Ecologists recommend buying products with the least amount of packaging per serving - if this means buying a single box of 1000 coffee filters and the occasional 1kg can of ground fair-trade coffee, both containers being completely recyclable, then that's the type of product for me.
I think that the starbucks marketing lady hit the nail right on the head when she said "it gives [these morons] an ego-boost". How about if people treated each other nice for a change, we wouldn't need our cup of instant ego-saving environment-destroying liquid safety blanket!

Thanks Vu for the opportunity to rant on this!

Second Cup clears up size issue
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2006.05.31
EDITION: Final
SECTION: Business
PAGE: D1 / Front

In the movie You've Got Mail, Tom Hanks memorably describes the modern cafe environment as being designed "for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee."
But now, Second Cup has read the writing on the mochaccino-coloured wall and is changing its cup sizes to include just small, medium and large. In an industry characterized by unnecessary complexity, the Canadian coffee franchise's directive seems nothing short of revolutionary.
"For the longest time, we've had four sizes in the marketplace -- small, medium, large and jumbo," says Rachel Douglas, spokeswoman for Second Cup. "It made ordering confusing because some people would want small and say medium, or want medium and say large."
Under the new system, a small hot drink holds 12 ounces and a small cold drink holds 16. A medium hot contains 16 ounces, but a medium cold has 20. Finally, a large hot drink contains 20 ounces and a large cold drink holds 24.
So depending on whether or not a customer's fix contains ice, a small could really be a medium, a medium could be a large, and a large could be extra-large. That's as complicated as it gets.
Starbucks, on the other hand, champions complex coffee-talk. The venerable Seattle coffee company utilizes Italian cup sizes, which some say engage customers with the brand by making them feel they're in the know.
"Stores understand what is meant by small, medium and large, but those terms are so generic and out-dated," says Suzanne Brown, an international coffee-marketing expert based in Atlanta.
"When customers are able to order specific sizes and beverage preferences in a brand's lingo, it gives them a kind of ego boost ..."
In 2004, Starbucks even issued a pamphlet acquainting patrons with a long list of insider terms. In addition to choosing between tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces) and venti (20 ounces hot, 24 ounces iced), Canadians were suddenly empowered to request their drinks come "unleaded" (decaf), "dry" (more foam, less milk), "with legs" (to go), or any other term in the 20-page lexicon.
Sandy McAlpine, president of the Coffee Association of Canada, suggests Second Cup may find a competitive edge through its simpler system, if only by standing out from the widely imitated Starbucks model.
"Having been in the coffee business for 25 years, it's quite startling how much of this new or novel coffee lingo is used," he says.
Over at Tim Hortons, the company vernacular is just as important as cup hierarchy: The term "double double" -- two creams and two sugars -- is so ubiquitous among Canadian coffee-drinkers it was included in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary in 2004.
At Timothy's World Coffee, brand knowledge is demonstrated through awareness of the four-tiered cup system: small, regular, medium and large.
"What's really funny is when a customer goes into a shop and orders in the coffee lingo of another store," says Ms. Brown.
"They may be purposely trying to trip up the barista, often chuckling when the barista doesn't have a clue what the same version (of another cafe's drink) might be."

"Accountability" à la Harper

I wonder... How many elections were won due solely due to "manipulative timing"?

The only thing fixed election dates will accomplish is to make the parliamentary process more partisan, divisive, inefficient and disconnected from the people than it already is. What impact will that have on confidence motions? Despite all his propaganda about accountability, this is yet another example of stripping Canadians of the power to bring down an unsatisfactory government through a non-confidence vote by the opposition parties.

WRT to the Senate - I agree it needs to be tweaked, but right now nobody's looking out for the long-term benefits to Canadians and represent the cultural needs of (ironically enough) the common people, without fear of losing their job for speaking out or acting against the whim of a particularly charismatic and opportunistic prime minister bent on corporate totalitarianism, regardless of what party he/she may be from.

From: PMO-CPM
Sent: Friday, 26 May, 2006 16:27
To: ALLNEWS_BE@LSERV.PMO-CPM.GC.CA
Subject: News Release / Communiqué
From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper to deliver on democratic reform
May 26, 2006
Victoria, B.C.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today promised Canadians that he intends to move forward on democratic reform and will propose fixed election dates for the House of Commons. The Government has also served notice it intends to propose some reforms to the Senate.
"We will do more than just talk about the need for democratic reform," stated the Prime Minister. "Steps are needed that are practical and that can be achieved without full scale constitutional negotiations."
The Prime Minister announced that the government will introduce a bill calling for fixed election dates every four years. Fixed election dates will put an end to governing parties manipulating the timing of elections for partisan advantage. The Government's bill will propose the next election take place in the fall of 2009. The Prime Minister also reiterated a campaign pledge to make the Senate a more modern and democratic institution to better reflect the voice of Canada's regions. "A 21st century legislature cannot remain dominated by appointees who may sit for decades, without a democratic mandate and with the ability to thwart the elected government."

not-so-hidden ambitions

hmm... I'd be curious to know exactly what Harper's vision of "our shared global agenda" is...

From: PMO-CPM
Sent: Friday, 26 May, 2006 13:33
To: ALLNEWS_BE@LSERV.PMO-CPM.GC.CA
Subject: Statement / Déclaration

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

Prime Minister to meet with President Bush
May 26, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be in Washington on July 6, 2006 for a working meeting with President Bush. This will be the second meeting between the two leaders; following on productive discussions that began in Cancun, Mexico on March 30-31. The two leaders will discuss a range of bilateral and global issues, and explore areas where there are opportunities to deepen our bilateral ties and advance our shared global agenda.

FW: News Release / Communiqué

hmm. $40 million, of which $20M goes to emergency efforts and $20M goes to some coordinating agency. Isn`t this the same government that just a few weeks ago scrapped the EnerGuide program because they believe canadians don`t want the government to run programs where only 50cents to the dollar actually goes to the end user? On CPAC they defended that decision as a change from the "years of irresponsible spending of the previous govt," a not-so-subtle attack on the liberal party.

Maybe this is the kind of self-contradiction that Harper is so paranoid about hiding that he's limiting media's access to his MPs?

Anyway, somebody reflected that only 50% overhead on a federal program is actually pretty good mileage, so how exactly do they justify scrapping the energuide program and attacking the previous government so shamelessly?

From the Prime Minister's Web Site

Prime Minister announces humanitarian aid and support for peace in Sudan

May 23, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that Canada, following the recent signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement, will increase its financial support for both urgently needed humanitarian assistance and peace support.

The Prime Minister was joined by Minister of International Cooperation Josée Verner, and Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the announcement.

“Canada will act. And I am here today to announce how,” said the Prime Minister. “Our government will pursue a two-pronged approach, splitting our efforts between the provision of humanitarian aid and peace support assistance. Combined, these efforts will help to normalize and stabilize the region, the first step necessary if the peace process is to succeed.”

Canada is immediately increasing financial support for Sudan by $40 million. Of that amount, $20 million will be used for urgent humanitarian needs, such as the provision of food aid, water and sanitation, basic health care, the protection of, and assistance to, displaced populations in Sudan and in neighbouring countries. Partners will include key UN humanitarian agencies, the Red Cross Movement, as well as Canadian NGOs.

"Canada remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan as they work toward a lasting peace," said Minister Verner. "Today's funding will help ensure that the basic needs of the most vulnerable people are met."

In addition to Canada's ongoing contributions to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), an additional $20 million will go specifically to enhance AMIS's ability to assist in the initial implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement and lay the groundwork for a successful transition to a UN mission.

"Canada is committed to helping the people of Sudan achieve a durable peace focused on the protection of civilians. Peace building efforts are absolutely critical in order for humanitarian workers to have access to the people in the region and deliver much-needed aid," said Minister MacKay.

Further information on Canada's efforts to address the conflict in Sudan can be found at www.canadasudan.gc.ca.

homeopathy isn't holisitic

very interesting.
I fully agree with Pce Chuck's perspective as quoted in this piece:
"I do believe most strongly that we should not view health as something that exists in isolation, but forms as a direct consequence of our communities, our cultures, our lifestyle and the way we interact with our environment," Charles will say. But I fail to see how some groups can see that as support for homeopathy. What's homeopathy got to do with communities, culture, lifestyle and environment? Chuck's view is a heckuvalot larger than just some meds that are watered down to the point that they are no more than (hopefully) harmless concentrations of chemicals that get lost in the noise of the chemical soup we eat and breathe and drink everyday; even if it works as a placebo, all it does is sustain people's naivety with regards to their unhealthy lifestyles and irresponsibility toward the environment, which in the end, hurts all life on the planet.

freedom of expression vs petty politics

Of course you can enjoy the freedom of expression, just be ready to face the consequences if you choose to exercise it. In this particular case, petty politics worms it's dirty ways into military and academic circles.
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=1676d0af-e431-49a6-9530-6fc3cf3c57a0

Supremacist Canadians for Language "Fairness"

Ref. City of Ottawa sued over bilingualism bylaw
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/19/language-fri.html

I say Let the english unilinguals freeze in the darkness of their ignorant jealousy.

friendly local bus drivers

Dialogue between military woman passenger about to debark, and a little too happy public transit bus driver this morning:

D: hi there! where's your uniform? (in a light québécois accent)
P: it's casual friday
D: casual friday! lucky you! well, have a nice day.
P: thanks, you too.
D: you go girl!

"You go girl?" hilarious. I'm glad to see the Société de Transport de l'Outaouais doesn`t pay their drivers for their inhibitions!

afghanistan

so... if the US doesn't consider the Taliban to be terrorists, who (or what) are we fighting in Afghanistan, exactly?

Budget Report Card (issued by LPC)

Received by email 3 May 06: (support requests and French translation have been removed)
Please note that I am not campaining on behalf of the liberal party, I am merely trying to balance the pro-conservative spin that the media haven't bother to buff out of Harper's press releases.

One month from assuming power, Stephen Harper and his Conservative government has begun to undo all the work that the Liberal Party did to put Canada at the head of the G-7.
Liberals did not send us to Ottawa to vote for this vision of Canada. That is why we will vote against this budget.
I am asking for your support as we expose the plans of Stephen Harper.

Tax Relief: F
Eliminating Liberal income tax cuts in favour of a 1 per cent GST cut is a plan that will benefit higher-income Canadians at the expense of lower and middle-class families.

Income Taxes: F
Mr. Harper is hiking income taxes – increasing the basic personal amount by $200 and increasing to 15.5 percent the lowest tax bracket.

Child Care: WHAT CHILD CARE?
The Conservatives are scrapping the most comprehensive Child Care plans this country has ever seen – meaning provinces will lose stable funding through the previous Liberal agreement!

AND as if $20 a week for child care isn’t bad enough, low-income parents will be losing the young-child supplement of the Canada Child Tax Benefit!

Children lose on this deal – and at what expense?

Environment: F
This government has eliminated climate change programs and is getting set to pull out of the Kyoto Accord.

Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples: F
Stephen Harper has chosen to ignore the historic Kelowna Agreement signed last November , cutting planned funding by 80 per cent, from $5.3 billion to just over $ 1 billion.

Education and Innovation: F
The Conservative budget provides $200 million – less than one-tenth our commitment of $2.5 billion for university research.

As for student aid, our election platform would have provided up to $6,000 per student for tuition over a four-year period. Mr. Harper’s plan covers $80 for text books.

As we move ahead to chose a our next Leader – and next Prime Minister – I vow that your Liberal Opposition will not let Mr. Harper throw Canada back into deficit and dismantle our country, one puzzle piece at a time.

Bill Graham
Leader of the Official Opposition

sweatshop-free ottawa

I'm very pleased (and quite proud) of the City of Ottawa for recently (or imminently) passing a motion to boycott suppliers that purchase from sweatshops. This may cost a few extra dollars per year, but encouraging fair employment practices (by UN standards) is a matter of principle that we can (and ethically must) afford. BZ.

Electoral reform - unfortunate timing

I received a letter inviting me to participate (as a randomly selected citizen) on the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.
This would be a perfect opportunity to deepen my understanding of both democracy and people's priorities and build credibility for future engagements, while actually allowing me to contribute to meaningful social reform.
Unfortunately, with an ankle-biter at home to look after, I am just not available for such a time-intensive commitment.
I really appreciate how my wife knows how difficult and painful it is for me to let this go.

party-centric propaganda

ome of the reasons I truly, truly dislike our current PM is expressed in this article and follow-on comments:
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20060426104544226

other interesting article:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/28/account-060428.html

and on the topic of propaganda:
http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20060427020230893
specifically the question Authored by Deacon on Friday, April 28 2006 @ 12:21 PM MDT, what can we possibly do? What examples in history can we compare our situation to, how did they get out of it then, and would it be feasible now?

Canada's "new" govt? act 1 scene 2

Harper seems to have missed yet another opportunity to implement any of his rhetoric about electoral reform and an end to patronage appointments. Personally, I think it's a good thing every time he doesn't do something he promised.

Canada's "new" government?

PMO News Release:

“This Agreement reflects the commitment of Canada’s new Government to help small and medium-sized businesses in Atlantic Canada compete in North America and around the world,” said Prime Minister Harper. “We want to assist Atlantic Canadians in bringing more of their goods and services to the world.”

Then, buried in the media backgrounder:

The original Agreement was signed in 1994 for a total value of $3 million. In 1997, the Agreement was extended for three years and $2 million in funding was added. This second extension was for $8 million over four years, ending in 2004. Today, the IBDA announced a new Agreement for $10 million with an end date of March 2010.

So, what's so "new" about extending a $2M/year agreement that was started by the Liberal gov't 12 years ago? I suspect the autor of this particular release slipped past Harper's Ministery of Truth...

against the grain

Did you ever notice, when tearing out a newspaper article or ad, how the paper usually tears easily horizontally (with the grain), but zigzags out of control vertically? Well, that same characteristic applies just as frustratingly well to an even bigger staple in our daily routines: toilet paper. Every time I misjudge the grain of a cheap roll of TP (in office buildings, usually) as I try to tear off a few sheets and end up with a couple of three-foot streamers, I can't help but wonder why the industry doesn't standardize the grain horizontally so it tears off nicely. That way they could even save money by eliminating those impish little perforations!