Tag Archives: Economy
Christmas “Creep”
By Cam Mather Back when I lived in suburbia I drank coffee from a chain of Canadian donut stores called “Tim Horton’s,” named after the hockey player who started them. They’re in the U.S. now but they’re called “Tim Horton’s Café and Bake Shop.” Well “La de da!” Even all those years ago (15 or …
Back to the Future – Freezing Zero-Carbon Corn
By Cam Mather North Americans just have no idea how much energy goes into getting food on our plates. If we did, we’d all walk around in a big grateful daze saying “Thank you farmers, thank you Jolly Green Giant, thank you cheap energy….” and never get anything done. I used the “Back to the …
“On the Road” vs. “The Road”
By Cam Mather There is a book by Jack Kerouac called “On The Road.” It’s considered to be a classic. It’s the defining book about the ‘beat generation’ who broke all the rules and set the new bohemian standard for existential coolness. I use many of these terms not really knowing if I’ve got them …
The Off-Grid/Green Myth, Part II
By Cam Mather When Professor and Canada Research Chair Phillip Vannini came to visit us recently as part of his research on people who live “off the grid” he had just come from an off-grid home north of Toronto. This couple had indicated to him that they had gone off grid for “environmental reasons.” I …
Documentaries vs. Hands-On Workshops
By Cam Mather Recently I was invited to become involved with a documentary that is being made for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for my American readers.) I turned them down. It must seem weird for me to turn down a chance for shameless self-promotion but my dealings with the producer left a bad taste …
Working My Way Down the Corporate Ladder
By Cam Mather It all started at a little 50,000-Watt radio station in Peterborough, Ontario. I started out selling radio advertising. Then I moved on to selling television advertising. I went back to university, for a year, then quit, got married and started selling microcomputers in the early ‘80s just as they came on the …
Canada: The Land of Delusional Thinking
By Cam Mather For my American readers this blog post can serve as your “been there, done that” moment. Same for my Greek readers. Canada sits atop a housing bubble intertwined with a personal debt bubble inspired by a delusional thinking bubble where its citizens and politicians think that these good times can continue forever. …
That Little Voice in My Head
By Cam Mather I left my house the other night. Yup, it was a dangerous thing to do. ‘Cuz the voice that talks inside my head constantly gets just a little crazy when I’m out in the big scary world. Kind of like Travis Bickle from the movie “Taxi Driver” but without the guns. I …
The Ponzi Scheme That is The Dollar
By Cam Mather Contrary to the impression I might have given you with my last blog post, I don’t actually watch TV all of the time. I’ve finally had some time to get caught up on reading because the garden is under snow. It’s one of my favourite parts of winter and the holidays. While …
I Am An (Environmental) Hoarder
By Cam Mather We finally had some snow on the ground (although it’s almost all melted away again) and so I can take a break from garden work. I’m not in “firewood” mode yet, so I have been taking it easy and getting caught up on some reading. Then we decided to re-claim some of …
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