A Brief View From The North, eh?

Conrad Black , People doing "too much by plane," Pickton Trial , Dave Williams (not the hockey player) are some of the lead stories on the news in Canada today, while the issues of Karl Rove, failed banks and the damage to the US stock market and other urgency for those inside the Beltway just are not even making waves. Sure they are being covered as little more than a footnote to the other events of the day.

It is interesting to see that there are other things going on. One of the other international topics being covered is the Korean Aid Workers being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan (and interesting twist on the story is being blogged). Regardless of why they are there, there is little expectation that many more will be released alive. Ironically, the coverage of this event is fairly sparse in the American media.

I was wandering through Canadian Tire a couple of days ago, looking for plastic cups of all things and wondered how Wal-Mart can even make money in Canada. Canadian Tire is an installation in the Canada long before Wal-Mart even went national in the United States. It has been said that if Canadian Tire does not have it, you really do not need it. While not entirely true, Canadian Tire is "more than just tires" and it is a solid institution in Canada.

A number of the "big US" names are here. Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, but not in the same visible quantity that they are in the US. While there is a Second Cup or Tim Hortons on every street corner, you have to look hard to find a Starbucks. There are as many independent grocery stores as there are major chains. There are plenty of non-affiliated shops and retail organizations, something that seems to be missing, at least in Washington where homogeneity is more the norm. Perhaps that is why things are so polarized in Washington. With little choice, we are constantly fighting over trivial things.