THE TRUMP SLUMP

Statistics from 2017 released last week show the United-States has lost its second place to Spain as the world's most 'visited' country. (France is #1) - Experts blame President Trump's travel ban on some primarily Muslim countries as well as his harsh rhetoric about Hispanics and others for this decline. It's also in part due to the 'Make America Great Again' mantra which has been interpreted by some as code for make America white again...an era when and where the white family patriarch always knew best.

Like so many of us, I grew-up in the years of those popular American television sitcoms, 'Father Knows Best', 'I Love Lucy', 'Leave it to Beaver' and I'd defy anyone to recall when a person of colour, (A Negro as we called them), or an Asian, Hispanic or 'First Nation' American was ever featured, except perhaps as a caricature, though each, as is the case today, then also made-up a substantial percentage of the population of the United-States of America.

For reasons I really do not quite understand 49.6% of eligible voters in the United-States (about 50 million electors) chose to abstain from voting in the November 2016 Presidential election. Be that as it may, the nation that once prided itself as the world's greatest democracy chose a 'Brand' of some dubious background and character as its leader rather than a person of diplomacy and political know-how. 

Most assuredly entrepreneur Donald Trump has set the world on its ear, if not a Twitter, with his silly pronouncements, gross accusations, and blatant untruths.  In the process he's tarnished the country's reputation as the leader of the 'free world,' with little if any noteworthy accomplishments to his administration's credit.

I have no vote in the USA:  If I did, I would hope that unlike so many Americans, I would have chosen to cast my democratic ballot in the fall 'Presidentials' of 2016. Though since that election and as those statistics bear out, I have chosen, along with many others, to vote with my wallet and remain on the Canadian side of the border with the United-States. It's a personal choice, easy to make considering that at the close of markets this weekend the Canadian dollar (The Loonie) was discounted just about 25% of the U.S. dollar....Let alone other expenses such as the cost of travel, lodging and most important medical insurance coverage while outside of Canada. Lest I digress: In December of 2015 my Canadian insurer was billed $21,060 US for the 4 1/2 hours I spent at a Florida hospital with a kidney stone.

I'm prepared to admit, given the frigid winter we endure in this 'Great White North' particularly this year, that my choice to stay-put hasn't been easy. However, In my mind at least it's a choice that defines who I am as a Canadian willing to sacrifice my smallish level of personal comfort rather than enable they who chip away the basic tenets of their democracy.

I acknowledge and accept that others, Canadians like me, see things differently. That for reasons of their own they shop 'cross-border', travel to, and visit frequently for extended periods of time, months really, as Snowbirds spending hard earned discounted Canadian dollars contributing to making America great again. Canadians who seek admission to the United States are for the most part welcomed as visitors, and they become the guests of a foreign country. It's incumbent upon them to behave as respectful visitors. What I do not accept, and I witness it frequently, almost daily, is that they complain and be critical on social media and elsewhere of the politics of their host while on it's soil  - It's impolite, dangerous and akin to biting the hand that's feeding you with your discounted Canadian dollars : If I see and note it - Others too are watching !

ODE TO THE JOY OF FLIGHT

Just about a month ago, Delta Airlines Flt 9721 from Newark, New Jersey was the last scheduled passenger flight of the "Queen Of The Sky," the Boeing 747 anywhere in North America.

 Introduced into passenger service by Pan Am in 1970, of the more than one-thousand in world wide service by 1998, just a handful remain flying passengers mostly in the Middle-East, and a few more have been pressed into cargo service around the world.

I was reminded this week when Canada's second largest air carrier, West Jet, announced the launch of it's no frills airline (Swoop !) next summer,  just how miserably challenging  travelling by air has become in the first decades of the 21st Century. There was a time when getting to one's destination by air was as much fun, perhaps more some time, than the vacation, event, or activity that would be happening at  destination. Air carriers are greedy, the competition cut-throat and passengers are constantly demanding cheaper air fares. Boing has just narrowed the seats on the 747's modern replacement, the 777, by one inch so airlines can fit-in more people.

 I sense passengers in Titanic's steerage class were better treated than tourist class ticket holders on today's air carriers. On Titanic they had meals, fresh air, and space to lie-down - Lest I digress, the voyage most certainly more pleasant than their ultimate destination at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in April of 1912 - In the case of West Jet's Swoop ! launching June 1,  the lowest fare I've seen advertised is $9.00 (Hamilton - Winnipeg) "Seat Only", there's a charge for everything else...including carry-on and use of the over-seat bin.

Launching a 'no frills' discount airline in Canada is challenging - Others have tried, many have failed : Canada 3000, Can-Jet and New Leaf are three that come instantly to mind. - Problem is the small population (About 1/10th of the USA population) and the shear size of the geography, and all of the extra costs related to operating inside the 2nd largest land mass on the planet, next only to Russia.

In just a week or two, thousands of those same residents of 'The Great White North' will be heading south, family in tow, or if you're college age, with like minded young people, for the annual ritualistic 'Spring Break' pilgrimage to the south coasts of the United-States, or Mexico and/or other destinations in the Caribbean and central America. Guess what ? - Top of mind will be 'how cheap a flight' can they possibly book, boast about, and ultimately suffer through.

 

If you are considering being, or still think you want to be among those travellers, be prepared for the cattle-like herding experience of airport line-ups and security, and the somewhat like above described despicably miserable airline experience.

Consider yourself appropriately advised...

CLASH OF TITANS

Prime Minister Harper travels to Washington on Wednesday this week for a "Tete a Tete" with President Obama. It's expected the two will (finally) announce a conclusion to Canada's heralded and much anticipated "perimeter security initiative." Thrown-in for good measure, Obama will call on the IRS to "heal" its operatives who have been dogging Canadian / American (dual) citizens over paying-up penalties on alleged taxes they don't owe.

Harper will save face over the embarrassment of "Perimeter Security" which has now dragged-on for just short of a year, while Obama gets breathing room to launch his Presidential re-election campaign freed of the pesky, whinny Canadians from across his northern border.

Rather than resolving substantive bi-lateral matters, the "Perimeter Security" accord will be front-loaded with "Pilot" projects of every form and nature. For an additional good neighbourly gesture, the IRS will confirm that it's decided to cast its "net" beyond Canada over the recent strict enforcement of long ago forgotten but decades-old "Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts" tax provisions which have threatened to force most holders of dual citizenship living in Canada (and their dependants) into long legal battles and/or personal bankruptcy over penalties and debts they've likely never owed.

Our cross border irritants and tensions seemingly eased once more, despite the winter's holiday line-ups at checkpoints, Canadians will carry-on with our national spending and travel obsession south of the border. And fueled by our relatively strong currency, it seems we may be poised to set new records for travel to the United-States. 2011 third-quarter (July-August-September) numbers just released by Statistics Canada indicate that we took 12.3 Million trips to the United-States during the period. If the trend is maintained, the result could be as many as 50-Million Canadian visits to the USA in 2011, versus about 20-million by USA visitors to Canada.

The State of Florida is a major beneficiary as the main destination for longer-term visits by Canadians. As the "Sunshine State" struggles through a fourth consecutive year of moribund economic prospects, one of the few bright lights on its horizon has been the increase (up 14% in 2010) of visitors from Canada attracted primarily to the ever growing family themed parks and entertainment facilities clustered within 50 (or so) miles of Orlando.  This Monday, Walt Disney would have turned 110 years old. In the mid-1960's through a series of dummy corporations Disney acquired and accumulated almost 28,000 acres of central Florida land. Though he died before its completion, the Disney Corporation is not only (by far) Florida's largest land-holder, but Disney World is the world's most popular vacation destination. The state Titans appear to be on a collision course.

A Tea-Party favourite, the state's Republican Governor Rick Scott has been courting the international casino-resort investment community to take a look at developing major Las Vegas type venues primarily in the Miami Beach and Tampa/St.Petersburg areas. A matter which isn't sitting very well with Disney's traditional squeaky-clean family-friendly vacation-postcard well lubricated and financed image of Florida. Proposed gambling destination resorts are on the drawing board by the Sands Corporation and by the Wynn Corporation of Las Vegas. But it's the acquisition of 30 acres of Biscayne Bay property in Miami for $240-Million by the Genting Corporation of Malaysia which has most upset the folks at Disney, as well as the Florida Chamber of Commerce whose Chairman is (guess who?) an Executive of Walt Disney World.

Come January, Florida faces a budget shortfall of more than $2.5 Billion and an ongoing unemployment rate which is close to 11%. The allure of casino gambling destination resorts, the thousands of low-level jobs they would create and the revenues generated have vast appeal for the government.  The battle of Titans is engaged and the daunting opponent is Disney; (by far) Florida's most powerful corporation. It may be interesting to hear just how loud a Mouse can roar.

...SNOW WHAT?

As sure as the sun will rise in the morning, the snow too will soon fly over the Great White North. Though hardly a surprise, still it's a tiny bit disconcerting when by late month each September the overnight temperature in many parts of the country dips below freezing.

So too, for many as well begins the thought process to seek a place of refuge from the harshness of the winter months, even if only for just a few days once in a while, at a welcoming, warm, sun drenched escape from our Canadian reality.

There are in excess of 26-million cross-border trips by Canadians into the United States each year. Fueled by our strong currency against the United-States "greenback" and despite the tightening border security measures imposed by various U.S. Homeland  initiatives, the flow of northern visitors south of the border dipped in the immediate aftermath of 9/11; but has steadied and grown in recent years. More than 60% of Canadians hold valid passports which are essential to crossing the border, compared to roughly 20% of U.S. citizens with valid documentation.

Security became the top priority at the border following the terrorist attacks of 2001. When combined with the economic downturn in the United-States since 2008, the free-flow of trade has been significantly impacted. But the American economic malaise has also pushed many more individual Canadian shoppers and tourists across the border. Seeking refuge from  winter, from November 2010 to March 2011, Canadians made 5.6 Million "winter leisure trips" to the United States. Florida's tourism bureau reports a significant increase in visits so far in 2011. Canadians lead the increase. The number of Canadian visitors to Florida in 2011 is up 18.4% over last year.

About one million visitors are "Canadian Snowbirds" who spend a month or more (sometimes much more) each year below the Snowbelt. There too, Florida is a destination of choice. It's home-away-from-home for about 360,000 of us each winter. Arizona (83,000) and Hawaii (21,000) follow in the ranking.

From the perspective of the business and trade community which has been buffeted by a weakened economy and the trauma of 9/11, it is abundantly clear that the security guidelines of the past 10 years have been harmful, and clearly no longer sufficient. To that end, there are ongoing talks between Federal Government officials from both sides to construct a detailed plan to secure the border while allowing the free flow of trade and commerce which both countries believe essential to the economic well-being of the continent. There's been speculation in fact that by month's end, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper will announce thirty or more elements of the "Perimeter Security" arrangement they spoke about last February in Washington.

Doubtless the business community will applaud this deal. The challenge for the Obama Administration, and to a lesser degree (perhaps) for Mr. Harper will be to convince their respective Legislatures that it's good for the country. While it is clearly understood that privacy is not an unconditional entitlement, the question for the millions of individual Canadians who commute across the border for business, pleasure or leisure each year should be that the greater pursuit of business is not achieved at the expense of their personal guaranteed rights.

ISLAND OF THE ADVENTURE

Given the number of idled and idling shipyards and boat building enterprises along the eastern Canadian shore, one might pause to ponder why a previous Government of New Brunswick chose a Florida company to build its car ferry to the Island of Grand Manan.

Lest I digress; President Barack Obama's summer tour of several midwestern American jurisdictions was virtually derailed because he chose to travel in a state-of-the-art private coach manufactured in Quebec.

As for the Florida manufactured 400 passenger / 82 car, sixty-eight million dollar ferry "Grand Manan Adventure": No one doubts that it too is a state-of-the-art vessel. In fact it's precisely its onboard technology which has kept it tied-up at port for much of its short life. The ship was already several months behind schedule when it was delivered in August (Because it failed initial sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico) and it had operated for just 3 days before the bow thrusters failed on August 15.

The "Grand Manan Adventure" is going back into dry-dock in Florida later this week.

All of the hoopla surrounding the misadventures of the "Adventure" has
eclipsed what should have been a record setting tourism season for this island community sandwiched in the Bay of Fundy between the United-States and Canada. The "Bay of Fundy" itself is on the short list of finalists for the 21st Century's choice of the "Seven-Wonders of the Modern World" which will be announced early next year.

And...the well read international magazine "Reader's Digest" surprised islanders this past spring by naming Grand Manan third in its list of "World's Seven Best Small Islands."

(Ferry Dock / Not exactly as shown)

Grand Manan has long been known for its picturesque cliff faces, postcard perfect lighthouses, fresh seafoods and quaint villages. In the "Reader's Digest" poll it was ranked behind Santorini (Greece), and Key West, Florida. The locals, surely along with New Brunswick tourism officials, had hoped that having the island community on the international radar of the magazine's readers could enhance the economic outlook for the area, including much of southwestern mainland New Brunwick.

In nearby St. Andrews-By-The-Sea, the future of the Algonquin Hotel, since 1889 the historic mainstay of the once thriving resort community, is unclear as its operator, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, has told the government that it's pulling-out in December.

While it's good to have others recognize what a terrific destination the Fundy Coast of New Brunswick really is...if travellers can hardly get there; they are most likely to choose more hospital destinations.

ALERT AND WEARING YOUR SUNDAY BEST

The grip of winter's cold stubbornly hangs on here in eastern Ontario. The agricultural sector complains that the "planting" season is at least 3 weeks delayed. In the Nation's Capital the spring's bloom of the city's 4-Million or so tulips (I've stopped counting) sputters and shivers much to the dismay of the thousands of tourists who flock here each year for the iconic Canadian Tulip Festival.

There is much hope for more appropriate and welcoming early summer weather by the last week of June; and most especially on June 30 and July 1 when Britain's newlywed "Royals"; the future King William and Kate, arrive the city on a first "official" visit to a Commonwealth Country. Canada was first of now 53 nations to join the modern British Commonwealth. It's a favorite of the Royals and William's grand-mother, Elizabeth II, also toured Canada in 1953 before ascending the Throne. The Queen was in Ottawa last year for the annual July first "Canada Day" celebrations. William and Kate will be here next month.

Billions worldwide watched the couple's wedding a couple of weeks ago; perhaps none more enchanted than our southern neighbours in the USA where the tale of the commoner princess and her handsome prince kept the national media on the story for most of April. - To be knocked-off the front pages only by the assassination of Osama Bin-Laden in Pakistan.

The news of William and Kate's visit to Ottawa, about an hour's drive from the U.S. border, means that thousands of American well-wishers will be flocking to Parliament Hill along with the usual quarter-million Canadians (or so) to celebrate the nation's 144th birthday and the start of America's own July 4th holiday weekend. Major hotels in downtown Ottawa already report full occupancy bookings for that long weekend.

Doubtless on many levels that the visit is a logistical nightmare. And, most likely in the aftermath of the death of Bin-Laden, also an issue of increased threat and security concerns for the authorities responsible for the safety of the Royals and the many thousands of people who will greet their visit to Parliament Hill on July first. In the past both the United-States and the United Kingdom have suffered indiscriminate murderous attacks from the al-Qaida network and though reaction to the assassination in the Muslim world has been muted; supporters of Bin-Laden have vowed revenge on the infidels.

In the United-States the "colour warnings" that became the Government's most visible anti-terrorism program after September 2001, and which were frequently mocked by stand-up comedians, has been quietly abandoned effective two weeks ago, on April 27. A new somewhat classified system now in effect places the American Homeland Security Secretary (Janet Napolitano) in charge of a "National Terrorism Advisory System" with step-by-step procedures in place "behind the scene" when the government believes terrorists may be threatening Americans. Governments have frequently struggled with how much information to share with the public about specific threats largely over concerns about revealing intelligence and/or their efforts to disrupt unfolding plots.

Information obtained by the Associated Press claims the new advisory system is more efficient; involves better intelligence sharing; and aims to address specific areas of concern such as transportation hubs, airlines and airports or public events. Only under what are described as "special circumstances" will a public terror alert be relayed to the public: That would include using social media outlets such as FaceBook and Twitter, "when appropriate."

Though we may quite never know for sure: In effect since just a few days before the demise of Osama Bin-Laden; this is most likely the warning system's first test under fire. I suspect that they are being extra vigilant and alert.

PU - PU PLATTER OF NORTHERN DELIGHTS

Little wonder that Prime Minister Harper's "Perimeter Security" arrangement was D.O.A. from the "git-go." And; forget about lifting the egregious trade and business barriers between Canada and the United-States now that President Barack Obama has launched his re-election campaign for the White House in 2012.

Canada's economy may feel the need for a loving relationship with the massive commercial appetite of our southern neighbour but, at least publicly, it's a one way relationship. We're a lover scorned...alas without any of the appended fury.

In America's growing slide into isolationism, fueled largely by the philosophy of the "Tea Party Patriots" and their supporters, the country's land borders are one more irritant and potential source of all those elements: terrorists, carpetbaggers and aliens who would wish harm upon the United States.

Let it not be said that Canada is not a quintessential partner to the recovery of the American economy, including the country's biggest foreign supplier of oil and gas; and most probably eventually its biggest supplier of fresh water; but in "official" Washington, pending the outcome of the 2012 election; northern border issues, choke-points and business concerns fall on deaf ears...



From the Alberta oil sands, which President Obama described this week: "These tarsands (sic), there are some environmental questions about how destructive they are...we've got to examine all those questions." - To eliminating a $583-Million project to ease woefully insufficient infrastructure at the Blue Water crossing from Sarnia to Port Huron, Michigan - and the President's budget proposal to tax Canadians entering the United-States - The pile of anecdotal evidence seems to point to just one inevitable conclusion: CANADA! Not on the radar screen of crucial re-election issues down south.

Perhaps until the saga of the American 2012 Presidential election plays-out to its conclusion; it would be best for Canada to concentrate on its abundant Cornucopia of northern delights for those American tourists who can still afford to travel "abroad". Ottawa hotels are selling out from a Tourism Commission digital media blitz in the U.S. northeast to promote the "Canada Day" visit of the Royal newlyweds; Prince William and Katherine Middleton. And; Disney Cruise Line has announced that its 2400 passenger ship the "Disney Magic" will make a total of 9 trips (each) to Halifax and Saint John this summer. - There you go!

PASSING THE TORCH? NAH! TORCHING THE PAST.

Florida's tourism officials gathered for a conclave in Destin aren't exactly jumping for joy over the prospects for growth in 2011; even as the worst of America's recession and the BP Oil spill (almost a year old) appear behind them.

Canadians have been amongst the most reliable of Florida's long time visitors, but our Snowbird trips outside of the USA have grown by 109% since 1998. In fact the share of the Snowbird trips captured by the United-States fell to 65% in 2009 from almost 70% in the previous ten years. It's not just as a result of the economic downturn and environmental concerns. The more aggressive targeting of Canadians to destinations such as Cuba, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands as well as Spain and Portugal has been especially effective with younger Snowbirds taking shorter more active trips south during Canada's miserable winter months.

Florida's big draw remains two-fold: You can drive there - And despite the overwhelming gun violence stories many Canadians witness on America's television networks; our perception is that it remains a relatively safe destination. In fact in the last couple of years it is reports of Canadian tourists injured or murdered in Mexico which have dominated our own national headlines.

It's likely a sign of our difficult winters. But for a nation of just about 33-Million people, in 2009 Canadians took more than 52-Million trips abroad; and in just about 300 of those they were unfortunately assaulted or killed on their foreign travel(s).

How safe are Canadians abroad and where don't we want to go? Statistics show that out of every 100,000 Canadians who visit India, 7.5 will be assaulted or killed. Jamaica (3.6); Russia (3.2); and Mexico (2.1) are next along the list. Foreign Affairs and International Trade says the United-States (our most popular travel destination) remains the safest. The chance of being assaulted or killed while visiting south of the 49th parallel is pegged at 3 incidents for every 10-million visits. In real terms; in 2009 that consisted of six assaults and seven deaths.

Spring Break is just now wrapped-up. Fast forward to 2012 and police officials envision gun-slinging party goers free to drink alcohol and to display sidearms (pistols) openly. As early as this July, a bill currently working its way through Florida's State Legislature would allow people with weapons' permits to carry guns openly. If enacted, the "open-carry" law will take effect on July first. There are already more than 1-million licensed permit holders "good to go!"

Besides the abominable image of an idiot in a Speedo packing a six-shooter; the Florida Sheriffs' Association has told the Legislature that..."the image of citizens openly carrying firearms in public places could have a negative impact on tourism and the state's economy." Never mind that "spring break" (in particular) means sand, surf and binge drinking for many young visitors. They carry alcohol to the beach; store liquor in their rented rooms and condos; and pound back shots at bars. And; between fake IDs, older friends, and trips to 18+ drinking zones; everyone imbibes...then someone dies.

Critics proclaim that it's not just that Florida's new "Tea-Party" motivated Republican Administration of Governor Rick Scott is passionate about individual freedoms. They say, it is that the current session of the legislative assembly is going way too far in its zeal to divest of its social responsibilities. Further to the troubling "open-carry" gun issue a second bill supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) would prevent local authorities from enacting city or county by-laws against the State's new gun law. The NRA maintains that local governments (cities/counties) will continue to..."flout state laws with unwarranted gun restrictions without stiffer penalties."

So their companion piece of legislation working its way through the state government, would fine local officials up to $100,000 for enacting local gun or ammunition restrictions that would run counter to the "open carry" state law. One critic described the legislation as having a "chilling effect" on anyone running for local public office. Yes! And perhaps a double-dose of chill on Canadian tourists pondering a visit to Florida after the first of July. I sure hope that Mickey Mouse doesn't plan on packing a six-gun.

LOOSE ENDS...

Mid-way through the first month of the second decade of the 21st Century: Good enough to tidy-up a few loose ends before embarking unto the remainder of the decade.

I was brought-up in a French speaking household. The expression "tidying-up loose ends" I only learned at University. My STU classmates will recall J.E.P. Butler's sophomore American History course: Dr. Butler, a history scholar and poet, "Jeppy" (we called him, affectionately of course) would walk to the Post office every day carrying a suit-case. Students never quite knew whether he received any mail...but now in my own 7th decade, I'm understanding the daily significance of waiting for the Postman - I digress.

CHEEP - THE NEW CHIC: On both sides of the North American border urban centres have been dealing with the new "chic;" keeping and raising chickens in the yard. In Ottawa last fall, City Council nixed a proposal to allow "coop housing" in private back yards. It's much the same elsewhere including Detroit and Spokane in the United States where issues of noise, odor and abandoned fowls have resulted in significant restrictions. Supporters of the proposal suggest that besides laying the "freshest" eggs, chickens eat bugs and weeds and provide homegrown fertilizer. Chicago, New York, Seattle and Portland (Oregon) are all okay with the idea, and the website Backyardchickens.com claims a membership of 70,000.

HISTORY IN PHOTOS: "La Societe historique du Madawaska;" my home town's historical society has acquired and catalogued a treasure trove of photographs from about 1930 to the early part of the 21st Century. The photos (more than 2000 so far) are being posted on the bilingual website Demelerlespinceaux.ca as the historical society lays the groundwork for hosting the 2014 World Acadian Congress ("Cajuns" to my American friends)in Edmundston, New Brunswick. There's been some controversy about the Congress as many locals, perhaps a majority, (myself included) are not of Acadian descent or extraction. But there's no controversy about the historic value of the photo collection acquired following the demise of "Studio LaPorte." Sidney Laporte, his daughter Charlotte and her husband Larry Coburn, their daughter Louise and her husband Mike Jessop chronicled the history of "La Republique du Madawaska" in photos for more than seven decades.

YOU'LL BE AMAZED BY THE CRUISE RATES: Two gigantic cruise ships sailing out of ports in Florida have significantly depressed the all-inclusive cruise market to the Caribbean so far this winter. In a continually tough American economic market, the Royal Caribbean owned "MS Oasis of the Seas" and the "MS Allure of the Seas" have added an additional 12,000 rooms ("berths" in seagoing terms) to the already crowded weekly sailings from ports in Florida. That accounts for an incredible availability of 90,000 oceangoing "berths" sailing out of Florida every week this winter. Pick your Port: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or Canaveral and you're good to go - Cheap! As long as you stay away from the shipboard casinos.

NAMED NAMES: A new book out over the next few days, "Remembering My Father" by Ron Reagan, the late American President's youngest son, marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the actor turned politician who died of complications from Alzheimer's in 2004. One thing the book doesn't talk about is the late President's past as a secret FBI informer during the notorious Communist witch-hunt of the early 1950's which was fueled by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. At that time, the actor Ronald Reagan was President of the Screen Actors Guild, Hollywood's most significant trade union. Over the "McCarthyism" period a number of film and (early) television acting careers were destroyed by accusations of subversion and treason without any proper regard for evidence.

Loose ends nicely tied-up. Thanks Jeppy!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Recent "Wiki-Leaked" cables from the Station Chief of the American Interest Section in Havana, Cuba have been critical of Canada's relationship with the Communist island nation less than 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

In the aftermath of last year's visit to the Cuban capital by Canada's Minister of State for external Affairs Peter Kent, the Station Chief Jonathan Farrar, who is America's highest diplomat in Cuba, told his handlers in Washington that Cuba was being given a "free-pass on its human rights abuses" because of economic motives, the results of which were..."risible: pomp-full dinners and meetings and...a photo-op with one of the Castro brothers."

Cuba is guilty of abusing the rights of enemies of, and dissidents against the regime. Though, lest I digress human-rights abuses are frequently within the eye of the beholder: For instance Amnesty International believes the rights of more than 30 Florida teenagers jailed for life (without parole) for crimes less than murder have been abused...and, some would surely argue that rights have been denied to many detainees held at the notorious Guantanamo prison, ironically located on Cuban soil.

Canada established diplomatic relations with the Castro Government of Cuba while Pierre Trudeau was Prime-Minister. So grateful was the Cuban President for the overture that the reclusive leader travelled to Montreal in the fall of 2000 to attend Trudeau's State Funeral. Given the state of Canadian politics ten years hence; it's doubtful anyone of the same stature will return the favour when Castro expires...I digress once more.

If there are (and were) economic motives behind Canada's accommodating approach towards Cuba, they have paid-off. About half-a-million Canadians vacation on the Caribbean island each year, many at resorts owned by investors and their partners from the "great white north." - We are Cuba's single largest source of tourism. The surprising truth that few Americans seem to know though is that despite the intense rhetoric and a 60 year old embargo against Castro's Government; the United States is now sending the second-most visitors to Cuba than any other country; about 400,000.

President Obama fulfilled an election promise in April 2009 and lifted all Bush era restrictions against Cuban descendants in the USA as well as for some Americans allowed to travel for "sanctioned" activities. Since the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations, American Presidents have tread carefully over their relationship with Cuba because of the politically well connected and wealthy community of exiles in south Florida which now numbers about 2-million. After 60 years they won't forgive Castro...but ironically their second and third generations are among the ones agitating the most for open travel to the offshore nation.

Sanctions and embargoes prevent U.S. based commercial airline traffic to Cuba; but President Obama lifted those same sanctions against charter carriers which are now allowed to fly to Havana from Miami, New York and Washington. This weekend...In Miami alone, fifty-five charter flights carrying thousands of Cuban descendants will wing-on over to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport. They (and most especially) their money will be welcomed with opened arms by the Cuban Government which imposes a 25% import duty on all the Christmas presents they'll be bringing long lost relatives. The President of Gulfstream Air Charter of Miami, Tom Cooper, told the Associated Press the load on-board the company's daily 737 flight to Havana is so great that..."for about half of Gulfstream's flights, the company charters a twin-turboprop cargo plane to carry the excess baggage."

Maybe the time has come for Washington to turn away from its inexorable intransigence over Cuba; or at least turn the other cheek in the spirit of the Christmas season. Either way there's good reason to suspect that Fidel Castro; though sick, weak and demented; is laughing all the way to the bank.

TOURIST TRAP OR SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST?

Brand identification is all important in today's instant gratifying social media fueled marketing business. Take television for example; it isn't quite by accident that all TV stations and networks identify themselves permanently with their corporate logo emblazoned in a corner of the screen's image. The cable provider I subscribe to here in central Florida delivers almost 1000 channels. When "clicking" through the channels if a viewer can't identify the channel immediately...it's there...and it's gone. Lest I digress: Apparently "clicking through the channels" at breakneck speed is a "male" thing.

A recent weekend wire service story which received little notice in Canada caught my eye. The New York based "FutureBrand" index moved Canada to the number one position; top o' the list (as it were), in its global survey of countries with the most favorable brand. Heck, this may be the very first time we've topped the list since Shirley Temple and Randolph Scott starred in "Susannah Of The Mounties" in 1939.

The Country Brand Index surveys about 3500 international business and leisure travellers to about 100 countries each year. Canada has been climbing in the survey ranking from 12th place in 2006, to second in 2008 and 2009. The Canadian Tourism Commission takes full credit for the positive showing claiming that's been part of a long-term strategy which was anchored on the success of last winter's Olympic Games in British Columbia.

I suspect the successful "branding effort" can't come soon enough. In reality Canada's tourism business, which ultimately depends on the travel choices and preferences of the vast United States market, has suffered massive decline since Homeland Security imposed its passport rules for returning American citizens in June 2008, at just about the same time the U.S. economy sank into a deep recession from which it hasn't recovered. Less than a quarter of Americans, about 85-million, have a passport. While that is still an impressive number; the stark reality is that cross-border USA visits into Canada have remained flat at 10-million in each of the 3 successive years since the Homeland Security rules came into effect. In contrast, Canada's 35-million residents account for more than 26-million visits to the United States each year, including 4-million to Florida and/or California (blame the rigours of Canada's climate) and close to 6-million to the border states of New York, Michigan and Washington.

The reverse has seen a dramatic decline in visits to Canada's most popular tourist destination Niagara Falls, and other major tourist destinations north of the 49th parallel, including cities like Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Large border community casinos built to attract Americans to Canada's "tax-free" gambling conquests are actually losing money! The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's (OLG) casinos at Niagara Falls (2) and in Windsor lost money in 2009.

If Canada's effort to reach top status in this global ranking required the Gargantuan effort of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to succeed, it is a step in the right direction. But, we will need a whole more to stay near (or at) the top; and our North American partner the United-States may need to kick-in a whole lot more into its share than their restrictive security measures on land, sea and in the air currently are willing to allow.

ROAD STORIES...

There was a time when I'd have posted a number with (and to) these "road stories". frankly I've lost track from having commuted between Ottawa and the "Sunshine State" dozens of times since my first road trip in 1987 in my brand new Buick "Sommerset".

GONE: AMERICAN MODEL OF EFFICIENCY - It's obviously a generational thing. In the aftermath of World War II, the "international" border area where I was born and raised was home to Loring Air Force Base: At the time America's largest "Strategic Air Command Operation" - Read: Atomic Bomb carrying aeroplanes - It was the height of the Cold War and American know-how and efficiency in keeping the "bad guys" at bay were held-up as a model to the world. On Wednesday, at the Thousand Islands International border crossing, I was the one to point-out to U.S. border officials that they'd forgotten to open their "trusted traveller" (Nexus lane). Down the road a few hundred miles in Pennsylvania, road "under construction" warnings ended just about a mile before the "actual" construction site started. Speaking of the "Cold War" - If travels take you on Interstate highways; you may have wondered about the frequent "Eisenhower Interstate Highway System" signs: They occur wherever a highway is "one mile" straight. A design, to this day financed by the U.S. Federal Government, meant to allow World War II era aeroplanes to land in the event of war.

IMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC TIMES - Times are tough, states and counties are struggling with massive deficits which are the result of historic unemployment rates and the collapse of the U.S. housing market. It's hard to believe that desperately raising cash is not a key motivator in the unusual number of police "speed traps" along the nation's highways. Something I've never seen before: It's not just the State Troopers out in force, but local Sheriff's Officers along whichever stretch of an interstate highway cuts through their county.

YES!...BUT EXCEPT NORTH CAROLINA - There is a sense of economic gloom through most eastern seaboard states: Not North Carolina which exudes prosperity and optimism. This state is open for business, and it shows. Near Fayetteville they've even built a highway interchange leading to a "future" Highway #295. It seems America's "war on terror" has been very, very good to the NC people. The fore mentioned Fayetteville area is home to Fort Bragg, the Marine training facility; and to Pope Air Force Base, one of the largest in the U.S.

CONCLUSION: WHERE ARE THE QUEBECOIS RV'S - I've whined for years about the convoys of Quebec Recreational Vehicles and Mobile Homes towing every manner of worldly possessions clogging the Interstates and heading south towards Florida at this time each November. This year; they are nowhere to be seen. My conclusion is that this fall's parity of the Canadian dollar with the U.S. Greenback got my fellow (french-speaking) Canadians unto the highways earlier than their usual mid-November. Amen!

DUDE! YOU CAN'T "HANG TEN" ON THE TIDAL BORE

As a university student in the mid-sixties, I worked several summers at the New Brunswick Tourist Information kiosk on the Trans-Canada Highway near Edmundston: Gateway to our fabled Maritime Provinces.

Jeepers! I just realized most among you weren't then born. I am old and given to digressions - Picture this: It was as America's west coast surfing craze was launching riding on a wave of Orange County, California music from the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and The Surfaris.

I did not experience the event; but even in the absence of today's instant social media; a prominent story making the round of tourist counsellors was of the tourist(s) arriving toting surf-boards ready to ride the Peticodiac River's 'Tidal Bore.' A tidal bore, essentially a curly wave flowing against the river's current, forms on the Peticodiac as it is forced each day to reverse flow by the massive tides of the Bay of Fundy which can top 15 meters. (50 feet) - Human progress in the form of the building of a causeway in 1968 across the river reduced the "Bore" to a pitiful trickle. Lest I digress once more: My fellow Maritimers will know that four months ago the causeway's gates were re-opened for the first time in 42 years and that the Tidal Bore is making a remarkable come back. Last month's peak Fundy tide on July 15th brought-out a record crowd of camera buffs to watch it roll-in. (Still no word on surfers though!)

Every day, the equivalent of the outflow of every river on the planet passes in and out of the Bay of Fundy. The Tidal Bore is just one of the recurring phenomenon of the Bay's high tidal range...In the quest for world tidal dominance; they are the strongest and the highest, period!





Fundy's extreme tidal range, in addition to the Tidal Bore, cause the St. John River to reverse flow through a series of rapids, the famous Reversing Falls, through a gorge in the middle of the City of Saint John. And, eroded rock formations at Hopewell Cape allow stunned visitors to walk on the bottom of the ocean at low tide.

The Bay of Fundy and its ecological wonders have been designated finalists in a current world-wide search for "The New 7 Wonders of Nature." - The Seven Wonders Foundation, based in Switzerland, started with 440 sites in a competition launched now a few years back. The initial list has whittled-down to just 28 finalists. The Bay of Fundy is the only Canadian of two North American competitors to make the finals. The other finalist from the continent is The Grand Canyon. And, Fundy and the U.S. Canyon are amongst a group of impressive, worthy competitors: The Amazon Rain Forest; Ayers Rock (Australia) and Mount Vesuvius just to name-drop a few.

In a rare show of national unity last week at the annual conference of Canadian Premiers, the Premiers of New Brunswick, Shawn Graham, and Nova Scotia, Darrell Dexter, received even rarer unanimous and uncontentious support for our natural wonder..."today we're calling upon Canadians from coast to coast to vote for the Bay of Fundy in this international competition as one of the natural seven wonders of the world." - Reads the unanimous motion. The heads of the provincial and territorial governments have also agreed to post a video on-line; make statements in their Legislative Assemblies and encourage residents to take part in the voting.

The choice of the "New Seven Wonders" will be finalized and announced on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11)! Fundy's got my vote.

PRAISING OUR DIVERSITY / MAITRE CHEZ NOUS

Somewhat like a broken record; regulars will know that I kvetch and rant fall and spring about the severely inexperienced drivers who feel compelled to drive (or haul) enormously over sized RVs along the route I travel to and from my southern winter residence in Florida: More about that in a minute...

Over the weekend, we Canadians marked our nation's 143rd birthday (July 1); our friends and neighbours in the United States celebrated their country's 234th Independence Day.

We're blessed to share a continent of bounty, enormous potential and wealth. The economic partnership and the business relationship between our two nations, 350 million strong, is not only the envy of the world...but, at more than $2-Billion per day; it is the most successful trading partnership the planet has ever known. Of the more striking examples; more trade is conducted across the Ambassador Bridge (Detroit/Windsor) in any single day than between most nation's of the world in one entire year.

We're nations of immigrants: In at least two of Canada's three largest cities, citizens of visible minorities constitute the largest segment of the population. In the United-States, "Latinos" (primarily) will dominate the populations of Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston in just a few years...as they do already in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

The images of clearly "new" Canadian families flickered across television screens during Her Majesty's Royal Visit on Parliament Hill this July first. Each family member holding a bright red Maple Leaf flag - Starking contrast to the all White, English speaking descendants of the United-Empire Loyalists who would have greeted Elizabeth II in Ottawa just a short couple of decades ago when I moved here in 1983.

But over the last half-century of Canadian history; it's another segment of the population that has all-the-more identified us culturally; defined us politically; diversified and challenged our nation's soul. From the start of the "Quiet Revolution" around 1960; its Quebec and the Quebecois whose influence has both challenged and defined Canada's culture. In doing so, Quebec ensures that our diversity, multi-ethnicity, and languages remain grounded on Canadian soil as a foil to the encroachments of our vastly stronger, powerful, and dominant southern neighbour.

Now! Back to my rant and to my story: Why do Quebecois insist on driving over-sized RVs, frequently towing boats, motors, and cars, so badly on the entire Continent's highway system...north and south of the border?

After a "nightmarish" 11+ hour drive from a University Homecoming in New Brunswick back home to Ottawa through the heart of Quebec's two largest urban centres (Quebec City & Montreal). I've concluded that travellers from "la belle province" feel obviously compelled to take along with them (clearly on board and/or attached to an RV) every single evidence of their identity, culture and economic viability. Holy Crap! They are the same on home territory as they are when they travel lock, stock and barrel, caravan style, (to my considerable annoyance) to the beach communities of Broward or Brevard Counties, Florida. Sacre bleu - Indeed!

NOTE FROM BILL: Thank-You for your patience while I took a short break from the usual "Blog Post" routine to attend my Alma Mater homecoming events. I promise to be more diligent over the summer. Thanks to all who've remained in touch wondering when the next "Blog" would appear.

FLORIDA'S MASSIVE HANGOVER

The 100 miles of beaches of the Florida Panhandle constitute the greatest strand of white sand on the planet. More than one-third (35 miles) have now been closed by the insidious oil oozing-out unabated since late April from more than a mile below the once pristine surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

Slowly, and almost as surely, America's "Sunshine State" is inching towards becoming an international vacation destination with the rules of an archaic museum: "Look, but don't touch!"

Floridians are angry. Their anger portentous of disastrous consequences for States and Provinces which have never (and may never) indulge the desire to allow oil drilling rigs off their shores. Like our pristine garden gem, Prince Edward Island; or the sandy beaches of southwestern New Brunswick which are at the mercy of drilling operations deep in the offshore of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Or, of British-Columbia's unique rugged coastline and the mighty oil carriers that ply the waters from Alaska down towards deep water ports below the 49th parallel.

When rigs first started drilling for oil off the coast of Louisiana more than 60 years ago; in Florida they scanned their own shorelines of dotted resorts and beaches of startling beauty and concluded: "No Thanks! - We'll stick with tourism."

The rare sands of the Florida peninsula tempered by its subtropical climate are the underpinning of a totally dependant tourism economy. The mere possibility of damage to the beaches is already hurting the industry in areas not yet affected by the oily tar balls from below; like the Tampa Bay area and communities south. In the majestic Florida Keys, an ecosystem unequalled anywhere in the world, locals are resigned to..."waiting for it all to disappear." As Key Largo resident Mike McLaughlin recently told the Associated Press.

The lesson learned for Florida, as perhaps it should be with Canada's coastal provinces; is that the State gets little if any financial benefits from drilling off its shore, even though it is sharing all of the environmental risks. Risks estimated just last week at the loss of 195,000 jobs and $11-Billion this year alone (2010) if the BP Oil disaster cuts tourism just by half.

And...there are far many other things it could lose beyond tourism and fishing. Florida's housing is concentrated along the State's 8,500 miles of shoreline. Deep in the wake of the 2007/09 economic downturn, housing values have sunk by as much as one-third, and statewide the unemployment rate is 12%. The impact of the oil spill could savage the economy for decades ahead.

Floridians may be heartbroken and suffering in silence over the damage they see in neighbouring Louisiana: But, they also compare Louisiana's quest for the ephemeral riches of oil and gas exploration to a neighbour with a bonfire that has now set the entire block on fire.