I have changed the name of my blog, may be this is more original than the 3+  others who had the same title as mine, but probably not.

So it is Black Friday and people are going in droves to the US of A to save $$$. But what are they really saving? Unless you live in a border city, you have to drive (for me an hour), spend gas, and spend time in line at the border each way. Then you have to hope that the product you bought is legal to bring back, (not all electronics and appliances have the proper testing and certification) and that it won't break down (a number of warranties are valid when crossing the border). But more than that the dollar you spend down there may be the dollar that keeps your neighbour employed, it may be one more bed that is closed at the hospital, it may be less week knocked off EI, one less year of Canada Pension or Old Age Security and it maybe one more bridge that starts to fall down. We have  a higher minimum wage, a higher welfare assistance and fewer subsidies. If you think that it is better to shop in the , then  WHY DON'T YOU MOVE THERE!

protests

So a judge has finally decided that the Occupy movements do not have the constitutional right to stay in public parks overnight. It is about time that somebody put some common sense into this movement. The judge has said that there is plenty of time and avenues open to the movement to make their protests heard between 7 and midnight.  The message they bring is valid and needs to be heard but it is far from needing an Arab Spring or a Civil Rights Movement to have their voice heard. What I find amusing is that during the court fights the occupiers were using the very 1% (lawyers, newspaper execs, technology giants) to get their message across. Perhaps you have to use the system to fight the system but if that is the case where were these people during the elections. Occupiers keep pushing the message it needs to be heard but like mud slinging political ads you run the risk of losing those that  sympathise with your cause