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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-06-09, Page 5Arthur Black THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1993. PAGE 5. Modern life designed to drive us nuts I've come to the conclusion that a great deal of modern life is specifically designed to drive us nuts. Traffic light signals, for instance. Have you ever noticed how it is virtually impossible to hit a consecutive string of' green lights when you're trying to drive across town? Doesn't matter what chauffeur technique you use — mash the gas pedal through the floor mat and you'll end up squealing to a stop at the next intersection. Put along in low gear with the emergency brake on and you'll still hit a succession of reds. Does this make any sense? Wouldn't you think the whole purpose of regulating traffic would be to keep a relatively constant flow of vehicles going in all directions with a minimum of stops and starts? Of course. They're just trying to render us gaga. The Income Tax guide — there's another sadistic modern creation designed to render us eligible for admission to The Happy Haven Rest Home for the Cerebrally Overburdened. Revenue Canada has come up with 72 pages of single-spaced instructions that no one this side of a Buddhist monk with a CPA certificate could possibly fathom. The decline of big business It was once the conventional wisdom that the giant international businesses would be best suited to ride out any recession since, with plants in many parts of the world, they would not be subjected to the same economic pressures that befell those companies located only in one country. Firms such as IBM were considered to have solidity akin to the rock of Gibraltar; furthermore it appeared to give the huge Japanese concerns yet another chance to increase their markets since, it was argued, nobody could really compete with them once they had put their mind to global expansion. This seems to be a decade in which most of the above mentioned conventional wisdom falls flat on its face. If anybody is in real trouble, outside of governments of course, it is the giant corporate sector, including the Japanese. IBM has recently announced a loss, the size of which makes even the company's own executives blanch. General Motors, the largest car manufac- turing company in the world, is in about the worst shape of anybody in its field. Few Japanese car producers are making any profits this year. Philips, the largest firm in Holland, is no better off while household words such as Procter and Gamble and Unilever are wondering what hit them. Well, what did? It is commonplace to hear the large unions complain about the horrors of free trade but I would not blame the large companies if they started doing the same thing. The reduction of trade barriers has given the smaller companies the opportunity to market their goods in any area once reserved for only the largest concerns and smaller frequently means more flexible. In short, these small Seventy-two pages of impermeable fiscobabble when all they're really trying to say is "This is a stickup". Makes my eyes roll and my tongue loll just thinking about it. Postal codes — there's another feature of modem day life that can drive you squirrely if you dwell on it too long. I'm so antique I can remember a time before postal codes. A time when you could pick up a quill, address an envelope to, say, "Joe Blow, 123 First Avenue, Anywhere, Canada", slap a 10 cent stamp on it, pop it in the mailbox and it would actually be delivered — usually the next day! Even on Saturdays! I once lived in a place in northwestern Ontario called Kaministiquia, Ontario. One day the mailman delivered a parcel addressed to "A. Black, Kam, Ont." It had been mailed from Arizona that same week. Nowadays you not only have to take out a mortgage to pay for the postage, you also have to include the postal code. Which might not make me froth at the mouth if the postal codes made any sense at all. Imagine, for instance, if the postal code for my office in Toronto was TOR ONT — or even just contained a familiar "T" or "0". I think my feeble brain could probably handle that. Instead, the code is MSW 1E6. And Kaministiquia? You'd think the postal code would at least include the letters "K" or "M", would you not? Forget it. The postal code for my Kam compadres is POT 1X0. companies have been able to tailor their products to specific markets much better than the giant behemoths. Thus the XYZ Widget Co. of Last Chance Gulch, Erehwon, may be able to outhustle its huge competitors to get business throughout the world. Even if they do not, the fact that they have chosen to become what are called "niche" producers stands them in good stead in world markets. A niche producer is one who concentrates on only one segment of a market, one that would not be of interest to an IBM. A case in point is Canadair, owned by Bombardier of Montreal, who has concentrated on small corporate jet aircraft as well as commercial passenger jets of the same size. This is apparently of little interest to such giants as Boeing or Airbus but, with a world market there is a much greater demand than if you were just producing for a specific area. However, at the point where the market overlaps the smaller company is likely to take market share away from Boeing, since it is in a better position to turn out a product that the customer wants. With the arrival of relatively inexpensive sophisticated computers, the small companies are able to achieve economies of scale much more quickly than they ever could before. In the 1970s and 1980s, these economies of scale were the domain of IBM or Philips but not any more. In this respect it is worth noting that IBM is trying to downsize its various divisions so that they will be able to respond in the same manner as the small competitors to which they previously paid scant attention. All this adds up to an understanding of why large companies are hurriedly trying to get rid of layers of management in areas where the jobs were considered to be little short of sacrosanct. They are scrambling to become "lean and mean" just like the little companies already have. And it's not just postal codification. Ever perused the paper tags that airport ticket agents attach to your luggage? You will see memorable nuggets of consonants such as YYZ and YLW. YYZ stands for Pearson International. YLW is Kelowna, B.C. Most of the codes for airports in Canada make not the slightest connection with the name of the place. Most of them aren't even pronounceable. Flights into and out of St. John's, Nfld. are coded YYT. For Windsor, it's YOG. Other nations take a less bizarre approach. Kennedy Airport in New York? That's JFK. Le Bourget Airport in France is designated FPB — which sounds confusing until you unravel the Gallic logic: "F" for France, "P" for Paris, "B" for Bourget. In Argentina, most of the airport codes begin with, surprise, surprise, the letter "A". In Brazil, they begin with "B"; in Japan it's "J" and in Sweden it's "S". Even Turkey, for heaven's sake, has the letter "T" at the beginning of all its baggage tags. But in canada all the airport codes begin with the letter "Y". Don't ask me "Y". Flying onto Boston? Look for BOS on your tags. Los Angeles? They'll read LAX. Saskatoon? Watch for YXE. It's enough to make your average Canuck a tad P.O.D. In the long run consumers should benefit as a greater number of companies produce goods in search of willing markets. At the same time, however, it means a higher level of competition all round as firms search out these global markets and try to respond to them. If the current recession in Canada and elsewhere has appeared to many to be more severe than previous ones, it is simply that this competition is already underway and there is not one country that is winning. Each of us has winners and losers. If Canadians are going to maintain their standard of living, we have to make sure that there are more winners than losers. Letters to the editor Continued from page 4 increased trade between the two countries by a relatively small amount. Even investment flow changed little. From all the opposition to the MAFIA there is one thing rather clear. It will also have little effect on our economy. Only if we don't join might we suffer. Any jobs to go to Mexico are there already, for nothing stops a manufacturer from going there now. The lesson from the Washington report is that we should not accept any rhetoric at face value. Continual repeating doesn't make things true. Adrian Vos. THE EDITOR, As a resident of the country I enjoy a walk everyday with my daughter and my two dogs. But, I have a problem? Recently garbage has been thrown out from passing cars in the form of beer cans, potato chip bags, and pop cans. Everyday I walk and everyday new garbage appears on the roadside. I think it is totally disgusting that people would spoil the countryside with garbage and I would appreciate the people doing this to think again and keep our countryside beautiful. Next time you have garbage take it home and put it in a garbage can. Sharon Brown. The short of it I By Bonnie Gropp Music and memories I had the time of my life. Aside from my wedding day and the birth of my children the most memorable moment of my life occurred this past weekend, though I'm sure a few of you will read this and think I lead a pretty sheltered life, if this is as good as it gets. Perhaps, I should ofler some background to provide a better understanding. It was almost 30 years ago, yet the memory is as vivid as a Lake Huron sunset. My family and I were gathered around the television after Sunday dinner. My teenage brother was filling us in on the special guests scheduled to appear on the variety show that evening, while I snuggled as close to the screen as I possibly could to catch what he promised would be a piece of history. Like a typical nine-year-old I really didn't need to know what was happening; I was excited because someone else was. I fidgetted impatiently for the moment when I would find out what it was all about. Finally, Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles and I was spellbound. The camera panned their faces in close-up and as it rested briefly on Paul McCartney, I remember sighing, "Oh, Mommy, he's cute." Thus began a long tale of unrequited love as for three decades I have worshipped from afar. That came to an end on Sunday evening, however, when I along with five others travelled to Exhibition Stadium to see him. (Well, okay it was still from afar, but I was in the same general vicinity as him!) Anyway, I know I'm supposed to be a mature woman now with giddy girlhood notions behind me, but seeing McCartney almost up close, was a fantasy fulfilled. It was a picture perfect evening with the lights of Toronto peeking in between the stadium stands. The temperatures were comfortable with a gentle breeze blowing off the lake. Even the odd glistening star was visible through the smog. Sitting in this idyllic atmosphere, listening to songs that were so much a part of my life, was an enchanting experience, even for a grown-up whose head was forced out of the clouds quite a few years ago. Throughout the evening, the audience, which was comprised primarily of other once idealistic baby boomers, was part of a nostalgic magical mystery tour. It impressed me then what an impact music can have on us as each song unlocked its own significant memory in me. All the stories, songs and words of wisdom tell us to live for today. Living in the past is not a good thing on a regular basis, especially if you are looking back longingly, but our memories are a big part of who we are so a brief visit once in a while can't be all bad. I used to resent the fact that I didn't get to see the early McCartney. However, it dawned on me the other night that this was even better. Not only did I see one of my favourite musicians perform an entire career, but I rekindled some of the energy and carefree attitude of adolescence for a time. (Mind you, after just four hours sleep that night, the feeling had dissipated by Monday!) It was nice, though to treat myself to an evening of good company, ambiance and music, one I can add to that warehouse of memories. And by the way — he's still cute! International Scene