Loonie Tunes

The America dollar continues to weaken at an alarming rate.




The Canadian dollar reached parity with the U.S. dollar this morning for the first time since November 1976. The euro also soared to its highest-ever level against the dollar, trading above $1.40 for the first time since the currency was introduced in 1999.

For those of you who don't already know, the Canadian dollar is often referred to as the "loonie".

The loonie has been gaining on its American counterpart since bottoming out below 62 cents in early 2002. It has recently been on a spectacular run, up from 95 cents at the start of September and from under 90 cents last spring.

The weakening dollar will make your trip abroad cost more than you ever thought possible.

It will make two-way overseas trade with other countries very difficult for the American businessman.

And who can we thank for this?

I would look to this looney.

Make a run for the bathroom

Over the past few days, I know you all have been closely following the recent Taco Bell - E. coli panic.




As many of you may know, E. coli is a food borne bacteria that causes some 73,000 infections and 60 deaths in the United States each year.

Now that almost sixty people have become sick, this is the nation's most serious outbreak of E. coli toxins since mid-September. At that time, the scare involved the same strain of the bacteria, but it was linked to packages of contaminated spinach grown in California. It killed three people and infected more than 200 in 26 states.

Taco Bell has removed green onions from all 5,800 of its restaurants across the country Wednesday after tests indicated they could be to blame for an outbreak in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Now … I really do like Taco Bell. After all, what would life be without the occasional Nachos Bel Grande®, Crunchwrap® or Chalupa Supreme®.

On the other hand, what do we really expect from an establishment that has as it’s mascot … a taco wearing a diaper?




Let’s all be really honest with ourselves for a moment. Americans rarely look for the healthy option when it comes to food. We often look for the cheapest thing we can buy that will fill our distended American bellies.

Case in point … The Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes.




Call it a hunch, but I am going to guess that this in not a traditional Mexican dish.

We need to take a close look at this combo. First, we take deep fried potato tater tots. Then we drown those in melted processed cheese … and as if that wasn’t bad enough … we top it with a scoop of sour cream.

Frankly, I am surprised that E. coli bacteria are able to survive in the American digestive system.