As the U.S. presidential candidates gear up for the final laps of their respective campaigns, Silicon Valley and other technology hotbeds will be watching closely as Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush flesh out their positions on technology issues. The new faces included Carol Cohen , also an Honourable Justice of the Superior Court and well known for the judgment she rendered on the rights of patients to Medicare-funded treatment in the U.S. and Gilles Th rien , a former Montrealer now living in Vancouver. Gilles hopes to set up a Wednesday Night clone in Vancouver and was experiencing his first Salon following some lengthy e-mail and telephone exchanges with Diana and David. The price of oil keeps increasing, natural gas which costs little to produce and less than oil to transport, rises with increasing petroleum price. These relatively high prices appear to have very little impact on the North American economy beyond vocal complaints emanating from the driving community.
Inflation is manageable.
The low liquidity level of the North American consumer might have been expected to have a measurable effect on the economy, but so far this has not happened. European governments have been reducing taxes or offering rebates to selective segments of the transportation sector. Britain, where increased petroleum prices are preprogrammed and have reached alarming proportions have the potential for possibly bringing down the Blair government, may also cause enormous difficulties for Al Gore following the United States presidential election. Israel Mass Wednesday Nighters were offered some explanation for this apparent paradox. The actual price of oil is not as outrageous as it appears, having come off a low due to a decrease in price following the Asian crisis.