Now That Didn't Take Long

Looks like folks were a little quick to press the panic button on food prices. This story from India reports that excellent crops, and higher plantings are already easing the food crisis in that part of the world. The story reports:

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- A worldwide food crisis that sent prices of wheat, rice and corn to records and sparked riots from Haiti to Ivory Coast may be over after farmers boosted plantings, a top official in India's food ministry said.

``I don't think there's a crisis now,'' said T. Nanda Kumar, the country's food secretary, who is responsible for formulating food security policy in the world's second-most populous nation. ``Food will be available.''

...

Record soybean crops in China and India, an almost doubling of wheat production in Australia, and bigger rice harvests in Thailand and Vietnam have eased shortfalls this year.

The global production outlook for wheat and soybeans is ``very good,'' while rice is still expensive, Kumar said in a New Delhi interview Aug. 18. ``Rice is softening, but I don't think it has softened adequately.''

To be sure there's a lot that goes into the reason for the recent drop in food commodity prices from their record high levels, including a stronger US dollar, lower energy prices, and good growing weather. But, the article is clear that there's also been a real supply response in areas of the world with less developed agriculture.

I thought we'd have to wait at least until the next growing season to see a supply response to the record high prices, however apparently even the more modest price increases we saw in the early spring were enough to generate this response. The bloomberg article credits an 83 year old scientist, Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, with saying, "the solution to higher farm output lies in providing better remuneration to growers." It seems he's been proven right, and even more quickly than I expected.

Tony Clement is Right

As the largest contributor to the World Health Organization, Canada's opinion matters. Last week Tony Clement, Canada's Health Minister, made the government's position clear with respect to government sponsored injection sites for illegal drugs. Minister Clement said, "Allowing and/or encouraging people to inject heroin into their veins is not harm reduction, it is the opposite. … We believe it is a form of harm addition.” He is absolutely right, providing not just clean needles, but a government sanctioned safe zone where addicts can take illegal drugs without fear of prosecution sends a mixed message about what our society thinks and makes it easier for addicts to continue with their life risking behaviour.

The Economist has a good report on the effectiveness of Canada's only 'safe injection site' in Vancouver:

BACK in 2003 many residents of Vancouver reckoned that an answer had finally been found to the worsening hard-drug problem in the liberal-minded city’s downtown Eastside district. A reformist city council, borrowing a European idea, opened the first supervised heroin-injection clinic in North America. It was set up as a research experiment, with a three-year remit (since twice extended). The idea was that giving addicts a safe place to inject themselves would remove them from crime, disease and other risks, and make them more amenable to treatment. The Liberals who were then running the federal government agreed, and blessed Insite, as the project is called, with C$1.5m (then worth $1.1m) and a vital exemption from drug laws.

Five years on, Insite has proved a disappointment to many in Vancouver. It has also become the object of partisan conflict. The Conservative federal government of Stephen Harper dislikes the project. A committee set up to advise it on the issue found that only about 500 of Vancouver’s 8,000 addicts use Insite each day, and fewer than 10% of those use it for all their injections. It found no clear evidence of any increase in treatment, nor of any fall in HIV cases. It did estimate that the project might have saved one life per year but found that overdose deaths were still about 50 a year among addicts. Crime continues unabated as addicts steal to feed their habits, something which frustrates the local police.

So there is close to no benefit to the drug users, or societ at large by providing the injection site. At the same time, the injection site makes it easier for addicts to continue feeding their addiction. Tony Clement should be applauded for taking a stand saying, “We're not prepared to allow people to die” by condoning their continued drug use.

Paris Hilton is Funny and Intelligent . . .

. . . in her new video spoof of a John McCain Ad at www.funnyordie.com:

It's timely, funny and relevant. She even sounds coherent when she describes her 'energy policy.' I'm not sure how she pulled that off. From my perspective the most controversial thing she said is: "I'm hot." I'm not sure I can think of a number of women I know that are significantly hotter than Paris Hilton. I can even think of a few celebrities, like Jessica Simpson.

Anyway for reference you can find the original ad here, it's called "celeb." It's actually a very fair add that highlights just how hollow Obama is. You can also check out a two other videos on John McCain's website are "the one" and "the Obama Iraq Document."

Is That Really the Way to Measure Happiness?

I read an article today that claimed women are less happy at mid life than men. The Ottawa Citizen Reports:

The researchers looked at several decades of surveys that asked what people wanted out of life and which of those things they had. Happiness, Ms. Plagnol said, is determined by measuring the difference between the two -- in other words, whether or not people have what they say they want.

After controlling for year of birth and demographics such as race and education, the authors specifically looked at two areas: family life and finances.

"Virtually all studies agree that family life and finances are among the most important in determining happiness," the study reads.

Financial happiness was determined by how many of 10 big-ticket consumer goods -- including a car, a TV, a vacation home and a pool -- people had that they also considered part of a good life.

So if I understand this properly, if I say I want a big house, a beautiful wife, a fancy car, and lots of kids and I have all those things, then the study authors pronounce me "happy." If I have 3/4 I must be 75% happy. Presumably if I have none of those things, the authors would categorize me as miserable. This is the logic that allows Anke Plagnol one of the study authors to conclude: "Aspirations of men and women are similar later in life, but women attain less."

I can certainly see how the study results are interesting, but is that really the way to measure happiness? It sounds a lot like a materialist trap that says I will be happy if only I have more stuff. Unfortunately, that's just not true! More stuff doesn't make you more happy even if you think that it will.

I recommend all happiness experts go out and buy a copy of the Veggie Tales classic Madame Blueberry. They'll learn that "being greedy makes you grumpy -- but a thankful heart is a happy heart!"

Songs that say, Don't cheat, Don't Leave

I've got two country stations on my radio presets. I knew this song was big when I heard it twice in 5 minutes while scanning the channels. Taylor Swift's, "Should've Said No" is a grand kiss off to her cheating boyfriend. It's totally simplistic, no torn emotions just plain punchy. Simple message to men, be faithful or you're toast. Give it a listen:



It kind of reminds me about the song Cheaper to Keep Her by Aaron Lines that made the circuit a few months ago. Similar message to men, DON'T Leave because you’ll just screw up your life! I enjoy both these songs because they’re just so refreshingly direct. I think they’re just plain fun, as long as you’re not in the situation. If you are, they’e gotta sting and you have my sympathy. But I think these two songs are popular because they contain warnings that deep down we men know we need to hear. (I think they’re popular with women because they can laugh at men.)



Stay Strong by the Newsboys is different. First, it’s not country, I’ve heard it a few times on my drive home on the local Christian music station. More important it’s hopeful it’s talking to us BEFORE we make a bad decision. It’s definitely my favourite of these three songs:



I like all three of these songs especially the last one. They may be direct, maybe even preachy, but they're definitely catchy. It’s refreshing to have some explicitly encouraging music especially when popular culture seems to diminish committed relationships.

Let the Americans Keep Him

Omar Khadr is from the family of Osama bin Laden's biggest Canadian sympathisers. He travelled to Afghanistan to support their cause, and the Americans believe he killed one of their soldiers, Christopher Speer. Now that a video of his interrogation has been released, his lawyers want Canadians to pressure our government to bring him back to Canada and rescue him from the consequences of his actions.

I vote no. Much has been made of clips where Khadr breaksdown and crys for his mom, but more should be made of his many admissions. Such as this exchange reported by the Globe and Mail,

"How did that American end up getting so dead then? … You were there. You participated in this action," a Canadian interrogator said.

"What could I do?" Mr. Khadr replied. "What other choice did I have?"

CSIS agents believe he delivered well rehearsed testimony. Khadr's lawyers have been trying to manipulate the Canadian government ever since his arrest, when the interrogation started he said to the Canadians, "Finally, I've been requesting the Canadian government for a long time."

I don't blame Khadr for breaking down in tears when he realized that the Canadians were trying to find out the truth rather than bring him a get out of jail free card. But those tears do not make him innocent, if he killed an American service man and trained with terrorists he should face the consequences.

A Shameful Decision, An Excellent Response

When I first heard that Henry Morgentaler would be awarded the Order of Canada, I was disgusted. I also didn't much care. It was just another slight against pro-lifers and another undeserved award for a wiked man. I spent a lot of energy huffing and puffing when he was awarded an honourary degree from the University of Western Ontario, and I stopped supporting the school because of it. I was so tired of hearing about him I just rolled my eyes, and thought here we go again.

But, the response has encouraged me. I was particularly encouraged by Acrh Bishop Thomas Collins' statement. Before describing the many services the Church offers to women who have had an abortion and those who may be considering an abortion, he said:

Canada's highest honour has been debased. HenryMorgentaler has been awarded the Order of Canada. We are all diminished.

A community's worth is measured by the way it treats the most vulnerable,and no one is more vulnerable than in the first nine months of life's journey. No person may presume to judge the soul of Henry Morgentaler, but it cannot bedenied that the effect of his life's work has been a deadly assault upon the most helpless amongst us.

Canada glories in the names of Banting and Best, and the other medical heroes who selflessly brought healing where there was disease and suffering. Now it honours with the Order of Canada a medical man who has brought not healing, but the destruction of the defenseless and immeasurable grief.

This award must not stand.

Quite frankly this is much more eloquent than I could be. Clear and bold, yet gentle, responses from the Church have informed a debate that has engaged the country. I am very proud of the leadership that the church has shown.

I was also pleased with Stephen Harper's comments:

"My preference, to be frank, would be to see the Order of Canada be something that really unifies, that brings Canadians together. I have to say this clearly: This is not a decision of the government of Canada. The Order of Canada, these decisions, are made independently of the government."

Stephen Harper couldn't be more right. Honours such as this should be reserved for people that have made a truly positive contribuition to our society. Small wonder at least 3 awards have been returned by individuals who think the honour has become worthless. (Awards presented to Catherine de Hueck Doherty, E.M. Culliton, and Father Lucien Larre have all been returned.) What a shame that true servants of Canada have seen their honour diminished in this way.

Thousands of Canadians have also signed an online petition or joined Facebook groups opposing the nomination. Please do the same, for the sake of our country this award must not stand.

FACT: Church Going Men Have Happier Marriages

A new research brief from the Centre for Marriage and Families finds that church going men have happier marriages than other men:

For men, 70 percent of husbands who attend church regularly report they are “very happy” in their marriages, compared to 59 percent of husbands who rarely or never attend church. . . In addition, a study of urban relationships found that men’s religious attendance was a better predictor of women’s relationship satisfaction than women’s own religious attendance.

That's huge! In other words 18% (70/59) more church going men (in America) have very happy marriages than men who stay home. Naturally these men had marriages that were more likely to last:

Specifically, data from the NSFH indicate that men and women who attended religious services regularly (several times a month or more) were approximately 35 percent less likely to divorce between 1988 and 1993, compared to their married peers who rarely or never attended religious services. Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and Jews who attended services regularly were especially likely to avoid divorce, compared to churchgoing evangelical Protestants and black Protestants. In all probability, low Catholic divorce rates are linked to Catholic teaching about the importance of marital permanence.

Yay Catholics!

Finally, the research shows that church going men spend more time with their children including helping with group activities:

Compared to dads who say they have no religious affiliation, fathers who attend
church regularly (several times a month or more) devote at least two hours a
week more in youth-related activities, such as helping in Boy Scouts, coaching
soccer, and leading a church youth group.

So men, want a happier marriage? Get to church! Women and mothers want a happier marriage, get your husband to church. The data show he'll thank you for it.

H/T Lifesite News

Record High Abortions in Britain.

According to Lifesite news, a record number of English unborn children were aborted in 2007. Lifesite reports:

Abortions are at record numbers again in Britain, with a 4 percent rise and ever younger girls having "terminations" instead of giving birth. Statistics released today show that 205,598 British children were killed before birth in 2007, up from 201,173 in England and Wales during 2006.

The number of abortions among young girls also jumped significantly, with 13-to-15 year olds aborting at 4.4 per thousand, and under-18s aborting at a rate of 19.8 per thousand.

These statistics mean that nearly one-quarter of pregnancies in England and Wales end in abortion.

This is bad news for Britain and quite honestly I was shocked, especially when the most recent Canadian numbers showed a much more enouraging trend. England has just over 60 million people, less than twice Canada's population of 33 million, but the total number of abortions in England was more than 2.1 times the 96,815 unborn children that were killed in Canada.

Perhaps young women in Britain should look to Canadians as an example. Only 13.8 per thousand Canadian young women under the age of 20 had an abortion in 2005.

I Weep for Africa

In a sad and frustrating statement on Africa, Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe's main oppositon party decided not to contest a run off election after president Mugabe's thugs continued months of violence and blocked a major rally. Tsvangirai summed up his reasons succinctly saying, "We in the MDC* cannot ask [people] to cast their vote on the 27th when that vote would cost them their lives."

Here in North America, we take our democracy for granted. In many African countries it is extremely fragile. Zimbabwe is a country with incredible potential, and yet at least 70 opposition supporters have been killed over the past several weeks by agents of Zimbabwe's government. Although the blame clearly rests with Mugabe himself and those around him that have enriched themselves while ruining the country, it's all the more maddening because it could have been prevented if the international community, particularly South Africa had pressured Mugabe out when he lost the last election in March.

For all the talk about sending help to Africa this is a moment when something can be done. South Africa should close the border to all trade with Zimbabwe until Mugabe steps down. Western governments should take every means possible to isolate Mugabe, fortify the opposition, and support Zimbabwe's other neighbouring countries such as Zambia that have already been working to end this crisis.

*Movement for Democratic Change

Dion's Tax on Everything

I wonder how much the Conservatives are paying Stephane Dion. This Carbon Tax idea must be one of the biggest strategic blunders the Liberals have made with Dion as leader, and that is saying something.

First off, Dion is going to lose more of whatever miniscule amount of credibility he has left. He earlier promised not to introduce a carbon tax, so the conservatives have easily charged that he broke his word.

Second he has left himself wide open to the claim that he's trying to raise taxes. The conservatives have rightly labeled the idea as a permanent new tax, and I don't think anyone will believe that this plan won't increase taxes overall despite Liberal claims of offsetting tax cuts.

Third, it's not a very good idea. The tax will increase the cost of everything from heating and cooling to manufacturing and transportation of everything that we buy. That's why it's been called a tax on everything. Of course, the hardest hit businesses will be Canadian manufacturers that will have to pay a tax that none of their competitors have to pay. This comes at a time when the high Canadian dollar is already decimating the industry.

Finally, there couldn't be worse timing. A carbon tax might not always be a terrible idea, if oil drops to $20 a barrel and governments want to protect the environment by ensuring we don't needlessly pollute, go ahead introduce a carbon tax. Today the market is doing a fine job of encouraging energy efficiency and there's no need for a new tax to help. In fact a new tax now will just destroy the economy and cause untold hardship, everyone is reeling from the high cost of energy, we cannot afford to pay more.

I Have a Little Crush . . .

. . . On Jessica Simpson.

OK. Maybe not, truth is I don't even know why she's famous actress? Singer? it doesn't really matter to me. BUT the T-shirt looks good on her. Hopefully she starts a trend.

BTW, look at those incisors, proof positive we were made to enjoy a thick, tender pork chop every now and again.

Truth? and Reconciliation?

Canada has launched a so called 'truth and reconciliation' committee into Canada's residential schools. I'm a little apprehensive. The last time I heard about the issue several years ago, Canadian government lawyers had agreed to pay natives compensation for 'cultural genocide' and stuck churches with half the bill. Many Anglican, United, and Catholic churches were closed outright to pay for the bill. Now that the settlements are being paid out, alcohol and drug abuse has spiked again on reservations.

Don't get me wrong, there were documented cases of abuse, and those people should be pitied, apologized to and compensated. But, let's set the record straight, the teachers and religious that relocated to the remote reservations left everything out of an act of love and service to the native people. They sacrificed themselves to give the natives a better life. The only reason churches were likely involved is that nobody else would go and make that sacrifice.

Lorne Gunter, says give the commission a chance, I guess we don't have a choice. But I sincerely hope that five years from now we will see a balanced report that recognizes the selfless acts of service and doesn't simply create another opportunity to reinforce the native sense of victimhood.

Job Well Done, Hillary

The math doesn't look good for Hillary Clinton now that Barack Obama has enough delegates to secure the nomination. Hillary won another big race on the weekend, but it came just a little late, winning the Democratic Puerto Rico Primary with a 2 -1 margin, after similar victories in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Normally, I wouldn't care. First, I'm Conservative. Second, I'm Canadian. But I do care who wins the nomination for two reasons. I believe Hillary Clinton is the best candidate for President. Second, the President is still the leader of the free world, so every body cares.

Between Obama, Hillary, and McCain, I wanted Hillary to be the next President of the United States. My logic is simple Barrack Obama is an extreme left wing leader prone to making big mistakes; if Barrack Obama became President it will be dangerous for the whole world. John McCain would be a better President than Obama, and he has articulated some conservative positions such as appointing constitutionalist judges. However, with a democratic controlled he will almost certainly fall in line with the Democrats on every issue that matters.

Hillary, on the other hand, is pragmatic and adaptable enough to know where the American people stand, and I believe she would have used the office of President to more effectively control a democratic congress than John McCain could.

Hillary ran a decent campaign, especially in the last few months. I wish the results had been different.

3,224 Fewer Tragedies

3,224 fewer children had their lives prematurely snuffed out at Canadian hospitals and abortion clinics in 2005 according to Statistics Canada. With a total of 96,815 abortions in 2005, the annual rate has dropped below the 100,000 threshold. Perhaps the most encouraging news comes from the age breakdown:

Teenage women, under the age of 20, experienced the largest decline in rates, from 13.8 for every 1,000 women in 2004, to 13.0 in 2005. The induced abortion rate for these women has declined gradually since 1996 when it peaked at 18.9.

Clearly there's a shift happening in the attitudes of young women, who seem significantly more responsible than a decade ago despite continuous pressure from society to sacrifice their morals.

There's a lot of work to be done, but anyone who cares about the unborn in Canada should pause and give thanks for this good news.

Hamilton Diocese Ordinations

Hamilton Diocese ordained 3 new men into the priesthood on Saturday! It's an answer to prayer, and a hopeful sign for the diocese that these young men have committed their lives to the service of Christ and His church. One of the young men Fr. Jason Kuntz, went to high school with my wife, another spoke recently at our church about his calling and his journey through the seminary. I wanted to attend, but in a typical Patrick move, I went to Church of Our Lady in Guelph, when the ordinations were at the Cathedral in Hamilton. :(

"No problem," said I (to quote myself). I would simply go inside and pray for the new priests briefly in the church. However, my plan was foiled, as I tried each door only to find that it was locked up tight with two other people trying various doors.

Now, Church of Our Lady is something of a landmark in Guelph a large stone church towering over the downtown. Like many grand historical structures, it takes money to maintain, and the Parish has often looked to the general public for support. There's nothing wrong with that, Guelph is a more beautiful city because of the church, but if the public is helping to support the church, it should be open to the public sometime outside of regular mass times.

I understand that vandalism is a problem, but a group of committed volunteers or a private security company could easily address this issue and make this beautiful house of worship more accessible.

To Quote Myself

Trade news bulletins are understandably poorly written, but Patrick O'Neil wonders if this isn't a little excessive:

Commentary by Victor Aideyan, Farms.com Risk Management

While inputs will remain high, livestock prices should also be favorable in 2009. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a gauge of livestock and crop intentions through its quarterly reports. Sometime those reports create angst and uncertainty among producers, as was the case with the March Hogs and Pigs report as well as the March planting intentions report. From a swine perspective, the biggest surprise was the prediction of larger than expected hog supplies through September 2008. “The initial reaction on the production side can only be described as shock and despair,” says Farms.com Senior Risk Management Consultant Victor Aideyan. “The Hogs and Pigs report was a negative surprise, to say the least.”

While the market reacted with lower prices for the first few trading days following the report, they have since rebounded, says Aideyan. “Farms.com Risk Management believes that tightening hog supplies in the 2nd quarter compared to the last quarter will support hog prices between April and early June,” he adds. For pork producers, it will continue to be important to manage input costs, including corn, meal, and any protein sources. “The price risk management work you do during this period will determine your level of profitability, if any, during 2009,” points out Aideyan. “Barring any exceptional events, we expect the meat complex (hogs and cattle) to hit all time highs in 2009.”
. . .
“The implication for corn is that it seems destined for higher prices going into this summer, at least,” predicts Aideyan. “This is good news for cash crop producers as corn and soybeans will go higher, but bad news for livestock producers.”

“Given tight reserves, Farms.com Risk Management believes that in the spring of 2009 the competition for acres between soybeans and corn will be even more pronounced than this year,” Aideyan notes. He adds cautiously, “But don’t forget, the crops are not planted yet, and things could easily change.”

I count 9 third party references to himself or his organization. That's gotta be nearly as bad as naming your blog after yourself.

What Goes Up . . .

Monthly Corn Futures

Grain prices are at or near record levels, ethanol production has sky rocketed, and riots are happening around the world as food prices increase. Have you heard this story yet? It's been hard to miss as story after story covers the 'Food vs. Fuel' debate or the 'Food Crisis.'

Conventional wisdom in the mainstream media is that grain prices will stay high forever, and food prices will continue to increase. History suggests otherwise, as the chart above shows, big spikes in grain prices are not uncommon; they are usually followed by a sharp, unexpected drop. Most agricultural commodities follow a cyclical or Boom-Bust pattern. Although government support for ethanol and bio diesel certainly, helped the economics of over supply and low prices are the biggest drivers behind the higher levels of demand.

Clearly, growing grain will be very profitable this fall, especially for farmers that forward sell some of their production at these high levels. These profits will generate a supply response. Farmers around the world will grow more food, and my expectation is the response will be much quicker than many analysts predict.

North American crop yields top the world largely because of technology, but there's excellent ground around the planet. I fully expect that the production will jump by leaps and bounds, possibly this year as Western management style pushes into places like Eastern Europe. Case and point is a large Canadian livestock producer I know who is leaving the business to manage a 7,000 acre grain farm in the Ukraine. Have no fear, farmers will continue to feed the world.

All this said, the 'crisis' has brought a number of good ideas to the forefront. Governments in North America should be clear that they will not offer subsidies to new ethanol plants, governments should continue to open their borders, and in the short term food aid should be increased, as Canada has already done.

Elections Canada's Bold Move

It looks to me like Elections Canada is skating on thin ice. The Globe and Mail reported:

RCMP officers raided Conservative Party headquarters in downtown Ottawa yesterday to execute a search warrant requested by Election Commissioner William Corbett.

The police worked behind closed doors of the 12th-floor suite and at a mailroom on another floor. They were searching for information related to Mr. Corbett's investigation into whether dozens of Tory candidates improperly claimed advertising expenses that should have been declared by the national party.

It's obviously a complicated issue. Elections Canada is with holding campaign reimbursement funds from the Conservative Party and investigating whether the party declared expenses properly. The Conservative Party is suing Elections Canada for the funds that are being held.

There is often a blurring of lines between candidate's campaign budgets and the National Campaign. For instance, on an earlier campaign I was involved in the National Party's call centre did local polling to aid the candidate in a key riding. On a separate campaign for the Canadian Alliance, the local campaign was given the opportunity to pay for generic National Party advertisements on local radio and TV stations.

I don't know the particulars of the latest issue, the Conservatives obviously believe they are within the rules, but both arguments clearly rest on technicalities. The scandal today is that Elections Canada, a neutral agency, has made a media splash by engaging the RCMP and leaking the story to the media. Predictably, the news headlines on the radio during my drive home yesterday and into work this morning simply reported that the RCMP was raiding Conservative Party headquarters, suggesting that something criminal had happened. Clearly this is not accurate, the news will pass because there's no real story, but the damage has done and the Conservative Party is going to look a little more murky to the general public.

William Corbett will do well to remember that his position rests on being neutral and foregoing politically motivated attacks. He should apologize immediately.

I Don't Really Care

The NHL Playoffs begin today. Once again the Toronto Maple Leafs have long been eliminated from the playoffs. It's sad to say, but I don't really care. Now that it's been over 40 years since Toronto won a Stanley Cup, 3 consecutive years when they did not make the playoffs, and 4 years since the season was cancelled because of the player's strike. It's safe to say that I am firmly off the bandwagon.

I'm not planning on following the playoffs very closely this year, and I may not follow the season next year, until Toronto starts to win. It's a sad reality, but most Toronto Fans should know that there's no incentive for the team to do better unless folks start tuning out. The team can make incredible profits because we keep on watching, and buying tickets regardless of the effort they put forward. If they notice their revenues drop, maybe they'll show up to play next season.

A Choice

I've got about an hour before I should go to bed. I could start on my income tax, or I could start reading the books I borrowed from my brother in law, Dante's Divine Comedy. Book 1 in the trilogy is all about Hell. So I've got a choice:

Hell or Income Tax. . .

Right now I'm undecided.