Posted by Todd (64.34.202.197) on July 09, 2001 at 17:23:43:
In Reply to: I'm sorry, but what are you smokin? posted by Margi on July 09, 2001 at 10:25:44:
First of all, James clearly stated that he was merely repeating comments made in chat - - not that he was making these statements.
Why can't we have a calm, rational discussion, without all the emotion? Deal with some facts.
Using the link you posted above, the lowest fare I can get to Vancouver is $611. Change destination to Seattle (still far northwest) and it drops by $157 to $454. Run the same comparison from Atlanta and the rates are $521 vs. $272, a savings of $249. Using the hotel rates we paid in Atlanta, those savings would pay for 2 and 3 nights respectively.
Nothing in the OUCH Bylaws specifically includes (or excludes) Canada from the organization, nor is OUCH designated either international or domestic. The Mission Statement does include the term "international", but the MS is not an "offical" organizational document.
To my knowledge, there were three attendees in Atlanta from the UK and two from Canada. (I've excluded the Brits who live in the US) I'd call that about a draw, numbers wise, in terms of support from UK vs Canada.
At the same time, the OUCH membership roster doesn't list individual locations, so it's impossible to tell from that information how many Canadian (or any other nationality) members OUCH has. I do know I've spoken to a number in chat and have "met" many on ch.com. It does seem to me, however, that the majority of Canadian CHrs are from eastern Canada - Toronto, Montreal, Nova Scotia, etc. The trip from there to Vancouver must be an extremely long one, I would think.
While I realize that the US dollar is worth roughly $1.45 or so in Canada, I'm not sure the exchange rate alone is a good indicator of how "far the US dollar will go" in Canada. Last I knew, a pack of smokes was about $6.50 CDN - far more than most places in the US, even with the exchange rate. It would be good if we could get some real info as to what hotel rates might be, what we can expect to pay for a "typical" breakfast and so on. **(This isn't meant to put any pressure on Bonnie....I'm well aware of how much work she has to do and it's very early. Just saying, what approx. hotel rates has she found and what's the cost of an Egg McMuffin Breakfast meal?)
Finally, I think the underlying message in James' post as well as others and the chat conversations is that many people feel as if the Member's input should be taken more into consideration than has been done thus far.
KTSSU,
T