Hosehead here just sort of rides on my coattails

Among the thirty-seven topics we covered in the first hour of Saturday's NARN First Team show was the surprising news--at least to us non-dismal science talking guys--that the Canadian dollar had reached parity with the US greenback. A story in Saturday's Wall Street Journal explains why the Loonie is no longer the object of ridicule and scorn it once was. Canada Is Giddy About the Loonie And Twitting U.S. (sub req):

The Canadian dollar's rise to parity with the U.S. dollar has several causes: high commodity prices globally, the overall weakness of the U.S. dollar, the strength of the Canadian economy and the Canadian government's enviable fiscal surplus.

The article also looks at some of the implications of said parity in various areas.

Shopping:

The rise is a boon for Canadians looking to buy American real estate, stocks or just about anything for sale at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., which has seen a 15% uptick in the number of Canadian customers this year.

Oh good, more Canadians. I can only imagine the deluge of Canuck shoppers in places like Grand Forks.

Imports:

But it isn't good news for Canadian hotels or tourist destinations, or exporters of everything from beer and maple syrup to lumber and wheat.

Hockey:

In hockey, the six Canadian-based NHL teams haven't brought a Stanley cup back home since 1993, but Ian Clarke, executive vice president of business development for the Toronto Maple Leafs, said even though the team would stay under the league's salary cap, the strength of the loonie has enabled the organization to invest in facilities: better locker rooms, better weight rooms, nicer coaches' offices.

Another Stanley Cup? "It's going to help all the Canadian teams," Mr. Clarke says.

And last, but not least, strip clubs:

With the Canadian dollar surging against the U.S. greenback, Robert Katzman is dealing with situations they don't teach in Economics 101.

The owner of five strip clubs in Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, says American dancers are heading to Canada to earn the strengthened Canadian currency, and Canadian customers are heading to Detroit because their dollars go further there. He's fighting back by advertising more in the U.S. and offering free limo service to get Detroit men to visit his Windsor clubs.