If you follow Twitter and you don't follow Rick Mercer, you probably should because chances are most of your friends know the exact make-up of his favorite sandwich. Either him or Bob McKenzie. Bob seems pretty popular, too.
By contrast, most of us don't give too much of a fig about what our elected officials have to say. Take our favorite Police Chief cum federal MP. This is completely not like the US, where political leaders are followed more ferociously than Hollywood celebs. Then again, if you believe what you watch on TNN, Hollywood really does control what goes on at the White House.
Still, Canada does see to be running like a well-oiled machine these days so maybe we are right to not listen too avidly to what our tight-lipped PM is issuing. Harper took a country that was in much need of discipline and applied an admirable amount of father knows best.
Now, this is slightly different from the 'papa knows best' of our Ontario leadership. When is this guy going to finally get the boot? We seem to have a love affair with Dalton McGuinty. Most people couldn't care less what he says and keep giving him the right to keep saying it. Then again, we might find ourselves with another Bob Rae. Now there is a guy who is much better at teaching and writing books than doing. Ontario used to be a smart pick.
Moving right along, more people follow Michael Ignatieff than they do PM Harper. At the end of the day, just because they want to listen to him talk doesn't mean they want to vote for him.
I'll Harper over Obama, any day. Oh, how the mighty have fallen and knew that they wood. Leadership really shouldn't be a popularity contest, strictly democratically speaking...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Why people read blogs
Reading a blog is a lot like standing at a crowded bus stop and hearing snippets of conversation. If something catches your ear you will maybe even try to get a seat close to them when the bus comes so you don't seem to be listening.
For the most part, it is a blur of noise, blending into itself and of little known significance or relevance. Sometimes, though there are blogs that capture people's attention. Generally, I think the most successful blogs are about politics. If you write about politics and offer some sort of insight, on a regular basis, your blog will become successful.
Gone are the days when somebody could become rich and famous because they decide to write about cooking everything in Julia Child's cook book. The field was much less cluttered back then. There was less to read so it was easier to get noticed.
Having a successful blog means being a real expert on something and updating it consistently about the same topic, building a readership and a reputation.
For everybody else, it's just a glory project.
For the most part, it is a blur of noise, blending into itself and of little known significance or relevance. Sometimes, though there are blogs that capture people's attention. Generally, I think the most successful blogs are about politics. If you write about politics and offer some sort of insight, on a regular basis, your blog will become successful.
Gone are the days when somebody could become rich and famous because they decide to write about cooking everything in Julia Child's cook book. The field was much less cluttered back then. There was less to read so it was easier to get noticed.
Having a successful blog means being a real expert on something and updating it consistently about the same topic, building a readership and a reputation.
For everybody else, it's just a glory project.
Why people write blogs
Blogging is a the modern day equivalent of shouting from a megaphone. It has made anybody with a computer and internet connection able to vent their views with little to no cost, or repercussions. After all, there are so many blogs out there that the majority of them go unnoticed, anyway.
When the commercial machine caught on that some people do get read, people started to think about how to capitalize on the phenomenon. So, just about every corporation runs a blog. In a way, this has replaced newsletters as a means of communication because it affords a more personal and immediate way of spreading messaging that fall between the restraints of quarterly reports, etc.
But the fact remains that for the most part, this is a glory project. When somebody writes a blog they are basically writing in their journal or diary. On some level they expect their little brother to find it and on another they are completely trusting of the fact that only benevolent eyes will ever fall on their words.
When the commercial machine caught on that some people do get read, people started to think about how to capitalize on the phenomenon. So, just about every corporation runs a blog. In a way, this has replaced newsletters as a means of communication because it affords a more personal and immediate way of spreading messaging that fall between the restraints of quarterly reports, etc.
But the fact remains that for the most part, this is a glory project. When somebody writes a blog they are basically writing in their journal or diary. On some level they expect their little brother to find it and on another they are completely trusting of the fact that only benevolent eyes will ever fall on their words.
Monday, December 20, 2010
eco-conflict groups
Today I had the pleasure of sitting down with a man of conviction. I love meeting people who actually have passion about something. He is charismatic, well-aged and full of life experience.
This is a man who let life lead him down several different paths and allowed himself to become absorbed but not controlled. He took opportunities and then made more of them, working each to his satisfaction, completing the task to a point of "finished" before moving on to something seemingly completely unrelated and different.
He stuck to and walked away from enough things to be honestly proud of and has a long list of successful accomplishments. I am happy to have had the honor of sitting in his home and listening, grateful for the opportunity of being treated as somebody worth imparting his opinions upon.
In the end I walked away with learning something. There is a term for the thing I could not put my finger on. "Eco-conflict groups". These are the people who treat environmentalism as an opportunity for profit, stroking egos and lustfully tantalizing the masses who hunger for a cause. As he says, they have filled the void left behind by organized religion, forming almost churches at whose alters the minions worship.
They have convinced the public of what their interests are, despite scientific proof, swaying the democratic process to the point of efficiently eradicating all logic in the production of food.
In the end, we have less than one hundred years before we will no longer have the means by which to produce food unless we somehow find a means to feed the soil, replacing what has been reaped through over-tilling and poorly though-out urban sprawl.
Though it is nothing new to be led by illiterate law-makers, swayed by experts with agendas that will not meet the needs of future generations, it is no less sad.
Something must be done to reverse the trend toward the eradication of our own species. There is hope but perhaps not enough time in which to realize it. The world's most precious resource is being depleted through purely synthetic good intentions and we must wake up to the reality that not all that is said in the guise of saving the planet is actually good for the planet.
Though it is true that the good of the planet is more than what is beneficial to the human race, at the end of the day if we do not do what we can to preserve our own existence there really is not much point to being all that altruistic. We cannot rob ourselves of the basic building blocks of agriculture and expect to live on... well, in truth there is a group protecting virtually every element of ... everything and none correlate to each other.
We do not treat the planet as one, cohesive, interrelated organic whole. We segment, compartmentalize, divide, and sort in silos all that cannot exist without the other parts. We build walls of ignorance and conflict between groups that are inter-dependent. We are our own destroyers and worst enemies.
In the end, it is the socialization of key decisions that will be our undoing. We are so focused on letting the masses decide that those who are in the inner circle of the industry are left paralyzed and stunned at the lack of reason and accountability. In the mean time, these so called interest groups wage war on the future for the benefit of dollars raised from people who think that they are donating to a good cause.
The sheep love being told they are doing good. A pat on the head and a tax receipt for their donation is enough to satiate the hunger. Few ask enough questions or fully understand the answers. Few have or want to take the time to really understand. When they do, it will be too late.
Climate change is not the biggest threat to our futures. We should be worrying about sustainability. How do we ensure that there will be enough food to go around when we are running out of what it takes to grow it? No really, this is not a rhetorical question. How do we do it?
This is a man who let life lead him down several different paths and allowed himself to become absorbed but not controlled. He took opportunities and then made more of them, working each to his satisfaction, completing the task to a point of "finished" before moving on to something seemingly completely unrelated and different.
He stuck to and walked away from enough things to be honestly proud of and has a long list of successful accomplishments. I am happy to have had the honor of sitting in his home and listening, grateful for the opportunity of being treated as somebody worth imparting his opinions upon.
In the end I walked away with learning something. There is a term for the thing I could not put my finger on. "Eco-conflict groups". These are the people who treat environmentalism as an opportunity for profit, stroking egos and lustfully tantalizing the masses who hunger for a cause. As he says, they have filled the void left behind by organized religion, forming almost churches at whose alters the minions worship.
They have convinced the public of what their interests are, despite scientific proof, swaying the democratic process to the point of efficiently eradicating all logic in the production of food.
In the end, we have less than one hundred years before we will no longer have the means by which to produce food unless we somehow find a means to feed the soil, replacing what has been reaped through over-tilling and poorly though-out urban sprawl.
Though it is nothing new to be led by illiterate law-makers, swayed by experts with agendas that will not meet the needs of future generations, it is no less sad.
Something must be done to reverse the trend toward the eradication of our own species. There is hope but perhaps not enough time in which to realize it. The world's most precious resource is being depleted through purely synthetic good intentions and we must wake up to the reality that not all that is said in the guise of saving the planet is actually good for the planet.
Though it is true that the good of the planet is more than what is beneficial to the human race, at the end of the day if we do not do what we can to preserve our own existence there really is not much point to being all that altruistic. We cannot rob ourselves of the basic building blocks of agriculture and expect to live on... well, in truth there is a group protecting virtually every element of ... everything and none correlate to each other.
We do not treat the planet as one, cohesive, interrelated organic whole. We segment, compartmentalize, divide, and sort in silos all that cannot exist without the other parts. We build walls of ignorance and conflict between groups that are inter-dependent. We are our own destroyers and worst enemies.
In the end, it is the socialization of key decisions that will be our undoing. We are so focused on letting the masses decide that those who are in the inner circle of the industry are left paralyzed and stunned at the lack of reason and accountability. In the mean time, these so called interest groups wage war on the future for the benefit of dollars raised from people who think that they are donating to a good cause.
The sheep love being told they are doing good. A pat on the head and a tax receipt for their donation is enough to satiate the hunger. Few ask enough questions or fully understand the answers. Few have or want to take the time to really understand. When they do, it will be too late.
Climate change is not the biggest threat to our futures. We should be worrying about sustainability. How do we ensure that there will be enough food to go around when we are running out of what it takes to grow it? No really, this is not a rhetorical question. How do we do it?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The best Christmas gift ever
Some people are incredibly hard to buy for. But, nobody is impossible. The trick is really to listen all year long. Clues are all around and every once in a while even the most difficult person will say or do something that will give you an idea.
Just keep your ears open and your eyes peeled. Fill a need, be it ego, emotional, or physical.
At the end of the day, even a toaster might end up being a good idea. You just have to really listen.
Just keep your ears open and your eyes peeled. Fill a need, be it ego, emotional, or physical.
At the end of the day, even a toaster might end up being a good idea. You just have to really listen.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Choosing the right domain name
There are some who believe that a domain name really matters. I believe this is true to a point. On the one hand, it is important for a site to have its own distinct identity. You really don't want to mix messages.
On the other, really it isn't such a big deal what you call a site. If it is a mouthful you just stand the chance of potential visitors entering typos and landing at undesirable sites, maybe even at a somewhat competing site.
At the end of the day, as long as the site objective stays en point, the domain can be jigglynibblets.com and still work. Personally I always google a location just to avoid landing at the wrong site.
On the other, really it isn't such a big deal what you call a site. If it is a mouthful you just stand the chance of potential visitors entering typos and landing at undesirable sites, maybe even at a somewhat competing site.
At the end of the day, as long as the site objective stays en point, the domain can be jigglynibblets.com and still work. Personally I always google a location just to avoid landing at the wrong site.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
I hate doing taxes
Oh my good G-d do I hate doing taxes.
This has got to be one of the most tedious, unending, boring things to do in the whole world. Three more months to input and aaargh, okay. enough venting. back to the grind...
This has got to be one of the most tedious, unending, boring things to do in the whole world. Three more months to input and aaargh, okay. enough venting. back to the grind...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
My personal trainer
For those of you lovely readers who have been following this blog you may recall a little while back my posting about the gym membership. No, I haven't gone back. For one thing, I've been too busy. For another, Rodney never called me back except to try and get me to publish something he might write for my magazine. I didn't call him back.
How can you use a person who has shamelessly let you down to be a subject matter expert? I'm just not that broadminded. Plus, the guy just wigs me out anyway.
How can you use a person who has shamelessly let you down to be a subject matter expert? I'm just not that broadminded. Plus, the guy just wigs me out anyway.
Men wearing lip gloss
Makeup is something that is commonly used by both sexes to attain that look of uncertain perfection. This is particularly common on screen. But application of it is an art form.
This is why it never ceases to amaze when a well-known, wealthy star such as Leonardo diCaprio goes about wearing tinted lip gloss and a fake tan. This is a man well within his means and it is just a bit too distracting.
enough said.
This is why it never ceases to amaze when a well-known, wealthy star such as Leonardo diCaprio goes about wearing tinted lip gloss and a fake tan. This is a man well within his means and it is just a bit too distracting.
enough said.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Rob Ford's Election tantamount to insider trading
The past year has been a crazy one, and not just for me. Not too long ago I published a post about Rob Ford and his mayoral campaign, and how the citizens of Toronto deserve what they get.
That may have been a bit too hasty. Yes, they don't make the best purchasing decisions when faced with leadership choices but, that is besides the point. How could I forget that Ford, as PrintAction magazine calls him, is the Printer Mayor. Once CEO of Deco Labels, a highly successful establishment, he is like the modern day William Randolph Hearst. Politically connected and expert at bending the public will through print communication.
Within the print industry, which has been in decline for decades, the segment that is on the rise is labels and packaging. At the end of the day we will always have products and they will always need to be sold, marked, distinguished, highlighted, identified, whatever. The label industry is on the rise and here is one mastermind behind it.
So, this brings me back to my original point. You take a man with decades of training under his belt on studying and understanding consumers/voters, and navigating the tricky waters that is the old boys club of printing (especially in packaging) and you have somebody who effectively knows exactly what and how much it takes to get that 'X' beside your name. How fair is that?
Anyway, the deed is done and I suppose when all is said and done Toronto could have worse. Time will tell what will happen. Perhaps Ford will do for Toronto what Mel did for North York before becoming Ford's predecessor.
That may have been a bit too hasty. Yes, they don't make the best purchasing decisions when faced with leadership choices but, that is besides the point. How could I forget that Ford, as PrintAction magazine calls him, is the Printer Mayor. Once CEO of Deco Labels, a highly successful establishment, he is like the modern day William Randolph Hearst. Politically connected and expert at bending the public will through print communication.
Within the print industry, which has been in decline for decades, the segment that is on the rise is labels and packaging. At the end of the day we will always have products and they will always need to be sold, marked, distinguished, highlighted, identified, whatever. The label industry is on the rise and here is one mastermind behind it.
So, this brings me back to my original point. You take a man with decades of training under his belt on studying and understanding consumers/voters, and navigating the tricky waters that is the old boys club of printing (especially in packaging) and you have somebody who effectively knows exactly what and how much it takes to get that 'X' beside your name. How fair is that?
Anyway, the deed is done and I suppose when all is said and done Toronto could have worse. Time will tell what will happen. Perhaps Ford will do for Toronto what Mel did for North York before becoming Ford's predecessor.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
no good in crowds
I should stay home
Not venture out
Refuse to interface
The wind is blowing at my door
An invitation now awaits
The hall is full
Of idle chatter
A bagpipe's job now done
All that remains is but to linger
No topic worth discussing
No name comes to the fore of mind
Forgotten faces popping round
To say hello and then to fret
Did I say too much?
Not venture out
Refuse to interface
The wind is blowing at my door
An invitation now awaits
The hall is full
Of idle chatter
A bagpipe's job now done
All that remains is but to linger
No topic worth discussing
No name comes to the fore of mind
Forgotten faces popping round
To say hello and then to fret
Did I say too much?
Broken Axle Spinning Blind
I have been busy and people don't buy a lot of poetry. I get that. Still, it would be lovely if people started buying the book. It is a great collection, even if I do say so myself.
Giving your work away for free
So, in case you are wondering how I handled the situation, I gave the guy a price.
It's crazy to not put one on your work or else you will be subsidizing everybody else.
I completely understand that people will try to get what they get and think that they own all the art work. In reality, designers, even if it is me, have to get paid. Period.
It's crazy to not put one on your work or else you will be subsidizing everybody else.
I completely understand that people will try to get what they get and think that they own all the art work. In reality, designers, even if it is me, have to get paid. Period.
would somebody please tell me what to do?
By trade, I am a graphic designer (amongst other things). This is not a career path that I follow too arduously but do work the craft when opportunities arise. It is just an extremely competitive field and one that does not seem to have a lot of money in it. I, for one, couldn't see myself being able to buy groceries or cover the rent with the income.
For the most part, it is something that comes in to play as a complement to another product or service that is being delivered. This does not mean that there are not a huge amount of hours associated with the design process. This is time spent away from family or even other methods of earning a living.
Still, it is fun and does enable the earning of other income. However, there has long been an issue in the industry about the devaluation of the graphic design skill set.
As a publisher of a magazine, you have to 'give design work away for free' but what do you do when your customers assume that just because they paid some minimal amount for an ad (that does not cover the cost of the design) they somehow bought the art work, as well?
Of course this is a delicate situation because they are still a customer and you don't want to ruin the relationship.
What to do?
For the most part, it is something that comes in to play as a complement to another product or service that is being delivered. This does not mean that there are not a huge amount of hours associated with the design process. This is time spent away from family or even other methods of earning a living.
Still, it is fun and does enable the earning of other income. However, there has long been an issue in the industry about the devaluation of the graphic design skill set.
As a publisher of a magazine, you have to 'give design work away for free' but what do you do when your customers assume that just because they paid some minimal amount for an ad (that does not cover the cost of the design) they somehow bought the art work, as well?
Of course this is a delicate situation because they are still a customer and you don't want to ruin the relationship.
What to do?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Where to go on New Year's Eve
New Year's has always been a bit of a touchy subject for me. I have never really gotten the point of getting that worked up about something that really isn't all that remarkable.
Really, how is is this day different from any other day? You get up, get dressed, go about your business, and either feel really psyched about going to a party to mark.... not much, or feel inadequate for lack of any real plans.
The next day, a lot of places are closed and there is this enormous feeling of deflation. A deep gray sigh, exhaling all that you thought you were going to feel. It is like knowing nothing will come and sitting at the door waiting for it anyway.
Just like pro sports. I don't get that cycle either. Work hard, brave injuries, battle, win or lose, get traded, and do it again... maybe. Huh?
Well, let me clarify: I get why people play sports. I just don't get the fans (especially the rabid ones). This is no different from any other form of zealotry or mass hysteria. Blind, fanatical nationalistic pride over things and people who were traded to make the team more effective.
I don't get it.
With New Year's at least the deep exhale is a chance to start over and do better. But, there again I really don't get it. Why are we always striving to correct things instead of trying to find a groove and work it to perfection? Why are we constantly trying to recreate the wheel?
Is it really ever possible to become satisfied? Is happiness ever really in reach?
I think so. But then again, I hate new year's eve.
Really, how is is this day different from any other day? You get up, get dressed, go about your business, and either feel really psyched about going to a party to mark.... not much, or feel inadequate for lack of any real plans.
The next day, a lot of places are closed and there is this enormous feeling of deflation. A deep gray sigh, exhaling all that you thought you were going to feel. It is like knowing nothing will come and sitting at the door waiting for it anyway.
Just like pro sports. I don't get that cycle either. Work hard, brave injuries, battle, win or lose, get traded, and do it again... maybe. Huh?
Well, let me clarify: I get why people play sports. I just don't get the fans (especially the rabid ones). This is no different from any other form of zealotry or mass hysteria. Blind, fanatical nationalistic pride over things and people who were traded to make the team more effective.
I don't get it.
With New Year's at least the deep exhale is a chance to start over and do better. But, there again I really don't get it. Why are we always striving to correct things instead of trying to find a groove and work it to perfection? Why are we constantly trying to recreate the wheel?
Is it really ever possible to become satisfied? Is happiness ever really in reach?
I think so. But then again, I hate new year's eve.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
There is always somebody who is better at it
There is often every reason in the world to become discouraged and to quit. Each time you see some exemplary sample of work from somebody who knows what they are doing, it is like a nail in the coffin of ingenuity for somebody who is just starting out. Even if you have been trying to break through to the next level for a while, seeing something already done well is like a sharp pin to an inflated balloon.
I have a theory: The only way anybody gets that good is through a solid mixture of naivety, insufficient research, and a good dose of piss and vinegar.
Once you are in it, it's tough to just walk away, so by the time you realize there are so many people who can do it better, bigger, and brighter, you're too far in to walk away and have only one choice: To try harder.
I have a theory: The only way anybody gets that good is through a solid mixture of naivety, insufficient research, and a good dose of piss and vinegar.
Once you are in it, it's tough to just walk away, so by the time you realize there are so many people who can do it better, bigger, and brighter, you're too far in to walk away and have only one choice: To try harder.
What holidays are really about
Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and whatever else is now upon us and children, as they do, are starting to ask questions. It's always interesting to read what people have to say in answer. What really is the difference?
Back in Russia we always had a New Year's tree. We didn't know it had anything to do with Christmas until setting foot on Canadian soil. Every variety has some sort of holiday of lights associated with it.
Basically, it's cold. It's dark. There is less food, less energy to do anything, and not as much to do outside (that is immediately obvious). It takes longer to do the things that you can do when the weather is nicer and the sun is out in full force.
So, is it not just plain old human nature to try and put a smile on things? That's basically what it boils down to. All of these holidays are just an excuse to enjoy family, friends, and life in general. They are also a time to be thankful for what you have and to remember those who have less.
None of us can take it with us, despite what the ancient Egyptians believed.
So, no matter what your race, nationality, or religion. Good day to you and enjoy all that you have.
Back in Russia we always had a New Year's tree. We didn't know it had anything to do with Christmas until setting foot on Canadian soil. Every variety has some sort of holiday of lights associated with it.
Basically, it's cold. It's dark. There is less food, less energy to do anything, and not as much to do outside (that is immediately obvious). It takes longer to do the things that you can do when the weather is nicer and the sun is out in full force.
So, is it not just plain old human nature to try and put a smile on things? That's basically what it boils down to. All of these holidays are just an excuse to enjoy family, friends, and life in general. They are also a time to be thankful for what you have and to remember those who have less.
None of us can take it with us, despite what the ancient Egyptians believed.
So, no matter what your race, nationality, or religion. Good day to you and enjoy all that you have.
Friday, December 3, 2010
new home builders have only one goal
The latest push in new home building is this idea of the "master planned community." Many municipalities are pushing the European model of 'live, work, play' where you don't have to commute for ever to get somewhere, you don't have to drive to the mailbox, and you spend your dollars locally so that local governments can realize tax revenue required to support the population's needs.
Ironically, something like 73% of the money most people spend is not spent where they live. Yet, everybody is quick to complain about what their town doesn't do for them.
Still, when you go to by a house, the builders are the first to act like they are actually trying to build a live, work, play community. They act that way until you try to hold them to their word.
In their fairly narrow view of things, it is all about the front end. The larger builders tend to see home buyers as curvy 'es' figures with two parallel lines running down the middle.
In the mean time, people typically take possession in phases, meaning that some of them have already started living locally. These are the forgotten souls, the bleeding edge of residents who falsely expect that the builder would care.
Ironically, something like 73% of the money most people spend is not spent where they live. Yet, everybody is quick to complain about what their town doesn't do for them.
Still, when you go to by a house, the builders are the first to act like they are actually trying to build a live, work, play community. They act that way until you try to hold them to their word.
In their fairly narrow view of things, it is all about the front end. The larger builders tend to see home buyers as curvy 'es' figures with two parallel lines running down the middle.
In the mean time, people typically take possession in phases, meaning that some of them have already started living locally. These are the forgotten souls, the bleeding edge of residents who falsely expect that the builder would care.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sense of entitlement
I owe you nothing.
These should be the words hovering above each person's head as they leave the door each morning. Perhaps they should wear it on their chest as some sort of insignia.
People need to be reminded that nobody actually owes them anything. They are no different, no more superior, no more deserving of unearned perks than the stranger who just walked past them and didn't stop to look.
But in this world that means nothing. All you have to do is complain and it becomes an actionable item.
Let me say it again: "I owe you nothing." Earn it, baby. Lift a finger and then we'll talk.
To often I encounter this attitude of 'I want it that means it is mine unless you prove otherwise, and oh, I'll make you prove it.
Earn it.
These should be the words hovering above each person's head as they leave the door each morning. Perhaps they should wear it on their chest as some sort of insignia.
People need to be reminded that nobody actually owes them anything. They are no different, no more superior, no more deserving of unearned perks than the stranger who just walked past them and didn't stop to look.
But in this world that means nothing. All you have to do is complain and it becomes an actionable item.
Let me say it again: "I owe you nothing." Earn it, baby. Lift a finger and then we'll talk.
To often I encounter this attitude of 'I want it that means it is mine unless you prove otherwise, and oh, I'll make you prove it.
Earn it.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Telephone marketing: A new height of insanity
I'm working. In my pj's. Not the the ones you sleep in, though I could. The kind you wear when you have no intention of going anywhere because you are up to your eye balls in work.
I get a call on line two. The one we use as a backup line and without any features on it. We never give the number out. Just for kicks I pick up the phone, knowing it's one of two things: Wrong number or somebody telling me that either I won something or according to their records I'm due for a duct cleaning.
As soon as I pick up the phone I get a sexy recorded female voice asking me to please hold on a minute. No, really, it sounded sexy. I almost got turned on. I decide to hold, wondering what snarky one-liner I should use to tell them off before hanging up on some stunned minimum wage sucker who thinks this is a great way to earn a living.
So, I wait.... a bit longer than it usually takes them to kick in the auto dialer queue thing-a-ma-jig until I get VOICE MAIL! No, not just voice mail. Voice mail that informs me that I have reached 'M' 'G' 'R' and requests that I leave a message.
I don't even know who called me! And, 'mgr'? Short form for 'manager'? Wholly cow! I bet the call display will say they called from 123-456-7891. Do people actually do business with these companies?
For all the talk of fraud, identity theft and the like you really have to wonder if at least some of the people that get victimized sort of deserve it because they actually fell for it.
Actually, we should probably thank all those poor souls for falling for these cheap tricks so that these companies don't have to resort to things that are actually hard to detect until the deed is done.
Here's one for the Village Idiot, may there be more like you.
I get a call on line two. The one we use as a backup line and without any features on it. We never give the number out. Just for kicks I pick up the phone, knowing it's one of two things: Wrong number or somebody telling me that either I won something or according to their records I'm due for a duct cleaning.
As soon as I pick up the phone I get a sexy recorded female voice asking me to please hold on a minute. No, really, it sounded sexy. I almost got turned on. I decide to hold, wondering what snarky one-liner I should use to tell them off before hanging up on some stunned minimum wage sucker who thinks this is a great way to earn a living.
So, I wait.... a bit longer than it usually takes them to kick in the auto dialer queue thing-a-ma-jig until I get VOICE MAIL! No, not just voice mail. Voice mail that informs me that I have reached 'M' 'G' 'R' and requests that I leave a message.
I don't even know who called me! And, 'mgr'? Short form for 'manager'? Wholly cow! I bet the call display will say they called from 123-456-7891. Do people actually do business with these companies?
For all the talk of fraud, identity theft and the like you really have to wonder if at least some of the people that get victimized sort of deserve it because they actually fell for it.
Actually, we should probably thank all those poor souls for falling for these cheap tricks so that these companies don't have to resort to things that are actually hard to detect until the deed is done.
Here's one for the Village Idiot, may there be more like you.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
going off-line
Well, it's crunch time again. The next couple of weeks will be relatively silent on this blog as I have to meet a big deadline. Check back first week of December I should have some more high and mighty opinions to relay.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
community spirit
The world is full of different kinds of people. Some are selfish, some are self contained, some are weak, some are passive, and some are driven to "give back".
For those that want to contribute, at some point you've got to wonder about the hidden agenda. Why do they do it?
The worst offenders are people who give everything of themselves and leave nothing for themselves. To me, it seems they are missing the whole point. Why is one person's life worth more than another's and what makes your life the one that should be sacrificed. What is this sense of duty? Unless.... There is always an unless. I guess on some level, I do understand.
After all, I am not above putting everything else first. I don't know why but it seems like these are things that need to be done. Then again, I sort of felt the same way about finishing that random game of Scrabulous on Facebook and staying up all night long to do it. Perhaps I am deeply misguided. Perhaps deeply disturbed. Perhaps both.
Anyway, everybody is asleep now and I should be too. Off to bed I go.
For those that want to contribute, at some point you've got to wonder about the hidden agenda. Why do they do it?
The worst offenders are people who give everything of themselves and leave nothing for themselves. To me, it seems they are missing the whole point. Why is one person's life worth more than another's and what makes your life the one that should be sacrificed. What is this sense of duty? Unless.... There is always an unless. I guess on some level, I do understand.
After all, I am not above putting everything else first. I don't know why but it seems like these are things that need to be done. Then again, I sort of felt the same way about finishing that random game of Scrabulous on Facebook and staying up all night long to do it. Perhaps I am deeply misguided. Perhaps deeply disturbed. Perhaps both.
Anyway, everybody is asleep now and I should be too. Off to bed I go.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Personal Trainer
So I finally managed to get myself a gym membership and sat on it for a week or two. Today was the big day. I went and met my personal trainer, Rodney.
They give you a free introductory session with your very own personal trainer. The poor guy! He had to deal with the likes of me. Educated, and not very likely to result in additional revenue. He tried to find gaps where he could sell himself on the value add but it just wasn't working for him.
The other thing is this guy is super nice.... I think. He puts nice into overdrive. Like the kind of nice that borders on flaming with two earrings if you know what I mean. I kept wondering about it because it's tough to be comfortable around somebody that is Richard Simmons nice.
Finally, not sure how, I got him to dial it down a notch or to enough to manage a semi decent conversation, except for the gym world's own maze of TLAs. He kept asking me if I would be interested in this that or the other thing and I couldn't figure out if any of it was going to end up costing me or how much. The land of confusion!
Well, I'm pumped. Not literally because all we did was talk today. But I am psyched.
The coolest things was when he pulled out this fandangled gadget that measures your BMI only to tell me that I needed to lose pretty much exactly what I came in saying I needed to lose. Poor Rodney. Didn't get anywhere with me.
Nice guy though.
They give you a free introductory session with your very own personal trainer. The poor guy! He had to deal with the likes of me. Educated, and not very likely to result in additional revenue. He tried to find gaps where he could sell himself on the value add but it just wasn't working for him.
The other thing is this guy is super nice.... I think. He puts nice into overdrive. Like the kind of nice that borders on flaming with two earrings if you know what I mean. I kept wondering about it because it's tough to be comfortable around somebody that is Richard Simmons nice.
Finally, not sure how, I got him to dial it down a notch or to enough to manage a semi decent conversation, except for the gym world's own maze of TLAs. He kept asking me if I would be interested in this that or the other thing and I couldn't figure out if any of it was going to end up costing me or how much. The land of confusion!
Well, I'm pumped. Not literally because all we did was talk today. But I am psyched.
The coolest things was when he pulled out this fandangled gadget that measures your BMI only to tell me that I needed to lose pretty much exactly what I came in saying I needed to lose. Poor Rodney. Didn't get anywhere with me.
Nice guy though.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
What Halloween really was
There are many ways to wage a war. You can pick up arms and bash in some heads. You can rape, pillage, and plunder. Or you can adopt other people's customs and tell them that they were yours all along.
This was the case with Christmas and this was the case with Halloween. The Christians took over existing holidays and moved their own to match the date. They weren't actually lying, just bending the truth a bit.
Christ was born in July, or was it June? Does anybody really care about that little detail anymore? Hollow's Day wasn't on November 1st either. Ah, but if the pagans could believe in multiple gods, what was one more thing to believe in.
We are in a similar war now. As long as we are permitted to go along with our way of life, to a point, we are lulled into this false sense of security that life is as it should be and there is nothing to be concerned about. Still, little by little the idea of democracy and western beliefs, particularly the belief that women are people and equally able to think as men, these are all things that are fading into the realm of censored history books.
Freedom of thought is a dangerous thing because with that comes the freedom to debate the rights of others. Ultimately, those who should least have the right to debate human rights are the ones who will make the decision because they are militant and resoundingly convinced that some people are indeed more equal than others.
Stalin knew this. This is why the first thing he did was send the intelligentsia to Siberia. WE live in a glass dome of false security. Respecting your heritage and keeping your mother tongue alive, keeping traditions and religious beliefs going is each person's right, and in some ways an obligation. However, live and let live. There must be a separation between public institutions and cultural diversity. We have become liberal to the point of self-decay.
Public schools are now teaching classes in Hindi or Punjabi because the majority of the class understands that better than English. What then of those whose mother tongue is English? If people move to Canada it should be to live in Canada. At some point the demographic has shifted because most of the people who immigrated over the past decade have been from the East.
At first and for a long time they struggled as the 'visible minority' but now minority is no longer applicable. They are the majority and with that comes the privilege of not having to care anymore. So with each election comes more change before legally and demographically I no longer have a say that matters.
This is not about skin color or religion. This is about human rights and the right to be recognized as human. Democracy is not a sustainable political model. At some point, government has an obligation to defend the rights of all of its citizens. That's called the Canadian Constitution. The trouble with Democracy is that we have the right to revoke our own rights and freedoms.
"Those who forget the lessons of history are destined to repeat it."
This was the case with Christmas and this was the case with Halloween. The Christians took over existing holidays and moved their own to match the date. They weren't actually lying, just bending the truth a bit.
Christ was born in July, or was it June? Does anybody really care about that little detail anymore? Hollow's Day wasn't on November 1st either. Ah, but if the pagans could believe in multiple gods, what was one more thing to believe in.
We are in a similar war now. As long as we are permitted to go along with our way of life, to a point, we are lulled into this false sense of security that life is as it should be and there is nothing to be concerned about. Still, little by little the idea of democracy and western beliefs, particularly the belief that women are people and equally able to think as men, these are all things that are fading into the realm of censored history books.
Freedom of thought is a dangerous thing because with that comes the freedom to debate the rights of others. Ultimately, those who should least have the right to debate human rights are the ones who will make the decision because they are militant and resoundingly convinced that some people are indeed more equal than others.
Stalin knew this. This is why the first thing he did was send the intelligentsia to Siberia. WE live in a glass dome of false security. Respecting your heritage and keeping your mother tongue alive, keeping traditions and religious beliefs going is each person's right, and in some ways an obligation. However, live and let live. There must be a separation between public institutions and cultural diversity. We have become liberal to the point of self-decay.Public schools are now teaching classes in Hindi or Punjabi because the majority of the class understands that better than English. What then of those whose mother tongue is English? If people move to Canada it should be to live in Canada. At some point the demographic has shifted because most of the people who immigrated over the past decade have been from the East.
At first and for a long time they struggled as the 'visible minority' but now minority is no longer applicable. They are the majority and with that comes the privilege of not having to care anymore. So with each election comes more change before legally and demographically I no longer have a say that matters.
This is not about skin color or religion. This is about human rights and the right to be recognized as human. Democracy is not a sustainable political model. At some point, government has an obligation to defend the rights of all of its citizens. That's called the Canadian Constitution. The trouble with Democracy is that we have the right to revoke our own rights and freedoms.
"Those who forget the lessons of history are destined to repeat it."
Why Rob Ford got elected
Interesting insight came out of a conversation I had with a respected leader of the business community. Rob Ford is Rob Ford but the reason he got elected is because he is consistently sending out the same message. You know what you are going to get with the guy. So you may not like him but, you can probably trust him.
For business, what my source said is that Ford would help level the playing field between union and non-union bidders for municipal projects. Because the unions are so familiar with the work and they have the infrastructure to support the bids, there is no reason for why they should not be successful at bidding. But, their pricing is highly inflated and we are all suffering those costs. Makes sense to me.
For business, what my source said is that Ford would help level the playing field between union and non-union bidders for municipal projects. Because the unions are so familiar with the work and they have the infrastructure to support the bids, there is no reason for why they should not be successful at bidding. But, their pricing is highly inflated and we are all suffering those costs. Makes sense to me.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Social media expert
The other night the news was on. Of course you can't really call what the media puts out these days as news. It never fails to amaze me, the utter base quality of reporting. There is absolutely nothing worth watching... with the exception of Amanda Lang and Kevin O'Leary.
I have heard him mention this before and he did it again the other night. The government should set up a duck wading pond education program to keep these stupid ducks from going where they shouldn't. He says it with a straight face and you just have to realize that's he's poking fun, except that the idiocy of things is that he is basically saying that he wouldn't put it past the government and the voters to do just that.
Just before this Peter Mansbridge got through interviewing a 'social media expert' studying the impact of social media. Holy Crap!!! What exactly is a 'social media expert'. Is that like somebody who really wants to be a nerd but isn't smart enough and try as they might to understand why nobody in chat rooms wants to take them to those deep dark corners they are just too awkward to convince anybody that they have a real function in society so they go and print up some free Vista Print business cards that say "I study social media".
That's just amazing to me. This woman who couldn't get anybody to pay attention to her at a cocktail party even if she were the bartender is touting herself as a 'social media scientist'. I can't remember exactly what she kept calling herself but she just kept doing it. Every sentence started with her reinforcing her roll as a student of social media (it was so inane that Masbridge kept smirking every time she used the term). I think she got a government grant and is working on a masters degree based on watching the Daily Show with John Stewart.
People like her are fascinated by the idea that somebody who has an opinion worth listening to actually has people listening to him. On top of it all the guy is funny. Really funny. Political commentary aside, pull up an old Sesame Street clip with Stewart singing the ABC song. He's a riot and he's got a certain geeky cuteness about him.
Doing your thesis on people like John Stewart and Stephen Colbert is tantamount to standing at the top of the highest mountain, using a megaphone to tell all the little people that instead of having sex at night you'd rather watch them (well sometimes so do I) and then shrugging your shoulders and going 'hey, look at all that pretty snow crashing to the ground, weeeee!'
At this point, I say (wait let me give a fiver to the squeegee kid who actually got out of bed to try and do something useful today)get off your lazy but and do something. Get a real job. Even driving pizza or backing midnight doughnuts would have more purpose than your attempts to unravel the mysteries of the human mind.
If I want to understand social media, I'll just listen to Lesbian Lu talking about trolling for muff on CFNY. Sorry, was that too graphic? I'm just quoting the boys on The Edge. It seems that the popularity of Facebook is mostly driven by homosexual teenagers in remote rural communities who just can't get some in their home town because they'd get beaten to a pulp. Now that's something you don't learn everyday.
I have heard him mention this before and he did it again the other night. The government should set up a duck wading pond education program to keep these stupid ducks from going where they shouldn't. He says it with a straight face and you just have to realize that's he's poking fun, except that the idiocy of things is that he is basically saying that he wouldn't put it past the government and the voters to do just that.
Just before this Peter Mansbridge got through interviewing a 'social media expert' studying the impact of social media. Holy Crap!!! What exactly is a 'social media expert'. Is that like somebody who really wants to be a nerd but isn't smart enough and try as they might to understand why nobody in chat rooms wants to take them to those deep dark corners they are just too awkward to convince anybody that they have a real function in society so they go and print up some free Vista Print business cards that say "I study social media".
That's just amazing to me. This woman who couldn't get anybody to pay attention to her at a cocktail party even if she were the bartender is touting herself as a 'social media scientist'. I can't remember exactly what she kept calling herself but she just kept doing it. Every sentence started with her reinforcing her roll as a student of social media (it was so inane that Masbridge kept smirking every time she used the term). I think she got a government grant and is working on a masters degree based on watching the Daily Show with John Stewart.
People like her are fascinated by the idea that somebody who has an opinion worth listening to actually has people listening to him. On top of it all the guy is funny. Really funny. Political commentary aside, pull up an old Sesame Street clip with Stewart singing the ABC song. He's a riot and he's got a certain geeky cuteness about him.
Doing your thesis on people like John Stewart and Stephen Colbert is tantamount to standing at the top of the highest mountain, using a megaphone to tell all the little people that instead of having sex at night you'd rather watch them (well sometimes so do I) and then shrugging your shoulders and going 'hey, look at all that pretty snow crashing to the ground, weeeee!'
At this point, I say (wait let me give a fiver to the squeegee kid who actually got out of bed to try and do something useful today)get off your lazy but and do something. Get a real job. Even driving pizza or backing midnight doughnuts would have more purpose than your attempts to unravel the mysteries of the human mind.
If I want to understand social media, I'll just listen to Lesbian Lu talking about trolling for muff on CFNY. Sorry, was that too graphic? I'm just quoting the boys on The Edge. It seems that the popularity of Facebook is mostly driven by homosexual teenagers in remote rural communities who just can't get some in their home town because they'd get beaten to a pulp. Now that's something you don't learn everyday.
Passivism of the average reader
As a writer or artist I don't think you ever really start out thinking that you can actually physically connect with your audience. Most people talk about wanting to get a reaction, hoping that it will make people think and take action.
They put themselves out there and wait to see if their work clicks with anybody. Maybe 10 to 20% of those people go so far as to "market their work". The rest just do it for recreational sport or try to get themselves taken seriously but nobody does.
Then, once in a while, you start getting attention and can't help but wonder about this strange connection that you have with the audience. Is it an obligation to keep producing? Now you've got followers and a fan base. Or is it ego driven? Now you finally have somebody paying attention.
No matter what it is, it is definitely a lopsided relationship. You know who I am, I don't know you.... or do I? Behind the false security of the internet I can still find who you are and where you live. If I do enough research I can probably see your front door and the roof of your car. Most people probably don't realize that.
You browse the web and stop at a few choice reads and then move on. In a day or more you might come back and check out a few more entries. So the question remains: If you, as the reader, are not really all that isolated from me as the writer, why no comments? If it is thought provoking, where are those thoughts?
Then again, maybe this is the nature of the beast and most writers only pay lip service to wanting that reverse input. Perhaps this is just a case of be careful what you wish for or you just might get it. After all, if you really wanted to get some feedback you'd probably go stand half naked in the middle of a busy intersection and wear a sign saying "talk to me". You wouldn't want to be fully naked or they might think you're just weird and steer clear.
Granted the internet is full of people that best keep their opinions, and hands, to themselves. But if you are a relatively ordinary person with a response, maybe it's time to post a comment.
They put themselves out there and wait to see if their work clicks with anybody. Maybe 10 to 20% of those people go so far as to "market their work". The rest just do it for recreational sport or try to get themselves taken seriously but nobody does.
Then, once in a while, you start getting attention and can't help but wonder about this strange connection that you have with the audience. Is it an obligation to keep producing? Now you've got followers and a fan base. Or is it ego driven? Now you finally have somebody paying attention.
No matter what it is, it is definitely a lopsided relationship. You know who I am, I don't know you.... or do I? Behind the false security of the internet I can still find who you are and where you live. If I do enough research I can probably see your front door and the roof of your car. Most people probably don't realize that.
You browse the web and stop at a few choice reads and then move on. In a day or more you might come back and check out a few more entries. So the question remains: If you, as the reader, are not really all that isolated from me as the writer, why no comments? If it is thought provoking, where are those thoughts?
Then again, maybe this is the nature of the beast and most writers only pay lip service to wanting that reverse input. Perhaps this is just a case of be careful what you wish for or you just might get it. After all, if you really wanted to get some feedback you'd probably go stand half naked in the middle of a busy intersection and wear a sign saying "talk to me". You wouldn't want to be fully naked or they might think you're just weird and steer clear.
Granted the internet is full of people that best keep their opinions, and hands, to themselves. But if you are a relatively ordinary person with a response, maybe it's time to post a comment.
Friday, October 29, 2010
I should be doing my taxes
A long time ago I sat in front of a computer and read the line on the form asking when I would like my year end to be. Thinking myself all wise and powerful I said "well, December 31st is a terrible time. There is so much going on. The fall is crazy with the new school year. The winter time has Valentine's day. There's nothing going on in the summer. July 31st it is!"
Let me tell you that this was not a good decision. I'm lucky if I get them in just after New Year's. This year I vowed to be better. Mainly because I have received about six envelopes from Revenue Canada saying that my account has been sent to collections with an interest amount of $6, now $10. It's growing. I haven't opened the last few envelopes.
It really isn't procrastination. It's just a matter of supreme disorganization. Stuff is piled up everywhere and I hate missing that one line item after sending everything in. 20% of the water bills.... aaargh!!!
So, this year I started things a bit differently. Forget Excel, paper, calculators and sorting through a year and a half of receipts.
Access, baby! A few hours and I have myself a brand spanking new Access database that not only lets me put in everything I need to organize my stuff for my favorite and most patient bookkeeper, I can also put in all those spare thoughts that keep popping up that distract me from task on hand. Sales lead ideas, story ideas, remembering that I should be following up with somebody on something, issuing invoices and remembering who still owes me money and who said that they might.
I even have planning for the next four projects all captured and partially completed because everything is all in one spot.
So I am procrastinating (I am sure that is what you are thinking). No, not really. These are all those little things that keeping from staying on task and now I can. Laying the right ground work is the best way to stay grounded.
Writing this blog entry instead of actually using it is, however, is me procrastinating. Being a writer who believes in due diligence I have even gone so far as to read up on some tips to include here. But then realized I would just be feeding the fire. There are so many books on the topic you'll never get back to what you were supposed to be doing. My absolute favorite is the workbook that wants to work through the habit with you to get over it.
Let me get this straight: I should have done this, I don't have any motivation to do it so I turn to tools that passively keep me occupied until I find a 'workbook' (interesting choice of words) that will actively keep me from getting anything done because I am taking a course on how to get things done. Oh, I'm sure that will really make the tax man happy.
Let me tell you that this was not a good decision. I'm lucky if I get them in just after New Year's. This year I vowed to be better. Mainly because I have received about six envelopes from Revenue Canada saying that my account has been sent to collections with an interest amount of $6, now $10. It's growing. I haven't opened the last few envelopes.
It really isn't procrastination. It's just a matter of supreme disorganization. Stuff is piled up everywhere and I hate missing that one line item after sending everything in. 20% of the water bills.... aaargh!!!
So, this year I started things a bit differently. Forget Excel, paper, calculators and sorting through a year and a half of receipts.
Access, baby! A few hours and I have myself a brand spanking new Access database that not only lets me put in everything I need to organize my stuff for my favorite and most patient bookkeeper, I can also put in all those spare thoughts that keep popping up that distract me from task on hand. Sales lead ideas, story ideas, remembering that I should be following up with somebody on something, issuing invoices and remembering who still owes me money and who said that they might.
I even have planning for the next four projects all captured and partially completed because everything is all in one spot.
So I am procrastinating (I am sure that is what you are thinking). No, not really. These are all those little things that keeping from staying on task and now I can. Laying the right ground work is the best way to stay grounded.
Writing this blog entry instead of actually using it is, however, is me procrastinating. Being a writer who believes in due diligence I have even gone so far as to read up on some tips to include here. But then realized I would just be feeding the fire. There are so many books on the topic you'll never get back to what you were supposed to be doing. My absolute favorite is the workbook that wants to work through the habit with you to get over it.
Let me get this straight: I should have done this, I don't have any motivation to do it so I turn to tools that passively keep me occupied until I find a 'workbook' (interesting choice of words) that will actively keep me from getting anything done because I am taking a course on how to get things done. Oh, I'm sure that will really make the tax man happy.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
time travel hoax about woman with cell phone at Chaplin premier
It never fails to amaze me how little Americans know about their own culture. The latest hot story all over the news (must be a slow news day) is the viral you tube video which I am about to help promote time travel hoax video.
In reality, Hedy Lamarr, the first woman to take off her clothes on screen also pioneered the mobile phone way back in the 1930s. I could bore you with the details (actually not at all boring) but I'll just let you read about them: http://www.hackwriters.com/Lamarr.htm.
.
I could understand the nimrod seeking notoriety for missing that day in film class but what is Peter Mansbridge's excuse? Shouldn't somebody at CNCnews have caught this one?
This technology simply didn't hit the market as broadly as it did in the recent decade or two simply by virtue of the public not being ready for it. This is the same thing that happened with ATM and credit cards. The market simply couldn't bear it.
Even if the cell phone was not a real one keep in mind that this was a Charlie Chaplin movie premier and if you look at the clip closely enough you'll see that the person one the "phone" knew they were being filmed and flashed a smile at the camera.
If Chaplin or Lamarr could hear today's news reports they would die laughing.
In reality, Hedy Lamarr, the first woman to take off her clothes on screen also pioneered the mobile phone way back in the 1930s. I could bore you with the details (actually not at all boring) but I'll just let you read about them: http://www.hackwriters.com/Lamarr.htm.
.I could understand the nimrod seeking notoriety for missing that day in film class but what is Peter Mansbridge's excuse? Shouldn't somebody at CNCnews have caught this one?
This technology simply didn't hit the market as broadly as it did in the recent decade or two simply by virtue of the public not being ready for it. This is the same thing that happened with ATM and credit cards. The market simply couldn't bear it.
Even if the cell phone was not a real one keep in mind that this was a Charlie Chaplin movie premier and if you look at the clip closely enough you'll see that the person one the "phone" knew they were being filmed and flashed a smile at the camera.
If Chaplin or Lamarr could hear today's news reports they would die laughing.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Caledon Election Wrap-up
It has been a wild ride. What a year to start learning about Caledon. It used to be a place for farmers and equestrian enthusiasts but over the past few years it had slowly simmered until the boiling point that was the election of 2010.
This was an election where the good guys won. A little Mayor from a little town stood up tall against developers from somewhere different. Mayor Marolyn Morrison was all set to retire. She was ready to hand over the reigns and enjoy spending time with John and go visit the grand kids every once in a while. But given that the only person running against her was being happily pushed along and led by the hand by people with less than honorable intentions, Mayor Morrison felt that she had an obligation to give people a choice.
In recent years there has been an anti-incumbent trend. The most popular thing to say is something along the lines of "now is the time for change." The beautiful thing about Caledon is that the people voted strongly in favor of not changing, mainly because it wouldn't have made any sense to sell the town. That's what we would have been doing.
Even if Annette Groves isn't in the pocket of developers she certainly has their best interests at heart. This is the paradox that is Ms. Groves. On the one hand, she is extremely likable and well spoken. On the other, she is supremely naive. At best, she would have been Bolton's Mayor.
In listening to Annie speak you'd swear she had a few good points, until you stopped to think about them. Losing this election is the best thing that could have ever happened to Annette Groves because along with it hopefully she will lose her backers and maybe a loose cannon or two.
We have not seen the last of Annette, and I hope that we haven't be because I really do like her. But the lady needs a reality check or two. From what I have been told she wasn't always like this and perhaps this is an opportunity for her to go back to her roots.
Perhaps some time out in the real world will teach her the difference between good business and borderline insider trading tendencies. Just because something makes good math sense doesn't make it practicing in good faith.
Then there is Allan Thompson, the hardest working politician I have ever met. He was up against a self-serving farmer looking to protect little more than his own homestead and a school board trustee veteran who was hoping to get elected by hosting tea parties.
The only reason he lost Valleywood is because these are people that needed a scapegoat after the 410. Well you can't blame these people too much because some men got in a room and decided to drop in a subdivision in the middle of nowhere, with only one exit in or out and highway cutting through half of it.
I used to say, I have no pity for these folks but the truth is that the development is 17 years old, not 10, which means that at least the folks in phase one had no idea about Hwy 410 before they bought there. So, if you can't give it to Dalton yet, at least you can try to give it to Allan. Good thing he has broad shoulders.
This was an election where the good guys won. A little Mayor from a little town stood up tall against developers from somewhere different. Mayor Marolyn Morrison was all set to retire. She was ready to hand over the reigns and enjoy spending time with John and go visit the grand kids every once in a while. But given that the only person running against her was being happily pushed along and led by the hand by people with less than honorable intentions, Mayor Morrison felt that she had an obligation to give people a choice.
In recent years there has been an anti-incumbent trend. The most popular thing to say is something along the lines of "now is the time for change." The beautiful thing about Caledon is that the people voted strongly in favor of not changing, mainly because it wouldn't have made any sense to sell the town. That's what we would have been doing.
Even if Annette Groves isn't in the pocket of developers she certainly has their best interests at heart. This is the paradox that is Ms. Groves. On the one hand, she is extremely likable and well spoken. On the other, she is supremely naive. At best, she would have been Bolton's Mayor.
In listening to Annie speak you'd swear she had a few good points, until you stopped to think about them. Losing this election is the best thing that could have ever happened to Annette Groves because along with it hopefully she will lose her backers and maybe a loose cannon or two.
We have not seen the last of Annette, and I hope that we haven't be because I really do like her. But the lady needs a reality check or two. From what I have been told she wasn't always like this and perhaps this is an opportunity for her to go back to her roots.
Perhaps some time out in the real world will teach her the difference between good business and borderline insider trading tendencies. Just because something makes good math sense doesn't make it practicing in good faith.
Then there is Allan Thompson, the hardest working politician I have ever met. He was up against a self-serving farmer looking to protect little more than his own homestead and a school board trustee veteran who was hoping to get elected by hosting tea parties.
The only reason he lost Valleywood is because these are people that needed a scapegoat after the 410. Well you can't blame these people too much because some men got in a room and decided to drop in a subdivision in the middle of nowhere, with only one exit in or out and highway cutting through half of it.
I used to say, I have no pity for these folks but the truth is that the development is 17 years old, not 10, which means that at least the folks in phase one had no idea about Hwy 410 before they bought there. So, if you can't give it to Dalton yet, at least you can try to give it to Allan. Good thing he has broad shoulders.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
I used to have a friend named Liz
A long time ago I used to have a girl friend named Liz. She was a sweet girl who had the great misfortune of having lost her mother early and a father who drank. We were friends for years and she did what she could to cope. She was the woman of the house, went to school and was starting a career.
At the time I tried to tell her she was worth more than she gave herself credit for. She was selling herself short by not going to school and getting a better education. She didn't think she was smart enough, or strong enough to do it. She was a sweet girl and I didn't agree with her personal self-assessment.
I tried to get her to talk to people who could understand her situation but she balked at the idea. She coped and hopefully is continuing to cope. Hopefully she's married and with kids of her own now.
I remember being really taken aback when she told me that to help manage with everything they ate off paper plates each night so that she didn't have to deal with doing dishes. That was crazy, I thought. Now I'm starting to understand her a bit better.
Every once in a while I remember my old friend from Richmond Hill and wonder how she's doing these days.
At the time I tried to tell her she was worth more than she gave herself credit for. She was selling herself short by not going to school and getting a better education. She didn't think she was smart enough, or strong enough to do it. She was a sweet girl and I didn't agree with her personal self-assessment.
I tried to get her to talk to people who could understand her situation but she balked at the idea. She coped and hopefully is continuing to cope. Hopefully she's married and with kids of her own now.
I remember being really taken aback when she told me that to help manage with everything they ate off paper plates each night so that she didn't have to deal with doing dishes. That was crazy, I thought. Now I'm starting to understand her a bit better.
Every once in a while I remember my old friend from Richmond Hill and wonder how she's doing these days.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Caledon Election update: last minute campaign tactics
Every election is a critical one but none has been more important for Caledon as the one that will take place on Monday, October 25, 2010.
Being a small town (well a large land mass but still a small town) the style of politics is of a much different flavor that what the good people of Toronto are used to. But so much is at stake this time around that the gap in styles has narrowed significantly.
I haven't been in Caledon long but from what I've seen and heard, the level of lies and underhanded tactics used this time around are truly unprecedented.
Most of it was more or less relayed through third party reports, though I did see signs missing that had been there in the morning and mysteriously vanished the next time I looked.
There were also reports of some unsavory prerecorded telephone calls. I think I got one but tend to hang up as soon as I hear a non-human voice following a pause when I pick up the phone. Still, enough people didn't hang up fast enough and heard all sorts of gag worthy innuendos.
Today, two days before the election we've reached a new low. Making sure that the signs would not be taken down due to timing they popped up where surely they would not have been permitted to go had permission been requested.
This squeals of desperation. If the support was really there they wouldn't have to wait for until after business hours on the 11th hour.
Here's hoping the good guys will win because the people of Caledon really aren't that gullible.
Being a small town (well a large land mass but still a small town) the style of politics is of a much different flavor that what the good people of Toronto are used to. But so much is at stake this time around that the gap in styles has narrowed significantly.
I haven't been in Caledon long but from what I've seen and heard, the level of lies and underhanded tactics used this time around are truly unprecedented.
Most of it was more or less relayed through third party reports, though I did see signs missing that had been there in the morning and mysteriously vanished the next time I looked.
There were also reports of some unsavory prerecorded telephone calls. I think I got one but tend to hang up as soon as I hear a non-human voice following a pause when I pick up the phone. Still, enough people didn't hang up fast enough and heard all sorts of gag worthy innuendos.
Today, two days before the election we've reached a new low. Making sure that the signs would not be taken down due to timing they popped up where surely they would not have been permitted to go had permission been requested.
This squeals of desperation. If the support was really there they wouldn't have to wait for until after business hours on the 11th hour.
Here's hoping the good guys will win because the people of Caledon really aren't that gullible.
Halloween: The new commercial holiday
For as long as I can remember people have complained about the commercialization of Christmas. This really is shameful because at the heart of it Christmas is about family and friends getting together and arguing over family feuds that lay dormant for the the better part of the rest of the year. But, business being business, it has has turned in to a great revenue generator, as well.
Over the past ten or twenty years, the costume industry has taken the quaint custom of home made costumes into the dark ages. A large part of the fun used to be who could come up with the best costumes but now everybody shows up wearing the same off-the rack jobs.
Disney is one of the worst culprits. You used to be able to find a decent costume, as little as four years ago for $15. These days, they have added sparkle, shine, and on average about $50 to the price tag. You can go to Wal-Mart or Zellers or even Value Village but you are still looking at $27 a costume and starting to think that this is a pretty good deal.
Now that you have the costume in hand, where to go with it is the next question. Sure they get to go to school dressed up but most of the costumes are for in door use and Trick or Treating is usually done outside. Places like Old Navy have started selling great padded out-door costumes so there is evolution.
Anyway, back to where to go. I opened the latest Parent City magazine and was amazed to see the multitude, a venerable plethora of venues promising a howling good times`. The most interesting is the Haunted Forest shindig being held by the Friends of Terra Cotta, in Caledon. All they want is $5 in advance or $7 at the door. So, I am thinking that this is a good deal, plus the scenery is beautiful.
Now to decorations. You can spend a pretty penny for these things. Everybody from the dollar stores to the big box chains is hoping that you`ll do what you can to get into the spirit. Well who can blame them? If the appetite is there, why not try to feed it for a profit.
The fault really lies with our society. What ever happened to real world old-school pot luck gatherings? We are just that disjointed with our friends, family, and neighbors that it is simply easier to go out and buy a bunch of stuff instead of do a little planning and make one bowl of punch or a plate of haunted cup cakes.
The biggest problem with commercialization of holiday institutions is not that people want to opt for convenience. It's that the object of the game gets lost and all you are left with is the things you bought, not what you bought them for. The point loses substance and becomes a hollow shadow of what it started off as being.
So what to do? Either push your friends and family to put together gatherings worth holding where everybody does a little something or understand that this is the evolution and a step closer to the decline of the Western Civilization. These are all symptoms of a bigger affliction.
Remember that all things organic have a life cycle and we are on the way down. So either strap in for a speedy descent or realize that convenience is an emotional paradigm. It will be inconvenient to realize that all of your kids memories when they become adults will have been store bought.
Over the past ten or twenty years, the costume industry has taken the quaint custom of home made costumes into the dark ages. A large part of the fun used to be who could come up with the best costumes but now everybody shows up wearing the same off-the rack jobs.
Disney is one of the worst culprits. You used to be able to find a decent costume, as little as four years ago for $15. These days, they have added sparkle, shine, and on average about $50 to the price tag. You can go to Wal-Mart or Zellers or even Value Village but you are still looking at $27 a costume and starting to think that this is a pretty good deal.
Now that you have the costume in hand, where to go with it is the next question. Sure they get to go to school dressed up but most of the costumes are for in door use and Trick or Treating is usually done outside. Places like Old Navy have started selling great padded out-door costumes so there is evolution.
Anyway, back to where to go. I opened the latest Parent City magazine and was amazed to see the multitude, a venerable plethora of venues promising a howling good times`. The most interesting is the Haunted Forest shindig being held by the Friends of Terra Cotta, in Caledon. All they want is $5 in advance or $7 at the door. So, I am thinking that this is a good deal, plus the scenery is beautiful.
Now to decorations. You can spend a pretty penny for these things. Everybody from the dollar stores to the big box chains is hoping that you`ll do what you can to get into the spirit. Well who can blame them? If the appetite is there, why not try to feed it for a profit.
The fault really lies with our society. What ever happened to real world old-school pot luck gatherings? We are just that disjointed with our friends, family, and neighbors that it is simply easier to go out and buy a bunch of stuff instead of do a little planning and make one bowl of punch or a plate of haunted cup cakes.
The biggest problem with commercialization of holiday institutions is not that people want to opt for convenience. It's that the object of the game gets lost and all you are left with is the things you bought, not what you bought them for. The point loses substance and becomes a hollow shadow of what it started off as being.
So what to do? Either push your friends and family to put together gatherings worth holding where everybody does a little something or understand that this is the evolution and a step closer to the decline of the Western Civilization. These are all symptoms of a bigger affliction.
Remember that all things organic have a life cycle and we are on the way down. So either strap in for a speedy descent or realize that convenience is an emotional paradigm. It will be inconvenient to realize that all of your kids memories when they become adults will have been store bought.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Volunteering to care and why bother
I have to admit that most people don't get me. There are times that I start to not get myself but that's probably just because I let things bother me and wonder if they might have a point. In truth there really aren't all that many alternatives. You either live life like it matters or you sink deeper and deeper into self-absorbed apathy with each passing year.
You could call it a symptom of parenthood, wanting to create a better world for the next generation. I don't think that's it. That wouldn't explain all the years prior to now.
Much more likely, the disconnect is that people who are born and raised, and more than one generation in to a democratic society tend to take democracy for granted. They live in a false sense of security that this is the best of all possible worlds and surely the most logical so why bother defending it when it reason and common sense defends it for us. Horse shit!
Democracy is a fickle lover. While we sit and ponder and debate anybody who has subscribed to a different doctrine and believes in it with gusto is a threat to our way of life. Even our constitution will not protect us in a democratic society because it is entirely democratic to re-write the constitution to favor Sharia Law for Canada. All it would take is enough votes and the way current trends are moving, this won't take long to accomplish.
It used to be that what attracted people to Canada was a new and better way of life. I don't care what country or culture you come from, this was a universal fact. But somewhere along the line that changed. It became a safe-haven for terrorists in training and now I'm becoming convinced that they leave where they are from not to escape political and theological oppression as much as to bring their own back into the fold and enjoy a more humane climate (it's less hot here for most of the year). A few years ago there was an interesting little article about this being a preferred destination to escape unbearably hot Summers back home.
There is a silent war taking place on Western culture that is eroding and destabilizing the false security that has been enjoyed in North America for as long as Europeans were the chief source of import of new blood. Entire schools are being taught in languages other than English or even French because there is enough of a population to bear it, and they don't understand English or French all that well anyway.
Ask yourself, if they don't learn English, what else are they not learning. More importantly, what are they being taught?
Before you get your back up too much in reading this, ask yourself when is the last time you went to a minimum wage fast food outlet and saw mostly brown girls women behind the counter doing a lot more chatting and laughing (and not in English) and a lot less promptly serving the customer. They get to you, but after they finish their conversations. Ask yourself also, doesn't it seem like there are a whole bunch more people behind the counter than you were used to seeing but the service has gotten slower? If you haven't noticed it yet, just wait a little.
These aren't even the early signs that the face of North America is changing. It changed. A while ago. What are you going to do about it common sense is not waht you were brought up to believe it should be.
You could call it a symptom of parenthood, wanting to create a better world for the next generation. I don't think that's it. That wouldn't explain all the years prior to now.
Much more likely, the disconnect is that people who are born and raised, and more than one generation in to a democratic society tend to take democracy for granted. They live in a false sense of security that this is the best of all possible worlds and surely the most logical so why bother defending it when it reason and common sense defends it for us. Horse shit!
Democracy is a fickle lover. While we sit and ponder and debate anybody who has subscribed to a different doctrine and believes in it with gusto is a threat to our way of life. Even our constitution will not protect us in a democratic society because it is entirely democratic to re-write the constitution to favor Sharia Law for Canada. All it would take is enough votes and the way current trends are moving, this won't take long to accomplish.
It used to be that what attracted people to Canada was a new and better way of life. I don't care what country or culture you come from, this was a universal fact. But somewhere along the line that changed. It became a safe-haven for terrorists in training and now I'm becoming convinced that they leave where they are from not to escape political and theological oppression as much as to bring their own back into the fold and enjoy a more humane climate (it's less hot here for most of the year). A few years ago there was an interesting little article about this being a preferred destination to escape unbearably hot Summers back home.
There is a silent war taking place on Western culture that is eroding and destabilizing the false security that has been enjoyed in North America for as long as Europeans were the chief source of import of new blood. Entire schools are being taught in languages other than English or even French because there is enough of a population to bear it, and they don't understand English or French all that well anyway.
Ask yourself, if they don't learn English, what else are they not learning. More importantly, what are they being taught?
Before you get your back up too much in reading this, ask yourself when is the last time you went to a minimum wage fast food outlet and saw mostly brown girls women behind the counter doing a lot more chatting and laughing (and not in English) and a lot less promptly serving the customer. They get to you, but after they finish their conversations. Ask yourself also, doesn't it seem like there are a whole bunch more people behind the counter than you were used to seeing but the service has gotten slower? If you haven't noticed it yet, just wait a little.
These aren't even the early signs that the face of North America is changing. It changed. A while ago. What are you going to do about it common sense is not waht you were brought up to believe it should be.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Caledon Meals on Wheels
There are a few fundamental truths to life and one of them is that if you are lucky enough to grow old you are likely to watch many of your friends and loved ones leave you. Each year brings a smaller inner circle until eventually you are surrounded by mostly strangers.
Twilight years deserve dignity and the arrogance of youth is rarely forgiving enough to adequately pay it forward. So, although it would truly be a perfect world if people realized that as a society we have a responsibility to care for the young, old, and infirm, we do not live in a perfect world.
How fortunate then that there are people who spend their days returning even a shred of human decency to those who have long since earned their place in this world. Organizations such as Caledon Meals on Wheels serve an essential function within our community, especially since geographically there is sometimes a tremendous amount of space between people who can no longer get around as well as they used to.
This coming Spring the SouthFields Village Voice will be putting on a fundraiser for Caledon Meals on Wheels. The event will include local artists, musicians, and an auction, as well as a fine meal. Proceeds will go to this worthy organization who should and must be supported by those who one day may very well be glad for their services.
If you are interested in helping organize the event please contact the SouthFields Village Voice.
Twilight years deserve dignity and the arrogance of youth is rarely forgiving enough to adequately pay it forward. So, although it would truly be a perfect world if people realized that as a society we have a responsibility to care for the young, old, and infirm, we do not live in a perfect world.
How fortunate then that there are people who spend their days returning even a shred of human decency to those who have long since earned their place in this world. Organizations such as Caledon Meals on Wheels serve an essential function within our community, especially since geographically there is sometimes a tremendous amount of space between people who can no longer get around as well as they used to.
This coming Spring the SouthFields Village Voice will be putting on a fundraiser for Caledon Meals on Wheels. The event will include local artists, musicians, and an auction, as well as a fine meal. Proceeds will go to this worthy organization who should and must be supported by those who one day may very well be glad for their services.
If you are interested in helping organize the event please contact the SouthFields Village Voice.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The problem with communities pulling together
I just came home from a community school meeting. This is a group of mostly women sitting around a table, and God bless the one or two token men in the room to bring down the estrogen levels, discussing what can be done to raise money for programs and events within the school.
These are the people behind the field trips and books in the library and uniforms and multitudes of expenses that just are not covered by the province or the board.
They don't do it by sending their kids into the streets to knock on doors to sell cookies and chocolates. They get creative. Really creative. They have fun and they banter and except for the people who are part of the group they get very little thanks. People just take, accept and complain about yet another fundraiser, whether their kids benefit from the earnings or not.
The best part about it is that when the province gets wind of groups like this, they pull back their contribution even more because the community is filling in the gap. It's like getting a nice firm kick, and not in the behind.
So why do it? Why not? At the end of the day it is our kids and our school and you just have to do what you have to do. Sometimes you take the raw end of the stick because it isn't worth the sacrifice not to.
The reward is in the pudding, the kind the volunteers bring to the bake sales and the proverbial kind. It is in the smiles and the relationships and the pride that people, even the smallest people take in where the live and how they grew up.
I'm a city girl living in the country and I love the country.
These are the people behind the field trips and books in the library and uniforms and multitudes of expenses that just are not covered by the province or the board.
They don't do it by sending their kids into the streets to knock on doors to sell cookies and chocolates. They get creative. Really creative. They have fun and they banter and except for the people who are part of the group they get very little thanks. People just take, accept and complain about yet another fundraiser, whether their kids benefit from the earnings or not.
The best part about it is that when the province gets wind of groups like this, they pull back their contribution even more because the community is filling in the gap. It's like getting a nice firm kick, and not in the behind.
So why do it? Why not? At the end of the day it is our kids and our school and you just have to do what you have to do. Sometimes you take the raw end of the stick because it isn't worth the sacrifice not to.
The reward is in the pudding, the kind the volunteers bring to the bake sales and the proverbial kind. It is in the smiles and the relationships and the pride that people, even the smallest people take in where the live and how they grew up.
I'm a city girl living in the country and I love the country.
There is something really wrong with Toronto
Toronto is a city full of potential. Every once in a while I decide not to take the highway and realize how absolutely HUGE and diverse the place really is. There is so much to love about it and no real reason for why it should be so absolutely base.
In truth, somehow with all of its potential it is a constant disappointment. It's like a really clumsy person trying to hit a nail on the head and banging up their own nails instead. How else can you explain the constant questionable choices for Mayor?
Rob Ford... really? Wow.
There is definitely something to be said for getting what you ask for. The front runner against Ford is Smitherman. I still can't forget the diaper incident. It is a shame that he didn't go through with his offer to wear one. If you are stupid enough to need to conduct a scientific experiment instead of just logically understanding that subjecting grown adults who deserve much more than this in their aging years you should get to feel some diaper rash. These are the people who used to change our parents diapers and now we can't offer them even an ounce of compassion. Revolting. Go Smitherman!
I still remember the Bare Naked Ladies not being allowed to perform for Barbara Hall and the hell that was raised because Mel dared call in the army to help dig out the city. If they aren't off fighting a war why can't these dudes help dig out the city? Was that really so wrong? Young able bodied men and women helping the community. Shameful! I can't imagine what he was thinking. He was probably the best Mayor the city has had in ages and they still talk about the stuff he did to put us on the map.
And what about David Miller? Not once. More than once. They'll never learn. At least he did the right thing and not run again after the garbage strike. Why isn't waste disposal and essential service? Really?
Toronto should be the kind of town that is always buzzing, always alive regardless of the time of night. Just like Manhattan. It has so much potential. But it is boring and full of ignorant people who keep electing the most dysfunctional people they can find.
Of course they should elect Rob Ford. He is a prime example of the kind of moral leader that should help determine the future of the city and help revitalize the business community. Help stem the population drain and pull it out of its financial woes. Here is a man who can pull together a council divided.
Bravo Toronto. If it weren't for you there would be absolutely no hope for growth and development in the surrounding areas.
Thanks to your wise decisions places like Brampton, Milton, and even Caledon have a real chance at taking advantage of economic growth and development. We will gladly take your refuse (those being the truly wise business leaders who see the potential in the 905 and really can't stomach the stupidity that prevents Toronto politicians and voters from understanding that it is a city that should do what it can to welcome SME business and home owners with open arms rather than encouraging them to leave as quickly as possible).
In truth, somehow with all of its potential it is a constant disappointment. It's like a really clumsy person trying to hit a nail on the head and banging up their own nails instead. How else can you explain the constant questionable choices for Mayor?
Rob Ford... really? Wow.
There is definitely something to be said for getting what you ask for. The front runner against Ford is Smitherman. I still can't forget the diaper incident. It is a shame that he didn't go through with his offer to wear one. If you are stupid enough to need to conduct a scientific experiment instead of just logically understanding that subjecting grown adults who deserve much more than this in their aging years you should get to feel some diaper rash. These are the people who used to change our parents diapers and now we can't offer them even an ounce of compassion. Revolting. Go Smitherman!
I still remember the Bare Naked Ladies not being allowed to perform for Barbara Hall and the hell that was raised because Mel dared call in the army to help dig out the city. If they aren't off fighting a war why can't these dudes help dig out the city? Was that really so wrong? Young able bodied men and women helping the community. Shameful! I can't imagine what he was thinking. He was probably the best Mayor the city has had in ages and they still talk about the stuff he did to put us on the map.
And what about David Miller? Not once. More than once. They'll never learn. At least he did the right thing and not run again after the garbage strike. Why isn't waste disposal and essential service? Really?
Toronto should be the kind of town that is always buzzing, always alive regardless of the time of night. Just like Manhattan. It has so much potential. But it is boring and full of ignorant people who keep electing the most dysfunctional people they can find.
Of course they should elect Rob Ford. He is a prime example of the kind of moral leader that should help determine the future of the city and help revitalize the business community. Help stem the population drain and pull it out of its financial woes. Here is a man who can pull together a council divided.
Bravo Toronto. If it weren't for you there would be absolutely no hope for growth and development in the surrounding areas.
Thanks to your wise decisions places like Brampton, Milton, and even Caledon have a real chance at taking advantage of economic growth and development. We will gladly take your refuse (those being the truly wise business leaders who see the potential in the 905 and really can't stomach the stupidity that prevents Toronto politicians and voters from understanding that it is a city that should do what it can to welcome SME business and home owners with open arms rather than encouraging them to leave as quickly as possible).
Friday, October 15, 2010
Put down the camera and just look
So the truth of the matter is that every once in a while there isn't all that much to say. This isn't a question of writer's block. It is the revelry in all things silence.
There is this calm state of being that can only be achieved when you don't have to go home or call anybody or do anything and can actually just enjoy where you are.
This is true freedom. Standing at the top of the hill and looking down at Firenze through the fog and thinking there is no way that my camera will be able to capture this moment so I might as well just look at it.
Sometimes, you go on a journey and try to document each moment so that you can tell a story. Then, you come home to the people that love you and want to go through each photograph, frame by frame and tell them each reason for the snapshot and they just don't want to listen. What then?
If you think about it, there is a whole part of life that is missed every time you look through the camera lens instead of straight ahead.
There is this calm state of being that can only be achieved when you don't have to go home or call anybody or do anything and can actually just enjoy where you are.
This is true freedom. Standing at the top of the hill and looking down at Firenze through the fog and thinking there is no way that my camera will be able to capture this moment so I might as well just look at it.
Sometimes, you go on a journey and try to document each moment so that you can tell a story. Then, you come home to the people that love you and want to go through each photograph, frame by frame and tell them each reason for the snapshot and they just don't want to listen. What then?
If you think about it, there is a whole part of life that is missed every time you look through the camera lens instead of straight ahead.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A writer puts down her pen
The title to this post sounds so final. I know it.
We have all heard the old adage, write what you know. But I've realized something lately. If all you do is write then you won't have all that much to know. It's a lot like doing all the talking and none of the listening.
For too long I have been neglecting all those little things around the house. Maybe I have even been doing a bit too much ignoring of the little things that pitter patter around the house, as well. So, this past weekend I decided to (gasp) not turn on the computer.
We got so much done. I almost feel satisfied. Still, there is a lot left to do. But for the first time the kids found something to play with amongst the multitude of toys that they have because when there is order the clutter makes all the thousands of dollars spent on gifts and playthings turn into one big blurr of junk.
It is also quite amazing what happens when you actually do hang up all the laundry and suddenly realize that they have outgrown all their long pants just in time for winter.
Well, enough writing and off to replenish their wardrobes.
We have all heard the old adage, write what you know. But I've realized something lately. If all you do is write then you won't have all that much to know. It's a lot like doing all the talking and none of the listening.
For too long I have been neglecting all those little things around the house. Maybe I have even been doing a bit too much ignoring of the little things that pitter patter around the house, as well. So, this past weekend I decided to (gasp) not turn on the computer.
We got so much done. I almost feel satisfied. Still, there is a lot left to do. But for the first time the kids found something to play with amongst the multitude of toys that they have because when there is order the clutter makes all the thousands of dollars spent on gifts and playthings turn into one big blurr of junk.
It is also quite amazing what happens when you actually do hang up all the laundry and suddenly realize that they have outgrown all their long pants just in time for winter.
Well, enough writing and off to replenish their wardrobes.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Inspiration for new book
There are hopes and dreams and thoughts and then there is reality. The reality of wanting to write a book and either not having anything to say at all or not knowing where to begin. Either is harsh and unfair.
After all, with self-publishing so easy to do, there really is a plethora of books out there that are uncensored and unedited. Each, in their own right, believes theirs worthy of readership.
For me, I do it because I need to. Not for the money, and not for the fame. This is a pure case of inner drive. Once done it would be nice to have it read but this is not an essential component. Perhaps because one day I believe it will be. Maybe after I'm dead. Who knows. Mine is just to output.
My favorite is when I gift a copy of Broken Axle Spinning Blind to somebody and they don't expect anything of it because the author gave it to them. There is a stigma around getting the author's work from the author. Then, there is the usual reaction. Shock and disbelief that it's good.
Poetry isn't for everybody and not every piece in a volume will be your favorite but it is good because it is personal and unbridled. It is raw and pure and something almost not intended for others to know. Therein lies the justification. That look of shock and truly not expecting to connect with something that somebody gave you. Beyond that it is a matter of time. Just waiting to be discovered.
Some things you have to market and work at getting out there. Some you just have to plant. This I planted. It's a seedling.
With each person who reads it, it grows. But it is not enough to read and to connect. It is meant to be shared. Shared with others and shared with me. This is the difference between standing in a dark room full of people and taking off all your clothes and feeling safe and then having somebody flick on the lights.
Decide if you are the one standing bare or if it is me. Perhaps we are nude together and in this way completely robed.
After all, with self-publishing so easy to do, there really is a plethora of books out there that are uncensored and unedited. Each, in their own right, believes theirs worthy of readership.
For me, I do it because I need to. Not for the money, and not for the fame. This is a pure case of inner drive. Once done it would be nice to have it read but this is not an essential component. Perhaps because one day I believe it will be. Maybe after I'm dead. Who knows. Mine is just to output.
My favorite is when I gift a copy of Broken Axle Spinning Blind to somebody and they don't expect anything of it because the author gave it to them. There is a stigma around getting the author's work from the author. Then, there is the usual reaction. Shock and disbelief that it's good.
Poetry isn't for everybody and not every piece in a volume will be your favorite but it is good because it is personal and unbridled. It is raw and pure and something almost not intended for others to know. Therein lies the justification. That look of shock and truly not expecting to connect with something that somebody gave you. Beyond that it is a matter of time. Just waiting to be discovered.
Some things you have to market and work at getting out there. Some you just have to plant. This I planted. It's a seedling.
With each person who reads it, it grows. But it is not enough to read and to connect. It is meant to be shared. Shared with others and shared with me. This is the difference between standing in a dark room full of people and taking off all your clothes and feeling safe and then having somebody flick on the lights.
Decide if you are the one standing bare or if it is me. Perhaps we are nude together and in this way completely robed.
Caledon West _ SouthFields Village Voice
Okay so there is this little magazine that has been stirring up some trouble around Caledon and getting some feathers ruffled. That's what happens when you have a new kid on the block.
Not a bad piece of work, though still young. Only second issue in but it looks like it is building a following. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. Next issue is suppose to come out in December and a little birdie tells me that it's going to try and ruffle a few more feathers.
I say anything that gets people thinking is a good thing. Current issue of SouthFields Vilage Voice is online now so you can check it out.
Not a bad piece of work, though still young. Only second issue in but it looks like it is building a following. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. Next issue is suppose to come out in December and a little birdie tells me that it's going to try and ruffle a few more feathers.
I say anything that gets people thinking is a good thing. Current issue of SouthFields Vilage Voice is online now so you can check it out.
Poetry
There is something to be said about cycles. After a few decades of walking the earth I think I've got a bit of a grasp on mine. Creativity flows with blood and that makes it easy to plan around.
It is just plain good business practice to apply the 30-30-30 rule. Spend 30% of your time managing current projects, 30% seeking new projects, and 30% creating the deliverable goods. So, if you can't control a muse but know when she is likely to roll around you know that you'd better free up some time around then.
Not sure how that works for post menopausal women. Then again, I was writing before I hit puberty so I should be okay.
A liquid state
A drunken state
A state of utter bliss
He comes to me
He comes at me
Who am I to resist
No words but 'yes'
Inactive state
Agreed upon submission
Too long I wait for one more time
Desperate and dry
Asleep, alive, and free
His gentle snores
One floor below
Oblivious and vain
Instead of me
Hockey tonight
Though missed through blissful dreams
It is just plain good business practice to apply the 30-30-30 rule. Spend 30% of your time managing current projects, 30% seeking new projects, and 30% creating the deliverable goods. So, if you can't control a muse but know when she is likely to roll around you know that you'd better free up some time around then.
Not sure how that works for post menopausal women. Then again, I was writing before I hit puberty so I should be okay.
A liquid state
A drunken state
A state of utter bliss
He comes to me
He comes at me
Who am I to resist
No words but 'yes'
Inactive state
Agreed upon submission
Too long I wait for one more time
Desperate and dry
Asleep, alive, and free
His gentle snores
One floor below
Oblivious and vain
Instead of me
Hockey tonight
Though missed through blissful dreams
Thursday, October 7, 2010
I'm writing a new book
For those who truly know me this will come as no surprise: I am writing a book. The working title is "Me". This is a work that has been frothing up to the surface for the past 21 years but I just didn't know where to start.
It starts like this: "I spent my teenage Saturday mornings in the bowels of the Art Gallery of Ontario, taking art lessons at the Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons I was drawing naked old men and nude pregnant women."
The Caledon Public Library has bought a couple of copies of Broken Axle Spinning Blind for its collection and it is available for purchase on Amazon. Though it would be lovely to sell thousands of copies I just want people to read it. There are so few times in life when you can truly feel satisfied with what you have done and I am satisfied with it.
People don't usually expect poetry to be good so when I give them a copy they take it expecting it to be bad and then they start to read it. The reaction is best described as confusion because now they don't know what to think. If an author gives you their work somehow it means less than if you found it yourself.
That's the thing about written work, people like to discover it for themselves.
So, discover it. I challenge you. Get a copy of Broken Axle Spinning Blind, by Freyda Tartak and see for yourself.
It starts like this: "I spent my teenage Saturday mornings in the bowels of the Art Gallery of Ontario, taking art lessons at the Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons I was drawing naked old men and nude pregnant women."
The Caledon Public Library has bought a couple of copies of Broken Axle Spinning Blind for its collection and it is available for purchase on Amazon. Though it would be lovely to sell thousands of copies I just want people to read it. There are so few times in life when you can truly feel satisfied with what you have done and I am satisfied with it.
People don't usually expect poetry to be good so when I give them a copy they take it expecting it to be bad and then they start to read it. The reaction is best described as confusion because now they don't know what to think. If an author gives you their work somehow it means less than if you found it yourself.
That's the thing about written work, people like to discover it for themselves.
So, discover it. I challenge you. Get a copy of Broken Axle Spinning Blind, by Freyda Tartak and see for yourself.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Village of SouthFields
So here is a new community sitting at the top of Brampton and a bunch of folks full of big ideas. They want to live close to everything and still get all the perks of country life. Is is possible?
Exactly how sustainable is the notion that a subdivision located just north of Brampton won't be exactly like Brampton before too long? This is indeed an interesting social experiment.
Caledon has at its disposal a chance to either descend into the bowls of history repeating itself or learn from previous municipal mistakes. Mayfield West can either become Brampton, Bolton, or indeed an extension of Caledon charm... or it can be some crazy hybrid. This last option is much less likely than either of the first since people will naturally make it one over the other. In this situation there is only black and white.
For now they have formed a residents group to piggy back on the ideas of established Caledon communities such as Terra Cotta, Belfountain, Cheltenham, Inglewood, and Bolton. They even got themselves an official day and an interesting little rag called the SouthFields Village Voice.
There's a gal over there working like mad to get people into the right mindset because she is convinced in the power of the masses to sway the tides of history. We will just have to wait and see how it all pans out.
The resident's group seems to be off to a flying start with a couple of big issues raised at the last meeting and resolved in lightening fast fashion. In the end it will be up to the people who move there but here's a vote from an incurable romantic: Power to the people.
Exactly how sustainable is the notion that a subdivision located just north of Brampton won't be exactly like Brampton before too long? This is indeed an interesting social experiment.
Caledon has at its disposal a chance to either descend into the bowls of history repeating itself or learn from previous municipal mistakes. Mayfield West can either become Brampton, Bolton, or indeed an extension of Caledon charm... or it can be some crazy hybrid. This last option is much less likely than either of the first since people will naturally make it one over the other. In this situation there is only black and white.
For now they have formed a residents group to piggy back on the ideas of established Caledon communities such as Terra Cotta, Belfountain, Cheltenham, Inglewood, and Bolton. They even got themselves an official day and an interesting little rag called the SouthFields Village Voice.
There's a gal over there working like mad to get people into the right mindset because she is convinced in the power of the masses to sway the tides of history. We will just have to wait and see how it all pans out.
The resident's group seems to be off to a flying start with a couple of big issues raised at the last meeting and resolved in lightening fast fashion. In the end it will be up to the people who move there but here's a vote from an incurable romantic: Power to the people.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
OHIP Expiry date: Attempt to manage fraud or added layer of needless bureaucracy?
There is no question that identity theft and technological access to the ability to manipulate information are valid issue and cost millions of dollars and oodles of inconvenience for governments, business, and private individuals. However, in dealing with these issues you can't help but shake your head at the group think that must have gone on in forcing people with precious little time to jump through hoops just to make sure that they can take their toddlers to the doctor.
It is flu season and my son has the flu. Having recently relocated and with a busy career, I admit it, I lost the stupid renewal form. But now I have to go to an office, and not just any ohip office. One that is not privately run. Of course figuring out which office is a ministry run office requires a private investigator's certificate from a community college. Too bad I don't have the time to go get one.
The people who work in either type of office are not inclined to tell you that it is the wrong office until you have paid your dues by waiting in the wrong line twice. Then, you have to bring all sorts of proof and id for something that they would have accepted a signature for if you just mailed the stoopid form in, in the first place.
When I asked why the card expires in the first place I was told that it is because so many people leave the country. Well, then have card for citizens that doesn't and have a card for temporary and permanent residents and people here on a visa. Why should a baby born on Canadian soil have to go through the same suspicion and scrutiny as people who were born elsewhere?
It may not be a politically correct thing to say but it would be nice if logic prevailed on this one.
Way to spent tax payer's money... and yes, my time is worth money!
It is flu season and my son has the flu. Having recently relocated and with a busy career, I admit it, I lost the stupid renewal form. But now I have to go to an office, and not just any ohip office. One that is not privately run. Of course figuring out which office is a ministry run office requires a private investigator's certificate from a community college. Too bad I don't have the time to go get one.
The people who work in either type of office are not inclined to tell you that it is the wrong office until you have paid your dues by waiting in the wrong line twice. Then, you have to bring all sorts of proof and id for something that they would have accepted a signature for if you just mailed the stoopid form in, in the first place.
When I asked why the card expires in the first place I was told that it is because so many people leave the country. Well, then have card for citizens that doesn't and have a card for temporary and permanent residents and people here on a visa. Why should a baby born on Canadian soil have to go through the same suspicion and scrutiny as people who were born elsewhere?
It may not be a politically correct thing to say but it would be nice if logic prevailed on this one.
Way to spent tax payer's money... and yes, my time is worth money!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Going door-to-door
So, I'm going door-to-door to hand stuff out and people are very suspicious. That's good. Imagine their surprise when I want nothing more than to give them stuff they want.
Don't ask me why because I might just tell you.
Don't ask me why because I might just tell you.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Stand up for human rights
Canadian politicians are a rare bread of animal. They are uniformly at once too concerned with appealing to their voter base and committed to their own moral compass.
Dalton McGuinty, late last week, tried to sneak in new legislation forcing schools to introduce sex ed to kids in grade 1. Are you kidding me? By grade three they wanted kids to be taught about anal sex and masturbation. Why? What exactly is the point of teaching about masturbation? To make sure they know what to do and how to do it?
Luckily, he backed down less than a day after announcing it.
Prime Minister Harper is not as quick to back down on conviction. Now here is an idealist who truly believes in what he is doing. Well, it is well known that Liberals will prostitute themselves for votes while Conservatives have far right tendencies, especially this flavor of Conservatives. Luckily, we still live in a democracy... although I don't know who the alternative might be: Ignatieff? Duceppe? Layton?
At the heart of the point here is the stance on abortion. Religious belief and moralistic superiority against doing what is right for humanity as a whole. For now Canada will not support access to safe medically supervised abortion in countries most in need of the funding. Who cares that in those countries the reason women find themselves pregnant is because of a lack of choice in the matter. Sure there is a fair number of uneducated women and girls but there is also a larger number of men who simply don't regard women and what happens to them as anything worthy of consideration. They do what they will and leave legions of children behind. These girls then become outcasts, destitute and desperate. But, Stephen Harper has his morals to contend with.
Go Hillary Clinton and go Obama. Women's rights are still human rights and they recognize that. I may not be American but, I'm more proud to be their neighbor.
Dalton McGuinty, late last week, tried to sneak in new legislation forcing schools to introduce sex ed to kids in grade 1. Are you kidding me? By grade three they wanted kids to be taught about anal sex and masturbation. Why? What exactly is the point of teaching about masturbation? To make sure they know what to do and how to do it?
Luckily, he backed down less than a day after announcing it.
Prime Minister Harper is not as quick to back down on conviction. Now here is an idealist who truly believes in what he is doing. Well, it is well known that Liberals will prostitute themselves for votes while Conservatives have far right tendencies, especially this flavor of Conservatives. Luckily, we still live in a democracy... although I don't know who the alternative might be: Ignatieff? Duceppe? Layton?
At the heart of the point here is the stance on abortion. Religious belief and moralistic superiority against doing what is right for humanity as a whole. For now Canada will not support access to safe medically supervised abortion in countries most in need of the funding. Who cares that in those countries the reason women find themselves pregnant is because of a lack of choice in the matter. Sure there is a fair number of uneducated women and girls but there is also a larger number of men who simply don't regard women and what happens to them as anything worthy of consideration. They do what they will and leave legions of children behind. These girls then become outcasts, destitute and desperate. But, Stephen Harper has his morals to contend with.
Go Hillary Clinton and go Obama. Women's rights are still human rights and they recognize that. I may not be American but, I'm more proud to be their neighbor.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Confusion Marketing
Early on this year I finally got a Blackberry. It was a very exciting moment for me. All that functionality at my fingertips. I was excited. Unfortunately, not long after getting my Blackberry Bold (9000) things started to happen. Strange things. Bad things.
At first it was just a strange pressure in that spot right above the nose, between the eyebrows. Then, there came the burning feeling. A few seconds checking email and I felt like I had spent the day laying out in the sun. My face even started turning red.
Everybody thought I was making things up. I wasn't. The phone has a couple of neat little features. You can set it to turn off and on at a specific time and as soon as it would turn on I would know because I would feel it. I started turning it off unless I needed to make a call and then I discovered that if somebody sends you a meeting request and the reminder for the meeting comes on, the phone turns itself on. I found out because all of a sudden I felt it be on despite having turned it off.
So, anyway, busy life and too much to do and I went over the 30 day return period. So, after six weeks it turned into dealing with arrogant people telling me they'd never heard of these problems and I was out of luck.
Now, it is end of April and it's been four months. Suddenly the tone has changed. They aren't acting like they haven't heard of anything like it. Sounds to me like I'm not as crazy as they thought. A quick web search and at the risk of being accused of self-diagnosis, sounds like I have Electrosensitivity. Now there is a word that even the spell checker has a problem with.
Long and short of it is that even though an increasingly large number of people are suffering from it, it is not recognized as legit and attracts a huge amount of criticism. There is no shortage of cyberhate. Just check out these links for some samples of propaganda of those intimidated by the thought of somebody having a problem with the opium of the 21st Century.
http://www.radiationresearch.org/conference/downloads/011555_rubin_extra.pdf
http://depletedcranium.com/the-blog-of-an-electrosensitive-no-this-is-not-a-joke/
So finally hubby decided he'd humor me and lo and behold the conversation has changed. They were much more willing to talk. It seems people are starting to take this a bit more seriously.
Still, it is a bit frightening. These days we are surrounded by smart phones and when somebody near me is using them I feel its effects. I find myself sitting in my car at a stop light and not watching the insides of other people's cars and then suddenly feeling it. I look and see the person in the car beside me on their Blackberry or iPhone.
Well today there are people who are convinced that it is all in my head but keep in mind that this is exactly how women are treated in medicine anyway. A guy comes and complains about something and he gets taken seriously. A woman is accused of being female.
Now I'm just venting.
Anyway, they agreed to take back the phone and exchange it for something less "smart" but here comes in a common frustration when it comes to mobile device sales: The deployment of Confusion Marketing. I think they go through a special tactical course on how to confuse the consumer.
I have a very hard time believing that the average person can easily navigate the waters of the mobile sales lingo. That industry has basically invented an entire new language, spiced and peppered with acronyms and TLAs. The employees are hired based on their ability to slur all their words and do it as quickly as possible, followed by looking at you like you should be ashamed if you aren't following the most basic of things.
The truth is that very few of them understand the technology and even fewer can explain it properly. This is especially frightening considering the amount of power going through these little things. They keeping getting smaller and able to do more.
You can't just walk in, get straightforward, accurate answers and walk out feeling like you understand what just happened. What you can do is go in and sort of kind of feel like you can justify agreeing to pay too much money for more than you'll ever use, that has a very questionable ability not to cause long term harm to your health.
Cell phones are scary. Bottom line. The only thing scarier than the actual devices are the people who sell them because there is nothing more frightening than arrogant ignorance.
At first it was just a strange pressure in that spot right above the nose, between the eyebrows. Then, there came the burning feeling. A few seconds checking email and I felt like I had spent the day laying out in the sun. My face even started turning red.
Everybody thought I was making things up. I wasn't. The phone has a couple of neat little features. You can set it to turn off and on at a specific time and as soon as it would turn on I would know because I would feel it. I started turning it off unless I needed to make a call and then I discovered that if somebody sends you a meeting request and the reminder for the meeting comes on, the phone turns itself on. I found out because all of a sudden I felt it be on despite having turned it off.
So, anyway, busy life and too much to do and I went over the 30 day return period. So, after six weeks it turned into dealing with arrogant people telling me they'd never heard of these problems and I was out of luck.
Now, it is end of April and it's been four months. Suddenly the tone has changed. They aren't acting like they haven't heard of anything like it. Sounds to me like I'm not as crazy as they thought. A quick web search and at the risk of being accused of self-diagnosis, sounds like I have Electrosensitivity. Now there is a word that even the spell checker has a problem with.
Long and short of it is that even though an increasingly large number of people are suffering from it, it is not recognized as legit and attracts a huge amount of criticism. There is no shortage of cyberhate. Just check out these links for some samples of propaganda of those intimidated by the thought of somebody having a problem with the opium of the 21st Century.
http://www.radiationresearch.org/conference/downloads/011555_rubin_extra.pdf
http://depletedcranium.com/the-blog-of-an-electrosensitive-no-this-is-not-a-joke/
So finally hubby decided he'd humor me and lo and behold the conversation has changed. They were much more willing to talk. It seems people are starting to take this a bit more seriously.
Still, it is a bit frightening. These days we are surrounded by smart phones and when somebody near me is using them I feel its effects. I find myself sitting in my car at a stop light and not watching the insides of other people's cars and then suddenly feeling it. I look and see the person in the car beside me on their Blackberry or iPhone.
Well today there are people who are convinced that it is all in my head but keep in mind that this is exactly how women are treated in medicine anyway. A guy comes and complains about something and he gets taken seriously. A woman is accused of being female.
Now I'm just venting.
Anyway, they agreed to take back the phone and exchange it for something less "smart" but here comes in a common frustration when it comes to mobile device sales: The deployment of Confusion Marketing. I think they go through a special tactical course on how to confuse the consumer.
I have a very hard time believing that the average person can easily navigate the waters of the mobile sales lingo. That industry has basically invented an entire new language, spiced and peppered with acronyms and TLAs. The employees are hired based on their ability to slur all their words and do it as quickly as possible, followed by looking at you like you should be ashamed if you aren't following the most basic of things.
The truth is that very few of them understand the technology and even fewer can explain it properly. This is especially frightening considering the amount of power going through these little things. They keeping getting smaller and able to do more.
You can't just walk in, get straightforward, accurate answers and walk out feeling like you understand what just happened. What you can do is go in and sort of kind of feel like you can justify agreeing to pay too much money for more than you'll ever use, that has a very questionable ability not to cause long term harm to your health.
Cell phones are scary. Bottom line. The only thing scarier than the actual devices are the people who sell them because there is nothing more frightening than arrogant ignorance.
Confusion Marketing
Early on this year I finally got a Blackberry. It was a very exciting moment for me. All that functionality at my fingertips. I was excited. Unfortunately, not long after getting my Blackberry Bold (9000) things started to happen. Strange things. Bad things.
At first it was just a strange pressure in that spot right above the nose, between the eyebrows. Then, there came the burning feeling. A few seconds checking email and I felt like I had spent the day laying out in the sun. My face even started turning red.
Everybody thought I was making things up. I wasn't. The phone has a couple of neat little features. You can set it to turn off and on at a specific time and as soon as it would turn on I would know because I would feel it. I started turning it off unless I needed to make a call and then I discovered that if somebody sends you a meeting request and the reminder for the meeting comes on, the phone turns itself on. I found out because all of a sudden I felt it be on despite having turned it off.
So, anyway, busy life and too much to do and I went over the 30 day return period. So, after six weeks it turned into dealing with arrogant people telling me they'd never heard of these problems and I was out of luck.
Now, it is end of April and it's been four months. Suddenly the tone has changed. They aren't acting like they haven't heard of anything like it. Sounds to me like I'm not as crazy as they thought. A quick web search and at the risk of being accused of self-diagnosis, sounds like I have Electrosensitivity. Now there is a word that even the spell checker has a problem with.
Long and short of it is that even though an increasingly large number of people are suffering from it, it is not recognized as legit and attracts a huge amount of criticism. There is no shortage of cyberhate. Just check out these links for some samples of propaganda of those intimidated by the thought of somebody having a problem with the opium of the 21st Century.
http://www.radiationresearch.org/conference/downloads/011555_rubin_extra.pdf
At first it was just a strange pressure in that spot right above the nose, between the eyebrows. Then, there came the burning feeling. A few seconds checking email and I felt like I had spent the day laying out in the sun. My face even started turning red.
Everybody thought I was making things up. I wasn't. The phone has a couple of neat little features. You can set it to turn off and on at a specific time and as soon as it would turn on I would know because I would feel it. I started turning it off unless I needed to make a call and then I discovered that if somebody sends you a meeting request and the reminder for the meeting comes on, the phone turns itself on. I found out because all of a sudden I felt it be on despite having turned it off.
So, anyway, busy life and too much to do and I went over the 30 day return period. So, after six weeks it turned into dealing with arrogant people telling me they'd never heard of these problems and I was out of luck.
Now, it is end of April and it's been four months. Suddenly the tone has changed. They aren't acting like they haven't heard of anything like it. Sounds to me like I'm not as crazy as they thought. A quick web search and at the risk of being accused of self-diagnosis, sounds like I have Electrosensitivity. Now there is a word that even the spell checker has a problem with.
Long and short of it is that even though an increasingly large number of people are suffering from it, it is not recognized as legit and attracts a huge amount of criticism. There is no shortage of cyberhate. Just check out these links for some samples of propaganda of those intimidated by the thought of somebody having a problem with the opium of the 21st Century.
http://www.radiationresearch.org/conference/downloads/011555_rubin_extra.pdf
Friday, April 9, 2010
How to make money online
As many of my faithful readers will know, I have been dabbling in online freelance writing with marginal success. Every once in a while I have stumbled on some person who hinted at the ability to make any real kind of money. Then, if you ask, they become amazingly tight lipped about it. SHHHHHHHHHHHHH! M-I-N-E!!!! ............precious.....
Unbelievable. Well, amazingly enough there are kind souls out there. I ran into one quite by chance on Helium. She told me about Demand Studios. Pretty cool lady. I appreciate that she got back to me on my question.
It`s an awesome site. I`ve only just started but the earning potential is definitely much better now.
Unbelievable. Well, amazingly enough there are kind souls out there. I ran into one quite by chance on Helium. She told me about Demand Studios. Pretty cool lady. I appreciate that she got back to me on my question.
It`s an awesome site. I`ve only just started but the earning potential is definitely much better now.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Peter's pet may be poofect but the message is flawed
So, this is what happened. A few years ago I bought my kid a book, Peter's Poofect Pet, by Tina Powel. It was an impulse buy and turned out to be one of her favorites. The story is all about this boy that wanted a pet but his parents had issues with the whole idea. So, instead of accepting his parent's wishes, he devised a plan to overcome the challenge.
He figured that if he can address their key concerns, he could get his way. This is exactly what he sets about doing. Well, the problem is that he uses a few lies to get his way. The bigger problem is that apparently, he is able to outsmart his parents, scientists, the mayor and her staff, and all the curious people from everywhere, simply by propelling poo into his neighbor's back yard. Brilliant plan, no?
I have always had my reservations about the message this story was sending but let it go because, well, it was in a book and because she seemed to enjoy the story so much.
So, here is the scoop. She's a clever girl is a bit of an information sponge. She drinks in ideas and them looks for ways to apply them. So, the main message she took away from this book is that parents are not obstacles to getting what you want. They are speed bumps.
Adults, in general, are shortsighted and easy to fool. All you have to do is tell enough lies and then get your dog a new name tag. Then, all will be good. Obviously, this is the right message to be teaching to kids through books.
You see, the problem is that modern technology means that anybody who wants to publish a book can. It isn't tough and there isn't anybody to tell you what a thoroughly bad idea it is, or how socially irresponsible it is.
It isn't cute and it isn't a great teaching tool. It has now become a very difficult lesson to (un)teach my lovely little girl, who is convinced that she is now a "bad girl" because she has really taken to this idea of lying to get what she wants. Thank you so much, Tina Powel!
So, yes, this is a teachable moment. Teachable for me, as a parent, to listen to my gut and not assume that my kid will overlook the innate wrongness of the message and simply take it as innocent fun. Teachable for her, because now she has to listen to me drill in to her the message that I will not abide her negative self talk and that though lying is a bad thing to do, it does not make her a bad person. It simply proves that she is a bit too clever for her own good. That adults are not as stupid as the cartoon characters produced by Big Fat Pen. That if something feels wrong, it probably is, even though an adult wrote a book that seems to imply that if you are clever enough, you can get away with anything.
Just because anybody can self-publish a book for children does not mean that they, and the distributors of those books should not have any responsibility regarding the negative messages they are promoting. The store manager that said "sure, Tina, I'll sell your book here" has a responsibility to not put it on his shelves. I, as a parent, have a responsibility to not trust that just because it is a kids book it is an acceptable read. Tina, as the author, has a responsibility to understand that just because something is cute or funny does not absolve her of contributing to the degradation of our society.
He figured that if he can address their key concerns, he could get his way. This is exactly what he sets about doing. Well, the problem is that he uses a few lies to get his way. The bigger problem is that apparently, he is able to outsmart his parents, scientists, the mayor and her staff, and all the curious people from everywhere, simply by propelling poo into his neighbor's back yard. Brilliant plan, no?
I have always had my reservations about the message this story was sending but let it go because, well, it was in a book and because she seemed to enjoy the story so much.
So, here is the scoop. She's a clever girl is a bit of an information sponge. She drinks in ideas and them looks for ways to apply them. So, the main message she took away from this book is that parents are not obstacles to getting what you want. They are speed bumps.
Adults, in general, are shortsighted and easy to fool. All you have to do is tell enough lies and then get your dog a new name tag. Then, all will be good. Obviously, this is the right message to be teaching to kids through books.
You see, the problem is that modern technology means that anybody who wants to publish a book can. It isn't tough and there isn't anybody to tell you what a thoroughly bad idea it is, or how socially irresponsible it is.
It isn't cute and it isn't a great teaching tool. It has now become a very difficult lesson to (un)teach my lovely little girl, who is convinced that she is now a "bad girl" because she has really taken to this idea of lying to get what she wants. Thank you so much, Tina Powel!
So, yes, this is a teachable moment. Teachable for me, as a parent, to listen to my gut and not assume that my kid will overlook the innate wrongness of the message and simply take it as innocent fun. Teachable for her, because now she has to listen to me drill in to her the message that I will not abide her negative self talk and that though lying is a bad thing to do, it does not make her a bad person. It simply proves that she is a bit too clever for her own good. That adults are not as stupid as the cartoon characters produced by Big Fat Pen. That if something feels wrong, it probably is, even though an adult wrote a book that seems to imply that if you are clever enough, you can get away with anything.
Just because anybody can self-publish a book for children does not mean that they, and the distributors of those books should not have any responsibility regarding the negative messages they are promoting. The store manager that said "sure, Tina, I'll sell your book here" has a responsibility to not put it on his shelves. I, as a parent, have a responsibility to not trust that just because it is a kids book it is an acceptable read. Tina, as the author, has a responsibility to understand that just because something is cute or funny does not absolve her of contributing to the degradation of our society.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Community Organizer
Went to a town hall meeting yesterday to learn how not to run a town hall meeting. It was pretty much a high level exercise like what you do at a corporate getaway or in school. Achieve next to nothing and accomplished less.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Defiance
It is hard to ignore the fact that an actor might choose to do a roll such as what Daniel Craig did, when he agreed to do Defiance. My respect goes out to him in so many ways for not only doing it but, doing it that well.
What a great movie! Watch it.
What a great movie! Watch it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Freedom for all to be stupid
One of the greatest things about democracy is that everybody is free to be as stupid as they want. In Communist countries such as China and whatever it is that Russia wants to be called now, intelligence has a higher price tag. It is both feared and respected. Here, in the land of the free, we are free to dismiss it.
That is how I am reading the latest letter to the editor by some grumpy old guy that resents having to go through security at airports. He takes exception to being treated with suspicion when boarding a plane because, god knows, nothing will ever happen. Nothing has ever happened. After all, this is Canada and who would want to hurt us?
Sure, the Olympics was a mass populous event but, additional security measures there were a grievous waste of money. Who would ever want to harm an Olympian or the millions of people that descended on the area? Let alone the presence of world leaders all in one spot.
In fact, the great thinker went on to say, the only people that Canada is scared of is Israel and the United States.... blah, blah, blah. This part wasn't even worth repeating. This guy was so righteous about Western arrogance in pushing our ideals on others and the rights of all to do as they please while we fund their activities. That is exactly the sort of attitude that has made Canada the hot spot that it is for what some believe to be a terrorist training ground. But hey, at least we're friendly.
On the other hand, this guy is obviously living under a rock. The Harper government is so focused on not ruining international relations, or stepping on political toes, that there is now a long thread of evidence speaking to a complete lack of willingness to help any Canadian that runs into trouble when out of our borders. Women, men, and children go missing and even the squeakiest of wheels is no match for the bureaucracy of the current Canadian political climate.
I would like to be an optimist and say that it is not true. That in the quite rooms of CSIS they are working hard to learn the whereabouts of missing tourists or kidnapped business people. But, it is tough to stick with that idea when in public the message is basically that if you are stupid enough to leave Canada, for any reason, you are on your own and get what you deserve.
On a certain level, there is logic behind this. Canada is not a country that will wage ware on nebulous allies for the sake of one measly citizen. We do not go by the ``no person left behind`` philosophy. In fact, people are one of our greatest renewable resources. We can always make more voters and if birthrates are to slow or too low, we`ll just import some from the East.
That`s the other thing. There are so many non-Western affiliated voters in Canada now, that to do anything overly democratic, humane, or socially responsible might offend the majority of the voting population. If some dumb broad decided to go visit the Middle East three years ago, and vanished. She either wanted to vanish (therein privacy laws fit in very nicely) or got what she deserved (in which case, who are we to care).
It would be very nice to live in that old guy`s dream who believes that it is obvious that he is a peace loving, Mary Jane smoking atheist and should be treated with more trust from airport security. Like, peace ma-ha-n! For the rest, it`s time to worry. Really worry. Democracy is being corroded by a mixture of misguided politicians that have found themselves wedged between a rock and a hard place, and an influx of citizens and landed immigrant who truly to not believe in it.
Just remember that before the Taliban gained rule, women had educations, independence, and rights equal to those we now take for granted. They took them for granted, as well.... until they were forced to throw sheets over their heads, shut up and do what they were told. Now, there is no shortage of women who will tell you it is their choice to do just that. They have been taught to believe that it is the right way to live.
But, truly, if God is the creator, this Spirit would have created all matter (organic and in organic) and it would have been done with love and true understanding. If God is all powerful how much sense that this existence would have been forged out of anger? None! So, if all things were created out of love, then all humanity is loved. None is greater than the other because all is created in the image of that Spirit. All of nature, male and female are equal. None was ever designed to be the subject of the other.
Any subjugation due to Class or Gender is purely a man made concept. It is done under the excuse of being God`s will. It is not God`s will. It is the will of those that wish to conquer and be more powerful than those that share this time and space.
So, be scared, be worried. We are all vulnerable if we do not take measures to jealously guard our beliefs, just as those who disagree with us guard theirs. We must realize that nothing is permanent. I leave you with this. Germany was a Democratic State when they elected Hitler to power. The Taliban also plays with democracy to win power.
While we my cry foul and try to play by the rules, those that will win play by hook or by crook and they will win. Kiss your kids goodnight. You never know when somebody will change your ability to do it.
That is how I am reading the latest letter to the editor by some grumpy old guy that resents having to go through security at airports. He takes exception to being treated with suspicion when boarding a plane because, god knows, nothing will ever happen. Nothing has ever happened. After all, this is Canada and who would want to hurt us?
Sure, the Olympics was a mass populous event but, additional security measures there were a grievous waste of money. Who would ever want to harm an Olympian or the millions of people that descended on the area? Let alone the presence of world leaders all in one spot.
In fact, the great thinker went on to say, the only people that Canada is scared of is Israel and the United States.... blah, blah, blah. This part wasn't even worth repeating. This guy was so righteous about Western arrogance in pushing our ideals on others and the rights of all to do as they please while we fund their activities. That is exactly the sort of attitude that has made Canada the hot spot that it is for what some believe to be a terrorist training ground. But hey, at least we're friendly.
On the other hand, this guy is obviously living under a rock. The Harper government is so focused on not ruining international relations, or stepping on political toes, that there is now a long thread of evidence speaking to a complete lack of willingness to help any Canadian that runs into trouble when out of our borders. Women, men, and children go missing and even the squeakiest of wheels is no match for the bureaucracy of the current Canadian political climate.
I would like to be an optimist and say that it is not true. That in the quite rooms of CSIS they are working hard to learn the whereabouts of missing tourists or kidnapped business people. But, it is tough to stick with that idea when in public the message is basically that if you are stupid enough to leave Canada, for any reason, you are on your own and get what you deserve.
On a certain level, there is logic behind this. Canada is not a country that will wage ware on nebulous allies for the sake of one measly citizen. We do not go by the ``no person left behind`` philosophy. In fact, people are one of our greatest renewable resources. We can always make more voters and if birthrates are to slow or too low, we`ll just import some from the East.
That`s the other thing. There are so many non-Western affiliated voters in Canada now, that to do anything overly democratic, humane, or socially responsible might offend the majority of the voting population. If some dumb broad decided to go visit the Middle East three years ago, and vanished. She either wanted to vanish (therein privacy laws fit in very nicely) or got what she deserved (in which case, who are we to care).
It would be very nice to live in that old guy`s dream who believes that it is obvious that he is a peace loving, Mary Jane smoking atheist and should be treated with more trust from airport security. Like, peace ma-ha-n! For the rest, it`s time to worry. Really worry. Democracy is being corroded by a mixture of misguided politicians that have found themselves wedged between a rock and a hard place, and an influx of citizens and landed immigrant who truly to not believe in it.
Just remember that before the Taliban gained rule, women had educations, independence, and rights equal to those we now take for granted. They took them for granted, as well.... until they were forced to throw sheets over their heads, shut up and do what they were told. Now, there is no shortage of women who will tell you it is their choice to do just that. They have been taught to believe that it is the right way to live.
But, truly, if God is the creator, this Spirit would have created all matter (organic and in organic) and it would have been done with love and true understanding. If God is all powerful how much sense that this existence would have been forged out of anger? None! So, if all things were created out of love, then all humanity is loved. None is greater than the other because all is created in the image of that Spirit. All of nature, male and female are equal. None was ever designed to be the subject of the other.
Any subjugation due to Class or Gender is purely a man made concept. It is done under the excuse of being God`s will. It is not God`s will. It is the will of those that wish to conquer and be more powerful than those that share this time and space.
So, be scared, be worried. We are all vulnerable if we do not take measures to jealously guard our beliefs, just as those who disagree with us guard theirs. We must realize that nothing is permanent. I leave you with this. Germany was a Democratic State when they elected Hitler to power. The Taliban also plays with democracy to win power.
While we my cry foul and try to play by the rules, those that will win play by hook or by crook and they will win. Kiss your kids goodnight. You never know when somebody will change your ability to do it.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A burning sensation
So, I finally got on the bandwagon. A data phone! I love it. I can check ALL my email and find anything I want and be in touch with anybody, even update my blog and tweet, all from my phone. It's fantastic.
There is even this great application (WordMole). Completely addictive, let me tell you... and only available on Blackberry. Things seemed pretty cool. Even the camera is amazing. I can shoot videos and take better pics than on my actual camera.
Now, the bad part. A little while into getting the thing I started noticing headaches. A pressure on my upper sinus area. Now, my face feels like it is burning and I look like I've spent too much time out in the sun.
Not good. Can't be good. I go to the store and call Bell, Bell, Bell. I love calling Bell. They don't value anything other than their bottom line and the front line staff don't care about anything at all. So, they pass the buck and Best Buy doesn't want to or can't do anything either. They're just nicer about it.
Next stop? Let's call RIM and see what they say. I'll let you know....
There is even this great application (WordMole). Completely addictive, let me tell you... and only available on Blackberry. Things seemed pretty cool. Even the camera is amazing. I can shoot videos and take better pics than on my actual camera.
Now, the bad part. A little while into getting the thing I started noticing headaches. A pressure on my upper sinus area. Now, my face feels like it is burning and I look like I've spent too much time out in the sun.
Not good. Can't be good. I go to the store and call Bell, Bell, Bell. I love calling Bell. They don't value anything other than their bottom line and the front line staff don't care about anything at all. So, they pass the buck and Best Buy doesn't want to or can't do anything either. They're just nicer about it.
Next stop? Let's call RIM and see what they say. I'll let you know....
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Truest Sadness
Words cannot express the sadness of losing a child. Jacquie McGregor-Einboden must now endure the worst moments of her life, and still the happiest. Ken Einboden made the ultimate sacrifice, though for him it was not a big one.
How would a father be able to live with himself knowing he did not at least try to save both his children. He died a hero and a human in the most honest definition of the word.
(image: NationalPost.com, click to read full story)
Jacquie, on the other hand, is left with nothing and everything. Her baby girl is a gift and all that remains of a once complete and beautiful family. In Kendra, she will continue to see the warmth, love and life of Britney and Ken.
I do not know these people, and do not need to, for my heart to break at the thought of this terrible tragedy. So, for purely selfish reasons I will go there today and give what I can.
The only comfort is knowing that she will not be alone in any of this. From a very brief visit it was obvious that her life is filled with family and friends who will give what they can and help how they must.
(image: CTVNews.com, click to read the full story)
Still, nothing and nobody will ever replace the two shattered pieces of her heart. This is the ultimate loss. We live for our children and they are not meant to die before we do. Especially, not like this.
The only comfort remains that in Spirit we are never parted.
How would a father be able to live with himself knowing he did not at least try to save both his children. He died a hero and a human in the most honest definition of the word.
(image: NationalPost.com, click to read full story)
Jacquie, on the other hand, is left with nothing and everything. Her baby girl is a gift and all that remains of a once complete and beautiful family. In Kendra, she will continue to see the warmth, love and life of Britney and Ken.
I do not know these people, and do not need to, for my heart to break at the thought of this terrible tragedy. So, for purely selfish reasons I will go there today and give what I can.
The only comfort is knowing that she will not be alone in any of this. From a very brief visit it was obvious that her life is filled with family and friends who will give what they can and help how they must.
(image: CTVNews.com, click to read the full story)
Still, nothing and nobody will ever replace the two shattered pieces of her heart. This is the ultimate loss. We live for our children and they are not meant to die before we do. Especially, not like this.
The only comfort remains that in Spirit we are never parted.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Creme Brule
Well, we all know that Disney and McDonald's, Barney and Dora, and so on, all have a way of taking the well known and putting it through the soft chew machine. The latest offering is McD's Creme Brule. It's a caramel drink. Slurpable dessert. I haven't tried it. Looks like cavities and hard to rid calories in a disposable cup.
That's not the funny thing. Creme Brule. Just imagine it. Of course this is the half baked version but, were they to do it right close your eyes and imaging the average McDonald's employee with a customer in front of them. "Just a second sir/madam". They whip out the blow torch (a mini one, white with the golden arches on the handle) and proceed to braze the surface of this delectable treat....
That's really what this country needs. Arming the masses with golden arched mini blow torches. Perhaps it is a good thing that it is the half baked version. Still, the mental imagery has the capacity to spawn many a lazy Sunday meandering. All I need now is a bit of cognac and a cigar to really mull this one over fully.
That's not the funny thing. Creme Brule. Just imagine it. Of course this is the half baked version but, were they to do it right close your eyes and imaging the average McDonald's employee with a customer in front of them. "Just a second sir/madam". They whip out the blow torch (a mini one, white with the golden arches on the handle) and proceed to braze the surface of this delectable treat....
That's really what this country needs. Arming the masses with golden arched mini blow torches. Perhaps it is a good thing that it is the half baked version. Still, the mental imagery has the capacity to spawn many a lazy Sunday meandering. All I need now is a bit of cognac and a cigar to really mull this one over fully.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
So Exciting!
It is 3:32 am and I've been up for two hours.... doing mostly nothing except trying to do a lot more than that. My computer is about as fast as driftwood on a calm and peaceful day. Does what it wants when it wants. I can't say enough good things about Norton and whatever other useful software I may have loaded on over the years. The fresh one is waiting for me to set up but all my stuff is still over on this guy.
Anyway, it has been a pretty treacherous week. Did you know that gold is at an all time high? Probably not the best time to have sent something out for gold plating that didn't even need to go out for gold plating in the first place. Teaches me to trust that somebody else did their job right. Note to self: always read the job specs before making commitments. Thank good for stripping solutions.
Then there is the slow dripping from the ceiling, landing on perfectly good product and nobody thinking they should maybe move the skid. What a funny world. People just put in their time until they get to go home at the end of the day. I guess that's what you get when you pay what you do. Still, money only goes so far. You can't teach pride.
Now it's the weekend and I get home to find .... guess what? No, no, you'll never guess. Okay, I'll tell you. A purchase order for two books from Coutts Information Services. I guess I should acknowledge the PO before letting you know about it but, first I have to order some books. So, here we are again: An explanation of why I've been up for two and a half hours and gotten next to nothing done, hoping to avoid the long delay that it takes to actually receive a print on DEMAND order. Seriously folks, nothing is instant. Life may be short but, nobody told the postal service or border control about that.
Okay, enough gut spillage. I should save some of it for Helium or Bright Hub or something. I had a few ideas of things to write about and no chance to sit down and write, so off I go to spend some dough and hopefully make a little, too.
Laters.
Anyway, it has been a pretty treacherous week. Did you know that gold is at an all time high? Probably not the best time to have sent something out for gold plating that didn't even need to go out for gold plating in the first place. Teaches me to trust that somebody else did their job right. Note to self: always read the job specs before making commitments. Thank good for stripping solutions.
Then there is the slow dripping from the ceiling, landing on perfectly good product and nobody thinking they should maybe move the skid. What a funny world. People just put in their time until they get to go home at the end of the day. I guess that's what you get when you pay what you do. Still, money only goes so far. You can't teach pride.
Now it's the weekend and I get home to find .... guess what? No, no, you'll never guess. Okay, I'll tell you. A purchase order for two books from Coutts Information Services. I guess I should acknowledge the PO before letting you know about it but, first I have to order some books. So, here we are again: An explanation of why I've been up for two and a half hours and gotten next to nothing done, hoping to avoid the long delay that it takes to actually receive a print on DEMAND order. Seriously folks, nothing is instant. Life may be short but, nobody told the postal service or border control about that.
Okay, enough gut spillage. I should save some of it for Helium or Bright Hub or something. I had a few ideas of things to write about and no chance to sit down and write, so off I go to spend some dough and hopefully make a little, too.
Laters.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Oh, the horror
Well, so is the life of a newbie author. So excited to get the book out there and then my mother reads it. She only found a couple of issues. But, one of them was that "Forest Stream" appears twice! That is definitely not cool. Anyway, I needed to add the CIP imprint info for the Library of Congress Collection and that means putting up new inside pages. This is the good thing about going POD.
Now, I am happy. Next challege: eBook! Too bad Kindle is not crazy about Canadians yet. I'm being patient... and also, it helps that I am really too busy to care that much these days. Soon though.
Well, I'll keep you posted.
Now, I am happy. Next challege: eBook! Too bad Kindle is not crazy about Canadians yet. I'm being patient... and also, it helps that I am really too busy to care that much these days. Soon though.
Well, I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A crazy busy day
Don't ask why I'm still up. I should be sleeping. My head is pounding from lack of it. No worries. Off to bed immediately after this post.
Today was fun one. ... except for the pounding headache for lack of sleep.
I am still really excited about having made it onto Amazon.com. That's a bit of a coo. More so because I am actually very proud of the book. A damn good read is how it's being described and lots of interest pouring in, so that's a good thing.
Today was fun one. ... except for the pounding headache for lack of sleep.
I am still really excited about having made it onto Amazon.com. That's a bit of a coo. More so because I am actually very proud of the book. A damn good read is how it's being described and lots of interest pouring in, so that's a good thing.
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