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I'm not really in the mood to argue. I mean, I've had some excellent food lately, which should really put anyone in a good mood. But I'm still shocked and appalled. And I really should've replied to the news that photography is banned from the station with a chilly, "what for?" You see, according to the best guess of the Montreal train station's security, I apparently must look like a terrorist. Wow, they should've seen me when I was all scruffy and bearded in university. One of my friends from back then thought I was a History, rather than a Commerce student, for that simple fact. This is the second time in two months that I've been witness to an instruction from security to stop taking photos in a government-owned facility. And it's so stupid I wish I got drop the hammer on someone the way America's Henry Waxman does two and a half minutes into this video . Waxman is understandably annoyed with the stonewalling he gets from the EPA about...
Way back in university I developed an intense dislike for psycho activists. You know the kind. You say something innocuous. Say, for example, that they should buy the green bike instead the blue one, and they start screaming "HATE CRIME!!!!!!" in your face. Above: Alternate Strike Vehicle #1 The news from Steve Munro's blog is worth reading, especially the comment by an operator - click here - who explains that it looks like another conspiracy by the psycho activists . As a T.T.C. Operator, let me give you my take on this situation. I was shocked when I found out from Bob’s phone call that the members voted against the contract. 3/3/3 increases, upgrades to benefits, and most importantly, no concessions. However, this wasn’t good enough for the maintenance department. They want guaranteed lifetime jobs. The commission is buying new vehicles and like all new vehicles they have warranties. The maintenance people don’t like this as they think they will be laid off because the...
The US is paying Iraqis to fight Al Qaeda. Smart move. The men are complaining, however, that they're not getting paid now. Bad move. This is, in its own way, a continuation of two posts - the one I wrote about unions and strikes , and on pervasive qualities . If anyone deserves to get their fair pay, it's these folks. Thanks Videosift , for pointing out this, sadly, horrible and tragic story . It's bad enough to be an employer who skimps on paying their employees for showing up to a standard 9 to 5 job. These guys are risking their lives. The November elections can't come fast enough.
The TTC's workers are threatening to go on strike again next month, the CBC reports . The rather angry comments left in response jive with me to some extent, though my reaction is muted by the fact I've seen how much idiocy the drivers have to put up with. Part of the TTC union's campaign is to divide the public transit service's economic value by the number of employees and to settle on the result as the employee's value added. Before the economists in the audience bust a gut laughing or just have an aneurysm explode all over their monitors, this quote from the above page's comment list nails the fault in that logic: Do the TTC employees honestly beleive that they are each worth a million dollars? Who are they kidding? I work for a company that has revenues of 346 Billion. With 40,000 employees, does that make me worth $8,650,000.00? Well put. Having said that, some of the TTC's employees do a hard job while still showing customers a polite and friendly face...
Last fall I was ready to write up a little article about the lack of glamorous in business travel. Well, then I got busy, put writing on hold, got to travel to Europe for a couple of weeks of work, and found the idea had shelved itself but quickly and quietly. Having said that, check out Gelato baby's account of a 36 hour trip home from Helsinki with an emergency stop in Glasgow to see how quickly things can go sour. It's a very amusing article. It also reveals how quickly travel can go wrong. All you need is one big missed flight to throw you for a loop. Which segues to the fact that it's been almost a year since my last vacation. It's about time to start planning the next one. This time it's going to be the West Coast. I'm not done going through the list of friends who have put down roots out there, but at the moment it's looking like I'll be able to see 15 or more people in 7 cities over a 10 day period. Wait, I just thought of another three. Make it...
Courtesy Videosift, footage of a Dubya visit in Portland. There's a lot of anger in the US. The media seems to automatically assume anyone protesting something is in the wrong, it seems, ignoring the disproportionate police response. Be advised, quite a bit of NSFW language. In case you're wondering, crazy homophobes attack the anti-Bush crowd, and the media spins it into an anti-Bush riot, even though the anti-Bush crowd was asking the violent homophobes to leave. And that's why everyone chanted "Corporate media lies."
The photo posted above is the closest image I could think of in my little picture library that resembles the question, "What???" I had to post a quick follow-up to the piece I wrote moments ago when I saw another gem of insanity on Mankiw's blog, again quoting the office of the POTUS : We don't think you should raise taxes to pay for more spending. People have various colourful expressions for the moment when your brain stops working. Typing out that sentence would have to be one of them. How else, exactly, will you pay for more spending? If they mean to say they don't want to spend more money, I understand, but according to US Government Spending , a handy little website, it looks like since Dubya was granted the presidency by the Supreme Court, spending has increased by roughly a trillion dollars federally, and 1.5 trillion dollars in total. It's amazing how much a quick Google Search reveals - the previous link mentions the total numbers. The Financial Times...
Courtesy of economist Greg Mankiw's blog is this excerpt from the office of the President of the United States : We believe this is a step toward a government-run system for all Americans. The President has made clear that he believes this is the wrong direction. He prefers a system in which the patient (and consumer) is at the center of decisions about his own health care. Moving toward more government financing, and more people in health plans chosen by the government, means less control for the patient, and more decisions made in Washington and in State capitals. This is bad. My jaw just dropped when I saw that. As would that of anyone who lives in a country like Canada where we're doing rather well for ourselves with a government-funded health care system. Yes, it's not perfect, but I'm happy to know that should I, God forbid, fall ill and lose my job, at least I don't have to worry about finding cash to get treatment for my illness. This is Good, Mr. President...