Hate it, I do, when a product fails before I believe it should. I have ranted about such products here before and I stand by my rants. Specifically you see products fail mere months after the warranty has expired, seemingly on queue for you to purchase yet another replacement. The old one goes into the garbage and then landfill, and the environment takes an unnecessary penalty for our stupidity. Clearly this should not be. I purposely buy products that last a long time, if I can, and take measures to ensure they do last.
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Planned Obsolescence: A Strike against the Environment
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In my youth I thought that if I studied earnestly, worked hard and was honest I would charge forth with a great career, family and life. This is what I was told by all and I believed them. The last 10 years here in Toronto has shown me otherwise. I am a racialized Canadian living in Toronto. Raised and educated (multiple degrees in computer science and business) in Toronto, Canada, ready and willing to work, I find it difficult to get a break back into full time employment.
Dramatic or boring as it might be, I see the battle between simple and complex play out in our lovely world, pretty much on a daily basis. I am, and has always been, decidedly on the side of simple. Simple is, well, simpler, with less moving parts, increased reliability, easier to understand and repair, and, to me, much more elegant. Be it lines of code, moving mechanical parts of a machine, the design of a child’s game or an essay with fewer words but more meaning, simple always wins.
Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.
― Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!
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For me, Toronto’s loss of democracy at the G20 Summit in 2010 has not faded one bit. I have commented on this debacle of an event in 2010 and have kept current with the news and have updated my blog accordingly. So critical is this issue that I will remember it for the upcoming provincial and federal elections. I know Canadians have a very short term memory and that politicians would rather us all forget the past and vote for them in the future, but the complete breakdown of democracy and the brutal beatings by the hands of our once trusted police cannot go unpunished. Justice must be served.
Effortless and costing nothing, kind words are easily forgotten by the speaker. It was really nothing. Yet to the recipient, these kind words, at the right time and place, can uplift spirits sufficiently to allow them to continue their life, no matter the difficulty. We need more of these kind words, so spread the word.
What does it take to be nice to someone when you could have been equally harsh? At times words that correct bad actions are needed, and in the end will greatly benefit the receiver. They may not like it at the time, but hopefully they will appreciate the time and effort it took you in order for them to improve.
Who knew that buying Italian bread would be so educational. Today I made a purchase of bread at a local Italian store here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and they refused to take my money: specifically my pennies. After I made a fuss about refusing a Canadian legal tender, they relented. All this drama for $0.03CAD! If that is not value for money I don’t know what is.
Some things should stay the same, and this is particularly true for money. You work, you get paid, then you spend your money. This money should not be refused by stores, for if it is then you would not know where your money can be used. It gets confusing. Money, in this case the Canadian dollar, should be freely usable here in Canada.
With four fancy pieces of paper from three universities and one from a college, I consider myself educated. It is with dismay that I find obtaining employment difficult, both for myself and for many around me. It is not that we are lazy, oh no. We are at risk of sacrificing a generation of workers, in what I see as a structural change in long-term employment. We must critically look at the implications of high unemployment amongst young people. Whether there should be changes, or not, I cannot say, But to do nothing is unacceptable.
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What to do with too many University Graduates? Reduce Intake
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Flippant I am not, so bear with me. I ask this question seeking a genuine and honest answer. Should American companies hire Americans? Should Australian companies hire Australians? Do you really need to hire people from your own country? Sadly I should not even need to ask this question, but we live in an age of greed that we should explore the possibilities.
Royal Bank of Canada is laying off some of their IT staff here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in order to outsource their IT operations to India. They obviously feel that they have no obligation to hire fellow Canadians to do the work to serve fellow Canadians.
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Should Canadian Companies Hire Canadians? RBC Does not
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