The Barron Blog

Saturday, 8 December 2007

Christmas Season Is Busy For Posties And Shoppers

It's very busy at Canada Post these days. In our section, we're working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get the mail to our customers. That means lots of overtime.
My section is the Toronto Exchange Office (incoming foreign mail) and with the Canadian dollar very high. The mail has been a deluge.
Of course, there's shopping, decorating and cleaning up to do.
It's tough doing Christmas stuff and the blog too.
There's a great deal of commericalism during the holidays. It's good to be reminded every now and then what Christmas is it really about.
Below is one of favourite new Christmas songs, "Christmas Shoes".

Posted by qualteam at 10:18 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 8 December 2007 10:31 PM EST

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Wednesday, 5 December 2007

An Evening With John McDermott

Of the three great male vocalists in the world today, John McDermott is definitely one of them. The other two would be Josh Groban and Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply. To be a great male vocalist, you have to have a great voice with perfect pitch and sing songs with an emotional impact.
Last night, I saw John McDermott for the first time at the Rose Theatre in Brampton and it was quite an experience. John performed many tunes from his new album, "Sharing Christmas". Often, he reminisced about musicians he knew, his childhood memories of Christmas, and his father in Glasgow, Scotland.
The thing about John is that he doesn't just sing a song. He tells the story with it as well. This was especially true with "Christmas In The Trenches", a song about the Germans and the English meeting together and exchanging gifts on the battlefield.
The other songs which I found almost as moving were Ave Maria, Oh Holy Night and Old Tin Star. Four stars.
Dance With Me Daughter

Posted by qualteam at 10:42 AM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 5 December 2007 10:57 AM EST

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Sunday, 2 December 2007

Are There Any "Brains" Behind The Subprime Fiasco?

Apparently, two ex CEOs, Charles Prince at Citigroup and Stanley O'Neal of Merill Lynch will receive multi-million dollar retirement packages even though they were fired for bringing billions of dollars of losses to their financial insitutions.
It boogles the mind when CEOs are rewarded for failure. In a 3rd world country, they would probably be executed.
There is very little subprime financing in Canada. We don't have much to do with these questionable risky products. TD Canada Trust shunned them completely.
Below is a video by Hillary Clinton on subprime mortgages and trailer homes, etc. Perhaps, this is just another reason to create a United States of Canada.

Posted by qualteam at 9:37 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 2 December 2007 10:01 PM EST

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Saturday, 1 December 2007

Movie Review 118: The Santa Clause Three

This movie wasn't as bad as the critics said it was. Sure Tim Allen's Santa Claus was getting a little stale, but Marvin Short injected some life into the story line. His "Jack Frost Wanna Be Santa" had some good moments, especially, the "North Pole, North Pole" number (to the tune of New York, New York).
Granted Santa Clause One and Two were funnier, but Santa Three was funny in a weird stupid way. Two and half stars.
More reviews on "The Escape Clause".
If that isn't enough for you, try Ray Stevens' take on the paranoid fatman:

Posted by qualteam at 10:58 PM EST

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Wednesday, 28 November 2007

The Guys From Google Join The Crusade Against Coal Plants
Mood: a-ok

The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brim are putting more money into renewable energies like "Geothermal Power" and "Solar Thermal Power" which eventually will put coal plants out of business.
The motto of Google is "Don't Be Evil". I'm sure they're trying to live up to their motto.

Apparently, one financial analyst was negative about these investments. He said in New York, "This makes me worry about Google's priorities".
If saving the planet isn't a priority, than I wonder what is.
It would be helpful if Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and any other person with big bucks joined this crusade too. Avoiding the human and environmental costs of "Global Warming", should be priority for anyone.
The new technology of the 21st century is green technology. It will replace the old fossil fuel technology and the infrastructure that goes with it.
Perhaps, all we need is someone to complete the research of Nikola Tesla on powerful wireless energy transmission.
The full Toronto Star article on Google Branchoffs

Posted by qualteam at 3:30 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 28 November 2007 5:09 PM EST

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Sunday, 25 November 2007

Take Nothing For Granted In This World

When a person is born into this world he/she is born into a dangerous environment. There are thousands of things that can kill and disable us at any moment.
As a baby, one depends on one's parents for safety and health. As one gets older, the community and government services help us to learn, get a job and stay healthy.
Behind the umbrella of human institutions, there's another world that either protects us from terminal disease, criminals and accidents or doesn't. To make it work for you, there has to be some belief in its existence and power.
When a crisis situation develops, one recognizes the vulnerabilities of his/her human condition and the need of a greater power to help out. A baby in his mother's arms or in car has that special faith that protects him. He lets "Jesus Take The Wheel."

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com.

Posted by qualteam at 12:00 AM EST

Updated: Sunday, 25 November 2007 9:59 PM EST

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Wednesday, 21 November 2007

God Saw Corey

God saw you getting tired when a cure was not to be. So He closed His arms around you and whispered "Come to me".
You didn't deserve what you went through, so He gave you rest. God's garden must be beautiful, He only takes the best.
And when we saw you sleeping, so peaceful and free from pain, we could not wish you back to suffer that again.

Posted by qualteam at 9:35 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 21 November 2007 9:51 PM EST

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Monday, 19 November 2007

Corey Pirotta Travels To A Place Of Peace

Corey Pirotta journeyed into the Afterlife today. He was only a "visiting angel" who discovered the joys and pains of human existence in a short time.
With their primitive tools, doctors were unable to do much about the cancer spreading throughout his body.
It's a testimony to Corey's fighting power that he lived as long as he did. Other children with the same type of cancer succumbed years ealier.
It was only a few weeks ago that I wrote a blog on Corey's fund raising event.
It's a mystery why lives are cut short like that. However, such a death would focus Cory's attention on what killed him and it should motivate him to battle this perniculous evil from the spirit world. Look how Terry Fox's death lead to improvements in fighting cancer.
My wife and I extend our sympathies to Corey's family. We are good friends with his father, Keith.
Sony Boy

Posted by qualteam at 11:18 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 19 November 2007 11:24 PM EST

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Saturday, 17 November 2007

It's Time To Shut Down Coal-Producing Plants In The World

Coal plants are responsible for about a quarter of the pollution and global warming in the world. There are alternatives to these plants. The most popular one is nuclear which Canada uses in abundance. However, Canada does have a coal producing plant in Nanticoke, Ontario which will be shut down in 2012.
What is your country doing about dirty electricity and global warming? Here's a list of the top ten polluters in the world:
Top 10 polluting power plants
The world's most polluting power plants, with annual emissions in millions of tons of CO{-2}. Ontario Power Generation's Nanticoke generating station on Lake Erie is 65th, with 17.6 million tons.
1. Taichung, Taiwan (41.3)
2. Poryong, South Korea (37)
3. Castle Peak, Hong Kong (35)
4. Reftinskaya SDPP, Russia (33)
5. Mailiao FP, Taiwan (32.4)
6. Tuoketuo-1, China (32.4)
7. Vindhyachail, India (29)
8. Hekinan, Japan (28.9)
9. Kendal, South Africa (28.6)
10. Janschwalde, Germany (27.4)
For more information on this enviromental danger, check out this Toronto Star article.
Look at what is happening in the Canadian Artic.
Obviously, the world needs guidelines and an agency to enforce environmental standards, perhaps Greenpeace would be that agency.

Posted by qualteam at 10:31 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 17 November 2007 10:51 PM EST

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Wednesday, 14 November 2007

How Not To Get A Canadian Passport

I find it unbelievable that a doctor can be an acceptable passport
guarantor on one kind of passport form and not another.
Why is my doctor, Gerald Goldman, not acceptable as a guarantor on a passport application? He's been a doctor in Canada for close to 40 years. He's known my wife and I for over 15 years. He has been a guarantor for hundreds of passport applications in the past.

Nothing has changed about his blue chip credentials.

Unfortunately his status changed as a guarantor because he doesn't have a passport himself. However, he could be "acceptable" again, if I could find an "old passport form" for him
to fill out. (That advice came from Ruby Dhalla's office.)

Obviously, what's important here is forms and/or fields on forms rather than the validity of what's in them.

Passports should contain truthful content guaranteed by certified Canadian professionals.

My doctor's validity as a guarantor didn't change because he doesn't have a passport.

Posted by qualteam at 10:33 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 14 November 2007 10:40 PM EST

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