The Barron Blog

Saturday, 27 January 2007

Movie Review 110: Phenomenon
Mood: a-ok

After the protaganist, George, is sapped by an alien light, he gains powerful abilities to do things he never did before(e.g. Play winning chess, read all kinds of books quickly, learn foreign languages at the drop of a hat, use telekinesis on small objects, interpret codes from the FBI, invent a better fertilizer, etc.) As George gains more powers, the local town folk and the FBI fear him. He just wants to share his knowledge and discoveries with mankind, but he's treated as an outsider.
The plot and love subplot plods along most of the time, but picks up steam at the end.
In this role, John Travolta gives the best performance of his life. He seems to have some familiarity with this average man who becomes brilliant and studies everything and anything.
The person John Travolta seems to be playing is L. Ron Hubbard, the Founder of Scientology. It certainly helps to be a Scientologist in this film and Travolta is one. That's what gives it a realistic feel. There seems to be a passing of knowledge from higher beings(in UFOs)to lower beings(humans)through George.
All of this is too much for people to handle including George and he dies at the end.
I found this story very moving but not completely satisfying. Perhaps, we're not ready for "First Contact" just yet. Three Stars.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/phenomenon/ (More Reviews On Phenomenon)

Posted by qualteam at 11:41 PM EST

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Thursday, 25 January 2007

My Naturopathic Weight Lost Program
Mood: hungry

For the last nine days, I've been on a tough weight reduction program that has resulted in a 10 lbs loss.
The weight shed has actually been too rapid so I've went to the next diet step where I can have more foods.
Here's the highlights of the diet, I've been on:
Breakfast: 1 cup of warm lemon water, 1 scoop of protein/mineral supplement in a rice base blended with frozen berries of any kind and mixed with water/vanilla almond milk as needed.
Snack: Apple, pear and a handful of almonds and pumkin seeds
Lunch: Heary salad(any vegetable)with a protein: beans, chicken breast, tuna or tofu; OR (Amy's Organic Soup)
Snack: Raw carrots and celery sticks in a dip made with Renee's Wellness Dressing, Orange
Dinner: Protein: Any fish, tuna burgers, turkey/chicken breasts Carbohydrates: Sweet potato, brown rice Vegetables: Steamed, raw, frozen, salad
After dinner: Fruit, grapes, strawberries, apples) AND Herbal Tea(chamomile, passionflower)
I was also exercising for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
There isn't any cereal, bread or potato with this diet, but I kept on it and achieved a good result.
These days you can't take good health for granted. You have to work at it.
I still have, at least, 15 more pounds to lose. I'll post a blog entry later of my progress with the new diet which doesn't take pounds off as fast.
http://www.nhealth.ca/index.html (The Natural Health Centre Where I Got The Diet)

Posted by qualteam at 10:04 PM EST

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Wednesday, 24 January 2007

Investing In Canada And The World With TD Canada Trust Mutual Funds
Mood: bright

TD Canada Trust has some of the best and most unique mutual funds around.
I've invested in a couple of TD E-funds because they have very low management fees and excellent market gains.
I've also invested in their "Arts and Entertainment Fund" because its done well over the last few years and no other financial company has that type of investment.
The TD Canada Equity Fund is one of the best in Canada with a 25% gain over the last five year. I'm into that one as well. It has lots of energy and financial stocks in it.
Right now, I'd recommend international and science and technology funds because they've done better than most North American sectors over the last six months.(India and China are becoming the next big consumers of the world.)
http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/mutualfunds/tdefunds/ (Discovering E-funds)

Posted by qualteam at 10:55 PM EST

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Tuesday, 23 January 2007

CUPW/CPC Contract Negotiations: The Corporate Team Incentive Impasse

Today I sent this letter to CPC, President, Moya Greene and CUPW, President, Deborah Bourque. I've tried to come up with a win-win solution on the "Corporate Team Incentive" impass.
"A package deal should be found which excludes the CDI and another package deal should be found which includes the CDI.
Employees can vote on either option or reject both. If both packages get more votes than the nay side, than each employee should have the option of going with the package that they voted for.
To CTI or to not CTI, that is the question. It isn't forced on an employee and it isn't denied him/her either."
http://www.apwu.org/dept/ind-rel/sc/ircba.htm (The U.S. Post Office Has A New Contract With Its Employees From 2006 to 2010)

Posted by qualteam at 10:16 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 23 January 2007 10:19 PM EST

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Sunday, 21 January 2007

The Tommy Hunter Concert At The Rose Theatre
Mood: a-ok

On Friday, Irene and I went to see Tommy Hunter at the Rose Theatre in Brampton. At 70 years old, his voice wasn't as good as it use to be, but his concert was very entertaining. He sang old country standards from his TV show.
He also proved to be a country cornball. He joked about his band. He joked about his age and he joked about his lack of appeal for younger audiences.
He told stories about how he got started with "Country Hoedown" in 1956 and the talented people he worked with: Gordie Lightfoot, Tommy Common, Lorraine Forman, Gordie Tapp, etc. He made Canadian television history come alive again.
The man was and still is a multi-talented musician. He quite adeptly played lightening guitar and he also played the violin in different positions. Would you believe under his leg on one leg for a whole song?
At the end, Tommy did an encore by doing tricks with his yo-yo. Four stars.
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/T/htmlT/tommyhunter/tommyhunter.htm(The History Of Tommy Hunter)
http://www.rosetheatre.ca/ (The Rose Theatre In Brampton)

Posted by qualteam at 10:18 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 21 January 2007 10:22 PM EST

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Saturday, 20 January 2007

The Debate On Canada Post's CTI Bonus System Continues
Mood: rushed

CUPW recently released a bulletin attacking Canada Post's "Corporate Team Incentive". I sent a letter back the negotiating committee expressing my views on their bulletin:
"In your recent bulletin on CTI Bonus system versus a wage increase, your estimate of a 2.5% increase plus the CTI bonus would beat your wage increase of 3% by $518.07 over a four year contract period to 2010(51,656.31 with CTI and 51,137.34 without CTI). More than 30% of the membership should be retiring during that time. The ones that have supported CUPW through many strikes.
I don't understand the estimate to 2027. Unions deal with contract periods not decades' possibilities.
You also state that "CTI targets are established by the employer who can change those targets from year to year during the life of the collective agreement. And the union has no right to grieve terms or conditions that are determined by management".
Why are you agreeing with managment that the above isn't negotiable? Didn't we become a Crown Corporation so issues like the above can be negotiable.
Corporate Postal Management isn't the Treasury Board. The CTI Program is on the table and all or part of it is negotiable?
Ask former CUPW President, Jean-Clause Parrot what he thinks?"
http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/8840/la_id/1.htm (CUPW On The CTI Program)

Posted by qualteam at 6:50 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 20 January 2007 6:53 PM EST

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Thursday, 18 January 2007

Negotiate Anything At Canada Post By Jean Claude Parrot
Mood: caffeinated

Before Canada Post became a "Crown Corporation", a business owned by the Canadian Government, there were many things that couldn't be negotiated between the union and the Post Office. Things like severances, pensions and bonuses were "non-negotiable" since it was a government department.
Jean-Claude Parrot, former president of CUPW spearheaded a campaign to make "all issues negotiable" by making the Post Office into a public company, a crown corporation: Canada Post Corporation.
He did what he believed in and while negotiations were often acrimonious and long, he did make breakthroughs with maternity rights for women, seniority rights for casuals and full job security for all posties.
It was management that was often unwilling to negotiate but never him.
This attitude of "negotiate and keep negotiating" doesn't seem to have survived with the present CUPW team.
Without researching the pros and cons from other unions or lawyers on Canada Post's "Corporate Team Incentive Program," the negotiating committee gave it the big "heave ho" on first examination.
In a sentence, "they refused to negotiate on it". The executive committee appeared to want a fast track to a contract at the expense of full and complete negotiations. They seemed to be looking for easy trade-offs rather than something that required study and work.
I'm retiring soon so I'm not going to worry about a "quick fix solution".
http://www.socialistaction.org/koch2.htm (More On Jean-Claude Parrot)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Post (History Of Canada Post)

Posted by qualteam at 10:11 PM EST

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Wednesday, 17 January 2007

A Major Disappointment In CPC/CUPW Postal Negotiations
Mood: irritated

For the first time in the history of the Canada Post/CUPW negotiations, the Corporate Team Incentive Program/CTI was on the table.
Despite acceptance of this bonus program by other postal unions, APOC and PSAC and glowing testimony by some members on CTI, the negotiating committee unequivocally turned it down and began using it as a bargaining chip to get other gains with CUPW demands.
It should be noted that Canada Post management and the Canadian Government get either a bonus or a royalty payment from Canada Post profits each year.
CUPW has always been critical of these payments, especially, the one to the Government.
It was a big mistake for the negotiating committee to withdraw from this bonus system when CUPW members could profit from negotiations on this established practise.
I asked both Moya Greene (Canada Post President) and Deborah Bourque (CUPW National President) to hold a referendum on this issue for all CPC employees so they can decide for themselves whether they wanted it on not.
Workers at Canada Post are intelligent enough to decide whether this program is good for them or not. We don't need anyone deciding for us.
http://www.cupw.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/1165/la_id/1.htm (CUPW/CPC Negotiations)

Posted by qualteam at 5:38 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 17 January 2007 6:01 PM EST

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Sunday, 14 January 2007

Don't You Wish You Were Reincarnated In Newfoundland?
Mood: accident prone

Johnny was workin at the fish plant in Carbonear, NFLD, when he
accidentally cut off all 10 of his fingers.
He went to the emergency room in St. John's. The doctor looked at
Johnny and said, "Lets have da fingers and I'll see what I can do." "
Johnny said, "I haven't got da fingers." " Whadda ya mean you haven't got da fingers? Lord Tunderin' Jesus, its 2007. We's got microsurgery and all kinds of incredible techniques. I could have put dem back on and made you like new! Why didn't ya bring da fingers?!?"
And Johnny said, (ready for this??? Remember.. this is a Newfie) "
How da fock was i 'spose to pick dem up??"

Posted by qualteam at 11:03 PM EST

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Saturday, 13 January 2007

The Top Ten Reasons To Reincarnate

My only regret is that I was never born a woman.
When you're dead, you're dead and boy do I feel dead.
Past life? What past life?
I'm here for a good time not a long time.
Planet Earth? I don't think I've been there, but I wouldn't mind visiting.
I had no love life. I wish I was somebody's baby.
There was nothing memorable about my existence.
The guy at the gates in the clouds shut the door and the guy running the down elevator drove me off with a pitch fork.
I want to go somewhere where I can forget.
I want to be rich and famous.
Hi, again and again and again. What are your thoughts on reincarnation? Send me a message at qualteam@yahoo.com.
http://skepdic.com/reincarn.html (Notes On Reincarnation)
www.sacredjourney.biz (What road are you on?)

Posted by qualteam at 10:45 PM EST

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