Blog Tools
Edit your Blog
Build a Blog
RSS Feed
View Profile
« August 2011 »
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
You are not logged in. Log in
Entries by Topic
All topics  «
Interesting People On The Internet
Gene Roddenberry Remembered

My Blog Directory

My Zimbio
Top Stories

Globe of Blogs

David Barron

Create Your Badge

The Barron Blog
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Tweeting On Facebook

One of the best things about Facebook is that it can bring pictures, tweets, blog entries, personal info and hyperlinks together very accurately.

That isn't true about this web server (Tripod). My tweets don't seem to be properly duplicated at the bottom of this blog.

However, my tweets on my Facebook page at www.davebarron.info are accurately produced. It's all there, tweets, blog entries, and captured webpages with a picture and headline info.

On my Facebook homepage there's detailed information about what I like concerning movies, books, sports, music, etc. It's a good Barron resource site.

Tweeting is very challenging because you have to express yourself extremely well in 140 characters or less. It's like a media sound bite on the internet.

My blog has been averaging between 15 and 20 visitors a day. With my tweets, I have only 17 followers.

It's better to have quality contacts rather than quantity contacts. How many of Charlie Sheen's followers are still following him today?

I will follow anyone who follows me on twitter:@DavidCBarron . A life lived well should be a life that is remembered well. 

 


Posted by qualteam at 12:21 AM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 9 August 2011 10:32 AM EDT
Sunday, 7 August 2011
World Markets Take A Cold Shower While The U.S. Ponders Its Debt Crisis


With the stock markets dropping over 10% over the last few days, it certainly was a wake up call on the deficit of many countries including the U.S.

The economies of many countries are hampered by debt and probably heavy taxes on small and medium size companies who create employment.

In the U.S. corporate taxes are running too high at 35%. These should be reduced and taxes on small companies should be 20%. Please note that Canada has much lower taxes on corporations.

Many governments bailed out failing financial institutions like banks and insurance companies, but who is going to bail out a failing country? Taxpayers that's who. Every taxpayer of an indebited country is responsible for some of its debt. That is why "deficit surcharges" in one form or another would be levied on anything that walks and talks.

The politicians and rich people may try to run away from their responsibilities on these financial issues, but they can't hide. All citizens will feel the pain of cutbacks and higher taxes. Probably, the poor will be hurt more than the rich.

The U.S. is facing some kind of austerity program. It may be a Republican version. It may be a Tea Party version. It may be a Chinese version.

Hopefully, the austerity program will be made in America by the Democrats in the Senate, Congress and White House: One voice, One program, Three majorities.

 


Posted by qualteam at 2:44 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 16 August 2011 11:42 AM EDT
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
The U.S. Debt Crisis: A Cold Shower For Americans

Well, the debt ceiling has been raised, but few politicians or U.S. citizens are happy with the result. Band-aid solutions only do the trick for awhile then the bleeding starts again.

As I pointed out in my last blog, Canada went through its own debt crisis in the 1990s. Yes, there were big cuts in services, but "The Goods and Services Tax" (GST) was brought in to help with the deficit. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Canada was seeing regular budget surpluses. Canada was paying off it bills because it was living within its means.

A country has to provide the services that its people want and pay down the deficit as well. That includes tax increases to all including the wealthy who should make the biggest contribution to paying down the U.S. National Debt.

Here are a few suggestions that can bring in good revenue for a government:

  1. A consumption tax will bring in better revenue than raising personal income taxes. The weatlthy consume more so they pay more.
  2. Higher sin taxes: Taxes on tobacco and alcohol are much higher in Canada than the U.S. The Government makes billions from these taxes.
  3. Higher gasoline taxes: A few cents on a gallon of gasoline would go far in helping to bring down the debt.
  4. A deficit surtax: In Ontario, we pay a monthly fee on the debt of "The Old Ontario Hydro Corporation". This principle could be applied to the deficit until the U.S. Government starts to run surpluses. 

Over the next year and half, U.S. citizens should demand a complete and detailed accounting on any deficit reduction plan from either Republicans or Democrats. In the end, it will take both a Republican and Democratic majority in both houses to implement it.


Posted by qualteam at 11:43 PM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, 3 August 2011 12:30 AM EDT
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Canada's Successful Deficit Reduction Program In The 1990s


The picture above is that of Paul Martin former Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Canada. He was the brains behind The Liberal Government's program to reduce Canada's deficit during the 1990s.

The previous Progressive Conservative Government lead by Brian Mulroney increased Canada's deficit substantially. Mulroney concentrated on failed constitutional agreements like the Meech Lake Accord rather than the deficit, and like a rat leaving a sinking ship, he resigned as Prime Minister four months before the federal election in 1993. His party which had huge majorities in 1984 and 1988 was reduced to two seats. The citizens of Canada spoke loud and clear on what they thought of Mulroney's Government. 

Now, the United States is trying to find its own way out of its debt/deficit trap. Here are some of my tweets on this problem:

"The issue which which will dominate both the upcoming congressional election and the presidential election will be the deficit issue".

"The Republican Long Term Debt Reduction Plan" needs both houses and the presidency: Same for "The Democrats Long Term Debt Reduction Plan".

"The usual suspects of right wing nutters are holding the U.S. Government hostage. The Tea Party has become "The Jim Jones' Cool-Aid Party".

My advice to U.S. citizens: Don't tolerate fools or ideological sociopaths to run the country finances. There's less of a party system in the your country than Canada. Fight for those who should be elected or reelected and against those who shouldn't be.


Posted by qualteam at 1:11 PM EDT
Updated: Thursday, 28 July 2011 1:40 PM EDT
Saturday, 23 July 2011
If You Don't Like The Heat, Take A Vacation To The Artic Or Newfoundland

Fortunately, in Canada, we do have places where you can go to cool off. You don't have to worry about low temperatures, snow, ice or blizzards in the near arctic at this time of year. In Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the weather is very reasonable. The Inuit are a friendly people and they can show you around the north in their kayaks.

Nearer to home, you could visit Newfoundland where the temperature is about 15 degrees lower than Brampton, Ontario.

Later on during the summer, my wife and I are going to Newfoundland. Hopefully, we won't take Ontario weather there.

Because I take saunas regularly, I've gotten use to really hot weather for a short length of time. Sweating is good for you, but make sure you drink lots of water and don't get dehydrated.

If you can't go to the above places, cool off with a few beers in an airconditioned environment.


Posted by qualteam at 5:23 PM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 23 July 2011 5:44 PM EDT
Sunday, 17 July 2011
The Donny And Marie Show In Toronto


Donny looks like he's partying it up with a glass of apple juice in his hand. On the left hand side, Marie is doing her imitation of a "Marie Osmond Doll".

A couple of days ago, my wife and I saw them at the "Four Seasons Theatre" in Toronto. It was a good show, but an expensive one. There were empty seats in the balcony sections. These seats should have been offered at half price on the day of the performance.

Until recently, I've never been a fan of Donny and Marie. I've got only one song by Donny on my Ipod and it's from the musical "Joseph and The Technicolour Dream Coat".  This is a great Andrew Lloyd Webber tune and Donny does it very well.

Donny has always done other singers' music well. Look at the cover hits he produced from Frankie Avalon's "Why", Steve Lawrence's "Go Away Little Girl", Paul Anka's "Puppy Love", and Nat King Cole's "Too Young".

I preferred the original version of these songs and that's why I wasn't a big Osmond fan.

At the concert, Donny introduced four backup dancers as Michael Jackson's brothers. This was the best laugh of the night.

They, then went into an original Osmond number called "Yo-Yo". They danced on stage just like in the YouTube video. It was very funny and very good. Justin Beiber eat your heart out.

He also did an Osmond heavy techno rock number called "Crazy Horses". This couldn't have been done better by Lady Gaga. 

Maria Osmond did her own cover versions of Anti Bryant's hit, "Paper Roses" and the Andrew sisters' hit, "The Boogie-Woogie  Bugle Boy of Company B". The bugle boy tune was especially entertaining because of the dance and horn solos weaved into the song.

The fact that many of these covers hit the million mark in sales is a testimony to the endurance of good music through time with different generations.

When a singer or listener makes a song a personal favourite, it stays with him/her forever. Thank you, Maria and Donny for teaching us again about the timelessness of youthful music. Four Stars!!!


Posted by qualteam at 5:27 PM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 17 July 2011 11:51 PM EDT
Monday, 11 July 2011
Is It Possible For The Average Guy To Win At Poker?


Poker can be great fun played with play money or even with a few cents at www.pokerstars.com. However, if you want to have a better game and be a better player, you have to play for higher stakes, maybe a "Cash Game" with blinds at 2 and 5 cents or a "Sit and Go Mini Tournament" for a dollar or two.

There's lots of advice by pros on how to play the game properly. Personally, I like the commentators who do Pokerstar's "Big Game". On each hand, there is commentary of the choices that each player could make. Afterwords, they go behind big hands and get the reasoning from the pros on doing this or that. This is on the job learning without risking anything.

For the last two years, I've been a losing poker player. I learned a great deal about the game from the internet and TV, but I had certain bad habits that were doing me in.

  1. When I had a bad beat, I started taken risky chances to get back in the game. I would steam from one game to another trying to break even. The game was controlling me. Now, I'll play one or two games in the evening and win or lose, that's it, no more for the day.
  2. I would play a higher stake game in order to win back money that I lost at a lower stake game. Sometimes it would work, but often I just continued to lose. Now, I treat myself to a higher stake game when my bankroll is reasonably high.
  3. I continued to learn more about clever/aggressive poker and my win percentage increased.
  4. I've learned to be patient with games that can go on for hours. I play to win right to the bitter end or badbeat.
  5. The only consistent thing about luck is that it will change. The player who's lucky at the beginning of the game, probably will be unlucky at the end. I like to go after a player who relies on unbelievable luck to win.
  6. There's certain hands like QJ or K10 that you have to be careful with and medium size pairs like 88 that can do you in. Be willing to fold on a reraise if you a suspect a powerful hand like QQ,KK,AA.
  7. If your chips go down quite a bit, you have to take bigger chances. After all, the name of the game is "Play To Win".

For the last three months, I've been playing with other pokerplayers money at Full Tilt and Pokerstars. I'm not trying to win a lot. I'm trying to play my best game each time out.

Poker pros like Tommy G and Barry Greenstein give much of their winnings to charity. I'd love to be in a postion to do something like that.


Posted by qualteam at 3:54 PM EDT
Updated: Monday, 11 July 2011 11:43 PM EDT
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Garrett Styles, It's What He Left Behind

I watched the funeral of Garrett Styles on TV today. Part of the tragedy of his death was that his two kids (one six months, the other two and half years) will never know him.

There were at least 7000 officers from all over North America who attended the funeral. 

The most moving part of this event was his wife's eulogy.

John McDermott sang "You Raised Me Up" and the bagpipes played "Amazing Grace" at the end of the service. Somehow music expresses more about a person's life than speeches do.

In the words of Randy Travis in the song "Three Wooden Crosses", "It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you. It's what you leave behind you when you go".


Posted by qualteam at 10:57 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 5 July 2011 11:25 PM EDT
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Top Ten Things I Like About Canada


1. Like Victoria Day,Canada Day is another 2-4 weekend. As you can see from the faces of Bob and Ted Mackenzie, the "Great White North" can be a source of endless laughs. Can you imagine anyone wearing a tuque with earmuffs and drinking a stubby in a TV studio? Canadian humor heads the list. Check out these videos with William Shatnerbeavers and Molson's Canadian Beer . Even Newfoundlanders have their own funny sayings. We can be party dudes except if you're a Vancouver Canuck fan 2011.

2. The Canadian Banking System is the best in the world. No one would be happy if our banks were failing and needed to be bailed out by the Canadian Government. That would be more debt for Canadians to pay back.

3. Canada is offically a multicultural country. This was written into our constitution by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1981. Since our country's beginning, Canada has been a refuge for oppressed immigrants like the Irish in the 1800s and southern blacks before the civil war. Millions of immigrants from the world over have found a better life in Canada.

3. Canadians are close to nature's wilderness and I think it gives us a certain undefined spirituality like Canada's native peoples. You can find natural wonders in any part of Canada like Northern Ontario, Newfoundland or British Columbia. Writer Pierre Burton was fascinated by Canada's past and its great outdoors. He wrote over 40 books about these subjects.

4. Canadian artists: This isn't just about painters like "The Group of Seven". It's about Canadian artists from any discipline like naturalist Robert Bateman, cartoonist Lynn Johnson, writer Margret Atwood, poet Leonard Cohen, folk singer/writer Gordon Lightfoot, and country writer/performer, Shania Twain. These are just some of my personal favourites. I'm sure you like many Canadian artists as well.

5. The Highway of Heroes: I appreciate the respect that Canadians give to those who put their life on the line for their community and country. This includes police officers like Garret Syles who died in the line of duty.

6. Canadian Heath Care System: It's not perfect, but it's free for the poor as well as the rich. Also, it costs less to deliver per capita than the private U.S. Health System. Tommy Douglas (Saskatchewan premier) was the architect of our health system. He was never prime minister, but he was voted by CBC viewers as the greatest Canadian of all time.

7. Gun Control in Canada: While many Canadian do like hunting moose, there are strict regulations on carrying hand guns. We don't have to worry about prying guns from Canadians' cold dead hands, because not  many citizens have guns.

8. Loyal Maple Leaf Fans: It's been 44 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. Leafs' hockey games, however, keep selling out even with bad teams. You're only a loser if you give up, but Leaf fans will never do that. Once a Leaf fan always a Leaf fan. I should know, I'm one.

9. Lester B. Pearson: He's probably the most underrated Prime Minister in the history of Canada. Yet, his record speaks for himself. With only a minority Government, he passed universal health care, The Canada Pension Plan, student loans and the Canadian Flag. Two thumbs up, Mike.

10. The 2010 Winter Olympics: Every Canadian remembers Sidney Crosby's winning goal in the gold medal game with the U.S. Team. This was great, but the whole Canadian Olympic team delivered a stellar effort on home turf for the fans. A record 14 gold medals were won by the host country. This was "One Moment in Time", we will never forget.

 


Posted by qualteam at 2:07 PM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 3 July 2011 5:13 PM EDT
Monday, 27 June 2011
Do You Remember The Postal Strike Of 2011?


I'm not a big fan of The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (I have a  website dedicated to my time as member over the last 35 years.) However, I do admit that they were unfairly treated by the Conservative Government with back-to-work legislation.

Instead of the usual "Mediation/Arbitration Back-to-Work Legislation", the posties were treated with a "Final Offer Arbitration With a Wage Rollback Back-to-Work Legislation". This is more or less a dictation of surrender terms from a government with a big fat majority. 

There was no chance of a negotiated settlement with a 3.2 billion dollar pension liability hanging over Canada Post's head. Canada Post is required by federal legislation to keep "The Canada Post Pension Plan" fully funded.

CUPW's best bet would have been mediation/arbitration.

The posties are back to work now and I'm happy that I retired from the Post Office when I did.

Postal Workers still have steady well paying jobs with job security and lots of vacation time.

 


Posted by qualteam at 11:22 PM EDT
Updated: Thursday, 30 June 2011 11:13 AM EDT

Newer | Latest | Older

Add to Technorati Favorites

Add Your Blog Blog Topsites
Promote Your Blog
Free Blog Directory
Blogs