The Barron Blog

Friday, 30 March 2012

A Fond Goodbye To The Canadian Penny

With yesterday's federal budget, the Canadian penny is now history. It cost more (1.6 cents) to produce a penny than what it's worth.
I remember as a kid that a penny could buy great candies at the local variety store like Bazooka Joe cartoon strip bubblegum, blackballs and licorice twizzlers.
The penny has inspired many expressions that might get lost in future generations. Here are my top ten best:
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned: This phrase is self explanatory. However, there's a bizarre history behind the phrase: A Benny Shaved Is A Benny Urned.
Pick Up A Penny And You'll Never Be Broke: Unlock that mysterious power that might be preventing you from being well off.
Penny Wise And Pound Foolish: Stupid is as stupid does.
A Penny For Your Thoughts: A penny for a thought may have been valuable many years ago, but inflation has decreased its worth since then.
Give Your Two Cents Worth: Tweets, blog entries, YouTube communications are examples of "giving your two cents worth".
I've Got A Lucky Penny: This is a "Good Luck Charm". Elvis sings about it in this song.
Penny Stocks: Many fortunes were won and lost with speculation on stocks that were less than a dollar.
Penny Arcade: This is where young people played "the video games" of yesteryear. These were cheap thrills back then.
Penny Pincher: This is more than someone who hangs onto millions of pennys.
Pennies From Heaven: This isn't an environmental curse or an airplane disaster. It's something nice happening in an odd way.
It hard to believe that something so small as a penny has influenced humanity in the ways above.
The Canadian penny may be gone but fond memories of its use and expressions remain.

Posted by qualteam at 9:52 PM EDT

Updated: Friday, 30 March 2012 10:02 PM EDT

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Monday, 26 March 2012

Travelling In Cyberspace Using Domain Names

Domain names are simply tools to help a person remember and get to a website quickly. I have a few with www.godaddy.com. The domain name when entered in the address bar above will redirect a person to a longer version of the web address.
Most recently, I created a domain name for my tweets on Twitter. This was www.DBtweet.info. I chose the info address because it was cheaper ($2.95 a year) than .com, .net, .org, etc. addresses.
My Facebook page can be found at www.davebarron.info. My best photos can be found on this site. Also, I've started doing reviews of movies and songs from my Facebook page because it links well to other websites.
My history with Canada Post and The Canadian Union of Postal Workers can be found at www.cupw.info. Check out the protest songs on one of the pages.
My personal family page is at www.daveandirene.ca. There's photos of our families, our kids, and our first trip to Newfoundland. We also have pages for our favourite songs of all time.
The Barron Blog is found out at www.barronblog.com. When I have a subject, I want to look at in depth, I do a blog or blogs on it. Check the right side lists for a view of my "hot topics".

Posted by qualteam at 4:16 PM EDT

Updated: Monday, 26 March 2012 4:29 PM EDT

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Thursday, 22 March 2012

Responsible Gambling

In my many years of gambling, I've always tried to gamble responsibly. Most of the time, I used a money management technique. When I became impulsive or lost control, I paid for it, but not to the extent where I lost thousands or hundreds of dollars.
There are websites where you can get good advice on gambling.
Personally, I avoid the slots and play table games like blackjack, craps and poker. The house edge is lower in each of those games.
The top five gambling rules are as follows:
Don't gamble when feeling sad or upset. Gamblers call this "steaming or going on tilt". Self control begins at home with you personally.
Balance gambling with other activities. Most people know, there's more to life than gambling. It's great when you can put your energies into a sport or hobby that gives you lots of fun.
Set a money limit: This isn't just a lost limit, but a win limit as well. It's great leaving a casino a winner no matter how little the win was.
Don't borrow money to gamble: Gambling comes out of the entertainment budget. Keep it low enough so you wouldn't miss it.
Set a time limit: Again, this is another aspect of personal control. I've found that when I violate my time limit, I pay.
Learn the proper strategies to play table games where the casino has a lower edge. Combining skill with luck is more fun then depending on mindless "lady luck".
Play as long as you're having fun. When it's no fun take off, eh!
May you have a long winning streak soon.

Posted by qualteam at 11:15 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 22 March 2012 11:20 PM EDT

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Thursday, 15 March 2012

A Casino In Toronto: If You Build It, They Will Come

Despite opposition in some circles about compulsive gambling with regards to casinos, I must
stress that compulsive gambling can occur with lotteries, bingo or any form of gambling.

Most responsible gamblers practise some form of money management that can be taught to
any gambler. It isn't a hard skill to master.

Also gamblers should know that slots give a lower return in Ontario than Vegas. Here
it's about 50%. In Nevada, the return on slots is 95% which is governed by legislation. It would be appropriate for the Ontario Government to legislate a similar return in order to compete with Las Vegas.

Please note that "The Las Vegas Strip" is more or less for high rollers. Downtown on "Fremont Street" the casinos cater to the middle class. There are also casinos off the strip that service the local residents. The competition for "the loosest slots" or best "comps" is very high.

There's an online company that promotes casinos across America call American Casino Guide(www.americancasinoguide.com.) They write articles on how to play craps, blackjack and video poker properly. Their guide book has hundreds of discount coupons for gambling, meals and entertainment.

There must be over a hundred casinos in Vegas, and most of them seem to be doing well. The crowds are just enormous on the weekends or special events.

Serious gamblers shun the slots. Games like poker, backjack and craps have a small casino edge. With a some knowledge of poker strategy, card counting or dice control, these games can produce positive results for the players.

I would advise that the governments of Toronto and Ontario pay close attention to gambler education as well as promotion.

Most of us like the entertaining value of a game well played.

Posted by qualteam at 4:46 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 15 March 2012 5:08 PM EDT

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Thursday, 8 March 2012

My Top Ten Rare Oldies On My Ipod

I use my Ipod usually at the gym, so I'm quite fussy about the mix on it. There has to be different songs from different decades with different beats. The energy and emotional level of each song should motivate me to dance or workout.
This goes for my rare oldies too. First and foremost they should be good songs that ROCK. They should also be songs that charted on Billboard's top 100. Fortunately, the tunes below fill that bill.
Unfortunately, you may have to pay for these songs in order to make them your own.
My Ipod has 1174 songs.
I couldn't imagine gym or life without these blasts from the past:
Walking Back To Happiness by Helen Shapiro: Many years ago, it was a number one hit in Canada and the U.K. She rocks in this video.
I Go Ape by Neil Sedaka: Believe it or not, this star isn't in "The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame".
Mary's Little Lamb by James Darren: I enjoyed the video as background for the song.
Along Came Linda by Tommy Boyce: I only heard it a few times, but I couldn't get the melody out of my head.
Robbin' The Cradle by Tony Bellus: Back in the 60s, teenage guys were suppose to be mindful of "Jailbait".
Jamie by Eddie Holland: One of the first Motown records released. Unfortunately, Eddie sounds too much like Jackie Wilson.
Lets Get Together by Hayley Mills: This fun song actually reached #20 on Billboard's top 100.
Warpaint by The Brook Brothers: Terrific rockin' song that was written by Barry Mann who had his own version.
Under The Moon Of Love by Curtis Lee: He also had a major hit with "Pretty Little Angel Eyes".
Movin' Day by Buzz Clifford: He was the guy who sang "Baby Sittin' Boogie" which reached the top ten in Canada.
Younger generations have a tendency to think of enjoyable oldies as songs from the Beatles, Elvis, The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and The Rolling Stones. This isn't true. Timeless tunes can be sung by anyone at anytime.
Hope you enjoy the above tracks.

Posted by qualteam at 10:55 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 11 March 2012 1:14 PM EST

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Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Pink Shirt Day

The last day of the month is designated "Pink Shirt Day". How it came to be is stated well in this newspaper article. Basically, a student wore a pink shirt to school and some bullies told him not to wear it again or he would get beat up. Some other students found out about this and brought 50 pink shirts to school the next day. The bullying stop.
Bullying is more common than people think. Some victims end up committing suicide.
While it's great to learn martial arts or to have a bodyguard, it's important to teach "respect for others" and "Human Rights" at school or in the home.
In world where there is considerable personal, cultural and religious diversity, it's important to understand and tolerate differences.
I'm very familiar with racial and religious prejudice myself.
Hopefully, "Pink Shirt Day" can be every day of the year.
With bullying, we're not going to take it anymore.

Posted by qualteam at 3:50 PM EST

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Thursday, 23 February 2012

Las Vegas Revisited

Everytime, we go to Las Vegas, Elvis seems to look shorter.
We also took some pictures of short Elvis's brothers and scenic sights from our room.

The weather was ideal about 70F for the time we were there. We gambled a lot and finished ahead a bit.
We discovered the best places for slots, beer and buffets in Vegas.
The Palms Casino is definitely the best place for slots. They even advertise this broadly.
For micro brewed beer, it was a tie between Ellis Island Casino and Main Street Station Casino. The beer was good and cheap, less than $3 for a large long neck draft.
The best buffet goes to Fremont's Casino's "Paradise Buffet". You can find two-for-one buffet coupons for this restaurant and others in Las Vegas coupon books or on the internet.
I did well with my match play coupons from American Casino Guide. I won seven times and lost three. Match play is where the dealer matches your bet with an extra bet usually $10.
Altogether I broke even with craps, blackjack and poker, I've learned enough about those games to feel comfortable playing them. Check out the links above to get gaming insights.
At the Golden Nugget, we used a two for one coupon to buy tickets for a "country superstars tribute performance". This was an excellent show with great singers and musicians. Three stars. "The Big and Rich Tribute" was the best.
The seven days passed quickly because we spent some time in "Downtown Vegas" enjoying the free street entertainment, the cheap gambling, the cheap beer and the cheap buffets.
The final word goes to Elvis with "His Viva Las Vegas".
What goes on in Las Vegas doesn't necessarily have to stay there.

Posted by qualteam at 1:39 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 25 February 2012 4:00 PM EST

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Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Remembering Whitney

I was shocked to hear about Whitney Houston's death while riding a bus in Las Vegas. I wouldn't say that I was a big fan of hers. Radio stations played her hits so much during the 1980s that I got sick of listening to them.
After that, I took her for granted and put her out of my mind. Power ballad singers were ok, but I liked other kinds of music more.
However, I did have a special spot for Whitney in my heart. Inspirational songs like "The Greatest Love Of All", "One Moment In Time" and "I Look To You" really moved me.
I listened to her greatest hits on YouTube and here are the one that I like the most:
One Moment In Time: This is a song that inspires us to a higher level of performance that most of us can only dream about.
I Will Always Love You: It's the song of a deep love for someone sadden by loss. Absolutely beautiful.
The Star Spangled Banner: The best performance of the U.S. national anthem ever done.
The Greatest Love Of All: Be true to yourself is the message in this great song. It's right up there with Ray Steven's "Everything Is Beautiful".
I Look To You: Whitney's last hit in 2009 returns to her inspirational roots.
I Want To Dance With Somebody: One of the top ten disco songs of all time. Goodbye "Disco Duck".
How Will I Know?: Whitney sung punchy pop songs like no one else in the 1980s.
Where Do Broken Hearts Go?: Songs about loneliness and trying to relate were themes in many of Whitney's tunes.
Didn't We Almost Have It All?: This song still sounds great after 25 years.
All At Once: Many fans are singing this song to Whitney, right now.
I hope that people aren't distracted by the sideshow with Bobby Brown. Whitney was an artist that sung about things that were close to her. Hopefully, we can get closer to her with the songs above.
I saw Oprah's exclusive interview of Whitney last night, Feb/16/12. It moved me to tears many times. Her life would make a terrific bio/pic, but who would play Whitney?
What was stopping Whitney on the comeback trail? This article that I read recently may hold the answers. She seemed to have a desire "to see Jesus" and to meet him. In actual fact, this was tantamount to giving an "It is finished" to her life's work. Her future was pointed towards a trip to Heaven and an interview with the founder of the Christian Faith. This might be considered a promotion.

Posted by qualteam at 10:02 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 20 February 2012 12:23 PM EST

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Monday, 30 January 2012

Ancient Aliens And The Brotherhood Of Christ

"Ancient Aliens" is one of the best shows on television. When it comes to alien contact, this series seems to hit all the bases from dinosaurs to Hitler's Germany.
What is left behind from these "superior" civilizations are huge stone monuments like the pyramids, Easter Island, Stonehenge and Peru's Machu Picchu. Great tourist spots, but nothing spiritually enlightening .
There is also evidence that a high tech anti gravity device was used to fit the stones in place.
Perhaps, of greater interest were the alien contacts with Moses, Mohammad, Joseph Smith, Tesla, and Nazi Germany.
I've also discovered a website on "The Top Ten Alien Mysteries On Planet".
Without a doubt, there has been prolonged alien interference and manipulation of humans on Earth. Some aliens have supported oppressive dictators who used human sacrifice on a regular basis. Others have manipulated DNA to get more compliant worshipers or warriors. Their track record of helping human beings was poor, no cures for diseases, no techology to feed the poor, no education to bring man out of the dark ages.
Jesus Christ on the other hand restored "The Immortal Spiritual Brotherhood Of Melchizedek (i.e. Christ)" to the level of "The Q Continuum".
Ancient Aliens has never taken their viewers to a higher spiritual level. That would be the only criticism that I have of this superior History Channel Series.
It's good to remember the past no matter how bad it appears.

Posted by qualteam at 11:33 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 31 January 2012 4:38 PM EST

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Tuesday, 24 January 2012

My Top Ten Romantic Songs

Romance can take your breath away, especially if there's a nice sunset or a gentle love song in the background.
Everyone has their favourite love songs of all time. There's even a top 100 song list in pop/country of those tunes.
I love romantic music from the 1920s to present time. However, when I made a list of my personal favourites. These were the ones that stood out the most:
Hallelujah by KD Lang: Probably, the best version of Leonard Cohen's best song.
Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi: John pours his heart out in a power ballad that has impact.
From This Moment by Shania Twain: Probably, the best wedding song ever written.
Something Stupid by Frank and Nancy Sinatra: Old blues eyes and his daughter bring back nostalgic memories from the past.
Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill: A sensitive man expresses his true feelings.
Right Before My Eyes by Ian Thomas: Romantic fantasies take shape in unusual ways.
Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley: This video makes Elvis look and sound like a love god.
Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh: I remember dancing to this song with a special lady the first time I heard it.
I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder: When you love somebody, it makes feel happy, very happy.
Harvest Moon by Neil Young: It's like an old time love song redone for present day lovers.
Most people love songs that they can slow dance to.
It's great when you can find someone to share those special songs with.

Posted by qualteam at 2:38 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 24 January 2012 10:41 PM EST

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