(“Puppy Love” is courtesy of pietroizzo’s photostream on Flickr)
I haven’t made up my mind on PETA yet (People for the ethical treatment of animals). I’ve heard a lot of things about them; I’ve heard a lot of badgering that they do to prove their point (which reminds me of the Greenpeace folks as well), but at the same time they stand behind a very admirable cause: “The Ethical Treatment of Animals”.
The (PIPP) Public, Private Investment Plan – Will it work?
If successful, PIPP will be remembered and studied by future generations as one of the defining moments of American perseverance and ingenuity. Though still in its infancy, in all likelihood the Obama presidency will be singularly defined by its handling of the current crisis.
Trash Talk is a special section where we expose the unnecessary waste that is generated by companies so that the urban country staff and readers can speak out to make a difference.
I typically pay a visit to the Dry Cleaners about once a month to launder certain shirts (Let’s save the discussion about the impact that dry cleaning has on the environment for another article). Since the very first day I stepped foot in the dry cleaners, I couldn’t believe how much plastic waste is generated to simply cover the clothing.
(Photo by markolson on Flikr)
Trash Talk is a special section where we expose the unnecessary waste that is generated by companies so that the urban country staff and readers can speak out to make a difference.
March 17th marks a crucial blow to the credibility of Toronto City Hall in its battle against Food industry lobbyists. It was only 4 months ago when Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker sent a stern message to lobbyists: “The status quo is going to change, and it can't change soon enough for me”.
Back then, the City had plans to force coffee shops to give consumers a 20-cent refund for bringing their own coffee mugs, and grocery stores would likewise be required to provide a 10-cent refund for each bag saved by customers bringing in their own grocery bags.
Both of those initiatives have all but vanished. The plan for the grocery bag refund was overturned when a deal was worked out between the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors and the City on November 26th. Instead of enforcing a 10-cent refund, they decided to CHARGE customers 5 cents per bag to encourage customers to bring their own bags.
Talk about the tables turning! The grocery stores are now entitled to a windfall profit when a day earlier, they faced the prospect of having to dish out money to customers who bring their own bags. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about consumers bringing their own bags to the grocery store, I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember, but come on City Hall! Have a backbone!
March 17th put the nail in the coffin. After spending $50,000 on three reports on how to handle coffee cups, the City scrapped plans to complete the final report on how to better deal with the 1-million coffee cups that Toronto sends to its landfills every single day.
Now the city is out thousands of dollars, we’re left without a strategy to deal with coffee cup trash, and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association lobby group has come out victorious.
If you can’t rely on the government to be progressive about the Environment, you just have to do it yourself. It’s cool to bring your own coffee mug! It’s hip to bring your own reusable grocery bags! This is an Urban Country revolution!
Earth Hour 2009 takes place this Saturday from 8:30PM to 9:30PM. Is Earth Hour a great way to save energy and promote sustainable living? Or is it perhaps just a waste of time and causing an unnecessary spike on our electricity circuits?
Earth Hour originated in Australia in 2007 but quickly expanded to 35 countries in 2008. In 2009 there are already 82 countries committed to Earth Hour. Google will feature a “dark” homepage on the day of Earth Hour, and last year The Weather Network (Canada’s leading source of weather information) moved its studio outdoors and filmed the show under LED lighting for the hour.
Earth Hour is not without controversy. A colleague of mine warned me not to “mislead people” about Earth Hour. His position is that power generation has a certain point in which it is most efficient and having a large amount of people turn off their lights and then turn them on at the same time will create a massive spike in the system and cause more trouble than it’s worth. He also noted that having millions of people burn candles will just end up emitting more carbon dioxide into the air anyway.
Perhaps it is true that Earth Hour will not make a dramatic savings in energy. But I look at it differently. To me, Earth Hour is not about saving electricity. It’s about creating awareness by getting people to talk about our energy consumption and how we can reduce the harm we’re causing on the earth.
Shutting our lights off for an hour and dealing with a mass spike in electricity circuits is a small sacrifice to make to get billions of people around the world to become more aware of the harm our lifestyles are causing to the earth. Even the Toronto company that has to deal with the spike in electricity is a “proud sponsor of Earth Hour”.
I’m planning to spend my entire Saturday night without electricity, and I invite my readers to do the same, (or join me). Instead of using candles though I’ll be utilizing my Freeplay Indigo Lantern which is powered by human energy using a wind-up crank.
To me, the very fact that so many people are talking about Earth Day already makes it a success.
Trash Talk is a special section where we expose the unnecessary waste that is generated by companies so that the urban country staff and readers can speak out to make a difference.
At the end of the Toronto Rock lacrosse game I attended yesterday evening, I was appalled when I came to realize that the advertisements along the boards at the game were disposed after each game. They are literally printing dozens of these giant stickers and peeling them off and trashing them after the game.
I can only assume this was a business decision that was made on the basis that it is cheaper to print and dispose the stickers every game than the alternative options. Can’t they just leave the stickers on the boards instead of disposing them after each game?
I’ve contacted the Toronto Rock and asked for an official explanation on why they made this decision. I’ll follow up in a future “Trash Talk” article if the urban country’s activism is able to make any substantial changes to the Toronto Rock’s operations.
If you disagree with this practice, please call Public Relations Manager Terri Workman @ 416-596-3075 ext. 226 to express your opinion on this matter.
Spring has arrived; and with it comes the anticipation of summer activities such as biking and kayaking (for myself anyway). I wanted to share the amazing story of Calgary adventurer and super-athlete, the 48-year-old Greg Kolodziejzyk from AdventuresOfGreg.com.
On July 17th 2006, Greg set 2 world records: The first for the most distance travelled in 24 hours by human power (1041KM) and the second for the world’s fastest 1000KM time trial (23 hours, 2 minutes) (Watch behind-the-scenes YouTube video 22 hours into his ride). To put this into perspective, this is almost as far as New York City to Chicago! Or if you’re from Canada, it’s farther than Toronto to Edmundston, New Brunswick.
Greg has finished a total of 14 Ironman races since 2001, and he set a new world record on September 9th, 2008 for the most distance travelled in 24 hours in a human-powered boat by pedaling a total of 245.16KM.
Why does Greg push himself to such extremes? Greg believes in a “do more with less” philosophy and his goal is to inspire people to become active to address 2 important problems in our society: Obesity rates and our degrading environment.
"I want to inspire people to get active. Not only is using your human power good for the environment, but most importantly, it's good for YOU!"
Greg’s next big challenge is to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a pedal-powered kayak to set a new world record for human-powered Atlantic Ocean crossing (www.pedaltheocean.com), which he plans to do most likely in 2010.
Prior to Greg’s current career as an adventurist, world-record holder and motivational speaker, he was a graphic designer and he started a company called Image Club Graphics inc. that become one of the leading suppliers of digital art, typefaces and stock photography.
Image Club was acquired by Adobe Systems in 1994, allowing Greg to retire and pursue his adventurer dreams. Keep it up Greg! What you’re doing is very inspiring.
While news headlines broadcast dire warnings about the economy, Toronto continues to build, build and build. There are new buildings popping up everywhere, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up (yet).
With credit markets drying up, I had previously assumed that some “under construction” buildings wouldn't finish. I also falsely thought that some new buildings that hadn’t broken ground yet wouldn’t continue; but that simply hasn’t been the case from what I can see. They continue to break ground on building after building.
Some interesting buildings that I’ve taken notice to are: Trump Tower, M5V, Shangri-la, Festival Tower, One Bloor, Fashion House, Minto King West, Six50 King West, and there are many many more going up.
They say Toronto is becoming the new Vancouver, and since Vancouver is one of my favourite cities, this is definitely a good thing. It’s just too bad they can’t build some Rocky Mountains in the outskirts of Toronto.
Urban Living is the way of the future and big box suburbia is a thing of the past. Even Americans are flocking to urban centres (Some of them are even trying to bring the burbs into the city as I noted in an article last July). People are finally realizing that long stressful commutes to work aren’t worth the gain in home square footage.
Why should people be forced to rely on their car to do everything when they can work, live and have fun without setting foot in an automobile. The urban lifestyle encourages a healthy, active lifestyle that you just don’t get in the ‘burbs.
I’m amazed at how many people in my generation have embraced Urban Living. It has helped create an atmosphere of vibrant, thriving cities that would be envious to almost anyone.
In my opinion Canada has 3 cities that fall into the top 5 cities in North America (Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto) and being part of the transformation from a rural country into an urban country has been an exciting experience for the last few generations of people in Canada.
Imagine this: A light switch that is more difficult to turn on when your home is consuming a lot of energy. You walk around your house and turn off all 5 of your TVs, go back to the light switch, and the switch is now easy to turn on.
Novel idea? Or just a silly gimmick?
Peter Russo and Brendan Wypich from Stanford University are the brains behind this invention and have even built a working prototype of the “SmartSwitch”.
This is a neat gadget and I can definitely appreciate the reasons behind its inception. But in reality this gadget isn’t useful simply because the type of people who would use this gadget are already environmentally conscious, so a gadget like this wouldn’t really be necessary. If people are indifferent about their energy consumption, then there is no hope in hell they would be willing to install this type of gadget.
Therefore, that only leaves one type of consumer: Someone who cares about their energy consumption, but is unaware that they are being wasteful around the house. I think it’s safe to assume that this represents a minority of the population.
Definitely a neat idea, but not very practical. Other more practical inventions will surely follow.
This is my first post on The Urban Country. Jim has his way with words and ladies and I will do my best to be as fluent and exciting as him in my first guest contribution.
I recently read an article on TNR (The New Republic) which linked me to this news article on ABC News. A couple of quotes in the article hit a nerve and I just had to talk about this.
The gist of the story is: rich people that are making over $250K in the States are looking for ways to cut income down to $249,999.99 so that Obama’s new tax laws don’t hit them.
A financial advisor tries to knock some common sense into readers by explaining that higher taxes are only charged on amounts over $250K, but more quotes keep water-falling from rich people that are just dying to decrease their incomes.
Two quotes in this article make me appreciate Canada and the taxes we pay here:
Quote #1
"We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999.00," she said. "We have to find a way out where we can make just what we need to just under the line so we can benefit from Obama's tax plan," she added. "Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?"
"Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?"! This quote pertains to the fact that the new taxes will pay for Obama’s healthcare reform. This sentence makes me realize how much I love Canada. We get free universal health care here and we pay progressive taxes just like the USA. I am perfectly happy paying higher taxes to pay for the health of a stranger on the street, knowing that tomorrow that stranger will pay for my health.
Quote #2
"The motivation for a lot of people like me -- dentists, entrepreneurs, lawyers -- is that the more you work the more money you make," said Poczatek. "But if I'm going to be working just to give it back to the government -- it's de-motivating and demoralizing."
It’s probably not a sweeping statement to say that America is a capitalist society with an all-about-myself mentality. This quote also makes me realize how much I love Canada. Canada is also a capitalist society, though I’ve heard many Americans call us socialists. But what is wrong with helping out your fellow countrymen? It almost seems like the word “socialist” is just seen as derogatory, without putting any thought into what it really brings to a society. I personally like that I get to help out my fellow countrymen who might happen to have greater struggles than me. For example, I will gladly pay higher taxes to make sure that new immigrants to Canada get settled in and find a job in their field. It is not de-motivating and de-moralizing.
Canada’s average income tax is 21% for a family of 2;
Where do these counties place in standard of living?
Could there be an association between higher taxes and higher standard of living? This is obviously not a scientific study so giving 6 numbers does not prove any association – but it’s interesting to think about.
So in conclusion, I love taxes. I do not mind paying more in order to help my country give me back more; be it parks, roads, schools, immigrant services, free healthcare, you name it.
But then again, I do not make $250K, so what do I know? But when I do, I will love paying those taxes too.
This person thought they could jump their car over the ledge in a downtown Toronto parking lot on Richmond Street today. It didn’t work out so well.
With all the warm weather we’ve been having over the last week or so, I’ve been thinking more and more about being out on the water. My summer nostalgia was magnified earlier today when I took my “Big Brothers” brother Quenelle to the CN Tower.
While peering out the CN Tower window towards the South, I spotted a very pleasant display that put me into a mid-day-dream about being out on the water on my kayak.
I listen to songs primarily for the music and if the song also has good lyrics it makes the song that much better. It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard a song that was extremely powerful in the lyrics and also sounded great musically. The most profound song for me personally is still John Lennon’s “Imagine”.
A song by the Black Eyed Peas entitled “Where is the Love” recently grabbed my attention. The song is great and the lyrics are about as powerful as they come. This is truly a great song.
Here’s an excerpt of the song’s lyrics:
What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamasI think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all
In a series of articles entitled “Recession Ready?”, The Urban Country is interviewing people around the world who are affected by the recession to understand how different people are coping. For a complete list of interviews, choose the “Recession Interviews” category on the right navigation.
Mike Bevins lives in beautiful Huntington Beach, California, just outside of Los Angeles. He has been working in the semiconductor manufacturing industry for close to two decades. The Urban Country interviewed Mr. Bevins to find out how business in California has been affected by the economy.
What is your job title and role?
My employer is a distributor for quality control monitoring equipment used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. We have exclusive distribution rights for products from Germany, France, and Japan. We also conceive ideas that we subcontract to local companies to design and manufacture under our name. We represent 7 companies and approximately 50 different products (including our own). My responsibility is marketing, sales, installation, training, and service for the products from two German companies and two of our older products. In addition - as the resident engineer - I am deeply involved in the concept, design, and manufacturing of our own products (working with our subcontractors). And most recently, I'm also our webmaster.
How long have you been in this position?
I was hired in June 1992.
What changes have you noticed in the last year as a result of the shrinking economy?
Equipment purchasing budgets have disappeared. All our existing customers and many potential ones are not spending.
Has globalization had an effect on your business?
Globalization has killed the semiconductor manufacturing industry in the US. Prior to the dot-com bust, companies such as Motorola, Texas Instruments, AMD, etc... manufactured a high percentage of their products in the US. Since then they have either moved to their plants to Asia (initially Singapore and Malaysia, then Taiwan, and most recently China) or have subcontracted the production to Asia foundries. This has significantly reduced our customer base. Since our company started in 1987 we've enjoyed a minimum 10% growth rate per year, until the onslaught of the dot-com bust. Since then we're reduced our staff by half and we've either broke even or run a deficit since.
What measures has you company taken in order to stay afloat in the current economy?
Starting March 15 all employees will take a 30% cut in hours/pay. We've reduced our travel budgets, the number of trade shows we attended (reduced the size of our booth and displayed equipment), and a freeze on all office equipment and supplies. Most importantly we are branching into other industries. The first is LED Lighting: home lighting, interior, exterior, industrial. We've setup a separate company and hired a full-time sales person (he works strictly on commissions). The second is a related product that improves the uniform-ness of LED illumination.
How are your co-workers handling the uncertainty with their jobs and future?
We are all tightening our personal fiscal belts. We've known for several months this pay cut was coming so we've had time to prepare. We've been assured that we should be able to continue for another year, so I don't believe anybody is actively looking for other employment. Basically, for the time being, we've given up on the semiconductor business and focusing all our attention on these new products.
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do to pass the time?
Probably stay put in Los Angeles, spend more time with my family, pursue my hobbies, find some new ones, and travel when ever possible.
Editor’s Note: In a series of articles entitled “Recession Ready?”, The Urban Country is interviewing people around the world who are affected by the recession to understand how different people are coping. For a complete list of interviews, choose the “Recession Interview” category on the right navigation.
Grant Miller is a Chicago-based writer; he’s been freelance since 2001. You can get a taste of his priceless fall-off-your-chair humour at his blog: www.grantmillermedia.com. The Urban Country interviewed Mr. Miller about how the economy has affected his life and career:
What is your job title and role?
I am a writer. I began freelancing in 2001 primarily for newspapers in the Chicago suburbs and briefly doing game summaries for NBA.com. Prior to that, I was a full-time, honest to goodness newspaper reporter. I've written professionally in some capacity since I was 18.
What changes have you noticed in the last year as a result of the shrinking economy?
Although I'm technically a freelancer - meaning I can write for anyone in any medium - newspapers are and probably always will be my first love. Sadly, the industry was on it's deathbed before the recession really took hold. Many - perhaps all - of my friends in the industry have left for marketing or public relations jobs. Many that stuck around were laid off. I still know a few in the business, but they've all got their eyes on the disappearing horizon, too.
Has globalization had an effect on your business?
Not that I've seen, but perhaps I'm not looking.
What I've seen is the Googlization of news. People don't turn to any one paper like they used to - they turn to Google news or Yahoo news. Newspapers were slow, lethargic really, to address online news gathering. I take that back, they weren't slow, but the Internet was just blindingly fast. National issues will continue to be covered well via online mediums. But local news - is lost. And really, that's the stuff that affects people most. Sure people want to know what their Federal leaders are up to, but they also wanna know what their neighbor is doing.
What measures have you taken in order to stay afloat in the current economy?
Personally, I enrolled in a bartending class last summer. I bartended in college and knew it's a way to make good, quick money if the need arose. Plus drinking is recession proof. Luckily, I haven't had to show my mad skillz just yet.
Additionally, I'm watching the markets almost hourly and holding my breath. We made some financial adjustments over the past couple years in anticipation of a downturn, but still it's nerve racking.
The saddest story, however is a paper I used to work with a lot moved out of their office building last summer. The paper built the complex in the late 1980s and had a fairly dramatic perch above my suburban idyll. To see it empty now is a shock. The paper took up home in a mini-mall a couple miles away and shipped out their printing services elsewhere.
How are your peers handling the uncertainty with their jobs and their future?
Mostly by trying to forget about it, actually. Everyone's nervous. When I see old co-workers or friends, we tend to discuss happier subjects.
What types of changes have you seen in your peers/friends lifestyle since the sky started falling?
Two minor things and I'm not sure what they mean:
A few years ago, some friends and I would spend a weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. It doesn't sound interesting, I know, but we'd simply get out of the house for a few days and usually spend the weekend watching basketball and drinking in college or townie bars. We did it for three or four years in a row. We stopped last year. But maybe that's because we were lazy in planning.
In a similar vein, some friends and I would take in a White Sox game every summer. But instead of sitting in the bleachers, we'd pay top-dollar for the VIP club behind home plate. For a baseball nut like me, the VIP club is Heaven on Earth. Gourmet food, open bar, comfy seats right on top of the game, Sox legends mingling with us commoners. It's great. I sent out an e-mail a couple weeks ago trying to drum up interest again. But the general response was "Let's get the cheap seats this year."
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do to pass the time?
I'd buy, buy, buy. I've read a lot of Warren Buffet and Peter Lynch and respect their ideas on investing. The gist I've taken away is to buy when other investors are fearful and sell when they're confident. It's worked for me, so far. There's a ton of great deals out there at the moment. But everyone is scared, understandably. Who knows - maybe this recession is just the beginning? Maybe it will lead to a depression, riots in Europe, mass starvation and World War III.
Stranger things have happened. Hopefully, history won't repeat itself.
Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for more exclusive interviews on The Urban Country.
