Recession Ready? Interview with Grant Miller
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 ...
Are you ‘Made in Canada’? 3
Are you “Made in Canada”? Perhaps you were “Made in Mexico”, “Made in USA” or “Made in China”. Han and I joke around about this all the time. When we compare our cell phone bills for example, she’ll joke and tell me that mine is more expensive than hers because I’m “Made in Canada”, so ...
Into the Wild
Into the Wild, the movie, the story, the notion, is more powerful than anything else I’ve ever experienced in my life. I can watch it over and over and over and still feel overcome with a powerful sense of unyielding passion for life and nature. The story-line, the cinematography, the music, the actors, the characters, ...
Some things better left unspoken 1
A January 12th news release announced that the US airline carriers have gone 2 years without a single passenger fatality. Although this is a remarkable achievement, some things are better left unspoken. The first thought that crossed my mind is that we’re going to see a plane crash in the near future. It was only ...
Wealth = Debt in North America 1
In North America, society tells us that we need to borrow lots of money, and then spend our life paying back our debt; while racking up more debt by buying bigger homes, new cars, ridiculously expensive weddings, and lots of other luxuries along the way. A friend recently told me that his friend wanted him ...
Recession Ready? Interview with Wisconsin Plant Manager
With the waning economy and the deteriorating US Auto Industry, The Urban Country interviewed Wisconsin Plant Manager Barry Schwartz to see how average Americans are dealing with the recession. What is your job title and your role? Plant Manager. We are a small plant so I do all production scheduling as well being involved in ...
Youth Gangs
After dropping off my “Big Brothers” brother Quenelle off at the subway station this evening, I was riding home on a bus when I came across a group of 6 kids who all appeared to be aged between 9 and 12 years old. Based on their attire, conversations and lingo, an observer would conclude that ...
Dear President Bush… 2
As the end of your term in office approaches, you are now beginning to reflect on your leadership through one of the most controversial presidencies of all time. The last 8 years will forever change the world and the future of the United States. In your bid to win the Presidency back in 2000, you ...
My Utopian Career 1
Everyone around me knows how much I love my career. It’s challenging, I’m constantly problem-solving, it’s rewarding to see something I’ve built come to fruition, the jobs are relatively plentiful, and the industry pays well. But what if I could have any job in the world? What would I choose to do? Well I’ve put ...
Frustration and Insomnia 2
I reserve the right to use the Urban Country as a place to vent my frustrations once every year. Tonight is that night. Being unable to get to sleep for the last hour, I feel like my mind is racing with hundreds of sheep jumping over fences and on top of each sheep is a ...