What right do you have to endanger everyone’s life by getting behind the wheel of your car with summer tires and trying to drive in the snow? Do you look out and see other people in 4 wheel drives doing it and you think “If they can do it, you can do it? Well, you can’t! Stay off the roads!
There are road blocks to arrest drunks and keep them off the road because they could injure or kill someone . . . you are worse than that drunk, a drunk is mentally impaired by alcohol, what is your excuse for when you injure or kill someone . . . brain freeze?
I watched this morning in front of our house as dozens of idiots drove their children to school in 2 wheel drive cars with “all season” tires. Here is a clue, they mean ALL Season’s except WINTER with a foot of snow!!! These people were spinning their tires the whole way, not getting traction yet insisting that “I think I can, I think I can”. There were people that could not get past their driveways, yet they insisted on spinning the tires until they hit pavement???? They even asked if we could push them. Are you kidding me? I offered to push them back onto their driveways but not down the street. Why would I help you get your summer car onto a snow covered road to potentially kill someone? Would I not also be responsible for the death by helping you drive? GRAB A BRAIN YOU IDIOTS! If your tires spin out of control, stay the hell off the roads and leave them clear for those of us that have a clue and a vehicle that is prepared for the winter.
This public service announcement was brought to you by someone who is concerned for your life, his life, his families lives and for the lives of everyone that may get in your way.
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| Article Tags :: 4 wheel drive cars | 4 X 4 | alcohol | brain freeze | driveways | drunks | foot of snow | pavement | public service announcement | road blocks | season tires | summer car | summer tires | |
Is your Blog ready for Blackberry, iPhone or any other Smartphone? Posted on Saturday January 03rd 2009 Filed under: Tech Tips By BC Business Network, I have written 341 posts - Click here to visit my Website |
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Since I held off purchasing my Blackberry till the Storm was released, I never really paid attention to my Blog for smartphones. I did however modify my regular website to have a WAP area.
This morning I was thinking about changing my blog. I went to it on my Blackberry Storm and it really wasn’t a happy blog. It took way too long to load and when it was loaded it was very tiny. Remember that a lot of users pay for bandwidth and will never return to your Blog if the amount of images and advertising banners are going to cost them too much bandwidth. I was going to simplify everything so that it was more Smartphone friendly but before I went to all this trouble I decided to go visit Google and see what WordPress Plugins were available.
Sure enough, the first plugin I found worked without any modifications or trouble at all. Good job Imthiaz Rafic, the plugin is available at http://imthi.com/wp-pda. All you need to do is to upload it to the plugins directory of your Blog and activate it. It really is that simple. Once activated, the plugin detects your device and shows a simplified Blog. If your blog is a money generating blog, there are probably some plugins that will enable you to keep all the paid links even on a simplified blog.
I would recommend that you seriously consider this as an option simply because more and more people are going to be using Smartphones and it is a pain in the butt to have to zoom in and scroll around just to read a blog. It is also a pain in the wallet if you have to pay for bandwidth just to read a Blog post on a site that is filled with images.
| Article Tags :: advertising banners | bandwidth | blackberry | Blackberry Storm | blog | good job | google | iphone | Money | plugins directory | smartphones | wordpress | |
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“Happiness” by Matthieu Ricard Posted on Friday January 02nd 2009 Filed under: Book Review By CoachStan, I have written 54 posts - Click here to visit my Website |
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The book is titled as “A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill Happiness”
The author of this book is an interesting individual in himself. He holds a doctorate in biology from the Pasteur Institute and has spent more than a quarter of a century as a Buddhist monk. He is the French translator for the Dalai Lama and is the lead collaborator with the scientific community on the study of the effect of meditation on the brain. The studies are changing the way science looks at the brain. They are now discussing it using the term “elasticity” because of their findings that we can revamp our brain through repetitive practices such as meditation.
The book opens with the following quote by Luca and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza; “Happiness does not come automatically. It is not a gift that good fortune bestows upon us and a reversal of fortune takes back. It depends on us alone. One does not become happy overnight, but with patient labor, day after day. Happiness is constructed, and that requires effort and time. In order to become happy we have to learn how to change ourselves.”
Matthieu deconstructs our emotions and reconstructs happiness. He also explores the effect of meditation on the brain and looks in depth at our ability to monitor and temper our emotions. As part of this, he takes through the pathway of how we construct our feelings based on our view of the world. He considers the western philosophical viewpoint that negative emotion rules our lives and happiness is difficult to achieve. He counters this with an exploration of the negative emotions and how we can turn them to towards love and acceptance and then ultimately achieve inner fulfillment.
If you enjoy being a victim in your life and you wish to hang onto being a victim you will not like this book. The author makes it clear that you and you alone decide how you feel at any given moment in any given situation and that you are fully responsible for your feelings.
This is not an easy book to read. There is a lot to consider and contemplate on each page. It has similar depth and meaning as the Eckhart Tolle books. If you enjoy them and are willing to take the time to read and think, then you will enjoy this book.
| Article Tags :: buddhist monk | collaborator | dalai lama | doctorate in biology | elasticity | francesco cavalli sforza | french translator | good fortune | happiness | inner fulfillment | labor day | meditation | negative emotion | negative emotions | pasteur institute | pathway | patient labor | philosophical viewpoint | reversal of fortune | Stan J. Tonoski | |
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I finally have my Blackberry Storm (it was worth the wait) Posted on Wednesday December 31st 2008 Filed under: Business By BC Business Network, I have written 341 posts - Click here to visit my Website |
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I posted before about why I was waiting for the Blackberry Storm and I have to say that it was well worth the wait. I am currently setting it up and getting to know the capabilities and will post about it down the road.
Today I wanted to talk about my journey to a great Blackberry Storm rate plan, I want to talk about the Client Retention Business model used by Cell companies like Telus and I want to talk about what every person should know about Cell phone plans.
Since I first heard of the Storm, I put myself on a waiting list where I was the first in line. There were some problems with the first shipment which according to my retailer, were slated only for new users and not for long term customers. Of course, being a very long term customer, I was not pleased. I chose to call Telus and let them know I was not pleased, after a long chat I now have a very, very low monthly plan ($65 a month) with all Internet, Email, Instant Messaging, Text Messaging and GPS unlimited and outgoing minutes at 400 included. I have 24/7 incoming calls free and evening and weekend outgoing calls free as well. Just to put this in perspective, about 3 years ago I was paying the same amount for a simple Cell plan with some local minutes included.
If you have a cell phone or are looking to purchase one, shop around for the best plan out there. Then shop around for the phone or PDA you want and confirm which network carries the phone. Be careful which network you sign up for and make sure you research the plan carefully. Some carriers have really lousy reception and they are simply not worth using however they usually have very low rate plans and that can be a great tool to use for a better deal at another carrier. Once you have chosen your phone and carrier, it’s time to make a deal. Posted plans are not written in stone. Most providers will match the competition to get your business and they will wheel and deal to make you happy. Free calling for several months is pretty standard for new accounts.
If your plan is coming up for renewal, the “Client Retention” departments will bend over backwards to match or beat the competition plans that are available. Don’t ever simply renew your contract and accept what they offer you as a bonus like a free phone upgrade, this is an offer anybody can get for signing up. Settling for that is just not good enough. Being close to renewal is the perfect time to shop around and find out what other carriers are offering. Remember that you can take your phone number with you now, the old days changing Carriers was a royal pain due to the locking in of your phone numbers with specific couriers.
I hope you find a little tidbit of advice helpful in this post.
| Article Tags :: 3 years | blackberry | business model | capabilities | cell phone | cell plan | incoming calls | internet email | new accounts | telus | term customers | text messaging | waiting list | wheel and deal | worth the wait | |
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“Tax effective charity: a gift worth giving” Posted on Tuesday December 30th 2008 Filed under: Charity Events By BogBlogger, I have written 61 posts - Click here to visit my Website |
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Having been snowed in these last few days, thanks to the wisdom of the Corporation of Delta’s decision to give its Maintenance staff a five-day holiday in the midst of the worst snow storm since 1990, it was a real thrill to have our newspapers delivered today. I am a newspaper junky–we get three in our household.
It is days like today that I get a chance to really go through the Financial Post. With my interest in non-profits, my eyes naturally drifted to the section titled “Wealthy Boomer” and there under Tax Expert, was advice on how to maximize your end-of year donations.
There is the usual reminder: make sure to make your donation by December 31st to qualify for a tax credit for 2008.
Here are some quick tips on donating in the article written by Jamie Golombek.
1. Donate more than $200. This amount makes you eligible for higher federal and provincial tax credits.
2. More than $200 in donations jumps you from 15% to 29% federally plus between 11% and 21% provincially.
3. If you are married or have a common-law partner, you can pool your donations when you file your tax return. This helps you to take advantage of the higher donation credit faster.
4. Donating shares or funds in kind to charity entitles you to the tax credit and you won’t have to pay any capital gains tax on any accrued capital gains.
5. With the current market conditions, your current holdings may be in an accrued loss position. You can still donate these to a charity of your choice for a fair market value and also claim a capital loss for 2008. This can be used to offset any gains you have made in 2005, 2006, or 2007.
I have seen this recommendation in several articles over the past few weeks. I guess this is one way to take advantage of the current down turn in the market.
If you are snowbound like I am right now, don’t panic. Go directly to the website of your favourite charity and donate online. If you can’t find your favorite charity’s website, go directly to the CanadaHelps.org website and type in the charity’s name. If it is a registered charity in Canada, it will be listed.
If you are not sure who to gift you hard-earned funds to, think of a local arts or environmental organization. It is in keeping with TRBN’s philosophy to support local charities.
Arts and environmental organizations receive the least amount of funding. Remember what happened to the Harper government when it cut funding to the arts?
That is because too many people forget that many illnesses are caused by environmental degradation. So they give to causes that focus on the end result and not to organizations fighting to prevent end results.
In some ways that is human nature because it is hard to visualize what might be. That takes vision and most of us don’t have it.
When it comes to mental health related problems, it is art therapy or involvement with the arts in some way that brings people back from the brink. Remember the famous Canadian musician , Glenn Gould? Some people think he was autistic but music helped him communicate and contribute to society.
| Article Tags :: CanadaHelps.org | charity | Corporation of Delta | delta | Financial Post | Jamie Golombek | non-profits | provincial tax credit | tax expert | wealthy boomer | www.CanadaHelps.org | |
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“The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow Posted on Thursday December 25th 2008 Filed under: Book Review By CoachStan, I have written 54 posts - Click here to visit my Website |
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“On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.”*
You may have seen Randy Pausch and The Last Lecture on Oprah, YouTube or on a link to his site. Randy died on July 25th, 2008 leaving a wife with a marriage of only 8 years and three young children who will not likely remember their father because of their tender age.
Although Randy spoke his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon that day, he felt driven to leave a legacy for his children. What he left is also a gift for the world. The Last Lecture talks about his lecture and what life experiences he brought to that platform. Randy’s story will touch you. He talks about the influences that made his life what it was. He spends time on talking about how he is going to do and leave certain things to show his children how much he loved them and the incredible influence they had on his life. He paints a picture of the incredible partner and support his wife was through the ordeal that faced him and his family. We hear about how his parents influenced him even in key points in his adult life. He talks about the “brick walls” in life and how he found his way through them.
I am not going to say much else about this book except, Buy It! Read it and give it to someone you love. Better yet read it with them. This book will cause you to look at what is really important in the end. We will all be there someday. As Randy put it: he is grateful that he was not hit by a bus nor have a heart attack so that he could leave the legacy for his wife and children that he wanted for them!
Thank you for sharing your legacy with the world.
*Taken from the home page of www.thelastlecture.com
| Article Tags :: brick walls | carnegie mellon university | childhood dreams | computer science professor | heart attack | marriage | pancreas | professor randy | randy pausch | Stan J. Tonoski | youtube | |
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