The New Economy – Free Labour Pains

The global depression we’re in is seeing an increased in volunteering “positions” as companies find new ways – albeit borderline legal ones – of cutting costs.

Used to be, the only ones “working” for free were the interns, and to be in one those roles, you had to be enrolled in a recognized post-secondary program, or a co-op program through high school.

These days, I’m hearing horror stories of people with years of experience and education putting in full-time hours in the corporate world, yet they aren’t receiving any pay.

It’s questionable advice many career counsellors are giving to the unemployed and underemployed – instead of having gaps in their work histories on their resumes, it’s better to volunteer and show you were doing something.

Yeah, right.

Next time I go out for dinner, I’ll just offer to voluntarily enjoy the meal, so the restaurant doesn’t have any empty seats.

I’m sure that’ll go over well.

NOT!

But if you volunteer, you might have to do that, because how are you going to pay for food in your tummy, clothes on your back, and a roof over head?

Volunteering for a non-profit charitable organization is a good thing – for the community and those who take the time to make a difference in the lives they affect by doing some good.

But we’re talking about people volunteering at for profit companies – companies which are making money off of the backs of those so desperate for work, they are willing to work for free.

Despite the poor advice from some career counsellors, it’s really up to each company whether or not they accept volunteers or not.

Those that do – shame on you!

Exploitation of those misplaced during the worse depression since the 1930’s isn’t anything less than evil.

Evil.

Mega Evil.

Dr. Evil never would stoop so low –that we know of.

What’s worse, is these evil companies accepting volunteers while making a profit are in many cases, expecting their volunteers to work just like their paid staffers – putting in full-time hours, signing contracts which limit their outside activities during office hours, even going so far as to having their volunteers pay for their own background checks, prior to being “hired.”

But there’s no pay – and no hope of ever being paid.

If you’re working for free, why would they start paying you? They’ll just find another desperate person willing to do your work for nadda.

Yet that’s the hope driving many volunteers – that one day, their evil slave owners – for that’s what volunteering is when someone else is benefiting from your hard unpaid work – slavery – will see the value of their slave – I mean volunteer – and hire them on staff.

It’s the same dilemma many contractors go through – also victims of our global depression.

Contractors give it their all, hoping they will be offered a lucrative and stable staff job.

There are the occasional stories of volunteers and contractors being brought on-board into staff roles. But those are so few and far between, you can count them on less than one hand for the most part.

It just doesn’t make sound business sense – anyone willing to offer their services for less than they are worth are going to be raped for those services. That’s the unfortunate nature of our society.

Which is why the onus is on big business to lay down the law, and to have clearly defined policies and procedures which prohibit staff from using volunteers in established businesses.

Because people displaced by the global depression may not know any better.

So it’s up to business leaders to set the standard, to avoid exploitation, and creating a society where slavery is once again an acceptable form of work.

What “Friend” Means in the Era of Social Media

Stolen right from the pages of Star Trek lore, physicists in Texas are working on a way to make physical objects invisible by bending light waves.

Despite the similarity to the Romulan Bird of Prey cloaking technology from the 1960’s television show Star Trek, which hid these enemy ships from the Enterprise crew during battle, we’ve all had access to our own personal cloaking device.

Many instant messaging programs allow you to be cloaked, so you can see your friends online, but they can’t see you.

In Microsoft’s Skype, you can change your status to “Invisible” which allows you to see any of your contacts online, while maintaining your appearance as “Offline” – in effect, hidden from view, or cloaked.

This begs the question – why would you hide from your friends?

Perhaps the word “friend” has changed thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and all the other social media sites.

It isn’t uncommon to have a few hundred, or even a few thousand “friends” following your every post, tweet and hangout.

Used to be, you’d only really call someone a “friend” if you actually liked spending time with someone in the here and now, in the real world.

These days, people “friend” each other on Facebook, and the other social networking sites without really ever knowing who they are in the real world.

Many add complete strangers as friends, and then in turn, you feel compelled – almost guilt-ed – into adding them back – even though you haven’t a clue who they are.

For all you know, you may have added the next Charles Manson, or some other mass murderer as one of your online “friends.”

But don’t worry, the police probably won’t come knocking on your door.

The word “friend” really has changed thanks to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook.

What was once used to reference people we actually knew, liked and in many cases loved, is now a loose and ambiguous term for the strangers we occasionally share random thoughts with.

We all have real friends – or at least I hope you do – that you can really depend on in a pinch.

They listen to us vent, share in our joy, and are there when we need a shoulder and a hug.

And some have been lucky to really connect with those online, and may even have some friends from their social networks they can vent, share and hug too.

However, for the most part, having a zillion “friends” online doesn’t mean you have a zillion people you can depend on.

But I suppose it’s nice to believe that.

Hey You Millennials – Want to Be Taken Seriously? Wear a Tie

Last week, I attended a business workshop on revving up your business, and this week I’ve met with a handful of young adults interested in sharing their ideas, and growing their businesses.

Instantly upon meeting them I knew I’d be going away empty handed. Within seconds of meeting these individuals on separate occasions, I already felt that they just weren’t serious about their own success – so why entrust them with my success?

How’d I know this so fast?

None were dressed for success.

Hey, don’t get me wrong – I have my favourite pair of torn and worn blue jeans, soft and cuddly warm fleece hoodies, and occasionally on weekends I’ve been known to skip shaving, and maybe not even comb my hair.

But when meeting someone for business or professional purposes, unless you’re a well known rock star and already have a bank account bigger than mine, you’d better be wearing a tie.

Okay, a tie is a bit over the top in this modern era of corporate casual dress.

But ripped blue jeans, tattered T-shirts, and uncontrolled body hair are just too relaxed for making that all important first impression.

Even when I do conference calls from the comfort of my home, I dress professionally – and I don’t have a video phone.

I find I’m in more of a professional mindset when I dress like a professional, so I can ask the tough questions and figure out pretty quickly if you’re worth my time – or not.

Maybe that’s my secret advantage – just dressing for success. Perhaps those still in their pyjamas are more ready for bed, than talking business, so when the tough questions need to be answered, they yawn away any attempts of winning me over?

That’s great if I’m negotiating a better price – but really sucks for them because they just got taken to the cleaners.

What’s worse – for us both – is we feel our time was wasted, because my bias is to not take anyone seriously if they themselves don’t take themselves seriously.

And the easiest way to show me how seriously you need and want my business, is really very simple – dress professionally.

So listen up you millennials – I know who you are – sitting there in your parent’s basement, sipping on your diet caffeine free flavourless colas, wearing torn jeans that are three-sizes too large and your favourite Justin Bieber or Katy Perry T-shirt – drop the useless cola, put on some decent clothes, and dress like you know a thing or two about being a professional.

And then, I’ll treat you like one.

End of story.

Job Hunting 101 – Don’t Be Like This Guy

As I build an on-demand digital media company from scratch, I see many cover letters and resumes.

From kids right out of school looking for their first big break, to veterans of the working world, victims of the worst depression since the 1930’s.

It’s the latter that need to take note, because although we all know it’s tougher out there than ever before, showing your frustration and bitterness doesn’t improve your chances any:

“If this application finds its way to an employment agency, please disregard it. I’m tired of working on contract-to-perm – if they were truly contract-to-perm roles, I wouldn’t have to keep looking for work now would I?”

That’s an actual quote from a cover letter I received just the other day. Snarky sarcasm sure got my attention, but not in a good way.

Yes, our government has dropped the ball in letting companies outsource their workforces to such a deep degree that it’s exceedingly rare to find a secure, stable full-time staff job these days. And this unstable workforce just makes the economy even more uncertain, as those with unstable contract work don’t make the big ticket purchases which fuel the economy.

Governments need to put legislation in place to fix our broken economy – and they need to take a tough stand on the over use of contracted out consultants, and outsourcing to other nations, if that legislation is going to have any real impact.

However, complaining about it in a cover letter just sounded like sour grapes, screams attitude problem, and caused me to do what most employers probably would – instantly put that resume into the recycling bin.

Another example of what NOT to do if you want to get the jobs you are applying to:

“I’ve been a consultant not by choice, that’s all I can find. So if this is a contract of any kind, I’m just not interested.”

Neither am I interested – even though I’m looking to bring aboard full-time permanent people. If you actually spell out the limits of your employment in a cover letter or resume, you’ll probably be waiting forever for the phone to ring.

I certainly won’t be calling that person any time soon.

Despite all the doom and gloom echoed in many of the cover letters and resumes I see, occasionally I get one that makes me smile.

One of the keys to getting a job is standing out from all the other resumes, and one person recently caught my eye.

"Please check my resume and job hunting campaign below:

huntfredd.com

There is a $10,000 placement reward." 

If you follow the link, you are taken to a bright and welcoming website, with a cute video about this person calling himself Fredd Basser, who’s tired of being told he’s overqualified, so he’s offering a reward for anyone that finds him a job. He’s hoping to create a social media campaign that becomes so popular, it lands him work, and he’s offering money as an incentive to push that campaign forward.

Clever solution to a real problem in today’s economy, people with extensive experience unable to find work.

I haven’t talked to this person, but I hope he finds work – his idea is innovative and positive.

And we all need to remain positive in this horrible economy.

Thanks to Our Wired World, We’re Running Out of Numbers

As our dependence on mobile technology grows, our need for more numbers to link those magical devices grows too.

SO much so, mobile service providers and governments are coming up with more creative ways to keep us from running out of numbers.

They can do what is taking place in Canada’s largest city today – Toronto gets two new area codes as of today, 437 and 365.

This adds a millions of potential phone combinations to an already crowded see of 10-digit codes.

Or you can go the way of some big service providers, which encourage you to have one number which is shared among all your mobile devices.

Alternatively, you could cut the cord with your phone company, and go completely digital, using a Voice Internet Protocol (VOIP) based service such as Skype.

Maybe that’s why software giant Microsoft recently bought out Skype – which incidentally is giving out free VOIP calling for one month, to current MSN account holders, to lure them over to their newly acquired messaging platform.

All of these solutions work – for now.

What happens when Apple’s iWatch, Samsung’s version of the iWatch and Google Glass from the search engine company hit the streets later this year?

Think about all the numbers most people currently have – home landline, office landline, their personal smartphone and tablet, and then their work smartphone.

Some even have separate lines for their home office and home – both landline and mobile.

We’re swamped in a vast ocean of 10-digit dialing.

I remember years ago, when we only had to dial seven digits to connect over the phone. That’s before we got the addition of ONE – just one area code to our major urban area.

Now here in Toronto, we have six – SIX – area codes, and you’d never not dial the area code plus the number you are dialing.

As technical advances release us from the cables and cords of the past, allowing us to be free, and still be wired to the world, we’ll need to work together to ensure we don’t run out of numbers to connect our wireless devices.

Otherwise, regardless of how wonderful the tech is, it’ll be useless.

The Best Way to Green the Planet -- Mentally

As Earth Hour approaches this weekend, we'll all be huddled in the dark, thinking how to be more green.

Though there is more too it than switching off the lights. Driving fossil fuelled vehicles causes the most pollution in major cities, and is a big part of polluting our air.

A 2010 survey by Colliers International ranked the most expensive places to park.

Topping the list, is London, England where residents pay on average US$933 per month, while the average parking fees people in Hong Kong pay aren’t far behind – it came in second on the most expensive places to park list – at US$744.72.

Some places didn’t seem all that bad, residents in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada only pay on average US$116.94 per month to park their vehicles. The most expensive Canadian city? Calgary, Alberta at US$453.38 – and Calgary is the only Canadian location to make the top ten of the international most expensive places to park.

Whether you drive a Hummer in mid-town New York – the most expensive place to park in the United States – or a Lorry in London, UK – the most expensive place to park in the world – parking fees should be high.

Higher parking fees discourage people from driving in major urban centers, reducing the amount of vehicles in confined city spaces. Not only will this reduce commute times, thanks to the reduction in overall traffic, but all those nasty greenhouse gases spewed out from those vehicles is reduced too.

What a hassle – you say – how am I to go anywhere?

You’ll find a way.

We always do.

As more buildings are jammed into our already overcrowded urban areas, there are fewer and fewer spots to park. This generally increases the costs associated with parking, which is a good thing.

It forces people to think of alternative modes of transportation – such as taking public transit, riding a bike, walking, or if a car is absolutely required, car pooling.

Ironic how environmental disasters like British Petroleum’soil slick in the Gulf of Mexico bring attention to the need for more green solutions, but what really brings about change is our own discomfort.

As parking spots in our urban centers are eaten up by newer developments, bringing even more people into the urban centers with cars and trucks, it constantly takes longer and longer to circle the block looking for a parking spot.

As those parking spots are increasingly rare, the cost to use them constantly increases.

Both the high fees and the hassle of finding a spot to park work on us psychologically, forcing us to think of other ways to get around.

Maybe the solution to our dependence on fossil fuels lies in our minds?

Wearable Tech and Its Impact on the Modern You

As wearable technologies like Google Glass and the rumoured Apple iWatch are making headlines – and neither product has been released to consumers yet – it raises the real question, just how life changing will all this tech you wear be?

Very life changing.

Immensely life changing.

Imagine the cute salesperson trying to sell you a new whatchamacallit starts flirting with you big time. You’re instantly attracted to the bright eyes bashing about you – but you don’t know anything about this person.

Using your Google Glasses, you conduct a Google search of the person’s face, and instantly find from their Facebook profile that they went to the same university, studied Environmental Studies, have a dog, and appear to post a lot about hating their work – which is where you are now.

Hmmm.

You bring up their LinkedIN profile and see they used to be a manager of a bank, and have worked on and off in retail and telemarketing.

Hmmm.

You check out their Twitter page and see they recently had a sex change.

Moving on.

Despite the fictional scenario, all of those things – and more – could be quite possible if the smart folks at Google use technologies already widely available – facial recognition, voice commands, and the ability to access search results from those voice commands.

Aside from a lot of lonely nights for our fictitious sales person, what if the reverse happened to you, but instead of a potential date, you were being interviewed for a job?

We’ve all been warned not to post anything online that a potential employer might take offence too – but who listens to free advice these days?

As you sit there, describing yourself and where you want to be in five years, that potential employer could be seeing your drunken pictures posted on Google Plus, or that video you posted of your old boss picking her nose on YouTube.

Don’t worry, there are lots of other great places to work.

Even the rumoured iWatch – and we all know most products Apple leaks out as rumours actually are released – could be a source of pain for those in the hot seat.

It’s bad enough when friends go out to spend a great time with each other, only to ignore each other most of the night as they gaze eyes-down into their mobile devices.

Only with the iWatch, those eyes will be on each other’s own wrists, texting, tweeting, posting updates, checking the scores of your favourite sports teams.

Kind of defeats the whole point of hanging with friends.

Though I suppose there is one benefit to all this wearable tech – unlike our phones which we put in our pockets, rarely do we take off our watches and glasses, so the excuse: “I accidentally tossed my tech in with my clothes wash,” just won’t hold.

But people lose watches all the time.

Hmmm. 

Canada's Budget Locked Down But Tweeted

It's almost budget day in Canada.

I know.

So what?

Unless your an economist, politician, news junkie, or have nothing else to do, the fact that Canada's Finance Minister put on his new shoes, and is ready to deliver his new budget tomorrow for the nation just doesn't matter much.

That's why the feds in Ottawa are hitting social media mega-site Twitter, to spur up some social media interest, and engage Canadians in one of the most important, yet yawn-inspiring political functions of the nation's governance.

Traditionally, journalists are locked down prior to the delivery of a budget. They are herded like cattle into a room, where they get exclusive access to the actual budget.

This allows newshounds reporting on the budget to understand and comprehend the massive financial blueprint of a nation.

However, journalists aren't allowed to discuss what they see until after it's been announced. 

That's the law. 

It'll be interesting to see if politico-junkies manage to keep their excitement muted long enough to obey the law, or if the instant communications of social media leaks budget news ahead of the finance Minister's announcement.

Using social media in politics isn't all that new -- more "newish."

American President Barack Obama successfully used social media to get elected in his past and recent election bids for the presidency. He and his staff continue to use social media to engage younger people in the management of their country.

And perhaps that's the greatest good today, when Canada's Finance Department will tweet news about the new budget.

Budgets are typically long, dull and dreary financial statements. Not usually the stuff which attracts young people to politics.

However, budgets form the foundation from which all other government programs come. From tax breaks for students, to how much the government will fund student loans and repayment programs, to providing tax credits for low income families to send their kids to school -- budgets affect young and old people across Canada.

Using Twitter -- and maybe down the road other social media sites like Facebook, Google Plus, maybe even YouTube and Pinterest -- is a step in the right direction for Canada's Finance Department, and one all federal, provincial and municipal departments should take note of and follow.

Because a more politically aware and engaged youth means a more politically aware and engaged future.

And that's just good governance.

Baseball is Back – But We’re Watching Them Hooters in Front

Ah, spring is in the air as Major League Baseball’s spring training camps are in full swing, and opening days around the league are edging ever closer. Doesn’t hurt that today marks the first official day of Spring too.

But there may be more this baseball season attracting fans to the game than the crack of the bat, if spring training is any indication – sex.

Yes – sex in baseball.

Not in the stands, though I’ve often wondered about those sitting in the nose-bleed section – on the field!

In many ballparks across the league, the lanky skinny teenage ball boys have been replaced with hot Hooters waitresses, wearing tight, revealing outfits.

They are still responsible for catching balls out of play, though many watching are more captivated by their excessive cleavage than whether or not they can use the glove they are sporting.

And someone forgot to tell baseball’s latest eye candy how to play the game. There have already been a couple of incidents where Hooters girls have interfered with a ball in play.

If a traditional ball boy did that, he’d be ejected from the game, possibly fired. After a jiggle or two, and a deep sigh, maybe a pout, the umpire just laughs, smiles and waves it off, as the jumbo screen replays the jiggle and bouncing girl in slo-mo.

It’s no secret that sex sells. Advertisers have been luring us in with pretty faces – and more – for as long as we’ve all had hormones.

And sex in sport isn’t new either, just think about those late night boxing matches with the ring girls, or the hot chicks in skin-tight outfits accompanying winning Indy Car drivers.

What is new, is placing the sex objects right in the action, where they can influence the outcome of a major sporting event.

If the Hooter’s girl hadn’t caught those balls, then the batter might have been out – instead of getting another shot at getting on base, or driving home a run.

Baseball is going to be an interesting sport this season.

Why Choosing a New Pope is a Big Deal

When Americans, Canadians and British citizens elect a new national leader through the democratic process, the world’s media announces the new leader, and that’s about it.

When the Catholic Church appoints it’s new leader, the world’s media gathers like geese at a feeding frenzy around the Vatican, waiting for the plumes of smoke to spill out overhead, signalling those in the know will soon tell all.

As with most things about the Catholic Church, much of the process is cloaked in mystery, hidden from the public’s right to know through secrecy and ritual.

That’s quite an accomplishment in the always on digital social media universe which usually spills all, revealing all, even the stuff no one is supposed to know.

But the real question we should be asking ourselves, especially those of us not of the Catholic faith – why should the world care who the new Pope is?

The answer, surprisingly is very social – it’s all about influence.

Billions of people around the world feed, clothe and house the citizens of Vatican City – a separate country, located in Rome, Italy – through their donations to their Catholic Church.

Religion has been declining in much of the Western world, thanks in part to modernization, and a whole new generation of people so wired into technology, they don’t require the faith instilled in oneself by believing in – well –faith.

However, as the rich get richer and the poor ever so more poor, third-world countries have been taking up the slack, and are becoming the followers of the world’s largest organized religion – the Catholic Church.

And although Vatican City is only a few acres in the middle of a small country in Europe, it receives more fiscal support than all the governments in the Western world combined.

So when the Pope asks his followers to do something, he’s got more clout than the biggest and most powerful countries on the planet.

No, the Pope doesn’t have access to “the button,” so he won’t send in his soldiers into some country and try a take-over, nor will he threaten to fire a nuclear weapon and create a new world war.

But he can influence Catholics globally from any one of the thousands of masses he holds throughout his Papal career. Through his lectures, his readings, his blessings and his teachings, he influences his global following in the ways of the Bible – with a little hint of his own personal bias, and will.

It’s also noteworthy that influence is backed by a fiscal machine generating money from every corner of the world. No other government has such a wide reaching tax –base.

And that’s why choosing a new Pope is a big deal.

Regardless of your own beliefs, the military power of the American government, or the threat of nuclear war from North Korea, the Pope has the power of influence over billions of people around the world.

And it’s that influence which makes him a real force to be reckoned with.

Which is why all the world is waiting for a little plume of smoke.

Toronto Wanna-Be Mayor Cries Wolf

Last week, International Women’s Day was tarnished by the brash sexually abuse accusations fired at a big city mayor by a woman he defeated in the last election campaign.

Sarah Thomson, claimed that Canada’s largest city mayor,Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, made lewd sexual slurs while grabbing her butt at a political function.

Thomson, who ran against Toronto’s Mayor and lost, didn’t follow the usual course of action by a victim of sexual assault and report it to police. Instead, she blasted Mayor Rob Ford publicly on social media, posting a picture of her smiling, alongside the accused on Facebook.

Mayor Ford denied Thomson’s whole story, claiming none of this happened, and that she was crying wolf.

Numerous people at the event, even those not traditionally supporting the controversial Toronto mayor have spoke out against Thomson, claiming they clearly saw that none of what she was claiming happened.

A handful of local politicians are even coming forward, saying they overheard Thomson talking about intentionally setting up Mayor Rob Ford, to further her own political aspirations.

Thomson claims if anything, publicly talking about this would hurt her political career, as she’ll be known as the “ass grab” politician.

Sarah Thomson – formerly Sarah Whatmough – unsuccessfully ran for a municipal council seat in her native city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1997. She then launched a monthly newspaper called the Hamilton Examiner in 1998, which shortly ceased publication. Since then, she moved to Toronto, ran unsuccessfully against Rob Ford, and failed again in politics, when she ran locally for the Provincial Liberal Party in 2011.

Her bold and potentially criminal charges – despite her lack of filing a police report – was the first time in a long time the 45-year-old Thomson had been in the public eye, with just about every news organization in the city clamouring for an interview.

Allegations of sexual abuse are traditionally he said, she said debates, hammered out in a court of law. And make no mistake, sexual assault is one of the most distasteful and disruptive of crimes one person can commit against another. 

Victims of sex abuse often endure years of therapy, as they overcome the horrible events of their past. Some never fully recover.

However, Thomson is acting more like a person with a mission, than victim, as of this writing, she still hasn’t filed a police report, laid criminal charges, or sought any of the traditional sources for assistance and recovery from sexual abuse which one would normally take in such matters.

All Sarah Thomson has done, is as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has said, is cry wolf.

If what Thomson is claiming is true, than the mayor of Canada’s largest city should be held fully accountable for his actions.

If on the other hand, Thomson is just crying wolf to rally for her personal gain, not only should she be held fully accountable for her actions – which she will because no one will believe or trust her ever again – but she should also meet with and learn from actual victims of sexual abuse.

Because those who’ve been harmed sexually often have the longest road of recovery. And perhaps, if she learns from those who’ve got more than a Facebook page with unsupported allegations to cry wolf from, she’ll realize just how devastating sexual assault is on those who’ve actually been assaulted in this manner.

And that will make her – slightly – a better person, even if she just cried wolf.

If Everyone Hates Reality TV – Why Do We Watch?

Ever notice how quick we’ll complain about nothing being on television other than reality TV shows, but somehow, you happen to watch one of these highly popular shows?

Wonder why?

Perhaps it’s our human nature to watch others suffer more than ourselves?

Naw – you say – I’m not that sort of person.

Wanna bet?

Ever rubberneck?

Rubberneck. You know – when you slow down while driving or walking past an accident on the highway or road, to see what’s going on?

Everyone rubbernecks. So much so, many local governments have enacted anti-rubbernecking laws, so that people don’t stop too long and hold up traffic while passing accidents on local roadways.

Rubbernecking is a lot like watching reality TV – or at least the psychology behind them is identical.

Life is full of challenges. We all have our highs and our lows. That’s the way it goes.

However, scientists tell us we naturally take comfort in knowing we’re not alone in our lives. Not just the hugs, kisses and affection of loved friends and family – though that helps.

Science tells us we are genetically predisposition to seek comfort in other’s struggles with life. It makes us feel whole, complete, and above all – normal.

One of the most common complaints patients suffering from depression complain of, is a lack of fitting in with society. According to studies, these people delve deeper into depression’s ugly grips because they’ve cut themselves off from the outside world, and don’t see others going through life’s many challenges.

It’s not that we naturally feel better by the worse fates of others, instead, we’re comforted knowing we are not alone in our struggles to exist, and live meaningful lives.

So even though we all complain about reality TV, in some ways its therapeutic – which is why we all watch reality TV.

Now if only we could find something therapeutic in another format of television, to rid the world once and for all of silly, pointless reality TV.

Pass the remote control – it’s time for my therapy.

Budget Axe May Grind Away Toronto Teachers – Good Riddance

Last night, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) had to reduce its annual operating budget – in the Province of Ontario, Canada, public school boards aren’t allowed to be in debt.

On the budget chopping block are numerous full and part-time teaching positions, mostly in the high school level.

Good riddance to the bloated, ego-maniacal teachers – serves them right if they lose their jobs.

Normally, I’d have the utmost respect for those charged with educating our kids.

However, since the school year began last September, our kids have been stuck in the middle of a labour war between the teachers, their union, and the Province of Ontario.

The province imposed – as they are rightfully allowed to being the public school teachers employer – a new contract, which the union didn’t like.

Since then, there have been random walkouts, picket lines and worse for the future leaders of tomorrow – no extra-curricular activities.

There’s more to life than reading, writing and arithmetic – although those are important. The after school sports, clubs and events which has been a part of most children’s – until this school year – foundation of learning forms the basis for learning more than books can teach.

From being a good sport, to learning how to work well with others, to thinking outside the box – sounds a lot like what you’d find in a job ad – extra-curricular activities teach our kids how to function in society, and lead meaningful lives.

That is unless you live in Ontario, where the teachers haven’t been doing their job.

At first blush, it appears to be a labour issue, where the teachers and their union are working to rule in protest against their boss, the provincial government.

But just two weeks ago, the union asked teachers to resume extra-curricular activities, as the union was forging ahead with negotiations. Most of the teachers – the good apples – joyfully did just that.

But according to the union, about 20 percent of the province’s teachers are holding out, STILL refusing to give kids the education they need, by refusing to do extra-curricular activities.

These bad apples aren’t just holding innocent children hostage, they are now making it clear they don’t deserve to have a good paying government job.

As unemployment worldwide climbs in the worst depression since the Great Depression, apathy is anything but your friend. And lazy-ass teachers, can’t hide behind their union in Ontario and claim extra-curricular activities are part of their protest – the union made it clear that’s not the case anymore.

So, when school boards across the province face laying off slacker teachers to balance their budgets, cry me a river, because they deserve the seeds they sowed.

Unfortunately, another “benefit” of unionized labour is time in. The longer you’ve been in the union, the more clout you carry, and that means the teachers that most likely will face unemployment are the young new ones, which aren’t necessarily lazy-ass slackers.

Unionized labour – good grief.

Dow Jones Jump – Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me

Yesterday’s surprising spring-like high for the New York Stock Market the Dow Jones Industrial Average had all the usual suspects talking about how we’re coming out of this recession.

It was a record high, climbing 158 points, reaching 14,286, which broke it’s previous record high set in October 2007. The Dow Jones fell back slightly and by day’s end was 14,253.

Here in Canada’s banking capital, Toronto’s S&P/TSX rose 28.63 points, but was still well below its record high set in June of 2008. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq exchanges also showed increases, but the focus was on the Dow Jones, because it broke the record books.

Bankers, economists, and other important-looking people dressed in expensive three-piece suits appeared on all the newscasts, talking about how this was just the kind of fiscal movement we all need to get us out of this seemingly never-ending global financial mess.

Hey, wait a sec – don’t the stock markets suddenly increase just before most of the major economic catastrophes of all time?

It’s like a financial tsunami of sorts, as the trade winds ruffle amidst uncertain economies globally. Traders buy up stocks, hoping their actions will trigger an up-swing and it does. Until those everyone catches on, and cashes out, selling stocks like hot potatoes, crashing an already volatile market.

That’s what happened just before the Great Depression in October of 1929. That’s also what happened just as the housing market in the States went belly up, which brought us into our current economic sandstorm.

And as people across North America continue to struggle to pay their bills, it’s happening again.

More people have given up looking for work than ever in recorded history – even since the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties.

There are fewer full-time permanent jobs, as companies continue to outsource, and contract out their workforces to temporary, contract workers.

The cost of goods and services continues to rise, yet wages continue to fall.

And despite all of this doom and gloom, the newscasts yesterday painted a rosy picture of an economy on the up and up.

Once fooled, twice shy.

We all should be twice shy – maybe more with all the bullsh*t being broadcast by bankers, economists and their ilk.

We are far from the end of this global depression – and their artificial hype will just make it worse.

Economists traditionally try to calm everyone down during economic crisis. That’s not only their nature, it’s in their best interests – because panic causes rash decisions – like selling stocks and upping interest rates – which crash economies.

But outright lying to keep the peace when people are losing their jobs, their homes and ultimately their lives is unacceptable.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Don’t be fooled by the banking buffoons.

Why Won’t Print Just Die

Yesterday, Canada’s largest daily, The Toronto Star, sent out a memo to staff advising of layoffs, and outsourcing of various production and design work due to budget cuts.

The death bell has been ringing for years in the newspaper business, as digital on-demand media becomes the way most of the western world keeps connected.

SO how come print just won’t die?

Funny thing about technology – it makes it possible for even old things to be new once again.

Maybe we’re just waiting for the right genius kid to discover a new technological solution to re-ignite the newspaper business?

That kid better hurry up – there’s not much left at most newspaper offices these days except a few old curmudgeons and the blurry eyed interns that don’t see the proverbial forest for the trees.

When I was a kid, we got The Toronto Star delivered to our home every day. When it came, we’d take turns ripping through it, looking for our favourite sections.

We always fought over the "Star Week" the paper's TV Guide, this was back long before on-screen program guides which we all have now.

I really enjoyed the national, local and international news sections, along with “Wheels,” and I even liked some of what us old school reporters used to call “the woman’s section” known as “Life.”

I remembered enjoying the full-colour comics on Saturdays, and how they packed extra stuff into the weekend papers.

Thinking back, I feel sorry for the kid that was our newspaper carrier at the time, because the Saturday Star must have weighed as much as a Smartcar.

Those were the days before the Internet, social media, and on-demand digital media. People had more time – or so it seems now – to read through all the various sections, gloriously getting inked fingers from the constant page-turning.

Not so anymore – all broadsheet-width newspapers reduced their standard width years ago, simply because it was becoming too expensive to make such Bible-sized publications.

When that happened over 20-years ago, it was the start of the end for print. Newspapers, like most media sources, make their money by advertisers. The more advertisers, the more pages a paper can be, the more stories can be jammed in.

As people stopped reading papers, advertisers pulled out, meaning fewer pages for the already popular sections.

So newspaper moguls cut the size of the physical paper. They claimed at the time it was to make it easier for people to read, and in a way it was.

But truth be told, it was because newsprint costs went up, while ad revenues and readership went down.

Many major metropolitan daily newspapers including The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and others have attempted “pay walls” to bring in much needed cash flow.

A “pay wall” essentially lets you read part of a story, or a certain number of articles from the publication online, and then after that limit, you have to either pay for an online subscription, or pay a set price per article to continue reading.

Though when it comes to the end product – news – who’s going to pay for something you can get for free in a more timely manner via television, radio, or the social networks?

Pay walls aren’t going to save newspapers from their death.

And yesterday’s announcement of staff cuts and outsourcing labour by Canada’s largest daily certainly puts another knife in the back of an already dying media business.

Although I’m a digital media guy, I’ve always enjoyed newspapers, and hope that someone, somehow figures out a way to save them.

But time is not on their side, as they continue to slash staff, outsource production, and lose money, in our on-demand digital media world.