The Electric Lazy Boy

November 7th, 2011 Thomasso

People and electricity have one very common attribute: both will always travel the path of least resistance. Sometimes this path of least resistance may not mean taking the shortest route. In some cases, this behaviour takes on the most illogical behaviour that baffle even the most brilliant minds who study human behaviour; but once the data are added up, then this behaviour makes sense, or takes on a pattern that can be replicated, then we can learn from it. An example that I am looking at are people who work, and are performing a tasked that they simply do not wish to undertake. I use the task of taking out the garbage as my case example.

Now, the dumping of garbage, or waste, has some rules, or parameters that must be kept. Imagine if in your neighbourhood someone just dumped a bag of trash in the middle of your street – you would be upset. There are rules, like using a bag, and putting that bag into a sturdy container. Once the container is ready for dumping, it is then taken to the dumpster (if your neighbourhood has one). You would never dream of just letting the bag of trash sit in the middle of your driveway, or be placed along the farthest edge of your property line hoping that some small rodent will carry it the rest of the way for you to the dumpster.

We live in a time when you just cannot throw everything into the dumpster. We now have rules, or by-laws, that prohibit some materials from going into the mean-stream landfill. One such item is the material known as cardboard. Cardboard is the material that makes cardboard boxes. Cardboard can be recycled, and is therefore kept separate from the rest of the garbage that we throw out. Cardboard boxes generally come in the form of a cube shape, when consumers purchases their goods that are packaged by these cube like structures. The endgame with cardboard boxes that are going to be disposed of, is to change them from a cube, into a shape that will take up the least amount of physical space possible – usually we call this process, flattening. Flattening does require some labour, depending on the size and strength of the cardboard.

So, as per garbage etiquette, we separate different materials that go into the waste collection bins, and also, we need to do some processing to help facilitate our obligations to this waste separation process, such as flattening of cardboard. Failure to this leads to inefficiencies in the system as a whole, and adds more costs to the program which is felt by all who are in directly responsible for it. As for the human who acts like electricity, and is caught up in the whole physics of taking the path of least resistance, his laziness now burdens the added costs onto to the rest of the community. By not flattening his cardboard boxes, he has now taken up space inside the bin that could normally hold three times that amount, and now has added a cost to the rest of the community who wish to add  their cardboard to the bin.

Sadly in our punitive style system of public works, we all have to pay for this one individual. Added to this sadness, there is no way of enforcing the waste separation rule. We cannot “arrest” him, or prohibit him from using the waste bins. All we can do is watch this electrical thinking individual continue to travel the path of least resistance. Perhaps shamming is the only tool we have left of helping our community without violating our higher laws that govern our society?

Just throwing this out there.

Posted in Criminology, Diatribe, General, Humour, Social economics, Social Justice, Story Telling | Comments Off

Going to the Polls – Civic Election Langley

November 3rd, 2011 Thomasso

One would think that there is an election going on with the sudden crop of election signs that just popped up along every roadway and field throughout town. According to my sources on Twitter, and verified on the various webpages that I read, we have one coming up on November 19, 2011, a Saturday. If that was not enough, I have being approached by two friends who have friends of their own who asked if I would help out planting election signs with them. I had to decline becuase of my super busy schedule, but they gave me the “dirt” based on their perspectives and ideologies about the upcoming election, and why it is so important to get the word out and get people to vote.

You need the information about this civic election?

Well, here is a good place to start: Township of Langley Elections.

I am not going to go into a big long spew about why it is so important to vote, and why those who do not vote are saying that democracy has failed us, and that your vote does not matter. Nor am I going to go into the whole morel and ethical reasoning of why living in a democracy is better than living under a dictatorship, or regime. The choice is really yours to make. However, I do encourage everyone who can vote, get out and vote, especially for a civic election.

Why is voting in a civic election so important?

Of all major levels of government, your municipality is going to effect you the most. Everything from business to property tax, your schools, fire departments, policing, street cleaning, (to name but a few) these are huge areas of costs and services, and they effect you directly. Yes, even those who rent are directly effected by how your municipality runs and operates!

So on November 19, 2011, get off your butt, out from your arm chair, and head down to the polling stations to cast your vote(s). Do some research on who you want to run. You will be faced with a number of choices, unlike provincial and federal elections where you pick “one of the above;” civic election you will be choosing a number of candidates to run for a number of seats and boards at once.

Vote!

By the way, I do not represent any of the candidates, or political parties that are running in this civic election for Langley Township.

Posted in Around Town, Events, General, Photographs, Socail Media, Social economics, Social Justice | Comments Off

Looking at the Money Tree

October 7th, 2011 Thomasso

I have being giving this a lot of thought lately as our economic world falls into the abyss. Everyone is touting that Canada is doing so good in terms of economics, saying that we will weather the bad times and continue on without any devastating crashes compared to the other countries that we stand beside. But for some strange reason, I feel we are not doing as well as our elected and non-elected official are saying.

My doubt is from seeing more and more people on the streets, in and around the Langley Township area, where I live. Sure, the police and public do a great job of forcing the homeless off of the streets, from plain view, during the day, but this is a totally different story when out at night. Every now and then I like to hike the trail called the “Fort to Fort Trail” that follows the Fraser River from where Fort Langley is located.  It is a great trail to walk and run, and it is used a lot, both day and night. However, at night, in the bushes along that path, you can expect to see one or more homeless people camping out.

So, in these tough economics times, and living in a country with so much wealth, why are there homeless people, when, according to our leaders, we are doing so well? Yes, I know the answer(s), but I like asking the question.
I see two classes of homeless now. I see those with mental illnesses, who cannot manage themselves in normal circumstances, and I see people, young and old, who can work, who have education, but are unemployed. Both groups are of great concern to me.

Why do I care? I care because in a country like Canada, we seem to have lost something in our identity, in ourselves, and in our national fabric of how we see ourselves. We seem to have replaced liberalism with something dark and bitter. This started way before the economic meltdown of 2008-09. This was an escalating problem back when times were booming, and Canada was facing a labour shortage. I saw “something” thrown out with the bathwater, as the saying goes, and our good name went with it. The “haves” and “have-not” gap grew in the last decade, based on my own observations, and this really made me ask questions.

I really believe that this issue must be kept up on top of our list of problems socially, so that it is not something that slips down to the bottom of the list of priorities that are of least important. I somehow wish the media would report this message ten times a day, rather than the petty crimes that get front page status all of the time.

Sadly, I believe that Canada has changed, and this change is not something that is totally pure and beneficial to all mankind. Or, maybe Canada was always like this, and I was naive in the lenses of the rose coloured glasses of liberal ideology?

Posted in Around Town, Criminology, Diatribe, General, Law and Order, Social economics, Social Justice | 2 Comments »

Debt Dummies & Dr. Doom Here

September 15th, 2011 Thomasso

I just had a phone call conversion with an old friend from up in Terrace who is going through a bit of a pickle with his personal money situation. He was terrified and decided to look me up after nearly ten years of no contact. The last time we spoke, I was experiencing my own financial trouble with the then HSBC down here in Vancouver, and how I all-of-sudden awoke one day to find my life in ruins from just one bad money decision I made. He was moving back up North becuase he could not find a house that was in his price range. Even back in 1999, times in Canada were oddly rough for most wage earners. So he found me and was desperate to find anyway possible to save his home and family.

I am not a financial expert, nor am I even close to being a guru on such matters. I solved my problems through very unconventional means, but the sacrifices that I made back then are not something endorsed by the mainstream. In fact, and I can say this quite loudly, my answers and current practices are considered atrocious by the Banking community, but nonetheless, solved my problems, and freed my life substantially.

To put it simply, my friend’s days of being a home owner are numbered. He has been given his eviction notice from the Bank and mortgage company, and the house will be placed up for sale in a matter of a few weeks. His family is also going through the pains of this huge upheaval. Both him and his wife are now unemployed as the jobs that they held up in the area have since downsized and  shrivelled up. He is now doing cash jobs, scavenging metal from old equipment left out in remote logging sites from over the years and transporting it to scrap dealers in the Pacific North West.  It is very labour intensive, and his return on investment very low.

His issue that he wanted to talk to me about was how to keep his family together. His wife, who seems to be taking the eviction harshly, is so depressed that she is on medication from the stress. His son, 9 years of age, is not performing in school as well as he ought to be, thus adding to an already over boiling pot of stress that he is trying to deal with. And with the pressure to keep the kids fed, dressed and going to school, so too are his needs of finding enough money to pay for gas to work, while on top of this, looking for an affordable place to rent, thus trying to save for the damage deposit and first months rent.

He did try to apply for help with the government, but he quickly learned that there was no help to be given. He never qualified for Employment Insurance while his wife’s income from the insurance benefit only pays for the food and utilities. Government compensation is limited to scarce for most Canadians families in need in today’s economy.

The hope that I offered him was that of change. Adapting and changing in this world of evolution seems to be the key to surviving economic shifts like the double dip rescission that we are in today. Change is rough, especially up North, when everything changes so slowly and lifestyles are always a generation behind. He needs to take a page from the people of Vancouver and surrounding areas in the South. Here, rent consumes on average 80 percent of ones total income for low income wage earners–he needs to follow that up their in Terrace–living with less income.

So, therefore, a lifestyle change is needed to reflect this new era of Canadian living, and that is strictly based on being a smarter consumer. Gone are the days of impulse buying and the use of credit cards. Habits such as smoking and drinking are costs that really need to be taken in to consideration with limited income, no matter how depressed today’s social climate is, he needs to stop this. Going back to a single car, and buying in bulk from large shopping centres and big box stores is the new norm now, and is almost a necessity.

So, I thought about the tone of the words that my friend used when we talked over the phone, and it inspired me to write this post. Everywhere I look, I can see the signs of this playing out. I now think that the second wave of economic chaos is going to be more negatively stronger than the crash of 2008-9. What is different is that we are still spending like the first wave never happened, but this time, it is all credit and borrowed money, not savings and cash. I do not see very many people planning ahead, but instead willing to duck and cover, maybe using the bankruptcy card to play when the dam breaks open?

I wish my friend from up in Terrace well, and hope that his him and his family will weather this storm fairly.

Posted in Diatribe, General, Social economics | 2 Comments »

Paperclip Etiquette

September 7th, 2011 Thomasso

Today, at my work, we were talking about some of the conventions and standards that we have from Mother Corp for our everyday operations. Some are commonsense, and obvious, while others, mystifying and comical, and a couple of them even dumbfounded me that they even exists in the first place.

Because the company that I do my Volunteering work with is tied with the Federal government, these rules have cemented themselves among the civilian end of Corrections Canada. Anyone who has worked with, or as a civil servant, should know that these “rules” exsits in a huge way.

We have a handbook that sits in the photocopier room, and in it, there is a section on Paper Clips. According to that book, we are only allowed to use two types of paperclips: a 2.5cm and 4cm size. Nothing else is acceptable according to this book.

So myself and some other staff members thought that we really needed to update this book, as it was published in 1996. So we came up with 7 rules of Paperclip Etiquette to coincide with Mother Corp’s rules and conventions. Here they are:

Paperclip Etiquette

Rule #1 Using a tiny paperclip to hold 150 sheets of paper together is poor judgement. Use a monster size one instead.

Rule #2 Reusing them is good commonsense, but only if they are not bent out of shape.

Rule #3 Do not use a staple if you need to run the papers through a photocopier. Use a paperclip instead.

Rule #4 Putting a paperclip in your mouth is gross. It is like me coughing all over you.

Rule #5 Please keep them separate. Making a paperclip chain is not good efficient use of paperclip resources and time.

Rule #6 Do not use paperclips as a bookmarker. Use designated paper bookmakers instead.

Rule #7 Keep Paperclips dry. Some paperclips rust. (This is why you should keep them out of your mouth, Rule #4).

Posted in Criminology, Diatribe, General, Humour, Social economics | Comments Off

Work Place Change for Me

August 31st, 2011 Thomasso

I have being working over the last few days helping my employer deal with some very hard hitting decision making over what to cut, how to do it, and how deep these cuts should go. We are in a position where austerity measures are not only a means to our very survival, but to our ever growing debt problem. The local economy is vibrant, but we are starting to feel the pinch of inflation, and the lack of consumer confidence from the sales and service departments that we operate. There is cash flow, but operating in this new economic era must change for us—we have no choice anymore–the pot is getting smaller and smaller.

I asked what I could to help over and beyond as far as working more proficiently and economically, but I also wanted to add my thoughts and ideas to the pile of recommendations that were on the table that could help ever further. I suggested cutting back on the some of the services that we use such as the paper shredding service that we do once a month, and use our paper shredder from the photocopying room and do that whenever we need to dispose paper.  Also, our “paperless system” needs to be reinvented as we seem to be printing more paper than ever before. But I also suggested streamlining our hours so that payroll could be reduced by a 3 percent annually. That would be a huge saving in operational costs—and it might save our jobs in the long run?

For some unknown reason, to me at least, my employer dismissed my recommendations of the reduced hours for employees. In fact, they told me, they are going in the opposite direction with the staff, and that we should start seeing an increase in our hours starting in October. They went on to explain that they are going to shrink our office size, cut out one section of the building that we currently occupy, and then we are going to take over unused space in other sections of the building.  We will also be taking on more operations from outside the corporation as the business model is being pushed into other none traditional areas of the service sector that we are currently in.

So, I was left a bit surprised, but then realized that the effect on me in this new business model is going to be huge. It scared me as I thought about it. I do not agree with the new direction, but then again, I am not the one at the helm of this ship. However, I do see the benefit for myself. I will still be employed, and my skills and knowledge are going to utilized more so than ever before, which makes me very happy. I feel needed—as I am laughing about this.

I guess with knowledge, there is power, as I focus on these new changes. My coworkers are not too thrilled about this, and some have voiced their concerns, and some even said that they are ready leave if their work load increases too much. Being educated, and with my experience, I have learned that you never make a decision based on speculation unless you have tried it before. Dealing with change is my specialty now that I can see beyond the writing on the walls, having to use blind faith, and looking at the patterns in the tea leaves.

Posted in Diatribe, General, Social economics | 1 Comment »

Bad Bad HST

August 26th, 2011 Thomasso

This morning as I was driving into work, I had the radio tuned to CBC Radio One, and I was listing to Premier Christy Clark Talking about the results of the HST Referendum. What was odd, from my point of view, was her focus on the “Plan B.” This was odd because the results were not yet released, and she was talking about her pending defeat four hours before the results were to be released. Suspicious, but she is government, so sure; I’m sure hundreds of people knew well before the release of the results.

So I as listened to her babel on about how the government is going to listen to the people and obey the results, it dawned on me that it does not matter. The tax, whether this one, or a new one, the likelihood of an increase is inevitable because the government only needs to ramp up the old PST to match revenue lost from the HST—so simple—and yet so true. As taxed beaten as we are now, I believe we have not seen anything yet. Sure the voters dealt a shot over the bow of the Liberal’s ship, but they hold us hostage with their majority government in Victoria.

As news officially hit the Twittervers that the HST was overwhelmingly voted out of existence, my colleagues, most from the political right, were somewhat confused. It is funny because, they choose the HST because it was the best out of the two evils for them, yet, fighting in favour of a tax goes against every fibre of their been. It was cute to see because, as our accountant put it, “what does this mean…?”

Like good sports, they all agreed that they were going to put their faith into the government, and they hoped that the next eighteen months would be a smooth one for them. Yes, “faith in government…?”

My take on this—I am glad that the British Columbia Government got a taste of the voter anger from the 1.6 million voters who took the time to mail in their ballots. With 54.73 voting to scrap the HST, not for one second was this referendum about the practicality and good government management of the HST and its affairs. This was about a sloppy, megalomaniac Premier who resigned because he lied to the people of whom he represented. This was a vengeance vote, a vote directed at the confidence of the government by its people. I was stunned when the tax appeared back then, right after I heard our leader say at the time that he would not implement the HST. So now, here we are, as one of the only jurisdictions that have recall legislation, we used this valuable tool at our own government, and it seems to be a bitter pill to swallow, but for most us, this was the medicine that we needed.

Do I regret what we have done?

Not really. I see a silver lining out of all this. As a consumer, my buying habits have change a lot since the 2009 meltdown. Buying gas in the US, shopping for bargains and making due with less, has already created a more adaptable environment based on living with the HST. Reverting back to the old style PST only means that old customs of living will easily become reacquainted ones again. I think businesses who are crying about the loss of HST should really look forward and think about the future—their survival depends on it.

Some cool links about the Vote, and the HST.

B.C. votes 55% to scrap HST

Interactive map shows breakdown of HST vote

Posted in Diatribe, Events, General, Social economics, Social Justice, Twitter | Comments Off

Another Pricing Scheme

August 24th, 2011 Thomasso

Playing with the physiological human instinct of choosing between what is perceived as a great deal, versus what is not a great deal, seems to be taken to new heights from the retailers I work with. I am talking about everything from packaging, to pricing, the slick art of getting customers to buy your product thinking that they are getting the best bang for their dollar. It has become a science from which companies, such as the one I work for, who are paying huge sums for “investments/marketing” and following new pricing scheme like “religious text” to get the consumers buying at the new market prices, according to our sales repetitive. It seems that nothing is forbidden in sales, advertising and packaging, as loopholes have been found, and marketing is being pushed to new frontiers.

Every once in a while I am asked to go on a buying spree to load up on goods that we use/need around here in the office. (I’m secretly writing this from my desk – don’t tell my boss…) We are also a “quasi” retail company, or wholesaler; it is hard to pin down a proper definition or description of what we do, but that is beside the point. We shop by catalogues and use price lists, unlike consumers who walk into a store and shop for what they need. I use the word “shop” as someone who sees something that they need, and then they physically take the item and pay for it. We do not shop, we order, and we order in bulk. And because we order like this, the advertising is slightly different from that of a shopper in a retail store.  We do not get a photograph of the item. We rely on our good judgement of what we need and what we want, so the vendors that supply us now seem to be using crafty means of playing on our wants and needs. Here are some examples that I am faced with.

Item descriptions are either very vague, or verbose, now. I am noticing that items such as pens are becoming of lower quality, or the packaging is larger than the volume of what is inside, or the pens got smaller? All project a sense of a bargain, while the truth is, you are paying for more–for less.

Not long ago the description would have included how much ink, weight and dimensions, and the size of the ball-point was, and there was also a scale that you could use to determine the type of pen that you wanted so you could compare each of them. So, if I like a particular pen, and it sold for, say $10.00 a package, I could compare that item with others to help with my decision. Now, when I looked for that same item, the price is now $14.99, but the description is lacking the details that that item number once had from before are missing.

Not only did the packaging change, but so have the amounts, or mete. Last time we could buy the pens in lots of 100, 200, and 500. Now they come in lots of 144, 475 and 720? Why? A clever sales trick?

So I dug up our old invoice sheets from last year, and from 2009, so that I could compare costs. This was very difficult because the items and their descriptions changed; skew numbers are totally reformatted, and price scales no longer work, or they are all in a different order on the price sheet now. Basically, I took a pen of a certain style and specification, and compared it from what we had in the last two years, from memory. Memory is not the best tool to work with, but who would have thought this would happen with all of the vendors at once?

What I noticed with the one type of pen that I liked, was that the price increased by 72.8 percent. So, a pen with the value of $0.25, was now almost worth almost $0.45 per unit, and that price changed based on package type, model, and quantities that the packing came in. I was getting less pen per stock, at a higher price. Clever, as I was almost fooled into thinking I was getting a better deal of buying one case-lot.

So, buying has become even more difficult with retail and manufactures going in several directions to make their product appear to be more competitive, yet masking the increases you pay in the end. Buyer beware “Caveat emptor.”

Addendum: I did manage to find a source for our office supplies needs. Surprisingly it came from a company in Richmond, BC, who sold Canadian made products, at some very reasonable prices too. Bonus!

Posted in Diatribe, General, Social economics | 1 Comment »

Debt and Doubt

August 12th, 2011 Thomasso

I have being paying very close attention to the money markets this last week. I jumped up for joy when Gold surged up a $100.00, and was very happy when Oil tumbled $10.00. I was also somewhat happy when our Dollar started climbing up again against the U.S. Dollar, and somewhat dismayed and angered when both Oil prices and Charted Bank Rates stayed stable throughout this time of volatility for the consumer. But the one redeeming quality that I have going for me is I do not owe anyone of the non-governmental parasites anything in terms of borrowed money. My vow not to take on debt since 2002 has more than paid off in losses and untold charges. By my estimates, based on a calculation I did in one of my economics classes back in 2006, my saving since 2002 have being roughly $94,000.00 +/- 8%. But that is not the complete story of why I am so very grateful that I took that vow of money borrowing celibacy, to use a human inaction to coin my statement with.

To put things into perspective for you, a little back story is needed.  I weaned myself off the Banks in 2004, starting in 2002 from taking a Sociology experiment in one of my first year classes at the then Kwantlen University College. The deal was simple, the challenge was like this: we were to find out if it were possible to remove ourselves from having any attachment with the Banks, including all financial institutions, and see if it was possible to continue living a normal life, or continuing on with our current life style in Canadian society. This experiment meant taking on some very powerful myths about our society today. There was a leap, if you could call it that, of removing, as we called it, the unnecessary costs from within our personal financial sphere. The challenges were huge at the beginning, but with the some thorough research, the path was very quickly obtainable, and life went on without any bumps. There was also many books and papers published that we could use as model in our experiment, so the idea was not new.

My two biggest challenges was first, how to get paid, and secondly, how to buy really big ticket items like my university education. Both were accomplished with some personal sacrifices. In university, I could easily pay as I go, paying for each semester before hand. That worked out very well. Plus, I paid cash for everything. Just think of 16 small cash payments equalling up to $21,000.00 and another series of “point to point” purchases for text books equalling up to $8,000.00, over that same period of time-I have no troubles whatsoever working that kind of a system. The benefit, graduating with “ZERO” debt. Now the first point, cashing pay cheques, became a bit of a problem because you are tied to a financial institution with them.  In British Columbia, the Employment Standards Act says that an employer must pay in one of two ways, cash or Bank issued cheque. So, in a hurtful way, the law is not on your side if trying to limit contact with money lenders. And it seems the Banks love this, and they do their best to tie (reel) you in, and keep you there. And, from their point of view this makes sense as you, your service charges, account for over $40% of their revenue(CBCnews, 2006), so why would they want to make it easy for you to leave. But I am fair, and I understand that most employers are living on borrowed money to begin with, and it does cost money for banks to operated, so the compromise was to use the employer’s bank that he issued the cheque from, and cash the cheque and pay, in some cases up to $5.00 per cheque. Also, not all banks charge for this, as Banks like the Scotia Bank charge nothing, while Banks like the HSBC, RBC, CIBC, TD and Credit Unions charge up to $5.00 per cheque.

The outcome of the experiment is the concept of only paying for what you can afford. It is one thing to circumvent the Banks, and any other midpoint services, but another to start borrowing on items, or on property that you do not have at your ready. So saving and spending become key points. Saving is tricky because if you do not wish to use the banking industry, then this would leave a gaping hole, as to where, to put your hard, cold cash somewhere. The answer is as old as money itself, as I will later talk about that later on. Also Spending becomes an issue becuase of crime, and accidents. Who would want to carry huge amounts of money in their persons while walking down the streets going to a store?

The one thing that I did that was very controversial back in the day, 2004, was I started buying gold. Not jewellery, or paper stocks, but actual Gold coins that have been minted by the Canadian mint, called Canadian Maple-leaf Coins. In my opinion, buying jewellery and Gold stocks is the equivalent of throwing your money away becuase the value is handled through so many hands, who all exist by skimming a fee from your transactions of each item. Gold coins have the same problem, but becuase they are minted, and guaranteed of their purity, the dealer’s fees are way better than jewellery or paper. The most important fact about owning Gold is its value through turbulent times like this decade will drive it upwards. When the fear of inflation exists, the need to own Gold occurs. So investors dump their U.S. money in favour of commodities like Gold. My first lot of coins were bought at $250.00 a piece, but now their value is, today, $1740.00 per piece. I am getting at least two to three calls a week from fiends asking if I want to sell, as the Gold fever has gotten so hot. Expectations are that Gold will see a $2000.00 per once level by this fall. That is how much faith is in the markets right now.

I think I will stop here. I have talked about where the best place to store one’s wealth based on my experiences, and how to buy with cash, elsewhere on my blog. Just search around, those posts should be easy to find.

The markets are volatile and this volatility does not seem likely to be over soon. It is terrible that people are benefiting from so many who are suffering because of the market meltdown. But this is our culture, as we all believe in it, and capitalism, and free-enterprise, but we must also take it on the nose too.

Posted in Diatribe, General, Social economics, Social Justice, University classes | 1 Comment »

Life as a Lonely Blogger

August 10th, 2011 Thomasso

Once again I am left with so much to say, but not enough time to regurgitated all down in text form on my very own webpage. I have been focused on work, and it has been focused on me. I am not complaining about work, nor the time that it is consuming in my life, but I am missing, very much, the quiet moments that I have when I am sitting here freely typing away my thoughts. I have hit the evil time monster of public me versus private me and the balance of harmony that I claim I have found. This last week has been busy.

The markets, particular the Gold market, has consumed my free time thoughts for the last three days. With the continuation of the recession, the wild ride of everyone’s wealth has driven Gold up to new heights. Today Gold hit another all time record of $1800.00, which for those who follow the commodity and see it a “hedge against inflation,” then this spells “doom of epic proportions” according to one of my friends who plays the money markets.

I love Gold. I own some Gold, and nothing thrills me to see it climb like it is today. But it also worries me when I see the effect the market economy has on the rest of my friends and people around me. I know that when markets slide, and governments give out bail out money to the corporations, and interest rates will either go up or down, common people are going to get hurt. But the rich and the greedy do not care, and apparently those who own Gold too, according to a co-worker. The question is, can you rest assure that you can pay your rent, or make your mortgage payments for next month?

My lack of time has also meant that I missed out on some really great summer parties with friends this last couple of weeks. As I am single, some of my friends have tried to find me that perfect match, but I really have not been looking. Like my work, over the course of the last decade, my life has been one big goal seeking exercise. When I announced that I was going to University back in 2003, friends and family laughed at me. Some mocked my tenacity at that time. Now I laugh back at them, of course having just graduated, but they all figure that I now need another “commitment” to my already overbooked life.

Well, again I have to cut my typing short, just when I am getting warmed up. Sadly, I cannot say for certain when I will return back to the keyboard and blog for another session. Hopefully I will return soon. Thomasso -signing off now.

Oh, by the way, I used four programs to create the above graphic of the blue tee: Kpovmodeler-PovRay, Inkscape and the GIMP.

Posted in Art, Blog Problems, Criminology, Diatribe, General, Photographs, Social economics | Comments Off