For me, the premium grocery store chains were always my preferred place of doing business. I really don't mind paying more for the same things I could get at a discount grocer, since I recognize I am paying for a better level of service. It would seem though, that the level of service I have come to enjoy has been suffering as of late.
You see, I could shop at a discount store...but bagging my groceries like the rest of the steerage is beneath me. Also, one is required to purchase bags...presumably in an effort to lower the store's overhead enough that they can sell groceries to the poor huddled masses for less. Even more, I don't like my food handled by some gum chewing tatooed drop-out pin cushion, which seems to be the kind of help these places insist upon employing. So, for those reasons, I choose not to shop at those kinds of stores.
The premium stores, however, are starting to lose their lustre. First it was the self-serve check out lanes. A novelty at first, and I can see the utility of such a thing should I just want to pay for one or two items and the express lanes are backed up. What I have noticed though, is that after employing six self checkout lanes my store has in turn reduced the number of express checkouts down to one. Not only that, they never seem to have more than three out of ten lanes open, regardless of how busy they are. Combining all of my checkout wait time throughout a month I have found that I have time to get through most of the latest Maxim while I wait in line to be served...doing my part to reduce consumption!
Now it seems that I have to pay for my fricken bags too. Yep, the premium stores have gotten on the green wagon. For what it's worth, it is my bet that the decision to do so was more likely spurred by the bottom line than out of any concern for the environment. If they actually cared about serving their clients and less about the bottom line, then we would have seen a switch to paper.
At least there's a ray of sunshine in all of this, as I read in the news this morning:
EW.BRUNSWICK (CBC) - The Fredericton Direct Charge Co-op grocery store is imposing new rules on customers' use of cloth bags following a spike in shoplifting.
Sheldon Palk, the grocery store's manager, said the switch to more environmentally friendly bags is having one unintended consequence: a rise in theft.
So cashiers must now check customers' cloth bags before they check out their groceries.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Ignatieff: Another hand in your pocket
It didn't take long to see the true colour of Iggy, as found in a report by Canadian Press on Thursday.
Last week, Ignatieff initially appeared to suggest that tax hikes are inevitable to eliminate massive budget deficits currently being racked up by the Conservative government in a bid to stimulate the sputtering economy.
Sigh...
Another politician/douchebag that did not pay attention in economics class and now fails to understand how Keynesian economics is supposed to work. Deficit spending is an inevitability in a recession, since GDP and tax revenues decline. Increasing taxes during a recession will only prolong the agony, as most Ontarians witnessed in the 1990's. The upside is that the path of recovery brings increased GDP and tax revenues and if the government is reasonably competent we all enjoy a surplus budget. In a perfect world, the boom-time surpluses equal the recessionary deficits, and presto - long term balanced budgets!
We don't need a tax hike, and I'm not suggesting so because I'm a heartless money grubbin' conservative. We don't need a tax hike because as our economy recovers and begins to grow, tax revenues will be increased anyway. Hopefully at the same time, government spending will decrease...yeah, sure.
However, the poll suggests Ignatieff’s tax talk went down well in Quebec, where 29% of respondents said they’re more likely to vote Liberal and only 10% said they’re less likely.
Of course. Federal tax and spend policy always goes over well in Quebec...it always does. Any chance of increasing the amount of funds available to toss down that hole is welcomed there with open arms.
Thirty per cent of respondents to the Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey said they’re less likely to vote Liberal in the next election as a result of the party leader’s reflections on taxes last week.
Those results only a week out of the gate with this policy is not good news for Iggy and the Libs, when compared to the initial warmth and fuzziness the Dion's Green Shaft generated.
...and we all know how well that worked out for him.
Last week, Ignatieff initially appeared to suggest that tax hikes are inevitable to eliminate massive budget deficits currently being racked up by the Conservative government in a bid to stimulate the sputtering economy.
Sigh...
Another politician/douchebag that did not pay attention in economics class and now fails to understand how Keynesian economics is supposed to work. Deficit spending is an inevitability in a recession, since GDP and tax revenues decline. Increasing taxes during a recession will only prolong the agony, as most Ontarians witnessed in the 1990's. The upside is that the path of recovery brings increased GDP and tax revenues and if the government is reasonably competent we all enjoy a surplus budget. In a perfect world, the boom-time surpluses equal the recessionary deficits, and presto - long term balanced budgets!
We don't need a tax hike, and I'm not suggesting so because I'm a heartless money grubbin' conservative. We don't need a tax hike because as our economy recovers and begins to grow, tax revenues will be increased anyway. Hopefully at the same time, government spending will decrease...yeah, sure.
However, the poll suggests Ignatieff’s tax talk went down well in Quebec, where 29% of respondents said they’re more likely to vote Liberal and only 10% said they’re less likely.
Of course. Federal tax and spend policy always goes over well in Quebec...it always does. Any chance of increasing the amount of funds available to toss down that hole is welcomed there with open arms.
Thirty per cent of respondents to the Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey said they’re less likely to vote Liberal in the next election as a result of the party leader’s reflections on taxes last week.
Those results only a week out of the gate with this policy is not good news for Iggy and the Libs, when compared to the initial warmth and fuzziness the Dion's Green Shaft generated.
...and we all know how well that worked out for him.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Gone Fishin'
...just to clarify for the Caucasian self-flagellators out there: I don't care what colour you are or where you come from, if I see you poaching - you're going swimming.
Fish on!
Fish on!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A day late and a dollar short...
From AP...
UN kicks Jewish, Iranian groups out of racism meet
By ELIANE ENGELER
Associated Press Writer
The United Nations is expelling three Jewish and Iranian groups from a global racism conference for "unacceptable behaviour."
UN spokesman Rupert Colville says the groups whose passes are being withdrawn are the French Union of Jewish Students, Coexist, and the Neda Institute for Political and Scientific Research.
Colville told reporters today that members of the first two groups had been involved in disrupting the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Neda Institute from Iran had distributed inflammatory material to meeting participants.
The week-long conference has been overshadowed by Ahmadinejad's accusation that the West used the Holocaust as a "pretext" to harm the Palestinians, and for subsequent protests against him.
Meanwhile, Iran has sent a letter of protest to the UN secretary general for criticizing Ahmadinejad's diatribe against Israel.
Iran's ambassador to the UN said in the letter sent to Ban Ki-moon that the president "was subjected to unfair and unwarranted harsh criticism."
Maybe attitude has a lot to do with it...
...and it spreads like a cancer.
This kind of thinking is a blight on humanity.
On a lighter note, in regards to Jews being apes and all, I stumbled upon this:
UN kicks Jewish, Iranian groups out of racism meet
By ELIANE ENGELER
Associated Press Writer
The United Nations is expelling three Jewish and Iranian groups from a global racism conference for "unacceptable behaviour."
UN spokesman Rupert Colville says the groups whose passes are being withdrawn are the French Union of Jewish Students, Coexist, and the Neda Institute for Political and Scientific Research.
Colville told reporters today that members of the first two groups had been involved in disrupting the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Neda Institute from Iran had distributed inflammatory material to meeting participants.
The week-long conference has been overshadowed by Ahmadinejad's accusation that the West used the Holocaust as a "pretext" to harm the Palestinians, and for subsequent protests against him.
Meanwhile, Iran has sent a letter of protest to the UN secretary general for criticizing Ahmadinejad's diatribe against Israel.
Iran's ambassador to the UN said in the letter sent to Ban Ki-moon that the president "was subjected to unfair and unwarranted harsh criticism."
Maybe attitude has a lot to do with it...
...and it spreads like a cancer.
This kind of thinking is a blight on humanity.
On a lighter note, in regards to Jews being apes and all, I stumbled upon this:
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Happy fricken earth day...
The irony kicks in after the 3:00 mark:
Also...in my inbox today:
Hi Friends & Family,
You have been blind copied to protect your email address.
No doubt you are hearing lot's about green energy and wind turbines are a big part of that. What you don't know is the Ontario government is pushing these turbines too quickly and creating health and safety risk to residents. The blades of a turbine weigh over 4-tons each, this one threw a blade 500 metres and debris was found 1.5KM away.
Over 30 Ontario families have been impacted by wind turbines, the vibrations and noise impact the middle ear creating something like motion sickness. The National Academy of Medicine in France has recommended 1.5KM setbacks from homes, yet George Smitherman, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure is trying to force 500 metres or less setbacks.
www.windturbinesyndrome.com
Please sign this petition to increase wind turbine setbacks to safe distances www.gopetition.com/petitions/wind-watch.html and pass this petition on to your friends and family.
CTV News Report
Bats lungs explode from Wind Turbines
Sincere thanks,
(name redacted and YouTube embedded)
Also...in my inbox today:
Hi Friends & Family,
You have been blind copied to protect your email address.
No doubt you are hearing lot's about green energy and wind turbines are a big part of that. What you don't know is the Ontario government is pushing these turbines too quickly and creating health and safety risk to residents. The blades of a turbine weigh over 4-tons each, this one threw a blade 500 metres and debris was found 1.5KM away.
Over 30 Ontario families have been impacted by wind turbines, the vibrations and noise impact the middle ear creating something like motion sickness. The National Academy of Medicine in France has recommended 1.5KM setbacks from homes, yet George Smitherman, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure is trying to force 500 metres or less setbacks.
www.windturbinesyndrome.com
Please sign this petition to increase wind turbine setbacks to safe distances www.gopetition.com/petitions/wind-watch.html and pass this petition on to your friends and family.
CTV News Report
Bats lungs explode from Wind Turbines
Sincere thanks,
(name redacted and YouTube embedded)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
More global warming please!
For cryin' out loud...rain and snow mix in tomorrow's forecast. I guess I have to put the rainbow fishing off for a couple more days.
In the meantime...
In the meantime...
I ain't no quick draw...
You all can probably imagine that Kimshiela is pretty low on my list of people that I'd piss on in order to put out a fire. Earlier today, I was trolling Kimshiela's site and after skimming his latest round of bullocks I noticed that Iggy's mug is no longer on the page. Since I was still in the process of figuring out how a blog works, html fricken coding, a three tylenol headache and well aware of the fact no one knows this blog exists - I figured throwing Skippy a bone would be the best bet for making folks aware. Having said that, it was nice to get the hat tip (in a way) from BCF and Jay for dropping the dime.
Meh...slow and steady wins the race and all that crap. Hmmm...I wonder what the deal is.
Was it a case of...
Or maybe something a little more subtle...
I could care less either way. The reality is that I am almost orgasmic over the notion that this prick is one step closer to the soup line.
Meh...slow and steady wins the race and all that crap. Hmmm...I wonder what the deal is.
Was it a case of...
Or maybe something a little more subtle...
I could care less either way. The reality is that I am almost orgasmic over the notion that this prick is one step closer to the soup line.
Whining douchebags have their way in the not-so-real world too.
Yeah, so I play Warcraft. What's your game? I've been playing off and on for a few years now. Some of you may wonder why a grown man like Jonesy would waste his time immersed in an imaginary world. Well, somedays it beats the hell out of the real one. Where else can one antagonize others weaker than himself only to beat the ever living shit out of the target and loot his corpse - without ever having to move to Sudan or seek employment at a Human Rights Commission?
For those of you who have no idea what Warcraft is, I'll give you the Readers Digest version - it's like Dungeons and Dragons on LSD. In the World (and it is a world...with continents complete with local economies and stuff) of Warcraft, there are essentially two styles of play. The first style requires players to successfully complete various quests throughout the land in return for experience, gold and gear. The second method is called Player versus Player (PvP). Like any other nerdy imaginary world, Warcraft has a good side (Alliance) and a bad one (Horde). PvP requires players from each side within comparable level brackets to team up and beat the ever living crap out of each other. Can you figure what style of play Jonesy digs? Here's an example from YouTube:
Long ago, when Jonesy went to school I understood that even though my class mates and I were all more or less equal with respect to age, size and life experiences, there were always one or two kids in the schoolyard that I absolutely did not screw with. It just didn't matter what the hell I did, they were much better than me at anything because they possessed some sort of attribute that I did not. These were the kids who ran the yard, that was the reality and nobody argued it. When I got a little older I discovered that hard work and determination were the only means to achieve the attributes I needed in order to separate myself from the rest of the sheep.
I am reminded of a time a few years ago when my son was having issues with an asshole kid in his class. Dinnertime conversation always wound up being about what the little bugger had done to my son that day and ended with tears and my wife's nugget of wisdom - tell the teacher. Most days, the asshole kid would torment my son, my son would tell the teacher and the teacher would inform the kid's parents who ultimately did nothing because the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. After a few months of that bullshit, I had enough.
Let me tell you that my kid's a fair size and not that much of a slouch. The problem was the programming he had received from his teachers and my wife (another teacher by trade) had panzified my son to the point of blubbering helplessness. I felt that it was time to do my part as a father so I taught my son a very important life lesson about dealing with assholes...it sort of went like this:
Yep, some people you just can't reach. The little bastard that was tormenting my kid was one of them, in spite of the vigorous panzification agenda by the school board. It was also clear that the school was either ill-equipped or unwilling to rectify the situation. Swift and blinding violence was in order and I helped my son discover the tools of the trade. I also made sure that he understood his right to defend himself and exactly what is an appropriate level of violence - in other words, I clearly defined his boundaries.
It was not long before the asshole kid accosted my son in the hallway at school. After striking my son from behind and having grabbed him by his collar, my son administered swift blunt force trauma to the asshole's testicles which left the little bugger sucking wind on the hallway floor. Aside from a phone call from an apoplectic principal, that was the last we ever heard about that kid.
The point I'm making is that one should understand their boundaries so that they can be best exploited in order for one to achieve the best possible outcome within any given situation. If one cannot maximize their potential within their boundaries, they must first identify their shortcomings and then work toward improving their attributes in order to increase their potential. The designers of Warcraft had this concept down pat. With a lot of determination and hard work at the game, one could develop a character that kicks serious ass when compared to a character of the same level belonging to a casual player. Maybe that's why I dug PvP so much - it reminded me of my schoolyard days and a time when being better, stronger and faster than others was an important value.
Unfortunately, for people like me, the game's designers have recently gotten more in touch with their pansy side. As a result, they have modified the game parameters so that tweaked out players who have worked hard at building their toons are now more equal to the scrubs who have not made any investment. My bet is that they were tired of hearing scrubs whine about how they were continually outclassed and subsequently pwn'ed in the battlegrounds so the company decided the best solution would be to make everyone more or less equal.
Does that ring a bell with anyone? Nobody fails in my kids' school. Hell, I've recently had my university programmes dumbed down in the middle of a semester just to improve the curve because the majority of the students had no business being there in the first place. I can't wait to work with some of these morons. The sad thing is that economically, redistribution of wealth ensures that nobody fails in the real world either.
Yep, this is the new world order and it even applies to the imaginary ones as well. Success and betterment is frowned upon and now it seems that, in the real world at least, it is punishable. Determination and hard work is irrelevant. There is no longer any point in being better than your peers, since the playing field gets levelled anyway. Instead of encouraging the individual to work hard we instead make it easier for everyone by changing the rules.
For those of you who have no idea what Warcraft is, I'll give you the Readers Digest version - it's like Dungeons and Dragons on LSD. In the World (and it is a world...with continents complete with local economies and stuff) of Warcraft, there are essentially two styles of play. The first style requires players to successfully complete various quests throughout the land in return for experience, gold and gear. The second method is called Player versus Player (PvP). Like any other nerdy imaginary world, Warcraft has a good side (Alliance) and a bad one (Horde). PvP requires players from each side within comparable level brackets to team up and beat the ever living crap out of each other. Can you figure what style of play Jonesy digs? Here's an example from YouTube:
Long ago, when Jonesy went to school I understood that even though my class mates and I were all more or less equal with respect to age, size and life experiences, there were always one or two kids in the schoolyard that I absolutely did not screw with. It just didn't matter what the hell I did, they were much better than me at anything because they possessed some sort of attribute that I did not. These were the kids who ran the yard, that was the reality and nobody argued it. When I got a little older I discovered that hard work and determination were the only means to achieve the attributes I needed in order to separate myself from the rest of the sheep.
I am reminded of a time a few years ago when my son was having issues with an asshole kid in his class. Dinnertime conversation always wound up being about what the little bugger had done to my son that day and ended with tears and my wife's nugget of wisdom - tell the teacher. Most days, the asshole kid would torment my son, my son would tell the teacher and the teacher would inform the kid's parents who ultimately did nothing because the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. After a few months of that bullshit, I had enough.
Let me tell you that my kid's a fair size and not that much of a slouch. The problem was the programming he had received from his teachers and my wife (another teacher by trade) had panzified my son to the point of blubbering helplessness. I felt that it was time to do my part as a father so I taught my son a very important life lesson about dealing with assholes...it sort of went like this:
Yep, some people you just can't reach. The little bastard that was tormenting my kid was one of them, in spite of the vigorous panzification agenda by the school board. It was also clear that the school was either ill-equipped or unwilling to rectify the situation. Swift and blinding violence was in order and I helped my son discover the tools of the trade. I also made sure that he understood his right to defend himself and exactly what is an appropriate level of violence - in other words, I clearly defined his boundaries.
It was not long before the asshole kid accosted my son in the hallway at school. After striking my son from behind and having grabbed him by his collar, my son administered swift blunt force trauma to the asshole's testicles which left the little bugger sucking wind on the hallway floor. Aside from a phone call from an apoplectic principal, that was the last we ever heard about that kid.
The point I'm making is that one should understand their boundaries so that they can be best exploited in order for one to achieve the best possible outcome within any given situation. If one cannot maximize their potential within their boundaries, they must first identify their shortcomings and then work toward improving their attributes in order to increase their potential. The designers of Warcraft had this concept down pat. With a lot of determination and hard work at the game, one could develop a character that kicks serious ass when compared to a character of the same level belonging to a casual player. Maybe that's why I dug PvP so much - it reminded me of my schoolyard days and a time when being better, stronger and faster than others was an important value.
Unfortunately, for people like me, the game's designers have recently gotten more in touch with their pansy side. As a result, they have modified the game parameters so that tweaked out players who have worked hard at building their toons are now more equal to the scrubs who have not made any investment. My bet is that they were tired of hearing scrubs whine about how they were continually outclassed and subsequently pwn'ed in the battlegrounds so the company decided the best solution would be to make everyone more or less equal.
Does that ring a bell with anyone? Nobody fails in my kids' school. Hell, I've recently had my university programmes dumbed down in the middle of a semester just to improve the curve because the majority of the students had no business being there in the first place. I can't wait to work with some of these morons. The sad thing is that economically, redistribution of wealth ensures that nobody fails in the real world either.
Yep, this is the new world order and it even applies to the imaginary ones as well. Success and betterment is frowned upon and now it seems that, in the real world at least, it is punishable. Determination and hard work is irrelevant. There is no longer any point in being better than your peers, since the playing field gets levelled anyway. Instead of encouraging the individual to work hard we instead make it easier for everyone by changing the rules.
Nowhere To Go But Up
Well, my advice today -if you're looking for some- would be to take a serious look at your mortgage. If you haven't already, lock that sucker down for a good long time. The Bank of Canada has slashed rates to an unimaginable 0.25% and they say they will likely leave it there for a year, since inflation is anticipated to remain below 2%. Sure...okay.
Don't buy that horseshit for a minute. Inflation will stay low only as long as those retards in Ottawa can keep their hands off the printing presses. Since there is now no other way to ease money, buying ink and paper manufacturers stock would be a shrewd investment. Furthermore, the banks could pay consumers to borrow money and it still would not make a lick of difference since consumers are either in enough trouble with debt and reluctant to shoulder more or, are in an excellent cash position and just waiting to 'rescue' all those poor saps when they're down and out and worth ten cents on the dollar. I am really looking forward to garage sale season this year - my goal is nabbing a big screen for under 200 clams. Whatever the case, people are not buying because we either have enough shit as it is or we feel a big fire sale coming on.
Easy money won't last for long. As the world economies keep sucking on the money teats to finance social spending bullshit, you can bet your ass as players get crowded out, interest rates will rise - sharply.
Think happy thoughts!
Don't buy that horseshit for a minute. Inflation will stay low only as long as those retards in Ottawa can keep their hands off the printing presses. Since there is now no other way to ease money, buying ink and paper manufacturers stock would be a shrewd investment. Furthermore, the banks could pay consumers to borrow money and it still would not make a lick of difference since consumers are either in enough trouble with debt and reluctant to shoulder more or, are in an excellent cash position and just waiting to 'rescue' all those poor saps when they're down and out and worth ten cents on the dollar. I am really looking forward to garage sale season this year - my goal is nabbing a big screen for under 200 clams. Whatever the case, people are not buying because we either have enough shit as it is or we feel a big fire sale coming on.
Easy money won't last for long. As the world economies keep sucking on the money teats to finance social spending bullshit, you can bet your ass as players get crowded out, interest rates will rise - sharply.
Think happy thoughts!
Let's Get Started
Greetings reader,
I have spent many countless hours trolling through the blogosphere and I have been largely impressed by folks who take time out of their busy day in order to share their thoughts with others. Through my travels on the internet, I have realized that the blogosphere is chock full of all kinds of people scattered throughout the various strata of society. A fair majority of them are complete idiots that accomplish little more than convince me that a culling is in order. There are, however, a few glimmers of hope. Those bloggers I follow religiously and have the utmost respect for, and I will most likely feel compelled to comment about, and share links to, many of them in the future.
Why start my own blog? Well that's simple. I'm pissed off about many things. As a matter of fact, I don't think I can get through a day without something, or someone, pissing me off. A blog provides me with the means to shake my fist in anger at the people and things that piss me off instead of using my fist to remove the teeth of those responsible for my anger. Does that mean that Jonesy is an angry, bitter turd? No, hardly. I get a great deal of enjoyment from life...usually at other's expense. Does that mean Jonesy's an asshole? Well, probably. You be the judge. Just keep in mind that if you happen to be a thin-skinned, tofu eating, non-competitive, Prius driving, fucktard vegan - I'm not really going to take you seriously.
Also, I have the luxury of time since I have abandoned a career in order to pursue higher education - another thing that pisses me off. So instead of frittering away my new found free time surfing for porn or playing Warcraft...I may as well hop on my soapbox.
So kick off your shoes, grab a jacket and roll around on the floor with me a while!
-Jonesy
I have spent many countless hours trolling through the blogosphere and I have been largely impressed by folks who take time out of their busy day in order to share their thoughts with others. Through my travels on the internet, I have realized that the blogosphere is chock full of all kinds of people scattered throughout the various strata of society. A fair majority of them are complete idiots that accomplish little more than convince me that a culling is in order. There are, however, a few glimmers of hope. Those bloggers I follow religiously and have the utmost respect for, and I will most likely feel compelled to comment about, and share links to, many of them in the future.
Why start my own blog? Well that's simple. I'm pissed off about many things. As a matter of fact, I don't think I can get through a day without something, or someone, pissing me off. A blog provides me with the means to shake my fist in anger at the people and things that piss me off instead of using my fist to remove the teeth of those responsible for my anger. Does that mean that Jonesy is an angry, bitter turd? No, hardly. I get a great deal of enjoyment from life...usually at other's expense. Does that mean Jonesy's an asshole? Well, probably. You be the judge. Just keep in mind that if you happen to be a thin-skinned, tofu eating, non-competitive, Prius driving, fucktard vegan - I'm not really going to take you seriously.
Also, I have the luxury of time since I have abandoned a career in order to pursue higher education - another thing that pisses me off. So instead of frittering away my new found free time surfing for porn or playing Warcraft...I may as well hop on my soapbox.
So kick off your shoes, grab a jacket and roll around on the floor with me a while!
-Jonesy
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