Springtime in the beautiful city of Montreal. The blossoms are blooming, the grass is growing and the Habs are in the second round. Huh? What? Well, if it is all just a dream, I’m hittin’ snooze to get another ten minutes sleep. Here to lull you into a state of semi-conciousness is yet another Friday Time Waster.
I’m sure many of you were cursing the foulest curse as heavy wet snow descended on the city this past Tuesday. Our family suffered a major casualty as our summer gazebo collapsed under the weight of snow. It could be worse though, you could be in southern Alberta where they just got walloped by close to 25 CM of the heavy white stuff. With this sudden and unexpected deep freeze you’d think it was the Leafs that beat the Capitols.
* * *
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spent most of this week picking fragments of his shoe from his teeth. A news microphone, that he had agreed to wear, picked up a less than complimentary comment about a woman who confronted him in the streets. The comments were made from the presumed privacy of his limousine, where he referred to the woman as a bigot. He should take a page from the George Bush guide to getting elected, if you’re going to say something stupid at least do it in public.
* * *
Speaking of the British election, Gordon Brown is getting a boost courtesy of a public endorsement from former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The same guy that endorsed the invasion of Iraq. Gee thanks pal.
* * *
Forget Sea World, here comes Celine World. Uber-adult-contemporary-diva-extraordinaire Celine Dion and fam are getting ready to move into their new $5.6 million home on her Jupiter Island property in Florida. Evidently she has installed a water-park like pool, complete with slides and a so-called lazy river. Did I mention it’s also a beach-front property?
I just hope she put up a strong enough fence to keep her neighbour, Tiger Woods, from driving into the pool.
* * *
There are just not enough superlatives to describe what Jaro Halak and the Habs did this past week. One thing about being a Canadiens fan is that every once in a while they do something amazing. While the 100 year celebrations and the passing of the torch thing is nice, I think I prefer when the team makes history rather than revisit it.
Hard to believe I’m still saying it, but Go Habs, Go
Have a great weekend.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Parent Under Construction
One of the hardest things about being a parent is living with those moments when you realize that you completely and utterly mishandled a situation. It happened to me last night, twice in fact, in the space of about five minutes. My six year-old son was throwing a defiant and loud tantrum, and I shouted at him at the top of my lungs. The aforementioned tantrum occurred during the dying minutes of the Canadiens-Capitols game seven match up. While I was stressed-out as a hockey fan, there was no excuse for my outburst.
The rule of thumb for parents when their child is throwing a five alarm hissy fit, is to back off and respond in a calm and measured tone, or depending on the situation, ignore them completely. Trying to outmatch the intensity of the child's tantrum only leads to a further escalation.
Unfortunately, for both of us, my capacity for rational reasoning had gone out the window with less than three minutes to play in the hockey game. The Habs won, but I blew it.
When it comes to parenthood, there are no do-overs, but there can be a whole truckload of guilt and regret.
If there is any consolation for having your shortcomings exposed to your children it is that we invariably learn something about ourselves. As I've said before, kids will push your buttons like nothing else. It's almost as if they are born with the skill and have an inexplicable need to exercise it. I've often asked my sons why they had done something they clearly knew was wrong only to send us parents into fits. The response was always "I don't know."
That's partly true. Kids regularly do things, good or bad, to get attention or affection. They are competing for our time and do so with unrelenting passion. I don't think however, that they take a lot of time to consider why they do it, they just do.
Understanding these complexities is not for children, it is for adults. Unfortunately we don't always analyse these situations with that kind of clarity, particularly when we are caught up in something to which a child does not, and cannot, relate.
As parents it can be difficult to navigate the adult world and also be sensitive and responsive to our child's needs. You'd think it would be simple and natural, but sometimes we get lost between the two worlds.
What I am discovering is that the stumbles I've made as a parent are teaching me more about myself than I thought I knew. I've become more aware my faults and attempt to address them as best I can. There are some things that I know I cannot fix, but I can at least I can make them better.
There is no perfect formula for the relationship between a child and a parent, but there are time-tested qualities we can apply: patience, understanding, open-mindedness, empathy and forgiveness. In fact, these qualities ought to be an integral part of every relationship.
The most important lesson I've learned is that despite my mistakes, and the ones that are to come, somehow my relationships have grown stronger. In many ways it is when we stumble that we are forced to see our true selves and yet continue find acceptance from those around us.
When it comes to those time-tested qualities, children seem most in tune with forgiveness. Which is good news for a guilty dad who wished he could've shown some patience and empathy.
Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the next game seven.
The rule of thumb for parents when their child is throwing a five alarm hissy fit, is to back off and respond in a calm and measured tone, or depending on the situation, ignore them completely. Trying to outmatch the intensity of the child's tantrum only leads to a further escalation.
Unfortunately, for both of us, my capacity for rational reasoning had gone out the window with less than three minutes to play in the hockey game. The Habs won, but I blew it.
When it comes to parenthood, there are no do-overs, but there can be a whole truckload of guilt and regret.
If there is any consolation for having your shortcomings exposed to your children it is that we invariably learn something about ourselves. As I've said before, kids will push your buttons like nothing else. It's almost as if they are born with the skill and have an inexplicable need to exercise it. I've often asked my sons why they had done something they clearly knew was wrong only to send us parents into fits. The response was always "I don't know."
That's partly true. Kids regularly do things, good or bad, to get attention or affection. They are competing for our time and do so with unrelenting passion. I don't think however, that they take a lot of time to consider why they do it, they just do.
Understanding these complexities is not for children, it is for adults. Unfortunately we don't always analyse these situations with that kind of clarity, particularly when we are caught up in something to which a child does not, and cannot, relate.
As parents it can be difficult to navigate the adult world and also be sensitive and responsive to our child's needs. You'd think it would be simple and natural, but sometimes we get lost between the two worlds.
What I am discovering is that the stumbles I've made as a parent are teaching me more about myself than I thought I knew. I've become more aware my faults and attempt to address them as best I can. There are some things that I know I cannot fix, but I can at least I can make them better.
There is no perfect formula for the relationship between a child and a parent, but there are time-tested qualities we can apply: patience, understanding, open-mindedness, empathy and forgiveness. In fact, these qualities ought to be an integral part of every relationship.
The most important lesson I've learned is that despite my mistakes, and the ones that are to come, somehow my relationships have grown stronger. In many ways it is when we stumble that we are forced to see our true selves and yet continue find acceptance from those around us.
When it comes to those time-tested qualities, children seem most in tune with forgiveness. Which is good news for a guilty dad who wished he could've shown some patience and empathy.
Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the next game seven.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Fiddling While Montreal Crumbles
Surprise, surprise, Transport Quebec found yet another dangerously decaying section of highway in the province. To every driver's delight it happens to be on a major route connecting the Decarie Expressway to the Champlain Bridge. For those of you who don't know Montreal, suffice it to say that this particular stretch of road sees about 31, 000 vehicles a day. Engineering firms monitoring the state of the city's highway infrastructure referred to the problem as a "degradation in the concrete". They can use all the technical terms they want, when your sailing along at a hundred feet off the ground "degradation of concrete" is not what you want to hear.
This sort of revelation is not new for our fair city, highways and overpasses have been falling apart, and some even falling down, for some time now. What is driving most motorists crazy is the political ping pong game that is keeping the province from fixing the problems.
Of course, it needs to be said that successive governments in this province have ignored this problem for decades. As if the massive cracks in the Turcot interchange and other roadways would just magically vanish. As it turns out, there is no infrastructure fairy, just a lot of rain, snow, road salt, heavy traffic and a sackful of neglect. Since the vast majority of citizens are not concrete engineers, the responsibility of monitoring this situation fell squarely on the shoulders of our elected officials. Typically, it wasn't until someone was crushed to death by a collapsing overpass that the folks in Quebec City awoke from their stupor and decided to do something. Only then did we learn the truth about what many had already suspected, that our road system was in dangerously poor condition.
The government has addressed some of these issues, a few with stop-gap measures and others with major overhauls. Like many drivers, I am relieved at these moves, but am still sceptical. With this recent revelation, one wonders why it was not discovered sooner, considering it is a major artery on a section of highway that has already been identified as requiring a major overhaul.
So much so, that the provincial government announced last year that the Turcot interchange was beyond long-term repair and would have to be scrapped in favour of a new structure. The province had put forward a $2.6 billion plan to raze then rebuild the interchange. Enter Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay. The Mayor counter-proposed with a plan that would cost $6 billion dollars, would reduce traffic flow and supposedly boost public transit.
The fact that we are even having this discussion is absurd to me. While I am in favour of increased use of public transit, to expect thousands of vehicles that use the interchange every day to suddenly vanish overnight is completely naïve. The real issue at the heart of this debate are the homes that will be annexed and demolished in order to accommodate the province's plan. While Tremblay's counter proposal would allow property owners to keep their homes, it fails to address the real-world issue of traffic flow on a vital metropolitan artery. His proposal is political, designed to play up to voters by painting the provincial government as uncaring towards its citizens and environmentally insensitive. It is also completely unrealistic, and seemingly conceived to be rejected.
This is politics at its worst. Rather than addressing actual issues, politicians gamble with the needs demands of citizens to advance their own personal agendas. The net result, a solution with which nobody is satisfied.
Meanwhile, drivers and passengers around this city continue to keep their eyes open and pray they are not the next victim of an errant chunk of a crumbling city.
Maybe it would speed things up if this debate was held under the Turcot interchange.
Ah, forget those guys, it's freakin' Game Seven. Go Habs, Go.
This sort of revelation is not new for our fair city, highways and overpasses have been falling apart, and some even falling down, for some time now. What is driving most motorists crazy is the political ping pong game that is keeping the province from fixing the problems.
Of course, it needs to be said that successive governments in this province have ignored this problem for decades. As if the massive cracks in the Turcot interchange and other roadways would just magically vanish. As it turns out, there is no infrastructure fairy, just a lot of rain, snow, road salt, heavy traffic and a sackful of neglect. Since the vast majority of citizens are not concrete engineers, the responsibility of monitoring this situation fell squarely on the shoulders of our elected officials. Typically, it wasn't until someone was crushed to death by a collapsing overpass that the folks in Quebec City awoke from their stupor and decided to do something. Only then did we learn the truth about what many had already suspected, that our road system was in dangerously poor condition.
The government has addressed some of these issues, a few with stop-gap measures and others with major overhauls. Like many drivers, I am relieved at these moves, but am still sceptical. With this recent revelation, one wonders why it was not discovered sooner, considering it is a major artery on a section of highway that has already been identified as requiring a major overhaul.
So much so, that the provincial government announced last year that the Turcot interchange was beyond long-term repair and would have to be scrapped in favour of a new structure. The province had put forward a $2.6 billion plan to raze then rebuild the interchange. Enter Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay. The Mayor counter-proposed with a plan that would cost $6 billion dollars, would reduce traffic flow and supposedly boost public transit.
The fact that we are even having this discussion is absurd to me. While I am in favour of increased use of public transit, to expect thousands of vehicles that use the interchange every day to suddenly vanish overnight is completely naïve. The real issue at the heart of this debate are the homes that will be annexed and demolished in order to accommodate the province's plan. While Tremblay's counter proposal would allow property owners to keep their homes, it fails to address the real-world issue of traffic flow on a vital metropolitan artery. His proposal is political, designed to play up to voters by painting the provincial government as uncaring towards its citizens and environmentally insensitive. It is also completely unrealistic, and seemingly conceived to be rejected.
This is politics at its worst. Rather than addressing actual issues, politicians gamble with the needs demands of citizens to advance their own personal agendas. The net result, a solution with which nobody is satisfied.
Meanwhile, drivers and passengers around this city continue to keep their eyes open and pray they are not the next victim of an errant chunk of a crumbling city.
Maybe it would speed things up if this debate was held under the Turcot interchange.
Ah, forget those guys, it's freakin' Game Seven. Go Habs, Go.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Open Door
What does it take to get to the next level? We hear it all the time when sports analysts discuss the need for players to elevate their game. Last night, when Jaroslav Halak stood on his head and spun in circles keeping pucks out of his net, even the most jaded of sports fans had to be impressed. While we can all marvel at the performance of the clearly gifted Habs net minder, last night was probably not a repeatable feat. Despite his super-human efforts, and a few fortunate bounces, we know that he is human, and that performing at that level game after game is a tall order. Or is it?
I would not describe myself as an athlete, but over the years I have competed in some sporting events, notably 5k runs, golf tournaments and soccer playoffs. Whenever I’ve been in a situation when my team or myself was in contention I found myself wondering what was needed to find that extra gear. Often, simply asking the question seemed to make the challenge even greater.
It’s what goes on in that space between our ears that frequently determines what our bodies are capable of doing. It explains why sports psychologists have become such an important part of the training regimen of elite athletes.
There have been times when, seemingly without explanation, I have been able to perform at a level that I previously thought impossible. As a golfer who regularly shoots in the mid to high 90s, I once played a round where inexplicably I shot an 80. When I was a runner in my prime, the maximum distance I could cover with training was 15 kilometres, and yet one evening, for no particular reason, I ran 22 almost effortlessly.
We often experience the same thing outside the realm of sports. Some days our ability to process information and perform our jobs is surprisingly elevated, while other days we can’t remember the password to our computer. What I have found most curious is that when those breakthrough moments come it feels as simple as stepping through a door, as if it was there the entire time.
There are a couple of things I have heard over the years that have proven to be true. One is the realization that when the mojo is going, you don’t question it. The other has to do with preparedness. We often hear the expression that you have to make you own luck. Some might consider this an expression of arrogance, but actually it is far from it.
At some point we have to recognize that not all the bounces are going to go our way. Call it luck, fate, or just coincidence. It is impossible to know how any given set of circumstances will play out. We also have to admit to ourselves that our potential for fallibility is ever present. We screw up, even with things we do with such regularity that we could perform them in our sleep.
It is impossible to counteract these situations; therefore we must have the humility to admit that they are beyond our control. What we can control is our ability to respond when the bounces do go our way, and that comes from being prepared. In sport, preparedness is a direct result of intensive practice, in life it comes from something deeper.
There are a myriad of curves balls that will be thrown at us in our lifetimes. It’s impossible to think we can be prepared for all of them, but we can equip ourselves to respond. It begins with discovering ones own inner strength and courage. This often means taking ownership of failures as much as successes. It is about giving up control as much as our ongoing obsession with gaining control. It is about recognizing what is the right thing to do even when it is neither popular nor easy. It is about developing character that is both confident and secure as well as open-minded and compassionate.
We do this through recognizing the real gifts in our lives. The people who stand by us in difficult circumstances. The moments of celebration, companionship and reconciliation. The value of integrity over avarice.
There is an element of spirituality to this equation as in many ways it involves achieving balance through casting off those trivial things that we consider important in our lives. To give ourselves over to circumstance, or more accurately, get out of our own way, to allow our true selves to shine.
Often our personal ‘next level’ is right there in front of us. The only barrier is letting go and stepping through the door.
Go Habs, Go.
I would not describe myself as an athlete, but over the years I have competed in some sporting events, notably 5k runs, golf tournaments and soccer playoffs. Whenever I’ve been in a situation when my team or myself was in contention I found myself wondering what was needed to find that extra gear. Often, simply asking the question seemed to make the challenge even greater.
It’s what goes on in that space between our ears that frequently determines what our bodies are capable of doing. It explains why sports psychologists have become such an important part of the training regimen of elite athletes.
There have been times when, seemingly without explanation, I have been able to perform at a level that I previously thought impossible. As a golfer who regularly shoots in the mid to high 90s, I once played a round where inexplicably I shot an 80. When I was a runner in my prime, the maximum distance I could cover with training was 15 kilometres, and yet one evening, for no particular reason, I ran 22 almost effortlessly.
We often experience the same thing outside the realm of sports. Some days our ability to process information and perform our jobs is surprisingly elevated, while other days we can’t remember the password to our computer. What I have found most curious is that when those breakthrough moments come it feels as simple as stepping through a door, as if it was there the entire time.
There are a couple of things I have heard over the years that have proven to be true. One is the realization that when the mojo is going, you don’t question it. The other has to do with preparedness. We often hear the expression that you have to make you own luck. Some might consider this an expression of arrogance, but actually it is far from it.
At some point we have to recognize that not all the bounces are going to go our way. Call it luck, fate, or just coincidence. It is impossible to know how any given set of circumstances will play out. We also have to admit to ourselves that our potential for fallibility is ever present. We screw up, even with things we do with such regularity that we could perform them in our sleep.
It is impossible to counteract these situations; therefore we must have the humility to admit that they are beyond our control. What we can control is our ability to respond when the bounces do go our way, and that comes from being prepared. In sport, preparedness is a direct result of intensive practice, in life it comes from something deeper.
There are a myriad of curves balls that will be thrown at us in our lifetimes. It’s impossible to think we can be prepared for all of them, but we can equip ourselves to respond. It begins with discovering ones own inner strength and courage. This often means taking ownership of failures as much as successes. It is about giving up control as much as our ongoing obsession with gaining control. It is about recognizing what is the right thing to do even when it is neither popular nor easy. It is about developing character that is both confident and secure as well as open-minded and compassionate.
We do this through recognizing the real gifts in our lives. The people who stand by us in difficult circumstances. The moments of celebration, companionship and reconciliation. The value of integrity over avarice.
There is an element of spirituality to this equation as in many ways it involves achieving balance through casting off those trivial things that we consider important in our lives. To give ourselves over to circumstance, or more accurately, get out of our own way, to allow our true selves to shine.
Often our personal ‘next level’ is right there in front of us. The only barrier is letting go and stepping through the door.
Go Habs, Go.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Friday Time Waster Supreme: The Quest For Peace
Congratulations, you survived the week. Your prize: reading this crappy blog. On the bright side, you could have spent the week sleeping on a baggage cart at Heathrow. So cheer up and enjoy this week’s edition of the Friday Time Waster.
There is a movement afoot to fill the soon to be vacant Governor General’s position with William Shatner. I daresay there are more than a few large vacancies that Bill the Shat could fill. Still, replacing Michaelle Jean with Bill Shatner is as crazy as replacing Barack Obama with a kook like Sarah Palin. Oh wait, that could actually happen.
* * *
General Motors recently announced that they have repaid the U.S. and Canadian governments $6.7 billion (US) in loans, five years ahead of schedule. It’s good news for the automaker, sort of. They still owe Washington another $43 billion, and the Feds also own 60% of the company. It must suck for GM to have to sell every car they have, which they didn’t actually own in the first place, and still have to make payments. Welcome to the rest of the world.
* * *
Memo to Rahim Jaffer: before facing a Parliamentary inquiry to boldly refute accusations of illegal lobbying activities and potential fraud, ya might want to drop by Staples and pick up a paper shredder.
* * *
Avatar producer and blazillionaire James Cameron is pushing to establish an industry-based committee to monitor 3-D movie productions to prevent what he referred to as “stupid stuff” like the current remake Clash of the Titans. Really? While we’re at it, can we have a committee to prevent dumb-ass dialogue and childish story lines like the ones in Avatar?
* * *
What do man-fragrance maker AXE and the World Wildlife Fund have in common? To mark Earth Day, the company and the environmental group teamed up to encourage people to shower together. Sharing a shower with your partner is evidently a great way to conserve water. It may also have a positive effect on vehicle fuel emissions. Think about it. You'd never get stuck in morning traffic because you would always be late for work.
* * *
Note to Habs fans: there is no shame in accepting that the Washington Capitols are simply a better team. Nor is there any shame in sending NHL officials a copy of the league rules and coupons for a free eye exam.
Ah well, Go Habs, Go
Enjoy your weekend.
There is a movement afoot to fill the soon to be vacant Governor General’s position with William Shatner. I daresay there are more than a few large vacancies that Bill the Shat could fill. Still, replacing Michaelle Jean with Bill Shatner is as crazy as replacing Barack Obama with a kook like Sarah Palin. Oh wait, that could actually happen.
* * *
General Motors recently announced that they have repaid the U.S. and Canadian governments $6.7 billion (US) in loans, five years ahead of schedule. It’s good news for the automaker, sort of. They still owe Washington another $43 billion, and the Feds also own 60% of the company. It must suck for GM to have to sell every car they have, which they didn’t actually own in the first place, and still have to make payments. Welcome to the rest of the world.
* * *
Memo to Rahim Jaffer: before facing a Parliamentary inquiry to boldly refute accusations of illegal lobbying activities and potential fraud, ya might want to drop by Staples and pick up a paper shredder.
* * *
Avatar producer and blazillionaire James Cameron is pushing to establish an industry-based committee to monitor 3-D movie productions to prevent what he referred to as “stupid stuff” like the current remake Clash of the Titans. Really? While we’re at it, can we have a committee to prevent dumb-ass dialogue and childish story lines like the ones in Avatar?
* * *
What do man-fragrance maker AXE and the World Wildlife Fund have in common? To mark Earth Day, the company and the environmental group teamed up to encourage people to shower together. Sharing a shower with your partner is evidently a great way to conserve water. It may also have a positive effect on vehicle fuel emissions. Think about it. You'd never get stuck in morning traffic because you would always be late for work.
* * *
Note to Habs fans: there is no shame in accepting that the Washington Capitols are simply a better team. Nor is there any shame in sending NHL officials a copy of the league rules and coupons for a free eye exam.
Ah well, Go Habs, Go
Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth. Way Nicer Than the Moon.
If you ever asked a parent or grand-parent the question “How come there’s a Mother’s day and a Father’s day, but there’s no kid’s day?”, the standard answer was always, “Every day is kid's day.”
The same answer could easily apply to Earth day as well. Today is the day that all the humans on Earth suddenly recognize that they live on …Earth. Yeah, it’s weird considering the fact that everything we need to exist is right here on this planet. We’ve been to the moon, and it turns out you have to bring your own air, water and food with you. It's also really cold and one hell of a commute.
When I was growing up in the west-island burbs, I was something of an environmentalist. Well, actually I didn’t know there was a name for it; I just had a thing for nature. In those days there were more green spaces that, as it turns out, were really just undeveloped land. It wasn’t uncommon to find ponds and brooks filled with tadpoles in the springtime. There were forests where one could lose themselves, and fields of grass where one could explore. When developers showed up to plow over trees in favour of new houses, it bothered me. Of course it never occurred to me that the same thing must have happened before they built my own home.
The thing that really angered me was that even though we lived on an island, surrounded by rivers and lakes, you couldn't swim in them because they were hopelessly polluted. So many years later things have changed a bit, but not by much.
I don’t like the label environmentalist, largely because it isn’t really something you choose to be. We are by nature, inexorably connected to this planet. It provides all of the essential things we need to survive and thrive. To want to preserve those is as natural as taking a breath.
It is often in our obsession with survival that we do ourselves the biggest disservice. Recently I got into a spat with a friend living in Alberta. I’d made some comments about the oil sands projects in the province’s north, in particular coming down on the side of a group of Greenpeace activists. They had hopped a fence at one of the fields and proceeded to occupy a building. Apparently the folks in Alberta are a touch sensitive about anything that besmirches the reputation of the oil sands projects.
Among the scathing rebukes I received was the suggestion that I should be thankful for the blessing that the oil sands had given Canada and the world. Without which we would all be unemployed, living in dark caves and eating canned beans.
The economic pay off from the oil sands is considerable. The long-term environmental impact is ponderous. Although it has been rightly argued that the emissions from oil sands production is not significant compared to the rest of Canada, and other sources of petroleum production worldwide, it is the destruction of land and the massive lakes of toxic residue, referred to a tailing ponds, that are most troubling.
I’m not naïve. I know that the world faces significant energy issues in the coming years, and in many ways projects like the oil sands provide a necessary, if unpalatable, short-term solution.
So what are we doing in the meantime?
Yesterday my six year-old son looked at me and asked rather bluntly, “Do we compost?”
Good question. And no, we don’t, but it may be a good time to start. In fact most of the things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment are simple and sensible. Using energy efficient light bulbs, idling our cars less, choosing greener cleaning products, using less water or capturing rain water for lawns and gardens. A good friend recently wrote a terrific blog about some of these ideas, click here to read.
The thing is, our actions don't have to be dramatic or radical. The most profound and effective change comes from simple every day acts.
It's important to have an Earth day, if anything to remind us that life’s blessings do not come courtesy of oil companies but rather this remarkable living, breathing planet. We're not just tenants here, our very existence relies on a healthy, sustained environment. If we make life inhospitable for humans, the planet will carry on long after we are gone. To consider ourselves vital to the future life of the planet is exceedingly arrogant.
So let's celebrate what we have by changing the way we treat the world around us. One way to start might be recognizing that every day is Earth day.
Unless you'd rather the moon.
Go Earth, Go.
The same answer could easily apply to Earth day as well. Today is the day that all the humans on Earth suddenly recognize that they live on …Earth. Yeah, it’s weird considering the fact that everything we need to exist is right here on this planet. We’ve been to the moon, and it turns out you have to bring your own air, water and food with you. It's also really cold and one hell of a commute.
When I was growing up in the west-island burbs, I was something of an environmentalist. Well, actually I didn’t know there was a name for it; I just had a thing for nature. In those days there were more green spaces that, as it turns out, were really just undeveloped land. It wasn’t uncommon to find ponds and brooks filled with tadpoles in the springtime. There were forests where one could lose themselves, and fields of grass where one could explore. When developers showed up to plow over trees in favour of new houses, it bothered me. Of course it never occurred to me that the same thing must have happened before they built my own home.
The thing that really angered me was that even though we lived on an island, surrounded by rivers and lakes, you couldn't swim in them because they were hopelessly polluted. So many years later things have changed a bit, but not by much.
I don’t like the label environmentalist, largely because it isn’t really something you choose to be. We are by nature, inexorably connected to this planet. It provides all of the essential things we need to survive and thrive. To want to preserve those is as natural as taking a breath.
It is often in our obsession with survival that we do ourselves the biggest disservice. Recently I got into a spat with a friend living in Alberta. I’d made some comments about the oil sands projects in the province’s north, in particular coming down on the side of a group of Greenpeace activists. They had hopped a fence at one of the fields and proceeded to occupy a building. Apparently the folks in Alberta are a touch sensitive about anything that besmirches the reputation of the oil sands projects.
Among the scathing rebukes I received was the suggestion that I should be thankful for the blessing that the oil sands had given Canada and the world. Without which we would all be unemployed, living in dark caves and eating canned beans.
The economic pay off from the oil sands is considerable. The long-term environmental impact is ponderous. Although it has been rightly argued that the emissions from oil sands production is not significant compared to the rest of Canada, and other sources of petroleum production worldwide, it is the destruction of land and the massive lakes of toxic residue, referred to a tailing ponds, that are most troubling.
I’m not naïve. I know that the world faces significant energy issues in the coming years, and in many ways projects like the oil sands provide a necessary, if unpalatable, short-term solution.
So what are we doing in the meantime?
Yesterday my six year-old son looked at me and asked rather bluntly, “Do we compost?”
Good question. And no, we don’t, but it may be a good time to start. In fact most of the things we can do to reduce our impact on the environment are simple and sensible. Using energy efficient light bulbs, idling our cars less, choosing greener cleaning products, using less water or capturing rain water for lawns and gardens. A good friend recently wrote a terrific blog about some of these ideas, click here to read.
The thing is, our actions don't have to be dramatic or radical. The most profound and effective change comes from simple every day acts.
It's important to have an Earth day, if anything to remind us that life’s blessings do not come courtesy of oil companies but rather this remarkable living, breathing planet. We're not just tenants here, our very existence relies on a healthy, sustained environment. If we make life inhospitable for humans, the planet will carry on long after we are gone. To consider ourselves vital to the future life of the planet is exceedingly arrogant.
So let's celebrate what we have by changing the way we treat the world around us. One way to start might be recognizing that every day is Earth day.
Unless you'd rather the moon.
Go Earth, Go.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Buyers Aware
About a year ago I went for lunch at a certain restaurant chain (who shall remain nameless, other than the name starts with an ‘N’ and it once had some affiliation with Celine Dion, but that’s all I’m going to say). At any rate, I was trying to find something reasonably healthy on the menu and came across a chicken sandwich that seemed relatively benign, except for the fries that came as a side. So I asked the waitress if I could exchange the fries for a salad, and was told it would cost me an extra $1.50. ‘Really?’ I thought out loud, ‘since when does a bowl of leaves cost more than processed deep fried starch?’
I don’t get why businesses think there is an advantage in nickel and diming their customers. Unless, of course, your establishment is named after the first coin. The biggest consumer turn-off are those silly extra charges for things that should have been included in the first place. It seems to me once you’ve actually attracted a customer (which, as business owners will tell you, is not easy) you should be trying to find ways to keep them. It isn’t rocket science.
A recent example, a recreation centre actually charged us for helium filled balloons used for decoration at our son’s birthday party. This despite the fact that ‘decorations’ were included in the price. Evidently balloons are NOT considered decorations. Net result, zero positive feedback.
I’ve had this beef with a few businesses over the years and I can’t quite get my head around why vendors treat their customers with such contempt. A couple of classic examples:
Mexicana airlines, who from check-in to return, managed to bungle just about every aspect of my vacation travel itinerary. Among the highlights: tickets issued by the airline but not recognized by the staff, accidentally cancelling my reservation, losing my luggage, and a seatbelt that wasn’t actually attached to the aircraft. I was offered virtually no compensation for my trouble other than some air miles with their company. Which I declined. I have this crazy thing about safety harnesses actually being attached to my seat.
Then there were the slimy weasels at H. Gregoire who sold my wife quite possibly the worst lemon of all time. This car needed a transmission repair and an alternator replaced only days after purchase. When I pressed the company for a refund or replacement, they threw the Quebec Consumer act in my face claiming I had no recourse. The transmission later failed completely when my wife and six-month old child were returning from a trip to Ottawa. Thankfully, Mazda came to the rescue and replaced the transmission for free. Apparently it was still covered, something the bottom-feeders at H. Gregoire never bothered to tell us.
Recent data indicates that over two thirds of consumers trust social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter when searching for product information. Only 14% trust traditional advertising. With the social media revolution, more and more consumers are relying on word-of-mouth recommendations than ever before. The Internet has given consumers tremendous power to share information with one another as well as exchange experiences. Just over a quarter of Canada’s population are Facebook users, that amounts to well over 8 million consumers. These numbers don’t include other far-reaching communications services like consumer review sites, blogs, and basic email.
Businesses should take note. Modern consumers have far more powerful research tools at their disposal, as well as an information network that can communicate instant feedback, positive and negative. They are quickly losing faith in traditional forms of advertising, which were once the leading driver of product sales.
It is becoming increasingly apparent in today’s competitive business world, that first impressions are vital to continued success. Particularly with Internet savvy consumers whose attention span is shorter than a toddler. This is why companies like Apple have invested big dollars into creating a unique and positive consumer experience with their stores. They are among many businesses who recognize that branding is much bigger than product value, it is also the shopping experience that drives future sales.
Retailers and service-providers will have to get with the program or face the wrath of an outspoken and well connected consumer base.
I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s about time.
I don’t get why businesses think there is an advantage in nickel and diming their customers. Unless, of course, your establishment is named after the first coin. The biggest consumer turn-off are those silly extra charges for things that should have been included in the first place. It seems to me once you’ve actually attracted a customer (which, as business owners will tell you, is not easy) you should be trying to find ways to keep them. It isn’t rocket science.
A recent example, a recreation centre actually charged us for helium filled balloons used for decoration at our son’s birthday party. This despite the fact that ‘decorations’ were included in the price. Evidently balloons are NOT considered decorations. Net result, zero positive feedback.
I’ve had this beef with a few businesses over the years and I can’t quite get my head around why vendors treat their customers with such contempt. A couple of classic examples:
Mexicana airlines, who from check-in to return, managed to bungle just about every aspect of my vacation travel itinerary. Among the highlights: tickets issued by the airline but not recognized by the staff, accidentally cancelling my reservation, losing my luggage, and a seatbelt that wasn’t actually attached to the aircraft. I was offered virtually no compensation for my trouble other than some air miles with their company. Which I declined. I have this crazy thing about safety harnesses actually being attached to my seat.
Then there were the slimy weasels at H. Gregoire who sold my wife quite possibly the worst lemon of all time. This car needed a transmission repair and an alternator replaced only days after purchase. When I pressed the company for a refund or replacement, they threw the Quebec Consumer act in my face claiming I had no recourse. The transmission later failed completely when my wife and six-month old child were returning from a trip to Ottawa. Thankfully, Mazda came to the rescue and replaced the transmission for free. Apparently it was still covered, something the bottom-feeders at H. Gregoire never bothered to tell us.
Recent data indicates that over two thirds of consumers trust social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter when searching for product information. Only 14% trust traditional advertising. With the social media revolution, more and more consumers are relying on word-of-mouth recommendations than ever before. The Internet has given consumers tremendous power to share information with one another as well as exchange experiences. Just over a quarter of Canada’s population are Facebook users, that amounts to well over 8 million consumers. These numbers don’t include other far-reaching communications services like consumer review sites, blogs, and basic email.
Businesses should take note. Modern consumers have far more powerful research tools at their disposal, as well as an information network that can communicate instant feedback, positive and negative. They are quickly losing faith in traditional forms of advertising, which were once the leading driver of product sales.
It is becoming increasingly apparent in today’s competitive business world, that first impressions are vital to continued success. Particularly with Internet savvy consumers whose attention span is shorter than a toddler. This is why companies like Apple have invested big dollars into creating a unique and positive consumer experience with their stores. They are among many businesses who recognize that branding is much bigger than product value, it is also the shopping experience that drives future sales.
Retailers and service-providers will have to get with the program or face the wrath of an outspoken and well connected consumer base.
I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s about time.
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